Compassion and Righteousness in the Twenty First Century

The Christian Church is greatly divided by the political persuasions of her adherents. Popular political ideologies can be classified into two main categories: Right and Left. This is ironic, since even baboons can count to more than two. They can distinguish between one, two or many.

The present state of affairs can be traced back at least to the Enlightenment if not earlier. For hundreds of years the establishment, consisting of church and king/emperor, made the laws while the vast majority of citizens held little political power. Out of the latter group emerged "intellectuals" who agitated for a fairer distribution of power and wealth. In France a big clash occurred - their revolution in which the social order was radically amended. A similar pattern played out in Russia about a century later. Today the governance of church and aristocrats has been replaced by a state which wields enormous power over its citizens.

Christians have always been involved in politics. The laws of the Roman Empire and its successor, the Holy Roman Empire, were vastly shaped by Christian values. A century ago these laws were pretty much still applied in Western Society. But today there is universal suffrage, no-fault divorce and women in all spheres of influence. None of this was possible in the early twentieth century. Furthermore adultery and homosexuality are no more agains the law and in South Africa one cannot be jailed for bad debt. Whether any or all of these changes in law are good or bad is debatable, but two things have to be kept in mind in the debates: 1. Should the state legislate on all these issues?, and 2. Which ethical code must be used to draft the laws?

Lawmakers often invoke Judaeo-Christian values to justify their position but they normally do so by a one-sided emphasis of some passage in the Bible. They become driven by ideology rather than truth. In two-party systems the voting public is confronted by uncomfortable choices. For instance, if you vote against state sponsored abortions, you could find yourself voting for uncontrolled damage to the natural environment. It is important to note that the sanctity of life and the protection of the environment are both Judaeo-Christian values. Thus Christians are pitted against Christians in these debates.

In Europe the Reformation preceded the Enlightenment. The reformers fought, and some died, in their quest for personal freedoms. Two hundred and seventy one years after Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the door of Castle Church in Wittenberg the French revolutionaries were agitating under the banner of Liberty, Equality, Fraternity. They had taken these values out of the original context of the Reformation and were applying them to all affairs of state. Today the meaning of Equality is the root of destructive disputes between "right" and "left". For Bible believing Christians Fraternity has little meaning apart from the fraternity of believers. How Liberty is to be pursued is also the topic of vicious debates.

Since the era of the early church Christians have cared for the vulnerable in society while the state has mostly ignored them. Some of the adherents of ideologies born of the Enlightenment like to claim that many of today's state sponsored benefits were pioneered by "enlightened" individuals. History proves that the initiatives were almost exclusively driven by Christians. Of course the laws could only be passed with majority vote. Many legislators were in agreement with laws that were more humane than the previous ones, even if they were not of the Christian persuasion. But today Christians are a minority in most Western legislatures. The values Liberty, Equality, Fraternity have been extended to areas most Christians cannot support. Radical lawmakers continually press for laws that "normalise" deviant behaviour, maybe because many of them have succumbed to depravity.

In the twentieth century Christians have been at the forefront of the rehabilitation of alcoholics, drug addicts and people with behaviours traditionally frowned on. The dilemma facing the Western Church today is the political pressure exerted on her to conform to values accepted by modern society but which clash with sound doctrine. We must be compassionate to the wayward but maintain doctrinal integrity. This pressure has caused many pastors to endorse one or other political party. There is no precedent for it in the New Testament. However, pastors are obliged to teach Biblical ethics, clearly spelling out what God regards as right and wrong.

The miracle of eternal life

 After Adam and Eve lost their first two sons, to murder and to exile respectively, they had another. Seth was born "in the image and likeness" of his father Adam (Genesis 5:3). Noah was a descendant of Seth, and everyone on earth today is a descendant of Noah. It follows that each man on earth is an image of an image of ... an image of Noah.

After humans had attempted and failed, for about 4000 years, to live the way our Creator had intended, Jesus was sent into the world. Eve had been promised that someone of her "seed" would come to crush the head of the snake who had deceived her (Genesis 3:15). The images of Adam in all the men had become too corrupt to produce a new kind of human. Therefore Mary conceived Jesus by the power of the "Most High" (Luke 1:35). Paul called Jesus the "second Adam" which is also the "last Adam" (1 Corinthians 15:45-47).

Jesus is therefore both human and divine. Most of the non-Jewish Christians of the first few centuries came from a Hellenistic (Greek) culture. They struggled with the idea that a divine being could live in a material body, since they regarded matter as inherently evil and spirit as good. The early church debated the issue for centuries and drafted creeds to differentiate between catholic (general/orthodox) faith and heresy. If Jesus was not divine, it would be idolatry to worship him. That is why today Jehovah's Witnesses, Muslims and Jews accuse Christians of idolatry. To make sure the flock understood the official position of the Church, the Nicene Creed (AD 325) states among others that Jesus was "begotten, not made, of the same essence as the Father". The Creed of Chalcedon (AD 451) went further and officially declared the Virgin Mary to be "Theotokos", the Greek word for "God-bearer" which some translate as Mother of God. Not all modern day followers of Jesus approve of this designation.

Because "all have sinned", we all deserve to die (Romans 3:23). This is according to the announcement of the Lord (Genesis 2:16-17; Ezekiel 18:4). Jesus never sinned but he identified with sinners, even to the extent that he was baptised. John baptised people who confessed that they were sinners (Mark 1:4). Jesus was baptised by John "to fulfil all righteousness" (Matthew 3:15). This means that he was going to die like a sinner and make it possible for those who believed in him to be regarded as righteous (Galatians 2:16). By faith in Jesus we become new creatures (2 Corinthians 5:17). We are the new humanity of which Jesus, the second Adam, was the first. His claim to this title was confirmed by his resurrection from the dead.

The miracle of life

 I recently had a scare. My blood pressure soared and I had chest pains. It got me to think of the function of my heart. It is a pump that has not stopped working for more than 78 years. It is the engine that moves blood to every part of my body. If any part of my body is deprived of blood for a period, irreversible damage is incurred. The period depends on the body part; for the brain it is minutes, for muscles a few hours. Christian and Judaic doctrine states that the life is in the blood. That was why Noah, and by implication all mankind, was forbidden to eat blood (Genesis 9:4).

My mind went to how my life had originated. A little cell in my mother came into the environment where it was susceptible to unite with one of the thousands of cells of my father. Each cell was a little factory with a very specific instruction set in its DNA. After the cells had combined into one, the new little factory started to make more cells, acting on the information contained in the DNA of the merged cell. That was the beginning of what was to become a fully functional human being. If you'll excuse my satire, when I think of this process, I want to exclaim "Evolution is very clever!"

Where does the human soul come into this? Both the Hebrew and Greek words for "soul" are words also used for "life". Who knows when consciousness dawns on the new baby? What is important is that there is life in each human, life which he/she inherits from the first human (Acts 17:26). That means we each have a "spark" of the Divine, each being an image of God, although a distorted image.

The process of restoration of God's image in each person begins when the person is "born from above" (John 3:3). This means one has to be willing to "live by the Spirit" (Galatians 5:25). But whoever desires to live by the Spirit has to forsake love of the "fleshly life" (John 12:24-25). Jesus did not only set the example, he made it possible (Ephesians 2:1-5).

Israel and the Church

If being a Zionist is to believe the state of Israel has a right to exist, like any of the other states of the United Nations, then I'm a Zionist. If it means to believe the Creator has a special calling for the Jews of today and throughout the ages, then I'm still a Zionist. If, to be a Zionist, I have to believe Jews can be saved through Judaism, then count me out.

The Abrahamic covenant included land for his descendants (Genesis 12:7; 13:15; 15:18), but Abraham had many descendants. Hagar and Ketura bore children for him as well as Sarah. They were originators of several nations (Genesis 17:4; 17:16), but according to Genesis 12:2 Abraham would be made into a great nation, singular.  There is no reason why these other nations may not claim to be blessed because of their ancestor Abraham. But regarding the land, God made covenants with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Genesis 17:19; 24:7; 26:3; 28:13). His covenant with Israel is confirmed as eternal by the words of the prophets such as in Jeremiah 31:37. Paul told the Athenians that God fixed times and places for all nations (Acts 17:26).

God's covenant with Abraham was not only about land. Through his seed all the nations of the earth would be blessed. Paul interpreted this seed to be Jesus the Messiah (Galatians 3:16). This interpretation can also be derived from the  gospels and Acts. Matthew 12:21 is a quotation from Isaiah 42:4 where it was prophesied  that the nations would put their hope in his name. In Mark 11:17 Jesus applied Isaiah 56:7 to the temple, saying it was supposed to be for all nations. Paul quoted Isaiah 49:6 in Acts 13:47 to prove that Jesus would be a light to the nations.

None of these verses exclude the possibility that the Jews would also be a light to the nations. But Pharisaic Judaism cannot possibly make converts for the Kingdom of heaven. Jesus made that very clear by cursing the fig tree (Matthew 21:19), and also by means of the parable of the tenants of the vineyard (Matthew 21:33-45). The Pharisees knew he was implying that the keys to the Kingdom would be taken from them and given to another. The keys were given to the new custodians of salvation, namely the Church of the Messiah, Jews and gentiles (Matthew 16:18-19; Ephesians 3:6).

From time immemorial nations have had official religions. Since the time of Constantine there has been animosity between Jews and the official church of the Roman Empire and churches of the states originating from the empire. On both sides of the conflict there are those who incorrectly believe the Church belongs to the gentiles. From this perception many theologians draw the conclusion that the Church has replaced Israel.

State churches are based on the erroneous notion that all its citizens are people of God. If this assumption is accepted as true, then it follows logically that all the citizens of ancient Judah and Israel were people of God. That would mean the Church replaced ancient Israel and the covenant God made with Jacob regarding his descendants is no longer valid.

A more accurate understanding of modern Israel and of the Church is possible. The same people who persecuted the Jews over the last two millennia, also persecuted true believers in Jesus, especially those who rejected the baptism of infants as unscriptural. The reformers of Luther's day struggled with the question of who the members of the "true Church" were. Unfortunately they did not always have the courage of their convictions. This is very understandable if one considers the fate of John Huss, William Tyndale and thousands of "anabaptists".

Christians who support the BDS movement are misguided, engaging in "level 1 thinking", a term used by Daniel Kahneman in his book Thinking, Fast and Slow. They should examine their moral compass by thinking slower before drawing flawed conclusions about the Middle East conflict. They should consider the regimes with whom they align themselves. Freedom of religion is regarded by the United Nations as a fundamental human right but this right is denied by many of its member countries. Persons who support terrorist organisations must appease their consciences by believing "the end justifies the means". 

There are also Christians who support Israel but pay scant attention to Paul's words regarding the gospel, namely "to the Jew first". Some of their support can even end up in the hands of Jews who persecute believers in Jesus, following in the footsteps of their forefathers who persecuted the prophets. Rather, Christians should be champions of Messianic Judaism in which Jewish believers observe Jewish culture.

Eternal security

An interesting story is told about a remark by the physicist Wolfgang Pauli when his opinion was asked concerning a paper written by a student. "Not only is it not right: it is not even wrong", was his comment. I wish to say the same to someone who asks "Can I lose my salvation?" David prayed to God: “Give me again the joy that comes from your salvation” (Psalm 51:12). In other words, salvation was never David's to begin with.

The whole problem started in Eden when Adam and Eve wanted to be "like God". They wanted to judge for themselves between good and evil instead of accepting the authority of their Maker. Many Christians only want one thing from their Creator, namely the assurance that they will go to heaven when they die. After they feel confident that they have met the requirements, they want to lead their lives as they see fit. They do not realise that by ignoring God's counsel, they are setting themselves up at the centre of their own universe. I have heard someone say the most common form of idolatry is people idolising themselves.

I think a more reasonable question to ask would be "Can I change my mind about being a Christian?" People have talked about this question for hundreds of years. It leads to another question, namely “Do we have a free will and if so, how free is it?” Christians do not all have the same answers to these questions. That is one of the reasons why there are different churches.

One of the slogans used in this debate is: “Once saved, always saved”. This thinking has as its starting point that God is almighty and does whatever he wants to. He creates some to be saved and others to be lost. The following verses and parts of verses are used to prove this (Calvinist) belief:

• The Lord opened her heart to hear what Paul said (Acts 16:14).
• No man can come to Me unless the Father gives him the desire to come to Me (John 6:44).
• So God has loving-kindness for those He wants to. He makes some have hard hearts if He wants to (Romans 9:18).
• I chose you twelve and one of you is a devil (John 6:70).
• But God chose me before I was born (Galatians 1:15).
• I will never leave you or let you be alone (Hebrews 13:5).
• I give them life that lasts forever. They will never be punished. No one is able to take them out of My hand (John 10:28).

Those who say that a Christian's salvation depends completely on his/her own  endurance also base their opinion on the Bible. They say that God will never go against our free will. If he did, we would be no more than machines. Every person is free to decide to become a child of God and also to walk away from God. This (Armenian) outlook is backed up by the following verses and parts of verses:

• He is hard on those who fall away. But He is kind to you if you keep on trusting Him. If you do not, He will cut you off (Romans 11:22).
• If anyone does not remain in Me, he is cut off like a branch and dries up. Such branches are gathered and thrown into the fire and they are burned (John 15:6).
• You are saved from the punishment of sin by the Good News if you keep hold of it, unless your faith was worth nothing (1 Corinthians 15:2).
• But the one who stays true to the end will be saved (Matthew 24:13).
• Brothers and sisters, make sure you are among those He has chosen and called out for His own (2 Peter 1:10).
• It is not his purpose that anyone should be destroyed, but that all people should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9).
• When the righteous person turns away from his righteousness and commits wickedness, he will die because of it. And when the wicked person turns from his wickedness and does what is lawful and right, he will live because of it. (Ezekiel 33:18-19).

Many more verses can be added to both arguments but I believe these scriptures prove neither the strict Calvinistic nor the Armenian view. As an example of the futility of these arguments consider the following question: Was Judas Iscariot "saved" and then lost his salvation? The Arminian will say yes, while the Calvinist will deny that he was ever "saved". I say "God knows; I don't have to know".

The problem with these quarrels is that it hinges on what the opposing parties mean when they use the word "saved". Do I have the ability to deny the free gift of salvation? Am I "saved" because I responded to the gospel, and at that time had the assurance my sins were forgiven? Does it mean that on that occasion my sins were forgiven "past, present and future"? Do I have to change my behaviour after making the decision to follow Jesus? Do I have to be baptised to be "saved"? Do I have to regularly confess my sins in order to remain "saved"? Soteriology is the branch of Biblical studies which busies itself with these questions and many more.

But the average Christian can be helped to gain assurance of salvation by accepting that:

• By receiving Jesus I became a child of God (John 1:12);
• God’s way of working in our hearts is above our understanding (Romans 11:33);
• Every believer must trust God to help him/her overcome sin (1 Corinthians 10:13);
• Martyrdom does not guarantee salvation (1 Corinthians 13:3);
• God's plan for a believer is to be in a Christian community (1 John 3:14);
• We have been saved to do good works (Ephesians 2:10);
• Our assurance is based on our relationship with the Saviour (1 John 5:12-13).

To understand why Calvinists and Arminianists will argue till kingdom come, I have found it helpful to compare it with a picture which can be viewed in two ways, but not in both ways at the same time, like the ones described in https://mentalbomb.com/my-wife-and-my-mother-in-law.

Paradise lost and regained

The English words "in the beginning", found in the first chapter of Genesis, do not do justice to the Hebrew. One may be tempted to ask "the beginning of what?" But the meaning of the Hebrew word used in Genesis 1:1 is not the common Hebrew word for "beginning". According to Christian doctrine, worked out after centuries of debates, "in the beginning" there were the Father, the Word and the Spirit.

They decided to create Adam and allow him into their friendship circle. There is no indication that Eve was excluded from the harmonious relationship between God and man. Their unity was due to the fact that God is love and love is not self-centred. Humans were still to demonstrate that they would not upset this peaceful order. Adam and Eve proved not to be completely trustworthy. They decided to "go it alone" by excluding their Creator from their decision to do the one thing that would be fatal to their fellowship with him. On that day they died spiritually (Genesis 2:17). They felt exposed and inadequate to talk to the Lord. Instead of crying out to him for help they ran away and hid. This is still the knee-jerk reaction of humans when we sin.

God was not unprepared for the turn of events. He promised that "the seed of the woman" would crush the serpent's head (Genesis 3:15). By triumphing over principalities and powers, the Deliverer would restore fellowship between the Creator and those who accepted his terms (Colossians 2:15). He seems to have made a covenant to this effect with Seth (Genesis 4:26).

In John's first pastoral letter he invited his readers to have fellowship with him and his fellow believers. He claims that their fellowship was with the Father and his Son Jesus Christ. John implied that it was up to individuals to respond to the proclamation of the Word of Life which he equated with "that which was from the beginning" (1 John 1:1-3). In John's gospel he identified the Word, which was in the beginning, with Jesus. On the night he was delivered to the Sanhedrin Jesus claimed that, amongst others, he was "the Life". Before Adam sinned, fellowship with the Word of Life was automatic; after all, it was God's own breath which made Adam into a "living soul".

One of the capabilities humans have due to being created in the image of God, is the potential to procreate humans after our own image (Genesis 5:3). Sin caused God's image in us to be distorted and we reproduce the distortions in our children. They are born self-centred, "dead to God". That is why they need to be born from above to see the Kingdom of Heaven (John 3:3). The tragic story of Cain and Abel illustrates the painful consequences of the desire to "know good and evil". Cain allowed himself to be ruled by his emotions of anger and resentment. He did not seem to have any remorse for his action, only fearful of its consequences (Genesis 4:13-14).

Nevertheless, Jesus said we need to become "like little children". He could not have referred to the predisposition of children to sin. A hint at what he meant is found in Matthew 18:6 where he pronounced a curse on anyone who would cause a "little one" who believed in him  to "stumble". Although children are born in sin, they have a natural tendency to be naïve and trusting. I think God created Adam and Eve with that same characteristic. The snake sowed distrust in their minds regarding the Lord. That was the seedbed for the first sin.

Was Adam's conscience sufficient to keep him from doing evil? It would seem from the Lord's conversation with Cain that it was possible for the early humans to choose good (Genesis 4:7). Man's conscience was not yet so polluted that "every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually (Genesis 6:5). But our default tendency is to want to be "free" to make our own decisions. Since we have different preferences, there has to be rules to govern our behaviour. We refused to obey the single command which was given in Eden. Now we need guidelines to help us live in harmony with each other.

After the flood the remnant of mankind was given the Noahic covenant (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_Laws_of_Noah). The instructions contained in it have not been repealed. Later God made a covenant with Israel at Sinai in which he gave them the ten commandments and elaborate instructions based on them. Laws and courts are essential for a functioning society. The scribes and Pharisees codified the laws into 613 commandments. They also amplified the laws with traditions which made life for ordinary people onerous (Matthew 23:23).

If we make love our aim (1 Corinthians 14:1) we would not violate any law, since there is no law against the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). If this mindset had prevailed in Adam and Eve, there would have been no Fall - the world would not have been cursed. But those who become citizens of the Kingdom of God through the new birth receive the Spirit of adoption (Romans 8:15) which enables us to love God and our neighbour. He promises us freedom (2 Corinthians 3:17), something human beings instinctively crave. Christians are free from the ceremonial laws prescribed by Moses (Galatians 5:1-5).

While we are in this world we cannot expect to be completely free of sin (1 John 1:8-9). We mature as we learn to discern good from evil (Hebrews 5:14). Our desire for independence is clearly not from God who made us to be in relationship with him (Revelation 21:3).

End Times - the Jews

There are different opinions today about who the Jews are. The State of Israel has criteria which it uses to determine the eligibility of a person to immigrate to it. Some wisecracks have decided to use DNA tests to prove that most Jews are not descended from Jacob. For the purpose of this discussion I assume that people who say they are Jews, had a bar mitzva or bat mitzva and celebrate Passover are in fact the Jews of the last days. Although the word Jew originally meant someone from the tribe of Judah, all the other 11 tribes are also included in this designation today.

Because the Israelites broke their covenant with JHWH, he raised up the Assyrians and Babylonians to take them into exile. The temple in Jerusalem was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar in 586 BC. The exiled Israelites could no longer offer sacrifices. They retained their religion by establishing synagogues in the towns they lived. In these the scriptures were read and community events organised.

Pagans who were interested in the one true God could attend meetings in synagogues and even convert to Judaism. Those who preferred not to follow the ceremonial laws of Moses were given the title God-fearers. Cornelius was such a person (Acts 10:1-2) and Paul met many of them in his apostolic journeys (Acts 13:50; 17:4; 17:17; 18:7). In this way the pre-Christian gospel became available to non-Jews of the empires whether Babylonian, Medo-Persian, Greek or Roman.

Tragically, when the Messiah arrived, a large amount of Jews did not recognise him. However, there were tens of thousands of Messianic Jews (Acts 21:20). Believers in Jesus were called Nozerim (Nazarenes) by the anti-messianic Jews who discouraged them from attending their synagogues. They did so by introducing a benediction which the Pharisee congregations would recite when they met. Believers would in effect invoke a curse on themselves if they were to join in reciting it (https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/birkat-ha-minim). Those Jewish believers in Jesus who joined gentile churches had another problem. The churches discouraged them from continuing to observe Jewish feasts.

Over the centuries such a rift emerged between Jews and gentiles that Jews who wanted to convert to Christianity were compelled to deny their Jewishness. The words "Messianic and Christian are in theory interchangeable, but in actuality, miles apart because of the history between so-called Christians and the Jewish people" (https://www.roncantor.com/post/why-i-don-t-call-myself-christian). 

Since the middle of the 20th century things have changed for Jewish believers in Jesus. Many Messianic congregations have been established all over the world. Members of these assemblies believe in Jeshua (his Jewish name) and continue to follow Jewish traditions. Also, since the establishment of Israel in 1948, Israeli congregations have been founded. They sing, preach and teach in Hebrew. John also prophesied that 144000 Israelis would play a key role in the end times. God is keeping a record of the tribe from which each of them would come (Revelation 7:1-8; 14:1). 

The statue in Nebuchadnezzar's dream (see End Times: A prequel) is eventually pulverised (Jeremiah 51:24; Revelation 17:4-5; 17:16). The statue represents the empires that ruled and will rule from the time of the Babylonians until it gets replaced by an everlasting Kingdom. The demolition of the statue comes from a stone cut out without hands (Daniel 2:34-35). That Kingdom will have its capital in Jerusalem (Isaiah 2:3; 60:14). The cornerstone of that Kingdom is the One which was rejected by the rulers of the Jews (Psalm 118:22; Isaiah 28:16; Matthew 21:42).

End Times: A prequel

 Adam and Eve were given dominion over the earth. When they listened to the snake, which is also called the devil and satan (Revelation 12:9), they gave him their authority. This is how the evil one became the "god of this world" (2 Corinthians 4:4). He rules by manipulating humans, making them think they are in charge of their lives while he is luring them to do his will (2 Timothy 2:25-26).

Adam and Eve soon saw the effect of their folly. It was demonstrated by the behaviour of their first born son Cain who murdered his brother (Genesis 4:8). From there it went downhill for the majority of mankind. The Lord had put man in charge of the earth. His intention was that they should honour him as their King and treat one another as fellow stewards, ruling over everything he had created (Psalm 8:6). But they quickly started fighting over which man would be in charge. A small group, the descendants of Seth, was faithful to their Creator (Genesis 4:25-26). After about two thousand years God decided to kill all of mankind except for Noah and his family (1 Peter 3:20).

After the flood the people again started making up their own religion according to their own fanciful ideas. They were in the process of building a tower for this purpose when the Almighty intervened and caused them to be scattered by confusing their language (Genesis 11:9). The Lord knew they were going to continue competing with each other for dominance. He called Abram from whom he intended to create a culture which would ultimately be spread over the whole earth.

The Lord had meant for Adam and Eve to recognise him as their Sovereign and consult him in their decision making but they refused to listen. They distrusted him, believing that the one command he had given them, was to deprive them of their "full potential" (Genesis 3:5-6). He decided to start over with Jacob, Abraham's grandson. He renamed him Israel and showed his love for "the children of Israel" by delivering them from slavery. He gave them the "Law" (Torah) through Moses. He gave them a land in which to thrive but they were not faithful in their observance of the Torah. Countless times, when they were oppressed by their enemies, they turned to the Lord to save them. He miraculously rescued them by raising up heroes. These they called judges because the people of Israel also looked to them for judging disputes.

The Israelites were not happy with the governance the Lord had provided for them. They wanted a king "like the nations" (1 Samuel 8:4-5). During the reign of their third king, Solomon, Israel became the most illustrious kingdom on earth (1 Kings 10:23). But Solomon in all his wisdom, could not handle the power and riches entrusted to him. After him the Israelites divided into two nations who actually made war on each other (1 Kings 14:30). After the Northern kingdom had been taken into exile by the Assyrians, God sent several prophets to the kings of Judah in the south to persuade them to turn from their wicked ways. They mistreated the messengers of the Lord and worshipped idols instead.

Since the Israelites had failed to become a "light to the nations", the Lord put other nations in charge of the world's population. The first was Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon (Jeremiah 27:3-7). He took the cream of Judah to Babylon where some of them became prominent in his kingdom (Daniel 1:1-4). After that God called Cyrus the Mede (Isaiah 45:13) to conquer Babylon and allow the Jews to go back to their land (Ezra 1:1-4). The empire of the Medes and Persians was the second in Daniel's interpretation of  Nebuchadnezzar's dream (Daniel 2:31-45).

The statue Nebuchadnezzar saw in his dream was prophetic. It predicted the future empires of the world until the end of "this age". Alexander the Great came after the Medes and Persians to rule the world and inaugurate the Hellenistic period. That was the time during which the Greek language and culture became predominant over the world. Thereafter came the Roman empire which later split into an eastern part with Constantinople as capital and a western part with its capital in Rome. Orthodox Christianity was the state religion in the east while Roman Catholicism was the official religion of the west.

The eastern empire later became known as the Byzantine Empire which was at its peak in the 6th century. In 1453 the Turks conquered Constantinople and renamed it Istanbul which became the capital of the Islamic Ottoman Empire. The western empire morphed into the Holy Roman Empire of which Charlemagne was one of the early emperors. The last emperor ruled until 1806. This was during the time of Napoleon's military escapades. After he had been defeated at the battle of Waterloo in 1815, the European powers made agreements on the future boundaries for the states of the former Holy Roman Empire. The Ottoman Turks in the east were defeated in World War I and the territories under their rule became mandates of the League of Nations at the Treaty of Versailles in 1919. Some were administered by Britain and some by France.

The predictions of Nebuchadnezzar's statue which still need to take place relate to the ten toes. They are the same as the ten horns on the beast in Revelation 13:1. The stone which was cut out of a mountain in Daniel 2:44-45 represents the Kingdom of God which will replace the government of the beast with the ten horns. See https://www.freebibleimages.org/illustrations/bs-nebuchadnezzar-statue.

The role of Israel in the last days is significant. Today the state of Israel is under threat. It is part of the "birth pangs" of the coming Kingdom (Matthew 24:8). Jesus will return to Jerusalem (Acts 1:11). That is why the temple mount is such a disputed area today. An interesting perspective on the present crisis in the Middle East can be read in https://www.oneforisrael.org/news/israel-at-war/feet-of-iron-and-clay/.

Freedom

 I believe much of the identity crisis epidemic, which many a young person is experiencing today, is a response to an urge to be free. Free to express any thought or to act on any desire. It is partly due to permissive upbringing by parents who dote on their children. It can also be blamed on the ridiculous excesses of our culture. These can be attributed to people who drive to extreme limits the mantra of the enlightenment: "liberty, equality, fraternity".

But Jesus had another concept of freedom. While his country was under Roman occupation he did not rebel against it. His disciples were hoping he would inaugurate his earthly kingdom in their time but that was not to happen right then (Acts 1:6-7). However, he was anointed to set the hostages free (Isaiah 61:1 & Luke 4:18). He could be likened to a hero risking his life to free us. Who would not despise hostages if they were to refuse freedom after such a daring mission?

The people Jesus came to save are those held captive by the devil to do his will (2 Timothy 2:25-26). The method of satan was, and still is, to get us all addicted to sin (John 8:34). We can get so addicted that we do not seek the freedom which our innermost beings crave. We seek freedom in rejecting all forms of authority, namely authority of parents, teachers and even laws. Instead of feeling freer, the rebel often ends up feeling depressed. Fear of death is another tool of satan to enslave us (Hebrews 2:14-15). By rising from the dead Jesus proved that there is life after death for those who believe in him (Revelation 1:18).

When Jesus told Pilate that he had come to testify to the truth, Pilate showed no interest in what that might mean (John 18:37-38). But Jesus had told the Jews that the truth would set them free (John 8:32). Paul's instruction to believers in Jesus was that they should remind themselves of the fact that they had been set free (Galatians 5:1). We are freed from the punishment of sin by believing Jesus took the punishment on our behalf (2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 John 2:2).

But helping an addict to get "clean" is only a first step in the process of rehabilitation. Resisting the temptation to fall back is a life-long journey. Attempting to live morally upright in our own strength is not good enough (Matthew 5:20). But we can please God after a change of heart (Proverbs 4:23; Ezekiel 36:26; Jeremiah 31:33; Hebrews 8:10). Then we are as good as dead to the old self who only sought its own gratification (Romans 6:11). We do not need to obey our old master, namely the sinful nature with which we were born (Romans 6:14).

Jesus told his followers to "remain" in him (John 15:4). Paul told believers to "walk in the Spirit" and so exhibit the "fruit of the Spirit" (Galatians 5:16; 5:22-23). He also instructed believers to make their bodies available to God as instruments of righteousness (Romans 6:13). Our reward for becoming "slaves of God" is firstly that we find purpose in this life and are promised eternal life (Romans 6:22). Like Bob Dylan sang in his first album after becoming a believer: "It may be the devil or it may be the Lord, but you gonna serve somebody" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cM149kcmmKk). 

End times 1

There are many theories about the meaning of portions of the book of Revelation. The framework in which one looks at the book makes all the difference. I shall attempt to sketch my point of view in broad strokes.

The Church is not the same as the Kingdom of God. The Church may be regarded as a "school" in which we learn how to behave in the Kingdom. Jesus did not engage in political activity. The Kingdom, on the other hand, is a political entity in which the rightful ruler will be the King. The earth was given to the human race (Genesis 1:26-28; Psalm 8:6-8). God does not intend to take it back so that he can implement his righteous laws. Yet he is taking it back in the sense that a Man who is completely dedicated to him will become its supreme ruler.

Jesus instructed his followers to pray "may your Kingdom come". He said all authority in heaven and earth was given to him (Matthew 28:18). He did not start his earthly rule when he rose from the dead. The apostles asked him when he would restore the kingdom to Israel. He answered them by saying it was not for them to know the times or dates the Father had set by his own authority (Acts 1:6-7). Only later did they realise that his Kingdom was to include all the earth and all the nations. When people from other ethnic groups received the Holy Spirit, they reluctantly accepted them (Acts 10:44-48). Even so, there were some who believed that all Jesus followers had to keep all the laws of Moses including circumcision (Acts 15:1-21).

The words "church" and "churches" occur only twice in the gospels and almost 100 times in Acts and the letters of the new Testament. The Kingdom of God/Heaven, on the other hand, is mentioned more than 120 times in the gospels. Is it any wonder that the apostles expected Jesus to set up his kingdom on earth after he was raised from the dead? But he sent the Holy Spirit to enable them to establish his Church (Acts 1:8). He had promised to build his Church but is doing so through his followers (Matthew 16:18).

The first command given to humans was to multiply and have dominion over the earth (Genesis 1:28). The author of the book of Hebrews wrote that he did not yet see all of creation subject to mankind. But he saw Jesus who had become a man (Hebrews 2:8-9). The Man to whom all creation was to be subjected, had been identified (Acts 2:34–35; Hebrews 1:13; Psalm 110:1). But first he had to give his life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45).

In Revelation 5 a scroll is handed to the Lamb. He was finally going to take possession of the earth. As he pulls off the first seal a conqueror is let loose. This conqueror is seen by some as Jesus conquering with the gospel. If that is the case, the first horse is the odd one out among the four. The other three are destructive and many people get killed. Whatever the first horse signifies, it implies an empire or empires of which there have been many. The Roman, Islamic, Chinese, British, Russian and American Empires come to mind.

In Revelation "kingdoms" mostly refer to evil kingdoms which will become "the kingdom of our God and of his Messiah" (Revelation 11:15).The Church is mentioned 19 times in the first 3 chapters of Revelation. They contain messages to the 7 churches of Asia minor. The churches are also addressed by Jesus at the very end (Revelation 22:16).

Most of us are curious as to what is next on God's agenda, just like the apostles (Acts 1:6). We would also like to know the meaning of chapters 4-21 of Revelation. Maybe the Lord's answer to us is not very different from what he told them. We need to be faithful in what he has called us to do and leave the rest to him (Acts 1:7-8). Nevertheless, we are encouraged to read the book, not necessarily to understand it (Revelation 1:3).

Does God change?

Many Christians find it hard to understand how the God of Jesus could be the same as the God who instructed Joshua to kill men, women and children of Canaanite cities (Deuteronomy 7:2; Joshua 10:40). How could the wrathful God of Israel have the same agenda as "gentle Jesus"? We must not forget God's incredible patience with sinful Israel, with Nineveh (Jonah 4:2; 4:10-11) and even with Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 18:22-32). He offered forgiveness to those who repented and brought blood sacrifices as he had originally prescribed to Adam. This instruction can be read "between the lines": God must have killed an animal to make garments of skin for Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:21). Also, he looked with favour on Abel's "fat portions" of his flock (Genesis 4:4). Neither must we forget how often Jesus spoke about Hell and his promise of eternal condemnation to those who rejected his offer of salvation (Matthew 10:28; 24:48–51; 25:46; Mark 9:43).

Ordinary Christians often don't consider the logical conclusion of their attitude to the "Old Testament God". I had a friend who refused to read the Old Testament because of the way it seemed as if God advocated inhumane laws and genocide. But he loved reading books on World War II. I found books and films on WW II more offensive to my sensitivities than the Old Testament stories. Furthermore, every book is written from the perspective of the author who is often pushing some political agenda. The Bible, I believe, presents God's agenda.

One of the acrobatic mental maneuvers theologians make is to ascribe to God different attributes during different so-called dispensations. In the Old Testament he condemned sin by killing sinners (Dispensation of Law) and in the New Testament by offering forgiveness (Dispensation of Grace). Nevertheless, most of them agree that the God who revealed himself to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, as well as to Moses and the prophets, is the pre-incarnate Christ - Jesus before he became flesh. But God does not change (Malachi 3:6; Hebrews 13:8). Jesus came to show us what God is really like. The eternal agenda of God has never changed. It is found in Ephesians 3:6, 10, 11.

Another heresy is introduced when Bible scholars perpetrate Replacement Theology. According to this view, Abraham's spiritual descendants, namely the Church, have taken the place of his descendants after the flesh, namely the Jews. All God's promises to Israel are supposed to be fulfilled in Jesus. They spiritualise all the portions in the Old Testament which deal with the future of the nation of Israel such as Deuteronomy 30:4-5; Isaiah 43:6-7; Zechariah 12:8-10.

There are Christians as well as orthodox Jews who say the state of Israel and Zionism are not inspired by God. One of their arguments is that modern Israel was founded by non-religious Jews. They forget that God called Cyrus, a pagan king of Persia, by his name, to be his servant (Isaiah 44:28; 45:1, 13). They also don't pay enough attention to New Testament passages such as Acts 1:6-7 in which Jesus did not deny that the kingdom would be restored to Israel. Neither do they seem to take the words of Jesus seriously when he promised the twelve apostles high positions in the coming kingdom (Matthew 19:28). Furthermore, Paul was convinced of the role Jews would play in the last days (Romans 11:25-29).

My view on Israel is pretty close to that of Bobby Harrington (https://renew.org/does-god-still-have-a-plan-for-israel). One of the weaknesses of this article is that he quotes Genesis 17:7-8 but ignores Genesis 17:6. Abraham had many children who were not borne by Sarah (Genesis 16:15; 25:1-4) . His descendants include many nations of the Middle east. However God's promises to Jacob (Israel) apply only to his descendants, known today as the Jews (Genesis 28:13).

Ecclesiastes

I have often heard it said: "It is better to learn from someone else's mistakes than from your own". King Solomon has done modern man the favour of making the mistakes we should avoid if we don't want to end our lives with the conclusion that "Everything is pointless". In this book the wisest king who ever reigned calls himself the "preacher".

He set himself the task of finding out what God intended humans to do "under the sun". He found that nothing he did gave him the satisfaction he deeply craved. First of all he explored pleasure including cheering himself up with wine, women and song. He endeavoured to learn as much as he could about nature and human behaviour. This he put to good use by undertaking building projects as well as pursuits in agriculture. He found it all meaningless and his "heart began to despair" because all his "toilsome labour under the sun" might not be appreciated by his successor.

To understand the context of the book it is revealing to read about the "Law of the king" as outlined in Deuteronomy 17:14-20. He was not supposed to get horses from Egypt, accumulate much gold or marry many wives. He was to read and obey the commandments of the Torah (first five books of the Bible, written by Moses). But Solomon had more gold than any other king, he imported horses from Egypt and elsewhere (12000) and had 700 wives plus 300 concubines. On top of that he angered the Lord by erecting idols for his foreign wives (1 Kings 10:23-11:10).

Solomon must have known what Moses taught. His father David was very familiar with it and undoubtedly brought him up according to the dictates of the Torah. But, understandably, he wanted to learn for himself what life was about. Not all of us are granted the freedom to explore life in all its facets like he was. But the "Law of the king" was written for a reason. We should not forget that the first sins were committed in Paradise. At the end of his life Solomon concluded that all his energies were spent on that which did not have eternal value, although God had "put eternity in the human heart".

If the successful young man who enquired about eternal life had grasped Solomon's dilemma he might have chosen the "treasure in heaven" above earthly riches (Matthew 19:16-22; Mark 10:17-22; Luke 18:18-23).

Ethics and the Middle East

When I was a teenager I enquired from my father whether something was illegal. I cannot remember what it was about but I do remember his answer and my reaction to it. He said that it was not illegal but unethical. I had no idea what he meant by unethical and just wanted to know if it would get me into trouble with the law. The answer was "no" and I did not bother to try and understand exactly what ethics was all about.

In my younger days my studies were in Science. I did not do much reading in Philosophy, of which Ethics is a branch. However, I had my own ideas as to what was right and wrong. C.S. Lewis argued that every human being has an innate sense of good and evil. My understanding of acceptable and objectional behaviour was obviously also influenced by the culture I was exposed to while growing up.

The New Atheists make all sorts of judgements on topics of a political nature, based on an ethic they have absorbed from the culture around them. They deny that this culture, largely shaped by the Judeo-Christian view of the world, is their source of ethics and morals. Many atheists subscribe to Christian ethics but do not like Christians or the Church. One of Gandhi's quotes is: "I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians". He also said: "It was the New Testament which really awakened me to the ... value of passive resistance."

The church of which I have been a member for more than 50 years used to be quite pietistic. That meant that, in contrast to the Anglican Church, our church abstained from making political statements. However, I clearly remember the time when our minister stated that he was not making a political statement when he referred to some of the human suffering the policy of apartheid gave rise to. Later on some churches declared apartheid a heresy.

In our culture Nazism is associated with evil and the Nazi flag has been banned in some countries. Flags can arouse very strong positive or negative feelings. The old South African flag is a good example of this phenomenon. The word "apartheid" has become associated with the worst kinds of atrocities imaginable, largely due to the machinations of the "Theater of the Absurd"*.

By a master stroke of propaganda the so-called Pro-Palestine lobby has managed to identify the state of Israel as an apartheid state. In South Africa the ANC insisted that apartheid could not be reformed; it had to be abolished. How do the Palestinians intend to abolish the Jewish state?

Article 13 of the Covenant of Hamas states, amongst others, "There is no solution for the Palestinian question except through Jihad" and article 31, "Under the wing of Islam, it is possible for the followers of the three religions - Islam, Christianity and Judaism - to coexist in peace and quiet with each other. Peace and quiet would not be possible except under the wing of Islam"**. Unfortunately the experiences of Christians and Jews in Islamic countries do not support that statement.

I remember the time when Nicolas Bhengu came from the newly "liberated" Mozambique to speak at our church. The country was embroiled in a civil war from which many were fleeing into South Africa. A refugee gave him a shopping bag full of Mozambican money which was losing value by the day. Pastor Bhengu was urging us to use every opportunity to spread the Good News of Jesus before tumultuous times would make such an endeavour difficult. Our young men were doing military duty on the borders and in the townships but Bhengu warned us saying: "You cannot shoot the devil".

There is a similarity between the treatment received by pre-1994 South Africa and what is doled out to present day Israel from the UN. In the 1970s a preacher in one of our churches said we should not be too concerned about South Africa being in the spotlight at the United Nations. In the end, he said, Israel has to move centre stage in the affairs of the world.

"Prior to 1990, 147 Security Council resolutions dealt with Israel and its actions, which was more than twenty-three percent of the 646 resolutions issued during that time frame. South Africa was the second most popular Entity referred to in resolutions during the Cold War era, considered in seventy-six resolutions. Of the 646 resolutions of the period, ninety-two merely discussed the admission of new Members to the United Nations. Numerous others served merely house-keeping purposes."***

A statement which I believe every decent human being should be bold enough to agree with is the following: "The taking of hostages for political gain is a matter of ethics and a crime against humanity".

________________

*December 12, 1975 Daniel P. Moynihan, the chief American delegate, here, charged tonight in the General Assembly that the Assembly was “becoming a theater of the absurd” and attacked its adoption of reports “riddled with untruths.” (https://www.nytimes.com/1975/12/12/archives/moynihan-attacks-colonialism-report-of-un-assembly.html)

**(https://avalon.law.yale.edu/20th_century/hamas.asp)

***https://scholarlycommons.law.case.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1268&context=jil

Jesus the Son of God - 6

Not much attention is given in the gospels to Jesus' relationship with his earthly family. But he was very much part of it for the first 30 years of his life. He was submissive to his parents (Luke 2:51). Before he had done any miraculous sign, his mother expected him to take care of a situation which could otherwise have been an embarrassment for a bridal couple (John 2:3, 5, 11). After this he went to Capernaum with his family and disciples (John 2:12).

When Jesus became popular his mother and brothers must have thought he had become too fanatical and attempted to calm him down (Mark 3:21, 31). In Nazareth he was known as the carpenter who was part of a family (Mark 6:3). On occasion his brothers gave him their advice on how he should go about his ministry (John 7:3-5). Jesus showed concern for his mother even as he was dying on the cross (John 19:26-27).

Jesus would have loved to adopt the nation of Israel as his own family. When he sent out the twelve, he told them to only reach out to the "lost sheep of Israel" (Matthew 10:5-6). He used the same phrase when he initially refused to heal the daughter of a Canaanite woman (Matthew 15:22-24). When he cried over Jerusalem Jesus was revealing his love for God's chosen people (Luke 19:41-42; Matthew 23:37). This was a sentiment the prophets had attributed to God over and over (Isaiah 40:11). The prophets denounced the "bad shepherds" of Israel (Jeremiah 23:1-2; Ezekiel 34:1-2). They promised that God would send them someone who cared for them (Ezekiel 34:23-24; Micah 5:4). In his denunciation of the Pharisees Jesus used words to the effect that they masqueraded as shepherds of Israel while persecuting the true shepherds (Matthew 23:33-36). He defended his disciples against the attacks of the religious elite (Matthew 12:1-7, Mark 7:1-13).

Jesus had compassion for all the marginalised people he came across, seeing them as "sheep without a shepherd" (Matthew 9:36). Luke 15 has been called the "lost chapter" because it contains the parable of the lost sheep and the prodigal son. In it Jesus reveals the heart of God towards all who have gone astray. He anticipated that people from other nations would be added to his flock (John 10:16) as prophesied in Isaiah 49:6-7. Probably the first person from another nation to whom Jesus revealed his identity was the Samaritan woman he met at a well (John 4:25-26).

The prophets often described God as the Shepherd of Israel (Genesis 48:15; Psalm 23:1; 80:1; Zechariah 9:16). Jesus' love for Israel proved that he was their Good Shepherd. He encouraged people to come to him to find peace for their souls (Matthew 11:28-30).  He was obviously familiar with the "forbidden chapter" Isaiah 53 and knew he came to fulfil that prophesy. That is why he said that he had come to give his life for the sheep (John 10:15, 17). After he was raised from the dead Jesus instructed Peter to take care of his sheep (John 21:16). Anyone who makes claims like the above is either divine or suffers from delusions of grandeur.

Jesus the Son of God - 5

Jesus started his evangelistic campaign with words to the effect that it was God's timing for good news to be proclaimed. The obligation on his hearers was to change their minds about how they related to their culture, and generally, how they viewed the world. He commanded them to believe that God was in the process of inaugurating his kingdom on earth (Mark 1:14-15). He had sent Jesus to spread the content of this proclamation, starting in Israel. The essence of it was that God loves his creation and wants to save us from our sins (Matthew 1:21; John 3:16-17).

Jesus first gathered a team of 12 and later 72 to preach. The Greek word for preacher means herald, public messenger or publisher. Signs and wonders were an integral part of evangelism (Luke 10:17). The "full gospel" includes healing as well as the forgiveness of sins. The teachers of Judaism were scandalised by Jesus' claim that he had authority to forgive sins but they were silenced when he healed the paralised man (Mark 2:5-12). Evangelists in the 21st century still preach forgiveness of sins in Jesus' name. In many evangelistic campaigns signs and healings are still witnessed (Mark 16:15-18).

In the beginning of his ministry Jesus did not want much publicity. Several times he got into a boat and went to the other side of the lake to escape the crowds. On one occasion he was so tired that he took the opportunity to have a nap while a storm was raging (Matthew 8:18, 24). Nevertheless many who were healed did not obey his instruction to keep it to themselves and the priests (Mark 1:43-45). After their first round of evangelism, even the apostles were swamped with people wanting their attention (Mark 6:30-31).

But about six months before his last Passover Jesus started to draw attention to himself by publicly, in the temple, making statements which were regarded as outrageous. "He proclaimed that he could provide "wells of salvation" (Isaiah 12:2-4; John 7:37-38). He also claimed to be "the light of the world", that God had sent him, that he could grant eternal life, that he was God's son, that he had existed before Abraham was born and that he was the Good Shepherd (John 8:12, 42, 51, 54, 58; 10:7, 11). The Good Shepherd was a title describing attributes of JHWH in Psalm 23. After this he left Jerusalem for a time because there had been several attempts to stone or arrest him (John 10:31; 10:39-40).

When Jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey in the week preceding the Passover feast, a great crowd accompanied him. They treated him like a king and quoted phrases from the Hallel (Psalms 113-118). The Jews used to sing the Hallel when they made their pilgrimage to Jerusalem for the feasts. The phrases "save LORD" (Hosanna JHWH in Hebrew) and "blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD" occur in Psalm 118:25-26. These were shouted by the crowd who also replaced "LORD" with "son of David" (Mark 11:9).

There were Pharisees in the crowd who wanted Jesus to stop the jubilation because they thought it was blasphemous. But it was an occasion in which the rightful King was acknowledged and the stones would have praised him if the people had refused. Jesus was overcome with grief that the leaders of Jerusalem did not recognise him, the Prince of Peace (Luke 19:39-42).

During this week Jesus did his utmost to publicise his presence. He was successful. On the road to Emmaus, Cleopas was surprised that anyone in Jerusalem might not have heard about the happenings over Passover (Luke 24:18). About 30 years later Paul was convinced that king Agrippa must have known about Jesus because "these things didn’t happen secretly in some out-of-the-way place" (Acts 26:26). Even pagan historians knew about Jesus (https://reasonsforjesus.com/a-list-of-extra-biblical-sources-for-the-historical-jesus).

Jesus' last words to the Pharisees were that Jerusalem would not see him again until the day they say "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord" (Matthew 23:39). Some Bible scholars are of the opinion that the leaders of Jerusalem will come to the realisation that Jesus is their Messiah. Then they will exclaim that phrase in Hebrew: Baruch Haba B'Shem Adonai. But before that would happen, Jesus' followers were to continue preaching the good news of the Kingdom, starting in Jerusalem and including the ends of the earth (Luke 24:47; Acts 1:8).

Jesus the Son of God - 4

John the Baptist insisted that he was not "the prophet" Moses wrote about in Deuteronomy 18:18-19. Jews later speculated whether Jesus might be that prophet (John 7:40). Jesus was indeed the one Moses had prophesied about. About no other human being is it written in the Bible that God would punish those who refuse to obey him. The temple police, who were instructed to arrest him, did not do so because they had never heard anyone speak like him (John 7:46).

Jesus was like Moses in that he was "from their brothers". Like Moses, who was disrespected by his brother and sister (Numbers 12:1-2), Jesus was "not accepted by his own" (John 1:11). Moses was the humblest man on all the earth (Numbers 12:3). About 1500 years later Jesus claimed that designation for himself (Matthew 11:29). Jesus refused to do the signs the Pharisees demanded from him to prove that he was a prophet. But he did all the types of signs which authenticated prophets like Moses, Elijah and Elisha.

One of the most notable prophesies of Jesus, which was fulfilled in the lifetime of his hearers, was the destruction of the second temple (Matthew 24:2). The first temple, which was built by Solomon, was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar about 587 BC. The construction of the second temple started 515 BC. It was expanded by Herod. It had been worked on for about 46 years by the time Jesus first evicted the merchants (John 2:20). But it was not completed until 64 AD, six years before it was razed to the ground by the Romans. To this day the Jews annually observe Tisha B’Av, a day of mourning, to remember the day when the temple was destroyed.

John the Baptist was regarded by the Jews to be a prophet (Matthew 14:5) and Jesus said he was more than a prophet (Matthew 11:9). But John did not think himself worthy of untying Jesus' shoes, a task normally reserved for slaves (Luke 3:16). And Jesus referred to John's testimony as true (John 5:33-35). Jesus claimed that a prophet is not without honour, except in his home town (Mark 6:4). This has proven to be true about him over the last 2 millennia. Jesus is honoured by believers all over the world, but only a tiny minority of Jews believe in him.

Plenty of Jesus' prophesies are still to be fulfilled. Many Bible scholars take the parable of the fig tree to mean that Jews would return to the land of their ancestors (Matthew 24:32-35). But the most outrageous of his prophesies, the one for which he was condemned to death, is that he would come again in the clouds (Matthew 24:30).

Jesus the Son of God - 3

 From a young age Jesus claimed to have a familial relationship with the Almighty. At the age when Jewish boys have their Bar Mitzvah Jesus amazed Bible teachers in the temple with his knowledge. That was also the age when they started training for their life vocation. It was common practice for the eldest son to become involved in his father's business. But when Mary told him "your father and I have been looking for you" Jesus responded "I must be about my Father's business". They were thinking 'Joseph and son' and he was referring to 'JWHW and Son', but they did not understand (Luke 2:46-50).

The question arises as to whether Mary and Joseph ever spoke to their children about the events surrounding Jesus' birth? Years later, when Mary and his brothers wanted to "take charge" of Jesus, he contended that "Whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother" (Mark 3:21; Matthew 12:46-50).

Early in his ministry Jesus asserted that no one knew God except his Son and those to whom the Son wished to reveal him (Matthew 11:27). He followed this up by inviting anyone who experienced hardship to come to him. On the night he was betrayed Jesus repeated to the eleven his claim of an exclusive relationship with God, maintaining that "no one comes to the Father except by me" (John 14:6).

I have heard a misquote by a podcaster who argued that Jesus denied being good, because he posed the question "Who is good but God?" (Luke 18:19). In fact, just the opposite is true. Jesus accepted the compliment and urged the young man to sell all and follow him. Instead of mentioning the Godward group of the ten commandments, Jesus only pointed him to those who regulated his relationship with humans. But if he wanted to be "perfect", he was give up his possessions for Jesus' sake. One would not be far wrong in imagining Jesus thinking "By all means call me good because I am the only human being who is divine". Besides, which mortal can promise anyone "a treasure in heaven"?

The Jews understood what Jesus meant by calling God his father and wanted to kill him for it (John 5:18). They came close to stoning him when he claimed to have existed before Abraham (John 8:58-59) and again when he declared to be one with the Father (John 10:30-33).

In the end Jesus' refusal to deny his divine nature cost him his life. The Jewish rulers needed to find him guilty according to their laws. The high priest managed this by asking Jesus under oath if he was the Messiah, the Son of God. His answer in the affirmative was all they needed (Matthew 26:63-65).

Jesus could still escape crucifixion if he did not make what Paul called the "good confession" before Pilate (1 Timothy 6:13). Pilate had wanted to set him free but felt pressurised by the crowd to execute him. Jesus gave him the pretext he could use under Roman law by declaring he was indeed a king (John 18:37).

Jesus the Son of God - 2

 The Jewish religious leaders were outraged at Jesus when he claimed to be God's Son. Jesus' response was that they should at least believe the works he did (John 10:37-38). He was referring to what the Jews called the signs of a prophet.

During the first Passover he attended after his baptism and anointing Jesus acted like he had authority over the activities to be allowed in the temple. Zeal for his Father's house had consumed him. He drove out the animals that were for sale in the temple, turned over the tables of the money changers and threw their coins onto the ground (John 2:13-17). At this feast many believed in him because of the signs he did (John 2:23).

Theologians who find it hard to believe in miracles have attempted to "demythologize" the Bible. It proved to be impossible to do so without completely changing the foundation on which Christianity was founded. The miracles form an integral part of the accounts of Jesus' life as recorded in the Gospels. People flocked to him to hear him teach and to have their ailments healed.

The various signs Jesus did proved that he had power over nature and insight into people's minds. He could produce food for thousands using one boy's meal. He spoke to the wind and it obeyed him. To believe that these miracles actually happened is not hard for millions of people. If he is the Son of God, then creating eyes for a man who was born blind should not be out of his league.

On more than one occasion the Jews asked Jesus for a sign to prove that he was their Messiah. Once he answered by saying "Destroy this temple and I will raise it again in three days" (John 2:19). On another occasion he said that no sign would be given them except for the sign of Jonah (Matthew 12:38-39). In both cases he was alluding to his claim that he would rise from the dead.

The climax of Jesus' signs was coming back to life after having been brutally executed. Almost all the apostles' sermons, which are recorded in the book of Acts, has the resurrection as their central theme. There is more evidence for the resurrection of Jesus from the dead than for any comparable event in the first century.

A man who predicts that he would be put to death and rise after three days, is in the words of C.S. Lewis, "the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse". Although not all preachers and theologians believe it, the physical resurrection of Jesus sets Christianity apart from all other religions. If he did not rise from the dead, Christianity would be the biggest hoax that was ever pulled on all of mankind.

Jesus the Son of God - 1

 C.S. Lewis formulated a so-called trilemma:

“A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on the level with a man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse.  But let us not come with any patronising nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.” (Excerpt from Mere Christianity)

How did Lewis come to that conclusion? Being the scholar that he was, his persuasion came from reading the gospels. He regarded them as reliable records of the words and deeds of Jesus. Most Westerners find it very hard to believe the accounts of the miracles. But millions, even of those who don't identify as Christians, claim to base their ethics on the Sermon on the Mount. To get a good grip on the meaning of the sermon it is enlightening to consider the context in which it was presented. It should be enough to convince the reader of Jesus' intentions.

To the Jews the Law of Moses, the Torah as it was known, were the most sacred writings in existence. In his commentary on it Jesus started off by saying he did not come to do away with the Law (Matthew 5:17). "As if he could", may very well be what went through the mind of a sceptic. But he followed that up by saying he came to fulfil the Law! He was going to explain and model for all how the Law was to be applied in everyday life. In other words, if the Law gave a description of a perfect human being, he was that person. The "holy men" of the day spread the belief that there would be a resurrection of righteous believers and that they would "obtain eternal life" which is the same as to "enter the Kingdom of Heaven". To secure a place in the "book of life" a person had to follow the Law in minute detail. But Jesus said their kind of righteousness was not good enough to allow them into the Kingdom (Matthew 5:20).

Throughout the sermon Jesus used the phrase "You have heard ... but I say to you ...". He was referring to the interpretations of the Law by their learned men, the Pharisees and scribes, maybe also to popular opinion. As an illustration we can use the interpretation of the instruction in the Law as it pertained to divorce. Two famous rabbis Hillel and Shammai had different ideas of how it should be applied. The local synagogue teacher might have thought he was clever if he could quote both, and maybe give his reason for agreeing with one or the other. Jesus did no such thing. He simply said that anyone who "puts away" his wife for any reason other than fornication (porneia in Greek), causes her to commit adultery. And a man who marries her would also be committing adultery.

Jesus did not beat about the bush when it came to his opinion of the Pharisees and scribes. They were "role players" (hupocrites is the Greek word for actor). They would not inherit the eternal life which they hoped for. The crowd who heard the sermon concluded that Jesus taught "with authority" (Matthew 7:29). He did not speculate on the meaning of the instructions in the Law. In the spirit of C.S. Lewis, he was either the most arrogant person who ever lived, or indeed the One who gave the law to Moses in the first place.

The Lord's last Passover

Jesus had told his 12 apostles several times that he would be killed in Jerusalem. Peter objected to this notion when he first heard it. He was rebuked by Jesus because dying and rising from the dead was his main mission. Before they went to Jerusalem for the last time the disciples objected because of the hostility Jesus had encountered on their previous visit to the capital. Thomas resigned himself to Jesus' determination with the words: "Let us go and die with him" (John 11:16). It is doubtful that he fully grasped what he was saying. This became evident when they all deserted Jesus later (Mark 14:50).

The above synopsis helps us to appreciate the discussion taking place during the last Passover meal Jesus had with his apostles as recorded in John 13-17. Remembering his triumphal entry to Jerusalem, and how he had rebuffed the trick questions of the authorities, the twelve must have thought that the Messianic age was about to begin. That may be why they started jockeying for position during the meal. Was it their insensitivity that prompted Jesus to wash their feet, modeling servant leadership? (Luke 22:24, 27)

When Jesus got serious about the fact that he was going away, the questions started. Thomas: "We don't know where you're going, how can we know the way?" Philip: "Show us the Father ... " (John 14:5, 8). Other than Judas Iscariot, the apostles did not have an idea of how the next 24 hours would play out. While Jesus was in agony in Gethsemane his most trusted companions fell asleep (Mark 14:34, 37). The shock of their lives awaited them but they were too tired to stay awake.

After meeting the resurrected Jesus their relationship with him underwent a transformation. When he saw Jesus Thomas exclaimed: "My Lord and my God". Jesus' words during their last meal left such an imprint on John's mind that decades later he could record them verbatim in five chapters of his gospel. How could Philip forget the words: "Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father"? (John 14:9)

It can be very revealing to a child of God to spend much time on chapters 13 to 17 of John's gospel. There the heart of God is revealed as he spent quality time with those who entrusted their lives to him. He likened the events which would follow his arrest to the pain of a woman in labour and the joy she experiences with the birth of her child. Jesus spoke about the birth pains preceding his second coming (Mark 13:8). Surely we are experiencing some of those today.