Category Archives: Hamartiology

Eschatological Jesus or Non-Eschatological Jesus

While reading Four Portraits, One Jesus some time ago, I read the arguments for and against an eschatological kingdom as preached by Jesus.  The author breaks this down into five portraits of Jesus as painted by various scholars. These are:

  1. Cynic-like philosopher (proponents, most of the Jesus Seminar).
  2. Spirit-endowed holy man.
  3. A social revolutionary
  4. An eschatological prophet
  5. Messiah

The cynic-like philosopher portrays Jesus as a poet-peasant who challenged the social conventions of His day. The largest advocate of this theory is the Jesus Seminar.

The spirit filled holy man theory states Jesus was able to perform extraordinary things due to His close intimacy with God. The biggest proponent today is Geza Vermes who wrote the book Jesus the Jew.

Jesus as a social revolutionary is a modern conception which describes Jesus as a revolutionary seeking the violent overthrow of the Roman rule of Israel. They view Jesus as a grass roots sort of person trying to over throw oppressive Roman rule. Richard Horsley‘s Jesus and the Spiral of Violence describes this view.

One of the more widely held views today is the portrait of Jesus as an eschatological prophet heralding the coming end of the world. J. Weiss was a founding father of this view of Jesus.

Messiah views Jesus as a man who came to fulfill a specific task i.e. the redemption of man.

Which view do you hold?  I’ll be examining each view more completely in upcoming posts, so stay tuned!

Source:

Definitions taken from Four Portraits, One Jesus by Mark L. Strauss copyright 2007 published by Zondervan Press

Our help comes from the Lord

Remaining Calm in the knowledge of Jesus Christ

Even though life seems to throw its curve balls at us, we must remember that the Lord Jesus Christ is our strength and our Saviour.  In times of need we are instructed to take our burdens to the Lord by prayer and praise to Him.  Consider the following verses of scripture. First in the King James Version, followed by the Amplified Version of the Scriptures.

 

Philippians 4

 

King James Version (KJV)

 

6 Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

 

7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

 

8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

 

9 Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.

Amplified Bible (AMP)

6 Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition ([b]definite requests), with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God.

7 And God’s peace [shall be yours, that [c]tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and being content with its earthly lot of whatever sort that is, that peace] which transcends all understanding shall [d]garrison and mount guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

8 For the rest, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of reverence and is honorable and seemly, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely and lovable, whatever is kind and winsome and gracious, if there is any virtue and excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think on and weigh and take account of these things [fix your minds on them].

9 Practice what you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and model your way of living on it, and the God of peace (of [e]untroubled, undisturbed well-being) will be with you.

The Amplified Version seems to clear up some of what Philippians is talking about.  We should not worry, but take everything to God in prayer while giving thanks to Him.  His mercy endures forever and we can place the burden we’ve been carrying around on His shoulders.  1 Peter and Matthew help to amplify the meaning of Paul’s words in his letter to Phillipi.

1 Peter 5:7

King James Version (KJV)

7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

Matthew 6:25

Amplified Bible (AMP)

25 Therefore I tell you, stop being [a]perpetually uneasy (anxious and worried) about your life, what you shall eat or what you shall drink; or about your body, what you shall put on. Is not life greater [in quality] than food, and the body [far above and more excellent] than clothing?

As can be clearly understood in the previous verses, we need not be anxious or overly concerned with the struggles we encounter in life.  If you have obeyed the Scriptures, have repented, been baptized in Jesus’ name, and recieved His Holy Spirit with the initial sign of speaking in an unknown tongue, then you are a child of the King.  You can cast your burdens on Christ and rejoice for you are free!

 

 

Sons of God Daughters of Men

I have frequently had the question of whether the sons of god, daughters of men found in Genesis chapter 6 were speaking of angels having sex with human females. Here is what I infer from Genesis 6:1-5.

1 And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, 2 That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. 3 And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be a hundred and twenty years. 4 There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bore children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown. 5 And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

Before we get into the interpretation of Genesis 6, let us look at the various uses of the phrases ’sons of God’ and ‘daughters of men’ in scripture.

Uses of the phrase ‘Sons of God’ in scripture.

Gen 6:2 That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.

Gen 6:4 There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bore children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.

Job 1:6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them.

Job 2:1 Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the LORD.

Job 38:7 When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?

Joh 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

Rom 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

Rom 8:19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.

Phi 2:15 That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;

1Jo 3:1 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.

1Jo 3:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

Uses of the phrase ‘Daughters of men’ in scripture

Gen 6:2 That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.

Gen 6:4 There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bore children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.

The fruit of that union; “and they bore children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.”

Mighty men- Gibbo’r | gibbo’r pronounced: ghib-bore’, ghib-bore’

Intensive from the same as H1397; powerful; by implication warrior, tyrant: – champion, chief, X excel, giant, man, mighty (man, one), strong (man), valiant man.

Renown-

Shem

pronounced: shame

A primitive word (perhaps rather from H7760 through the idea of definite and conspicuous position; compare H8064); an appellation, as a mark or memorial of individuality; by implication honor, authority, character: – + base, [in-] fame [-ous], name (-d), renown, report.

The offspring of the union of the Sons of God and the Daughters of men were apparently strong warriors or tyrants as well as men of renown and report. I would say sons of God would reference the original line of Seth starting with Enos. And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the LORD. So with the starting of Enos we have men calling upon the name of the Lord, ie seeking the will of God.

Then came on down the line Enoch.

Gen 5:24 And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.

Enoch had a special relationship with God.

Heb 11:5 By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.

Enoch’s great-great-grandson was Noah, a preacher of righteousness.

Gen 5:29 And he called his name Noah, saying, This same shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands, because of the ground which the LORD hath cursed.

So with the arming of all this information we can deduct through further analysis of Genesis chapter 6 that if you mingle righteousness (Lineage of Seth) with unrighteousness (Lineage of Cain) you will have pride and arrogance which is what I believe ‘mighty men’ and ‘men of renown’ mean.  I take this from the context of the passage.  We see these children, mighty men, fall into sin which makes God abhor them.  If not pride and arrogance then something equally sinful in nature; at least nothing righteous because in the following verses after Genesis 6:1-4 we have our righteous judge (the Spirit of God) proclaiming judgement and salvation through the flood.

Sidebar! It is also interesting to note that when Cain was excommunicated from his household, he was kicked out eastward. He was placed in the land of Nod which being rendered literally means wandering. (Brown-Driver-Briggs) Eastward is a type and shadow of Sin (Tabernacle door eastward). The priest would enter from the east, walk west into the Holy of Holies face back eastward where the people awaited and sprinkle the redemption blood eastward. To compare this with today’s doctrines of men (unrighteousness) and doctrine’s of God (righteousness) is not an unfair comparison. Kind of like neither hot nor cold. Laodicea springs to mind.

Other evidence supporting this is the context of the previous chapters. Chapter 6 deals with the judgment of God on the unrighteous and sinful union of ’sons of God’ and ‘daughters of men’. As I’ve previously noted, the union did not produce giants, but rather during the time when giants walked on the earth, men of renoun were born to the aforementioned union. The fifth chapter of Genesis deals with the righteous lineage of Seth. The fourth chapter is all about the unrighteous line of Cain.

So, in context we have Cain+Seth=men of renoun which turned into pride and sin which God repented of and would have completely obliterated if not for Enoch’s righteous great grand son, Noah… a preacher of righteousness.

Most who propose the angels coming down to have sex with men will use extra biblical passages, such as the following pericope from the book of Enoch:

1. And it came to pass when the children of men had multiplied that in those days were born unto them beautiful and comely daughters. 2. And the angels, the children of the heaven, saw and lusted after them, and said to one another: ‘Come, let us choose us wives from among the children of men and beget us children.’ 3. And Semjâzâ, who was their leader, said unto them: ‘I fear ye will not indeed agree to do this deed, and I alone shall have to pay the penalty of a great sin.’ 4. And they all answered

Book of Enoch Chapter 6

I believe we should use scripture to interpret scripture. because of this belief, I do not hold much stock in psuedopigraphical works such as the Book of Enoch. Hopefully I have answered most of your questions if you have ever wondered about this.

Review: The Christian Zombie Killers Handbook by Jeff Kinley

The Christian Zombie Killer’s Handbook by Jeff Kinley

This book is an interesting mix of horror fiction along with a self-help tutorial persuading you to identify and slay the inner-demon within you.  The book is divided into twelve sessions and chapters.  The author, Jeff Kinley, is the founder of Main Thing Ministries.  He is a graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary and the University of Arkansas.  His mission is to evangelize and reach teens through Main Thing Ministries which intends to keep teenagers focused on keeping Jesus Christ at the center of their lives.

Now back to the book.  If you want to skip the horror fiction portion of this book, read the chapters and skip the ‘sessions’.  The story was engaging however; surprising me since I generally don’t enjoy horror books.  In fact the last horror book I’ve read was Dracula by Bram Stoker. Parts of the story made me laugh, such as when a co-worker of the main character, Ben, replied: “That really adds to the moment, you have such a gift.”  This comment was in response to Kyle (another coworker) announcing he had to go to the bathroom after Ben’s bouquet of flowers for his girlfriend and his’ six month anniversary.

The main focus of the book is dealing with your inner zombie.  It is that part of the human nature that rebels against God and intends on doing only that which is self indulging, self seeking and self satisfying.  Kinley gives examples from personal life as well as from Scripture on how best to quell our ‘old man’ and put on the ‘new man’. One of my favorite quotes from the book is “Someone has described religion as ‘man’s attempt to reach God’”.  How interesting and true for today’s lackadaisical Christian mindset.

All-in-all it is an interesting mix, not one that I’d normally read but interesting none the less.  I’d recommend this book only if your already interested in zombies, and more particularly if your interested in eradicating that smudged part of your spirit that was tainted the day Adam fell.

 

A short intro video from the publisher.
I was given a review copy of this book for the Kindle device by booksneeze.com.

The Unforgivable Sin

Gen 25:29-34 And Jacob sod pottage: and Esau came from the field, and he was faint: And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage; for I am faint: therefore was his name called Edom. And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright. And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me? And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentiles; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way: thus Esau despised his birthright.

Jacob was 15 years old when his grandfather, Abraham died. Jacob was preparing a soup of rounded lentils for the seudat havra’ah. Esau, belligerent and not regarding tradition left for the fields going to and fro in them. Eventually tiring of his travels, Esau came back, saw his brother preparing the food for their grieving father and mother, expected Jacob to serve him for he was too tired to prepare anything for himself, and had no respect for the meal of mourning.

Esau proceeds to show his utter disregard for God and his denial of God’s power and authority by scorning his birthright. Genesis 25:34 record’s Esau’s contempt for his position and inheritance given by God. The Levital priesthood could be contrasted with Jacob as their role as priests started in this fashion as the people were given over to idolatry and worshipped the golden calf. Exodus 32:25-29 records the deeds of the sons of Levi and Numbers 8:18 records the inheritance they received when the firstborn of all of Israel failed to obey God’s vessel.

Enter a new covenant!

Jesus tells us the following statements:
Mar 3:28-29 Verily I say unto you, All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme: But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation: The phrase ‘never forgiveness’ is translated from four Greek words which are ‘ou aphesis eis aion‘ which literally means ‘absolute negative, freedom, into, this age or world’. In other words, those who blaspheme (speak evil of or rebel against) the Spirit of God (Holy Spirit) have their freedom (or figuratively birthright) taken away from them for the rest of this age.

Just as Esau rebelled against God and sold his birthright (or favor with God), disrespecting his family in the process, so to those who rebel against God in this age, attributing the works of God to the devil (glossolalia comes to mind) stands in judgment of losing their place as a royal priesthood called out by Christ Jesus (1Pe 2:9). What is the unforgivable sin? Simply denying God’s existence. To do that, we become hated by God as was Esau (Malachi 1:1-3; Romans 9:13). This of course means more than having a doubt as to God’s existence, but rather it means seeing the power of God, knowing God exists, but yet making the willful choice to turn our backs to God and curse Him. For that choice, one marks his or her own fate.

The Law of Sin or Death

Romans 8 gives us an exposition on the law. While the law was passed down from generation to generation, the Spirit of the law was not. It eventually reached a point where no one knew what the original intent of the law was. The priests did not even know what the purpose of the law was.
Paul states “Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.” Galatians 3 expounds more upon what the original intent of the law was. Jesus Christ did not come to eradicate the law, but rather He came to fulfil the law. By this I mean that the law was completed because it has fulfilled it’s intended purpose. The law was our schoolmaster; it taught us many things concerning faith and believing in God.
Unfortunately by the time Jesus Christ came to walk on this world, the law was of very little effect. People may have outwardly espoused the law of Moses, and outwardly obeyed the 613 mitzvot that was taught in the schoolhouse, but it was not applied to the heart and people obeyed out of custom rather than out of a fear of God. By fear of God I mean a deep love and respect of our creator. This condition of society has been coined Phariseeism today.
The same condition that exsisted back then is flourishing today. People call themselves Christian because it is the politically correct thing to say today. A majority of Americans today will claim to be a Christian in name, yet they do not know what the first 5 books of the bible are, they cannot name 4 of the 12 Apostles, they do not know the order of the gospels, and they attend church rarely (usually on special services such as Easter).
God is coming back for a bride without spot or wrinkle. Most today will ignore this warning, however that does not change the fact of His soon return for His bride (the church). Do not lay your lot with the five foolish virgins who were not prepared for the master’s return. There is a hell, and people will be sent there whom Jesus does not know. Make yourselves ready!