FAITH (Part Two)

 

FAITH (Part Two)

 

In the closing paragraphs of Part One of this discussion on Faith, I tried to stress the importance of understanding that as humans we are three-part beings…comprised of spirit, soul and body. The discussion at that point was to target the significance of understanding that concept as it relates to human life…and the issue of when that life begins. Without understanding our true make-up, many of the Bible’s messages are difficult, if not impossible to understand…especially in significant portions of the New Testament.

The complexity of the process from sexual intercourse to the delivery of a newborn infant requires many steps. Scientists have documented the physical and physiological steps involved in developing the human body, but none have been able to document when the soul and spirit bring the “life of our eternal soul and spirit” into that mortal body. We are in reality that “soul and spirit”, and we live inside that body. The Bible’s explanation of that critical step is one that we are to accept by faith.  [NOTE: I will continue to distinguish between the “soul” and “spirit” because they serve different functions in man. However, remember that the Scripture notes that they are so closely interrelated that it takes the Word of God (sharper than any two-edged sword) to separate them. (Hebrews 4: 12)]

I raise the points above because without accepting them by faith it is impossible to fully understand the significance and impact of what our Lord Jesus Christ accomplished on our behalf through His death, burial and resurrection…and for our future. For example:

·       Human beings have a three-part make-up, in which the invisible, eternal soul and spirit are contained in a visible, mortal, physical body. (Genesis 1: 26-27, 2: 7; 1 Corinthians 15: 39-46; 1 Thessalonians 5: 23; 3 John 1: 2)

·       It wasn’t until God “breathed the breath of life” into the nostrils of the lifeless body of the first man Adam, that “man became a living soul.” (Genesis 2: 7)

·       The blood is the place in the physical body where life (the soul and spirit) is contained until death. (Leviticus 17: 11)

·       Losing a critical amount of blood negatively affects multiple body organs, including the vital brain, heart and lungs, and will lead to death in animals and man. (Hebrews Chapter Nine)

·       The last breath exhaled is the method by which the soul and spirit are separated from the body. (Genesis 7: 17-22; Job 27: 3, 33: 4, 34: 12-15; Matthew 27: 50; Mark 15: 37; Luke 23: 46; John 19: 30)

These examples are just a few of the pieces of the framework of “evidence of things not seen” that help establish the foundation for Christians who have “faith” in the messages of the Bible. That faith is what led us to believe in our Lord and Savior Christ Jesus.  (Hebrews 1: 1). Those points and scripture references also help in explaining the separation of the visible from the invisible in a way that supports “faith” as “believable”.

However, there are other areas for which there is not such a framework of “evidence”. They include, among others:

·       The actions of the Crucified Christ Jesus during the three-day period of the burial of His body (Psalm 16: 10, 49: 15; Matthew 12: 40; Luke 16: 19-31, 23: 39-43; Acts 2: 29-32; Ephesians 4: 6-10; 1 Peter 3: 18-20)

·       What happens to the soul and spirit of people who have “died”? (Ecclesiastes 12: 7; Acts 7: 59; Luke 16: 19-31. 23: 43; 2 Corinthians 5: 6-8; 1 Thessalonians 4: 13-17)

It is in those types of areas that our faith is more commonly tested. I’ll address those concerns shortly, but first…regarding “faith”…

I was reminded that God does not require man to have access to the Bible scripture that we use to establish and exercise faith.  We have that access by His Grace.  What about others who don’t or didn’t have that blessing?  I return to the Scripture for that answer, because even they must exercise faith:

·       Our God is the God of Love, and is not willing that anyone should perish. All should be given the choice to receive the eternal salvation of their souls. (John 3: 16-17; 1 John 4: 7-10; 2 Peter 3: 9)

·       The Grace of God that brings salvation has (already) appeared to all men. For those of limited access to scripture or limited literacy, the message was placed in the heavens and the firmament. (Psalm 19: 1-7; Romans 1: 17-18; Titus 2: 11) [That is not what some now call “Astrology”.]

·       Jesus Christ is The Son of God, and “The Light” that ”lighteth every man that cometh into the world.” (John 1: 1-4, 9) With or without the written Scripture, He is the only way to man’s eternal salvation. (John 14: 6; Acts 4: 10-12; 1 Timothy 2: 3-5)

 

Now in returning to the definition of “faith” (Hebrews 11: 1), let’s look again at ”The substance of things hoped for…”  There are three major points in the scripture that highlight that concept:

1.      Why do we need faith? -  “Without faith it is impossible to please Him (God): for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.” (Hebrews 11: 6);

2.      How do / did we develop faith? -  “Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (Romans 10: 17-18)

3.      What do we do with our faith? -  “The just shall live by faith.” (Habakkuk 2: 4; Romans 1: 16-17; 2 Corinthians 5: 7;  Hebrews 10: 38)

 

The first point above notes that we seek to please God because of the love He first has shown to us. Again, we love Him because He first loved us. (1 John 4: 15-19)  As much as God loves His favored creation man (John 3: 16-17), He still requires that man make the choice to believe / have faith in what He has said through the scriptures. That “faith” is not to be a passive acceptance of God’s message, but an active one that must be spoken. (Romans 10: 6-13)

That leads to the second point. Before a person can have faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ and become a Christian, that person must have heard that truth from someone. The Bible addresses that very point in the same passage of the Scripture that says: “How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed?  and how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? and how shall thy hear without a preacher / proclaimer?  And how shall they preach / proclaim except they be sent? …So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (Romans 10: 14-17)

The discussion of the third point has some interesting historical significance. On October 31, 1517, the German Priest and Theologian Martin Luther formalized his break with the Catholic Church by nailing his “95 Theses” to the door of the University Church in Wittenburg, Germany. His dispute with the Catholic Church is documented in the references below, and focused on his interpretation of the Scripture that “the just shall live by faith”. “Payment for sins” could not be accomplished through monetary payments (“Indulgences”) required by the Catholic Church. This began the Protestant Reformation Movement, and the Lutheran Church. ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theology_of_Martin_Luther ;

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ninety-five_Theses ) 

“Just” Christians have been “justified” / declared righteous by having faith and believing in our Lord Jesus Christ and the Gospel of Grace. (1 Corinthians 15: 1-4; Romans 10: 9-13) Having been made “just” in the eyes of God, the Scripture says that Christians are to “live by faith”.  Our lives are to be a testament to our Lord Jesus’ love for us, and mankind in general. Our lives are to be translated into demonstrating the “agape`” love of Jesus…of  always wanting the best for others. (Romans 13: 8-10)  Further, not only collectively but also individually, we are to be knowledgeable in the Bible scriptures and the effect that the Lord Jesus has had on our life. That knowledge should allow each of us to be the “voice” that is given credit when a new believer is asked: “What made a difference in influencing their decision to receive Jesus?”, that they should answer: “My faith came from hearing…(Your Name Here.)”

 

Dr. W. A. (Bill) Robinson

https://christianityandbiblestudy.blogspot.com/

FAITH (Part One)

 

FAITH (Part One)

 

In the eyes of many people, the term “Faith” represents merely an abstract idea that Christians and others use to explain their willingness to accept the existence of God, and especially the Scripture found in our Holy Bible, as being “true”.  Those outside of the “faith community” have not been reached or touched in the way that those inside the community have been. Some will never accept the existence of “faith” as being “real”.  Others are seeking some “proof” that our faith is real, and are looking for some evidence that they can understand through their senses. They ask: “How do you know it is real or true if you can’t see it, or measure it, or …”

The Cambridge Dictionary defines “abstract” as “existing as an idea, feeling, or quality, not as a material object: Truth and beauty are abstract concepts.”. It then goes on to give some examples, citing “happiness, faith and confidence” as abstract qualities. (https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/abstract)

As Christians and Bible students, we have been taught that the Bible is to be read and believed as a total package…a complete message from God. The Scripture itself says: “All scripture is given by inspiration of God…” (2 Timothy 3: 16). Because of the limitations of mankind, it doesn’t answer every question that we might ask, but it does provide all the information that God thinks we need to accomplish His Plan for our salvation and restoration to Him. He has been implementing His Plan for the past several thousands of years, and man has had access to Him for most of that time. The Bible tells the story of man’s falling away from God and the continuing choices that man has made leading us to today. But God has been patient / longsuffering. (2 Peter 3: 9) All He asks is that we have faith in what He has said, and make our choices / decisions based on His Word.

Our Bible has defined faith in this manner: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11: 1)  Key to understanding that definition are the words  “hoped for”.  This does not refer to “hope” as we usually see it meaning a “blind wish” (such as hoping to win the lottery), but rather “trust in”. (Strong’s Expanded Concordance #1679)  As Christians who believe we have already received the eternal salvation of our souls, we trust in the Word of God that our future is already secure. As a result, part of our service to our Savior Lord Jesus is to act in a manner that reflect His changes in our lives, knowing we are no longer controlled by our sinful past. (Romans 3: 23-26) 

Our soul and spirit have been changed by the indwelling Holy Spirit. Those “changes” are some of “the evidence”… of things not seen”. We believe “our citizenship is in heaven” (Philippians 3: 20), We are to serve as “Ambassadors” for our Savior, the Ascended Lord Jesus, to represent Him and our Heavenly Father in helping to guide others to salvation. (2 Corinthians Chapter Five, note especially Verse 20)

 

For those who might not readily accept how our personal testimony provides “evidence”, I’ll turn to some more “objective” evidence which they might accept “by faith”. For example, when a gardener or farmer plants seeds into fertile soil (then adds rainwater and sunlight), using the scriptural definition of “faith” above, they hope for / trust in the germination of those seeds into their desired plants. They don’t know with certainty, but they have faith. Even though they don’t know the specific details of how that transformation from seeds to plants takes place, they willingly accept the crop results as “evidence” that the process took place.

As another example, when a person purchases a new tech device:  phone, computer or other, there is the expectation, by faith, that by having made the purchase from a “reputable source” there will be no problems with the device.  The purchaser has no knowledge of all the details of how that device was manufactured or shipped, but must exercise faith in the process. The  “evidence” of that faith was the purchase price, even before the device was delivered and connected.  In a related example, I know of no one who has “seen” what is called “The Cloud” that contains much of my and others’ computer data. Like “Bluetooth” and sound waves,  or even the source of the waves along the ocean shore, and other phenomena that we’ve never seen, we accept their existence by faith. We’ve experienced “evidence” that they do exist by observing their effects, or through our other senses. Although the elements themselves remain a mystery, we believe they exist by faith.

 

Now I’d like to challenge some Christians and other Bible students to see if my reading of the Scripture is consistent with their beliefs. On another side of the discussion of “Faith” are many people who are Christians who say their faith is based on the messages of the Bible. Recently I’ve heard some pastors and others opine about when a human life begins, as their basis for taking a stance on the volatile issue of abortion.  I believe that Christians should turn to the Bible and cite the specific scripture that led them to that position.  Many either don’t turn to the Scripture when in a position to address controversial issues and concepts, or they prefer not to accept the Bible’s teachings.  

In my initial postings on this blog (August 28^th and 31^st, 2022), I ventured into the controversial area of: “How Should Christians Define “Pro-Life” and “Pro-Choice” (Parts 1 and 2). I recommend that you read these posts to get a more complete sense of the points I’m trying to make here. I tried to present my findings using Bible references that I felt were consistent with the total message that God has given us. We are three-part beings, consisting of an invisible, eternal, soul and spirit (made in the image of God), and temporarily in visible, mortal, physical bodies. We believe we are made of invisible components because the Bible says so. We believe we are made in the image of God because the Bible says so. We believe that the human body is lifeless until God breathes into it the breath of life. That breath is what places / infuses the soul and spirit into the body. When that body “dies”, and the person releases their last breath, the soul and spirit are released to return to the God who made them. A person who has been present at the birth of an infant, or at a person’s final moments in passing on, has witnessed the “evidence” of these processes. Always remember that “human life” should not be confused with the “life” of other animals. The key to believing this is “faith” in what the Bible says. My Bible references are cited in the two postings noted above.

In Part Two of the discussion of “Faith”, I hope to explore the subject in the context of other possibly controversial Bible concepts.  As Christians and other Bible students, we hopefully can agree on what the full Scripture is teaching us, so that we can better represent to others what God wants all mankind to know.

Dr. W. A. (Bill) Robinson

https://christianityandbiblestudy.blogspot.com/

One Example of Connecting the Dots

 

One Example of Connecting the Dots

 

While in the process of considering a theme for this post, the Holy Spirit led my spirit to a recent interpretation of a passage of Scripture that I had not previously fully understood.  It was from a sermon from one of my teachers (Ron Carpenter), and it was a reminder for me that as I continue in Bible study, even having read something more than once, I can still learn more. This is especially true when “connecting the dots” in a way that I had not previously seen, and now had added meaning.

The scripture in point is from the Apostle Paul’s first letter to his new converts to Christianity in the city of Corinth:

“1 Corinthians 2:3-8

³ And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling.

⁴ And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:

⁵ That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.

⁶ Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought:

⁷ But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:

⁸ Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.”

Note that in Verse Eight, the Apostle wrote that the “princes of this world” were the ones who had “crucified the Lord of glory”. In my haste I had not moved beyond my initial interpretation that he was referring to the Caiaphas the Chief Priest of Israel’s Temple and the other leaders of the Sanhedrin who had conspired to convince the Roman rulers to crucify our Lord Jesus. (https://www.christianity.com/wiki/people/what-bible-tell-about-caiaphas.html ) Besides, that interpretation seemed consistent with the interpretation of Psalm 2: 1-3, given by another one of my teachers many months earlier:

“2 Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?

² The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and against his anointed, saying,

³ Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.”

In that passage, the “heathen” were the Romans, and the “people” were the officials leading Israel’. In my new method of “connecting the dots”, even that interpretation might be too simplistic.

The “Key Dot” in the sequence in my current thought came from our Lord Himself near the end of His Earthly Ministry. He and His Disciples had come to Jerusalem that last time to celebrate the Passover. See John 12: 12-33.  The most relevant verses in that passage of Scripture are these:

^“23 And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified.

²⁴ Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.”

Here the Lord is comparing His coming death, burial and Resurrection to the planting of a “seed”. The “death” of that seed would ultimately result in a many-fold harvest of “fruit”, each of which would contain many additional “seeds”.  As “THE Son of God”, through His death, burial and Resurrection would come untold numbers of “sons of God” through their belief / faith in Him.

Regarding “connecting the dots”…

We believers today are many of those “sons of God”. (Romans 8: 11-14; Galatians 3: 24-25, 4: 1-5; Philippians 2: 5-15; 1 John 3: 1-2)  What the Apostle Paul was telling the Corinthians in the Scripture above is that it had been revealed to him by the (Holy) Spirit that God knew before the world began that the Lord Jesus’ death would result in the creation of so many, many of us as “sons of God”.

Regarding “another dot”…

Also as noted by Paul in Verses Six and Eight of his letter to the Corinthians above, the “princes of this world” who were the ultimate forces behind the crucifixion of our Lord Jesus were neither the leaders of Israel nor the Romans.  They were merely the human “tools” used (like Judas) to accomplish their objectives. The kings, princes and rulers of this Earth are the spiritual forces led by God’s Enemy Satan, “the god of this world” (2 Corinthians 4: 3-4), also named “the prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2: 1-2). It was these rulers who “would not have crucified the Lord of glory” if they had known the tremendous impact that event and those events that followed would have on expanding God’s influence throughout mankind.

Even so, as you well know the war between good and evil is not finished. As “sons of God” we have been warned (in Ephesians 6: 11-18):

“11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

12  For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”

 

As I continue to study our Bible, I plan to try harder to “connect the dots”. This will be especially important in looking harder for the “spiritual” significance that accompanies each “natural” event and related Scripture.

Dr. W. A. (Bill) Robinson

https://christianityandbiblestudy.blogspot.com/

All Scripture is Given by Inspiration of God

 

All Scripture is Given by Inspiration of God for

Doctrine / Reproof / Correction / Instruction in Righteousness

  (2 Timothy 3: 16)

 

During his Missionary Journey beginning circa 40 AD, the Apostle Paul wrote concerning these areas:

·       Doctrine (Teaching Principles of Christianity) – Book of Romans (circa 64 AD)

·       Reproof (Criticism / Reprimand re Various Problems) – Books of I and II Corinthians (circa 61-62 AD)

·       Correction (Restoration to Upright State re Grace vs Legalism) – Book of Galatians (circa 60 AD)

·       Instruction in Righteousness (Education re Attaining a state Approved of God – Books of I and II Thessalonians (circa 57-58 AD)

These were fundamental concepts for those being newly introduced to Christianity and Paul’s Gospel of Grace. They were written as a follow-up to earlier visits he had made to those small congregations of believers. Some believers were Jews he had converted. Otherwise he evangelized carnal / formerly idolatrous Gentiles.  Paul only wrote to believers.

BACKGROUND:

The Book of Acts is called the “Book of Transition” because it chronicles the transition of God’s Plan for the redemption of mankind. In brief, it begins with the Ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ at the close of His Earthly Ministry, following His death, burial and Resurrection. Despite strong efforts by the Apostle Peter and the new disciple Stephen to convince Israel to repent for having rejected and demanding the crucifixion of their Messiah Jesus, Israel would not budge. As a result, God’s Plan to have Israel teach the Gentile world God’s Moral Law to obtain righteousness (Exodus Chapters 19 and 20) through the Abrahamic Covenant (Genesis 12: 1-3) was not implemented.

The Ascended Lord Jesus then turned to a single Jew, Saul of Tarsus (later named Paul) who had been the violent chief opponent of Christ’s Earthly Ministry. The Lord saved him by Grace and charged him to be “the Apostle to the Gentiles.” (Romans 11: 13; Ephesians Chapter Three) Paul met with tremendous opposition wherever he journeyed. (Acts 26: 1-23; 2 Corinthians 11: 21-33) However he persevered to follow God’s Plan to bring salvation to all who would receive it. (1 Corinthians 15: 1-4; Romans 10: 9-13).

After Paul’s enemies had him falsely accused , he was delivered to Rome and placed under house arrest for two years prior to his martyrdom.  During that period, he wrote what have been called his “Prison Epistles” to the remaining congregations. (Acts 28: 16-31)  Those parts of our Scripture followed the same order of his teachings as noted above. Although the order is the same, the content of each requires a higher-level understanding of the Lord’s message to us:

·       Doctrine – Book of Ephesians (circa 62 – 63)

·       Reproof – Book of Philippians (circa 62 – 63)

·       Correction – Book of Colossians (circa 62 – 63)

Hopefully these distinctions will help Bible students, Christian and others, to better appreciate another aspect of the intricacy of how the Holy Spirit has developed and organized God’s messages. Also, n conducting research for this post on my blog, I found the chart below. It was developed by the Grace Bible Church, Ft. Worth, Texas, and I highly recommend it to you.

Source:

https://www.gracebiblechurch-fw.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Acts-Book-of-Transitions.jpg

 

Dr. W. A. (Bill) Robinson

https://christianityandbiblestudy.blogspot.com/

Dates and Times and Numbers in the Bible

 

Dates and Times and Numbers in the Bible

 

Later this month, our Jewish friends and colleagues around the world will be celebrating the beginning of their High Holy Days. Preparations have already begun for Rosh Hashanah. As I noted in an earlier post on the links between Christianity and Israel, Rosh Hashanah marks the beginning of the Jewish New Year. This September will bring in the Year 5784 Am.   [It will also mark the beginning of the 10-day period of penitence for their sins during the past year, and will conclude with the Highest Holy Day, the “Day of Atonement” called Yom Kippur…but that discussion is not my focus at this time.] (https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/4762/jewish/What-Is-Rosh-Hashanah.htm#Why )

I’m providing that introduction to bring into focus that the New Year of the Jewish Calendar will be 5784 Am.  The qualifying suffix to that year is “Anno mundi” or “Am”. It is translated: “In the year of the world”, and is based on calculations made by Jewish Rabbi scholars many centuries ago.   (https://www.britannica.com/topic/anno-mundi ; https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/counting-the-years/ )      

I highlight and emphasize that year “5784 Am” to draw contrast to our current familiar Gregorian Calendar Year 2023 A.D.. (https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregorian_calendar)  Of course, we Christians have our calendar based on the approximate year of the birth of our Lord Jesus, leading to the qualifying suffix: “Anno Domini” or abbreviated A.D. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anno_Domini )

As we continue to study the Bible, I think it is important to look at the broader context for what we read and try to “see” more of the events from God’s perspective. What “we” see, and can only imagine and take by faith, is what the Scripture tells us about what our Lord Jesus did to redeem us some 2,000 years ago.  With much more difficulty we try to imagine the events surrounding “Noah’s Flood”, but find it virtually impossible to imagine the Creation. In that context, here are some factors to consider:

·       We understand that God (Elohiym) is an Eternal Spirit, and lives / exists outside of the constraints of time as we know it. (https://www.gotquestions.org/God-time.html )

·       God gave to certain members of the Nation of Israel the gifts to serve as divine oracles to share His word / the Scripture with mankind. (Romans 3: 1-2) For example, Hebrew Rabbinic tradition says the Torah (the first five Books of our Bible) were written by Moses.  (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torah ) Remember, however, that “all scripture is given by inspiration of God.” (2 Timothy 3: 16)

·        When reviewing dates and timelines in the Scripture, remember that these events took place many thousands of years ago. The accuracy of the dates is subject to the validity of the research done by the various scholars; the elimination of potential errors in translation from the original languages; etc. Even so, we regard them to be as close to “factual” as current knowledge provides.

With that understanding, we accept that through the Bible Scripture, God has given us a record of the history of mankind…with an early possible “exception”.  That controversial exception is called by some scholars as the “Gap Theory”, which attempts to explain what seems to be a “Gap” in time between the events described in Genesis 1: 1 and Genesis 1: 2. There is some plausibility to that theory in that it could explain other areas of speculation, including:

·       The events that led to the Serpent’s / Lucifer’s / Satan’s hatred for man, leading to his deceiving Eve to sin against God in the Garden of Eden (Genesis Chapter Three). (https://www.gotquestions.org/gap-theory.html )

·       The Scripture of the oldest book of the Bible, Job Chapters 39, 40, and 41, in which the LORD scornfully questions Job about his knowledge of pre-existing creatures including the Unicorn, the Behemoth, and the Leviathan.

·       Fossils and other archeological evidence that man inhabited the earth perhaps millions of years (or more) earlier than the 5784 Years noted above, as calculated by Israeli Rabbi Scholars. https://search.yahoo.com/search;_ylt=AwrNZtk.ePJkB4EQ2GdXNyoA;_ylc=X1MDMjc2NjY3OQRfcgMyBGZyA21jYWZlZQRmcjIDc2EtZ3Atc2VhcmNoBGdwcmlkA2hVdkNyWHJtVC5PdEo2VF8xU2g4SEEEbl9yc2x0AzAEbl9zdWdnAzEwBG9yaWdpbgNzZWFyY2gueWFob28uY29tBHBvcwM1BHBxc3RyA2hvdyBvbGQgaXMgBHBxc3RybAMxMQRxc3RybAMxOARxdWVyeQNob3clMjBvbGQlMjBpcyUyMG1hbmtpbmQEdF9zdG1wAzE2OTM2MTIyNjkEdXNlX2Nhc2UD?p=how+old+is+mankind&fr2=sa-gp-search&fr=mcafee&type=E210US105G0&mkr=11

 

Israel has marked the history of mankind dating back nearly 6,000 years. It is important for Christians and Jews to look ahead from the “Dates and Times” given to those gifted men / oracles by the Holy Spirit to prophesy our future. (2 Timothy 3: 16-17)  Associated with those dates and times are “Numbers” that have significance in helping us better understand God’s messages.

We might not know definitively all of what has happened to mankind in the past, but Scripture has given us some perspective as to what lies ahead. The most visible of these narratives is the Book of Revelation, which the Ascended Lord Jesus revealed to the Apostle John (Revelation 1: 1-3)  However, the high degree of symbolism throughout causes many readers to give up trying to understand it. Although our lives today are geared towards that blessed future outcome of having our names appear in the Lamb’s Book of Life (Revelation 20: 12-15, Chapter 21), we are not yet there.  In the meantime…

As to our present day and the near future, many Christian Bible students have not fully appreciated the value of reading and understanding those prophecies in the context of today’s discussion.  [The Book of Matthew, Chapter 24 contains the Lord’s prophetic statements as to the events that will usher in the end of this World Age, which many believe we are quickly approaching. I encourage you to read this scripture, but in keeping with this focus on “Dates and Times and Numbers” I want to highlight other areas.]

In the Book of Daniel, there are two key areas of prophecy that are particularly relevant to this current period in man’s history.  In Chapter Two, God revealed to young Daniel the interpretation of a dream experienced by his captor, King Nebuchadnezzar. The dream was of a “great image” in the form of a man. The image had a head of gold, breast and arms of silver, belly and thighs of brass, legs of iron, and feet of part iron and part clay. Each of the five components of the image represented a Gentile kingdom that would in succession rule over Israel during the future centuries. The significance of the number “five” will be discussed later.

Later, in Daniel Chapter Nine (Verses 24-27), God’s Messenger Angel Gabriel revealed one of the most significant prophecies affecting Israel’s future…with direct implications for all the world. That prophetic timeline covers “Seventy Weeks…to finish the transgression, to make an end of sins, and to atone (make reconciliation) for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy and to anoint the Most Holy.”

What is intriguing about the timeline of 70 weeks is that the term “week” in the original Hebrew language literally means “sevened” or heptad of years. (Strong’s Expanded Concordance # 07620, “shabuwa”) When 70 is multiplied by 7, the total is 490 years. Of that total, Christian scholars and others have calculated that from the benchmark starting date determined by God (Verses 25, 26), 483 of those years were fulfilled when our Lord Jesus was Crucified.

(https://www.gotquestions.org/seventy-weeks.html)

(http://jewishroots.net/library/prophecy/daniel/daniel-9-24-27/seventy-weeks.html )

The remaining seven years have been placed “on hold” by God over the past 2,000 years of the current World Age, while our Lord Jesus has been calling out believers through His Gospel of Grace, to be members of “His Body”. (Acts 15: 14-17; 1 Corinthians 15: 1-4; Romans 10: 9-13; Romans Chapter Three; 1 Corinthians Chapter 12). Romans 11: 25 notes that “blindness in part has  happened to Israel until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.” Then, on God’s timeline,  we anticipate the “Rapture” of the Church will take place (1 Thessalonians 4: 13-17), where we will forever be with the Lord.  This will be followed by God’s returning to the final seven years of Daniel’s prophecy. It will mark the onset of that period called the “Tribulation”, highlighted by the appearance of the Antichrist, and the horrors wreaked on Israel and mankind before the Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. (https://search.yahoo.com/search?fr=mcafee&type=E210US105G0&p=tribulation+in+the+bible)

Now, with a change of focus…

Dates and Times / Timelines are just a couple of ways that “Numbers” are integral to our understanding of Scripture.  Very helpful in our full appreciation of God’s messages is our knowledge of the spiritual significance of many specific numbers and their patterns of use.  For example:

·       Number 1 represents “God”, whose name is “One” (Zechariah 14: 9)

·       Number 2 represents “Divisions”, such as Good vs Evil; Heaven vs Earth; natural vs spiritual; male vs female.

·       Number 3 represents “Divine Perfection / Completion:, such as Father, Son and Holy Spirit; or body, soul and spirit in man; or the  Resurrection of our Lord Jesus on the 3^rd Day.

·       Number 4 represents the “Creation / World”, such as Earth, Air, Water and Fire; or Summer, Fall, Winter and Spring; and North, South, East and West.

·       Number 5 represents “Grace”, as it is the 5^th letter in the Hebrew alphabet, meaning “window” of Divine revelation / breath; the means by which God is providing for the Redemption of His Creation (Number 1 + Number 4 = Number 5)

·       Number 6 represents “Man”, his creation on the Sixth Day, the number of his imperfection, and the days of his labor as the result of Adam’s sin.

·       Number 7 represents “Spiritual Perfection / Completion, such as the Seven Spirits of God (Isaiah 9: 2); the stem and branches of the Menorah in Israel’s Temple sanctuary (Exodus 25: 31-37); the Lord’s seven miracles in the Gospel of the Book of John;  and the Lord’s seven parables in the Book of Matthew, Chapter 13.

·       Number 8 represents “Resurrection / Regeneration / New Beginnings”, such as the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus on the first day of the week: the eighth day; and there were eight people who survived “Noah’s Flood”, as noted in Genesis Chapter 8

·       Number 9 represents “”End / Conclusion / Judgment related to and his works, such as the judgments of God upon Israel for neglecting to rebuild the Temple (Haggai 1: 11); and the Gifts of the Holy Spirit  given to those who have become members of the Body of Christ .(1 Corinthians 12: 7-10)

·       Number 10 represents “Perfection of Divine Order / Ordinal Completion”, such as the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20: 1-17), the 10 plagues God set on Pharaoh and Egypt (Exodus 9: 14); the Tithes (one tenth of the whole} due to God (Leviticus 27: 27,32); and the 10 “I AM”s of the Lord Jesus in the Gospel of the Book of John.

·       Number 12 represents “Governmental Perfection / Completeness, such as the number of tribes of the Nation of Israel, the number of Disciples chosen by the Lord Jesus (Matthew 10: 1-4); and the 12 Judges who ruled over Israel as noted in the Book of Judges.

https://www.biblestudy.org/bibleref/meaning-of-numbers-in-bible/1.html

These are just a few of the many times that numbers or patterns of numbers occur in Scripture. These and others have been documented by the noted Bible Scholar, Dr. E. W. Bullinger. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E._W._Bullinger ) As a valuable Bible study resource, I highly recommend his book: Number in Scripture: Its Supernational Design and Spiritual Significance, E. W. Bullinger, Kregel Publications, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1967

 

Dr. W. A. (Bill) Robinson

https://christianityandbiblestudy.blogspot.com/