Jesus – Page 3 – MessageWeek

Surprise! (Exactly when you thought you really understood).

One of the remarkable things about the Bible, especially prophecy, is its SURPRISING nature. Things come to eventuate exactly as scripture foretells, and we find ourselves (or those at the time it occurs) as absolutely surprised and not really expecting it!

For example, even though there was a great deal of Messianic expectation when Jesus was born, and the ancients understood the prophecies given, in Isaiah for example, where “a virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and his name shall be called Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14) – that is “God with us”, when Jesus did come to this earth and was born as a baby boy in Bethlehem, it really came as a surprise.

When you read the gospel accounts, you soon pick up on that sense of surprise from Mary’s visitation by the angel Gabriel, from Joseph’s experience, from the shepherd’s in the field to the arrival of the wise men.

When Jesus came it was a surprise.

It also happened in the discourse when Jesus repeatedly told his disciples that he would be handed over to the Gentiles, he would suffer, be killed and that he would be raised three days and three nights later. I don’t think that the disciples, as the scriptures attest to, really understood or fully comprehended what Jesus was foretelling.

Thus when you read the gospel accounts when early on that Sunday morning, long after Jesus had been resurrected, the people immediately involved were nothing less than surprised! The angel at the tomb spoke to the women were surprised. The disciples were surprised. They only understood what actually happened some time after those events occurred.

I think Jesus understands that “sense of surprise” we experience. When Jesus was telling his disciples about the upcoming resurrections, as cited in John 5:28-29, he said, “Don’t be amazed; for the hour is coming when all who are in their graves will hear His voice – and come out, those who have lived righteously to a resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to a resurrection of judgment.”

And here Jesus prefaced his words by saying, “Don’t marvel” or “Don’t be amazed!” So, one day in the future, when we find ourselves participating in either of those resurrections, we’ll probably find it “surprising” – more surprising and amazing than we can ever imagine today.

The last book of the Bible is part letter, part prophecy and part apocalypse. The Book of Revelation is prefaced by telling us of “things that must soon take place”, and so over the years theologians and scholars alike have disagreed and debated whether these mysterious things and events in Revelation happened completely in the past or whether they exist yet in the future. But, the bottom line is, that even though we know that Jesus Christ is coming as “King of kings, and Lord of lords”, in might and in power and in glory, his coming is probably going to happen in a way that we really don’t fully comprehend or imagine today. We’ll probably be more surprised than anything else.

So when the day comes and the words of God become fulfilled, may we all be more than pleasantly surprised!

For the MessageWeek team, I’m John Klassek.

Five major themes in Paul’s writing compared with Jesus’ teachings

Of the many themes and topics the apostle Paul addresses throughout his 13 epistles, the five perhaps most prominent that come to mind are:

The Lordship of Christ
Resurrection
Justification
Grace
Faith

1. The Lordship of Christ is the underlying premise for the entirety of Paul’s ministry, and is evident throughout his letters, perhaps no better summarised than when Paul said, “If anyone does not love the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be accursed.” (I Corinthians 16:22) In fact, the term “Lord” is cited almost some 300 times throughout Paul’s writings.

Paul anchored every part of his teaching on the Lord Jesus Christ, emphasised, for example in his averting of personal focus when he said, “For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your bondservants for Jesus’ sake.” (2 Corinthians 4:5)

A study of the frequency and placing of the term “Lord” throughout Paul’s epistles leaves no question what occupied Paul’s thinking. If we go back to the Gospel accounts, we hear the resurrected Jesus confirming his Lordship when he said, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.” (Matthew 28:18)

2. Paul’s training as a Pharisee gave him the added advantage of believing in the Resurrection, identically as Jesus taught and demonstrated. Paul’s insight into the resurrection is remarkable, and possibly attributed to no other source than the revelations apparently given to him. (2 Corinthians 12:7) Jesus said that, “all who are in their graves would hear his voice and come out, those who lived righteously to a resurrection of life and those who have done evil to a resurrection of judgment.” (John 5:28-29)

Paul further develops Jesus’ resurrection teaching, hinging his entire preaching ministry on the Resurrection of Jesus, saying in effect that if Jesus’ wasn’t resurrected, we’re all believing a myth. (1 Corinthians 12:15-23) In verse 20 Paul asserts what the gospel accounts tell, that: “But now Christ is risen from the dead…” Paul does not, however, retell what Mark, Matthew, John and Luke record on this, nor does he quote Jesus’ verbatim. This conspicuous absence nonetheless doesn’t detract from Paul’s intensity – Paul is hesitant, even evasive, in detailing the “revelations” he apparently experienced that apparently gave him insight into the resurrection.

3. Justification recurs throughout Paul’s writings, with “justified” and “justification” occurring some 24 times in his epistles. No better is this illustrated than when Paul said, “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,” (Romans 5:1) Paul showed that of and by ourselves we are as good as dead; only through Jesus’ sacrifice are we “justified” in the eyes of God. The penalty of sin has been paid our stead. John 3:16 states that no one who believes “shall perish“, because of what God did to demonstrate His love. Paul asserts that no one is justified by their works or law keeping. (Romans 3:20) John further supports justification by belief when, in writing of Jesus, said, “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.” (John 1:20) This is echoed in Paul’s statement, when he wrote, “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)

4. Although Jesus never used the word “grace”, John did when he wrote of Jesus, “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14) Paul is renown for his “grace and peace” greetings from the Lord Jesus Christ that appear in practically all his salutations and some of his benedictions. In fact, the word “grace” appears some 90 times throughout Paul’s epistles.

Perhaps best known is Paul’s assertion that, “For by grace you have been saved through faith...” (Ephesians 2:8) Here, grace, salvation/justification and faith are interwoven. Another related passage in this sense is Paul’s assurance of, “being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 3:24) The reader will note that many of Paul’s themes are interwoven and inter-related, and one cannot be isolated from the other.

5. Faith here comes to mind. Faith is believing God, and showing the evidence of that belief through action. If Paul is the author of Hebrews (as many scholars believe), then no where is this better demonstrated than in the words: “Without faith it is impossible to please Him…” (Hebrews 11:6) Hebrews 11 is known as the faith chapter, and like classic Paul (as in Romans), leans heavily on the Old Testament scriptures to make his point. Jesus often illustrated the need for faith (Luke 18:8), and spoke movingly favourably to those who demonstrated it. To the woman who was healed, Jesus said, “Your faith has made you well.” (Matthew 9:23)

The word “faith” occurs some 169 times in Paul’s writings, thrice in one verse: “For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, ‘THE JUST SHALL LIVE BY FAITH.” (Romans 1:17)

There is no discordance between Jesus and Paul. Some scholars have suggested that the Pauline influence and contribution to the New Testament canon undermines not only the other apostles, but also Jesus. Yet, in the above few examples, we see that Paul submitted entirely to the Lordship of Christ; his Christ theology must not be confused with the complexity and method of Paul’s writing and person.

Written by John Classic
For LifeSpring BIS104

The Kingdom of God, “Already… not yet”

The term “Kingdom of God”, though not specifically quoted in the Old Testament (other than via the imagery of a future time when, for example, “the lion would lay down with the lamb”), is nonetheless replete throughout the New Testament. Everything about Jesus’ ministry seems to have centred on his core message of the Kingdom of God.

From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 4:17)

In a few days’ time many followers of Jesus will be celebrating an occasion when believers in our tradition (of the Churches of God) partake of a small piece of unleavened bread and take a sip of wine. The Lord’s Supper/Christian Passover is a powerful annual reminder of the love of God, and the sobering nature of the symbols of Christ’s broken body and spilled blood are not lost on those who participate. Somewhere in our revisiting of that original event, we read in Matthew, Mark and Luke alike a curious prophecy given by Jesus at this first commemorative event.

“For I tell you I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” (Luke 22:18)

Jesus here anchored this inaugural event to a resumption of this commemorative imbibing when “the Kingdom of God comes.” Thus we might understand it, in this instance, that the Kingdom of God is apparently a future reality. Jesus made a promise that he would “not drink of the fruit of the vine until the Kingdom of God comes”. There is no ambiguity in Jesus’ words: the Kingdom of God as cited here is a (future) “coming” reality; it is not here yet.

Related to this future sense of the Kingdom of God are Jesus’ earlier words when he taught his followers to pray: “Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:10) Thus theologians have wrestled with the “coming” aspect of the Kingdom of God when placed besides other scriptures that seem to indicate otherwise.

The scriptures I’m referring to here are those that, from Jesus’ specific teachings, seem to imply an already present aspect of the Kingdom of God:

“But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.” (Matthew 12:28)

“Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.” (Luke 17:20-21)

Jesus here explicitly taught that the present reality, the immanency of the Kingdom, as some translations put it, is, “in the midst of you”. And yet, elsewhere, Jesus implied a contrasting future tense, when the “Son of Man comes” scenario.

“And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 8:11)

The apostles too wrote of the future tense of the Kingdom of God, and yet also reflected on the presence of the Kingdom in the now, today sense. For example, Peter encouraged Jesus’ followers with a sense of glorious reward at the end:

Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 1:10-11)

And yet when Paul wrote to the believers in Colossae, he said that God has already given us entrance into the Kingdom: “He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love.” (Colossians 1:13) Thus, according to this passage, believers are already in the Kingdom.

To the faithful in Rome, Paul again conveyed a present reality of the Kingdom of God when he said that, “The kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 14:17) All these attributes are experienced by those in whom the Holy Spirit dwells (since the coming of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost as recorded in Acts chapter 2). Thus the Kingdom of God is also a present reality.

Renown Christian author G.E. Ladd wrestled with this dilemma in his article “What is the Kingdom of God”. (http://gospelpedlar.com/articles/Last%20Things/kogladd.html taken from The Gospel of the Kingdom. George Eldon Ladd, Eerdmans Pub Co, Grand Rapids MI, 1959, pages 13-23) G.E. Ladd writes that if we were to consecutively list all the scriptures pertaining to the Kingdom of God, and write their intended meaning alongside, we would begin to see what could be interpreted as apparent contradictions. If the Kingdom of God is something we can enter into now, then how do we apply and understand those scriptures that suggest a future fullness of the Kingdom? Thus Ladd addresses the issue of the Kingdom as being “already… not yet”.

Bible scholar N.T. Wright asked a similar question in his book titled “How God Became King” (Harper Collins, 2011) when he dealt with the question of “What exactly is the Kingdom of God?” Wright argued that orthodox Christianity has incorrectly interpreted the Kingdom of God as simply meaning “heaven” – a place we allegedly go to when we die, and earth conversely as this place where sinners are left behind to suffer whatever. Wright asserts that the Kingdom of God isn’t a far off reality, but that the Kingdom of God and earth are purposely intersecting. Wright further says that the Kingdom of God is already significantly present in the lives of the faithful, while its fullness is still coming to this earth! (See related videos as presented by NT Wright).

Both G.E. Ladd and N.T. Wright thus have highlighted the conundrum that exists among scholars as well as the wider Christian community as to what the Kingdom of God actually means, and how we might understand it as the Bible teaches it. Both authors are correct in their preparedness to lay aside traditional biases, view the scriptures for what they are, and then attempt to ask the right questions.

When we read the parables of Jesus that convey aspects of the Kingdom of God, we are confronted with quite a few different images. We see the Kingdom of heaven in Matthew chapter 13 as beginning small as mustard seed and growing into the biggest of trees. We learn that the Kingdom is like yeast placed in bread dough; the effect is that the dough almost imperceptibly at first becomes totally permeated and transformed by it. In both these examples, the Kingdom of God is portrayed as a process towards its ultimate fulfilment. And yet, elsewhere in this same chapter we read where Jesus said of the Kingdom, “So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come forth, [and] separate the wicked from the just…” Matthew 13:49) This matter-of-fact assertion of the future, as taught by Jesus, shows a definite future fulfilment.

Discussion of the Kingdom of God must never be relegated solely as the domain of theologians, because in Matthew 6:33 Jesus exhorted his followers, as of primary importance, to: “seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness”.

If we’re to seek first the Kingdom of God, then we must have some understanding as to what it really is. We have seen that the Kingdom has a future sense of fullness and fulfilment. This is nowhere more evident than in Paul’s attestation when he wrote to the faithful in Corinth:

For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming. Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power. (1 Corinthians 15:22-24)

In this passage, Paul summed up the entire scriptural record, beginning with Adam, focussing on Christ, and then finally ending with the Kingdom being delivered to God the Father.

Then, there are those scriptures that attest to the early stages of Kingdom reality as a believer may experience it. Jesus spoke of people who “enter the Kingdom of God”:

Jesus said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you.” (Matthew 21:31)

Other scriptures attest to the kinds of people who will be excluded from entrance into the Kingdom, such as the sexually immoral, covetous or the idolater. (Ephesians 5:5)

To Nicodemus, a Jewish ruler, Jesus said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John 3:3) Elsewhere, Jesus said that it was difficult for a rich man to enter the Kingdom. (Matthew 19:23)

The Kingdom of God can be defined as not just the realm of God, but more specifically the rule of God. This would imply a theocracy. When Jesus affirmed to Pilate that He was indeed King, coupled also with what he said after he was resurrected, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.” (Matthew 28:18), we understand both these statements to unequivocally place Jesus as King with an authority that encompasses heaven and earth. We also understand that the Kingdom of God is an emerging reality to be lived out every day by those who obey and submit to the sovereignty of Jesus – today and into the future when “every knee bows and every tongue confesses that Jesus is Lord”. (Paraphrased from Isaiah 45:23, Romans 14:11 and Philippians 2:10-11).

Written by John Klassek
LifeSpring School of Ministry

Signposts Of Our Times

We all want to live in safe and peaceful times. But, do we today?

The past 70 years since World War 2 should have taught us that the price of freedom has been paid in blood. And yet since then we have seen more bloodshed with more lives lost – the statistics are simply overwhelming. We’ve watched the development of frightening nuclear armaments coupled with failed United Nations resolutions. Anyone who seriously considers where we are today cannot help but wonder where we’re headed!

Do far off economic uncertainties and radical Islamic threats to destroy other nations in a blazing fireball all seem a bit irrelevant? It’s all a matter of perspective. A million starving people in Sudan is less important than our favourite sporting team losing a game.

Is it possible, that despite the best of human intentions, we’re living dangerously on the precipice of a nuclear hell? Have you ever wondered about increasing economic upheaval, terrorism, ongoing uprisings, famines and earthquakes, disease epidemics, all overshadowed by the spectre of nuclear war? Can we afford to ignore these trends? Surely we in the prosperous West wouldn’t distract ourselves from those realities by more personal spending and superfluous living? Or reserve our attention for sporting heros and movie celebrities?

Ever since the dawn of recorded history, our world has been characterised by its epochs of bloodshed. Many thought the Roman conquests were the epitome of brutality and suffering, exceeding that of the Babylonians, Persians and Greeks before them. Entire populations were decimated. History clearly documents that. Then there were the Dark Ages, with disease and war affecting millions of people. In more recent times, two world wars destroyed over 60,000,000 lives. Somehow, humanity has survived until now.

Are we able to read the signposts of our times? While “God” matters little in the West today, Islam’s agenda is guided by its theology, and the news is deeply disturbing. Thankfully, there are clear pointers that should help us if we’re willing to listen.

Let’s go back some 2000 years ago when an itinerant visitor known as Jesus left us with warnings of approaching cataclysmic times. His claim was that he was the Son of God, and He told those around him who enquired of the future that unless divine intervention occurred, no human would survive. (Matthew 24:21-22) Either he was wrong about the past, or He was referring to a future we’re yet to see!

Our planet could easily become a charred, irradiated ember, and like the rest of the universe, be inhospitable to sustaining life.

But that’s not how the story ends. There is good news. Jesus said that he’s coming again. He is coming again because he has unfinished business – His timely arrival will save us from ourselves.

There’s a solitary bronze statue outside the United Nations building in New York. It was given to the UN by the Soviet Union in 1959, and it depicts a world beyond this time of trouble. The statue is modelled from the words that come from an ancient prophet through whom God spoke:

They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore. (Isaiah 2:4)

Peaceful and safe times are ahead, but there is a rough road between now and then. The question is whether we’re awake as to what is really going on? Are we prepared to believe the words of Jesus?

By John T Klassek

Is Seeing Believing?

We had almost finished dinner at the restaurant when a man in a black suit approached us and asked whether he could perform a few magic tricks for us. I politely thanked him and said that the meal itself had been sufficiently “magic” and that we didn’t require anything beyond that.

He then quite happily made his way to the next table, and I couldn’t help but to curiously watch him ply his tricks there. And what he did was quite amazing. He threw a red ball high into the air and it simply disappeared! The look of surprise and fascination was evident on everyone seated at that table.

“Is seeing believing?” I wondered.

A friend of mine once lamented that he never had seen any miracles in his life. By this I think he implied that our belief in what really matters might be enhanced a little by being witness to some supernatural acts. Here the Bible certainly lays claim to dozens of such events. For example, we read of an axe head floating on water, oil from an empty jar, fire from heaven, seas parted, and people healed as well as resurrected from the dead. It’s easy to think that our lives today are quite mundane when compared to the heroics of the past – I certainly haven’t seen anyone turn water into wine!

It’s easy to sometimes think that if only I could see a miracle, an irrefutable act of divine intervention – that cannot be adequately explained by any physical, natural laws – my faith would be strengthened. If only.

Well, consider, didn’t the magician do just that? He really had me fooled when he apparently made a coin disappear into his arm. Everyone gasped when he made a white dove appear out of thin air.

I left the restaurant wondering how he did his tricks. Of course, I knew they were just tricks, but still wondered how his sleight of hand had so easily fooled me.

Did you know that Jesus told a story that illustrated that even the most awe inspiring of miracles are still insufficient to convince an unbelieving heart? A rich man stated his opinion that if someone were to rise from the dead, then his five unbelieving brothers would be convinced to change from their evil ways. The rich man, however, was told quite bluntly that his brothers should instead be listening to the words of Godly teachers: “If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.” (Luke 16:31 NKJV)

According to Jesus, the emphasis on attaining a strong and enduring faith is based more on hearing than on seeing or experiencing.

So how do we make sense of all this? There are ample scriptures in the Bible that direct us toward finding a strong and true basis for our beliefs. For example, we read that, “Faith comes by hearing the words of God.” (Romans 10:17) The emphasis in this verse is on hearing (as opposed to seeing).

Jesus distinctly appealed to our capacity to listen, as recorded in Revelation chapters 2 and 3, when he said, “He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

This overture is further supported in God’s appeal to us when he says, “Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says: Today, if you will hear his voice, do not harden your hearts…” (Hebrews 3:7-8)

So, is there any place for the visual/experiential? An interesting “out of this world” experience occurred when Jesus took his closest disciples, Peter, John and James, high up a mountain. He then became “transfigured” before them, shining like the sun. In this vision talking together with Jesus were Moses and Elijah. Before the disciples could get a grip on what this experience meant, a cloud enveloped them and a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!” (Matthew 17:5)

The disciples were no doubt amazed by this immersing visual and auditory experience, and yet the voice that spoke to the disciples distinctly told them to, “Listen to Jesus.”

According to the scriptures, faith and understanding are obtained and established more by hearing than via a visual one. God wants us to be persuaded of his existence and of his purpose more by hearing his word as opposed to seeing certain manifestations.

A couple of real life examples here may help. Remember, God told Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden not to touch or eat of a certain tree. That is what God simply said. Notice then how Satan used visual appeal to deceive Eve:

So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. (Genesis 3:6)

Satan used the same ploy, thousands of years later, when he tried to tempt Jesus. He showed Jesus stones and suggested he turn them into bread. Jesus, however, resisted only on the strength of God’s word: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4)

Satan then “showed” Jesus all the kingdoms of the earth, a temptation embellished by a dizzying, heightened experience, to which Jesus again responded: “You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only you shall serve.” (Matthew 4:10)

Satan certainly knows how to utilise our visual references to completely fool us. One of Jesus’ disciples John warned about the “lust of the eyes” (1 John 2:16) – the risk of placing undue emphasis on physical and naturally desirable “things”.

Knowing and understanding comes from hearing. Jesus said, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” (John 10:27) An intelligent, cognisant relationship with Jesus is not based just on visual experience alone, but more on hearing, listening and the weighing up of those words.

God appealed to an ancient people who, not unlike ourselves, still unduly cherished and valued materialism over the value of really listening:

“Why do you spend money for what is not bread, And your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, And let your soul delight itself in abundance. Incline your ear, and come to Me. Hear, and your soul shall live; And I will make an everlasting covenant with you…” (Isaiah 55:2-3)

A friend recently sent me a cartoon that skilfully illustrated the challenge we face in today’s climate of multimedia clamour.

The question then remains, do we know what it is to really “listen”?

How much peace and quiet exists in your busy, multimedia enhanced days? Have you ever switched off the radio or television, put away the headphones, and just sat on the verandah and enjoyed the setting sun with nothing more than the song birds in the trees? Have you ever allowed yourself total silence – where you are comfortable with your own thoughts and meditations?

A recent article that appeared on ABC online titled, “On The Seventh Day He Logged Off“, espoused the benefits of having a regular digital sabbatical – of being free from social networks, calendar appointments and the latest tweets. Is there always a radio in your ears or an LCD screen before your eyes?

Do you really want to find and know God? The secret then is in “listening” for him. Take quiet time every day. Learn to pray to him. God will listen to you.

A blind man who had just been healed by Jesus said: “Now we know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshipper of God and does His will, He hears him.” (John 9:31)

John also wrote of the faith he placed in prayer: Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. (1John 5:14)

Not only does God hear our prayers, but he also wants us to listen to him. Words are powerful. Apparently we’ll also be judged for every idle word we speak! (Matthew 12:36-37) James exhorts us: “So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak…” (James 1:19)

There is, of course, a role for sight; scripture encourages us to view life through the “lens of faith”: So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:18 NIV)

Of course, not everything we hear should be denied common sense scrutiny! The secret is in the “listening”, and knowing that our eyes fall prey too easily to deceit.

In one way, I’m glad we resisted the temptation of having the magician entertain our family at the restaurant. We all know that magicians have learned how to trick our minds into “seeing” what is really not there, and vice-versa. Apparently our brains process only ten percent of the information our eyes see, cleverly substituting what it intuitively already assumes to be true.

So, if you happen to meet a magician making red balls disappear into thin air, or pulling rabbits out of hats, or predicting the future with a pack of cards, count yourself lucky if he later confides in you that, “Looks are deceiving”. His words will be truer than his art.

By the way…

There’s a strange but interesting story in the Bible.

At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the report about Jesus and said to his servants, “This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead, and therefore these powers are at work in him.” (Matthew 14:1-2)

Herod had killed John the Baptist. Read the rest of Matthew 14 to recount the gruesome story. The question that remains for us is why did Herod proffer that Jesus was John resurrected from the dead? Was Herod simply trying to appease his guilt-ridden conscience? Was he making a shrewd political move? Or did he actually believe in the resurrection? After all, John was highly regarded as a prophet by the multitudes, and now Jesus had inherited a similar spotlight. The news of Jesus’ mighty works and the power of his teachings had spread like wildfire throughout the region.

Jesus and John were first cousins; their mothers Mary and Elizabeth were close. We don’t know much about the growing years of the boys. They were about 30 years of age when it was John who introduced Jesus to the multitudes. “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world,” (John 1:29)

Later, when speaking of John, Jesus attributed to him the legendary status of being in the spirit and power of Elijah.

Now as they came down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, “Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man is risen from the dead.” (Matthew 17:9)

Jesus had taken his closest disciples, Peter, John and James with him high up on a mountain, and while they were secluded, the disciples had witnessed a vision of Jesus, shining bright as the sun, talking with Moses and Elijah.

And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?”

Jesus answered and said to them, “Indeed, Elijah is coming first and will restore all things. But I say to you that Elijah has come already, and they did not know him but did to him whatever they wished. Likewise the Son of Man is also about to suffer at their hands.”

Then the disciples understood that He spoke to them of John the Baptist. (Matthew 17:10-13)

In fact, John’s entire life from conception, as conveyed by the angel to Zacharias his father, was destined to be “in the spirit and power of Elijah”. (Luke 1:13-17)

Notice that Jesus says two things about Elijah. First Jesus indicates that “Elijah is coming first and will restore all things.” And then, “that Elijah has come already…”

Jesus here seems to speak of a future reiteration of “Elijah”, as well as that of one just past being in the person of John the Baptist. Biblical prophecy is often characterised by dual echos; things that happen in the past have yet a still future reverberation.

Elijah was a man characterised by the wearing of a leather belt. He was a quite an untamed man of a few words, and is remembered for bringing down fire on the prophets of Baal as well as commanding that it not rain for three years. (John the Baptist also wore a leather belt, but may have been more “talkative” than Elijah was).

As for a yet future “Elijah” type, we need to only turn to the last book of the Bible. The Book of Revelation states its purpose in the opening verse:

The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants—things which must shortly take place. (Revelation 1:1)

Looking far into the future at the end of this age, two prophets (or witnesses) appear on the world scene:

“And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.”

These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands standing before the God of the earth. And if anyone wants to harm them, fire proceeds from their mouth and devours their enemies. And if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this manner.

These have power to shut heaven, so that no rain falls in the days of their prophecy; and they have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to strike the earth with all plagues, as often as they desire.

When they finish their testimony, the beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit will make war against them, overcome them, and kill them.

And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.

Then those from the peoples, tribes, tongues, and nations will see their dead bodies three-and-a-half days, and not allow their dead bodies to be put into graves.

And those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them, make merry, and send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth.

Now after the three-and-a-half days the breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them.

And they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here.” And they ascended to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies saw them. (Revelation 11:3-12)

The two end-time witnesses are attributed with initiating events that are not unique to history. Not only are Elijah-like events foretold in Revelation, like no rain for three and a half years as well as fire from heaven, we also read of Moses-like events of turning water into blood and to strike the earth with all kinds of plagues.

Revelation tells us that after their witness is completed, they are killed and left lying in the streets of Jerusalem – characterised here as Sodom and Egypt, symbols for wickedness and slavery. The whole world celebrates. But not for long. Three days later “the breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet…”

The spontaneous celebration of the death of these two witnesses (or prophets) apparently quickly turns into one of great fear. They are resurrected! Live television footage is broadcast instantly around the world. The evidence is shocking and unexpected. No conspiracy theories or expedient explanations can deny what has just happened. Two dead Christian prophets, widely regarded as “terrorists”, have come back to life!

Returning for a moment to Herod’s comments regarding “the risen John”: was he aware that an end-time “Elijah” character was going to be resurrected? We don’t know apart from what he did postulate.

We probably have more questions, I suppose, when it comes to what lies directly ahead. Who are those two witnesses? How are they commissioned? Are they literal flesh-and-blood men, or do they represent a figurative metaphor we have yet to understand? Is it an event we’ll see in our lifetime, or is it yet still “over the horizon”? Will nominal Christianity at large (as opposed to followers of Christ) recognise and affirm the work of the two witnesses? We can be sure, however, that those who live through those days will make the connections that God intends to impress on humanity.

The resurrection themes, events and discussions recurring throughout the pages of the Bible illustrate in many different ways a powerful testament to our ultimate destiny – to ultimately become glorified sons of God. Everything in “history” it seems centres on the resurrection of the righteous.

For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God… For we know that the whole creation groans and labours with birth pangs together until now. (Romans 8:19,22)

How we get there, and what it’s like when we experience it, will probably be more surprising and more amazing than we could ever imagine.

John T Klassek