Risen, Ascended, Enthroned

In the last entry, I talked about the suffering and crucifixion of Jesus.  In this entry, I want to consider what happened afterwards.

The first claim that Christians make is that Jesus was raised from the dead:

• Romans 1:4-5: Jesus Christ our Lord was shown to be the Son of God, when God powerfully raised him from the dead by means of the Holy Spirit.
• 1 Cor 15:3-4: What I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.
• Philippians 3:10-12: I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.
• 1 Peter 1:3: Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

The second claim is that Jesus ascended from Earth to Heaven:

• John 20:17: Jesus said to her: "Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to my Father.  Instead, go to my brothers, and say to them, I am ascending to my Father and your Father; to my God and your God."
• Acts 1:9-11: He was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”
• Hebrews 9:24: For Christ did not enter into the holy places made with hands, which are just figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us.

Finally, Christians believe that Jesus is now enthroned, i.e., in a position of glory and supreme authority:

• Matt 28:18: Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me".
• Ephesians 1:20-21: God raised Christ from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come.
• Phil 2:8-11: Being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

It is important to bear in mind that the glorification of Jesus came only after He humbled Himself and obeyed God the Father.  This is a general Christian principle.  Indeed, Jesus said: "He who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted." (Matt 23:12, Luke 14:11)

Condemned, Mocked, Tortured, Crucified

Jesus was condemned to death, mocked, tortured, stripped naked, nailed to a wooden cross, and left to die:

• Matt 26:65-67: The high priest tore his clothes and said, “He has spoken blasphemy! Why do we need any more witnesses? Look, now you have heard the blasphemy.  What do you think?”  “He is worthy of death,” they answered. Then they spit in his face and struck him with their fists. Others slapped him and said, “Prophesy to us, Messiah. Who hit you?”
• Matt 27:28-31: They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand. Then they knelt in front of him and mocked him. “Hail, king of the Jews!” they said.  They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again.  After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.
• Luke 23:32-36: Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed. When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left.  Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.  The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.”  The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar and said, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.”

As I mentioned in my post on Jesus as the Suffering Servant (December 2010), the Bible makes it clear that the main reason that Jesus had to die was to pay the price for the sins of humanity.  Nevertheless, it seems to me that Jesus did something else very important when he suffered and died: He showed that God was (and is) willing to share in the sufferings of His creatures --- even suffering of the very worst kind.  This is also implied by the following verses:

• Psalm 56:8: You record my misery; You put my tears in your bottle.
• Isaiah 53:4: Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering.
• Isaiah 63:9: In all their suffering He also suffered, and He personally rescued them. In his love and mercy He redeemed them.
• John 11:33-36: When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled... Jesus wept.
• Acts 9:4: [Jesus said:] "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?"

It is a great mystery to me that the Almighty God, the King of the Universe, the Eternal Holy Trinity, is capable of suffering and allows Himself to suffer.  I don't understand it, but I praise and thank Him for it.

Radiant and Glorious

In this post, I will explain the title of this blog.  As usual, let's begin with some relevant scriptures:

• Mark 9:2-3: Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them. His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them.
• Col 1:15-20: The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
• 2 Cor 4:4: The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
• Heb 1:3: The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word.
• 2 Thess 1:8-9: He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed.
• 1 John 1:4-5: In him was life, and that life was the light of men.  The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.
• Rev 1:13-17: Among the lampstands was someone like a son of man, dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest.  The hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, and coming out of his mouth was a sharp, double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.  When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead.

Scriptures like these make it clear than Jesus is indeed radiantly glorious.

Now, let's take a step back from the Bible, and just think about our universe.  Think about things that inspire you and fill you with awe.  (In my case, this includes music, flowers, sunsets, stars, mountains, waterfalls, sapphires, rubies and emeralds, fireworks, beautiful women, friendship and maternal love.)  Now consider the fact that God "dreamt up" all those things, like an incredibly creative artist.  Also consider the fact that Jesus is infinitely greater, lovelier, more beautiful and more majestic than all of those things put together.  Not only that, but this incredible Jesus humbled Himself and chose to go to the cross, in order to provide a way for sinners to be saved.

All I can say is, how absolutely wonderful Jesus is!  How can anybody not love and adore Him?

Another amazing thing is that Jesus promises to share His glory with all those who truly repent and choose to follow Him!  See for example these verses:

• Prov 4:18: The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day.
• Dan 12:3:  Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever.
• Matt 13:43: [Jesus said:] "The righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father."
• John 17:22-23: [Jesus prays for the church:] "I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me."
  Rom 2:7: To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life.
  2 Cor 3:18: And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
  Col 1:27: God was pleased to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

These scriptures fill me with so much joy, I want to dance!  I pray that they will fill you with joy, too.

Living Water

In the last post we talked of Jesus as being the Bread of Life and Hidden Manna.  Now, let's consider His promise of "Living Water":

• John 4:13-14: [Jesus said:] “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
• John 7:37-39: [Jesus said:] “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive.

Although the water is a symbol of the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity, it appears that it is our relationship to Jesus that provides the means for the Spirit to be released in our hearts.  (Theologians have debated in the past whether the Spirit proceeds from the Father only, or from the Father and the Son.  I must confess that I don't know enough about the relevant arguments to say anything sensible about this issue.)

Anyway, here are some other beautiful verses from the Bible on the theme of Living Water:

• Psalm 36:7-9: How priceless is your unfailing love! Both high and low among men find refuge in the shadow of your wings.  They feast on the abundance of your house.  You give them drink from your river of delights.  For with you is the fountain of life.  In your light we see light.
• Psalm 107:9: He satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.
• Jeremiah 2:13: My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own wells, broken wells that cannot hold water.
• Matthew 5:6: [Jesus said:] “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.”
• Rev 22:1: Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb.
• Rev 22:17: The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!”  Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life.

I (and many of my fellow Christians) can personally testify that there is a satisfaction in knowing Jesus and being filled with His Spirit that far exceeds anything that this world has to offer.  Indeed, before I came to know Jesus, despite all my efforts to satisfy my desires, my spirit and soul were "dying of thirst".  As Augustine said, "You made us for Yourself, and our hearts are restless until they find our home in You".

Bread of Life

This time, we will be looking at the idea of Jesus being food to our souls.  First, we look at some verses from the Old Testament:

• Deut 8:2-3: The LORD your God... humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.
• Psalm 36:7-9: How priceless is your unfailing love!  Both high and low among men find refuge in the shadow of your wings.  They feast on the abundance of your house.
• Psalm 107:9: He satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.
• Isaiah 55:1-2: Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat!  Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.  Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy?  Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and you will delight in the richest of fare.

From these verses, it is clear that human beings need spiritual sustenance as well as physical.  It is also clear that our spiritual hunger can be satisfied by God alone.

Jesus quotes the above verses from Deuteronomy in Matthew 4.4.  Moreover, in John's Gospel, He says the following to the Jewish people:

• John 6:32-52:  It is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven.  For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world... I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty...  Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died.  But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which anyone may eat and not die.  I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.

Here, Jesus is saying that His death on the cross would provide the way for our spiritual hunger to be satisfied.  It fact, He seems to be saying more than that.  It seems that, somehow, we can actually feed on Him spiritually.  Once this is done, in some mysterious way, He actually dwells inside our spirits and souls.

I am convinced that the root of many addictions, such as addictions to alcohol, drugs or pornography, is a desperate spiritual hunger.  The wonderful truth is, if we truly come to know Jesus, and experience His mercy and grace, we will find a satisfaction beyong anything we could ever have dreamed.  This is my experience, and that of millions of other people.

To close, an encouraging verse from Revelation on the same theme:

• Rev 2:17: To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna.

Lion and Lamb

Today we will be looking at two striking names that Jesus is given in the New Testament: the Lion and the Lamb.

In the Old Testament, lions usually symbolise awesome authority and majesty, whereas lambs usually symbolise humility, innocence and sacrifice.  Two passages are particularly of note.

• Gen 49:9-10: [Jacob said:] "You are a lion’s cub, Judah; you return from the prey, my son.  Like a lion he crouches and lies down, like a lioness — who dares to rouse him? The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he to whom it belongs shall come and the obedience of the nations shall be his."
• Isaiah 53:7: He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.

In the first passage, Jacob prophecies over his son Judah, and predicts that one of Judah's decendants would be a powerful ruler like a lion.  In the second, the prophet Isaiah predicts that an innocent servant of God will be put to death.

Now consider the following passage in the New Testament book of Revelation:

• Rev 5:4-7: I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside. Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.”  Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing at the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders... He went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne.

This passage is remarkable.  The Apostle John looks up, expecting to see the prophesied lion, but instead sees a little lamb (Greek arnion) that seems to have been killed.  That is to say, Jesus is the lion and the lamb simultaneously.  He is majestic and powerful, yet He was humble and gentle enough to allow people to crucify Him.

The book of Revelation states that Jesus will be revealed to all humanity as the Lamb of God in the last days.  This revelation causes very different reactions in the saved and the unsaved.  The saved cry out in joyful worship:

• Revelation 5:13: “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!”

The unsaved, on the other hand, flee from Him in terror:

• Rev 6:15-17: Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and everyone else, both slave and free, hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains.  They called to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can withstand it?”

Before that terrible time comes, however, Jesus mercifully urges everyone to come to Him and be saved:

• Matthew 11:28-30: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Judge

In this post, I address a topic that many people would prefer not to think about: the fact that Jesus is going to judge the living and the dead.

To begin, I want to point out that the idea of God punishing sin and rewarding the righteous can be found throughout the Old Testament.  Here are just a few of the relevant verses from the Old Testament:

• Deut 8:19: If you ever forget the Lord your God and follow other gods and worship and bow down to them, I testify against you today that you will surely be destroyed.
• Deut 30:19: This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live.
• 1 Sam 2:9-10: He will guard the feet of his saints, but the wicked will be silenced in darkness. It is not by strength that one prevails; those who oppose the LORD will be shattered. He will thunder against them from heaven; the LORD will judge the ends of the earth.
• 1 Chron 16:32-33: Let the sea resound, and all that is in it; let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them! Then the trees of the forest will sing, they will sing for joy before the LORD, for he comes to judge the earth.
• Psalm 11:4-7: The LORD is in His holy temple; the LORD is on His heavenly throne. He observes the sons of men; His eyes examine them. The LORD examines the righteous, but the wicked and those who love violence His soul hates. On the wicked he will rain fiery coals and burning sulfur; a scorching wind will be their lot. For the LORD is righteous, he loves justice; upright men will see his face.
• Psalm 98:9: Let the rivers clap their hands; let the hills sing for joy together before the LORD, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with equity.
• Ecc 12:13-14: Here is the end of the matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments; for this is the whole duty of man. God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.
• Jer 17:10: I the LORD search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.
• Dan 12:2: Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt.

Some people suggest that the idea of judgement is purely an Old Testament concept, and that the New Testament contradicts it.  They couldn't be more wrong.  Consider the following words uttered by Jesus Himself:

• Matt 16:27: “For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done.”
• Matt 25:31-46: “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.... and the wicked will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
• John 5:25-29: “I assure you, the time is coming - and is now at hand - when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear shall live. For as the Father has life in Himself so, too, He has given the Son to have life in Himself. And He has given Him full authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man. Don't be amazed at this. For the time is coming when everyone in the graves will hear His voice. And they will come out. Those who have done good will rise again to live, but those who have done evil will rise again to be judged.”

These verses make it clear that Jesus Himself is the one who will judge humanity.  This is confirmed in the rest of the New Testament.  For example:

• Acts 17:30-31: In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now He commands all people everywhere to repent, because He has fixed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom He has appointed; and of this He has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.
• Rom 2:6-8: God “will repay each person according to what they have done.”  To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, He will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger.
• 2 Cor 5:10: We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.
• 2 Tim 4:1: I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead...
• Hebrews 4:10-13: The word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.  Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
• Jude 14-15: “See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones to judge everyone, and to convict all of them of all the ungodly acts they have committed in their ungodliness, and of all the defiant words ungodly sinners have spoken against him.”
• Rev 20:12-15: The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death.  If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

If we were left only with a message of judgement, it would be terrifying.  The wonderful news of the Gospel however is that, no matter what we have done, we can escape the just punishment for our sins.  All we have to do is confess our sins, ask for forgiveness, and receive the free gift of salvation that has been purchased for us by the death of Jesus on the cross:

• 1 John 1:5-8: This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.  If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.