Bible Study on Acts 1, verses 1 to 5, part 3, the natures of Christ

 

God reveals Himself to special select people under the Law and to all believers under Grace.

Amos 3:7  Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.

John 14:26  But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

(To deny this is to say that the so-called ‘Great Commission’ of the end of Matthew does not apply to every believer but only the Apostles).

The Lord Jesus Christ, while walking in biological flesh on the earth, also had a human spirit, a human will, being fully man and fully God. This spirit also manifested itself to us.

 

Luke 22:42  Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.

 

There was a great argument in the Roman Empire’s church regarding whether Christ even had two natures. Some focused on His divinity while others His humanity. The issue was somewhat settled at the Council of Chalcedon in 451AD in Bithynia in Asia Minor, in what is the country of Turkey today. It was understood that Christ was one person with two natures, divine and human, God in the flesh. This does not mean that they just figured that out but that they declared the other ideas as incorrect.

 

It is said here that Christ gave commandments to the Apostles through the Holy Ghost, the very mind of God, His Spirit in its action, but the Holy Ghost, referred to as He, in His identity. The Bible seems to suggest, if I have this down correctly, that we have a soul, the “I” or sense of self-awareness, our consciousness. We and many animals exist and we and they know we exist, an absurdity if evolution were true. This self-awareness is limited to humans and creatures that are not merely driven by electro-chemical impulses or are biological machines but creatures that are aware that they are themselves and not another. It is the seat of our will, our will flowing from it.

 

For animals that have souls see;

 

Numbers 31:28  And levy a tribute unto the LORD of the men of war which went out to battle: one soul of five hundred, both of the persons, and of the beeves, and of the asses, and of the sheep:

 

Job 12:10  In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind.

 

For the soul as the seat of our self-awareness, our consciousness, and our “I will” see that the soul does things. In Genesis 37:4 a soul is said to bless someone. In Genesis 42:21 a soul can experience anguish. In Leviticus 4:2 a soul can sin. The soul can do evil and experience tribulation and anguish as per Romans 2:9. My soul is basically what I am. It is the “I”. It can experience the death of the flesh and then suffering in Hell. See Psalm 49:15; 86:13; Ezekiel 18:4; Revelation 16:3; & Luke 16:19-31, Acts 2:27.

 

Our spirit is our mind, as shown before, but it is more than that as it is our also our heart, emotions, without which no rational mind can function, and our talents and inclinations given to us by God or tarnished by the fall of man.

 

Deuteronomy 2:30  But Sihon king of Heshbon would not let us pass by him: for the LORD thy God hardened his spirit, and made his heart obstinate, that he might deliver him into thy hand, as appeareth this day.

 

Psalm 34:18  The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.

 

The phrase the comes after a colon often helps define what went before it.

 

Psalm 51:17  The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

 

As for talent and skills given by God through things like practice, apprenticeship, and learning unless you believe that Bezaleel woke up one day and suddenly knew how to do marvelous works.

 

Exodus 31:1 ¶  And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 2  See, I have called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah: 3  And I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship, 4  To devise cunning works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, 5  And in cutting of

stones, to set them, and in carving of timber, to work in all manner of workmanship. 6  And I, behold, I have given with him Aholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan: and in

the hearts of all that are wise hearted I have put wisdom, that they may make all that I have commanded thee;

 

If you want to be wise hearted get to work. Wise hearted first, then wisdom from God. God searches man and woman’s mind, heart, inclinations, sin-nature, and all of the things that make up what we are.

 

Proverbs 20:27  The spirit of man is the candle of the LORD, searching all the inward parts of the belly.

 

The Holy Ghost gave commands to the Apostles whom Jesus showed Himself to for forty days after His resurrection. The apostles were ordered to assemble together at Jerusalem and to wait for the Holy Ghost to be given to them. What do we say then to this passage in John?

 

John 20:22  And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:

 

It appears then that, at least for the early believers in Christ, that the Holy Ghost could be given more than once, possibly for different reasons, renewed in them, filling them, like a little bit of water in a bottle can fill the bottle with water vapor when heated.

 

Titus 3:5  Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; 6  Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; 7  That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

 

The question I have to ask is if while we are sealed and secure with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit does God renew it in us as we are sanctified for Him in life? Could that be what the following means more fully?

 

Ephesians 5:18  And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;

 

We are saved once and indwelt with the Spirit as Paul relates the absurdity of being saved and lost again and again in Hebrews 6:1-6. In the following passage Paul shows that if you could lose your salvation you could not get saved again. It appears he is trying to get Christians to move beyond salvation to our sanctification.

 

Hebrews 6:1 ¶  Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, 2  Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. 3  And this will we do, if God permit. 4  For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, 5  And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,

6  If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.

 

So, the question would be, are we praying to be filled with the Holy Spirit, to be renewed in the power and mind of God over sin and self? Or are we satisfied and complacent about this unspeakable gift?

 

Jesus walked among His disciples after His resurrection. Paul told us;

 

1Corinthians 15:6  After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep.

 

The disciples were to stay in Jerusalem and wait for the Holy Ghost to be given to them.

Bible Study on Exodus 8, verses 1 to 15, frogs over the land

 

Exodus 8:1 ¶  And the LORD spake unto Moses, Go unto Pharaoh, and say unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Let my people go, that they may serve me. 2  And if thou refuse to let them go, behold, I will smite all thy borders with frogs: 3  And the river shall bring forth frogs abundantly, which shall go up and come into thine house, and into thy bedchamber, and upon thy bed, and into the house of thy servants, and upon thy people, and into thine ovens, and into thy kneadingtroughs: 4  And the frogs shall come up both on thee, and upon thy people, and upon all thy servants. 5  And the LORD spake unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Stretch forth thine hand with thy rod over the streams, over the rivers, and over the ponds, and cause frogs to come up upon the land of Egypt. 6  And Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt; and the frogs came up, and covered the land of Egypt. 7  And the magicians did so with their enchantments, and brought up frogs upon the land of Egypt. 8  Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said, Intreat the LORD, that he may take away the frogs from me, and from my people; and I will let the people go, that they may do sacrifice unto the LORD. 9  And Moses said unto Pharaoh, Glory over me: when shall I intreat for thee, and for thy servants, and for thy people, to destroy the frogs from thee and thy houses, that they may remain in the river only? 10  And he said, To morrow. And he said, Be it according to thy word: that thou mayest know that there is none like unto the LORD our God. 11  And the frogs shall depart from thee, and from thy houses, and from thy servants, and from thy people; they shall remain in the river only. 12  And Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh: and Moses cried unto the LORD because of the frogs which he had brought against Pharaoh. 13  And the LORD did according to the word of Moses; and the frogs died out of the houses, out of the villages, and out of the fields. 14  And they gathered them together upon heaps: and the land stank. 15  But when Pharaoh saw that there was respite, he hardened his heart, and hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had said.

We have the rod turned into a snake, the surface water turned to blood, and now, frogs unleashed on the land; three wonders that the heathen magicians are also permitted to copy.

Frogs, in a different context, represent unclean spirits.

Revelation 16:13  And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.

Note: In the verse from Revelation the unclean spirits resemble frogs but are not frogs. Here are two more comparisons that we should examine and be careful of taking too literally of unlike things joined by like for a comparison. Remember, these things look or act like each other but are not the same thing as each other.

Job 11:12  For vain man would be wise, though man be born like a wild ass’s colt.

John 1:32  And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him.

Events in the physical world often seem to represent events in the spiritual world and the spiritual world is more real even than the limited, finite world of the senses we perceive. We are like people chained in a cave facing the wall with a fire behind us. We can only see shadows on the wall of what is going on behind us, out of our sight, where the greater reality, the real truth, exists. Some of us prefer the shadows but others long to turn and face the truth. Even heathen philosophers like Plato understood this in a limited way, as I took the cave allegory from him.

If there is a comparison to be made one might imagine the guiding rod of God’s instruction turned into the lying serpent by man’s choice of whom to believe in Eden, the surface water turned to blood as a representation of the will of God corrupted by man’s vain religion of the time from pure, life-giving water to a bloody mess, and the frogs covering the land of Egypt showing its infestation in every place by evil spirits. These three wonders are copied, counterfeited, if you will, by the heathen magicians. We might take this as a lesson for today, as well.

Pharaoh, for the first time, acknowledges the reality of Jehovah and asks Moses and Aaron to Intreat the LORD, that he may take away the frogs from me, and from my people; and I will let the people go, that they may do sacrifice unto the LORD (verse 8). But, when relieved, Pharaoh’s hardened heart will not permit them to leave.

Bible Study on Acts 1, verses 1 to 5, part 2, the trinity

 

Verse 2 is a very important theological statement and needs to be considered carefully. The three parts of the trinity that is God; the Father, the Word or Son, and the Holy Ghost operate together in unity but at the time of the gospels operated physically independently which God can do but we cannot. If our soul, body, and spirit are separated we are no longer biologically alive. It is valuable here to review what has been said before about the three parts of God that are one and yet can act independently although with one will and purpose.

 

God is composed of three parts, as man and woman are; a body, a soul, and a spirit.

1Thessalonians 5:23  And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

God has a soul, the seat of self-identity and will.

Psalm 11:5  The LORD trieth the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth.

This is God the Father, sometimes referred to just as God in the New Testament. He is invisible to us. As John says in John 1:18 and in 1John 4:12 no one has seen God, presumably God the Father, at any time. Every act of God’s will originates with Him.

God has a Spirit, how He moves throughout creation and acts on it and in it.

Genesis 1:2  And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

Romans 8:9  But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you.

This Spirit is called the Holy Ghost, the Comforter.

1Corinthians 12:3  Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.

John 14:16  And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; 17  Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you…26  But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

The Holy Spirit in its function, the Holy Ghost in His identity, is the mind of God and also God.

For contexts where the Spirit of God or the spirit of man can be synonymous with mind please see the following;

 

Romans 8:27  And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

 

1Corinthians 2:16  For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.

 

Ephesians 4:23  And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;

 

Philippians 1:27  Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;

 

2Timothy 1:7  For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

 

God not only has a soul and a mind but has a body, His person, whom man can see, and has even touched, as God in the flesh, called the Son of God.

Hebrews 1:1 ¶  God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, 2  Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; 3  Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;

Colossians 1: 13  Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:14  In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:15  Who is the image of the invisible God…

Of course, an image is the likeness of someone, what he looks like.

Genesis 1:26  And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

Genesis 5:3  And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth:

Exodus 20:4  Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:

(Refer back to these verses when someone insists that the image of God is man’s ability to discern between good and evil, which is nonsense, as Adam was made in the image of God but did not taste of the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil until he fell).

Jesus Christ is also the Word by which all things were created. Read the first 18 verses of the Gospel According to John. God’s mind formed creation and God’s Word spoke it into existence, bringing forth the light, which He is.

Genesis 1:3 ¶  And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

One stark difference between man and God is that God’s three parts can act independently of each other and still be one God.

Deuteronomy 6:4  Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:

Mark 12:29  And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:

Matthew 28:19  Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

2Corinthians 13:14  The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen.

1John 5:7  For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.

Christ is then that bridge between God and man, fully God and fully man, without whom the believer in God would be in the same predicament as other religions where their god is so distant from man that there is no connection, no compassion for man’s suffering, no understanding of the human heart, fears, and affections.

Bible Study on Exodus 7, verses 14 to 25, the river turned into blood

 

Exodus 7:14 ¶  And the LORD said unto Moses, Pharaoh’s heart is hardened, he refuseth to let the people go. 15  Get thee unto Pharaoh in the morning; lo, he goeth out unto the water; and thou shalt stand by the river’s brink against he come; and the rod which was turned to a serpent shalt thou take in thine hand. 16  And thou shalt say unto him, The LORD God of the Hebrews hath sent me unto thee, saying, Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness: and, behold, hitherto thou wouldest not hear. 17  Thus saith the LORD, In this thou shalt know that I am the LORD: behold, I will smite with the rod that is in mine hand upon the waters which are in the river, and they shall be turned to blood. 18  And the fish that is in the river shall die, and the river shall stink; and the Egyptians shall lothe to drink of the water of the river. 19  And the LORD spake unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and stretch out thine hand upon the waters of Egypt, upon their streams, upon their rivers, and upon their ponds, and upon all their pools of water, that they may become blood; and that there may be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in vessels of wood, and in vessels of stone. 20  And Moses and Aaron did so, as the LORD commanded; and he lifted up the rod, and smote the waters that were in the river, in the sight of Pharaoh, and in the sight of his servants; and all the waters that were in the river were turned to blood. 21  And the fish that was in the river died; and the river stank, and the Egyptians could not drink of the water of the river; and there was blood throughout all the land of Egypt. 22  And the magicians of Egypt did so with their enchantments: and Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, neither did he hearken unto them; as the LORD had said. 23  And Pharaoh turned and went into his house, neither did he set his heart to this also. 24  And all the Egyptians digged round about the river for water to drink; for they could not drink of the water of the river. 25  And seven days were fulfilled, after that the LORD had smitten the river.

It was apparently the custom to go down the all-important Nile in the morning for bathing and perhaps ritual in the morning. There they met the Pharaoh. Between Moses and Aaron all of the surface water in Egypt was turned into blood. The only drinkable water was found by digging. Fish died and the Nile River stunk. This second wonder the heathen magicians could also duplicate which did not support Moses’ and Aaron’s credibility. This went on for seven days.

Psalm 78:44  And had turned their rivers into blood; and their floods, that they could not drink.

Psalm 105:29  He turned their waters into blood, and slew their fish.

This sort of judgment will come again at the end of human history, perhaps referring to the Mediterranean Sea.

Revelation 8:8  And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood; 9  And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed.

The Pharaoh’s heart is hardened and he will not listen to this warning. Later, after all of the  Israelites’ interactions with God and after so many of their distresses that arose from disobeying Him, it will be said;

Zechariah 7:12  Yea, they made their hearts as an adamant stone, lest they should hear the law, and the words which the LORD of hosts hath sent in his spirit by the former prophets: therefore came a great wrath from the LORD of hosts.

            As a side note, it is interesting how seven is used as a number of completion throughout the Bible. From seven days of creation onward it is a significant number worthy of your study.

Bible Study on Acts 1, verses 1 to 5, Luke introduces his account of the early church

 

The Acts of the Apostles chronicles the history of the early Christian church. With humble origins and a congregation consisting of the lowest members of society, even slaves and outcasts, the faith would be grown by the actions of the Spirit of God working through humble, and in Paul’s case, humbled men, and women. Sadly, Christianity would eventually adopt even more oppressive measures against other religions than the heathen ever dreamed of as unsaved people creeped into congregations and installed themselves in high positions. Institutional Christianity would become a tool of the state and in some cases, the state would become a tool of Christianity. But true Christian belief would always exist alongside the errors of the state-church whether those errors were expressed in the empires and kingdoms of Europe or as the de facto state church of the United States of America. Not conforming to the established institutional church governed by the tares of power-mad and self-righteous bishops, popes, patriarchs, pastors, and other high officials the humble church, the true body of Christ, would live and struggle throughout history to serve Christ and to obey in simplicity His commands. This is the story of the beginning of that church, the true church of God without even a building set aside specifically for church services until late in the second century, without a protector among the powerful, and without human power to grow and expand, completely dependent upon the Spirit of God to add such as would be saved to it. You and I will try to understand its foundational doctrines before Greek philosophy and Roman pragmatism coupled with superficial belief created two churches, those of the tares and the wheat.

 

Luke’s gospel ends with;

 

Luke 24:50 ¶  And he led them out as far as to Bethany, and he lifted up his hands, and blessed them. 51  And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven. 52  And they worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy: 53  And were continually in the temple, praising and blessing God. Amen.

 

The Acts of the Apostles, written by Luke the physician, begins with;

Acts, chapter 1

Acts 1:1 ¶  The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, 2  Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen: 3  To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God: 4  And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. 5  For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.

 

Remember Luke’s introduction to the gospel he wrote to Theophilus?

 

Luke 1:1 ¶  Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us, 2  Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word; 3  It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus, 4  That thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed.

 

Who was Luke? He was the physician who accompanied Paul.

 

Colossians 4:14  Luke, the beloved physician, and Demas, greet you.

 

Luke and Lucas are the same person, being two different forms of the same name as Timotheus and Timothy.

 

Philemon 1:24  Marcus, Aristarchus, Demas, Lucas, my fellowlabourers.

 

Luke wrote in an educated style and did the work of an historian. When someone says they have studied, for instance, the American Civil War or the history of the Federal Reserve Board in our time they usually mean they’ve read other people’s opinions and accepted those opinions if they agree with them, rejecting those that don’t. But an historian regards eyewitness accounts, testimonies, and writings as paramount to getting at the truth, not just someone else’s opinion.

 

He or she collects many testimonies and sorts through them, considering what has been confirmed by other eyewitnesses. We believe that this was all done under the direction and guidance of the Holy Spirit, the wisdom given to Luke by God, to give us what God wants us to have.

 

The twin doctrines of inspiration and preservation are very important to our faith and are usually discounted by those who do not believe.

 

2Timothy 3:16  All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17  That the man of God may be perfect [for perfect as complete see 2Chronicles 8:16; Colossians 4:12; & James 1:4], throughly furnished unto all good works.

 

Psalm 12:6  The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.7  Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.

 

First, God gave wisdom and understanding to the men who wrote our Bible and then to the churches that preserved those writings down through the centuries, filtering, eliminating, and consolidating what was written. Preservation means that the action of God was not limited to the original autographs like fundamentalists and evangelicals like to believe. In fact, God did not elevate the original autographs. When the king destroyed the originals of what Jeremiah wrote we have this;

 

Jeremiah 36:32  Then took Jeremiah another roll, and gave it to Baruch the scribe, the son of Neriah; who wrote therein from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the book which Jehoiakim king of Judah had burned in the fire: and there were added besides unto them many like words.

 

So, no one knows what those originals said and it’s really not important. What we have is what’s important.

 

First, the Bible is given by inspiration and just what is that? It is not word-for-word dictation.

 

Job 32:8  But there is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding.

 

What is understanding? Words linked by and are typically synonyms.

 

1Kings 4:29  And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and largeness of heart, even as the sand that is on the sea shore.

 

And so, inspiration is also wisdom.

 

2Peter 3:15  And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you;

 

Often these words were written down by a third party, an amanuensis, as the giver of the words spoke them, moved by the Holy Ghost, the very mind of God.

 

2Peter 1:21  For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

 

Now that Luke feels his understanding is perfect or complete (see Colossians 4:12 for a definition of perfect as complete) on the entire matter of what happened he writes to an acquaintance or friend named Theophilus.

 

Acts 1:1  The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach,

 

Theophilus is a name that means, “lover of God.” While Luke was writing, perhaps, to a Roman official who was a Christian by the use of the epithet most excellent the Holy Spirit was writing to all believers. This account is for you.

A Psalm for Sunday, Psalm 72, He shall judge thy people with righteousness

 

Psalm 72:1 ¶  «A Psalm for Solomon.» Give the king thy judgments, O God, and thy righteousness unto the king’s son.

 

This shows that it was written by David for his son, Solomon.

 

Prophetically we might consider that the son of David is a title for the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

Matthew 1:1  The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

 

Psalm 72:2 ¶  He shall judge thy people with righteousness, and thy poor with judgment. 3  The mountains shall bring peace to the people, and the little hills, by righteousness. 4  He shall judge the poor of the people, he shall save the children of the needy, and shall break in pieces the oppressor. 5  They shall fear thee as long as the sun and moon endure, throughout all generations. 6  He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass: as showers that water the earth. 7  In his days shall the righteous flourish; and abundance of peace so long as the moon endureth. 8  He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth. 9  They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him; and his enemies shall lick the dust. 10  The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents: the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts. 11  Yea, all kings shall fall down before him: all nations shall serve him. 12  For he shall deliver the needy when he crieth; the poor also, and him that hath no helper. 13  He shall spare the poor and needy, and shall save the souls of the needy. 14  He shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence: and precious shall their blood be in his sight. 15  And he shall live, and to him shall be given of the gold of Sheba: prayer also shall be made for him continually; and daily shall he be praised. 16  There shall be an handful of corn in the earth upon the top of the mountains; the fruit thereof shall shake like Lebanon: and they of the city shall flourish like grass of the earth. 17  His name shall endure for ever: his name shall be continued as long as the sun: and men shall be blessed in him: all nations shall call him blessed.

 

It is David’s wish that his son judge the people fairly and uprightly in verse 2. See the passage in Isaiah for a prophetic reference to Christ’s reign in His millennial kingdom.

 

Isaiah 11:1 ¶  And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: 2  And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD; 3  And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears: 4  But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.

 

 

   

Solomon is known to be a wise and righteous judge of his people which was given to him by God along with much more, so David’s prayer is answered in the affirmative.

 

2Chronicles 1:11  And God said to Solomon, Because this was in thine heart, and thou hast not asked riches, wealth, or honour, nor the life of thine enemies, neither yet hast asked long life; but hast asked wisdom and knowledge for thyself, that thou mayest judge my people, over whom I have made thee king: 12  Wisdom and knowledge is granted unto thee; and I will give thee riches, and wealth, and honour, such as none of the kings have had that have been before thee, neither shall there any after thee have the like.

 

In verse 3 this came to mind at first.

 

Isaiah 52:7 ¶  How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!

 

And this is a reference to spiritual peace commentators say. Others say the mountains and little hills are prophetically speaking, the church and its evangelists.

 

David prophesies about the blessings of Solomon’s reign as the text aligns with a prophecy about Christ’s millennial reign on earth for a thousand years.

 

Isaiah 9:7  Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

 

Daniel 2:44  And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.

 

So, while we can see here the glory of Solomon’s reign to come we can also imagine the glory of Christ’s reign on earth. This can only be understood in the scope of believing that Christ will physically and literally reign on earth. This is not a spiritual reign through the church or supposed Christian kingdoms and countries but with His presence in command.

 

Look at these four verses regarding Christ ruling the earth with a rod of iron.

 

Psalm 2:9  Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.

 

Revelation 2:27  And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father.

 

Revelation 12:5  And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.

 

Revelation 19:15  And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.

 

In the contexts of both Solomon’s reign and Christ’s reign there will be showers of blessings for those people who acknowledge and accept their authority. The land will reflect the justice they manifest.

 

We then look forward to the return of Christ to rule the earth.

 

Revelation 11:15  And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.

 

Titus 2:13  Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;

 

Lest you have trouble identifying this with Christ pay attention to verse 17.

 

17  His name shall endure for ever: his name shall be continued as long as the sun: and men shall be blessed in him: all nations shall call him blessed.

 

Psalm 72:18 ¶  Blessed be the LORD God, the God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous things. 19  And blessed be his glorious name for ever: and let the whole earth be filled with his glory; Amen, and Amen. 20  The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended.

 

Let’s follow with David in praise of God. Heaven and earth will be filled with His praise.

 

Psalm 41:13  Blessed be the LORD God of Israel from everlasting, and to everlasting. Amen, and Amen.

 

1Chronicles 29:10 ¶  Wherefore David blessed the LORD before all the congregation: and David said, Blessed be thou, LORD God of Israel our father, for ever and ever.

 

Nehemiah 9:5  Then the Levites, Jeshua, and Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabniah, Sherebiah, Hodijah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah, said, Stand up and bless the LORD your God for ever and ever: and blessed be thy glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise.

 

The scene in Heaven and earth.

 

Revelation 5:13  And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.