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.

Bible Study on Matthew 28, verses 11 to 20, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world

 

Matthew 28:11 ¶  Now when they were going, behold, some of the watch came into the city, and shewed unto the chief priests all the things that were done. 12  And when they were assembled with the elders, and had taken counsel, they gave large money unto the soldiers, 13  Saying, Say ye, His disciples came by night, and stole him away while we slept. 14  And if this come to the governor’s ears, we will persuade him, and secure you. 15  So they took the money, and did as they were taught: and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day.

 

In verse 27:65 Pilate suggests they have a watch so make the tomb as sure as they can. Verse 11 suggests that it was the Temple Watch as they report to the Chief Priests and yet the bribe is said to be paid to the soldiers so again we have the question of whether or not it was the Temple Guards alone or a combination of the the Guards and Roman soldiers or just Roman soldiers. However, Roman soldiers asleep at their guard duty would have required a punishment of execution. Whatever the case, the Jews believed Jesus’ body had been taken by His followers based on this lie.

 

Matthew 28:16 ¶  Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them. 17  And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted. 18  And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 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: 20  Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

 

Verse 17 shows that not every one of the eleven were convinced that He had risen from the dead. Some doubted. But here was the evidence right in front of them. Jesus has risen and returned to interact with His disciples.

 

For verse 18 I want to point out two different statements that Jesus made.

 

Matthew 11:27  All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.

 

Matthew 16:28  Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom.

 

It is through the risen Jesus that man can approach God.

 

John 14:6  Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

 

Acts 4:12  Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

 

The Lord Jesus Christ, the risen Saviour of mankind, is how God achieves His ministry of reconciling mankind, whosever will, to Himself. Christ is the bridge between Heaven and Earth, Jacob’s ladder, if you will.

 

We now await His return to call us, His church, out and to rule over the kingdoms of the earth.

 

1Corinthians 15:52  In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

 

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.

 

But in the meantime we are given a task, an assignment. It is popularly called The Great Commission. Some hyperliteralists insist that only the chosen Apostles were called to teach all nations and this would not even include Paul, so it is a nonsensical belief that we are not all called to this task.

 

Christ references the three parts of God, popularly called the Trinity, a word not found in the Bible.  There are other references to the three parts of God. Examples within a single verse are;

 

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.

 

His disciples were commanded to teach all nations teaching them to observe all things that Christ had commanded.  For you Greekophiles we have teach and teaching from two different words in Greek so as much as many evangelicals get twisted in knots around “make disciples of” let me just say that the command to teach strongly suggests the making of a disciple. I don’t understand how you can be taught truthfully and fully the doctrines set forth in the Bible and not be wholly convinced of their truth and follow Jesus as a result.

 

While we are doing this Christ will always be with us. As I write commentaries on the Bible that are seen around the world I am counting on this promise. I can’t do it without His consent or help even as I tell people that it doesn’t matter whether they think I’m right or wrong in my interpretations but that they just go and do likewise.

 

Hebrews 13:5b  …for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

 

So the Gospel According to Matthew ends.

 

Bible Study on Isaiah 3, verses 1 to 15, they declare their sin as Sodom, they hide it not

 

Isaiah 3:1 ¶  For, behold, the Lord, the LORD of hosts, doth take away from Jerusalem and from Judah the stay and the staff, the whole stay of bread, and the whole stay of water, 2  The mighty man, and the man of war, the judge, and the prophet, and the prudent, and the ancient, 3  The captain of fifty, and the honourable man, and the counsellor, and the cunning artificer, and the eloquent orator. 4  And I will give children to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them. 5  And the people shall be oppressed, every one by another, and every one by his neighbour: the child shall behave himself proudly against the ancient, and the base against the honourable. 6  When a man shall take hold of his brother of the house of his father, saying, Thou hast clothing, be thou our ruler, and let this ruin be under thy hand: 7  In that day shall he swear, saying, I will not be an healer; for in my house is neither bread nor clothing: make me not a ruler of the people. 8  For Jerusalem is ruined, and Judah is fallen: because their tongue and their doings are against the LORD, to provoke the eyes of his glory.

 

 

My point of view is that this passage outlines judgment in visiting a famine on Jerusalem and Judah, with forcible removal or ending the lives of the leadership, the captains, the judges, the prophets, the wise, and the old, reducing the leadership to children, and causing civil and social war and desolation.

 

As predicted;

 

Leviticus 26:26  And when I have broken the staff of your bread, ten women shall bake your bread in one oven, and they shall deliver you your bread again by weight: and ye shall eat, and not be satisfied.

 

Suffering under Nebuchadnezzar’s assault;

 

Jeremiah 52:6  And in the fourth month, in the ninth day of the month, the famine was sore in the city, so that there was no bread for the people of the land.

 

The point is the total destruction of Judah and Jerusalem is threatened and it does come about. Read the book of the prophet, Jeremiah.

 

With the people of value in society being removed or eliminated consider a warning from Solomon;

 

Ecclesiastes 10:16 ¶  Woe to thee, O land, when thy king is a child, and thy princes eat in the morning!

 

Isaiah 3:9 ¶  The shew of their countenance doth witness against them; and they declare their sin as Sodom, they hide it not. Woe unto their soul! for they have rewarded evil unto themselves. 10  Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings. 11  Woe unto the wicked! it shall be ill with him: for the reward of his hands shall be given him. 12  As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths. 13  The LORD standeth up to plead, and standeth to judge the people. 14  The LORD will enter into judgment with the ancients of his people, and the princes thereof: for ye have eaten up the vineyard; the spoil of the poor is in your houses. 15  What mean ye that ye beat my people to pieces, and grind the faces of the poor? saith the Lord GOD of hosts.

 

This could be paraphrased, I think, as, “their guilt flies in their face.” They openly declare their wickedness and boast in it. They don’t even make a pretense of hiding it. They are going to bring disaster and judgment on themselves because they deserve it.

 

The righteous man or woman should not lament, though, or fear because they will be justified by their works and obedience to God under the Law or, for the Christian, by their faith and by Christ’s actions. The wicked, however, will get what they deserve.

 

The leadership of Judah and Jerusalem are not just corrupt, but are weak and effeminate, naïve and immature. They cause the people to go the wrong way, leading them into idolatry and wickedness, and away from God, our Creator. But God, our Creator, stands like a prosecutor and a judge of their evil doings. He will judge the elders and the leaders because they have devoured God’s vineyard and the bounty of their thefts they have kept.

 

He will judge them for their oppressions and abuse of those without power, those on the bottom of the proverbial food chain. They oppress the people, God’s people, and He will judge them.

 

See where Israel is likened to God’s vineyard.

 

Isaiah 5:1 ¶  Now will I sing to my wellbeloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard. My wellbeloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill: 2  And he fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a winepress therein: and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes. 3  And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, betwixt me and my vineyard. 4  What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it? wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes? 5  And now go to; I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard: I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up; and break down the wall thereof, and it shall be trodden down: 6  And I will lay it waste: it shall not be pruned, nor digged; but there shall come up briers and thorns: I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it. 7  For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant plant: and he looked for judgment, but behold oppression; for righteousness, but behold a cry.

 

When I read this I think of the cultural elite who have run our governmental bureaucracies, our corporations, our federal judiciary, and our universities. When we look clearly at what has been happening in America over the last century we see a likeness to ancient Israel. America is under judgment. That is clear to me.