Bible Study with Fred, Mark 8, 27 to 38 comments, part 2, tell no man of him

 

30 And he charged them that they should tell no man of him. 31 And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.

Notice the foretelling here of the gospel and the forth telling in these verses;

1 Corinthians 15:1 ¶ Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; 2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. 3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

The apostles were dull in their thinking because, like a modern Christian, their thinking had been corrupted by all of the false things they had been taught by Biblically illiterate preachers and commentators who had rejected READING the Bible in preference for reading about the Bible. By not permitting God to change their hearts through His words they elected to worship intellect and scholarship, theirs and others, including any rabbi, or teacher, whose teaching caught their fancy. Modern Christians are for the most part humanists. It’s amazing what a fundamentalist can accomplish without Christ.

A fundamentalist will mock an evolutionist and say how deluded they are but will, at the same time, lift up a Bible that never existed on earth in one book, that doesn’t now exist on earth, and which no one he knows in the flesh has ever seen; that inerrant, perfect Bible in the original manuscripts. This is a book that the Bible itself never even discusses or places importance on above translations or copies which are “given by inspiration”. In the Scriptures, the word "scriptures" never refers to the original manuscripts. The Bible is not inspired by God. These 40 or so men aren’t writing about someone that inspires them like Hemingway or Faulkner might have done. When you are inspired by something you have no obligation to it to be faithful as it merely provides the spark and the motive for your writing which is generated by your own intellect and emotion. The Bible isn’t God-breathed, as God did not dictate every word as is clear by Job 32:8; Jeremiah 36:32; and 2 Peter 3:15. What happened was that God gave men wisdom and understanding to write His Bible, and then He preserved it (Psalm 12:6,7).

Modern Christians are practicing atheists because they don’t believe that a living God actually has a hand in Bible preservation. It’s only unbelieving scholars that do that, they think. Modern Christians simply don’t believe that God has the power to preserve the Bible that He wants them to have. I wonder how they believe He can save them.

Here is further evidence that people in the Old Testament were not looking forward to the Cross. They didn’t even understand it. They did not understand Isaiah, chapter 53. They did not understand Psalm 22; Zechariah 12:10; Psalm 41:9; Psalm 16:10; Isaiah 7:14; or Isaiah 9:6.

32 And he spake that saying openly. And Peter took him, and began to rebuke him. 33 But when he had turned about and looked on his disciples, he rebuked Peter, saying, Get thee behind me, Satan: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men.

Peter, like Satan, wants Jesus to forsake His mission. In Matthew and Luke, chapter 4, Satan makes his effort to get Jesus to turn away from His mission. Here, Peter is doing the work of Satan or Satan has influenced him.

There are powerful forces at work in the universe that are not subject to the laws of the physical universe that corporeal entities like ourselves are subject to.

Ephesians 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

I realize that much Christian teaching has become contaminated with atheist materialism and doesn’t admit to any unseen intelligences although they can believe in all manner of so-called scientific particles that no scientist ever claimed to have seen. Sub-atomic particles are believed in because of the effect they allegedly produce. But, the Bible explains the cause of effects in a different manner. It is impossible to be a Bible believer if you don’t believe in the world of the spirit.

Jesus rebukes Peter because Peter is taking on the work of Satan. It is interesting to note how we learn about Satan from the Bible by how God describes human characters as like him. Here is Peter likened to Satan. Why? Because he wishes to thwart God’s plan of redemption for mankind and keep Jesus from going to the cross.

We can see the king of Tyrus likened to Satan in Exekiel, chapter 28, which gives us a description of who Satan is and what he has done, where he came from, and when he fell. We see the king of Babylon used in the same way in Isaiah 14. Read those two chapters. Bible passages are written in such a multi-dimensional manner as to describe something literally and yet to describe something that isn’t directly referenced in the passage, as well. Sometimes, there are clearly two and three layers of meaning, not to mention all of the inspirational messages people get out of the passages that were not an intentional part of the passages’ literal meaning, direct allusion, or prophetic reference.

You will get the suggestion of this best by reading the Bible over and over again. In fact, you have no excuse if you haven’t listened to or read the entire Bible through at least once for every year you’ve been a Christian. If you’re behind because you just recently realized what a Bible is and how much power God has laid on it, then you can make every effort to catch up. A seminary education is no substitute for reading the Authorized Version from cover to cover on a continuous basis. In fact, I would pick a preacher who can read and understand English and has read the Bible through many times from cover to cover over someone with a Ph.D. in Theology any day, providing, of course, he’s saved.

One thing to note here is that you don’t have to literally worship Satan by name to serve him. You only need to be against God’s purposes and to serve man’s and your own to do his bidding. Satan doesn’t need your worship to accomplish his purposes. He only needs you to worship yourself.

You can’t serve Christ if you submit your will as a slave to the world system;

1John 2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

Nothing that the world holds up as good and right is from the God who created you.

Luke 16:15 And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.

That includes the economic system and wealth.

Luke 16:13 No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

Think about these things the next time you watch the fine homes of the rich and famous paraded on television or find yourself parked in front of a professional football game held in some giant stadium with thousands of adoring fans screaming their approval.

But, in the next verse, Jesus will tell us whom exactly we must deny to serve Him.

Proverbs 22:6 comments; Godly child-rearing

 

Proverbs 22:6 ¶ Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

This is one of the most popular verses in the Bible, oft quoted and misquoted, but one from which parents derive a lot of comfort. The first thing I would say for Christians is that the only way to train up a child in the way he should go is to live before that child as the kind of Christian you want them to be. The Bible also says very explicitly things you are not to do and things you are to do with regard to raising a child.

Ephesians 6:4 And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

Notice the second part of the verse, to raise them in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Nurture and admonition carries with it the idea of care and instruction. John Gill agrees that it is the parents’ responsibility to educate their children in God’s ways.

This Proverb says that things taught soundly early on will remain with a person when they have grown old. We all know so many stories of young people, raised in a Godly environment, who left the care of God and went out on the power of their own flesh and the enticements of the world only to return to their faith when they were sick of themselves or had children whom they wanted to be raised right.

What we do in early childhood has an impact on our whole lives. My father had been in the military and when he was young and I was a toddler it was his practice to get up very early in the morning and do calisthenics before he started his day. My earliest memories are of trying to imitate his pushups, situps, and jumping jacks. I was never much of an athlete myself, never very successful at any sport, however from that time I learned a habit of regular exercise and a love of it that has lasted my entire life. While others, high school athletes in particular, sit around and talk about past glory and busted knees I look forward to working out on my own as I get old. This is because of the care that my Dad took when I was so small to instill in me a love of exercise.

What a sad state it is that Christians don’t care more for their child’s education in Christ. They expect the church to teach their child about our Lord and that is just pure laziness. The church body worships as a group, corporately, and does things for Christ that the individual can’t always easily do on his own. The sermons and lessons are to edify the believer and strengthen him to walk closer with God. However, letting God speak to you through His words, speaking back to Him in prayer; praising and have fellowship with Him, is essential every day. Worship itself should not just be at times when the body of Christ meets but each and every day.

Christians miss out on a great way of life by not having daily devotions with their family as a little church, with father as Pastor. Daily prayer and Bible reading when the children are very young are absolutely essential and important for establishing a firm foundation on which the child can depend when they are older. Well, you say, I have never taken much concern about my child’s spiritual education. I left that up to the times he or she attended church and he’s fine, she’s doing well. Well, I’d say back to you that you are probably a very carnal Christian and so will your child be. In fact, probably right now, in all likelihood, your adult child, like yourself, whom you never allowed to miss a church service, even forbidding him or her to play soccer on Wednesday nights is probably standing with both feet firmly planted in the world, in worldly Christianity if they are in church at all, in worldly pursuits, with worldly aims and goals, and worldly expectations. And there are things they are doing that they would never want you to know about.

To young Christian parents, just starting out, if you will hear me, start praying with your spouse today, and pray with your children. Read the Bible to them every day in small enough doses that they are able to hear but in large enough doses for it to have meaning to them. If your devotions are in the evening then talk about what God has done with you and for you today and how He has used you and refrain from complaining about what the boss, a customer, or some thoughtless motorist or coworker did TO you. Experience a life with Christ and share it with your child.

To those Christian young people who are courting, getting to know someone in the right way with the intention of marrying before God and their church family and starting a family either by natural means or adoption, start praying together today. Read the Bible together. Share your individual concerns with God and each other. This is the one thing missing from most Christian advice about courting and marriage. There is no time when it is inappropriate for two people to pray together, with family around, to learn and grow in the Lord.

Train up your child in the way they should go. When they are old they will not depart from it. It will be a real and powerful part of their life that will sustain them through every crisis and lead them to a closer relationship with their Creator and Saviour each day. Give them that firm foundation.

On the other hand, you can train your child to be a selfish, spoiled Christian brat who gripes about God and the failings of everyone else in their life, who treats the Bible with disregard, rarely darkens the door of a church building, and has a relationship with Christ much like children of secular minded people do with the Santa Claus at the mall, and unless God has mercy on them they won’t depart from that when they get old either.

Psalm 97 comments; the Lord reigns!

 

Psalm 97:1 ¶  The LORD reigneth; let the earth rejoice; let the multitude of isles be glad thereof. 2  Clouds and darkness are round about him: righteousness and judgment are the habitation of his throne. 3  A fire goeth before him, and burneth up his enemies round about. 4  His lightnings enlightened the world: the earth saw, and trembled. 5  The hills melted like wax at the presence of the LORD, at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth. 6  The heavens declare his righteousness, and all the people see his glory. 7  Confounded be all they that serve graven images, that boast themselves of idols: worship him, all ye gods.

 

Is this not an indication that when sin is banished from the universe and God reigns supreme and has made His point and has reconciled that part of mankind that would be reconciled to Himself that very nature itself will rejoice?

 

This Psalm is traditionally ascribed to David and Christian writers have said that as the last Psalm heralds His first, this Psalm heralds His second advent. God’s appearance is described here as it is in Exodus in a frightening and awe-inspiring manner.

 

Exodus 19:9 ¶  And the LORD said unto Moses, Lo, I come unto thee in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with thee, and believe thee for ever. And Moses told the words of the people unto the LORD…16 ¶  And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trembled.

 

See the awesome terror of the Lord God.

 

Psalm 18:8  There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured: coals were kindled by it.

 

Deuteronomy 4:11  And ye came near and stood under the mountain; and the mountain burned with fire unto the midst of heaven, with darkness, clouds, and thick darkness…36  Out of heaven he made thee to hear his voice, that he might instruct thee: and upon earth he shewed thee his great fire; and thou heardest his words out of the midst of the fire.

 

Nahum 1:5  The mountains quake at him, and the hills melt, and the earth is burned at his presence, yea, the world, and all that dwell therein.

 

Look above you at the sky. The heavens declare His glory.

 

Psalm 19:1 ¶  «To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.» The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.

 

God will not permit the heathen to thrive forever. He abhors all idol worship.

 

Leviticus 26:1 ¶  Ye shall make you no idols nor graven image, neither rear you up a standing image, neither shall ye set up any image of stone in your land, to bow down unto it: for I am the LORD your God.

 

When Christ returns to rule the earth His power is made manifest.

 

Revelation 19:11 ¶  And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. 12  His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. 13  And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. 14  And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. 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. 16  And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.

 

Psalm 97:8 ¶  Zion heard, and was glad; and the daughters of Judah rejoiced because of thy judgments, O LORD. 9  For thou, LORD, art high above all the earth: thou art exalted far above all gods. 10  Ye that love the LORD, hate evil: he preserveth the souls of his saints; he delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked. 11  Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart. 12  Rejoice in the LORD, ye righteous; and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.

 

All powers in heaven and earth, all spiritual powers even, are subject to God the Creator. Here is a promise to the Hebrew for safety and security which is linked to their obedience and the Christian whose soul has been preserved from the hand of Satan, the Adversary.

 

Here again is a promise for us to consider that light is planted within us like seed in a field. God’s word is sown in our hearts filled with rejoicing. We rejoice in the Lord our Saviour and give thanks if we are true.

Mark 8:27-38 comments, part 1, Jesus, the Messiah

 

Mark 8:27 ¶  And Jesus went out, and his disciples, into the towns of Caesarea Philippi: and by the way he asked his disciples, saying unto them, Whom do men say that I am? 28  And they answered, John the Baptist: but some say, Elias; and others, One of the prophets. 29  And he saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Peter answereth and saith unto him, Thou art the Christ. 30  And he charged them that they should tell no man of him. 31  And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. 32  And he spake that saying openly. And Peter took him, and began to rebuke him. 33  But when he had turned about and looked on his disciples, he rebuked Peter, saying, Get thee behind me, Satan: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men. 34  And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. 35  For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it. 36  For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? 37  Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? 38  Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.

27 ¶ And Jesus went out, and his disciples, into the towns of Caesarea Philippi: and by the way he asked his disciples, saying unto them, Whom do men say that I am? 28 And they answered, John the Baptist: but some say, Elias; and others, One of the prophets. 29 And he saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Peter answereth and saith unto him, Thou art the Christ.

“The Christ” is the Messiah or Messias.

John 1:41 He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ.

Interpretation is the translation of a human language. Think of an interpreter at the U.N.

John 4:25 The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things.

The question of who you believe that Jesus Christ is, that is the most important question you will ever answer because on it depends where you will spend eternity.

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.

John 5:18 Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.

John 14:9 Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?

If you reject what Christ said about Himself then you can expect no mercy when your soul enters the spiritual world after death.

John 3:36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

So, what do we make of the theistic Unitarian who believes that Jesus is not God but simply a great teacher? Since Jesus declared Himself to be God the Father in the flesh we can say with certainty that the Unitarian is not a Christian and therefore not saved, but bound for Hell. He is no less in need of the gospel than the most desperate drug addicted prostitute.

What about the Jehovah’s Witness, who is a modern day Arian? The Jehovah’s Witness doesn’t know that in the Old Testament God has said;

Zechariah 12:10 And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.

In the New Testament Gospel of John, when speaking of Jesus;

John 19:36 For these things were done, that the scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken. 37 And again another scripture saith, They shall look on him whom they pierced.

As the Philippian Jailer was told in Acts how to get saved;

Acts16:31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

And the Romans were told how to get saved;

Romans 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

In all these verses you can find the conditions for salvation; believing what Jesus said about Himself and believing in His resurrection. If you can find any other conditions for salvation please give me chapter and verse.

Jesus is the appearance, the presence, of God, which is what is meant by angel.

Isaiah 63:9 In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old.

Notice how the angel of the Lord takes God’s place in this verse in Judges;

Judges 2:1 And an angel of the LORD came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said, I made you to go up out of Egypt, and have brought you unto the land which I sware unto your fathers; and I said, I will never break my covenant with you.

The angel of the Lord, the angel of God, the appearance of God, is Jesus Christ.

Acts 27:23 For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve,

He is the visible image of the invisible God and just as we and the higher animals are composed of a body, soul, and spirit (1Thessalonians 5:23; Numbers 31:28; Job 12:10; Ecclesiastes 3:21) so is the God who created you, one difference being that His component parts can operate independently while you would die if separated from your flesh (Genesis 35:18).

God is spoken of as God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. God the Father is the soul of God, the seat of self-identity and will, God the Son is also called the Living Word by which God spoke the universe into being, and God the Spirit is how God acts on His creation and yet all three are one.

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

As “the only begotten Son” in John 1:18 Jesus represents the only time in history that God walked the earth as a flesh and blood man, not Alexander the Great who had himself declared the son of God in Egypt or Octavian Augustus who signed his documents Deus Fide, the son of God, after declaring that his adoptive father, Julius Caesar, had ascended to heaven.

As the physical image of God;

Hebrews 1:3 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 1:15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:

So, these three parts of God, able to function independently but still being one;

John 10:30 I and my Father are one.

Are revealed throughout the Bible, in the New Testament;

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:

2 Corinthians 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.

And in the Old, as here we see God the Father and the Holy Spirit in action;

Genesis 1:1 ¶ In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 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.

Here is the preincarnate Jesus Christ in action;

Judges 13:21 But the angel of the LORD did no more appear to Manoah and to his wife. Then Manoah knew that he was an angel of the LORD. 22 And Manoah said unto his wife, We shall surely die, because we have seen God.

So, who is Jesus Christ? He is the Jewish messiah. He is the anointed one of God. He is the only begotten Son. He is the Word by which all things were created and by which they consist. He is God in the flesh.

Believe that Jesus Christ is God, that He lived as a man, that He died for your sins, and that He rose from the dead. Trust in His righteousness to get to heaven and not your own. Your eternal destiny depends on it.

Proverbs 22:5 comments; thorns and snares

 

Proverbs 22:5 ¶ Thorns and snares are in the way of the froward: he that doth keep his soul shall be far from them.

The Biblical definition of what it means to be froward will be useful to review. By way of searching for the definition of a word within a verse see Deuteronomy 32:20;

“And he said, I will hide my face from them, I will see what their end shall be: for they are a very froward generation, children in whom is no faith.”

Notice that they are without faith in God. By the method of looking at contrasting phrases they are wicked;

Psalm 101:4 A froward heart shall depart from me: I will not know a wicked person.

These are just examples of how froward is defined within the Bible and there are many more. The froward person is a faithless, wicked person though and that’s a good start for understanding this verse. So, there are some painful things, snares and thorns, in the way or manner of living and attitude of the froward. However, the person who keeps or guards and protects his soul will avoid those very things.

How can you be sure of guarding your soul? There is only one way and that is to trust Christ as your Saviour. The pitfalls of a rebellious life against God, in worship of Self, are many and Christ is the only answer, to surrender and submit yourself to your Creator. You must trust and believe Him.

Romans 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

John 6:28 ¶ Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? 29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.

Then immediately you must get into God’s words in His Bible because that’s how God speaks to His people. You can’t trust your conscience because it can be seared and twisted by sin.

John 17:17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

You can’t overstate the importance of God’s word.

Psalm 138:2 I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.

He has preserved it for us and we have it in the King James Bible, the Authorized Version.

 

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.

And it is forever settled in heaven.

Psalm 119:89 LAMED. For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven.

Now, as a Christian you have an unholy trinity standing against your growth and progress. They are thorns and snares that you must avoid if you are to keep or guard your soul, which is no longer in danger of hellfire but is in danger of being kept from serving Christ, being a witness for Him, and having a heart full of praise and joy. They are the world, your flesh, and the Devil.

The Devil is a spiritual being, one of the animal like creatures that surround and covered the throne, created by God, inferior to Him, but of more power and authority than men. He chose to go over to the Darkness through pride and envy. He is also called Lucifer and Satan.

Ezekiel 28:14 Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. 15 Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.

Isaiah 14:12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! 13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.

The world and its systems and people are under his control.

2Corinthians 4:4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

Luke 4:5 And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6 And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it.

He accuses us before God constantly.

Revelation 12:10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.

He has the power of death over humankind and one reason why Christ came was to destroy his works.

Hebrews 2:14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;

1John 3:8 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.

We know the Devil’s methods of operation. It’s no secret. Unforgiveness, pride, envy, and jealousy are in his scope of things. In regard to forgiving a repentant person;

2 Corinthians 2:10 To whom ye forgive any thing, I forgive also: for if I forgave any thing, to whom I forgave it, for your sakes forgave I it in the person of Christ; 11 Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.

Because so many people are taken in by him.

2 Timothy 2:24 And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, 25 In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; 26 And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.

But, we have only to resist him by submitting ourselves to God. God will provide a way out from being snared by Satan.

James 4:6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

1Corinthians 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

Another thorn and snare to avoid is the world. The world usually refers to the people that live on the earth.

Revelation 3:10 Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.

The three things that Satan tempted Eve with and the three things that John warns us about are the same three things of that the world system offers you. You must resist these three things.

Genesis 3:6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

1John 2:15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

The things the world worships and encourages; corporate violence through war, celebrities and status, an obsession with physical beauty, inordinate obsession with things sexual, music that appeals to the flesh and deadens the spirit, wealth, power, and fame among others are wicked and not of God.

The last snare is the flesh, your flesh. Your flesh wants only its own satisfaction, even to the point of pursuing pleasure and comfort until it destroys itself. The flesh cannot please God.

Romans 7:14 ¶ For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin. 15 For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. 16 If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. 17 Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. 18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. 19 For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. 20 Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. 21 I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. 22 For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: 23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. 24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? 25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.

Some will eat until food kills them. Some will use the God given gift of sexual pleasure the wrong way and destroy their lives and sometimes harm the lives of innocent children with that. Some will take drugs and consume alcohol until their bodies and lives are a twisted mess.

The froward; the wicked, the unsaved, and even the carnal, deceived Christian struggles, trapped and bleeding in thorns and snares. The saved person who guards his or her soul will stay as far from those snares and thorns as they can get and cling to God in Christ. As you pray and speak to Him and God speaks to you through His word; read and heard, on the written page and preached, the allure that the world, your flesh, and the devil has over you will diminish until Christ calls you out or takes you home, be assured.

Hebrews, chapter 4, comments; true faith or a false profession

 

Hebrews 4:1 ¶  Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it. 2  For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it. 3  For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. 4  For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works. 5  And in this place again, If they shall enter into my rest. 6  Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief: 7  Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long a time; as it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts. 8  For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day. 9  There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. 10  For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.

 

Paul gives a warning to the Jewish professing Christians in Rome here to beware lest the reality of what’s in their hearts doesn’t match their profession of faith. The idea again is that they can fall short of salvation all the while claiming the benefits of a Christian. The gospel, the good news, the glad tidings of God’s Law were preached to the Old Testament Jew and the New Testament Christian although it did not benefit the Jew of the failed kingdom of Israel due to their apostasy.

 

Those who truly believe will enter the spiritual promised land and the tares will not. God rested on the seventh day and it is likened to Heaven and eternal life. Those who don’t enter into God’s rest don’t enter in because of unbelief.

 

In verse 7 Paul refers again to Psalm 95 referenced in the comments on chapter 3. This is likened to everlasting life offered by Jesus, whose works of righteousness and not our own, we depend on. Our works do not save us and we must not regard them but look to Christ’s work and rest from our efforts to attain salvation as God rested from His labors on the seventh day. It is finished, as Jesus said from the Cross. There is no eighth day to labor for us.

 

With regard to this passage and Christ, He suffered once for the sins of the world and rose again for the justification of all mankind as will be stressed later. He has entered into His rest as God the Father did His on the seventh day, only Christ’s rest goes on forever in this sense, as it can be said that God finished His initial physical creation forever.

 

Hebrews 4:11 ¶  Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief. 12  For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. 13  Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do. 14  Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. 15  For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. 16  Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

 

The idea here is being sincere in your faith. This is not teaching a works religion. On the contrary Paul has been talking about the genuineness of our faith, or perhaps, the fraud it represents if we are not truly believers. The word of God, lowercase S, is capable of showing us the reality of what is inside each of us. This, to many, is a reference to the mirror the Bible provides us as we see the truth or fiction of our faith. Some insist that this is a reference to Christ, although that typically, when Christ is referred to as the Word, is capitalized. It is also true that when you read the Bible and let God speak to you through it He will reflect as in a mirror what is really in your heart. The Bible is like having Christ in written form and it is what He has left us to guide us. Are you truly a Christian, a follower of Christ?

 

Isaiah 49:2  And he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand hath he hid me, and made me a polished shaft; in his quiver hath he hid me;

 

Jeremiah 23:29  Is not my word like as a fire? saith the LORD; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?

 

1Thessalonians 2:13 ¶  For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.

 

1Peter 1:23  Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

 

I take it as a clever dual meaning reference, referring to Christ, as the context of the passage will say, AND as His Bible which He has left us to lead our way.

 

Because the sinless Christ experienced our life the way we experience it He is able to save us and we are able to come boldly before the throne of grace to obtain mercy and grace because our God knows what we feel, what we’ve been through, and what we need in a way that the gods of no other religion can understand. He, and by extension, His word in His Bible sees everything and nothing is hidden from Him and it. When we open this Bible it lays our flesh aside and peers deep into our spirit. There is no hiding or lying to Christ.

Mark 8:22-26 comments; Jesus and a blind man

 

Mark 8:22 ¶  And he cometh to Bethsaida; and they bring a blind man unto him, and besought him to touch him. 23  And he took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town; and when he had spit on his eyes, and put his hands upon him, he asked him if he saw ought. 24  And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees, walking. 25  After that he put his hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up: and he was restored, and saw every man clearly. 26  And he sent him away to his house, saying, Neither go into the town, nor tell it to any in the town.

Earlier, back in chapter seven, Jesus had healed a man who was deaf and had a speech impediment, using spit.

Here is the first time where Jesus heals in steps. There are many who teach that this is a type of the Christian who is growing. You don’t see everything clearly at first. Slowly, as you read the Bible daily, and often, and pray, waiting on the Lord to lead you, the Holy Spirit to guide you, as you hear and see Him speak line upon line, precept upon precept;

Isaiah 28:9 ¶ Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts. 10 For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little: 11 For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people. 12 To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing:…..

The eyes of your understanding are enlightened;

Ephesians 1:18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,

Because this is the way you are set apart, or sanctified (blessed – Genesis 2:3, washed – Exodus 19:14 and see Revelation 19:8, you’ll meet with God – Exodus 29:43, anointed – Leviticus 8:10, purified – Leviticus 8:15, come close to God – Leviticus 10:3, you’ll redeem your family – Leviticus 27:15, etc. etc.), for His purpose;

John 17:17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

Others say, that, as men are like trees all through the Bible, that you are better off seeing them as trees and not to be fooled by their outward appearance.

Psalm 1:3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

Ezekiel 20:46 Son of man, set thy face toward the south, and drop thy word toward the south, and prophesy against the forest of the south field; 47 And say to the forest of the south, Hear the word of the LORD; Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will kindle a fire in thee, and it shall devour every green tree in thee, and every dry tree: the flaming flame shall not be quenched, and all faces from the south to the north shall be burned therein. 48 And all flesh shall see that I the LORD have kindled it: it shall not be quenched.

Ezekiel 31:2 Son of man, speak unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, and to his multitude; Whom art thou like in thy greatness? 3 Behold, the Assyrian was a cedar in Lebanon with fair branches, and with a shadowing shroud, and of an high stature; and his top was among the thick boughs.

Jesus leads the blind man by the hand;

Job 29:15 I was eyes to the blind, and feet was I to the lame.

He leads him out of town, out of Bethsaida, as not worthy of having this miracle done within her coasts or borders or even being told about it;

Luke 10:13 Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon, which have been done in you, they had a great while ago repented, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.

25 After that he put his hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up: and he was restored, and saw every man clearly.

We know from the Bible that Jesus didn’t have to even touch the man to heal him so there must be a purpose in doing it this way, for our sake. Perhaps, the Lord wanted him to see the spiritual side before he saw the physical side. Before you see anything you must be willing to be led by the Lord.

26 And he sent him away to his house, saying, Neither go into the town, nor tell it to any in the town.

He’s not looking for the publicity here. They’d miss the point anyway.

This verse is corrupted in our two apostate manuscripts, Codex Vaticanus and Codex Sinaiticus, which are given precedence in all modern versions after the heresies of Westcott and Hort and the perfidy of the Vatican. The part after the last comma is removed. As Dr. Ken Matto points out it is Tyndale’s Bible, the Geneva Bible, and the King James Bible which maintain the clarity of the passage and its continuity. Jesus did not want Bethsaida to be enlightened with knowledge of this miracle. The modern versions, based on corrupt manuscripts, don’t even include this part of the verse.

Proverbs 22:4 comments; the fear of God

 

Proverbs 22:4 ¶ By humility and the fear of the LORD are riches, and honour, and life.

Viewing this from our perspective as Christians today, humility is extremely important in order to gain the right attitude.

Romans 12:3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

Ephesians 5:21 ¶ Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God. 22 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.

As John Gill puts it, as this verse was understood by the Jews, humility precedes the fear of the Lord. It is by humility that one is able to fear the Lord. If some people ever change their religion it will be because they no longer think they’re God. The Bible defines this kind of fear mentioned in this Proverb as reverence;

Hebrews 12:28 Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:

And awe;

Psalms 33:8 Let all the earth fear the LORD: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.

Without the fear of the Lord, the fear of God, no person even begins to understand who He is or what He is. The fear of the Lord produced obedience to the Law given to Moses in the Hebrew.

Psalm 111:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.

 

The early church walked in that reverence and awe each day and grew.

Acts 9:31 Then had the churches rest throughout all Judaea and Galilee and Samaria, and were edified; and walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost, were multiplied.

And the church is to perform that today as it said back in Ephesians 5:21 mentioned above. Before a person is saved he lacks the fear of God.

Romans 3:9 What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin; 10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: 11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. 12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. 13 Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: 14 Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: 15 Their feet are swift to shed blood: 16 Destruction and misery are in their ways: 17 And the way of peace have they not known: 18 There is no fear of God before their eyes.

I don’t think most Christians today have any sense of reverence or awe of God. God is an ideal, an ideology, rather than a real person, a real entity with whom they have to deal every day. Imagine that you loved baseball. All you thought about was baseball. You want to play but even when you can’t you are pretending you’re at bat making a grand slam home run or fielding a tough hit and saving the game. You even attend a game once a week and watch others play. But, it has no real bearing on your life. It’s a game. Baseball doesn’t comfort you when you are grieving or frightened, nor does it help you comfort others. It doesn’t help you grow spiritually. It doesn’t offer you any hope of a life beyond the one you have on this earth. It’s just a game even if like the fictional character, Chico Escuela, played by comedian Garrett Morris decades ago, you said, “Beisball has been bery, bery good to me”, it is still just a game.

To most Christians, God is just an idea, something they have culturally and personally come to grips with but don’t really believe has a hand in their daily affairs or plans. He represents a political ideal or, as I mentioned earlier, an ideology. They believe that the universe is held together by physical laws and rules or even dark matter or dark energy. They have been told and believe that the events that happen to them are luck, chance, and circumstance. They believe their health is based on genetics, how they exercise, eat, sleep, and what medical care they receive. They think their success or failure is founded on their intelligence, their efforts, and good luck. They go to sleep at night depending on the police, the fire department, and the military to protect them. They plan on taking care of their families by a good life insurance policy and good health insurance policies. In the end, they believe life is good because they’ve made it good or bad because other people are out to get them. Not that all of these things aren’t important, or prudent measures to take, or even true to some extent. But, like the proverbial blind men trying to feel parts of an elephant and told to describe the whole beast, they are missing who is really doing these things and who can take them away at will.

“There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

By humility and the fear of the Lord we gain spiritual riches, honor with God, and when that fear of the Lord results in trusting in Christ and acknowledging Him as our Saviour, eternal life.