A shimmering Zion is coming!

A shimmering Zion is coming!
A Bible study

Answers to the questions: Is there coming (soon) a golden age for the city of Jerusalem? If so, why do we believe this to be so?

For Dr Rice Hall

August 13, 2007

Will there be a golden age for Jerusalem? This question is warranted for several reasons one of which is the following. Scriptural references about a glorious day coming for the earthly Jerusalem can mistakenly be classed with those referring to the “New Jerusalem” which shall come from above. These references in scripture are about the “New Jerusalem”, a heavenly city not made by human hands that will come down from heaven at a later point in The Lord’s prophetic program (Rev. 21:10-23). There is no doubt that such a city will one day manifest and she or it will be a glorious place.

However, when we enquire whether a golden age will come for the city of Jerusalem, we are talking about the historic city that has been perpetually ransacked and embattled through centuries. We are referring to that old city of David, the place where Solomon’s Temple was situated and the geographical area, which is currently the capital of the nation of Israel. Those of us who believe in a millennial view of eschatology (the end times) believe that Messiah king will return and reign here on earth for a thousand years out of this formerly tattered, many times besieged and ever embattled city. He will of course have the church alongside of him as he establishes this glorious earthly political kingdom. Is this view supported well from scripture? Well, lets us see.

Jerusalem in the center of the storm

Assuming the thousand-year reign of Christ mentioned in revelation as being imminent, it’s inconceivable that after his coming, Jesus would rule from any other place on earth other than Jerusalem. This is plausible if only for the reason that He has had strong connections with her not only at his first coming but also long before that. We will however try to prove this conjecture by looking at what scripture says on the matter. One might wonder if Jesus cannot rule from New York, for instance or Paris or Hamburg? Of course at his second coming, a lot of cities would have been indisposed as the events of the tribulation start to unfold and even Jerusalem would have suffered an earthquake (Rev 16:19).

There is no doubt that towards the end of the church age, the final theatrics of this unfolding drama will take place in and around the city of Jerusalem. Mount Olivet from where Jesus ascended and where He will touch ground on his return is one of many landmarks found near the city of Jerusalem (Acts 1:9-12). The valley of Megiddo is also close by. There, the great final battle will be fought and the enemies of God will be vanquished (Revelations 16:16). At Megiddo, the Lord will visibly appear in the clouds for all eyes to see along with his many hosts as He descends, confronts and does away with his enemies (Revelations 19; 19-21). The temple mount will be one of the locations that will figure in prominently in those end time events. The two witnesses will also have been preaching in the streets of this once forsaken yet always hallowed city (Revelation 12:3-11). Can there be any doubt that the king will rule from another place other than Jerusalem?

Israel: a prophetic time clock

In the middle of his discourse on the end times Jesus spoke of the parable of the fig tree.

Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: 33So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. 34Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. 35Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. Matthew 24:32-35 (KJV)

Like all the parables Jesus spoke had a key, this one must also have a key. Some like Hal Lindsay believe that the fig tree Jesus uses, as a prophetic time clock to indicate the very last days, is a reference to the nation of Israel (Matthew 24:32). This yields the formula,

(fig tree = Israel = an end time prophetic time clock).

Consequently, events having to do with Israel, become indicators of how close we might be time-wise to the midnight hour when the master will return. If this is the correct key to the parable then we could see all of the events forecast to happen begin to unfold right before our very eyes. Jesus’ words, “when his branch is tender, and putteth forth leaves” could be a reference to the coming into being of the nation of Israel, which happened in 1948 after almost two millennia. This can be seen as a partial fulfillment of prophesy for Israel’s Jews to return a second time to their homeland (Jeremiah 30:1-12, Isaiah 11:11). It is described by Jeremiah as a time of Jacob’s trouble followed by deliverance, while Isaiah speaks of its glorious aftermath.

Let’s look at another reference of the fig tree in the gospels. Earlier, Jesus had cursed a fig tree “not to bear fruit forever” for the reason that He didn’t find fruit on it; he had rather only found leaves (Matthew 21:19). Is Israel then cursed forever or will she rise again as a saved nation under God? The fig tree in Matthew 21 was turned into an object lesson about faith so it most probably has nothing to do with Israel. However, its also true that Jesus was very unhappy with that generation which may be characterized as one that was lacking fruit. This could (wrongly) be interpreted to mean that Israel is finished and has been replaced by the church as a living, spiritual and saved organism. We will later consider this question of whether the church has replaced Israel and if Israel will have a unique identity in the messianic kingdom.

Let us see if there is any support to the claim that Jesus’ reference to the fig tree is a secret (parable) reference to Israel. There is no doubt that a lot of the end time events will revolve around the nation of Israel and the city of Jerusalem. When the time comes such events like, Daniel’s “Abomination that causes desolation” will unfold in the holy city of Jerusalem. Such facts favor the view that Israel is the fig tree and events having to do with her are a gauge of where we are in God’s prophetic time clock. We are also coming to a full generation’s time after the formation of the nation of Israel. It can then follow from Matthew 24:34 that those of us living today belong to that generation that will witness the extraordinary events that will transpire during last hour before midnight when Christ will come.

The intensity of current world events also supports the claim that we are already way past the eleventh hour. The contemporary Christian band ‘Jars of Clay’ has an album titled, “the eleventh hour” that has songs about the end. They were present at Billy Graham’s last crusade in Flushing Meadows, Queens on Saturday June 25, 2005, very near to the place where the UN had convened in 1947 to determine Israel’s fate. What was Billy’s message that last Sunday night? It was about the end of the world! Since 9/11 one does not get much arguments anymore if one claims that the end of the world is near. There is an unmistakable feeling that something is about to break loose! The signs of the times are not just abundant they are overflowing the brim; the starkest example of which is that lawlessness seems to be increasing and getting more and more blatant.

Erroneous Interpretations and predictions

Interpretations as forwarded by people like Hal Lindsay and his book, The Late Great Planet Earth can of course fail and are not unchallengeable. Its merit is that it makes us aware of how close we might be to the tribulation period and how we need to ready ourselves to receive the bridegroom. We should also leave room in our thinking that our configurations can turn out to be erroneous.

Some bible teachers like Harold Camping of family radio have predicted a specific year for Christ’s return and have shown up themselves to be wrong for the whole world to see. Such claims have also jaded their listeners allowing much skepticism and ridicule to ensue. Yet Christ’s return could be at the very door. Being a prophecy teacher though fun is not a simple task and one should be careful not to make blunders or mislead others! It requires one to be a ‘person of understanding’ well capable of putting prophesied events together in order to relate them rightly to current events so as to forewarn people about what may be coming right around the corner.

Worship unfettered by location

We will try to find some definitive answers by exploring some of the things Jesus had said concerning Jerusalem at the time of his first coming.

20Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. 21Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. 22Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. 23But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. 24God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. John 4:20-24 (KJV)

Worship was no more to take place at this great historic mountain, the mountain of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob nor was it to be at Jerusalem, the ‘beloved city’. Jesus tells this to a humble Samaritan women and by doing so he also speaks to the rest of us. Jerusalem as a consigned place where worshipers of Yahweh would come to pay homage would no more have that distinction, at least for a while. Worship would now happen anywhere and everywhere among those believers who must worship God in spirit and in truth, for his spirit is always and everywhere present. Such worshippers, Jesus tells us, Yahweh seeks and even desires. Even though the worship now in the new covenant would transcend a specific place like Jerusalem or any other physical or geographical location, the lord still has use for this ancient city, his city. He had once spoken by the prophet “I will yet again choose Jerusalem.”(Zechariah 1:17, 2:12)

This statement of Jesus concerning universal worship taking place with no relevance ascribed to any hallowed places along with his prophecy about the destruction of the temple, temporarily relegated Jerusalem from her previous eminence as place where special spiritual activities sponsored by Yahweh God would take place. Her subsequent history proved these prophecies correct. She had perhaps served her most important purpose of bringing forth messiah from among her peoples (Revelation 12). Had her usefulness ended or did Yahweh have other future plans for her? Would she play another prominent role in the closing ceremonies as she had at the opening, in hosting and giving messiah to the world? The latter idea, that a glorious future is coming for Jerusalem, will be argued and supported from scripture in this short essay (This will be my Thesis.)

A Besieged City

2That Hanani, one of my brethren, came, he and certain men of Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, which were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem. 3And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire. Neh. 1:1-3 (KJV)

The clock for Jerusalem to be trampled underfoot by gentiles had already been ticking for some time when Jesus was born. A nation who had miserably failed the purposes intended for her and had become idolatrous is forsaken and divorced by Yahweh (Jeremiah 11:1-17) It had started around 586 BC when the Babylonian capture of Jerusalem and the subsequent Diaspora of Jewish people had taken place. Attempts had been done to bring back Jerusalem to some semblance of her former importance by Jewish people like Zerubabel and Nehemiah who were stirred and destined to the task by Yahweh along with the sponsorship of gentile rulers like the great kings Cyrus and Artaxerxes, who must have providentially been allowed to help revive her (Isaiah 44:82). However, after rejecting messiah, she would go further into oblivion and obscurity with respect to the attendance she had enjoyed from her husband Yahweh to whom she once was a “beloved” and “chosen” city. (Psalm 87, Psalm 76).

Jesus’ lament for Jerusalem and predicts her demise

Like Jeremiah had done centuries before, Jesus laments Jerusalem in a famous final farewell that spells her demise and coming into obscurity until some future time as she is ready to accept her king, which presumably will be at his second coming.

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! 38Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. 39For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. Matthew 23:37-39 (KJV)

The fact that a universal worship is instituted apart form regard to a special place like Jerusalem does not necessarily mean that Jerusalem will not come into her-own someday. If that were so, Jesus would not have left her future fate open-ended as he did in the above lament. He would have put a moratorium on her the way the scriptures speak concerning Sodom in the past or Babylon in the future as cities that will never be inhabited. The Lord rather speaks of her revival during a time when an atmosphere of ‘welcome’ will exist with a future generation as opposed to a time that was one of rejection and opposition characteristic with the generation present at his first coming (Matthew 12:34, 38-42,45). Therefore, in the above lament, Jesus not only prophesied Jerusalem’s demise but also leaves open the possibility of her future revival.

I will make her (Jerusalem) a praise in the earth!

That such a future revival of Jerusalem will happen is in sync with the many Old Testament prophecies concerning Jerusalem. One such prominent example of such a prophecy is found in Isaiah 62. Isaiah says this several hundred years after Solomon when Jerusalem must have experienced her best days. A simple survey of Jerusalem’s history such as was done in class proves that, such a glorious time as describe by Isaiah, where she enjoys such great blessings as to be called “a married land” have yet to happen.

62:1For Zion's sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth. 2And the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory: and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the Lord shall name. 3Thou shalt also be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God. 4Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate: but thou shalt be called Hephzi-bah, and thy land Beulah: for the Lord delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married.
5For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee: and as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee. 6I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that make mention of the Lord, keep not silence, 7And give him no rest, till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth. Isaiah 62:1-7 (KJV)

The several references to ‘land’ in the scripture above, rule out any doubt as to whether the prophecy might be referring to the heavenly Jerusalem. “Yahweh will make Jerusalem to be praise in the earth.” It’s pretty obvious to any unbiased student of Bible History that this has not yet happened. Its one of those wonderful things slotted to happen in God’s prophetic time table, for which we can most certainly look forward to happen some day and perhaps even soon.
Her previously known glory days were during Solomon’s time, soon after which things went downhill for her and her people. Jerusalem was besieged and sacked numerous times after that, going back and forth as the prized possession of the powers that overrun her and her people. Starting from the Assyrians and the Babylonians and continuing on with the Greeks, the Romans, Moslems, crusaders and the Turks all the way up to the time the British relinquished the land to Zionists she remained ransacked and embattled having lost a significant portion of her former identity. In what might prove to be the dawn of her deliverance, resurrection and a future luminance, the nation of Israel miraculously came once more into existence in 1948. Before and since this date, Jerusalem has been fought for and embattled even unto this day. Therefore, scriptures like the one from Isaiah quoted above can only be talking about a yet to come future age when Jerusalem will once more come to prominence as the city of the king. This golden age could be right around the corner. This should be exiting to us Christians, as we would be right smack in the middle of her revival along with the inauguration of our sweet messiah Jesus as king eternal (Revelation 19).

Israel will be saved!

Perhaps the strongest reason yet that Israel will come back to her spiritual and natural glory with messiah at the helm is Paul’s prediction that all Israel shall be saved, in his epistle to the Roman Christians. Incidentally, this is one of those few conundrums found in the bible. Solving it could be like finding and putting in the most important piece of a jigsaw puzzle allowing one to clearly see the panorama of the prophetic landscape stretched out over the centuries. Paul calls it a mystery as he does with the marriage between Christ and the church or the mystery of lawlessness at work during the last days (Eph 5:22, 2Thess 2:7). Addressing gentiles and wanting them to understand this mystery, Paul wrote the following,

23And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be graffed in: for God is able to graff them in again. 24For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert graffed contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be graffed into their own olive tree? 25For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. 26And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: 27For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins. 28As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers' sakes. 29For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. Romans 11:23-29 (KJV)

Paul’s statements should not be understood to mean that all Jewish people will get a free pass to an eternity with God regardless of how they have lived. This would be contrary to what Paul is saying in the above-mentioned chapter and in the overall sum of his theology. Salvation will always be through faith in messiah Jesus, theirs as well as all others (Acts 4:12, Romans 1:16). Having first confirmed and affirmed this very important truth, we can then move to find what other conclusions can be drawn from what was said by the apostle. A proper exposition of the above quoted portion and of the whole chapter yields several very important truths. Perhaps the most important of these truths is that, Yahweh God is not done with his dealings with the “natural branches” the Israelites and has a plan to save them, even if they have been temporarily hardened.

Will Israel have a unique or a shared identity with the church?

After the Second Advent, will Israel have the same type of unique place she had before, as a special nation separated unto him, having been given His law and the temple ordinances? The situation has definably changed from the time Israel was born as many gentiles have now been brought up to speed in the knowledge of the Lord. On the other hand a significant number of Jews in Israel have a secular outlook partly as a result of the holocaust that had happened during the last century. Surprisingly enough, some spiritually reborn gentiles might even be encouraged by some of Paul’s statements to see themselves as the real Jews or the new Jews. Paul had written, “He is a Jew who is a Jew inwardly and has the circumcision of the heart and not just the circumcision after the flesh”(Romans 2:29) Jesus had also said of some professing Jews that they are really a synagogue of Satan (Revelations 2:9). This raises the important question as to who exactly is a Jew in God’s sight. Apparently being born one according to the flesh is not enough. Can one be a Jew spiritually without being one in the flesh? This idea that Jewish-ness is no more determined by lineage but by a relationship to the Jewish messiah leads to what is sometimes called as a replacement theology where the church has replaced Israel forever as the only beloved of Yahweh. As Paul pointed out in the previously quoted portion in Romans, it may be erroneous to think so. Israel is still beloved to the Lord even in their hardened state as we must have been while still in sin.

It might be wrong to completely fade out Israel into the church when drawing a portrait about the coming millennial kingdom of messiah Jesus. For example consider the 144 thousand messianic Jews of impeccable character that will most assuredly be part of a reconstituted Jewish nation during the millennium after the tribulation (Revelation 7:4). In the least this shows God’s desire to reconstitute a Jewish representation in the last days (Isaiah 11:11). Temple worship will only disappear in the New Jerusalem (Revelations 21:22). Until then it could be that it will need attendees for whose duties these Israelites would be the natural candidates. The presence of the temple where the Lord will have his throne while He dwells in the midst of his people will once more give Israel a unique identity as in the days of old. Ezekiel describes in great detail, a grand temple that will be built in the future when Christ will dwell in the midst of Israel.

4And the glory of the Lord came into the house by the way of the gate whose prospect is toward the east. 5So the spirit took me up, and brought me into the inner court; and, behold, the glory of the Lord filled the house. 6And I heard him speaking unto me out of the house; and the man stood by me. 7And he said unto me, Son of man, the place of my throne, and the place of the soles of my feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel for ever, and my holy name, shall the house of Israel no more defile, neither they, nor their kings, by their whoredom, nor by the carcases of their kings in their high places. Ezekiel 43:4-7 (KJV)



A conciliatory note:

Whether or not The Lord has forever replaced or displaced Israel with the heterogeneous church made up of both Jews and gentiles is a controversial issue. Similarly, during the coming earthly reign of messiah king, whether Jesus means to incorporate Jewish people into his church body, ‘The Bride’ or if they are going to be formed into a unique entity and have their own identity, may be something up for debate and speculation. For the sake of an amiable exchange and to protect the spirit’s unity, we should leave such questions open ended for now. There might be scriptural support to convincingly prove either of these positions. Perhaps a deeper understanding of God’s word will allow one to cast a verdict in a particular direction and perhaps not. Like many controversial issues in theology, one will get different answers for these queries depending on whom they talk to. It might very well be one of those questions where we will have to wait in order to know the answer. John had said, “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as He is”(1 John 3:2 KJV). While our present function is to know and love the Lord, only the Lord knows the specifics of our future as well as Israel’s. Therefore, we should refrain from speculating as to what will become of the church and the nation of Israel during the millennial reign of Christ. When the time comes God will show it to us.

Final Conclusion

It is however safe to generally say that all of those who will be saved are going to be incorporated into one whole kingdom under God even if they have specialized roles and functions. Its possible that during the millennial reign of Christ, a saved Israel might have a unique identity and a specialized function different from the church. However, we should all agree that in a not too far away future, there will come a time when there will be a saved Jewish population with their king in their midst ruling out of Jerusalem and with the church right near and alongside of them. Anticipating a time when Israel will come to a full spiritual awakening, Paul said the following,

12Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness? Romans 11:12 (KJV)

Imagine a day when king Jesus has descended and is ruling with power and majesty out of this holy city as described in the second Psalm saying, “Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill Zion”. He will have made a grand entrance to save Israel and quell the world’s situation that deteriorates under an evil and false messiah (2Thess. 2:8). He will bodily dwell and walk among men in majesty. He will no doubt have the gloriously adorned church and a host of angles alongside of him. Now imagine a Jewish nation who instantaneously recognizes their true God and king (whom they had pierced) because of his great entrance and messiah’s decisive demonstration of His delivering power during their tribulation (Zechariah 12:9-11). Those coming days will no doubt be golden days for Jerusalem and for our world. A hopeful and vivid vignette of what those times will be like is found in the book of Isaiah.

5And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins. 6The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. 7And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. 8And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den. 9They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.
10And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious. 11And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. Isaiah 11:1-11 (KJV)


Based on a preponderance of yet unfulfilled prophecies that relate a future messianic kingdom we conclude that a golden day is coming for Jerusalem!







Sources deserving credit:

Bibles

The King James Version of The Holy Bible

Books

Hal Lindsay, The Late Great Plane Earth. Zondervan, 1970

Celestial Sources

The Holy Spirit

Israel’s Rejection Of Messiah and Her Future Hope

Introduction: There is a heightened sense of conflict in chapter twelve that makes it a good candidate for a choice as a turning point in Matthew’s unique presentation of the account of Jesus ministry. For one thing, this chapter is where the Pharisees galvanize themselves into both the official and secretive opposition to messiah and his movement. Soon after the clash with these Pharisees in chapter twelve, Jesus also goes into a semi-secretive mode while openly declaring the gospel and healing the sick and oppressed. Who would win this conflict and what would be the outcome for Israel?

He had said, “I have come to start a fire and how I wish it was kindled”. He was also both recruiting and training disciples to do the work He was doing. The conflict was inevitable. The Pharisees and the scribes stood as the religious interpreters, teachers and voices of their own day. They were using a strict code based on newer takes on the ancient Jewish scriptures, which they brought to bear in a burdensome manner, upon the people of Palestine in early first century AD.

As if sent as a divinely ordained rescue team, the voices of John and then Jesus begun to sound in the public places and rough terrains of Israel pronouncing the true mercies and judgments of Yahweh God, who had become incarnate and was walking among his people. In the end, a good portion of the population together with the religious leaders at its head ends up rejecting messiah. This happened despite the greatest spiritual campaign ever put on and a multitude of miracles wrought through God’s Son. Many had also believed in messiah Jesus. However, it will be hard to gauge their proportion relative to the number of his detractors. Presumably, they were much smaller in number and they became formed into a new messianic cult (nucleus) that believes in the master. It can safely be said that a large part of the religious and political groups present in Israel were complicit in getting rid of the master.

A Setting for Conflict

At the beginning of chapter twelve we see a conflict arise with the Pharisees concerning the Sabbath. The disciples are accused of eating from a crop field on the Sabbath while Jesus is accused of healing on the Sabbath. Jesus defends both infractions by essentially saying that, “The son of man is Lord of the Sabbath.”(Matt 12:8) This speaks of his divinity as the giver of the law. It is also perhaps a reflection of the time when Moses would go outside the camp to speak with The Lord face to face much like the way he must have done at the mount of transfiguration (Exodus 33:11, Matthew 17:3). The Lord that Moses spoke to at the giving of the law is very possibly(or even precisely) the same Christ in his pre-incarnate form as no one has seen The Father. Therefore, Christ himself along with The Father and the Holy Spirit can be thought of as the giver, expounder, and fulfiller of the Law.

The conflict at the crop field then moves inside into the synagogue of the very same accusative and faultfinding Pharisees. During the initial encounter the Pharisees appear like the religious Taliban of their time with a set of rules at hand seeking lawbreakers and cracking down on whoever causes an infraction. However, their motive is much more sinister than simply enforcing God’s laws. This accusation by the Pharisees is like someone applying a small measuring stick to the infinite width, length and depth of the wisdom of the master. If they really had loved the law they would not have come to despise the phenomenon of Jesus of Nazareth. That’s why Jesus said to them in essence, “If God was your father, you would love me and would have heard my words but you are of your father the devil.”(John 8:40,42,44)

Forging Ahead

Jesus undeterred by their resistance simply moved on. He was followed by a great many people whom He healed of ‘all’ of their diseases and infirmities. He simply continued to do his work, telling people to whom He ministered to keep things quite (Matt 12:16). It is still day and He and his disciples are able to work; the night would soon come when they can’t work anymore. In chapter 13, presumably as a result of this mounting conflict the master chooses to speak of the kingdom in mystery using cryptic parables and only explaining their meaning to his disciples (Scofield Notes Ch. 13). Its also possible He did this so as to prevent the tares among the wheat from derailing his mission and purposes. His enemies would often send spies or ask him questions to try to trap him (John 8:6, Matthew 19:3). If the disciple’s lack of faith was sometimes annoying to the Lord the Pharisees vehemence must have displeased him the more. He had used well-deserved terms like “blind guides” and “sons of hell” to describe them in various passages of Matthew’s Gospel (Matthew 23:16,17,33). John the Baptist had also called them “brood of vipers” and “trees not planted by God on whom the ax was laid at the root”(Mathew 3:7-10). Why were they deserving of such dire names and titles?

I. A Spiritual Reality

In the middle of this pivotal chapter we find a kernel about spiritual warfare and exorcism that seems to give us a clue as to what is going on with the current generation (Matthew V 23-37). The Pharisees are so crude and adamant in their opposition as even to suggest Jesus’ miracles to be from Satan, the prince of the demons. In Mark’s version, some of the scribes from Jerusalem actually accuse him of being possessed of the devil himself (Mark 3:22). The master always fought lies by either quoting scripture or revealing some new truth relevant to the matter at hand. This accusation prompts Jesus to refute them by explaining what is really going on behind the scenes in the spirit realm. John Wesley said the following concerning Jesus’ reference to a future generation condemning the Pharisees,

Therefore shall they be your judge — Ask them, if Satan will cast out Satan: let even them be judges in this matter. And they shall convict you of obstinacy and partiality, who impute that in me to Beelzebub, which in them you impute to God. Beside, how can I rob him of his subjects, till I have conquered him? The kingdom of God is come upon you - Unawares; before you expected: so the word implies http://www.christnotes.org/commentary.php?com=wes&b=40&c=12

Jesus in fact said to them that his deliverance ministry was not of the devil, for the devils would not be divided against each other to cast each other out. What they were suggesting was preposterous and a cheap shot to discredit his good works. Jesus very gravely warns the Pharisees that they were committing a blasphemy and were getting dangerously close to being damned. What was actually happening was that the kingdom had come near in such great spiritual power and presence through Messiah that it bound and expunged the evil spirits setting the oppressed individuals free (Wesley on 12:29). In direct contrast to Messiah king who had brought the kingdom close to Israel, a wicked generation was resisting, attacking and defying him. This may also be seen as a vivid picture of what Jesus had meant when he had said in the previous chapter, “The kingdom of heaven suffers violence and the violent take it by force” (Matthew 11:12). In a comprehensive article Matthew Allen quotes and echoes Robert Saucy about the kingdom of God and of heaven as being past, present or future. He surmises's that,

Though the emphasis of the teaching of Jesus was on the futurity of the kingdom, His total message concerning the kingdom also included its presence and the possibility of men and women entering the kingdom now. He said it was present in the power of the Holy Spirit when He cast out demons (Matt. 12:28), and therefore it can be understood as having been present in all His miraculous works⁷⁹ (P.12). http://www.bible.org/page.php?page_id=12

Jesus clearly puts the stony hearted Pharisees outside of his kingdom by saying, “ he who is not with me is against me” for there is no middle ground. Ron Kenoly, a contemporary worship leader used to start worship by saying “There is no de-militarized zone, you are either for the Lord or against him.” C. S Lewis’s allegorical children’s stories, The Chronicles of Narnia are based upon this concept of conflicting kingdoms that are very real and present in everyday life.

Jesus had called the disciples clean because of the word he had spoken to them; he however condemns the Pharisees as unclean even if their legalism made them look good on the outside (Matthew 23:25-28, Machen 37). Verses 43-45 of Matthew twelve gives us a clue as to what may be going on with this generation whom Jesus called wicked and adulterous. This verse is found almost verbatim in Luke but Matthew is the only one who connects the spiritual reality Jesus describes with the present generation. This description might not be unlike the controversial scenes some had wanted to be left as outtakes in Mel Gibson’s ‘The passion of the Christ’. These are scenes in the movie in which the devil is seen as moving through the crowd as Jesus is beaten to a pulp. In these verses Jesus speaks of an unclean spirit that temporarily leaves and then finds its way back to the same house, which had been cleaned. In his notes Scolfield says the following,

Again the rejected King announces judgment (cf) Matthew 11:20-24 Israel, in the midst of the Pharisaic revival of outward religious strictness, was like a man out of whom a demon had "gone," i.e, of his own volition. He would come back and find an empty house, etc. The personal application is to a mere self-cleansed moralist. http://www.searchgodsword.org/com/srn/view.cgi?book=mt&chapter=012


II. Motivation: Why Resist the Master?

Why did they make a pact to destroy the master? Was it just ignorance? Jesus had called them blind guides so ignorance is definitely part of the reason why they were incensed against the master. Was there some other reason for the Pharisees to fight with Jesus? What was their real beef, so to speak, in contemporary colloquialism? The Bible Gateway Commentary suggests ignorance and jealousy as the reason for opposing Jesus.

Convinced that Jesus is not God's agent and annoyed by the popular response to him (v. 23; compare 7:28; 8:27; 9:8), the Pharisees resort to the only other possible explanation for his supernatural power over demons (12:22; compare 9:32-34): it comes from the devil himself (12:24). In a lengthy response, Jesus not only refutes their charge but turns it back against them (vv. 25-45). Matthew's portrayal of Jesus here is also significant for our own day in a number of ways. God's Enemies Challenge the Way God Attests His Servants.

However, Jesus exposes their real and sinister motivation for being his and God’s official nemesis in his discourse in chapter 23 of Matthew. Those who loved God’s laws and wanted to keep them would find in Jesus refreshment and rest and would in fact love him (Matt 11: 28-30, John 8:42). His laws are not grievous (I John 5:3). The Pharisees, Sadducees and the other religious groups of the time were at odds with Jesus because before His coming they were the authority on matters of religion and life; they had cut a niche for themselves where they enjoyed being heads and promulgators in Roman ruled Judea and even further wherever Jewish life was thriving. They were keepers and interpreters of the Law, the very code by which Jewish life was to be led and God was to be honored (Matthew 23 1-2). Its ironic that when the giver of The Law had come and began to both show and explain how The Law is to be lived and understood, the Pharisees were vehemently opposed to him.



The corrupt religious system and power structure on which they had selfishly jockeyed upon, to attain higher socio-economic and political status for themselves, was being upset by the master and his teaching (Matthew 23: 5-7). They had a lot to lose if Jesus was accepted by the nation. They had a special way of dressing up and parading themselves and liked to be seated in places of honor, which they did not want to relinquish easily. They weren’t going to cave in to a couple of wandering prophets like John the Baptist and Jesus of Nazareth even if these two were preaching great eternal truths accompanied by crowd stopping, eye popping miracles. They would in fact have gotten rid of them sooner if they hadn’t feared the crowds with whom these two held sway. (Mark 11:18,22, Matthew 21:46).

Woe is unto thee for Ye have swallowed a camel


The bottom line was that, as is ever-true elsewhere and since, it was the greed, avarice and selfishness of mankind delineated so well by the Pharisees’ actions that was keeping the kingdom of God from coming and being enthroned among men. The just and righteous prince of the universe was unbeknownst to them walking and teaching in their midst; but their own selfishness had blinded them from seeing who He was and so they couldn’t accept and love him. This sinister motivation is laid bare and made succinctly clear in Jesus’ open rebuke of these groups of people active in first century Palestine (Matthew 23). The parable of the vineyard also surmises the same idea albeit told with a hidden reference concerning them (Matt 24). Jesus has them saying, “This is the son let’s also kill him” Jesus later calls such people and others like them a synagogue of Satan who say they are Jews while they are not really Jews (Revelations 3:9). This same pattern of a religion of pretense coming into conflict with true worship has been repeated many times throughout history. The reformation period is only one stark example and perhaps the largest one, of many such conflicts that have arisen through the centuries.




Jesus loved all those who genuinely wanted to keep and do His and His Father’s laws. It was those who under false pretense and wrong motives appeared to be holy so as to use their positions to ‘Lord it’ over others that Jesus despised (Matthew 23:14). Jesus was not against the law itself, only the false and wrongful usage of it in simply appearing to keep the law, which was an egregious sin. They had made a strict code out of certain aspects of the law making it too heavy for all to keep (Matthew 23:4, Machen, p. 37). They had conveniently ignored the weighty matters of the law like mercy, righteousness and justice (Matthew 23:23). When messiah had come revealing the true nature and spirit of the Law He had found himself in a conflict with the false system built around a code made from a stringent interpretations of the law. This conflict was a fight to the death and led up to the murder of the former by the latter. Of course, after the resurrection a reversal occurred where the former supplanted the latter victoriously resulting in the birth of the church.

III. Conclusions Drawn


That chapter twelve of Matthew is considered to be a pivotal chapter is a well-studied conclusion that may not be readily apparent at a single glance or a superficial study of the book of Matthew. This idea is not stated explicitly in the chapter itself but it’s a plausible idea. Working under the assumption that this chapter in Matthew is pivotal in terms of the progression of the biographical account of Jesus’ ministry, as it relates to the state of Israel; we can see the beginning of a determined organized pact by the Pharisees to destroy Jesus (Matthew 12:21).


This is the chapter where Jesus has a serious ‘falling out’ with one of the prominent religious groups of his day. The conflict will reappear several times more in the book as these and other groups seek to trap Jesus in various ways forms and guises. This is also the chapter where Jesus pronounces the strongest warning in all the gospels, that of the ‘unforgivable sin’ in response to this group’s accusations and especially of denying the works wrought through The Holy Spirit (Matthew 12:31-33). Nothing is more wearisome to the lord than lack of faith and outright unbelief toward His works. To many in Israel it was self-evident that they were divinely wrought, but these negative reactions by the Pharisees make the barometer for Christ’s patience and tolerance to rise to the very red top. Davidson says the following in The New Bible Commentary concerning what Christ meant by the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost ,


The blasphemy against the Holy Ghost (31) This sin is a deliberate rejection of Christ and His salvation, the only sin that by its very nature puts a man beyond the pale of forgiveness. (Davidson, P.789).


John Wesley has a slightly different take and says,

The blasphemy against the Spirit — How much stir has been made about this? How many sermons, yea, volumes, have been written concerning it? And yet there is nothing plainer in all the Bible. It is neither more nor less than the ascribing those miracles to the power of the devil, which Christ wrought by the power of the Holy Ghost. Mark 3:28; Luke 12:10.

http://www.christnotes.org/commentary.php?com=wes&b=40&c=12


Regardless of the various takes on Jesus statements, it can safely be said that after this chapter the Pharisees must have chaffed and the battle lines became drawn very clearly.


IV. Implications: A Second Chance for Israel

Chapter twelve in Matthew can be seen as the early stages of a rejection of the king and his kingdom by Israel that led up to his crucifixion. In the same chapter in his gospel Matthew also invokes a verse from Isaiah 42, which indicates that the messianic hope had included the gentiles (Matthew 12:21). Scofield says the following of its significance,

This too is most significant. The rejected King of Israel will turn to the Gentiles (cf.) Matthew 10:5,6. In fulfillment this awaited the official rejection, crucifixion, and resurrection of Christ, and the final rejection of the risen Christ. ;

Luke 24:46,47; Acts 9:15; 13:46; Acts 28:25-28; Romans 11:11.

http://www.searchgodsword.org/com/srn/view.cgi?book=mt&chapter=013

Earlier in Chapter eight, Jesus had already hinted about reversals that would occur in which gentile outsiders would make it into heaven while the natural children of the kingdom would be cast out through unbelief (Matt 8:10-12). The children had become callous while outsiders were receptive to him. The Lord must have anticipated a total rejection of him by Israel just as he had spoken about his own death (Matt 20: 17). He mostly ascribes responsibility for the rejection to her leaders as he had many friends among the common people. Her leaders were the ones who were first who would end up being last. It should be noted that the Pharisees were probably much closer to the people than the aristocratic Sadducees even if these groups were united in their hatred of Messiah (Machen P.71).

Yet, Jesus still had a longing to be accepted by his own. In the final stages of his ministry when the futility of his appeals must have become apparent, we see him expressing great sorrow over the rejection he was experiencing. Jesus exclaims,

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! 38Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. 39For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. Matthew 23:37-39 (KJV)


Kingdom in Mystery


To this day Jesus is considered to be no more than a good rabbi by His natural kin the Jewish people and the nation of Israel. But there is a twist to the story. As sad as their rejection was, it led to the atonement of all of mankind’s sin and ended with the victorious resurrection of our Lord. Therefore, the rejection was a beneficial outcome to us gentiles, but we are ever to seek the salvation of the natural branches, the Israelites and never to boast or judge them (Romans 11:8-24). The church, which can be thought of as the spiritual kingdom (or a kingdom in mystery) made up of born again Jews and gentiles became established as a living representative of Yahweh God on earth, even as Israel is temporarily relegated. However, God is not finished with the nation of Israel and the bible speaks of a future time when she will have to acknowledge Messiah at his appearing and in turn wail for her king whom she had pierced (Revelation 1:7??). We can conclude that at the end of the tribulation period, there will be not a few Jewish men (144 thousand) who will stand along side of Jesus at his second coming and during his millennial reign (Rev 7:4-8, Rev 20:4).


Church age and messianic kingdom


Men can now truly love and worship God in spirit and in truth rather than wallowing under the law, which they were not able to fulfill. That which they once failed to do now they can surpass in the new and living way that Christ had paved with his blood and the new life won at the cross. This life would later be called by Paul as “The law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1-2). Ever since then a spiritual kingdom continues to be established in the hearts of spirit born men and women both Jews and gentiles. The time of the gentiles had begun and would continue until the fullness of the gentiles had come in (Roman 11:25).



At Jesus’ second coming a messianic earthly kingdom will be manifest with a great show of force and will be centered in Jerusalem (Revelation Ch. 19-20). The same show of force could have been used but is not applied at his first coming in order to let the then imminent atonement take place (Matthew 26:53). Whether an earthly kingdom was at all purposed to being established at Our Lord’s first appearance is not very clear. It is however not wrong to speak of the church as the kingdom in mystery which continues to manifest since her inception. Amen.

Bibliography

Bibles
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The King James Version of The Holy Bible

Books
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The New Testament, J Gresham Machen
An Introduction to its Literature and history
Banner of Truth, 1997

Commentaries
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The New Bible commentary, Francis Davidson, Alan M. Stibbs, Earnest F. Kevan, 1953

Online Resources

Wesley’s commentary, John Wesley
http://www.christnotes.org/commentary.php?com=wes&b=40&c=12

The Scolfield Bible Notes online, 1917
http://www.searchgodsword.org/com/srn/view.cgi?book=mt&chapter=012

BibleGateway.com
Commentary on Matthew 12
http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/commentaries/index.php?action=getCommentaryText&cid=1&source=1&seq=i.47.12.4

The Kingdom in Matthew, Matthew Allen J.D.
http://www.bible.org/page.php?page_id=12

Christ In The Old Testament by Bryan T Hurie, December 24, 1999

http://users.aristotle.net/~bhuie/christot.htm

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Alternative Answers to a strict double predestination

http://xkcd.com/40/

Where this treatise was predestined to go: General election

For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming. 1 Cor. 15:21-23 (KJV)

Here is a very inclusive verse saying all shall be made alive. We only add the condition echoed by the whole of scripture that they need only believe to be made so.

See also:

http://www.bible.org/page.php?page_id=1782

VI. Searching for alternative and biblical answers

Names written in Heaven: Solving the riddle

The Bible does not speak of a second list of names written in red destined to the hot place so we should have no reason to believe it exists. However a book exists with names destined for eternal life. This is in support of a general election, which says all are predestined and elected to inherit the promises of the good news and all can be saved if they would only believe. We can all definitely agree that all are destined to come in this world in order that they might hear the good news of the gospel because such is the stipulation of Jesus’ great parting instruction to his disciples. None can deny that we are born for a process that should make us ready for eternity.

A negative destiny (A destiny to the hot place) can be a destiny aborted by the soul who has failed to appropriate what has been offered to it (Parable of the feast). It’s very possible that destinies (negative ones) are determined in time and not before the founding of the world like some Calvinists seem to claim. This view preserves both the unquestionable attributes of God’s love, justice and grace making it unchallengeable to anyone who has a doubtful mind. Accountability is also placed squarely on man himself as to the final judgment upon his soul (Romans 1:20, Acts 13:46). How process determines the outcome of either types of destiny is a mystery (Mark 4:27). Its a mystery to which only God is privy to that we dare not simplify with a Calvinistic notion that says, the elect will live and the rest will die.

Extreme Calvinism sounds like ‘a live and let die’ type of philosophy, right out of Ian Flemming’s spy novels. If you are elect why should you worry about what happens to the rest? The bible rather teaches us to live and die for others and patiently share the gospel and live in such a way that Christ can be plainly exhibited through us. They accuse us of striving unnecessarily. We believe we should do so wisely and repeatedly, whether people hear or they forbear so that we might be able to save some (Ezekiel 3:11, Acts 13:46). Its not that we become hyperactive but we draw near to the master to seek strategies from him as to how to tackle the task of world evangelism. God desires no one to perish but will only save those who believe in Him.


Theologically Incorrect Common Sense Answers

How does the above scripture fit into Calvinism’s unconditional election? Perhaps you can do some things that can overturn your salvation (Oops! This contradicts eternal security. Nevertheless it might be true). Perhaps, you can do certain things to aid the salvation of your soul such as obeying God’s word in faith (This sounds like Semi-Pelagian but makes a whole lot of sense to a new believer) Does one automatically obey God’s word after one believes? It seems to me that it requires effort along with the aid of the Holy Spirit in order to do that. Man is so depraved and corrupt he cannot choose God and to suggest otherwise is heretical (This is the doctrine of Total depravity of man). Here is the problem with extreme positions in trying to save one doctrine one moves so far to the other side and can create a minor fallacy even if one moulds a more cohesive whole.

The challenge of the second of the predestination Clause

Double predestination is the strictest interpretation of the doctrine of predestination as stated by people like Calvin (Berkhof p.110). No one has a problem with the elect being predestined to salvation. An Armenian believes all are slotted in that category and will be saved if the condition of faith were to occur. The problem of double predestination is that it damns someone whoever they are before they are found guilty of a crime worthy of eternal separation and punishment over against the character of a very just God. The first part of this doctrine can be supported from the bible using an abundant number of scriptures. That we who are saved are predestined is never in question. God has infinite foreknowledge and he has ordained salvation from before the foundation of the world. Jesus is spoken of as being slain from before the foundation of the earth. That means the fact that Messiah would come, his death and resurrection was an established purpose in the foreknowledge and plan of Yahweh God as far back as day zero and even before that. How far back was the cross intended? Even before the earth was created (Revelations 18:8).

Reconciliation: Finding a Consensus

Each deals with this problem in a different way. For one the elect are confirmed in time though predestined before eternity while the other makes election a divine right that cannot be surrendered and will not change regardless of past present or future failures or sins. One looks at it from a practical point of view while the other looks at it from a theoretical and eternal one. One puts the answer as something established in eternity past while the other points to the solution as being found somewhere in a transaction that happens in the time between proclamation and conversion (or lack thereof). One sees it as part of the reward/punishment theme that is so prevalent in the bible. The other sees it as the unraveling of a preordained plan being played out in time. One sees it as the works of and from faith the other as the works of a divine decree. Concerning the damned the Calvinist shrugs of the problem and says, “Who am I to question God? I will be content with what scripture says about it.” The Armenian seeks to solve this by pointing to man as the place where salvation fails in spite of all that God has done. God does not fail, so it must be man’s fault that he is lost.” And what is that failure? It is that man has failed to appropriate by faith such a great salvation offered to him by God. Of either of those explanations the one is simpler and easily palatable and can be understood by a babe while the other requires mature reflection in order to be grasped even if assumed to be true. It also gives one a pause as to whether its plausible at all given God’s revealed character of love for his creation. If In His sovereignty he can guarantee the salvation of some why won’t He do it for all?

The kingdom of God has come to each and has been felt and known and seen by all but some choose to turn back into their dark existence even to God’s astonishment. At no time had the kingdom shone bright as it did when Jesus walked this earth. No one could teach the word with more authority or inspiration and follow it up with the working of miracles. However, some still rejected his person, his word and even his miraculous works suppressing in unrighteousness the truth that must have been evident within their hearts. It’s on this grounds that damnation was pronounced by Jesus (Matthew 11:21) and its on this grounds that we should understand it, not as something that has been decreed before time. This is why proclamation is so very important; people’s lives are on the line. How they respond to our message is greatly important. And lastly, As the vessels who carry the message we also become important to God and the unsaved.

Esau I have hated

When Calvinists are challenged concerning an implied second predestination, they come back with “Are you suggesting God doesn’t know where everyone is going before hand.” They say, “This goes against His attribute of sovereignty and omniscience” When Armenians point out that saying so will put into question God’s well established character as being loving and merciful, Calvinists harmonize with Paul and say, “Who art thou that replies against God?” Its evident to them that Paul can be easily slotted as a Calvinist even as Armenians will claim the apostle John to be in their slot. It seems that each puts certain attributes of the trinity over above others, God’s sovereignty and omniscience over His love and righteousness. Similarly, one is putting His infinitely loving heart over above His infinite power and intellect. It’s obvious that He sees our souls as precious and His heart is that no man might perish but all be saved (2Peter 2:9, 3:12). When asking who someone is we surmise them not by their intellect or strength but by who they are in their heart of hearts. If a towering man is standing in front of me blocking my way, the question is not if he has the strength to pick me up and throw me flying like a rag doll, but whether He intends to do so in his heart. God’s heart is love. God is love. His wrath is only towards the unbelieving. Unbelief is the worst kind of a sin.

This always leads to a parting of thoughts even as it must have lead to misunderstanding during Paul’s time causing his theology to be questioned and even attacked (Romans 3:8). Paul did ask the rhetorical question “What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction.” He was not stating a doctrinal position only a theological possibility. He was also making those statements in the context of the election and rejection of Jewish people whom he cared about deeply. All we can distill from his statements in Romans Chapter nine is that God’s mercy comes out of His own council and will. He will have mercy on whom he will have mercy. But since He is already a loving and merciful God we can expect Him to forgive us and love us if we come to him believing. If we have not yet believed we should fear because no flesh can glory before God and he will not have any soul stick up their noses at him.

14What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid. 15For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. 16So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy. 17For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth. 18Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth. 19Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will? 20Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? 21Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour? 22What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: Romans 9:14-22 (KJV)

VII. Valley of decision and an inflection point

The gospel testimony never shone brighter than when it did in Jesus time yet people still rejected Him. In a single inflection point, a life that could have changed recoils back into its old dark existence in unbelief, even when It has been illumined with enough knowledge to repent and seek the righteousness of God. A continual unbelief while being amply exposed to a witnessing of the truth of the gospel will lead to eternal condemnation (John 3,Romans 1:19; Hebrews 2:3). Peter says, “How shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation.” It’s these inflection points that separate the sheep from the goats. It’s this inflection point between faith and unbelief that extreme Calvinism doesn’t recognize in its zeal to attribute all to God’s sovereignty. It’s so instantaneous and happens so quickly that it’s missed; yet it does exist. It’s that brief moment after hearing a sermon that one decides to either to commit to its message or simply ignore it. It’s that moment one decides to ignore the statements of a co-worker who is a Christian. “The light has come but men loved darkness.”(John 3:19) All these moments of opportunity when unused add up to an indictment of a soul. It emanates out of the gentle character of God to ask permission before taking over our lives. We are said to be the bride and his very own body; but have you ever heard of a marriage without a proposal? It can also be likened to a doctor asking a patient’s to fill out a consent form in order to do extensive life saving surgery.

The rich young man and Agrippa the king are good examples of where we can see the above-mentioned turning point in scripture. Both could have been Christians but upon considering the cost decide otherwise (Acts 26:27, Mark 10:17-22). These souls were turned back into what was their old life. There are many today who are in the same condition. They say I know but I can’t. Many are in this valley of decision. The church also stands in this valley preaching, warning and exhorting for men to receive Christ. Nevertheless its not because of him who runs or him who comes but of God who will have mercy (Romans 9:15). Not all come for the truth and those who run don’t do so forever. David must have been one who tried to run for he says, “If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there”(Psalm 139:7-13 KJV). So God’s love pursues people even until they see the ruin that awaits them so they can repent. He is patient toward each soul. Those of us who have received Jesus do so because we dare not refuse such a great offer made in love knowing what the consequences could be. We return His love with love.

Faith, a human impulse

Faith and trust has to come from man even if put there by God initially. God is indeed the author and finisher of our salvation; however, we must believe and be not unbelieving for it to work in our lives. It is so effortless that man need not boast about it but God does give as credit for displaying it. He acknowledges it as wholly coming from us even if He gave it to us (Mathew 9:2,29;Luke 7:50, Hebrews 11:6). Faith like all things that come from God is a gift but once given it is ours to do with as we will. Just like our mind or our hands, which are also given to us by God, can be used at our beckoning faith can be used for good to believe unto salvation. That faith is under the command of man’s will is verified by Jesus’ statement to Thomas “Be not faithless but believing” (John 20:27) The fact the he has to exhort in such a manner repeatedly throughout the scriptures shows that he expects it of man to believe in his testimony. When a soul continues to offend repeatedly by not believing His testimony then she puts herself in danger of damnation.

Faith is the most precious commodity as far as heaven is concerned and cultivating it in souls is the greatest work. So Abraham’s faith is accounted to him as righteousness and Jesus praised and rewarded men for their faith. That is our only part, to believe on him whom He has sent even Jesus. Jesus said, “This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.” (John 6:29 KJV) He spoke this as if to say that’s all we have to do; its our only work and only part. Christ repeats this theme again and again through the gospels like for example, at Martha and Mary’s house. Faith is a subtle impulse that comes from within the deep recesses of man’s heart necessary for the commencement of the work of salvation. It is an ever so small flag of surrender that waves in the master to make abode in one’s heart. Therefore, there is nothing more desirable more beautiful for God to see in a man than faith. It pleases him; it moves him and even surprises him (Matthew 8:10, Matthew 15:25-28).

Certain things become apparent about the impetus of faith. First, God demands it from man, and so its source must be man. For example God’s word frequently says to man, “Believe and you shall be saved or healed or even the dead will rise” It makes faith a condition for all blessings. This impetus to believe is a choice subservient to man’s will. Otherwise Jesus would not have said, “Be thou believing and not unbelieving”. In such a context one’s destiny becomes intertwined with a reaction to a call from God. It is clearly not just a preordained outcome of previously settled decree that must all inevitably come to pass. It’s a dynamic interaction

Predestined by Love Pt 1

Excrepts from Predestined for love Pt. 1

Why I don’t like the idea of double predestination
Essays on the subject of choice, election and predestination

The Culprit: John’ Calvin’s Infamous Statement

By predestination we mean the eternal decree of God, by which he determined with himself whatever he wished to happen with regard to every man. All are not created on equal terms, but some are preordained to eternal life, others to eternal damnation; and, accordingly, as each has been created for one or other of these ends, we say that he has been predestinated to life or to death. (Calvin's Institutes, CH. 21, John Calvin P.568)

Election, Choice and Predestination

As far as Calvinists are concerned being elect, which is a final condition of a soul is solely a result of being predestined for that very outcome. The same group, which is predestined, is chosen in Christ and will be part of the elect who will live eternally.
The problems of Calvinism begin to become evident as we take the signet doctrines and begin to fit them into the whole council of God, which is His Word. If they don’t fit in perfectly then those who espouse these doctrines are in danger of only partly representing God and the unfathomable depth of His Word. Yes in Calvin the scriptures have been concisely and precisely organized into palatable doctrines but do they command the full range of God’s revelation? That is the test of Calvinism or any other theology that purports to have a full grasp of complex theological concepts and ideas. Perhaps the cohesive whole can only be found in God and not in any human system of theology. The question is whether such a Theological systems can reflect the whole truth of the bible. Is Calvinism such a system, which is blessed by God to serve his purposes? If not then where are its failings?

It is dully noted that Calvin wrote one of the greatest and best organization of God’s word into various theological and doctrinal statements most of which encapsulate the eternal truths of scriptures. The one exception from such an orderly treatment and organization in Calvin’s Institutes will have to be the controversial doctrine of predestination of the saved as well as the lost. Of course, I am saying this from the point of view of a protagonist. Calvinistic evangelical believers speak much of the beauty of his dissertations concerning God’s sovereignty, His unconditional election and His irresistible grace. They speak how biblical truths are preserved and stated so well in Calvin’s work.

Even Joseph Armenius who also got hung up on predestination spoke profusely of the greatness of the work Calvin had accomplished in his commentaries on scriptures. It should be noted that both believe in justification by faith alone and echoed the cry of the reformation ‘sola scriptura’ (scripture alone) to be the authority concerning issues of faith and life. Neither had problems with the orthodox creedal statements that the church has been able to establish so far. But when it came to how one’s salvation is determined they were in a sharp disagreement. One sees it as predetermined phenomena that manifests in time and the other as something decided during our lifetime here on earth dependent on our response to the gospel.



My Journey with this Issue

Unable to see eye to eye with my doctrinally sound friends, I wanted to find points of reconciliation. I knew my position sounded intuitively right, as I didn’t have to defend God as someone who would foreordain people to hell. I began to formulate some baby thoughts on the matter, which can be found scattered throughout this treatise. But from the struggle that ensued with the ideas concerned, gems of thought began to emerge. I was able to hone a much stronger argument to what I will term here as general election or the predestination of all of mankind (The first Adam) to salvation through Jesus (The second Adam). This will not contradict the statements of Paul in Ephesians concerning predestination, as the saints are a subset of all of mankind. A general election precludes no one but includes all as possible recipients of salvation if they would only believe. The word ‘Believe’ mentioned here should be understood in its strongest possible definition and not just as an intellectual accent to a truth. ‘To believe’ from the Greek word ‘Pisteuo’ is that which means to hold fast as true, to cling to and to trust with one’s whole heart.

My Calvinist Friends

They are more convinced of unconditional election and predestination than I am of my own Armenian theology. They feel that it preserves God’ sovereignty and foreknowledge and is therefore the better position. “It’s a wholly biblical doctrine” they say, that fits as a spoke in Calvin’s ingenious theological wheel coined as ‘Tulip’. This of course refers to The total depravity of man, unconditional election, limited atonement, irresistible grace and the perseverance of his saints. It should be noted “while the five points of Calvinism bear his name and are a reflection of his thinking, they were not articulated by him, and were actually a product of the Synod of Dort, which issued its judgments in response to five specific objections that arose after Calvin'stime.” (www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Calvin). Calvinists consider themselves blessed to be among the chosen few and believe they cannot do any wrong that could change their destination, which is a wonderful and peaceful life in heaven with the lord Jesus (I also bet that it comes with an additional angel pair fanning the suites up there. I say this to them in jest. This discussion needs humor as it often involves the sharpest of exchanges with people who are one’s brothers).

Some of these conversations have been with Christians with superior learning making me wonder if I have missed something or if I am suffering from deficient or even misguided Christian teachings. But no matter how humbly I listened, I couldn’t get over the fact that they were not bothered by their stipulations concerning the predestination of the damned. They seem to have no problem with the fact that some are said to come into the world with their fate pre-determined to go to the hot place. Between gulps of spaghetti or using some other amenities they seemed to be nonchalantly damning scores of people into an eternity without God without having a tinge of conscience about it.

However, I don’t believe they are no less concerned for souls than me. I often try to cajole them with my opposing argument. This often does not deter them and does not avail much in making them change their theological position. They jealously and admirably defend God’s grace and sovereignty in saving man. However, scriptures does not just say, “You are saved by grace” only, but at different places also says “You are saved by grace through faith.” Based on this idea, Armenians mount a rebuttal that credits faith as a human impetus necessary for salvation.

An Impetus

Even if initially given from God, and even if it’s a negligible amount compared to God’s infusion, there is still an impetus that needs to come from man in order to secure his salvation. The inflection point where God’s grace meets this impetus will determine the path to the destiny of a soul, either leading upwards to faith and glory or downward towards hell and damnation. Man’s impetus has to meet God’s ever ready and all sufficient grace positively (willingly) in order for him to be on the path to his soul’s salvation. But this is blasphemy to a Calvinist who thinks man is too depraved to seek out God or to choose Him. This is also the crux of the matter! Whichever side is able to prove its point will have leverage. Why is each group so determined that they are in the right, even as their opponents also believe themselves to be? This is because the issue has been a conundrum even for the greatest of theologians, dating all the way back to the church fathers and perhaps even going back much earlier into the old testament times of Solomon or even Job (Proverbs 16:4, Job 1). The book of Job especially gives a vivid picture of the dynamic struggle that must happen in every life before our eternal destinies are set.

What does the Bible say? What does Jesus say?

So the question in the final analysis becomes, “What does the Bible say?” How are the scriptures related to this issue to be understood and organized in order to have a cohesive non-contradictory whole? The strict double predestination of Calvinism will run into a stumbling block called ‘God’s love’, a doctrine well established through the cross. Man’s will and choice in the Armenian gospel that supposedly aids God as He saves a soul, runs into a perturbing doctrine to its thrust called grace, the unmerited favor bestowed upon an undeserving sinner having all sufficiency.

The compromise

The solution might be to say that, “God is love! Therefore, He bestows grace on all for salvation. However, He only requires a minute effortless show of cooperation called faith in order to carry out this sacred work of salvation to its fulfillment.” The subtleties of this complex picture will be transparent only to the all seeing eye of God. Who are thou, oh man, that thou thinks that thou can comprehend all things wrought in mystery” In this case it actually turns out to be a mystery because the area of activity for salvation is the human heart and the agent of this activity is God’s Spirit.

Those of us who are saved, all we know is that at some point we believed and now we live in the hope of a wonderful redemption. That God has been seeking us out from the beginning is now evident to us. That we are wretched before is evident. Why He loves us we don’t quite understand but that he loves us is also evident. Whether he loves some more in saving them will be pure speculation. To assume he seeks to save all affirms his fairness in giving mercy to all. To say that some will make themselves deserving of his eternal wrath can be supported well from scripture. To say these were brought into the world unredeemable is to place a big question mark on His character of being a loving father. Saying so in front of the opposing camp might be considered to be blasphemous or in the least endangers one of being though of as having a (huge) misunderstanding of God’s Word.

Saved by Grace Through Faith

Scriptures does not just say, “You are saved by grace” only, but at different places adds “You are saved by grace through faith.” If it had only said the latter then we would not need to preach The Word and the effects of atonement would take effect silently and invisibly as they do after belief has been born.



Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all, Romans 4:16 (KJV)


For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Ephes. 2:8 (KJV)


Based on this idea, Armenians mount a rebuttal that credits faith as a human impetus necessary for salvation. The mercy and the graciousness of God has to be met with a trust and belief in man to spark his salvation. Isn’t that what it means to be born again? God fosters all of these things and being the gentleman leaves man’s gatekeeper, his will to make the final judgment as to their entrance and activation. Man is already fitted with this gatekeeper called ‘will’ along with his conscience for reasons of making good choices but in his shortsightedness he can use it negatively to choose to remain in sin and even to reject his own maker (Die in your sins). No one can deny this gatekeeper called ‘our will’ exists but one can completely deny, limit or magnify its role in salvation. All things are known to God beforehand and are foregone conclusions except for the fates of certain men who might use this gatekeeper negatively which results in them not appropriating the work of the atonement and frustrating God’s attempt to save them. Man has the choice to shrivel into his old nature and reject the gracious offer of salvation but God does all to convince him otherwise, including by reminding him of a dire destination called hell. He will not sovereignty override man’s will in order to save him. He is a gentle God (Gentle savior, gentle spirit like a dove). Therefore, He comes in gently to dissuade man from the calamities of his selfishness and his sin.

Even if initially given from God, and even if it’s a negligible amount compared to God’s part, there is still an impetus that needs to come from man in order to secure his salvation. A negative impetus against God’s graciousness will result in forfeiture of all of those benefits that come from it. This is the claim of Armenians. Why is each side so determined that they are in the right even as their opponents also believe themselves to be? This is because the issue is a conundrum even for the greatest of theologians. The above discussion on grace, faith and free will is the crux where the debate goes back and forth like children madly galloping a stationary seesaw. This is the place where each tries to leverage arguments for their side against the other. When it is oversimplified it leads to antagonistic division. Each side sees these ideas in a divergent manner by oversimplifying them. Seen in their true complexity they must fit into one true and cohesive whole whose subtlety can only be seen by God. Some things will therefore remain a mystery to us.