The Son Appeared to Abraham in the Plain of Mamre…Genesis 18

This is the third in a series of posts on the Old Covenant appearances of the Son of God.  These events relate to a significant point that Christ makes in John 3:13.   He says that “no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven.”   Christ is making the point, long before He was resurrected, that there is only One person who has ascended to heaven and it is that One who came down from heaven.  What is significant is that He speaks of this ascension into heaven as though it has happened in the past.  And in fact it did – many times - these Old Covenant events we are discussing are some of those times that the One who came down from Heaven ascended back there.

In Genesis 18 the Son of God gets up off the throne that He shares with the Father and comes down to visit with Abraham in the plains of Mamre.  This is a relatively long passage.  I’ll just make a few comments and then let you read through it.  In this event, the Lord appears to Abraham as a man along with two angels who also appear as men[1].  The sequence of events is that first the Lord and the two angels speak to Abraham and Sarah, then the three separate and the two angels continue on to Sodom.  The Lord speaks alone to Abraham for a time and then goes His way. 

The passage begins by saying specifically in verse 1 that the Lord appears to Abraham.  As you make your way through the passage more and more detail is added consistent with the idea that one of the three is God Himself. 

In verse 17, the Lord continues to speak in the first person: shall I hide from Abraham the thing that I do?  In verse 22, the three men separate and two of them head toward Sodom, but Abraham stood yet before the LORD (the one who stayed).  In verse 25, the Lord identifies Himself as the judge of the whole earth: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?  In verse 27, Abraham recognizes that he is talking to God: Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord. 

Gen 18:1  And the LORD appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day;

Gen 18:2  And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground,

Gen 18:3  And said, My Lord, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant:

Gen 18:4  Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree:

Gen 18:5  And I will fetch a morsel of bread, and comfort ye your hearts; after that ye shall pass on: for therefore are ye come to your servant. And they said, So do, as thou hast said.

Gen 18:6  And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said, Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes upon the hearth.

Gen 18:7  And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetched a calf tender and good, and gave it unto a young man; and he hasted to dress it.

Gen 18:8  And he took butter, and milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree, and they did eat.

Gen 18:9  And they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he said, Behold, in the tent.

Gen 18:10  And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him.

Gen 18:11  Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women.

Gen 18:12  Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?

Gen 18:13  And the LORD said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old?

Gen 18:14  Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.

Gen 18:15  Then Sarah denied, saying, I laughed not; for she was afraid. And he said, Nay; but thou didst laugh.

Gen 18:16  And the men rose up from thence, and looked toward Sodom: and Abraham went with them to bring them on the way.

Gen 18:17  And the LORD said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do;

Gen 18:18  Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?

Gen 18:19  For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.

Gen 18:20  And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous;

Gen 18:21  I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know.

Gen 18:22  And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the LORD.

Gen 18:23  And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked?

Gen 18:24  Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein?

Gen 18:25  That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?

Gen 18:26  And the LORD said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.

Gen 18:27  And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes:

Gen 18:28  Peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous: wilt thou destroy all the city for lack of five? And he said, If I find there forty and five, I will not destroy it.

Gen 18:29  And he spake unto him yet again, and said, Peradventure there shall be forty found there. And he said, I will not do it for forty’s sake.

Gen 18:30  And he said unto him, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: Peradventure there shall thirty be found there. And he said, I will not do it, if I find thirty there.

Gen 18:31  And he said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord: Peradventure there shall be twenty found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for twenty’s sake.

Gen 18:32  And he said, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: Peradventure ten shall be found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for ten’s sake.

Gen 18:33  And the LORD went his way, as soon as he had left communing with Abraham: and Abraham returned unto his place.

Gen 19:1  And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground;

If we are willing to just listen to what God says then it is evident that God appeared in the form of a man and spoke to Abraham in this passage. Since we know it is the role of the Son to descend from heaven and speak to men face-to-face, then it follows that this is the Son who appeared to Abraham.

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[1] It is not uncommon for angels to appear as men in the scriptures.  See Daniel 9:21 and Hebrews 13:2.

The Son Appeared to Jacob Again in Bethel…Genesis 35:9-15

This is a second in a series of posts on the Old Covenant appearances of Christ.  All Scripture references are from the King James Version. 

In this post we’ll look at an event in Genesis 35:9-15.  This event is a follow-on to`Jacob’s Genesis 32 wrestling match with the Son of God that I posted about previously.  Verse 9 tells us that God[1] appeared[2] unto Jacob again.  The word again is a reference back to the Genesis 32 wrestling event.  Let’s look at the verses:

Gen 35:9  And God appeared unto Jacob again, when he came out of Padanaram, and blessed him.

Gen 35:15  And Jacob called the name of the place where God spake with him, Bethel.

Gen 35:10  And God said unto him, Thy name is Jacob: thy name shall not be called any more Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name: and he called his name Israel.

Gen 35:11  And God said unto him, I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins;

Gen 35:12  And the land which I gave Abraham and Isaac, to thee I will give it, and to thy seed after thee will I give the land.

Gen 35:13  And God went up from him in the place where he talked with him.

Gen 35:14  And Jacob set up a pillar in the place where he talked with him, even a pillar of stone: and he poured a drink offering thereon, and he poured oil thereon.

In verse 11, God speaks in the first person, I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply.  This is a very clear statement that this is God Himself, not an angel who is speaking to Jacob. 

In verse 13, God went up from him in the place where he talked with him.  This brings up a significant point that Christ makes in John 3:13.   He says that “no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven.”   He is making the point, long before He was resurrected, that there is only One person who has ascended to heaven and it is that One who came down from heaven.  What is significant is that He speaks of this ascension into heaven as though it happened prior.  And in fact it did, this event in Genesis is one of those times that the One who came down from Heaven ascended back there.

Jacob recognizes that he has talked with God, and so sets up a pillar, offers offerings and even names the place Bethel to commemorate this fact (verse 15). 

The two passages – Genesis 32:24-30 and this passage - with their very clear statements about who Jacob is talking to reinforce one another and together make plain that God is coming up and down from heaven in a physical form and actually appearing to Jacob.  Particularly the Genesis 32 wrestling match makes clear that this is God manifest in the flesh – that is the Son of God – who is appearing in these events.

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[1] ‘Elohyim

[2] The Hebrews word ra’ah is translated as appeared in the English.  It means to see, look, behold.

The Nicolaitanes – The Rise of the Paid Religious Heirarchy

Rev 2:14 But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.
Rev 2:15 So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes, which thing I hate.

Jude 1:11 Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Korah.

Names in the Bible have significance. They often give some hint as to the character of the individual, something they are being called to do, something they did, etc. In John Chapter 3 Nicodemos a ruler of the Jews comes to Jesus by night. Nicodemus didn’t understand heavenly things, he wasn’t able to recognize the Messiah when He came, but he was one of the rulers and he along with others of his class set the tone for what the common people considered Orthodox Judaism.

Nicodemos’ name is a combination of two words – niko (triumphant/victorious) and demos (people). The picture painted is consistent with what the scriptures say about Nicodemos. He was a ruler of the Jews, he dominated them. What he and others of his class believed and taught set the direction that the common man followed. Who could question as learned a one as Nicodemos?

In Revelation a parallel group is mentioned – the Nicolaitanes. Again this name is a combination of two words – niko (triumphant/victorious) and laos (people). The problem they represent is the same as the problem represented by Nicodemus. The Nicolaitanes are mentioned in association with the church at Pergamos. At Pergamos those who stood against the fathers were being killed. Antipas – anti (against) and pas (father) was killed for standing against these religious fathers. These same fathers were – like Balaam – preaching for a reward. The church at Pergamos represented a significant shift in the direction of the church – the church was moving away from being a hunted, humble band of equal brothers to a hierarchical structure dominated by men with respectable religious titles (see Matthew 23:8 for a warning concerning this). They dominated the people, they recieved an earthly reward for what they did and sadly through their teachings they were beginning to undermine the teaching of the true Manna (a topic I write often about on this blog).

So Christ reminds the true believers at Pergamos – those that can still hear – that if they will overcome the teachings of the Nicolaitanes that He will give them to eat of the Hidden Manna and a new name. What is the hidden manna? It is the teaching of Christ as the True Bread from Heaven. It remains hidden for two reasons. One is only God the Father can reveal who the Son is (John 6:41-51), so only those – like Peter – who will hear understand and receive this teaching (John 6:52-69, Matthew 6:13-17). The second reason it remains hidden is because of the teachings of the Nicolaitanes – those who like Nicodemos and Balaam lead, not by the Spirit of God but by virtue of the position they have obtained. They are spiritually blind and sadly they themselves and those who follow them end up in a ditch (Matthew 15:14).

So now back to the new name. Our name in eternity will reflect our works. Antipas was slain for standing for the name of Christ. Antipas was not this brother’s given name. This is the name that God gave him for his faithful unto death stand for the name of Christ. Antipas stood for the True Manna that came down from heaven, his reward was a new name that reflected his faithfulness and a seat at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. While this is a topic for another post, the bread we will eat at the Marriage Feast will be manifest out of the Word of God just as the flesh of the Son of God was manifested out of the Word of God. We will truly eat of His flesh and drink of His blood (John 6:52-58, Mark 14:24-25).

Rev 2:17 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.

And with our hands have handled!

I believe that Jesus came in the flesh. Let’s take a look at what that means.

1 John 1:1-2 is a good place to start. In these verses John is explaining what it means to come in the flesh. Later in 1 John 4, he tells us to use this teaching to try the spirits. So if we understand I John 1:1-2, then we can try the spirits like John says to do. So let’s look at what John says.

1Jn 1:1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;
1Jn 1:2 (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and show unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;)

The flesh that John heard, saw, looked upon and with his hands handled…was from the beginning, of the word of Life, and with the Father prior to being manifested to us. This isn’t Mary’s flesh. She wasn’t from the beginning, she wasn’t of the word of life, etc. She was just a clay descendent of Adam like your wife or mine. Highly favored, but in the end she went back to the earth like all of us clay folk. The miracle of the virgin birth is that God gave us a good and perfect gift from heaven. Jesus – the Firstborn – descended from heaven just like He said (John 6:48-51). Unbelieving Jews (John 6:41) as well as many of disciples murmured and would walk no more with Him (John 6:66) when He made this claim. He simply responded, “will you believe that I came down from heaven if you saw me ascend back there?”

My experience has been that most seem to believe that Jesus took His flesh from Mary and His spirit came from God. John’s words in I John 1:1-2 would not make sense if Jesus’ flesh came from Mary. John said he touched and handled something that was from the beginning and of the word of Life. Again, this is not Mary’s flesh. So my simple belief is that Jesus, God’s Firstbegotten, descended from heaven – body, soul, spirit. The good and perfect gift, the Lamb without Blemish, came from above. He had flesh, but it was not corruptible clay like me, you and Mary had (see 1 Corinthians 15:39-49). He came in the likeness of sinful flesh, not in human flesh (Romans 8:3).

Mankind often has things turned around. We think if someone has a body and a shape that looks like a man and can feel pain, discouragement, fatigue, die, etc., then that man is a clay man (a human) like us. This just reveals our earth centered view. We were created in His image, not He in ours. We look like we look and have emotions and pain and suffer because Jesus looked that way first and because God can feel this range of emotions. And yes, God did die. Jesus was separated from the Father on Calvary (Matthew 27:46), that is death (at least the one that really matters).

So this is a very important truth. Jesus said it was upon this foundation that He would build His church and John instructed us to try the spirits using it. God helps us to understand and do.

The Testimony of Menno Simons

Menno Simons was an Anabaptist leader in the 16th century. He lived in a time of severe persecution. So severe that some believers thought they should take up the sword and fight back. Menno became known as a leader who stood for turning the other cheek. He and his followers suffered much for their beliefs and for their meek, non-resistant ways. Here are some quotes from Menno on the teaching of the Son of God. He is contrasting his views with the prevailing teachings of his day.

The Testimony of Menno Simons

Reader, consider the Word of your Lord. Christ says that His flesh came from heaven, and the learned ones say that it came from Adam’s flesh. Here are flatly opposite positions. What must the God-fearing conscience do now? If it clings to Christ’s Word and testimony, then it will pass the learned ones for a deceiver and a heretic. But if it adheres to the testimony of the learned ones, then it makes Christ a liar. And seeing that we discover the learned ones and Christ so completely at variance with each other, and since we know Christ to be the guileless truth and all men to be liars, we cannot forsake the truth for falsehood, can we? No, we must turn from falsehood to truth. Let men think of us as they please. God’s Word abides forever. Isa. 40:8; I Peter 1:24.

Quite probably our opponents will attempt an evasion at this point and say, Christ speaks of the most worthy element in Him, for His deity is from heaven and it assumed Adam’s flesh, etc. I reply: Let them believe Christ’s own Word and testimony, then they will realize how they interpret it according to their own desires and not according to the intention and truth of the Christ. For this is what He says, I am that living bread come down from heaven [notice how He says, come down from heaven] and that bread that I will give is my flesh. Notice He does not say, is my deity, but my flesh which I give for the life of the world. It seems to me that Christ has explained His own words quite sufficiently, and the explanations and glosses of the learned ones are unnecessary. But both Christ and John could not speak more plainly of the origin of His holy flesh than they have done in the above passages.

Therefore let everybody be careful how he glosses, for he who falsifies this clear and solid testimony falsifies not a man’s word, but his Lord’s. Neither does he reject us, but the Son of God and His Holy Spirit, and the exalted apostle John, who testified with such plain and clear words, preserved for us in such clarity.

P. 796, Simons, M. The Complete Writings of Menno Simons, 5th edition. (Translated by Verduin, L., Edited by Wenger, J.C., 1986) Scottdale, Pennsylvania: Mennonite Publishing House. (Original works published early to mid 1500s)

With What Body Was Christ Raised?

Claes De Praet was an Anabaptist who was burned at the stake for his beliefs in the year 1556.  Here is an excerpt from his testimony before the religious authorities.

 

On the sixth day, in the forenoon, the jailer came and called me out of the place where I was confined, saying, “Claes, come down, and follow me; and he led the way.

 

My heart kindled within me with joy to the Lord my God; so that all my trouble and anxiety was driven from me, as dust is swept from the street. Then thought I, “O gracious God! now I find that Thou art faithful to Thy promise. Heb. 10:23. Lord, direct now my speech, as Thou hast promised.” Heb. 10:23; Luke 21:14.

 

He then led me into a room, where sat the chief judge with two other judges, the bailiff, and a man with a long beard, who had a large book before him, in which to write.

 

They regarded me very intently, when I entered the room, and I did them great reverence, and bade all of them peace. Rom. 13:7. The jailer placed a chair for me, and said, “Claes, sit down here; it is so ordered.” I sat down with good cheer, the heart lifted up to the Lord my God, forgetful of myself and the things that are in this world.

 

Priest. “You people don’t believe that Christ is God and man.”

 

Claes.”I believe that Christ is true God and man.” Priest. “Do you not believe that Christ is man from Mary’s flesh?”

 

Claes.”No; for if He had become man from. Mary’s natural flesh and blood, He must have had His beginning with Mary; but it is written that He has neither beginning of days, nor end of life. Heb. 7:3. And the Word would not have become flesh, if He had assumed flesh from Mary; nor would He have come in the flesh, as John declares; but He would have come from the flesh, had He assumed it from Mary. John 1:14; II John 7. And it is written: ‘He that confesseth not that Christ is come in the flesh, is that spirit of antichrist.’ I John 4:3. And if He were such a carnal man, He could not have ascended to heaven; for it is written (I Cor. 15:50) that flesh and blood will not inherit the kingdom of God.”[1]

 

Claes – dead yet speaking – makes many important points in his confession.  The one I want to bring your attention to is the last.  If Christ had assumed His flesh from Mary He could not inherit the kingdom of God.  The reason for this is that earthly flesh and blood is corrupt and cannot inherit a kingdom where only righteousness dwells[2].  Hence at the resurrection those in Christ will put on an incorruptible body that they might be made ready to enter the Kingdom of God[3].  But this was not true of Christ Himself.  His flesh was different; the body in which He came and died is the same body in which He inherits the Kingdom of God.  His own plain words and the physical evidence bear witness to this truth.

 

Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up…John 2:19-22.

 

Some believe that Christ walked this earth in an Adamic body of clay and then was resurrected in a different body.  This is contrary to the testimony of Christ himself, who said, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it [the same one] up.”

John 2:19  Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.

John 2:20  Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days?

John 2:21  But he spake of the temple of his body.

John 2:22  When therefore he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this unto them; and they believed the scripture, and the word which Jesus had said.

 

Reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side…John 20:26-29

 

The physical evidence at the resurrection makes clear that Christ was resurrected in the same body in which He died.  Thomas was able to see and touch the physical scars that Christ bore from the nails and spear of Calvary.  A different body would not have had these scars.

 

John 20:26  And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you.

John 20:27  Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing.

John 20:28  And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.

John 20:29  Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.

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Jesus was resurrected in the same body in which He died.  His words and the scars on His body testify of this fact.  In the latter days the resurrected Son of God will receive His inheritance from the Father[4].  His flesh had to be different than our corruptible flesh; otherwise Jesus would not be able to inherit His kingdom.

 

Let the scriptures speak

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[1] P. 558, van Braght, T.J. The Bloody Theater or Martyrs Mirror of the Defenseless Christians, 5th edition, 1950. Scottdale, Pennsylvania, Waterloo, Ontario: Herald Press.  (Original work published 1660, translated by Sohm, J.F. 1886)

[2] 1 Corinthians 15:50

[3] 1 Cor. 15:49-54, Philippians 3:20-21

[4] Revelation 5

The Transfiguration – the Virgin Birth in Reverse

In the resurrection followers of Christ receive a new body.  Why?  Why not just resurrect the old clay body and keep it for eternity?  The reason is that flesh and blood – that is earthly flesh and blood – cannot inherit the Kingdom of God.

 

1Co 15:50  Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.

1Co 15:51  Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,

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

1Co 15:53  For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

1Co 15:54  So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.

 

So in a moment all of Christ’s followers will be changed.  We’ll put on a body that according to Philippians 3:21 is fashioned like unto Jesus’ glorious body.   This is part of the working to subdue the rebellious creation.  God shucks the skin off the Seed He has planted through the New Birth and clothes that New Creature in a body that no longer struggles against this born-from-above inward man (1 Peter 1:23, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Romans 7:21-25).

 

Php 3:20  For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ:

Php 3:21  Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.

 

So what has all of that got to do with the title of this post – “The Transfiguration – the Virgin Birth in Reverse?”   At the Transfiguration (Mark 9:1-10), Christ reassumed the glory that He had with the Father before the world was.  It’s the exact reverse of the Virgin Birth, where He set aside His glory and came as a servant in the likeness of sinful flesh (Philippians 2:6-8, Romans 8:3).  What we learn from the Transfiguration is that in a moment, the Son of God can manifest His glory and the next moment hide it. 

 

Did Jesus get a new body when He was resurrected? No. Jesus was resurrected in the same body in which He died. We know this because for one, that is what He said would happen (John 2:19-22). We can also look at the physical evidence. The tomb was empty and the body He walked the earth in after the resurrection bore the physical scars of the crucifixion (John 20:27). Jesus did not need a new body when He was resurrected. His flesh and blood can inherit the Kingdom of God just as it was when it was slain (Revelation 5). Why? Because the body in which He came was not corrupt like our old clay bodies of death as Paul called them. He came in the body that He had before the foundation of world. He came in the likeness of sinful flesh, not in sinful flesh. At the virgin birth He simply divested Himself of His glory, just like He did when the Transfiguration was over.

At What Point Did Jesus Become Flesh?

Many of Christ’s names point to His presence in eternity past.  One of His names is the Everlasting Father[1].  We know Him to be the Creator[2].   We should acknowledge Him as the Everlasting Father and Creator.  This is a way of confessing His name.

 

But at what point did Jesus become flesh?  Was the Son only Spirit in eternity past?  Was it only with the virgin birth that He became flesh?  Micah tells us His goings forth have been from old, from everlasting[3].  Look at what the Apostle John says in 1 John 1:1 concerning the Son of God. 

 

1 John 1:1  That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;

1 John 1:2  (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and show unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;)

 

John says that the Son was from the beginning.  He goes out of his way to emphasize that it wasn’t just the words that he heard that were from the beginning, but also what he saw with his own eyes and felt with his own hands was from the beginning.  It had been with the Father and now was manifested to us.  John is saying as emphatically as he can that the Son, the literal physical Son, not just a spiritual Son, was from the beginning. 

 

In eternity past God existed only as Spirit.  As He began to move toward the works of creation He first manifested Himself in a physical way[4]. In this event, God became a Father and a Son[5].  The truth of the Father and the Son became the center point for everything that would follow[6].  After the Son was manifested He created the worlds according to the will of the Father. 

 

These times, from the manifestation of the Son through the early days of the creation are referred to in the scriptures as the beginning[7].  So when John says that Jesus was from the beginning He is referring to this time in eternity past that started with the manifestation of the Son.  He is reminding the believers that the very flesh that He and others handled was from these pre-creation times[8].    Understanding when the Son became flesh lays the foundation for understanding many of the names that refer to His presence, place and works before the creation.

The Firstborn of Every Creature…Col 1:15-17

 

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

Col 1:16  For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:

Col 1:17  And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

 

As we learned above, the Son proceeded forth from the Father in eternity past.  At this event, all the fullness of the Godhead was manifested visibly and bodily in the Son, the image of the invisible God[9].  This occurred before there was anything else, before any cherubim, any angels, before Lucifer, before the universe, before the earth, mankind, plants and animals.  For this reason, the Son is given the name the Firstborn of Every Creature.  This in no way is saying the Son is a part of the creation, it is simply acknowledging Him as the first physical being.  The Son then went on to create all things visible and invisible, but as these verses from Colossians emphasize, He was manifest before all of these created things.

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[1] Isaiah 9:6

[2] John 1:3,10; Colossians 1:16

[3] Micah 5:2.

[4] The Son is the physical, bodily, manifestation of God (Colossians 2:9, John 14:7-9)

[5] Hebrews 1:5.  This is not “when Jesus began to be.”  Remember God is one and Jesus is one with the Father.  The eternal God is eternal; He has no beginning of days.  However, there is a point where God who was Spirit was made flesh.  That is the time we are discussing here.

[6] Psalm 2, Proverbs 30:1-4, Colossians 1:16.

[7] Genesis 1:1, Proverbs 8:22-31, Isaiah 40:21, Isaiah 41:4, John 8:44, Hebrews 1:10, 1 John 3:8

[8] This forms the basis for one of the key teachings of the book of 1 John – trying the spirits.

[9] The Son was manifested in the image of the Father, and we were created in the image of both of them.  Hence the words, “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness (Genesis 1:26).”

The Testimony of Jan de Swarte

In the 16th century a group known as Anabaptists were severely persecuted for their faith.  The account below is taken from “The Bloody Theater or Martyrs Mirror of the Defenseless Christians[1]” which chronicles many of their stories. 

 

Pardon the old English and the wordiness, this is taken from the book unabridged.  Please note, in the words of Jan’s son Klaes, why they had to die.

 

Jan de Swarte, a very good-hearted man, of Nipkerke, with his wife and adult children, came to the knowledge of the truth, and united with the church of God. Afterwards he was chosen and ordained a minister of the church, in which ministry he, according to his ability, and in simplicity, so conducted himself (not only in the deaconship, by caring for the poor, but also, according to his gift received from God, in dispensing the Word of the exhortation), that he endeared himself to all that knew him. I Cor. 12:4; II Tim. 2:15.

 

And as the apostle Paul foretold, that all that will live godly in Jesus Christ shall suffer persecution, so he also met with it, on which account he resided in various towns and villages of Flanders, as in Honschote, Rijssel, Wervick, Meenen, and finally at Halewijn, supporting himself mostly with tapeweaving. With his wages he was very benevolent and liberal to the poor, not only to those of the household of faith, but to all in general (II Cor. 8: 1; Gal. 6:10), by which especially he left behind him a good name, to the praise and glory of God, as also by hospitality, as taught in the Scriptures (Romans 12:13), in which he was not negligent, since it appeared that when he was apprehended, there lodged with him a brother from Doornick, named Perceval van den Berge, a native of Zwevegem, and another, who had come from Honschote, whose name was Jan Maes.

 

At that time there resided at Halewijn various other God-fearing brethren and sisters, which being greatly envied by N., the priest of the castle, he betrayed them into the hands of the Dean of Ronse, the inquisitor in Flanders, who, on a Saturday night, the 7th of March, 1563, quietly came thither with a great number of servants, from Rijssel, surrounded several houses, entered them, and apprehended the afore-mentioned Jan de Swarte, with Klaesken his wife and four sons, namely, Klaes, Christian, Hans, and Mahieu (who was only about sixteen years old), and also Perceval van den Berge, and Jan Maes, already mentioned. Besides these he also apprehended one Pieter the shoemaker, with Jacomijntgen his wife, which latter did not remain steadfast. Also, one Heyndrick Aerts the hatter, with Janneken Cabiljaus his wife, and another sister, Kalleken Steens, the wife of a brother whose name was Augustijn.

 

When Jan de Swarte was apprehended, his two younger sons were not present, but came in the meantime. When they came to the house the neighbors warned them, that those who apprehended their father and mother were in the house. The one said to the other, “Do not let us flee, but let us die with father and mother.” In the meantime Jan de Swarte was led out of the house a prisoner, and seeing his sons, he said to them, “Children, do you want to go along to the New Jerusalem?” They replied, “Yes, father;” and were thus led captive with them.

 

The inquisitor brought them all prisoners to Rijssel, and there had them very closely confined in the castle. Jan was put into a hole by himself, which was called the”Paradise,” and was so small that he could neither stand upright in it, nor lie down full length.

 

It happened one day that divers brethren and sisters, prompted by love and compassion, had come from without the city, and were standing over against the castle, calling to the prisoners over the fortification, for their consolation, that among them there was one brother named Herman, who being noticed by one of the beadles of the town, who came out secretly, was also apprehended.

 

After an imprisonment of ten days, the inquisitor delivered these prisoners into the hands of the secular authorities, who first took out Jan de Swarte with his son Klaes, Pieter, the shoemaker, Hendrick Aerts, the hatter, Percival van den Berg, and Jan Maes, all six of whom, because they valiantly and steadfastly adhered to the divine truth, they sentenced to death, and took them in a wagon to the marketplace, where stood the scaffold, provided with earth and stakes. There they were taken up one after another, and two and two fastened to a stake.

 

As they were going to death, the clock struck. John asked what time it was. He was told that it was four o’clock. He consoled himself with this, saying, “At five o’clock we hope to be in our lodging or resting place.” His son Klaes, said, “We have to die for the reason that we believe that Jesus Christ, the Son of the eternal God, is from heaven and not of the earth.”

 

Pieter was gagged, to prevent him from speaking. When they stood at the stakes, wood and straw were placed around them, to which fire was then set, and they were thus burnt alive to ashes.

 

A few days afterwards also Klaesken, the wife of Jan de Swarte, with her three sons, and Herman, because they adhered immovably to the love of God, were all five sentenced to death by the authorities, and also burned alive to ashes, persevering unto the end as valiant witnesses of Christ.

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[1] van Braght, T.J., pp. 664-665, The Bloody Theater or Martyrs Mirror of the Defenseless Christians, 5th edition, 1950. Scottdale, Pennsylvania, Waterloo, Ontario: Herald Press. (Original work published 1660, translated by Sohm, J.F. 1886)

 

 

 

 

 

Adam’s Rib And the End that God is Driving To

John 17:20  Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;

John 17:21  That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.

John 17:22  And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:

John 17:23  I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.

 

Eph 5:31  For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.

Eph 5:32  This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.

 

Rev 21:22  And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.

 

God is driving to an end in which He dwells with men in a tabernacle.  This tabernacle is not a tent like it was in the wilderness, nor is it a temple made with finest earthly materials as it was in Solomon’s day.  These things only portrayed the true tabernacle that God was driving toward.  The true tabernacle that God is driving toward is Himself, Him in us and us in Him.  

 

Jesus is that tabernacle.  Believers are resurrected in His tabernacle[1].  This is what Paul was referring to In Ephesians 5:31-32 where he spoke of the great mystery of Christ and His church becoming one flesh.   It is for this reason that there is no temple in the New Heavens and New Earth.  God and man are one tabernacle, one in spirit and one in flesh.  This is the end that God is driving to.

And I will give them an heart of flesh…Ezekiel 11:17-20

 

Ezek 11:17  Therefore say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will even gather you from the people, and assemble you out of the countries where ye have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.

Ezek 11:18  And they shall come thither, and they shall take away all the detestable things thereof and all the abominations thereof from thence.

Ezek 11:19  And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh:

Ezek 11:20  That they may walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances, and do them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God.

 

The Bible traces the root of our sin problem to our flesh[2].  It also says that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God[3].  Yet in these verses from Ezekiel God promises to give the redeemed of Israel an heart of flesh.   God is speaking of the new tabernacle that the saints will inhabit in the resurrection[4].  This tabernacle is still flesh; it is just a different kind of flesh[5].

 

We are saved from sin by two events: the new birth and the redemption of our bodies[6].  The new birth is when God’s Spirit comes to abide in our hearts; this is the earnest of our salvation[7].  The redemption of our bodies occurs when we are resurrected in a flesh made like unto Jesus’ glorious body.  Once our bodies are redeemed we will be free from the struggle with sin forever.  It is then walk in God’s statutes and keep His ordinances.  Ezekiel 11:17-20 refers to both of these events.  It speaks of our full salvation and the end that God is driving to. 

And the rib made He a woman…Genesis 2:21-24

 

Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam’s transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come, Romans 5:14. 

 

Gen 2:21  And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;

Gen 2:22  And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.

Gen 2:23  And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.

Gen 2:24  Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.

 

Eph 5:30  For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.

Eph 5:31  For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.

Eph 5:32  This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.

 

Romans 5:14 reminds us that Adam was a figure of Christ. He portrayed things that Christ would do. God formed the wife of Adam from his rib to portray that the body of Christ’s bride – the redeemed – would be formed from Christ’s own body.  This is all a part of the larger work to make us one tabernacle:  His flesh, His Spirit, Him in us and us in Him.  We will be one tabernacle.  This is the mystery Paul was referring to in Ephesians 5:30-32.

Behold the tabernacle of God is with men…Revelation 21:1-3

 

Rev 21:1  And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.

Rev 21:2  And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

Rev 21:3  And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God…

 

Rev 21:22  And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.

Rev 21:23  And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.

Rev 21:24  And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it.

Rev 21:25  And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there.

Rev 21:26  And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it.

Rev 21:27  And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

 

In the new heavens and new earth there is city called the New Jerusalem.  Just as the present Jerusalem is at the heart of Jewish life and worship, the New Jerusalem will be at the heart of the life and worship of God’s eternal family.  There is one key feature missing in the New Jerusalem.  There is no temple.  The earthly temple as a meeting place for God and man only foreshadowed what God was driving to:  eternally close fellowship between God and man.  In the new heavens and new earth God dwells with us and in us.  This is the end that God is driving to.  There is no need for a temple.

A greater and more perfect tabernacle…Hebrews 9:11

 

Heb 9:11  But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building[8];

 

Christ is a High Priest of good things to come.  These good things take place for all of eternity in the New Heavens and New Earth.  This verse from Hebrews links Christ’s role as High Priest over these good things to the tabernacle in which He came.  The verses we have studied above help us understand the reason for this linkage.  Our eternal tabernacles – the place where we meet with God – are formed from His flesh. Earthly flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God.  Had Christ’s flesh been of the earth neither He nor we would have hope of this inheritance.  There could have been no end in which God and His people dwell together in perfect fellowship and love. 

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God is driving to an in which we are one in Him: one in spirit and one in flesh.  It is at that time that Jesus prayer in John 17 will have been fully answered.  We will have glory that Jesus had with the Father before the world began[9].  When Jesus said, I am the resurrection and the life; He was referring to this truth.  In other words, He was saying, “Look at me, what I am is what you hope for.  I am the end that God is driving to.”  If Jesus had come in a body of clay then the end that God is driving to could not have been achieved.  Thankfully Jesus didn’t come in a body of dead clay; rather He came down from heaven in a body of life.  Because of this we have hope of an eternity in which dwell in a tabernacle with God.

 

Let the scriptures speak.

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[1] Phillipians 3:20-21.

[2] Romans 7:17-25

[3] I Corinthians 15

[4] The scriptures commonly refer to our bodies as tabernacles.  Our earthly tabernacles are only shadows of the glorious tabernacle that we will inhabit in the resurrection. 

[5] I Corinthians 15:39-40.

[6] Really there is a third and fourth event:  the final judgments upon the enemies of God that take place in the last days and the coming of the New Heavens and the New Earth.  It is with these events, in combination with the new birth and the redemption of our bodies, that all sin and the effects of sin will have been expunged from the creation.

[7] 2 Corinthians 5:1-5

[8] See  blog Look No Hands!.

[9] See blog Jesu – The Firstborn of Every Creature.