christian warrior: Reasons for the Seasons 3

“What does all that Old Testament stuff have to do with salvation”?

Once again we will take a journey into prophetic scripture to explore the answers to the above question. It's quite possible that the question itself should be the title of this set of studies. However it's rather long for a title and serves the interests of the studies as the basis for exploration. As stated before the question was asked by a gentleman some time ago. It should also be stated it was not curiosity that motivated the conversation. It was more like a hostility toward the history of the Jewish people. Again the simple answer given at the time was everything. However it seems logical to provide the reasons for this answer. It's highly doubtful that the gentleman in question will ever see this but it's more fun knowing that there are people who want to share this information using what God provided us with to learn. Two of these tools available to believers are both testaments of scripture. The most important tool however is the Holy Spirit that speaks to us and lights the path to understanding the reason for the seasons so to speak. Well that amounts to a mouthful so let's start our next journey into the connections of OT scripture and salvation.

Gen 22:10-18 KJV

(10) And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.

(11) And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I.

(12) And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.

(13) And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son.

(14) And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen.

(15) And the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time,

(16) And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son:

(17) That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;

(18) And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.

The last 3 verses of this passage are where we will focus in on for the moment.

Gen 22:16-18 KJV

(16) And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son:

(18) And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.

In verse 16 God declares He has sworn to increase Abraham and his seed following infinitely. He also reaffirms an oath to bless all nations because of Abraham's actions. This is a repetition of what we see in the natural completed in the spiritual world. A God who who acting as a father allows His Son to walk the earth and die for the sins of the world. It's strange we live in a world in which the 2 largest religions in the world are so opposite of each other. The Jewish / Christian God of the Bible who says I love the world enough to die for it through His Son Jesus' death, burial and resurrection. This all comes about by the actions of a father and son being Abraham and Isaac. The other son Ishmael is credited with fathering the Islamic religion by most followers of the religion. The god of this religion according to most terrorists in the world requires the blood of the sons of the Arabic world. So we have 1 god Allah who says give up your sons' or daughters' lives and another we know as Jehovah who looks on and says why are these people doing this when I've already given my Son.

Isa 42:1-9 KJV

(1) Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles.

(2) He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street.

(3) A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgment unto truth.

(4) He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law.

(5) Thus saith God the LORD, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein:

(6) I the LORD have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles;

(7) To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house.

(8) I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.

(9) Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them.

As we have mentioned before in our studies the Gentiles also share in the light of the Spirit. Therefore we have God blessing all the nations of the earth through the actions of Abraham. Also as we have covered before and will again this blessing can be obtained by simply accepting the deeds of a loving God. God stated He had sworn by His own self that He would perform these actions. In America when we picture the word “swear” many people picture a court filled room in which witnesses are called and take an oath most often using a Bible for the left hand and the raising of the right. Although before long the Bible will probably be taken out of the equation. This has some very significant symbolic relationship to what we deal with in our faith. Now some who are not familiar with the concepts of our faith are probably asking where do you get all that from brother Al.

Again the simple answer is the Bible. The word throne appears in 43 verses of the NT. In the book of Matthew in chapter 5 Jesus shares these words of wisdom with us.

Mat 5:33-37 KJV

(33) Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths:

(34) But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne:

(35) Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King.

(36) Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black.

(37) But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.

Let's look at some word studies in order to gain better understanding of what is going on.

Mat 5:33 KJV

(33) Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear (G1964) thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths:

G1964

ἐπιορκέω epiorkeō

ep-ee-or-keh'-o

From G1965; to commit perjury: - forswear self.

Mat 5:34 KJV

(34) But I say unto you, Swear(G3660) not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne:

G3660

ὀμνύω

omnuō

om-noo'-o

A prolonged form of a primary but obsolete word, ὄμω omō, for which another prolonged form (ὀμόω omoō om-o'-o) is used in certain tenses. To swear, that is, take (or declare on) oath: - swear.

In the midst of all that is going on we have references to what most of us again associate with a courtroom situation. Jesus specifically implies the word perjury in verse 33. In verse 34 the word implies making a declaration in a specific tone. Both of these words are used in the courtroom to this very day. Now someone who has been suspected of criminal activity is usually referred to as the accused. Well there is a NT word used that means to accuse or be the accuser.

G1228

διάβολος

diabolos

dee-ab'-ol-os

From G1225; a traducer; specifically Satan (compare [H7854]): - false accuser, devil, slanderer.

Let's compare this word to the defender of the accused. We'll start with the Greek and trace the words back into Hebrew.

G2424

Ἰησοῦς

Iēsous

ee-ay-sooce'

Of Hebrew origin [H3091]; Jesus (that is, Jehoshua), the name of our Lord and two (three) other Israelites: - Jesus.

H3091

יהושׁע יהושׁוּע

y^ehôshûa‛ y^ehôshûa‛

yeh-ho-shoo'-ah, yeh-ho-shoo'-ah

From H3068 and H3467; Jehovah-saved; Jehoshua (that is, Joshua), the Jewish leader: - Jehoshua, Jehoshuah, Joshua. Compare H1954, H3442.

H3442

ישׁוּע

yêshûa‛

yah-shoo'-ah

For H3091; he will save; Jeshua, the name of two Israelites, also of a place in Palestine: - Jeshua.

Now we have put some spiritual context to the natural situation let's look at the crime the Devil or Satan holds us accountable to. In a simple word we can say we as believers are accused of following God and His Son. Satan not only accuses the followers of God but God and Jesus Himself. To get back to the spiritual side of the matter we have discovered that the Devil accuses and Jesus defends. Jesus defends those that are willing to accept His help. The next question some may have is what do we need a defender or Savior for? Well we need His love and support to give us as individual believers direct access to God and to receive God's mercy.

Rev 1:4-6 KJV

(4) John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne;

(5) And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,

(6) And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

To clear things up a bit let's identify the 7 spirits which are found before God's throne. We can identify these in a passage from Isaiah 11 a prophecy concerning the coming of the Messiah Jesus.

Isa 11:1-10 KJV

(1) And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:

(2) And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;

(3) And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears:

(4) But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.

(5) And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.

(6) The 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.

(7) And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.

(8) And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den.

(9) They 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.

(10) And 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.

The spirits are all listed and identified in verse 2.

Isa 11:2 KJV

(2) And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;

The spirit of the Lord being the Holy Spirit.

The spirit of wisdom

The spirit of understanding

The spirit of counsel

The spirit of might

The spirit of knowledge

The spirit of the fear of the Lord

Rev 4:1-5 KJV

(1) After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.

(2) And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.

(3) And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald.

(4) And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.

(5) And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.

Rev 5:1-7 KJV

(1) And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals.

(2) And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?

(3) And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon.

(4) And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon.

(5) And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.

(6) And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.

(7) And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne.

The throne room in heaven where the decision of all souls of the living and the dead for eternal life or torment will take place. As the passage tells us no person in heaven, on the earth or dead under the earth is worthy to plead our case except Jesus described here as the Lion of the tribe of Judah.

Rev 5:11-13 KJV

(11) And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;

(12) Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.

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

What a glorious moment this will be. There are many churches that prefer to keep things quiet during service. Some of these denominations believe that those of the charismatic and evangelical churches make too much noise and just don't feel “all that yelling and hollering” is right. Well they better start getting used to all that yelling and hollering because it does not sound as though the praise for God and our Savior is going to be quiet in heaven. In other words there are not going to be any “dead services” and sleeping and snoring in heaven (Has any body been there before?). Now it must be said there are moments in which genuine faith driven excitement can be confused with a facade. The believer knows the difference. One way to tell the difference is by what is being said instead of read. If the emphasis rests too much upon music and very little scripture or if the message is more directed talking as opposed to preaching and seriously looking at scripture then a problem could be developing.

Sorry for getting off the main subject but yours truly has been around the above types of situations. It's hard to believe some of these critical types are part of the family sometimes. However these are the types of subjects and situations that may arise when we arrive at the throne room. Many of us perhaps myself included may very well receive a good scolding but that's alright as long as the Savior is there to plead the case. No one and I mean no one is going to be considered perfect when that moment arrives. Do you know anyone who thinks that either their selves or people they have lost will not have to answer to the judge?

Rev 7:9-17 KJV

(9) After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;

(10) And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.

(11) And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God,

(12) Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.

(13) And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?

(14) And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

(15) Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.

(16) They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat.

(17) For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.

Rev 20:11-15 KJV
(11) And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
(12) And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
(13) And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
(14) And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
(15) And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

Does anyone remember in part 1 when we explored the meaning of the word darkness from Genesis 1:2.

Gen 1:2 KJV
(2) And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness( H2822) was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

H2822

חשׁך chôshek

kho-shek'

From H2821; the dark; hence (literally) darkness; figuratively misery, destruction, death, ignorance, sorrow, wickedness: - dark (-ness), night, obscurity.

H2821

חשׁך châshak

khaw-shak'

A primitive root; to be dark (as withholding light); transitively to darken: - be black, be (make) dark, darken, cause darkness, be dim, hide.

This sounds a bit like the criteria that will meet those in the throne room in Revelation 20:15.

Rev 20:15 KJV

(15) And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

Gen 1:3-4 KJV

(3) And God said, Let there be light(H216): and there was light.

(4) And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.

H216

אור 'ôr

ore

From H215; illumination or (concretely) luminary (in every sense, including lightning, happiness, etc.): - bright, clear, + day, light (-ning), morning, sun.

Rev 22:1-13 KJV

(1) And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.

(2) In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

(3) And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:

(4) And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.

(5) And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.

(6) And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done.

(7) Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.

(8) And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things.

(9) Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God.

(10) And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand.

(11) He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.

(12) And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.

(13) I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.