DISPENSATIONALISM IS A SYSTEM of interpretation that seeks to establish a unity in the Scriptures through its central focus on the grace of God. Although dispensationalists recognize differing stewardships or dispensations whereby man put under a trust by the Lord, they teach that response to God’s revelation in each dispensation is by faith (salvation is always by grace through faith). Dispensationalists arrive at their system of interpretation through two primary principles: (1) maintaining a consistently literal method of interpretation, and (2) maintaining a distinction between Israel and the church.[1]

My current copy of The Moody Handbook of Theology, from which the above quote was taken, had the forward written by Dr. John F. MacArthur, Jr. Therefore, I may confidently presume that this definition of dispensationalism was alright with the late Dr. MacArthur. I had an earlier edition of The Moody Handbook of Theology, from 1989 (which I believe I left on the mission field); and if I haven’t misremembered, I think Dr. MacArthur wrote the forward to that edition as well.

Concerning this definition, it contains in it the primary reason why the dispensational hermeneutic is different from a Christ-centered hermeneutic. Attempting to establish unity in the Scriptures through a central focus on the grace of God presents the root of the problem. While I wholeheartedly agree that God’s grace runs throughout the entirety of Scripture,[2] it is not the central truth that provides that unity. The Lord Jesus Himself provides that unity, as it is written:

And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. Colossians 1:17

The central focus of life upon earth is the same central focus of eternal life for all eternity, the Lord Jesus Christ. To promote any of God’s graces, blessings, or promises to be of equal or greater priority or preeminence to the Lord Jesus Messiah perverts the gospel and diminishes the glory of God through Christ alone.

We ended the last part of our series with a Scripture portion from the second chapter of Daniel. In this fourth part of the series, we will examine briefly, and not exhaustively, a Christ-centered interpretation of this historical, prophetic, and apocalyptic book of the Old Testament. In other words, in our Christo-centric view and understanding of the book, I desire to present a partial preterist interpretation of the book overall, as well as highlighting some key passages from its chapters; keeping in mind what we read last time in Part Three, that the Lord Jesus Christ is at least the partial fulfillment of these prophetic passages, as well as the ultimate fulfillment of those Scriptures in some way, shape, or form.

A CHRISTO-CENTRIC OVERVIEW OF DANIEL

Daniel is a book that exalts Jesus Christ throughout, not as an adornment that beautifies an emphasis elsewhere, but the very central theme of the writing. In the practical this writing highlights faithfulness and prayer. Both are exalted characteristics of our Lord’s ministry. Jesus was the faithful Prophet in the midst of unbelief and opposition. Moreover, the Lord Jesus, as perfect and sinless Man, He was certainly a Man of prayer. He prayed early in the morning (Mark 1:35a). He found places of solitude to pray (Mark 1:35b). He taught others to pray (Matt 6:9-13; Luke 11:1-13; John 14:13-14). He prayed at gravesides (John 11:41-42). He prayed before meals (Matt 14:19; 26:26). He prayed all night before selecting His disciples (Luke 6:12-16). He prayed in the garden on the night He was betrayed (Matt 26:36-46; Mark 14:32-42; Luke 22:39-46; John 17:1-26). He prayed on our behalf so that His righteous, unflagging prayer life would be imputed to us because our prayers are weak and filled with selfish corruptions (Rom 8:26; Heb 7:25).

A Brief Overview of the Book of Daniel

Daniel 1 presents young Daniel and his friends as types of the Lord Jesus Christ, faithful to YHVH God in the midst of foreign rulers and dignitaries, just as Jesus came in the fullness of the time, when foreign rulers from Rome controlled Judea and Jerusalem. Daniel, Hannaniah, Mishael, and Azariah were uncompromising in the observance of the Law of Moses when it came to their dietary regimen. Jesus was the only Jew who ever kept the Law of Moses actively, passively, and completely in thought, word, and deed. Jesus said,

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:17-20

The only one who is great in the kingdom of heaven is the Lord Jesus. His righteousness not only exceeds the external righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, His righteousness far exceeds that of every human who walked the face of this planet. So faithful was Jesus to fulfill the Law and please His Father that His righteousness is placed upon the account of all His redeemed, including Daniel.

Daniel 2 presents the Stone, Jesus Messiah, striking at the feet of the idolatrous human governments in all their forms, whether gold, silver, bronze, iron, or even clay. Jesus the Stone is the emphasis of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, not the idol made of precious metals.

Daniel 3 presents the gospel salvation that is found in the Lord Jesus Christ alone. When we are faced with the golden image of worldly idolatry and suffer the fiery indignation of those who exalt themselves above God’s Messiah, it is Jesus who is the fourth Man in the fiery furnace with us.

Daniel 4 presents the truth of Christ’s gospel and its ability to save even the most wicked, idolatrous, and self-exalting of souls. It may take seven years, or even longer. It may even drive a soul to the brink of madness, but if the Lord Jesus has a soul in His sights to save, he or she will eventually “praise and extol and honor the King of heaven” (Dan 4:37).

Daniel 5 presents the desecration of Christ by worldly men, such as Belshazzar. Everything in the tabernacle in the wilderness, and the subsequent temple built by Solomon foreshadowed the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. The table of the bread of presence, or shewbread (KJV), was a type of Christ because Jesus is the Bread of Life (John 6:35). The light from the golden menorah was a type of Christ since Jesus is the Light of the world (John 8:12). The altar of incense was a type of Christ for Jesus ever lives to make intercession for those He is saving (Heb 7:25). The vessels of gold, silver, and bronze were types of Christ, as gold represents Christ’s deity, silver represents Christ’s redemption, and bronze represents Christ’s judgment. These temple vessels did Belshazzar and his guests drink wine from, praising the false gods of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood in their drunkenness. By the writing on the wall by the hand of Christ, Belshazzar was judged and found lacking; yet when compared to the sinless, perfect, holy, and righteous Man, Christ Jesus, every man is lacking.

Daniel 6 presents Daniel once again as a type of Christ, unwavering in his allegiance to God and given to prayer. When sentenced to death by a reluctant Gentile king, it foreshadowed Pontius Pilate reluctantly sentencing Jesus to be crucified (Luke 23:20). While the lions could not touch Daniel when he was in their den, Satan, who “prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour (1 Pet 5:8), foreshadowed Christ’s victory at the cross over the devil, crushing Satan’s head while the act bruised His heel (Gen 3:15).

Daniel 7 presents some similar, yet different, prophetic history paralleling the second chapter. Yet its main emphasis should be upon the Messiah, the Son of Man, coming in the clouds of heaven, appearing before the Ancient of Days, and receiving a kingdom that shall not be destroyed.

Daniel 8 presents a prophetic vision of the Medo-Persian and Greek empires that Daniel had difficulty understanding. The angel Gabriel appears before Daniel and gives the prophet the interpretation of the vision. The vision itself speaks of Christ, as the Messiah would speak in parables and dark sayings (Psa 78:2-3; Mark 4:33). When Gabriel appears to Daniel, he is a type of Christ, as Daniel falls down before Gabriel, and the angel touches the prophet to make him stand up (Rev 1:17). Moreover, Gabriel, as a type of Christ, explains the vision to Daniel (Mark 4:34; Luke 24:27; 2 Pet 1:20; Rev 19:10).

Daniel 9, in its first part, presents Daniel as a type of Christ, praying for his people. Jesus was the ultimate prayer warrior, as explained earlier. In the last part, Gabriel once again appears before Daniel, answering his prayer with the ultimate Messianic promise, which we will cover in a bit more detail later.

Daniel 10-12 presents a Christophany, a pre-incarnate appearance of the Lord Jesus Messiah Himself, revealing to Daniel prophetic details that would transpire in the world to establish two things: (1) confirm Daniel as a true prophet of YHVH God (Deut 18:21-22); and (2), reveal the details of the Greek Empire that would set forth the Greek culture as the predominant ethos in the time of Christ’s ministry. Alexander decreed that Greek would be the spoken and written language throughout the empire, which is why the New Testament was written in Greek.[3]

Types of Christ

Because I mentioned that Daniel was a “type of Christ” in my overviews of Daniel chapters one, six, and nine, and that the implements of the temple were types of Christ in Daniel chapter five, it seems appropriate to briefly discuss typology here. So, what is typology? I would define it in this way:

Typology in theology and biblical hermeneutics is the study of how God uses persons, events, institutions, objects, or patterns in redemptive history to foreshadow and correspond to fuller realities, especially realities fulfilled in Christ and His gospel.

Typology comes from the Greek word τύπος (TOO-pos), which is often translated “example” (ESV) or “ensample” (KJV) in verses like 1 Corinthians 10:6, 11; Philippians 3:17; 1 Thessalonians 1:7; 2 Thessalonians 3:9; 1 Timothy 4:12; Titus 2:7; 1 Peter 5:3. It has also been translated “fashion,” “figure,” “form,” “manner,” “pattern,” and “print” in other New Testament passages of Scripture.

Typology should not to be confused with “allegory,” which assigns hidden or symbolic meanings to biblical details. Allegory comes from the Greek word ἀλληγορέω (al-lā-gor-EE-ō), and is used one time in the New Testament:

Now this may be interpreted allegorically: these women are two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery; she is Hagar. Galatians 4:24

While this Greek word is only used once in Scripture, it doesn’t mean that the only allegory in the Scripture is found in Galatians 4:24. The Book of Revelation is set in signs (Rev 1:1),[4] whereas much of the writing from that apocalyptic book is given in symbolic imagery.

The Old Testament also corroborates the use of allegory, as YHVH God speaks through Hosea, a prophet who was a contemporary with Isaiah:

“I spoke to the prophets; it was I who multiplied visions, and through the prophets gave parables.” Hosea 12:10

Although they are different by definition, sometimes, allegories may overlap or intersect with typology. Nevertheless, types of Christ are what we are dealing with specifically here.

Just a few of the types of Christ we see in the Old Testament are Adam, who laid down his life for his wife, albeit through disobedience (Gen 3:6), but fulfilled in perfection by the second Adam, the Lord Jesus Christ (1 Cor 15:45; Eph 5:25). The paschal lamb was a type of Christ (Ex 12:2-13), whereas Jesus Messiah was the perfect fulfillment as the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29). The manna in the wilderness was a type of Christ (Ex 16:4-15), whereas Jesus is the Bread of Life (John 6:32-35).

There are those who are types of antichrist in the Bible. Remember, antichrist doesn’t mean “against Christ,” it means “in place of Christ.” Every idolator, unbeliever, reprobate, and evildoer from Scripture was a type of antichrist. Types of antichrist in the Bible are the “seed” or “offspring” of Satan (Gen 3:15). Cain was a type of antichrist (Gen 4). Esau was a type of antichrist (Gen 25-26, 36). Judah, the brother of Joseph, was a type of antichrist when he betrayed his brother and sold him into bondage (Gen 37:26-27). Pharaoh in Egypt was a type of antichrist (Ex 1:8). Judas Iscariot was certainly a type of antichrist (John 6:70-71).

When it comes to persons, however, being descendants of our father Adam, most historical figures who are types of Christ are also types of antichrist. Not only was Adam a type of Christ, but by his sin, he was a type of antichrist. David the king, who was a man after God’s own heart (1 Sam 13:14), was a type of Christ, yet by his sins he was also a type of antichrist.

Now, let me share with you another look at a type of Christ in the New Testament, as I was asked about this episode recently. It comes from the Gospel of John, the ninth chapter, when Jesus healed a man who had been blind from birth:

¹As He passed by, He saw a man blind from birth. ²And His disciples asked Him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” ³Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.”

The Lord Jesus says an interesting thing here. Surely, by Adam’s original sin in the garden, blindness was an ailment that entered into the world, being non-existent before the fall. And surely, Jesus was not saying that this man was not a sinner. The Scriptures are clear about this, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom 3:23). Ultimately, by His healing this man, the Lord Jesus Himself was pointing to this man as a type of Christ so “that the works of God might be displayed in him.” Jesus is the ultimate fulfillment of the works of God being displayed in the world. By Christ’s miraculous incarnation, by His righteous life lived, by His substitutionary atoning death upon the cross, by His ascension into heaven, and by His promise to return for His own, Jesus is unsurpassed and far exceeds anything attempting to come close as the greatest and most glorious display of God’s work in this world for all time.

Every healing in the Bible depicts a type of Christ’s gospel. Jesus healed the blind since we cannot see God because of our sin. Jesus healed the deaf because we cannot hear God due to our sin. Jesus healed the lame because we cannot walk a righteous life before God apart from God’s grace in Christ. Jesus cleansed lepers because, apart from God’s grace in Christ, we are unclean. Jesus raised the dead because, apart from God’s grace in Christ, we are dead in trespasses and sins.

I mentioned earlier that the types of antichrist in Scripture were those who were idolators, unbelievers, reprobates, and evildoers. That means before the Lord Jesus saved you and me by His amazing grace, we were types of antichrist. But now, we are types of Christ. Every type of Christ in the Scriptures until Christ came and suffered and died upon the cross, rose again, ascended, and sent the Holy Spirit were types of Christ as prophetic foreshadows. Since Christ came, however, you and I who believe are prophetic afterglows (Matt 5:14). The saints recorded in the Book of Acts are prophetic afterglows. The only difference between you and me and the New Testament saints of old is that our testimonies are not recorded in Scripture.

Having covered that, let’s now turn our attention to Daniel chapter two.

THE IDOLATROUS VISION OF DANIEL 2

Last time, in Part Three, because we had examined Jerusalem as a “heavy stone” (ESV), or “burdensome stone” (KJV) from Zechariah 12:3, we closed with a connection to Daniel 2:44-45, whereas a “stone that was cut from a mountain by no human hand” smashed the image of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream at the feet made of iron mixed with clay (Dan 2:34). Let’s look at the verses from Daniel’s interpretation again,

“And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever, just as you saw that a stone was cut from a mountain by no human hand, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold. A great God has made known to the king what shall be after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation sure.” Daniel 2:44-45

While Daniel 2 is written in Chaldean, the Chaldean word for “stone” is the same word in Hebrew, אֶבֶן (E-ven).

I suggest that this was at least partially fulfilled when the Lord Jesus Christ was crucified, since Jesus is the Stone that struck the feet of the idol. Now, this is where my dispensational brothers and sisters might take issue with what I’m writing here. They may suggest that this didn’t take place on the cross at Calvary but will, instead, take place at the Lord Jesus Christ’s second coming. Please bear with me a little as I attempt to explain.

The idol of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream in Daniel 2 had a head of gold, representing the Babylonian Empire; a silver chest and arms, representing the Medo-Persian Empire; a torso and hips of bronze, representing the Grecian Empire; two legs of iron, representing the Roman Empire; then ten toes that are comprised of iron and clay that did not mix because they cannot mix. The late Dr. MacArthur stated this in his study Bible with regard to the ten toes:

Daniel 2:41…

toes. Ten toes represent the same kings as the ten horns in Dan 7:24. They will rule in the final time of the Gentile empire, which Christ will destroy in violent abruptness at His second coming.[5]

Daniel 2:42-43…

clay and… iron. The iron in the ten toes (kings) represents the Roman Empire in its revived form, prior to the second coming of Christ, as having iron-like strength for conquest (cf. Rev 13:4-5). But the clay mixed in depicts that the union (federation) of kings and nations would have fatal flaws of human weakness, so that it is inherently vulnerable.[6]

Here is my question for the dispensationalists: Are the toes really kings? I concede that they could be, paralleling what we will see in the vision of Daniel 7; however, let me offer an alternative explanation.

The Chaldean word for “toe” is different from the Hebrew. It is the Chaldean word אֶצְבַּע (etz-BA), which can be translated into English either “finger” or “toe,” depending on the context.

The only other references for “toes” in the Bible come from the Old Testament, the Hebrew word בֹּהֶן (BŌ-hen), which is translated in English to either mean “thumb” or “great toe.” This word occurs only 16 times, half of the references are to “thumbs” or “great toes” (or big toe), found twice in Exodus 29:20; four times in Leviticus 8:23-24; eight times in Leviticus 14:14, 17, 25, 28; and twice in Judges 1:6-7.

Dr. MacArthur suggested that the “fatal flaws of human weakness” and its inherent vulnerability as being representative of the toes mixed with clay. From his Bible commentary, Dr. MacArthur equates the ten toes with the ten horns of the fourth beast, recorded in Daniel 7:8 (which we will examine in the next part of this series).

All of the kingdoms expressed in the idol were just that, idolatrous. The dream was given to an idolatrous king, Nebuchadnezzar, who saw himself has the greatest of kings. Thus, his vision was given to him by YHVH God, showing him the content of his heart, his kingdom being the head of gold. The kingdoms that followed, the Medo-Persian Empire, expressed in the image as a chest and arms of silver; the Grecian Empire, expressed in the image as a torso and thighs of bronze; and the Roman Empire, expressed in the image as legs of iron with “feet partly of iron and partly of clay” (Dan 2:33).

This is how frail men see human government, as valuable, precious metals. Certainly, unbelieving idolators would see human government as precious; however, many redeemed saints will also have this perspective, seeing mankind’s efforts in human government as most noble and especially valuable. Remember what the Lord Jesus tells us through the apostle concerning gold and silver:

knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. 1 Peter 1:18-19

Compared to the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Messiah, gold and silver is perishable. And concerning these precious metals, the Lord Jesus warns us through His half-brother, the pastor at Jerusalem,

Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days. James 5:3

Every kingdom exhibited in this dream were weak, from the golden Babylonian kingdom, all the way to the legs of iron with feet of clay. And the gospel of Christ, striking at the feet of the image (Dan 2:34), turns to chaff every single one of these world empires (Dan 2:35a); but the stone that struck the image grew into a mountain that “filled the whole earth” (Dan 2:35b).

Jesus is that Stone, that struck the image, as seen in Part Three of this series, and the truth of His gospel filled the whole earth. This is actually why we believe in the imminent return of Christ—that we should expect Him at any time—because the holy Scripture declares that the gospel must be preached in all the world, as Jesus Himself said,

“And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” Matthew 24:14

Technically, and scripturally speaking, this has already occurred on the Day of Pentecost. It is written,

Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.” Acts 2:5-11

The disciples were not locked away in the upper room on the Day of Pentecost. It was a holy convocation, a Sabbath (Lev 23:21), and as good Jews, Christ’s disciples would have been in the temple, probably at Solomon’s Portico, since Jesus taught there often. When Luke used the word “house,” to describe where they were, he was using the most common term for the temple, which was “house” of the LORD, בית יהוה (beyt Yehovah) in Hebrew. We know they were devout in this since the very next chapter tells us that Peter and John went to the temple for evening prayers at the time of the evening oblation, between three and four in the afternoon (Acts 3:1).

At this point, I need to deal with a possible objection from dispensationalists. Some may insist that they don’t doubt that Jesus is the Stone; however, those who protest may argue that Christ strikes at the feet because that is the “revised Roman Empire” yet future, made up of ten kings or kingdoms. They may also argue that the two legs of iron, representing the Roman Empire, expresses a future point in their kingdom after the time of Christ, because the empire split, east and west, when Constantine moved the capital from Rome to Constantinople, calling the city “New Rome” in 330 AD.

Well, this doesn’t fit with the Scripture in Daniel 2 for this reason:

“The head of this image was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its middle and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay.” Daniel 2:32-33

The Grecian Empire, the empire of bronze, is depicted with its torso and thighs as being made of bronze. Keeping consistent with our hermeneutic, the two legs of the “iron” Roman Empire as a divided kingdom would not fair consistently with the interpretation for the “bronze” Greek Empire because Greece did not split in two after Alexander died. It was divided among his four generals, as we will see in Daniel 7.

Since Jesus came, we are ambassadors for Christ (2 Cor 5:20), and our home is heaven, as it is written:

But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, Philippians 3:20

“Okay, Cardwell. Pretty compelling, but you still haven’t told us what the ‘ten toes’ of Daniel 2 mean?” Okay, this is the best I can figure from history; and it fits with the time of Son of God’s incarnation “when the fullness of time had come” (Gal 4:4); Jesus arriving in Israel during a time when the Roman Empire’s government reflected something akin to iron mixed with clay.

Rome, though a small kingdom, began to operate as a republic in 509 BC, utilizing a senate. The Medo-Persian Empire was in power at that time under Darius I, also known as “Darius the Great.” So, the Roman kingdom was not a dominating world power at the time. They must come later, illustrated by the iron legs of the idol in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. The Roman kingdom would not unseat the Grecian Empire as the dominating world power until the Battle of Corinth in 146 BC.

Now, as a functioning republic with a senate, a Tribune of Plebs was established in 493 BC with an elected body of two men to represent the Roman working class—farmers, tradesman, builders, bakers, etc. The Tribune of Plebs had power to veto acts approved by the senate. The Tribune increased its representatives to five in 470 BC, and then again, expanded to ten in 457 BC.

After the iron army of the Roman Empire crushed the remaining Greek resistance in Corinth and became, in 146 BC, the dominating world power, the Roman General, Lucius Cornelius Sulla Felix, aka Sulla, became dictator of Rome in 82 BC. In 81 BC, Sulla considered the Tribune of Plebs a threat to his power, so he initiated reforms to reduce the Tribune’s authority. The Tribune of Plebs and its ten representatives continued to erode for nearly six decades until 23 BC. The Roman kingdom collapsed in 27 BC when Gaius Octavius became the Roman Republic’s first emperor, taking on the title of “Augustus.”

The plebian tribunal of ten representatives for the common clay of the working class was in full function alongside the iron might of the Roman government during the time of Christ. This is a brief overview of that portion of history, and there is certainly much more that can be said. The Apostle Paul, as a Roman citizen and a tentmaker by trade, would have been a part of the plebian class.

By the truth of Scripture, corroborated by the plethora of historical records for the Roman Empire, we do not have to guess when the Lord Jesus was born, more than likely on the Feast of Tabernacles in 2 BC. Jesus began His earthly ministry when He “was about thirty years of age” (Luke 3:23), being baptized in the river Jordan in “the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar” (Luke 3:1). Tiberius became emperor on September 17, 14 AD. The fifteenth year was ongoing, so we add fourteen years to 14 AD, which would have put Jesus’ ministry beginning in the autumn of 28 AD. Subtract thirty years from the Lord’s earthly age, and that would make His birth 2 BC.

Why did the Holy Spirit say “about thirty years of age”? Didn’t He know? Of course He did. It was written so we could understand that the Messiah was not only perfect, sinless Man, but that He is also eternal God. Indeed, how could we put an exact age on the Infinite and Eternal One? It is written of Messiah,

But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for Me One who is to be Ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days. Micah 5:2

Although the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem, His coming forth is “from ancient days” because He is the Son of the Ancient of Days, as we will see in Daniel 7.

Moreover, since Jesus is our great High Priest, His earthly ministry would begin at thirty years of age, since the age for active duty in the priesthood was commanded by YHVH God in the Law of Moses, as it is written,

“from thirty years old up to fifty years old, all who can come on duty, to do the work in the tent of meeting. This is the service of the sons of Kohath in the tent of meeting: the most holy things.” Numbers 4:3-4

The commandment did not come from YHVH God for Jesus to haphazardly or accidentally fulfill it. This commandment was ordained because it would prophetically foreshadow the ultimate fulfillment by the Lord Jesus Messiah as the One and only High Priest according to the order of Melchizedek (Psa 110:4; Heb 7:11-8:13).

Since Dr. MacArthur’s Bible comment on Daniel 2:41-43 mentions that the “toes” of the image as corresponding to the ten kings of Daniel 7:24, let us now turn our attention to Daniel’s vision in chapter seven.

We will have to look at the monstrous vision of Daniel 7 in the next part of this series.

Read “Understanding Israel from Scripture, Part One” by clicking here.

Read “Understanding Israel from Scripture, Part Two” by clicking here.

Read “Understanding Israel from Scripture, Part Three” by clicking here.

[1] The Moody Handbook of Theology: Revised and Expanded, Paul Enns; Moody Publishers, Chicago, IL; © 1989, 2008, 2014; EMPHASIS in original.

[2] I have preached for over 25 years that even the heavens and the earth were created by the grace of God. The perfect harmony of the Triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, implies such. “Nothingness” received God’s unmerited favor when God created the heavens and the earth. Every being, angel, animal, and human, created by God added nothing to the perfect and harmonious communion of the Triune God; therefore, everything in creation, and everything after the six days of creation that received God’s blessing is by God’s grace alone.

[3] Moreover, this is one of the MANY reasons why the Roman Catholic cinematic expression, The Passion of the Christ, is perhaps the most terrible film attempting to depict the gospel—the Romans didn’t speak Latin in Judea. They spoke Greek. Latin became the official language during the 1st and 2nd centuries in the Roman Empire for the army, law, administration, and public life, but only in the west. Greek was still the common language in the east.

[4] This is the Greek root σημαίνω (sā-MA-ee-nō), translated in the KJV as “signified.”

[5] MacArthur Study Bible; John F. MacArthur, Jr.; Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, TN; © 2005. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the New King James Version of the Bible, © 1979, 1980, 1982, 1990, Thomas Nelson, Inc., Publishers.

[6] Ibid.

At this point, I think it is important for me to say that I love my dispensational brothers and sisters. I’ve testified to others that although I disagreed with the late Dr. John F. MacArthur, Jr. on his dispensational theology, I am in no way suggesting that he was not saved and was not sincere in his faith, convictions, and love for Christ. Dispensational theology is what he learned from his father, “Jack” MacArthur (1914-2005), founder of Calvary Bible Church in Burbank, California. Jack MacArthur also founded the “Voice of Calvary” radio and television ministries.

Dispensational theology, especially dispensational eschatology, had become widely popular with the publication of C. I. Scofield’s Scofield Reference Bible in 1909. With his annotated reference Bible’s popularity, Cyrus Ingerson Scofield (1843-1921) had become a sought-after speaker for Bible conferences around the U.S., further propelling the Scofield Reference Bible to the forefront of purchased Bibles in the early twentieth century to mid-twentieth century.

Dispensational eschatology has become even more popular in America in the last half of the twentieth century, perhaps owing much of its popularity to Dr. John F. MacArthur, Jr., especially since the rebirth of Israel as a nation on May 14, 1948. This event is earmarked by proponents of dispensationalism as one of the most prominent modern signs preceding futurist premillennialism.

So prevalent is its teaching in many churches across America that few adherents to dispensational theology even know that other legitimate orthodox Protestant eschatological views exist. Sadly, I’ve encountered some adherents to dispensationalism who have become quite militant about anyone suggesting alternatives; and even a few who have resorted to literal red-faced anger, heated arguments, and emotional outbursts, displaying a momentary lapse in Christlike behavior. This should not be. If the Scriptures read, interpreted, understood, and applied to our lives do not humble us to the dust with a fearful, loving gratitude, we need to pause and examine ourselves lest we be rebuked by the Lord (Luke 9:53-55).

Some of the arguments used by the average Christian dispensationalist are typically something they heard from their dispensational pastor, usually something that wasn’t researched as thoroughly as it could have been. Hey, I get it. I ministered as a pastor and missionary-pastor to five churches for 25 years. Whether bi-vocational or living from the provision of the ministry, private prayer, public prayer, carving out time to study, preparing sermons and messages, counselling during the week, personal devotions, family devotions, sick and shut-in visitations, evangelism, etc., pastors have a lot going on.

If I asked the typical Christian, “What is dispensationalism?” most would probably not know how to answer. I may be wrong about that (because I haven’t spoken to every single dispensational-believing saint). But I’ve asked it of a minister or two over the years and they couldn’t even give me a definition off the top of their head except to tell me that God isn’t finished with the nation of Israel.

DISPENSATIONALISM

So, what is dispensationalism? Simply said, my definition is that dispensationalism is a theological framework that divides history into distinct periods, or dispensations, whereas God interacts with humanity in different ways. Today’s dispensational theology understands two distinct destinies for Israel and the Church.

Today, there are different forms of dispensationalism, i.e., classic, revised, and progressive; and ‎within these there are also variations. This is why it is so difficult knowing where different ‎people are coming from when they make a statement. Then, there are also other factors that ‎influence their theology because they may be Arminian, Calvinistic, Charismatic, ‎Fundamentalist, Evangelical, and even Liberal. It is a mishmash of diverse views when it comes ‎to dispensational theology today.‎

And because many in America today have only heard of a dispensational end-times perspective, most are unaware that there are four views of how the end times would unfold that have been believed on in Christ’s church for the past two thousand years. This must be stated emphatically because I have encountered brothers, ministers of the gospel, both pastors and missionaries who have never heard of any end times view other than pre-tibulation, premillennial, dispensational eschatology.

FOUR HISTORICAL END TIMES VIEWS

Since the early 19th century, there have been four views considered as possibilities by Christ’s church. All of them have appealing attributes; however, none of them… I repeat NONE OF THEM, are free of scriptural difficulties. To me this makes sense, because Christ Jesus wants us to have our eyes upon Him, and not upon the signs of His coming. It continues to be what I have preached for years: “If you keep your eyes upon Jesus, you’ll see Him when He comes.” This scriptural truth, though written with regard to the gospel, is especially true when it comes to eschatology:

For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 1 Corinthians 1:22-24

Because of the corruption still remaining in our mortal flesh, sign-seekers will put great emphasis upon the signs, even to the diminishing of the testimony of Christ Jesus alone (Rev 19:10), according to Scripture alone (1 Cor 15:3-4). Because of the same corruptions remaining in mortal flesh, wisdom-seekers will put a great emphasis on being “right,” again, even to the diminishing of the glory of God alone through Christ Jesus alone (1 Cor 1:29-31).

I had written a number of articles in 2022 to explain these four historical end times views.

Dispensational Premillennialism is the most recent view adopted by Christ’s church, around the early 19th century, John Nelson Darby, being one of its primary proponents. You can see an overview of this eschatology and some its scriptural difficulties by going to the article on my website, Four Possible Scenarios, Part One: Dispensational Pre-millennialism.

Postmillennialism emerged in the mid-17th century, adopted in the Congregationalist’s statement of Faith, the Savoy Confession. John Owen was one of its chief advocates. You can see an overview of this eschatology and some its scriptural difficulties by going to the article on my website, Four Possible Scenarios, Part Two: Post-millennialism.

Amillennialism emerged around the late 4th to early 5th centuries. Augustine, Bishop of Hippo, was one of its leading promoters, especially with the publication of his work, The City of God. You can see an overview of this eschatology and some its scriptural difficulties by going to the ‎article on my website, Four Possible Scenarios, Part Three: Amillennialism.

Historical Premillennialism was the oldest view believed on in Christ’s church, emerging in the late 1st to early 2nd centuries. Adherents to this view were also known as chiliasts[1] or post-tribulational rapturists.‎ Unlike the dispensational premillennialists, adherents to this view did not see two distinct and separate destines for Israel and Christ’s church. You can see an overview of this eschatology and some of its scriptural difficulties by going to the ‎article on my website, Four Possible Scenarios, Part Four: Historic Pre-millennialism.

Preterism

The term preterism comes from a Latin word, praeter, which simply means “past” or “beyond.” In eschatology, the study of last things, it typically refers to events and prophetic Scripture being fulfilled.

Another view that emerged in the 16th century was a Counter-Reformation tactic produced by the Roman Catholic Church. We refer to it as the Full Preterist view. It suggests that everything was fulfilled in the first century, and the doctrine—a false one—simply opposes Scripture. You can see an overview of this eschatology and some its scriptural flaws by going to the ‎article on my website, Heretical, Full-Preterist View.

One other element of eschatology that I had not had the chance to write about is for the term Partial Preterist. For three of the eschatological views above, postmillennial, amillennial, and historical premillennial, many adherents to these views also take a partial-preterist view. In other words, they believe that many of the events foretold in the Olivet Discourse (Matt 24), have been fulfilled in the destruction of the temple in 70 AD and the destruction of Jerusalem in 135 AD.

One element of partial preterism that I believe has not been emphasized enough during arguments or debates is the topic of Christ fulfilling much of Scripture partially for the sake of His kingdom on earth now. The Puritans, both of Great Britain and the colonies of the “New World” (later to be called the Americas), had a term for this fulfillment in Christ’s kingdom. They called it “Already, not yet.” Christ Jesus, from His throne in heaven, rules and reigns in the hearts of His redeemed saints, His church; however, the fulness of His kingdom has not yet arrived.

The partial preterist view really deserves its own article, as there are many Scriptures that support Christ’s rule and reign now (1 Cor 6:19-20, e.g.), and when He returns, Jesus will continue to rule and reign forever. Jesus’ reign is, was, and evermore shall be a forever reign (Prov 8:23; Isa 57:15; Dan 7:9, 13-14; Mic 5:2; John 1:1-2; 17:5; et al), but was only made manifest in these last 2,000 years for you and me (Heb 1:2).

A CHRISTO-CENTRIC, PARTIAL PRETERIST VIEW OF SCRIPTURE

Sometimes when attempting to justify their futurist view of Scripture, especially as it pertains to Israel or Jerusalem, two passages of Scripture the dispensationalist may appeal to are from Daniel and Zechariah. In this part of the series we will look at Zechariah, leaving Daniel for next time. What I will attempt to do is present the Scripture verses, generally explain the argument, and then reveal a Christ-centered, partial preterist view of the passage. Christ willing, and the Holy Spirit helping me, I hope to make it as clear and Christ-exalting as possible. This will not be an exhaustive commentary on the verses. A comprehensive study of the verses will be much more extensive than this article has time for.

ZECHARIAH

Here are the primary verses that dispensationalists appeal to from Zechariah:

“Behold, I am about to make Jerusalem a cup of staggering to all the surrounding peoples. The siege of Jerusalem will also be against Judah. On that day I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples. All who lift it will surely hurt themselves. And all the nations of the earth will gather against it.” Zechariah 12:2-3

Of this second verse in chapter twelve, Dr. MacArthur’s Study Bible states:

“cup of drunkenness. Jerusalem is pictured as a large basin from which the nations will figuratively drink with eagerness, only to find themselves becoming intoxicated, disoriented, and thus easy prey for divine judgment at the end of Daniel’s seventieth week in the battle of Armageddon when nations gather to attack Jerusalem (cf. Ezk 38:1-6, Ezk 38:14-16; Dan 11:40-44; Rev 9:13-16; Rev 14:20; Rev 16:12-16).”[2]

The “cup of drunkenness” (NKJV) from the MacArthur Study Bible, or “cup of staggering” (ESV), or “cup of trembling” (KJV) is mentioned as being “figuratively” expressed. I don’t have any trouble with that. If you’ve read Part Two of this series, many dispensationalists pride themselves upon interpreting Scripture from a literal, grammatical, and historical hermeneutic. Some might jump on this a create a logical fallacy to strengthen their opposing position. Please don’t do that. There’s no way to take the “cup of drunkenness” literally.

Before we engage in the argument here, let us look at Dr. MacArthur’s dispensational commentary for the next verse:

“will surely be cut in pieces. Like lifting a heavy weight, Jerusalem will ‘seriously injure’ (lit.) any people who try to gain victory over it. This is due to divine intervention (cf. Zec 12:4-5).”[3]

I’ll address these two phrases in a moment, “cup of staggering” and “ will surely hurt themselves,” in a moment; but first, let’s look at the term, “On that day.”

On that Day

“On that day...” is one of the key phrases for the entire prophetic book of Zechariah. From his commentary for the second verse, Dr. MacArthur takes a futurist view of the verse, speaking of a time at the end of the last days, during “the battle of Armageddon when nations gather to attack Jerusalem.” Is that the fulfillment of this verse, for an event yet future? Now, I concede that it could be tied to something at the end of the last days; however, I would contend that it has at least a partial fulfillment in the Lord Jesus Christ. To miss this is to miss the gospel.

The term, translated in English as “On that day” (ESV, NASB), or “In that day” (KJV, NKJV), tells us that it is about the Lord Jesus Christ and His gospel. The context of “On that day” began in Chapter 2, but you can also see it here in Chapter 12 if we read a few verses further:

“And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.” Zechariah 12:10

While this verse does not have “on that day” in Zechariah 12:10 itself,[4] this is how Yehovah God will bring about this “basin” of staggering—through Christ’s gospel. We have the context of the gospel’s judgment,

And on that day I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. Zechariah 12:9

Before He went to the cross, the Lord Jesus Himself said that it was by the truth of His substitutionary atonement that the world would be judged, and then the beloved apostle also attached his inspired commentary to the Lord’s words,

“Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to Myself.” He said this to show by what kind of death He was going to die. John 12:31-33

One mistake we frail humans saved by God’s amazing grace often make is to fail to remember the unchangeable nature of God (Heb 13:8). There is a dichotomy in His holy Word that often expresses two truths simultaneously. God doesn’t turn off His mercy, love, and grace to demonstrate His wrath, justice, and judgment. Our God is a consuming fire (Heb 12:29). The same light that illuminates Scripture to you and me and warms our hearts to His love will be the same light that blinds the unbeliever to truth and burns the reprobate’s soul with painful torments.

Both God’s judgment and salvation are predicated upon the same truth, Christ and Him crucified (Zech 12:10; 1 Cor 2:2).

You see, Zechariah 12:9 may surely be about a day yet future at the Lord’s return, but it most certainly speaks of the Lord Jesus’ first coming (which was yet future in Zechariah’s day). Keep in mind, that John quoted Zechariah 12:10 as being at least partially fulfilled at the Lord Jesus’ first coming:

But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water. He who saw it has borne witness—his testimony is true, and he knows that he is telling the truth—that you also may believe. For these things took place that the Scripture might be fulfilled: “Not one of His bones will be broken.” And again another Scripture says, “They will look on Him whom they have pierced.” John 19:34-37

On that day, the Hebrew בֵיּוֹם־הַהוּא (vey-YŌM_ha-HOO), occurs 7 times in Chapter 12. We read it six times before v10, and one time afterward (12:3, 4, 6, 8 {2x}, 9, 13). Moreover, there are 21 total references to the term “on that day” in the whole book of Zechariah. A word of caution: I would not give much attention to the numerology of this occurrence because the surrounding verses that provide context are just as much a part of “on that day” as the verses that contain the phrase.

Before the twelfth chapter it appears in Zechariah 2:11; 3:9; 3:10; 9:16. You will notice that each of these four references relate to the gracious salvation of God to come. Besides the seven references in Zechariah 12 already mentioned, here are three more from Chapters 13, which speak of judgment: Zechariah 13:1, 2, 4. Then, in Chapter 14, there are 7 references to “on that day…” found in Zechariah 14:4, 6, 8, 9, 13, 20, 21.

We’ll just look at the first occurrence in chapter two, which contains the prophet’s commentary in the last verse:

“And many nations shall join themselves to the LORD in that day, and shall be My people. And I will dwell in your midst, and you shall know that the LORD of hosts has sent Me to you. And the LORD will inherit Judah as His portion in the holy land, and will again choose Jerusalem.” Be silent, all flesh, before the LORD, for He has roused Himself from His holy dwelling. Zechariah 2:11-13

This certainly speaks of salvation through Christ, consistent with Jeremiah’s prophecy of the New Covenant through faith in the Lord Jesus (cf. Heb 10:1-39).

“Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the LORD. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put My law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be My people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they shall all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” Thus says the LORD, who gives the sun for light by day and the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar—the LORD of hosts is His name: “If this fixed order departs from before Me, declares the LORD, then shall the offspring of Israel cease from being a nation before Me forever.” Thus says the LORD: “If the heavens above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth below can be explored, then I will cast off all the offspring of Israel for all that they have done, declares the LORD.” Jeremiah 31:31-37

The latter portion of this New Covenant (Jer 31:35-37) speaks of the eternal goodness and unchangeableness of God’s grace through that covenant to come, as it was given by Christ’s broken body and His shed blood (Zech 12:10), being for you and me the pierced bread and the blood of the cup which is remembered by believers each time we partake of communion, instituted by the Lord Jesus as symbols of the New Covenant prior to His death (1 Cor 11:23-31).

The Cup of Staggering

This New Covenant in Jeremiah 31:31-37 is Christ’s gospel. A violation of the gospel of Christ is explained by the Holy Spirit as being something that should cause us to tremble, to stagger, to reel as if we were drunk because of the divine judgment associated with Christ’s dishonor and disobedience to His gospel:

Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which He was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge His people.” It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. Hebrews 10:28-31

The same singular, once-and-for-all Sacrifice of Christ that brings salvation (Heb 10:1-25), brings God’s just judgment to unbelievers:

For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. Hebrews 10:26-27

Yet this judgment must exist, because it is from that understanding which provokes us to keep leaning upon the Holy Spirit for wisdom to look upon Christ and exalt Him, to find strength in Christ to honor Him, and lavish love upon Christ to thank Him for His amazing grace, mercy, and love.

We see the same warning at the Lord’s Table when we partake of communion. The cup of joy and blessing becomes a cup of trembling, staggering, and drunkenness when we partake unworthily. It is written,

Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. 1 Corinthians 11:28-31

Interestingly, one of the sins the Corinthians were guilty of was literal drunkenness at the communion table:

When you come together, it is not the Lord’s Supper that you eat. For in eating, each one goes ahead with his own meal. One goes hungry, another gets drunk. 1 Corinthians 11:20-21

In Zechariah 12:2, the “cup of staggering” is סַף־רַעַל (saf_RA-al), is literally a “basin of reeling.” Yes, indeed, it does speak of YHVH God’s judgment for the wickedness in Jerusalem. Elsewhere another prophet writes,

Wake yourself, wake yourself, stand up, O Jerusalem, you who have drunk from the hand of the LORD the cup of His wrath, who have drunk to the dregs the bowl, the cup of staggering. Isaiah 51:17

Isaiah writes of two cups, “the cup of His wrath” and the cup of staggering” in this verse. The first is כוס חמתו (khōs cha-ma-TŌ), which is literally “the cup of His fury” or “the cup of His wrath.” The second cup mentioned, כוס התרעלה (khōs hat-tar-ā-LAH), which is literally “the cup of astonishment.”

Two things are gloriously worth mentioning here. First, with our Christ-centered hermeneutic and partial preterist perspective, for the sins the inhabitants of Jerusalem have committed against YHVH God, deserving God’s wrath, Jesus drank down the cup of God’s fury when He hung upon Calvary’s tree. He drank down the wrath He didn’t deserve, suffering the torments of hell for the sins He did not commit, and Jesus drank down that wrath at full-potency, to the dregs, as it is written,

For in the hand of the LORD there is a cup with foaming wine, well mixed, and He pours out from it, and all the wicked of the earth shall drain it down to the dregs. Psalm 75:8

Jesus indeed paid this debt He did not owe, for a debt we owe and cannot possibly pay. Nevertheless, before He went to the cross, though He knew this was His lot from the beginning of His ministry (John 2:19-21), it must be done rightly and in all holy order. In the garden, the night He was arrested, the Lord Jesus prayed three times,

“My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.” Matthew 26:39

Jesus Messiah is the Lord of light and the Lord of life. If He had not prayed this prayer, it would have been a sin because if would have been tantamount to exactly what Adam did in the Garden of Eden when he disobeyed God—rushing headlong into death without first seeking the Father’s will and good pleasure.

The second cup is the “cup of astonishment.” Because Jesus drank down the cup of God’s wrath, we who believe on His righteous life, His holy death, His powerful resurrection, His glorious ascension, and His consummation of all things at His return, until He does come, are able to fill the cup at the Lord’s Table with the blood of the grape, symbolic of the blood Jesus shed for the forgiveness of sins. This is the staggering truth that we own and cherish each week we partake, the astonishing glory of fellowship with and nourishment from the Lord Jesus Christ because of His amazing grace to save us. Hallelujah! What a Savior!

Second, in this we have the Lord Jesus as the ultimate fulfillment of Jerusalem’s deliverance, therefore, as mentioned in Part Two of this series, as Jesus is the ultimate fulfillment of Israel, He is also the ultimate fulfillment of Jerusalem.

Will Surely Hurt Themselves

Now, let’s look again at Zechariah 12:3…

On that day I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples. All who lift it will surely hurt themselves. And all the nations of the earth will gather against it.

YHVH God “will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples.” Since Jesus is the ultimate fulfillment of Jerusalem, as mentioned above, this makes sense to be about Jesus Messiah since He is often mentioned as the “Rock” in Scripture (Psa 31:3; 40:2; 42:9; 71:3; 78:16; Matt 16:18; 1 Cor 10:4; et al). But the word used in Zechariah 12:3 is the word “stone,” the Hebrew word אֶבֶן (E-ven), not the word “rock,” as in the Psalms just cited, which is the Hebrew word סֶלַע (SE-lah). Many of us are familiar with the Hebrew word, even, as we sing that hymn, “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing” and its famous line, “Here I raise my ebenezer…” Ebenezer means “stone of help.”

Jesus is that heavy Stone. In the Lord’s final days before He went to the cross, Jesus told the religious leaders who challenged His authority a parable, and then…

…He looked directly at them and said, “What then is this that is written: “‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone’? Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.” Luke 20:17-18

Our Lord Jesus was quoting Psalm 118:22, which uses the same Hebrew word, even. Notice the language that Jesus uses. Does it not resound a familiar tone from what is prophesied by Zechariah? Again, Jesus Messiah is that Stone, the One who has become the Cornerstone for the good news of salvation. Jesus is also that Stone that was cut from a mountain with no human hand, just as Daniel interpreted Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, as it is written:

“And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever, just as you saw that a stone was cut from a mountain by no human hand, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold. A great God has made known to the king what shall be after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation sure.” Daniel 2:44-45

While Daniel 2 is written in Chaldean, the Chaldean word for “stone” is the same word in Hebrew, even.

This third part of the series has already gone quite long so we will pick it up in another article as we briefly consider the historical and apocalyptic book of Daniel.

Read “Understanding Israel from Scripture, Part One” by clicking here.

Read “Understanding Israel from Scripture, Part Two” by clicking here.

Read “Understanding Israel from Scripture, Part Four” by clicking here.

[1] The Chiliast’s name comes from the Greek word, χίλιοι (KHIL-ee-oi), which means “thousand.”

[2] MacArthur Study Bible; John F. MacArthur, Jr.; Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville; © 2005. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the New King James Version of the Bible, © 1979, 1980, 1982, 1990, Thomas Nelson, Inc., Publishers.

[3] Ibid.

[4] This is seen in the same way Zech 12:2 does not have the term; yet it is understood as being “on that day” from Zech 12:3.

Lord willing, and God helping me, I will attempt to offer an explanation why a Christ-centered interpretation of Scripture is essential in understanding Israel’s role in prophecy, and a future end times scenario.

What troubles me is how dogmatic we as Christians have become over something that has not happened yet. How easily we have forgotten that the disciples, who walked with Jesus on the shores of Galilee as well as during the heated opposition found in Jerusalem, were just as confused about His first coming as we are about His second coming.

Satan has even hurled spiritual darts at us upon our initial confessions of faith, making us believe that Jesus was crucified on Friday. This couldn’t be, according to Scripture. I’ve taught, preached, and written about this extensively over the past twenty-five plus years, so I won’t exhaust the point here. Nevertheless, since most dispensationalists insist on a literal interpretation of Scripture, few dispensationalists take the Lord Jesus’ words literally, when He refuted the religious leaders who sought a sign of His messiahship (Matt 12:38). Jesus said:

“An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” Matthew 12:39-40

Jesus, the second Person of the Trinity, literally created the heavens and earth, defining the 24-hour night and day as having twelve hours during the daylight (John 11:9). Was He mistaken or being allegorical when He said that He would be buried for three days and three nights? I hardly think either was the case. Wednesday, the middle of the week literally fulfills Palm Sunday and the examination of the paschal lambs requiring four days kept in the home before they were slaughtered (Ex 12:3-6). A Friday crucifixion makes that literally seven days since Palm Sunday. Was that allegorical? If the chief priests and Pharisees asked Pilate for a guard for Christ’s tomb after Jesus was crucified (Matt 27:62-66), a Friday crucifixion would literally cause them to ask for this guard on Saturday, the Sabbath. How could they violate the Law of Moses in this way when John tells us in his gospel account that they would not enter the governor’s headquarters, “so that they would not be defiled, but could eat the Passover” (John 18:28)? Would these legalistic Jews, so meticulous in keeping the Law for the Passover, being those who opposed Jesus at every turn for healing on the Shabbat, would they now be so lax in their hatred of Jesus that they would defile themselves by breaking the Sabbath commandment? I hardly think so. Jesus’ own commentary of their religious observance was that they were meticulous to the smallest seed and grain of spice (Matt 23:23). Moreover, since the women who went to the tomb arrived while it was still dark on Sunday, the first day of the week (John 20:1), when did they have an opportunity to buy the spices to anoint the Lord Jesus (Mark 16:1-2) since no store would be open until after sunup on Sunday? They didn’t buy them beforehand because everyone of Christ’s disciples were shocked and dismayed by His crucifixion. I won’t go into this at length because I have written about it in The Simple Gospel, the eBook being available free on various platforms including Amazon.com (you can get it here).[1]

To be fair, many Reformed covenant theologians, who are amillennial or historical premillennial, still hold to a Friday crucifixion as well.

Does this mean that those who believe in a Friday crucifixion are not saved? God forbid. Why then are we so grounded by this kind of tradition that opposes Scripture? Two reasons: First, Satan, the accuser of the brethren (Rev 12:10), attempts to foil us with a twisted view of Scripture from the very beginning. After all, that’s what he did to Adam and Eve in the garden (Gen 3:1-5). He desires to set us at odds with one another because he defies God’s authority, especially as it pertains to His holy Word. Second, our good and sovereign God allows it so that we may trust in Him alone for our guidance into all truth (John 16:13).

Now, I’ve just cited John 16:13 above. Let’s look at that for a moment. Jesus said,

Howbeit when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth: for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak: and He will shew you things to come. John 16:13, KJV

Having been a pastor of a church in the Bible-belt, Sovereign Grace Baptist Church in Anniston, Alabama (2009-2018), I encountered a lot of church folks who applied this verse to a literal extreme. Several pastors and Sunday school teachers (mostly among Baptists) would not teach on or even talk about the Holy Spirit because of the underlined and highlighted text above. This is absurd. Was Jesus violating what He said in the verse by teaching the disciples some of the most direct and detailed information about the third Person of the Trinity? Of course not.

My point is this: Some Scripture must be taken literally. Some Scripture must be taken allegorically, figuratively, and/or spiritually. And some Scripture may contain elements of both literal and allegorical. Our heads may swim in dizzying circles with that thought since we know that there is a lot of information in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments. How is one to know that he or she is guided by the Holy Spirit into all truth? That’s a fair question, but the Lord Jesus also tells us of another work of the Holy Spirit. Again, speaking of the Holy Spirit, the Lord Jesus also said,

“He will glorify Me, for He will take what is mine and declare it to you.” John 16:14

There it is. If Jesus isn’t glorified by our interpretation of Scripture, either our biblical hermeneutic is off, or something in the corruptions remaining in our mortal flesh is perverting our perspective for exalting self and not Christ. That statement is in direct opposition to what the late Dr. John MacArthur preached at the Shepherd’s Conference in 2007[2] and continued to believe when I attended the Shepherd’s Conference in 2023.[3]

To explore this topic, I’m using several quotes from the late John F. MacArthur, Jr. This is not meant to be a dig against the late Dr. M., but he had been for years one of the leading voices in promoting dispensational theology in general and pre-tribulation premillennial eschatology in particular.

Therefore, I’m not picking on the late Dr. M. In fact, I’m grateful that his ministry at Grace to You has been so open with their material, as it is easily accessible and may be readily referenced.

PRINCIPLES OF DR. MACARTHUR’S HEREMENEUTICS

One of John MacArthur’s most frequently repeated hermeneutical principles was that Scripture should be interpreted according to its normal grammatical and historical meaning unless the text itself indicates otherwise. I pray that I am not oversimplifying Dr. MacArthur’s teaching but since he had ministered for nearly 6 decades, wading through all the doctor’s work is far too voluminous than my physical ailments can endure. Nevertheless, Dr. MacArthur’s hermeneutical principles can be exemplified by these five particular.

First, “to be able to interpret [Scripture] accurately”[4] Dr. MacArthur presents literal, historical, grammatical, synthesis, and practical principles in his hermeneutic.[5] Concerning the Literal principle, he writes:

“In simple terms, this means you take the words of Scripture in their literal, normal, natural sense.” —Grace to You[6]

This may be one of the clearest and most concise statements behind Dr. MacArthur’s hermeneutic.

Concerning the next two principles of interpretation, the words of the announcer for the Grace to You radio broadcast summarize Dr. MacArthur’s perspective of the historical and grammatical principles in his hermeneutic:

“ At the heart of our hermeneutics is this basic assumption—when God revealed truth, He intended to communicate to us. He used the normal conventions of human language common to the people and time when His revelation came.

“That’s why we employ the grammatical-historical method of interpretation (the rules of grammar and the facts of history) to discern the meaning of Scripture.” —Grace to You[7]

Concerning the fourth principle, synthesis, Dr. MacArthur writes:

“If the Bible is God’s Word, it must be consistent with itself. No part of Scripture can contradict any other part. It was all inspired by one Author—the Holy Spirit—and consequently, it reflects a marvelous, supernatural unity.” —Grace to You[8]

In another Grace to You broadcast, aired from a Sunday evening sermon, concerning this synthesis principle Dr. MacArthur taught:

“I often tell ministers the meaning of the Scripture is the Scripture.” —Grace to You[9]

Concerning the fifth principle, the practical method, Dr. MacArthur writes:

“Once you’ve considered the literal meaning of a passage, its historical and grammatical context, and how it harmonizes with the rest of Scripture, you need to draw out the practical implications for your life. That’s what productive Bible study looks like—digging down to the original meaning of a text and applying it to your life.” —Grace to You[10]

Here, I don’t disagree with any of these principles above, per se. Nevertheless, if they stand alone “as is,” it may, in my humble opinion, lead the interpreter of Scripture to draw conclusions like this one, a hermeneutic that leads to these kinds of statements with regard to eschatology:

“What I’ve been saying is pretty simple: if you get Israel right, you’re going to get eschatology right; if you don’t get Israel right, you will never get eschatology right.” —Grace to You[11]

These principles, if not centered in glorifying Christ from the text, may cause the congregants to this method of interpretation to readily agree that this is uncompromised truth.

Again, Dr. MacArthur said this:

“The key to eschatology then is Judeo centrism—if you want to coin a phrase. The key to eschatology is Judeo centrism, which alone provides the cohesive base to integrate the various features of biblical prophecy.” —Grace to You[12]

This becomes a difficulty for me, because of what I’ve already mentioned in the Preface, and what we will look at in the section after this next one.

In the lecture Dr. MacArthur delivered at the Shepherd’s Conference in 2007, 17 minutes, 29 seconds into the message he stated,

“Israel always means Israel, never means anything but Israel.”[13]

When he says this, he is talking about ethnic descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He clarifies it by this statement:

“As it does, the perpetuity of the elect church to salvation glory, so the Scripture in similar language and by promises from the same God affirms the perpetuity of ethnic Israel to a future salvation of a generation of Jews that will fulfill all divine promises given to them by God.”[14]

So that you have context for the former statement, I will give you a fuller quote from the lecture.

“If you get eschatology right it’s because you get Israel right. You get Israel right when you get the Old Testament covenants and promises right. You get the Old Testament covenants and promises right when you get the interpretation of Scripture right. You get interpretation of Scripture right when you’re faithful to a legitimate hermeneutic… and God’s integrity is upheld. Get your hermeneutics right, you’ll get the Old Testament promises right. Get promises right, you’ll get Israel right. Get Israel right, you’ll get eschatology right. The Bible calls God the God of Israel over 200 times. The God of Israel. There are over 2,000 references to Israel in Scripture, not one of them means anything but Israel. Not one of them, including Romans 9:6 and Galatians 6:16 which is the only two passages that amillennialists go to trying to convince us that that cancels out the other 2,000. There is no difficulty in interpreting those as simply meaning Jews who were believers; the Israel of God. Israel always means Israel, never means anything but Israel. Seventy-three New Testament uses of Israel always mean Israel.” [15]

First, I have a difficulty with the statement, “Israel always means Israel, never means anything but Israel.” Let’s consider this for a moment. The first time “Israel” is used in the Scripture does not speak of the nation of Israel. This I mentioned in Part One of this series of articles. It was the name given to Jacob by a pre-incarnate appearance of Christ, a Christophany:

And He said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed. Genesis 32:28, KJV

There are other verses we can say are certainly more scriptural exceptions to “Israel” meaning the ethnic nation of Israel. Here are a few more.

When Israel was a child, I loved Him, and out of Egypt I called My son. Hosea 11:1

Matthew’s gospel account tells us that this verse was about the Lord Jesus Messiah, when He was a child, as it is written,

And he rose and took the child and His mother by night and departed to Egypt and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt I called My son.” Matthew 2:14-15

While certainly the children of Israel’s deliverance from the bondage in Egypt is spoken of in Hosea 11:1. Yet the people of God under Moses’s leadership was only a shadow of things to come, a prophetic picture of the Messiah to come. The young Lord Jesus must be removed from the Land of Promise to dwell in a land of sinful, idolatrous men only to come forth in the fullness of the time to grow up in Nazareth to fulfill more Scripture (Isa 11:1; Matt 2:23); and then fulfill more Scripture by beginning His ministry in Galilee (Isa 9:1-2; Matt 4:12-17).

Yet another Old Testament portion that speaks of Messiah Y’shua is this one:

Yet now hear, O Jacob My servant; and Israel, whom I have chosen: Thus saith the LORD that made thee, and formed thee from the womb, which will help thee; Fear not, O Jacob, My servant; and thou, Jesurun, whom I have chosen. For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour My Spirit upon thy seed, and My blessing upon thine offspring: Isaiah 44:1-3, KJV

Notice that YHVH God promises to pour out His Spirit upon “thy seed,” which is also translated “your offspring” (ESV).[16] In Hebrew Isaiah 44:3 is translated literally “thy seed,” a singular possessive, זרעך (zar-E-kha); and what is said by YHVH God here very much resembles what He said to Abraham centuries earlier, using the same term: זרעך (zar-E-kha), as it is written,

And I will establish My covenant between Me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. Genesis 17:7, KJV

Now, Paul explains that the covenant promises to Abraham were fulfilled in, by, and through the Messiah, and I suspect that he would have made the same arguments concerning Isaiah 44 above. But why would he need to? He made a more powerful argument by going to the source: Abraham. It is written:

Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. Galatians 3:16, KJV

Not to “seeds” plural or “offsprings” (ESV), but singular because Jesus is the ultimate fulfillment of Israel (as already mentioned in Part One).

The late Dr. MacArthur, as he did throughout his lifetime of ministry, preached passionately for a shade under 80 minutes on March 7, 2007 to open the first general session of the Shepherd’s Conference that year.[17] Interestingly, he walked through the Abrahamic Covenant in Genesis during the lecture but mentioned nothing of what the Holy Spirit reveals to us through Paul.[18]

Sadly, however, his lecture contained various logical fallacies—generalizations, ad hominem, straw men, slippery slopes, cherry picking, etc.—to bolster his heartfelt and enthusiastic position.

To be honest, and to be fair, I haven’t performed an exhaustive deep dive into the late doctor’s preaching on his hermeneutics, his eschatology, or his dogmatic stance concerning ethnic Israel as a nation. But frankly, I wouldn’t have the desire to read or listen to more than I had because it was heartbreaking. I don’t doubt His salvation. That’s the beauty and glory of God’s amazing grace in Christ. Nevertheless, according to Dr. MacArthur, not only from his 2007 message, but also the one I heard as I personally attended the 2023 Sheperd’s Conference.[19] Sixteen years had not changed his position whatsoever.

According to Dr. MacArthur, though he follows the hermeneutical method mentioned above, he implies that even our salvation is predicated upon God’s fulfillment of His promises to Israel as a nation. He gives himself away concerning his hermeneutical emphasis with statements like…

“Seventy percent of Scripture is the story of Israel, and I think that the whole point of the ‎story is to get to the ending, and it doesn’t go up in smoke.”[20]

With statements like this one, the emphasis of Dr. MacArthur’s hermeneutic was the ethnic descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. But his reasoning, albeit noble, he was an apologist for the sovereign election of ethnic Israel by God. He sincerely believed that if Israel, mentioned in the Scriptures over 2,000 times, is the basis for his eschatological hermeneutic; however, everything he presented in March 2007 shows that Israel, exemplified by the statement above, also drives his entire hermeneutic. That is troubling.

I know I have written it in Part One of this series, but I need to place it here as well. In answer to a question concerning Israel, I wrote:

While Dr. MacArthur proclaimed emphatically that salvation was by grace alone, through faith alone in Christ alone, according to Scripture alone, for God’s glory alone, the faithfulness of God to elect Israel was never connected with Christ’s fulfillment. They still run parallel in MacArthur’s hermeneutic. In an effort to be literal, consistent, and reasonable by his interpretation of Scripture, Dr. MacArthur becomes unreasonable by insisting that Israel and Christ’s church have two destinies.

One of the interesting illustrations of the people of God under the New Covenant is the olive tree. In it, we do not see two olive trees, but one. A natural olive tree with unnatural branches grafted into it:

¹¹So I ask, did they stumble in order that they might fall? By no means! Rather, through their trespass salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous. ¹²Now if their trespass means riches for the world, and if their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion mean! ¹³Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry ¹⁴in order somehow to make my fellow Jews jealous, and thus save some of them. ¹⁵For if their rejection means the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead? ¹⁶If the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, so is the whole lump, and if the root is holy, so are the branches. ¹⁷But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree, ¹⁸do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you. ¹⁹Then you will say, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” ²⁰That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith. So do not become proud, but fear. ²¹For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will He spare you. ²²Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God’s kindness to you, provided you continue in His kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off. ²³And even they, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again. ²⁴For if you were cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, the natural branches, be grafted back into their own olive tree. Romans 11:11-24

Christ is not the essential center nor exalted emphasis in Dr. MacArthur’s interpretation of Scripture. He does not see it in Scripture because he cannot see it; and therefore, he’ll miss things in Scripture that his Bible book commentaries will never address.

Much of what he teaches are things I would agree with whole-heartedly. Even some of these quotes have elements in them that I could say yea and amen to; however, his meaning, in several instances, is different because, for the late doctor, it was more about interpreting Scripture literally, grammatically, and historically, so that when it came to certain passages that required Scripture compared with Scripture, the passage would either be ignored or grossly misinterpreted if there was something nuanced in it concerning Christ. This, I will attempt to justify in the next section.

“What about the over 2,000 references to Israel Dr. MacArthur mentioned in the quote you provided?” someone may ask. We will cover that in the next section as we examine the importance of a Christ-centered hermeneutic.

PREEMINENCE OF CHRIST IN A SOUND, BIBLICAL HERMENEUTIC

Early in his lecture at the opening session of the 2007 Shepherd’s Conference, Dr. MacArthur stated:

“Does the end matter? Does it matter to God? Should it matter to us? I think it matters to God. I think it’s the whole point of history. I know it’s the whole point of history…. Some say, ‘Nearly one-fourth of Scripture relates to the prophecies of the end.’”[21]

Not only was Dr. MacArthur’s hermeneutic based upon literal, historical, and grammatical interpretive methods of understanding Scripture, not only was God’s election upon ethnic Israel emphasized, but his hermeneutic was also driven by end times prophecy. In other words, his eschatology drove his theology, and not the other way around.

Jesus is the reason for everything. He is God-incarnate, the second Person of the Triune God, who breathed out the Scripture. Jesus Himself said about Himself that He is the center of Scripture:

“You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about Me,” John 5:39

Jesus wasn’t saying something fresh and new. Though He didn’t quote it literally, He said nothing different from what the Holy Spirit inspired the psalmist to write about the Messiah:

Then I said, “Behold, I have come; in the scroll of the book it is written of Me: I delight to do Your will, O My God; Your law is within My heart.” Psalm 40:7-8

The writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews testifies to the fact that this portion was specifically about the Lord Jesus Christ (Heb 10:7-10). This writer to the Hebrew believers in Messiah implied at the very beginning of his epistle that the Scriptures were about the Son of God:

Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed the heir of all things, through whom also He created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature, and He upholds the universe by the word of His power. After making purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, Hebrews 1:1-3

With regard to prophecy, again, it must glorify the Lord Jesus Christ in some way, shape, or form (John 16:14), as it is written,

For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. Revelation 19:10

Dr. MacArthur made a common mistake that we frail preachers are prone to make. He believed that by emphasizing the faithfulness of God concerning His promises to Israel, it would bolster the hearing congregant’s faith and prick the unbeliever’s heart that has been prepared by the Holy Spirit so they may be won to Christ. His hermeneutic, therefore, effected his homiletic, and basically resulted in denigrating Christ. God’s faithfulness is most exalted by the truth of His faithfulness to bring about the fulfillment of all prophecy through His one and only Son.

I said that it was a common mistake. I’ve heard several ministers make a similar mistake in preaching, passionate though they might be, feeling that it was absolutely necessary to emphasize the worldwide flood of Noah’s day in order to emphasize God’s judgment upon an evil and wicked world. If the text has us preaching Genesis 6-9, by all means preach it, but the greatest judgment the world has ever seen, and will ever see, occurred on a tree of wood in Jerusalem some 2,000 years ago. No man ever walked more intimately with God the Father than the Lord Jesus of Nazareth (John 1:18). He was pleasing to the Father in all He thought, said, and did, even when Jesus suffered the holy wrath of God for sins He did not commit. Therefore, when Jesus suffered on the cross, that disparity between the intimate, loving, fellowship He had known with the Father and the holy wrath from the Father was so great that all the collective torments suffered by every God-hating, Christ-rejecting soul sent to eternal punishment will never come close to comparing with what Christ suffered on Calvary’s cross.

God the Father is most glorified in the Son. It is written,

Therefore God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:9-11

Israel hasn’t been replaced, as John MacArthur assumed concerning the beliefs of all amillennialists and historical premillennialists. Some do, but not all. Many believe as I do, that Israel is fulfilled in Christ, being made up of believing Jews and non-Jews, like the illustration earlier of the olive tree and its branches. It is written,

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. Romans 1:16

This is what I call fulfillment theology, not replacement theology. Yes, there are those in various Protestant denominations that believe Israel has been replaced by the church. I do not believe the Scriptures bear that out. They cannot with a Christ-centered hermeneutic.

And certainly, as “not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel” (Rom 9:6), not everyone who attends church services, or even joins as a member, is saved. Thus, we can also say, “Not all who are in the church are the church” (see Matt 7:21-23).

If Christ Jesus is the center, emphasis, and very testimony of Scripture, then it would make sense that “Nearly one-fourth of Scripture relates to the prophecies of the end.” The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

Israel יִשְׂרָאֵל (yis-ra-ĀL) is mentioned 2,505 times in 2,230 verses of the Hebrew Scriptures, and written in every book of the Old Testament except for Esther, Job, Jonah, Habakkuk, and Haggai. Israel Ἰσραήλ (is-ra-ĀL) is mentioned 70 times in 68 verses of the Greek Scriptures, written in thirteen of the twenty-seven books of the Christian New Testament.

If Jesus is the ultimate fulfillment of Israel, ruling as a Prince with God because He is Lord of all, and having been governed by God as the perfect and sinless Man while He lived and minstered upon the earth, living the righteous life that you and I cannot possibly live on the planet earth, then it would make sense that Israel is mentioned so many times in the Bible. Because it’s all about Jesus, and Israel was meant to be a prophetic foreshadow of Jesus, the Jew who fulfilled God’s promises.

Even the wickedness of Israel is reflected in Christ, since Christ suffered for those sins as well when He hung upon the cross. Now how does apply this sixth hermeneutical principle of being Christ-centered work? Let me give you an example. While this verse doesn’t mention Israel, per se, it does use a term that is often used of those ethnic descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The word is Jew. It says,

For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God. Romans 2:28-29

The apostle here was not giving us new revelation by the Spirit. This comes from the Hebrew Scriptures. In the Torah, before entering the Land of Promise, YHVH God gives His people an impossible command. Moses tells the children of Israel,

Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no longer stubborn. Deuteronomy 10:16

The literal, grammatical, and historical principles of Dr. MacArthur’s hermeneutic fails here apart from applying a Christ-centered hermeneutic. “How can one do that?” the children of Israel ask, scratching their heads. They cannot literally do this, and we cannot literally understand it. Nevertheless, YHVH God provides the answer through their prophet, Moses, who says:

And the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, so that you will love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live. Deuteronomy 30:6

That’s regeneration (Ezek 36:26-27) and it is fulfilled in Jesus Messiah according to the prophecy concerning the New Covenant, spoken by YHVH God through Jeremiah (Jer 32; Heb 8:1-13).

As mentioned in Part One, Jesus is, was, and evermore shall be YHVH God’s plan before He said, “Light be!” (Gen 1:3), as it is written concerning Jesus,

He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you who through Him are believers in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God. 1 Peter 1:20-21

The truth of God’s Messiah proclaimed in the garden after Adam and Eve had sinned, some two thousand years before Jacob was named Israel, not only declares salvation for sinners, but establishes the precedent for our Christo-centric hermeneutic:

And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her Seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise His heel. Genesis 3:15, KJV

There’s that word “Seed” again (see Gen 17:7; Isa 44:3; Gal 3:16).

A Christ-centered hermeneutic allows us to understand why the heavens, earth, and man was created in the first place. Our frail and finite minds think about the fall of man in the garden and it prompts us to think, if not ask altogether, “If God is sovereign, why didn’t He just do something to keep Adam and Eve from sinning?” A Christo-centric hermeneutic helps us to understand that it was to manifest God’s greatest glory through the Son of God, the “Seed” of the woman. How so? Through this episode of original sin in the garden, God illustrates to us that perfect, dusty man living in the perfect environment (Eden), with the perfect companion (Eve), and fellowship with God (Elohiym), that apart from the Lord Jesus Messiah and salvation through Him, all man is capable of is being deceived, dishonoring God by disobeying Him, and bringing death to both himself and to others.

Let’s take a look at one more example of shedding light on a Christ-centered hermeneutic in Scripture. This one should serve nicely for this paper because of Dr. MacArthur’s passionate and continued emphasis on the faithfulness of God in fulfilling His covenant promises to Israel. With regard to faith, yours and mine is weak. Our faith is frail and often falters or even fails. The faith of the Lord Jesus Messiah, as perfect and sinless Man, never failed. Because He was faithful, His faithfulness is imputed to us, that is, placed upon our account as believers in Christ, as it is written,

looking to Jesus, the Founder and Perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:2

From the original Greek, Jesus is the Founder and Perfector of… faith, or “Author and Finisher of… faith” The word “our” is not in the original text. It’s alright that it is included because this entire verse speaks of imputed righteousness. Jesus went to the cross, not for Himself, but for our sakes; and He did so with joy over the salvation of His creation. You and I would have gone to the cross begrudgingly, kicking and screaming. We don’t despise the shame of sin, but Jesus did; and He did so on our behalf so His holy attitude and His righteous behavior would be placed upon your account and mine. Now, Christ being the Founder and Perfecter of faith, let’s take a look at faith. It is written,

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1

Another English version translates it in this way:

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1, KJV

The English words “assurance” (ESV) and “substance” (KJV) are translated from the Greek word ὑπόστασις (hoop-OS-ta-sis).

It is used two other times in this Epistle to the Hebrews, in chapter one and in chapter three. First, in chapter one we read:

He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature, and He upholds the universe by the word of His power. After making purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, Hebrews 1:3

Who being the brightness of His glory, and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; Hebrews 1:3, KJV

Hoopostasis is also found in the third chapter (and is also translated similarly as “confident” in 2 Corinthians 9:4 and as “confidence” in 2 Corinthians 11:17):

For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. Hebrews 3:14

For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end; Hebrews 3:14, KJV

While faith is certainly a “confidence” and “assurance” that something is true, biblically speaking, faith also contains the very “substance,” “person,” and “nature” or the Lord Jesus Christ.

Therefore, when we see examples of faithful men in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, that faith is not merely a grace imparted to us from the Holy Spirit to believe (Gal 5:22-23; Eph 2:8-9), it is not only an assurance and a confidence that what God has said and promised is so, it includes the very substance, person, and nature of Christ. This is why the Word of God tells us that it is all about Jesus (Psa 40:7-8; John 5:39; et al). Let’s take a brief look at a few of these faithful folk.

By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks. Hebrews 11:4

The faith of Abel is a picture of the perfect faith of Christ. His acceptable sacrifice reflected Christ’s perfect sacrifice of Himself, and though Christ died, He rose again to show us Himself in the prophetic life of Abel.

By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God. Hebrews 11:5

The faith of Enoch is a picture of the perfect faith of Christ because Enoch was commended as having pleased God. Jesus was always pleasing to the heavenly Father in all things, never once being unpleasing in His thoughts, words, and deeds (Matt 3:17; 17:5; John 8:29).

By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith. Hebrews 11:7

The faith of Noah is a picture of the perfect Person of Christ because Noah constructed an ark of wood to save his family and condemned the world for its evil and adulterous wickedness. Faithful Jesus came to the earth from heaven, saved His family by a cross of wood, and by His holy and reverent fear of God, condemned sin by His suffering God’s wrath, dying a horrible death as a Man, and shedding His blood for the forgiveness of sins.

I could go on, not only for the rest of Hebrews, but throughout the Scriptures. But I will end this portion here, as this portion of the series has already gone longer than I intended.

Finally, let’s take a look at possible erroneous suppositions if we fail to interpret Scripture with a Christ-centered hermeneutic.

POSSIBLE ERRONEOUS SUPPOSITIONS

While there are a large number of examples I can give concerning erroneous suppositions we might make when not using a Christo-centric hermeneutic, I will close this section of the series with one particular problem from Scripture that has arisen in preaching of late. Questions from congregants and ministry friends concerning this perspective; and because it has become so prevalent in preaching today, I’ll address it here. It stems from a misunderstanding and misinterpretation of this verse of Scripture:

You who are of purer eyes than to see evil and cannot look at wrong… Habakkuk 1:13a

Some have concluded by this verse because of the “purer eyes” wording, that the Father could not look at Jesus when He suffered on the cross because Jesus bore our sin. This is preached from a number of pulpits, and from what is presented in this portion of Habakkuk, it is preached, taught, and expounded upon because of a literal, grammatical, and historical hermeneutic. It’s quite a quandary for feeble-faithed men, such as we are.

Yet in the verse itself, the prophet not only says that God’s eyes are too pure to look upon evil, he also says that YHVH God looks upon the Babylonians idly—that He looks upon wretched idolators, who are more evil than the wicked in Judah, and that He’s using these sinners in order to bring about judgment upon Judah (Hab 1:5-11). Here’s the full verse:

You who are of purer eyes than to see evil and cannot look at wrong, why do You idly look at traitors and remain silent when the wicked swallows up the man more righteous than he? Habakkuk 1:13

So, first, we already have the proof from Habakkuk 1:5-13 that this cannot be truly applied as a literal restriction concerning YHVH God.

Second, Satan entered the very presence of God at least twice since the fall, recorded in the book of Job ‎‎(Job 1:6-12; 2:1-7), and possibly more than we know (Rev 12:10). I think we can agree that as far as evil ‎is concerned, Satan is the worst of the worst, yet he conversed with YHVH God, and moreover, conversed ‎with the Lord Jesus Christ (Matt 4:1-11; Luke 4:1-13). Satan’s staining heaven with his presence is why ‎the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus is also the propitiation for the whole world (1 Jn 2:2); because in the ‎regeneration, a new heaven and new earth will be cleansed by the omnipotent power of Christ’s precious ‎blood.‎

And though I will not give exhaustive proof texts for YHVH God looking upon evil, here are a few:‎

You have set our iniquities before You, our secret sins in the light of Your presence. Psalm 90:8‎

The eyes of the LORD are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good. Proverbs 15:3

“But they do not consider that I remember all their evil. Now their deeds surround them; they are before My face.” Hosea 7:2

Thirdly, to suggest that the Father could not look at Jesus on the cross would imply that Jesus did not pay the penalty for sins He did not commit but actually became sin itself; and that would in turn imply that Christ’s righteous act was not the delight and satisfaction of Father God. If Jesus was at any time unpleasing to the Father (Matt 3:17; John 8:29), even on the cross, His substitution means nothing (1 Pet 3:18), and you and I have no hope of salvation at all. If Jesus was not pleasing to the heavenly Father on the cross, this would make Jesus a liar when He said the last part of this statement:

“And He who sent Me is with Me. He has not left Me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him.” John 8:29

Was the vindication of God’s justice not pleasing to the Father? Will the righteous Judge on that Day be unable to look at the sinners He’s condemning to eternal punishment? I think not.

Since I cited the entire verse, I must mention this about John 8:29. We do know that Jesus was forsaken of the Father (Psa 22:1; Matt 27:46; Mark 15:34). That’s because the first part of John 8:29 was true of Jesus right up until the cross. Jesus walked intimately with the Father (John 1:18; Heb 1:3), so much more intimately than any man, including Adam; so that when Jesus was forsaken of that relationship, the suffering of all men collectively who have rejected Christ and will be sent to eternal torment in that Day could never come close to matching the wrath that Jesus suffered when He was forsaken by God. What that exactly entails is a heavenly mystery that is infinitely beyond our finite grasp. Yet we will chase down that infinitely glorious truth of Christ crucified for all eternity.

Again, we have a verse of Scripture that specifically states that YHVH God looks upon His “Seed” (KJV) or “Offspring” when He (the LORD) puts Him (Seed, or Offspring) to grief:

Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush Him; He has put Him to grief; when His soul makes an offering for guilt, He shall see His Offspring; He shall prolong His days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in His hand. Isaiah 53:10

Fourth, this doctrine of the Father not looking at Jesus would devilishly assault the nature and character of the Father because to suggest such a thing would cause the Father to tell us to do something He couldn’t do Himself—that is, to look upon Jesus Christ crucified, which is our only Hope of salvation. This is what the Father told us to do through the prophet—to look upon Jesus to be saved:

Look unto Me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else. Isaiah 45:22, KJV

“Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other.” Isaiah 45:22

Both are wonderful English translations of this verse. YHVH God says in Hebrew פְּנוּ־אֵלַי (p’NOO—e-LAĪY), “You face Me.” The command is to “face” God because we are looking away from Him, so therefore, the ESV also is correct because the command implies repentance, turning from our sin and turning to God. But since the Father is spirit and has no body (John 4:24), then the command can only be applied by our looking to Jesus (John 1:18; 14:9; 19:37; Heb 1:1-3; 1 Jn 1:2; et al) with spiritual eyes (2 Cor 5:7).

Finally, that brings us to the last point: why would Habakkuk say such a thing if it is not literally true of the Father? I believe that among the redeemed, even in our misgivings and misunderstandings, we still become a gospel witness for Christ’s sake and for His glory. While every prophet points to Messiah, is a witness of and for Messiah, and in many ways is a type of Christ (John 5:39), the weakness of men is one of the ways God works all things together for good (Rom 8:28). When we see the weakness in Abraham, Moses, Aaron, David, Elijah, Habakkuk, etc., we will depend less and less upon men, less and less upon ourselves, and depend more and more upon the Lord Jesus. Jesus didn’t entrust Himself to men (John 2:24-25), and neither should we.

Jesus of Nazareth is certainly that Prophet foretold to come (Deut 18:15). Jesus is the only Jew who ever kept the whole Law both actively and passively. Jesus is the only Son who was wholly obedient to His Father. Jesus is the only Prophet who had ever spoken the truth of heaven without schism or defect. All others were fallen descendants of Adam. And since the Lord Jesus came, all His ministers continue to fall short of His glory. Habakkuk in his frailty and fallenness only expresses what we do all the time—apply our weaknesses to the immutable God. Habakkuk speaks as if the presence of wickedness is going to change God. Certainly, God is not aloof to our sin, for our sin grieves Him (Eph 4:30); but He cannot be changed by anything. He is complete in Himself. He cannot learn; He’s all-knowing. He cannot be nowhere; He is everywhere-present.

Because we are often driven by the wind and tossed in our situations and circumstances, we sometimes project our weaknesses onto the character of the unchanging God. Thus, Habakkuk points to Christ Jesus in his weakness, because it is only in the incarnate God, Jesus Messiah, who was the faithful, infallible, and impeccable Prophet to the end—when He breathed His last on that tree.

We see these same Habakkuk-like characteristics in our own lives, which when we recognize them, provoke us to surrender unto Christ through the Holy Spirit even more. We know that God is sovereign, but sometimes in our hearts, or even by our actions and attitudes, we may openly or secretly give the impression that Jesus couldn’t build His church without us (Jas 4:13-17). Or we know that truth must be revealed to us by the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 2:14), but we sometimes act like or live as if we discovered these treasures on our own (1 Cor 4:7).

Read Part One, “Understanding Israel from Scripture” by clicking here.

Read “Understanding Israel from Scripture, Part Three” by clicking here.

Read “Understanding Israel from Scripture, Part Four” by clicking here.

FOOTNOTES

[1] Interestingly, although Dr. MacArthur believed in a literal interpretation of Scripture (which we will look at in the next section), for over 56 years as pastor of Grace Community Church, they celebrated “Good Friday,” and the doctor preached a Friday crucifixion.

[2] https://www.gracechurch.org/sermons/332

[3] I was gifted the registration price and the roundtrip travel from Alaska by the saints of Calvary Baptist Church in Ninilchik, Alaska. Before the conference started, Dr. MacArthur suffered a broken wrist, so he only spoke during a Q&A session on the second day and at the final evening service, unveiling a soon-to-be released commentary on Zechariah. Like he had done 16 years earlier, Dr. M. planted a flag upon the hill of pre-tribulation dispensational premillennialism, passionately dogmatic in his conviction. See

.

[4] https://www.gty.org/blogs/B120928/elements-of-productive-bible-study-interpret-part-2

[5] Ibid.

[6] Ibid.

[7] https://www.gty.org/blogs/B100202/good-hermeneutics

[8] https://www.gty.org/blogs/B120928/elements-of-productive-bible-study-interpret-part-2

[9] https://www.gty.org/sermons/80-372/can-we-know-what-the-scripture-means

[10] https://www.gty.org/blogs/B120928/elements-of-productive-bible-study-interpret-part-2

[11] https://www.gty.org/sermons/90-336/why-every-calvinist-should-be-a-premillennialist-part-3

[12] Ibid.

[13] https://www.gracechurch.org/sermons/332

[14] Ibid. (10:29); emphasis added.

[15] Ibid. (16:08)

[16] There are more sermons out there, in written form and audio recordings, using the KJV “seed” language than the word “offspring,” so I am using the KJV here.

[17] https://www.gracechurch.org/sermons/332

[18] Ibid. (35:00-38:12)

[19] https://www.gracechurch.org/sermons/20936

[20] https://www.gracechurch.org/sermons/332 (18:36)

[21] Ibid. (3:36); emphasis in original message.

This paper was written in response to a question concerning “Israel.” Someone asked: “…when God called Jacob ‘Israel,’ what did that mean?” I quickly responded with this:

The story of Esau and Jacob was another topic that was queried. It is in the story of these “two nations” where we understand more fully what Israel is about.

THE GOSPEL BACKGROUND OF JACOB

Isaac was 40 years old when he married his wife, Rebekah (Gen 25:20). He was 60 years old when Rebekah bore his sons, Esau and Jacob (Gen 25:26). While Rebekah was pregnant, the two infants “struggled together within her” and she sought the reason for why this was happening, asking YHVH God (Gen 25:22)— asking really, El Shaddai, because YHVH was not known by His name, יְהֹוָה (y’-HŌ-veh), until after He revealed it to Moses at the burning bush of Exodus 3:14 (Ex 6:3). Concerning this, YHVH God answered Rebekah, not Isaac, as it is written:

And the LORD said to her, “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you shall be divided; the one shall be stronger than the other, the older shall serve the younger.” Genesis 25:23

The LORD answering Rebekah and not revealing this to Isaac will be significant when Isaac gives his blessing to Jacob instead of Esay; but here, in YHVH’s answer, as well as in the birth of the two children, this prophetically foreshadows the gospel of Jesus Messiah. I’ve mentioned this before to you—the firstborn and second born—as Adam to Christ, Cain to Abel, Japheth to Shem, etc. The New Testament illuminates this redemptive thread seen throughout the Hebrew Scriptures:

Thus it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural, and then the spiritual. The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven. 1 Corinthians 15:45-47

More gospel details are given in Esau and Jacob’s lives. They were named by the revelations from their birth. Esau came forth first, named “Hairy,” עֵשָׂו (ā-SAV) in Hebrew, because he “came out red, all his body like a hairy cloak” (Gen 25:25). Jacob “came out with his hand holding Esau’s heel” (Gen 25:26), so he was called יַעֲקֹב (ya-aq-ŌV), which means “heel catcher” or “supplanter.” Even Jacob’s name is prophetic of the Messiah, because the Messiah would supplant the judgment of sinful Adam by taking on the punishment of sin Himself, suffering God’s holy wrath and dying a shameful death upon Calvary’s tree.

Moreover, we are told that Esau was “a man of the field” (Gen 25:27a); that is, he was a man given over to the world. The scriptural “field” is sometimes an allegorical picture of the sinful world and the sin-cursed ground. The “field” was where Cain slew Abel (Gen 4:8), as well as what Jesus describes in many of His parables as “the world” (Matt 13:24, 31, 38, 44, et al).

The King James Version or Genesis 25:27 renders Jacob’s typology a little better than the English Standard Version in my humble opinion. It states:

And the boys grew: and Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field; and Jacob was a plain man, dwelling in tents.

Two prophetic characteristics of Messiah are presented here. Jacob was a “plain man.” In Hebrew, he was אִישׁ תָּם (eeysh tam), translated “plain man” (KJV) or “quiet man.”[1] תָּם (tam) means “undefiled,” and comes from the same root that describes Noah in Genesis 6:9, the Hebrew word תָּמַם (ta-MAM), meaning “unblemished.” Tamam is used when describing an animal sacrifice that was to be unblemished or without spot (Ex 12:5; Lev 1:3; etc). We know this describes Jesus as the Lamb of God (John 1:29), as it is written:

knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. 1 Peter 1:18-19

This was YHVH God’s plan from before the creation of the heavens and the earth because the next two verses tell us:

He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you who through Him are believers in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God. 1 Peter 1:20-21

The second characteristic presented here is that Jacob dwelt in tents. In other words, Jacob was a sojourner. Jesus Messiah was the ultimate Sojourner on the planet. Just a few of our proof texts are:

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14

And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” Matthew 8:20

The next blessed gospel picture given us is when Esau’s name is changed to Edom (Gen 25:29-34). Esau had been hunting in the field. He was exhausted, having caught nothing. Jacob had been cooking stew and Esau wanted some of Jacob’s red stew. For payment to receive a bowl of this stew, Esau must sell Jacob his birthright as the firstborn. Thus Esau was called Edom because of the red stew he had purchased. The word red comes from the Hebrew word אָדֹם (a-DŌM), which is the root for the words “earth,” “ground,” “blood,” and the name “Adam.” Edom, Hebrew אֱדוֹם (e-DŌM), becomes a type of Adam, Hebrew אָדָם (a-DAM), because Esau sold his birthright for something to eat—same as Adam.

Next, Jacob again becomes a type of Christ during the blessing from Isaac (Gen 27:1-46). The blessing occurs after Esau and Jacob are forty years old, because Esau was forty years old when he took wives from the daughters of the Hittites (Gen 26:34; 27:46). Isaac was still alive when Jacob returned after twenty years of servitude under Laban in Haran (Gen 31:38-41), Isaac living to be 180 years old (Gen 35:27-29).

So, when the blessing came to Jacob, Isaac was old and blind, but sometime after 100 years of age—5 years? 10? 20? We’re not told. Remember, Isaac doesn’t know anything about the elder serving the younger, so he sends his eldest son out to hunt game and prepare him the delicious food he loves; and then, he will pronounce the blessing upon Esau (Gen 27:1-4), so he thinks.

Rebekah overhears this and sets things into motion. She “commands” Jacob to bring two young goats from the flock (Gen 27:5-10). The slaying of these two kids was a prophetic foreshadow of the Day of Atonement, when two goats are offered before YHVH God (Lev 16:7-10). While the goats were young for Jacob’s episode, and both were slain, it still reminds us of the ancient Yom Kippur.

For the Day of Atonement, lots were cast upon the two goats (Lev 16:7-10). One was l’YHVH, or “for the LORD,” which was sacrificed as an offering to God for sin. The other was l’azazel, or the “scapegoat,” which was set free in the wilderness, carrying the people’s sin away. This reflected the two-fold work of Messiah in the perfect atoning Sacrifice He offered on Calvary’s tree. Christ’s suffering, death, and shed blood satisfied the holy justice of YHVH God for sin. At the same time, Christ’s substitutionary atonement carried our sins away. That this was done by the high priest once per year, it also foreshadowed the two-fold work of Messiah in being both our Great High Priest (Heb 8:1-13) and the once-and-for-all Sacrifice for sin (Heb 10:1-39).

The young goats were used in Jacob’s instance because kids under one year old had fine, soft hair, close to what Esau’s arms and neck felt like. While Rebekah made the delicious food from the goats, she also clothed Jacob in Esau’s garments and put the kid skins on Jacob’s arms and neck (Gen 27:14-17). This picture was a prophetic type of the incarnation of Christ:

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14

Jacob, the supplanter, received the blessing from Isaac, foreshadowing the blessing redeemed souls would receive through Messiah. It is written:

and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” Matthew 3:17

And again,

He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to Him.” Matthew 17:5

Even in the interaction, Isaac speaks of things that prophetically foretell the Messiah. Isaac said to Jacob,

“Please come near, that I may feel you, my son, to know whether you are really my son Esau or not.” Genesis 27:21

Jesus said,

“See My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Touch Me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” Luke 24:39

“Put your finger here, and see My hands; and put out your hand, and place it in My side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” John 20:27

Isaac also prophetically points to Jesus Messiah when he says,

“The voice is Jacob’s voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau.” Genesis 27:22

The New Testament also verify the prophetic substance of this verse above, since Jesus was fully, flesh and bone Man who spoke the words of heaven without mankind’s sinful corruptions:

And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at His teaching, for He was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes. Matthew 7:28-29

The officers answered, “No one ever spoke like this Man!” John 7:46

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our ‎eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the Word of ‎Life 1 John 1:1‎

THE SALVATION OF JACOB

Now, we could get caught up in a lot of other details (and they are good and wonderful), but let’s move forward and look at the salvation of Jacob, which is important to understand when we see why and when his name was changed. There have been some who disagreed with me. They suggest that Jacob was saved when he wrestled with Jesus (a Christophany) when he was named Israel in Genesis 32:28.

After receiving the blessing, Jacob flees Beersheba for Haran to seek Rebekah’s brother, Laban. On his way there, he stops for the night in Luz and has a dream of a ladder reaching into heaven from the earth, with angels ascending and descending upon it (Gen 28:10-12). And above the top of the ladder, he sees YHVH God. This is, of course, a Christophany—an appearance of the Lord Jesus Christ before His incarnation—because” God is Spirit” (John 4:24), and therefore, does not have a body (Jesus is the fulness of God in bodily form, Col 2:9). He is told by the LORD these words:

“I am the LORD, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring. Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and in you and your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed. Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” Genesis 28:13-15

Because of this, when Jacob awoke, he built an altar and called the place Bethel, meaning “house of God.” Then he made this vow.

“If God will be with me and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat and clothing to wear, so that I come again to my father’s house in peace, then the LORD shall be my God, and this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God’s house. And of all that you give me I will give a full tenth to you.” Genesis 28:20-22

Jacob was not laying out a tit-for-tat proposition here, promising to worship God if He fulfills His promise to him. Jacob was prophetically speaking from the soul-changing regeneration that occurs when one is saved. Jesus the Son spoke to Jacob and told him that He was “the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac” (Gen 28:13). Then He spoke of His gracious promise to Jacob, the same promises He had made to both Abraham and to Isaac (Gen 17; 26). Jacob responds to this gracious and merciful salvation by saying in effect: “You are the God of Abraham and Isaac. But because You have given me the same promise, You shall be my God.” Thus, latter in the Hebrew Scriptures, and in the New Testament as well, we hear the expression, “The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”

THE NAME CHANGE OF JACOB

God fulfills His promise to bring Jacob back to the land twenty years later. He is afraid of Esau because Esau hated Jacob and planned to kill his brother (Gen 27:41), which is also a prophetic utterance of Messiah’s fate (John 1:11; 5:18; 7:1). So, Jacob divides his family into groups and sets aside gifts to bestow upon his brother, Esau, in hopes it may appease him (Gen 32:20).

That night, Jacob wrestled with “a man” all night “until the breaking of the day” (Gen 32:24). This, again, was a Christophany, a pre-incarnate appearance of the Lord Jesus Christ. Jacob hangs on and will not let go until he receives a blessing, Jacob’s hip being dislocated by the touch of the Lord ‎(Gen 32:25-26). Jacob wept in his wrestling with God (Hos 12:3-5).

Jesus asks him his name and Jacob tells Him (Gen 32:27). Jacob’s name, “supplanter,” also carries with it a negative connotation. It means “cheat” or “swindler,” which is what Jacob was in his life. Few and evil were the days of his sojourn (Gen 47:9), but Jesus has changed his name:

Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed. Genesis 32:28, KJV

The ESV renders it in this way:

“Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed.” Genesis 32:28, ESV

The KJV is more literal from the new name, יִשְׂרָאֵל (yis-ra-ĀL). אֵל (el) means “God.” שַׂר (sar) means “prince,” as in one of the titles of Messiah, שׂר־שׁלום (sar sha-LOM), meaning “Prince of Peace” (Isa 9:6). יִשְׂרָ (y’sar), depending upon the sentence structure and context, can either be past tense or future tense. In past tense, the whole meaning of Israel is “ruled by God” or “governed by God.” In future tense, Israel means “God will rule” or “God will govern.”

The ESV (ASV, NASB 1995) uses “striven with God…” The NASB uses “contended with God…” The NKJV uses “struggled with God…”

This is what the MacArthur Study Bible says concerning this verse, using the NKJV,

“no longer… Jacob, but Israel. Jacob’s personal name changed from one meaning ‘heel-catcher’ or “deceiver’ to one meaning ‘God’s fighter’ or ‘he struggles with God’ (cf. Gen 35:10).

“with God and with men. An amazing evaluation of what Jacob had accomplished, i.e., emerging victorious from the struggle. In the record of his life, ‘struggle’ did indeed dominate: (1) with his brother Esau (chs. 25-27); (2) with his father (ch. 27); (3) with his father-in-law (chs. 29-31); (4) with his wives (ch. 30); and (5) with God at Peniel (Gen 32:28).”

The late Dr. M said, “…what Jacob had accomplished…” This is problematic. The difficulty with this approach to our understanding of Jacob’s name change is that it tends toward legalism in our salvation. We have to remember that the only way that Jacob, or any redeemed sinner may be a prince with God and with men is by God’s grace through faith alone (Eph 2:8-9), by the power and strength of Christ alone (Eph 6:10), for the glory of God alone (1 Cor 1:29-31; 10:31), according to Scripture alone (1 Cor 15:3-4). Jesus said,

“I am the Vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in Me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.” John 15:5

As I’ve said and preached and written for years, not only can we do nothing apart from Christ, we are nothing apart from Christ—a branch that doesn’t abide in the vine is good for nothing but kindling.

In application, we find the key to understanding in the last verse of Genesis 32:28, “and prevailed.” It is the Hebrew word וַתּוּכָל (va-too-KHAL), from the root יָכוֹל (ya-KHŌL). It means “to prevail,” or better, “to overcome.” We recognize this from the New Testament because the Lord Jesus exhorts His churches with this when He says seven times…

“To him that overcometh…” Revelation 2:7, 11, 17, 26; 3:5, 12, 21, KJV

Yet again, at the risk of sounding repetitive, unless we see that Jesus is the ultimate fulfillment of the Israel of God, Jacob, the children of Israel, even Christ’s church (Gal 6:16)—which is the fulfillment of what Israel was destined to be, God’s people, both Jews and Gentiles (Rom 1:16)—will cause problems in our interpretation of Scripture and create difficulties in our Christian walk.

To fail to see Jesus, first and foremost, as the ultimate and true fulfillment of Israel will skew our view of Israel in Scripture; and ultimately cause us to miss the prophetic foreshadows for all of God’s people. For example, we will not see the “the land of Israel” (haEretz Yisrael) as the gospel promise of eternal life with Messiah. For three generations the same promise was given to sinners saved by grace—Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Then, by a providential famine, YHVH God sends Jacob and his progeny (the children of Israel) to Egypt to be saved from the famine; then be forced into slavery by a Pharaoh who doesn’t know Jacob’s favorite son, only to bring them back into the land that YHVH God promised Israel’s patriarchs 430 years earlier. It is because every allegorical picture testifies of and glorifies the Lord Jesus Christ. Their freedom from bondage in Egypt reflects the gospel and exalts Jesus Christ first and foremost. Their crossing the Jordan River into the Promised Land reflects the gospel and exalts Jesus Christ first and foremost. As you well know, the Lord Jesus Himself said,

“You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about Me,” John 5:39

THE GOSPEL REVELATION ABOUT ESAU

I was also asked about how Esau’s nation and people fit into these gospel pictures. That was a reasonable question because YHVH God told Rebekah that there were “two nations” and “two peoples” struggling within her womb (Gen 25:23). Esau’s descendants would become this other nation (Gen 36:1-43), five sons to Edom from his three wives (Gen 36:4-5).

The descendants of Esau, or Edom, were the Edomites. In Jesus’ day, they were the Idumeans. The leadership of this people were the Herodians who ruled in Judea when the Roman Senate voted to install Herod as “king of the Jews” in 40 BC.

So, historically, the Edomites were worldly descendants of Esau, rising to the throne of Israel, their biblical history culminating in the end of the Herodian line when Herod Agrippa I, who mocked the Lord Jesus in His second Roman trial (Luke 23:7-15), and glorified himself before the people and died a horribly painful death (Acts 12:20-23).

Now, if Israel represents the redeemed people of God (Gal 6:14; Rom 1:16), the Edomites represent those reprobate worldlings that exist alongside God’s redeemed. The Herodians are the ultimate expression of that unbelief and opposition to Christ. Jesus is the King of the Jews because He is the King of kings and Lord of lords. To sit upon a throne without exalting the Lord Jesus Christ and bowing the knee to Him is a reprobation of the first order.

As we were created to be the light and image bearers of God, redeemed sinners saved by God’s grace to be conformed to the image of Christ (Rom 8:29), then the prophetic picture of Jacob (Israel) giving gifts to Esau (Edom) presents unto us the blessed truth of giving the gift of the gospel to those who do not believe. Freely we have received, therefore, freely we give (Matt 10:8). Does it mean simply the gospel alone? By no means. The Holy Spirit instructs us through the apostle on this matter:

If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? James 2:15-16

At the same time, generosity without exalting Christ from those things by which we have been graced with that increase exalts self and makes us more like the Herodians than any descendant of Esau.

Read the next article in the series, “Understanding Israel from Scripture, Part Two” by clicking here.

Read “Understanding Israel from Scripture, Part Three” by clicking here.

Read “Understanding Israel from Scripture, Part Four” by clicking here.

FOOTNOTE

[1] “quiet” works too because Jesus did not defend Himself when He was accused. It is written, “He was oppressed, and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth” (Isa 53:7). Jesus could not open His mouth against the accusations because He was taking on our sin as if He committed the sins Himself, though He was sinless and committed no sin. This is the doctrine of imputation: our sin was imputed to Christ while His righteousness was imputed to those who believe by faith.

While the heavenly Father poured out His eternal and infinite wrath upon His only Son, He not only looked upon Jesus has He suffered God’s wrath (Psa 22:1; Matt 27:46), the Father could not remove His loving gaze from the Son while He suffered. Though I had written some exposition for Isaiah 53:10 in this morning’s devotional thought, it is worth repeating here for this addendum article.

It was the LORD’s will to crush His Son. The Father put Jesus to grief though Jesus did nothing grief-worthy. And when Jesus laid down His life to make His soul an offering for the guilt of sinful men, the heavenly Father saw His holy Offspring, the virgin-born Son, and was pleased. The English word “will” is also correctly translated “pleased.” It’s the Hebrew word חָפֵץ (cha-FĀTZ), and it means “to be inclined toward,” “to delight in,” “to be pleased with,” “to will or determine.” The same word is also used at the end of the verse. The KJV renders it like this:

Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him; He hath put Him to grief: when Thou shalt make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His Seed, He shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand. Isaiah 53:10, KJV

Of late, I have heard many preach that the Father’s eyes are “too pure” to look upon the Son when He suffered God’s wrath upon Calvary’s tree. I believe that this idea may come from a misunderstanding of Habakkuk 1:13,

“You who are of purer eyes than to see evil and cannot look at wrong, why do You idly look at traitors and remain silent when the wicked swallows up the man more righteous than he?”

Some have concluded, I suppose by this verse because of the “purer eyes” wording, that the Father could not look at Jesus when He suffered on the cross because Jesus bore our sin. But in the verse itself, the prophet not only says that God’s eyes are too pure to look upon evil, he also says that YHVH God looks upon the Babylonians idly, that He looks upon wretched idolators, who are more evil than the wicked in Judah, and that He’s using these sinners in order to bring about judgment upon Judah (Hab 1:5-11). So, first, we already have the proof from Habakkuk 1:5-13 that this cannot be truly applied as a literal thing concerning YHVH God.

Second, Satan entered the very presence of God at least twice since the fall, recorded in the book of Job (Job 1:6-12; 2:1-7), and possibly more than we know (Rev 12:10). I think we can agree that as far as evil is concerned, Satan is the worst of the worst, yet he conversed with YHVH God, and moreover, conversed with the Lord Jesus Christ (Matt 4:1-11; Luke 4:1-13). Satan’s staining heaven with his presence is why the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus is also the propitiation for the whole world (1 Jn 2:2); because in the regeneration, a new heaven and new earth will be cleansed by the omnipotent power of Christ’s precious blood; washing away even the stain and stench of Satan’s foul presence (remember, Satan had every right to stand before God’s presence in Job 1-2 and Revelation 12 because Adam relinquished his rights to Satan when he disobeyed God in the garden).

And though I will not give exhaustive proof texts for YHVH God looking upon evil, here is one text:

You have set our iniquities before You, our secret sins in the light of Your presence. Psalm 90:8, ESV

Hosea 7:2 is another verse that come to mind concerning the sins of men before the face of YHVH God.

Thirdly, to suggest that the Father could not look at Jesus on the cross would imply that Jesus did not pay the penalty for sins He did not commit, but actually became sin itself; and that would in turn imply that Christ’s righteous act was not the delight and satisfaction of God. If Jesus was at any time unpleasing to the Father (Matt 3:17; John 8:29), even on the cross, His substitution means nothing (1 Pet 3:18), and you and I have no hope of salvation at all.

If Jesus was not pleasing to the heavenly Father on the cross, this would make Jesus a liar when He said the last part of this statement:

“And He who sent Me is with Me. He has not left Me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him.” John 8:29, ESV

Was the vindication of God’s justice not pleasing to Him? Will the righteous Judge on that Day be unable to look at the sinners He’s condemning to eternal punishment?

Since I cited the entire verse, I must mention this about John 8:29. We do know that Jesus was forsaken of the Father (Psa 22:1; Matt 27:46; Mark 15:34). That’s because the first part of John 8:29 was true of Jesus right up until the cross. Jesus walked intimately with the Father (John 1:18; Heb 1:3), so much more intimately than any man, including Adam; so that when Jesus was forsaken of that relationship, the suffering of all men collectively who have rejected Christ and will be sent to eternal torment in that Day, could never come close to matching the wrath that Jesus suffered when He was forsaken by God. What that exactly entails is a heavenly mystery that is infinitely beyond our finite grasp. You and I will chase down the infinitely glorious truth of Christ crucified for all eternity.

Fourth, this doctrine of the Father not looking at Jesus would devilishly assault the nature and character of the Father because to suggest such a thing would cause the Father to tell us to do something He couldn’t do Himself—that is, to look upon Jesus Christ crucified, which is our only Hope of salvation. This is what the Father told us to do through the prophet—to look upon Jesus to be saved, Isaiah 45:22,

Look unto Me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else. KJV

“Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other.” ESV

Both are wonderful English translations of this verse. YHVH God says in Hebrew פְּנוּ־אֵלַי (p’NŪ—e-LAĪY), “You face Me.” The command is to “face” God because we are looking away from Him, so therefore, the ESV also is correct because the command implies repentance, turning from our sin and turning to God. But since the Father is spirit and has no body (John 4:24), then the command can only be applied by our looking to Jesus (John 1:18; 14:9; 19:37; Heb 1:1-3; 1 Jn 1:2; et al) with spiritual eyes (2 Cor 5:7).

Sixth, we must consider why Habakkuk would say such a thing if it is not literally true of the Father? I believe that among the redeemed, even in our misgivings and misunderstandings, we still become a gospel witness for Christ’s sake and for His glory. While every prophet points to Messiah, and is a witness of and for Messiah, and also in many ways is a type of Christ (John 5:39), the weakness of men is one of the ways God works all things together for good (Rom 8:28). When we see the weakness in Abraham, Moses, Aaron, David, Elijah, Habakkuk, etc., we will depend less and less upon men, less and less upon ourselves, and depend more and more upon the Lord Jesus. Jesus didn’t entrust Himself to men (John 2:24-25), and neither should we.

Jesus of Nazareth is certainly that Prophet foretold to come (Deut 18:15). Jesus is the only Jew who ever kept the whole Law both actively and passively. Jesus is the only Son who was wholly obedient to His Father. Jesus is the only Prophet who had ever spoken the truth of heaven without schism or defect. All others were fallen descendants of Adam. And since the Lord Jesus came, all His ministers continue to fall short of His glory (Rom 3:23). Habakkuk in his frailty and fallenness only expresses what we do all the time—apply our weaknesses to the immutable God. He speaks as if the presence of wickedness is going to change Him. Certainly, God is not aloof to our sin, for our sin grieves Him (Eph 4:30); but He cannot be changed by anything. He is complete in Himself. He cannot learn; He’s all-knowing. He cannot be nowhere; He is everywhere-present.

Because we are often driven by the wind and tossed in our situations and circumstances, we sometimes project our weaknesses onto the character of the unchanging God. Thus, Habakkuk points to Christ Jesus in his weakness, because it is only in the incarnate God, Jesus Messiah, who was the faithful, infallible, and impeccable Prophet to the end—when He breathed His last on that tree.

We see these same Habakkuk-like characteristics in our own lives, which when we recognize them, provoke us to surrender unto Christ through the Holy Spirit even more. We know that God is sovereign, but sometimes in our hearts, or even by our actions and attitudes, we may openly or secretly give the impression that Jesus couldn’t build His church without us (Jas 4:13-17). Or we know that truth must be revealed to us by the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 2:14), but we sometimes act like or live as if we discovered these treasures on our own (1 Cor 4:7).

Seventh, and finally, does this mean that those who preach that the Father turned away from Jesus when the Lord Messiah hung upon the cross are not saved? No, it does not. God forbid. Nevertheless, shouldn’t we be zealous for the truth of Christ’s cross, the character of the Father, and the blessed truth of Scripture that expresses Christ’s gospel? Indeed, we should.

Part One, Ephesians 6:10-15

If you haven’t yet read Part One of this topic, you’ll want to read it by clicking here.

The Shield of Faith, Ephesians 6:16

The Lord Jesus is our Shield of Faith. Although we have been saved by God’s grace to believe on the Lord Jesus Messiah for salvation, our faith is not impeccable. Your faith and mine has had and will have moments of faltering, failing, falling away. We will occasionally doubt our Lord, doubt His truth, and doubt the salvation He has blessed us with. Yet when the Lord Jesus walked upon this planet as the perfect, sinless Man, he never faltered. He never failed. He never fell away. The integrity of His faith never wavered a single degree, even unto the death of the cross. Therefore, we take up the truth of His faith as our shield. When Satan’s flaming darts accuse you and me of faithlessness, of lacking trust, of unrighteous thoughts, words, or deeds, we need only to lift up Christ’s imputed righteousness. Believing that Christ’s righteousness is placed upon our account will quench the hottest missile the evil one can hurl.

The Helmet of Salvation, Ephesians 6:17a

This does not mean for us to think on our salvation as a mere religious truth, doctrine, or concept. It means considering, thinking about, and meditating upon the truth that Jesus Christ is salvation. Salvation not only comes from the Lord Jesus by His amazing and abounding grace (Jonah 2:9), He is salvation itself. There is no salvation apart from Him (John 14:6). That is a not only a blessed thought to consider, that truth protects our thoughts and fortifies our decision-making processes. As far as our spiritual warfare goes, it is written:

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; 2 Corinthians 10:3-5, KJV

The ESV renders 2 Corinthians 10:5 in this way:

We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,

Now, both translations are acceptable from the original Greek. And as with the ESV, we should take every thought captive so that we may obey the Lord Jesus Christ. The only problem is that you and I have no power to take those thoughts captive unless we are strong in the Lord and go forth in the strength of His might (Eph 6:10). How are we strong by His strength in this area? We bring our thoughts captive to Christ’s obedience, or as the KJV renders it, “ bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” (emphasis added). Christ Jesus was ever and always obedient to the heavenly Father. Our obedience, like our faith, sometimes wavers, wanders, or is weak. We fail, falter, or faint more than we often care to admit. But when we consider His obedience is imputed to us, placed on our eternal account, it empowers us with strength from on high to obey Christ.

The Sword of the Spirit, Ephesians 6:17b

It is true that the written Word, the holy Scripture, is our powerful resource in combating the schemes of Satan. With every temptation Jesus faced in the wilderness (Matt 4:1-11), He responded by quoting Scripture. You and I should quote Scripture to combat every temptation, but in wielding that Sword, we must recognize that the reason it is “living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Heb 4:12), is that the Word it speaks of is Jesus Messiah. The reason why this living and active Word can discern the thoughts and intentions of the heart is because it is the Lord Jesus Himself. When we take up the Sword of the Spirit, battle is truly the Lord’s (1 Sam 17:47). This battle using the Sword of the Spirit must be wielded in the power of the Spirit of Christ (John 14:12, 17, 26; 15:26; 16:8-11, 13-14), otherwise we become no different than the sons of Sceva (Acts 19:13-16).

Praying, Ephesians 6:18

Now, having been outfitted with Christ as our armor, we pray with the full knowledge of Christ’s imputed righteousness and His perfect prayers. We pray knowing that Christ Jesus has gone before us as perfect, sinless Man, and has Himself prayed the perfect, unhindered prayers before God the Father (John 8:29; 11:42; Heb 5:7); and that every perfect prayer of Scripture is placed upon our account because, in Christ, the Father hears our weak and pathetic prayers as if we were praying exactly like Jesus. This does not remove our responsibility to pray the best prayers we can utter, as much as a sinner saved by grace is able; but our prayers still carry enough corruption from the mortal flesh that still remains, for we still need the intercessions of the Holy Spirit (Rom 8:26-27), as well as those of our Lord Jesus Messiah (Heb 7:25).

Hallelujah! What a Savior!

I believe there has been a great misunderstanding in today’s American church concerning the armor of God. This doesn’t mean that Sunday school teachers shouldn’t use pictures of Roman soldiers to illustrate the armor worn by the most powerful army in the world during Paul’s day when he wrote Ephesians 6. God forbid. Those lessons are helpful to the young in years, as well as to the spiritually young at heart. Nevertheless, we need to approach the equipping of the saints by the powerful gospel truths for which it was intended.

Ephesians 6:10 presents to us the powerful intent of the entire passage, the central reason for the passage, and the ultimate application of the passage. The armor is the Lord Jesus Christ. To be strong in Him is to go forth in our spiritual walk, our spiritual lives, and in our engagement in spiritual battles in the strength of the Lord Jesus Christ’s might.

Ephesians 6:11 tells us to put on or to be clothed with the whole armor of God. It uses a Greek root that means to be dressed, most especially, to be dressed with Jesus. Using the same Greek root, the apostle tells us in another letter:

But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires. Romans 13:14

It is only in trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ that we are saved from the wrath of God that we so richly deserve. It only stands to reason that it would also be that trusting in the strength of the might of the Lord Jesus Christ, that is… being clothed with Him, so that we may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.

Ephesians 6:12 tells us what it is we are up against in our spiritual warfare when once we are saved by God’s grace. Though we live in a temporal world on earth, the conflict is a spiritual one, not fleshly or carnal (2 Cor 10:3-4). We need power that is greater than reciting a few words from the Bible like some spell or incantation. We need the Lord Jesus Messiah. He alone has conquered sin, hell, and the grave. His power alone, through the Holy Spirit given us, is that which allows us to overcome the demonic forces with which we wrestle.

Since we have clothed ourselves with Christ (Eph 6:11), in Ephesians 6:13 the Holy Spirit tells us through the apostle to “take up” the whole armor of God. Therefore, not only are we to be clothed with Christ, we are to apply the truths of Christ to our faith. Trusting in Christ for our salvation. Trusting in Christ for our supply. Trusting in Christ for our strength. Trusting in Christ as our sufficiency, in need of nothing else but Him. Standing firmly upon Him and His gospel truth.

The Belt of Truth, Ephesians 6:14a

This is at the core of our Christianity, the center of our being, that’s why it is a belt. Christ Jesus said,

“I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” John 14:6

When we gird ourselves about the core of our being with the truth that Jesus Messiah alone is the Way, Truth, and Life, we are strengthened to resist many temptations by that powerful truth alone. When that is the truth that stabilizes our Christian walk, we will begin seeing Christ more and more in Scripture (John 5:39). And when we do not see Him, we will look for Him everywhere in those verses (Song 3:1-3; Isa 55:6). The more we know about Him, the better we know Him more personally. The more we know Him personally, the more we love Him (1 Jn 419). The more we love Him, the more we will seek to be with Him.

The Breastplate of Righteousness, Ephesians 6:14b

Whether we think of this as a shirt, an ephod, or a soldier’s body armor, the breastplate of righteousness is being consciously aware that Christ’s righteousness has been imputed to us. Christ Jesus is the only righteous Man who ever lived, the only Jew who kept the whole Law both actively and passively, the only Prophet who ever spoke the truth without schism, error, or defect, and the only Son who was ever wholly obedient to His Father. He came to live the righteous life that you and I cannot possibly live, and the Scriptures say that if we trust on Him for having done so, and also in that righteousness, He suffered the wrath of God that we deserve and died a true bodily death, Christ’s righteousness will be placed on our accounts. When the heavenly Father looks at you and me, He sees the righteousness of His only Son. And when we believe that, trust that truth, that will protect our hearts.

The Shoes of Readiness, Ephesians 6:15

Here again, Jesus is the shoes for our feet. Mark’s gospel expresses this well as Jesus “immediately” (ESV) or “straightway” (KJV) did this or that, or went here or there. Jesus is the Gospel, the good news, and He proclaimed the gospel truth wherever He went—perfectly, immediately, and powerfully. We need to stand upon that truth with feet shod in readiness to speak, share, or proclaim Him. We need only be ready. The true work is done by Christ through the Holy Spirit. Jesus said,

“When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour.” Matthew 10:19

While this was spoken in context of actual, physical, temporal persecution, it would most certainly apply to our spiritual warfare as saints in Christ. The readiness itself is not only a deterrent to the principalities and powers of the demonic and worldly age, but it also thwarts their deceptive missions.

Hallelujah! What a Savior!

We’ll conclude this article on the “Armor of God” in a second installment.

In celebration of Reformation month, I’ve comp’d everyone on my mailing list to receive 1 full year of free access to everything on my Substack platform. Everyone who has subscribed this month has been upgraded.

Subscribe before November 1st and get full access!

And anyone who signs up before November 1, 2025, will be upgraded to receive full access to all devotionals for the past three years, to all the articles written for premium subscribers only, etc.

I hope to continue the commentary on the book of Revelation, as well publishing answers to questions I’ve received over the past few years.

Let a Christian brother or sister know they can subscribe and get the free upgrade.

October 31, 2025, is the anniversary of Martin Luther nailing his famous 95 Theses on the castle door of Wittenberg Church, starting the Protestant Reformation and break from the Roman Catholic Church and her indulgences. Many Christians around the world celebrate the whole month of October as “Reformation Month.” I had not previously, but this month I am.

I’ve upgraded everyone on my email list. Everyone who has subscribed to a free account has been comp’d a full year’s paid subscription. You will have access to everything, even to articles and commentaries only available to paid subscribers. Because I’m “retired” there will also be other article categories coming, as well as excerpts from my upcoming book, The Glorious Gospel.

Perhaps you are already a paid subscriber. You have been extended for a year beyond your subscription ending. If you are a founding member, you have been comp’d for life (I’ll pray ask the Lord for another creative way to bless you).

Gift for Your Christian Friends and Family

When Paul spoke to the Ephesian elders toward the end of his third missionary journey, he said,

“In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” Acts 20:35

Here is an opportunity to give to your Christian friends and family. If you’ve enjoyed the daily devotionals and you think your Christian friends and family might like to receive the devotionals, when they sign up this month, they will be comp’d a full year’s paid subscription.

May the Lord Jesus continue to bless and keep you.

I had run across this YouTube video some ten years ago. It is from an old Edison-Bell phonograph of Spurgeon’s son, Thomas Spurgeon (1856-1917). In his biography of Thomas Spurgeon, W. Y. Fullerton (1857-1932) states that Thomas’ voice was similar to his father’s, having many of the same characteristics and inflections of speech. Here is that recording…

A Clearer Presentation

If you’d like to hear a clearer presentation of this recording, here’s one from about four years ago that has been reengineered but true to the original recording…

Thomas Spurgeon spent much of his earlier life ministering in Australia and New Zealand because of his health. He returned to London as pastor of the Metropolitan Tabernacle in 1893 and served there until 1908.

Arthur T. Pierson (1837-1911) served as pulpit supply at the Metropolitan Tabernacle from 1891-1893, ministering during Charles Spurgeon’s poor health and for several months following C. H. Spurgeon’s death in 1892.

I’m hoping to get some reviews for the audiobook.

If you’re in the USA or UK, I have codes from Audible.com so you can download the audiobook for free. If you are interested, please respond to this email, or email me at pastor@calvarybaptistninilchik.com.

I’ll also send along a PDF eBook when I send you the code for the free download.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DQFHW72R

If you don’t have a Kindle Reader but would still like to read and review the book, you can download a PDF copy of the book by CLICKING HERE.

There are prompts and links for leaving your review in both the Kindle Edition and the PDF copy. I do appreciate it. The reviews help bring more visibility to the book; and as the English version has blessed a large number of Christian believers, I’m praying that this version will help to draw my Spanish-speaking brothers and sisters nearer to our precious Lord Jesus. Muchas Gracias!

I’ve also provided the Spanish book description below:

¿Has oído decir que orar funciona, pero has tenido problemas con tu vida de oración? ¿Has buscado libros sobre la oración cristiana sólo para encontrarte con fórmulas o trucos? Si has anhelado un libro cristiano sobre la oración que te fortalezca para vivir una verdadera vida de oración como discípulo, ¡no busques más!

Señor, Enséñanos a Orar, explora las profundidades del Padrenuestro tal y como lo enseñó Jesús a Sus discípulos. Esta perspicaz guía desglosa cada frase, ofreciendo al creyente cristiano una comprensión más profunda de cómo orar de manera poderosa y efectiva. A través de este cuidadoso estudio, los lectores descubrirán cómo la oración sirve de modelo para su propia comunión con Dios, transformando tanto la vida de oración personal como la comunitaria.

Con este breve tratado, descubrirás el poder de una vida de oración, que te ayudará a conectar con Dios a un nivel más profundo. Cada capítulo desglosa las poderosas palabras de la oración, revelando profundas lecciones para la fe, la vida cotidiana y el crecimiento espiritual.

Qué contiene el libro:

NO TE AFLIJAS

Expresa el pecado de la preocupación y la ansiedad a través de las Escrituras, y la cura para esa angustia es la oración, confiando en un Dios soberano.

ENSÉÑANOS A ORAR

La petición de los discípulos y la respuesta del Señor.

NUESTRO PADRE CELESTIAL

Comprensión de a Quién rezamos y con Quién tenemos una relación.

EL SANTO NOMBRE DE DIOS

Acercarse a un Dios santo con temor reverente y estremecimiento.

EL REINO CELESTIAL DE DIOS

Aprendiendo la sumisión y la entrega al avance del reino de Dios en la tierra a través del evangelio de Jesucristo.

LA VOLUNTAD CELESTIAL DE DIOS

Aprendiendo la sumisión y la entrega a los planes y propósitos de Dios según Su santa voluntad y beneplácito.

Y MUCHO, MUCHO MÁS...

Tanto si buscas un crecimiento espiritual como una relación más estrecha con Dios, este libro te equipará para orar con mayor confianza y convicción, siguiendo el ejemplo establecido por el propio Cristo. Puedes seguir buscando libros sobre crecimiento espiritual o puedes conseguir este pequeño libro, descubrir los fundamentos de cómo Jesús nos enseñó a orar y empezar a disfrutar de la comunión con Dios en Cristo, desatando tu poderoso cristianismo con una oración que realmente funciona.

www.amazon.com/dp/B0DHR4V2RX

Have a blessed day!

My association and involvement with the Sovereign Grace Baptist Fellowship (SGBF) began in 2009 with my acceptance of the call from Sovereign Grace Baptist Church in Anniston, Alabama to minister as the church’s pastor. Sovereign Grace Baptist Church in Anniston was a member church of the SGBF since the Fellowship’s founding in 2001; therefore, as pastor of Sovereign Grace Baptist Church, I was grandfathered into the SGBF due to my church membership and ministry call. I served as pastor of the church in Anniston from January 2009 to April 2018, leaving Alabama upon my acceptance of the call to minister as pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in Ninilchik, Alaska.

During my tenure as pastor of SGBC in Anniston, I served the SGBF for two terms as vice-chairman and two terms as chairman. Immediately after arriving in Ninilchik, Alaska, I formally sent a letter to the SGBF requesting to continue as an associate, non-voting member. In 2022, I was granted “associate member” status, my name appearing in the Fall 2022 issue of the SGBF publication, The Sovereign Grace Messenger (SGM). That delay was not a big deal to me, since the priority of my ministerial duties in Alaska prevented direct involvement or interaction with the SGBF. Moreover, except for the SGM publication, which I received approximately three times per year, an occasional email exchange with Curtis Knapp, pastor of New Hope Baptist Church in Seneca, KS, and phone and email correspondence with Timothy Gallagher, pastor of Sovereign Grace Baptist Church in Anniston, AL, I had little to no communication with the SGBF or its member churches.

In the late summer of 2023, my 86-year-old-mother was struck with stage four peritoneal cancer. My wife flew to California to care for my mother on September 8, 2023. I followed on November 15, 2023. After my mother’s passing into glory on February 1, 2024, and after settling her estate and other affairs, my wife and I returned home to Ninilchik, Alaska on March 20, 2024.

It took nearly a month to filter through the accumulated mail. One of the last things opened was the 2023 Fall/Winter edition of the SGM. Immediately noticing the absence of Curtis Knapp from his position as editor of the SGM, I reached out to Curtis on April 16, 2024; stating that it was “none of my business” but added that his “absence from the list prompted me to get in touch” with him. In kind response, and after his introduction and other pleasantries, Brother Curtis replied:

“Yes, I am no longer in the Fellowship and no longer doing the SGM. Very long story. The extreme short version is that Larry Dean (a long-time close friend of mine) was preaching heretical things, denying substitutionary atonement and teaching a whole host of strange doctrines. I was shocked to find it out. It's all on his YouTube channel, especially if you search for sermons on the atonement or on justification. He also has a sermon he links to on his website that sums it up pretty well. 

“None of us knew he was teaching these things. Ryan Butler stumbled across it and told me and several others....”

I searched for Bridgetown Baptist Church online. On the Bridgetown Baptist Church website, under the menu subheading “Pastor’s Note,” was a link at the bottom of the page to an audio message preached (or at least uploaded) on March 17, 2017. About this sermon, Larry Dean writes:

“Here is the link to a message that probably sums up my understanding of the Work of Christ as well as any single message I have preached:  Justification Through Union With Christ” (online reference; emphasis in original)

You can listen to the sermon by clicking here.

I was grieved just from listening to that sermon alone; but also, after a perusal through some of Larry Dean’s sermons on the Bridgetown Baptist Church YouTube channel, I was much more sorrowful, as I had considered Larry, not only a brother in Christ, but also a friend. What Larry Dean preached, preaches, and will continue to preach (as I understand it) is heresy. It is another gospel (Gal 1:8-9).

While there is much more to his false doctrine than what I will describe in this short paragraph, its foundation is simply this: the atoning work of Christ’s penal substitution must include the unbeliever’s union with Christ upon the cross. Based upon his interpretation of Ezekiel 18:4, 20, the soul of the unbeliever must have mystically been joined in union with Christ, and by that union at Christ’s death upon the cross, the unbeliever must die for his own sins with Christ. Larry Dean also posits Galatians 2:20 as a supporting verse for his conclusions.

Contacting Brother Curtis Knapp again with my concerns over this heretical teaching of Larry Dean, he sent me a copy of a critique written by Ryan Butler, pastor of Grace Church of Bull Shoals in Bull Shoals, Arkansas. This critique, with its concerns, had been sent out to several of the members of the SGBF. When the issue was addressed with the SGBF, I believe Ryan may have been serving as vice-chairman of the Fellowship (this was Ryan’s second separate occasion in serving as vice-chair, the first time was when I served as chairman some ten years ago; Ryan then served as chairman following my terms in service).

Since my initial communication with Curtis Knapp, I had also spoken with Ryan Butler via phone conversation. He has given me permission to include his critique of Larry Dean’s teaching on justification. You can download a PDF copy of his critique by clicking here.

Ryan Butler provided a link to a YouTube page that has an audio recording of the minutes of the SGBF Annual Meeting held on September 13, 2023 with regard to this issue of Larry Dean’s teaching on justification in man’s salvation. You can hear that meeting by clicking here.

I have enhanced the audio of the meeting, amplifying only the portions of the meeting when those other than Ryan were speaking. Otherwise, the audio was not edited or doctored in any other way. You can listen to the discussion of the enhanced audio below…

Although I am no longer a voting member of the SGBF, it does concern me that an issue of this magnitude was not communicated to all the members of the SGBF, both voting members and non-voting associates alike.

The issue, it seems, presented before several of the ministers of that meeting was that they take, at simple face value, his word from the meeting that he believes in substitutionary atonement. Nevertheless, he still holds to his understanding and interpretation of what he preaches; that it requires the actual death of the sinner, an “actual participation”[i] of that person, albeit in Christ, to be justified before God for the sins he or she has committed against God.

The question is not whether Larry Dean says he believes in substitutionary atonement. The question is this:

The historically orthodox answer according to Scripture is… YES.

The answer cannot be, “Yes… but the sinner must also…”

“Yes... but…” violates four of the five solas of the Reformation: sola gratia, sola fide, solus Christus, and soli Deo gloria, the last two being the most insidious violations of them all.

The only thing that makes a sinner qualified for salvation is that he is a sinner… PERIOD. Paul wrote to Timothy,

The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. 1 Timothy 1:15, ESV

My death, even passive and somehow mystically united to Christ (according to Larry Dean), denigrates the preeminence of Christ in salvation because it implies that Christ’s righteous life and sacrifice was insufficient all by itself. It says that Christ’s sinless life was an insufficient substitution because it still required the death of the sinner.

Our justification is by Christ’s imputed righteousness alone.

That’s why Jesus came. He lived the righteous life that you and I can’t possibly live. While Jesus, by His incarnation was fully God, being fully Man, perfect, sinless, righteous, holy, blameless, etc., He fulfilled ALL righteousness. He, who need not repent, repented for our sakes at the Jordan River to fulfill all righteousness on our behalf (Matt 3:15). His perfect praise and prayers have gone before us (and continue even now since He is our heavenly Mediator, Advocate, and Intercessor). He withstood every temptation as perfect Man all the way to the cross. And then, upon the cross, He paid the debt He did not owe, for a debt we owe and cannot possibly pay. He was mutilated beyond human recognition (Isa 50:6; 52:14; 53:5) by sinful men, so that when He suffered the eternal and infinite wrath of God (Psa 22:1; Isa 53:5, 10; Matt 27:46; Mk 15:34), Jesus was at His weakest point physically. In this way, no one can say that His payment was insufficient, for Jesus suffered, not only as no other person has ever suffered, His sufferings surpassed the sufferings of the collective torment of all gospel-rejecters in their eternal judgment in the lake of fire reserved for the devil and his angels. At the height of Christ’s sufferings He did what Adam did not do— He committed His spirit to the Father (Luke 23:46). Then, at the end of His torment, as the Almighty God, He declared the penalty to be paid in full when He said, “It is finished” (John 19:30). This is because, since it was God our Creator whom we offended, it can only be God our Savior who can declare the offense paid and pardoned.

The Lord Jesus Christ’s incarnation and crucifixion was not a vehicle in order for sinful descendants of Adam to die for our sins. His righteous life and death alone required no help from anyone or any other thing because Jesus Messiah alone is the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6).

Trusting upon Christ’s perfect, sinless, and righteous life and sacrifice alone (faith alone in Christ alone because of God’s grace alone) is the only good news for wretched sinners.

Larry Dean’s view on justification is not a simple disagreement causing factions among believers entertaining carnal notions, as it was in Corinth (1 Cor 1:10-17). This issue is worse than a mere heretical teaching. It invariably belittles Christ and blasphemes His natures as fully God and fully Man. Because of Christ Jesus, we are justified by His imputed righteousness alone for He, Jesus of Nazareth, is the foundation of the biblical gospel. Salvation is all of grace because it is ALL OF CHRIST!

I am deeply saddened to have to address this about Larry Dean’s teaching. I, too, considered Larry Dean a friend.

What also saddens me is that I know this issue is going to place several missionaries and itinerant preachers in a difficult position as I know of many who are receiving support from churches in the SGBF. Nevertheless, I am confident, that as our heavenly Father and our Lord Jesus have provided time and again for me and mine as I served in the mission field, our Triune God will also provide for them who stand upon His holy truth.

The recorded minutes of the 2023 SGBF Annual Meeting above present a majority vote by the members, finding Larry Dean not guilty of heresy.

Both Curtis Knapp and Ryan Butler have stood as two witnesses of Larry Dean’s false gospel, meeting the biblical standard of 1 Timothy 5:19-22 and Titus 3:10-11. I myself have also listened to the messages in question. I will not, and because of the biblical gospel of Christ I CAN NOT, associate with the SGBF. I must resign any association or affiliation with the Sovereign Grace Baptist Fellowship immediately. As ministers of Christ’s gospel we cannot choose friendship, fellowship, or unity over faithfulness to gospel integrity.

My letter of resignation was written as follows:

May 17, 2024

To the Officers and Messengers of the Sovereign Grace Baptist Fellowship:

Gentlemen,

It is with a heavy heart that I must resign from the Sovereign Grace Baptist Fellowship as an associate member. Please remove my name from your future publications.

The reason for my departure from the fellowship is due to the teaching of Larry Dean, pastor of Bridgetown Baptist Church. Larry Dean’s teachings on justification denigrate and dishonor the orthodox doctrine of Christ’s justification by His imputed righteousness alone.

My simple resignation should suffice; however, if you are at all interested in a few more details concerning my decision, you can find them at length in an article I had written by clicking on this link.

Sincerely,

Jon Cardwell
pastor, Calvary Baptist Church
Ninilchik, Alaska

Cc:       SGBF Associate Members
            SGBF Missionaries
            SGM Editors

My prayer is that Larry Dean, and the men who stood with him, will repent and stand upon the sure Rock of the Lord Jesus Christ, and upon His righteousness and substitutionary atonement alone.

[i] Sermon, “Justification Through Union with Christ”; timestamp 32:01-30; moreover, at timestamp 32:06-12, Larry Dean says, “…an actual participation, although ours was passive, we were there…”

I have been in Riverside, California since November 15th. My lovely wife, Lisa, has been here since September 8th. We’ve been taking care of my mother, who has stage 4 peritoneal cancer (the peritoneum is the membrane that surrounds the vital organs in the abdomen).

My mom, Tish, is not saved. She was born and raised in the Philippines, and so she is nominally Catholic. Like me before I was saved in 1985, she believes in God; however, she has not trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ alone for salvation. That’s a tough nut to crack. Lisa confessed that she was discouraged for several weeks before I arrived, thinking that she was a pathetic Christian because she was unable to share the gospel with my mom. Since being in California and interacting with my mom, I told Lisa, “She’s not open to the gospel yet. With her condition, she’s so absorbed with self-pity and self-righteousness that she won’t hear the truth. It is as the Lord said of the Jews of His day, quoting Isaiah 6,

“‘You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive. For this people’s heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.’  My words comforted and encouraged her.’” Matthew 13:14-15

And again,

“A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own household.” Matthew 13:57

I’ve shared the gospel with her here and there over the past 38 years; and I have had a few opportunities in the past few weeks to share the gospel, as well as my own personal salvation testimony. This morning, I even shared the gospel with family members who have flown out from the east coast of the U.S. and Canada to visit my mom.

While we have been here in southern California, we have enjoyed the blessing of attending a congregation of believers who exalt Christ for God’s glory and give a high place to God’s sovereignty in salvation. And though the fellowship has been rich in Christ, we do miss our beloved church family at Calvary Baptist Church in Ninilchik, Alaska. We love and miss them, and we know they love and miss us.

VOICE

For the past couple of days, I have not been able to provide an audio recording of the daily devotionals. With guests in at my mother’s house, there has not been an opportunity. Also, I have been dealing with an intermittent voice issue the past few years. It has been getting increasingly worse, so the recording hiatus has allowed me to give my voice a rest. I have had an endoscopy on my throat and larynx a few years ago and there seems to be nothing physically wrong. I requested a consult from my neurologist to discuss whether this might be something associated with my latent-onset diving decompression sickness (from years of diving with the U.S. Navy). That will have to wait until I return to Alaska, however.

PRAYER

If it should come to mind during your times of prayer, please pray for my wife, Lisa, and me. Pray that…

• …my mom’s heart would be pricked by the gospel of Christ.

• …we will learn what we must and draw nearer to the Lord as we minister to my mom.

• …we will soon be united with our beloved church family in Ninilchik.

• …Christ will be exalted and our Father will be glorified in all we think, say, and do.

Thank you for your faithfulness to Christ, and Him crucified, risen, ascended, and coming again.

With love, by God’s grace,

jon j. cardwell

“Behold, I am of uncircumcised lips.” Exodus 6:30

Today basically marks the end of the event occurring at Hughes Chapel on the campus of Asbury University. According to the university president, Dr. Kevin Brown,

“Thursday, February 23, will mark the end of this historic multi-week gathering at Asbury University and Asbury Theological Seminary with the National Collegiate Day of Prayer broadcast hosted on our campus.”1

Most of us didn’t hear anything about this chapel event at Asbury University until it actually gained some momentum. Even then, afterward, I rather ignored it except for the brief mentions I perused from the Internet news. When it had gained even more notoriety, I decided to investigate a little further.

Asbury University

Asbury University was founded in 1890 as Kentucky Holiness College. Its founding was the result of a pledge made to a student at Vanderbilt University in 1880 by John Wesley Hughes, a Methodist evangelist and circuit-riding preacher. Planted in Wilmore, KY, the school’s name was changed to Asbury College a year later to honor the Kentucky Methodist minister and pioneer, Francis Asbury. Hughes also served as the college’s first president, from 1890-1905.

While it has Methodist roots, Asbury University identifies itself as a non-denominational Christian institution.

The current president of Asbury University is Dr. Kevin Brown, entering that position in 2019.

The institution claims to have experienced several “revivals” throughout its history: 1905, 1908, 1921, 1950, 1958, 1970, 1992, and 2006.2

Timeline of Events

• Wednesday, February 8, 2023. Chapel services occur on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, from 10-11 a.m. At the conclusion of the Wednesday morning chapel service, a group of approximately 20 undergraduate students remained in Hughes Chapel auditorium. It started when one student began to openly confess some of his sins to the group.  “And so you have to wonder, ‘What’s going to break?’ In this case, the Holy Spirit has interceded for us here at Asbury and across the nation,” said student body president, Alison Perfater, who was there. Later in that day, some videos went “viral” on social media platforms.3

• Friday, February 10, 2023. The event continued non-stop since its start. Comprised predominantly of the Asbury student body, non-students began to attend. Coffee stations were also set up in the auditorium. Local media covered the event.

• Sunday, February 12, 2023. Vans and buses arrived from churches and other institutions. Estes Chapel at Asbury Theological Seminary opened to accommodate the overflow. McKenna Chapel and other buildings also opened to accommodate visitors.

• February 13-14, 2023. Universities and seminaries began opening chapel services in response to “revival.”

• Wednesday, February 15, 2023. Asbury University event made national news with coverage by the Washington Post.  

• February 16-17, 2023. The university set February 23rd as last day of the event on campus. Large numbers of visitors continued to flood campus. Other Christian institutions held services in response to event.

• Saturday, February 18, 2023. Numbers of visitors to campus had swollen to the point that security was a concern.

• Sunday, February 19, 2023. Last day for public evening services was announced by the university.

• Tuesday, February 22, 2023. The university announced that the services would be moved to accommodate the significant number of students attending the event.

Revival: Yea or Nay?

The question before us is this: “Was the Asbury University occurrence a true revival?”

My answer: “Yes and no.”

I can almost hear some of you growl, “Aargh!” Allow me to explain.

Some 3,000 years ago, David penned this wonderful truth:

The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; Psalm 19:7

Was there genuine revival at the Hughes Chapel of Asbury University? Surely, there may have been souls to which the Holy Spirit genuinely ministered. Every salvation, when it comes right down to it, is a supernatural event. We were dead in trespasses and sins, spiritually opposed to God; and by the Holy Spirit resurrecting our dead souls to the truth of the God-Man, Jesus Christ, we have died to self and have been raised to newness of life (2 Cor 5:17). That’s a miracle no matter how you slice it.

Moreover, many of us can give testimony after testimony of how we have received a genuine, life-changing conversion despite the unorthodox, and for some, even heterodox and outright heretical circumstances surrounding our salvations.

So, yes, I believe there may have been some true revivals among some, or perhaps many, individuals there.

First Disturbing Sign

Was the event itself something I would classify as a revival? No. Why?

“Revivals,” or, if you will, the working of God among us, can be misunderstood. I used the word “working” intentionally because those who know me fairly well will realize that I preach and write often about the “person and work of Jesus Christ.”

Of course, when I speak of the person of Christ, I’m speaking about the eternal Son of God, the second person of the Trinity; and as eternal God, Jesus is the same in essence with the Father and Holy Spirit, and equal in power and glory. The Bible declares of Him thus:

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Hebrews 13:8

By Christ’s work, I am speaking of His righteous life as a perfect, sinless Man (1 Pet 2:2) and His corroborating miracles as Israel’s Messiah (John 5:36); and also, and most importantly, His substitutionary, atoning Sacrifice upon Calvary’s cross (1 Cor 2:2); and also His resurrection from the dead (John 2:19); and finally, His ascension into heaven (John 3:13; Heb 1:3).

When we presume this “work” in earthly occurrences is something “of God,” why is it that Jesus and His gospel are nary mentioned at all? His suffering God’s wrath for sins He did not commit, His paying a debt He did not owe for a debt we owe and cannot possibly pay, His tasting death for every man, by God’s grace (Heb 2:9), and the shedding of His precious blood, without which there would be no forgiveness of sins (Heb 9:22) was never in the forefront of this event, as far as can be testified to.

With regard to the gospel of Christ, Christian journalist, Samuel Sey, interviewed several students and alumni of Asbury University. On February 17th he wrote:

Though one student says the gospel has been consistently and explicitly preached since the beginning of the “revival”, others contradict that claim. In fact, one former student who was at the chapel this week told me he rarely, if ever, heard a clear presentation of the gospel at the school.

Another student said: “Attending the few chapels I have at seminary, apart from one [or] two chapels that preach a biblical message of repentance, it’s always been about ‘being who you are’ and God loving you ‘as you are.’ There are a lot of messages that are about being ‘true to yourself.’”4

So, the first disturbing sign is that Christ was not exalted and the gospel of His atoning death was not clearly emphasized or proclaimed.

Second Disturbing Sign

The second disturbing sign is akin to the first. If the gospel of Christ crucified was not exalted, what was? Attention and emphasis were given more to the revival itself than to Jesus Christ and the gospel of His atoning death; and it is His sacrifice which gives our worship of God in Christ breadth and length and height and depth.

What could this possibly mean? It means that many of the participants had made an idol of the “workings” of the revival. If the work of God in Christ is diminished, viz., His atoning death, then what we are calling God’s work in its place is an idol.

We are not pragmatists and we do not justify methods, methodologies, situations, circumstances, and phenomenon just because “they work.” If we did, we are making the “results” our idols.

Idols are not merely carved or graven images of wood, stone, or metal. Idolatry can take many forms. Fame, wealth, and material accessories and adornments such as cars, homes, etc., can be idols. Family, friends, and all kinds of relationships can become idols in our lives if we are not cautious. Work, career, and occupations are often idols that must be dealt with; sometimes causing rifts between spouses in marriage. Ministry, church traditions, and even the salvation of souls can become idols in our lives if they are not placed in their proper position under the submission to Jesus Christ as Lord and King enthroned above all.

Idolatry, the second commandment, is the root of all sins; and at its core, idolatry is making anything equal to or greater than the Lord Jesus Christ in our thoughts, words, and deeds.

Third Disturbing Sign

The reasons for my doubts about this event overall follow a very steady regression. The third disturbing sign I’ve witnessed found among the news articles and video segments I’ve watched was either the misuse of God’s Word to wrongly justify the event or the complete disregard for the Scriptures altogether.

For example, the Asbury University student body president who appeared on Tucker Carlson’s Fox News program said this about the event at the school: “A theme or a Bible verse that we’ve all been sharing with each other is Habakkuk 1, and the Lord says, ‘Look at the nations and watch, for I am doing something in your day that you wouldn’t believe if you were told.’”5

She was paraphrasing Habakkuk 1:5, which says,

“Look among the nations, and see; wonder and be astounded. For I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if told.”

I’m not bothered by her paraphrase at all. What troubles me is the context in which she is using the verse. YHVH God said this to Habakkuk about the judgment He intended to bring upon Judah because of its evil. The reason Habakkuk would have a hard time believing this work of God, even if it was told him, was because the LORD God said He was raising the idolatrous Chaldeans…

“that bitter and hasty nation, who march through the breadth of the earth, to seize dwellings not their own. They are dreaded and fearsome; their justice and dignity go forth from themselves.”  Habakkuk 1:6-7

This nation was even worse than the worst wickedness of Judah and Jerusalem, by which Habakkuk lamented (Hab 1:1-4).

While some may argue judgment came upon the event’s participants by the Holy Spirit’s presence, since it started with a student repenting and many others following (an issue I will cover in my fourth and final disturbing sign), the judgment appropriate with Habakkuk 1:5, that being far more evil men than Judah’s population bringing judgment astonishingly upon them, this verse prophetically speaks of the ultimate judgment suffered by Christ Jesus, whose murder was conspired by jealous religious leaders and executed by indifferent political heathen. Jesus would cause the sinful world to see; wonder and be astounded, as it is written:

As many were astonished at You— His appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance, and His form beyond that of the children of mankind— Isaiah 52:14

Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was pierced for our transgressions; He was crushed for our iniquities; upon Him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with His wounds we are healed…. Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush Him; He has put Him to grief; when His soul makes an offering for guilt, He shall see His offspring; He shall prolong His days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in His hand. Isaiah 53:4-5, 10

When Jesus was ravished beyond human recognition through three illegal Jewish trials and through three Roman trials afterward, succumbing to scourging, beatings, spitting, the pulling out of His beard (Isa 50:6), and all this while he had been kept awake for well over 24 hours, the Lord Jesus suffered God’s wrath spiritually for sins He did not commit when He was at His weakest physically. This is the gospel truth of our Lord and Savior so that when this was done, no one could ever say that His payment for our sins was not enough.

If the event at Asbury, or anywhere in the world, were a true work of God, Jesus would stand alone, apart from any supernatural phenomenon (Luke 9:36); and the only thing anyone would have to lean upon is the Word of God, which testifies of Christ (Rev 19:10).

Peter testified of the event he personally witnessed when he said:

For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For when He received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to Him by the Majestic Glory, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,” we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with Him on the holy mountain. And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. 2 Peter 1:16-21

Far greater than the phenomenon of this event at Asbury University was what Peter, James, and John experienced when they were on the mount with the Lord Jesus Himself, eyewitnesses to His transfiguration (Luke 9:28-36). Despite this most wonderful experience, Peter said that “we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed” (2 Pet 1:19). In other words, the Scriptures— the Word of God— is what is sure and steadfast. It is to God’s Holy Word wherein we must pay attention until the truth of the early light of salvation (until the day dawns) and the truth of the Lord Jesus Christ, incarnate God— righteously lived as a Man, sacrificially died as a Lamb, miraculously rose again as a Son, and ascended into heaven as a King— rises lovingly, joyfully, and peacefully from the depth of our beings (until… the morning star rises in your hearts).

Whatever you and I experience may cause our minds to be unduly swayed, influenced, or even perverted by the corruptions still remaining in our mortal flesh. Remember,

For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. Galatians 5:17

The Word of God, which testifies of the Lord Jesus Christ from Genesis to Revelation (Psa 40:7-8; Luke 24:27, 44; John 5:39, 46; Acts 18:28; 1 Cor 15:3-4; Rev 19:10; et al.), is always greater than our feelings or our failings. We trust in Christ alone, by grace alone, through faith alone, according to Scripture alone, for God’s glory alone. And if there is something that eludes our thinking from the Scriptures, you and I must trust the Scriptures to be true despite our lack of understanding in its reading. We must weigh every assent of our thoughts and every action in our decisions by the exaltation of the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ according to God’s written Word.

Fourth Disturbing Sign

Although there may be other things that trouble me over this event, they are probably minor in comparison to what I’ve already mentioned, as well as the fourth and final disturbing sign this event exudes: repentance.

Sometimes we treat repentance as a one-time, been-there, done-that, bought-the-tee-shirt kind of affair. “I did it once so I don’t have to do it again,” some may think. Or “I know I did it before, but this time I meant it,” says another.  Sometimes sinful man does not see repentance as an ongoing process which purges more and more the moral corruptions still hiding and abiding within “Mansoul’s Walls.”6 Repentance means turning from the sin I once loved and turning toward the Christ I once shunned. In turning to God in true repentance, we care not to depart from the commandments of His lips. When true repentance comes, you and I should treasure the words of His mouth more than my portion of food.

Proponents of the event are quick to promote Asbury’s gathering as a true revival because of many who have been repenting over the several days of this occurrence. While I have no doubt there can be some genuine repentance over sins, I’m skeptical because of testimonies, again, offered in the article by Samuel Sey:

Still, progressive Christians like Tim Whitaker at The New Evangelicals have essentially endorsed the “revival” after his visits to the chapel this week. Moreover, he says LGBTQ students at the school told him the university protects them from “conversion therapy.” According to Whitaker, the LGBTQ students who were “worshipping” at the chapel also say they’re especially hopeful the “revival” will create (progressive) change at the school.

That lines up with what one student said to me: “Unfortunately, I have first-account experience and conversations with people who are attending and speaking on the ‘greatness’ of revival who are actively living in sin (to be blunt).”7

When what God says, viz., the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, is not the standard for how we live, then repentance is a sham, regardless of how sincere we may be when we’ve confessed.

To be fair, with regard to the report concerning Tim Whitaker and the LGBTQ students on campus, Asbury University’s official stance on biblical marriage and sexuality does not make concessions or compromises on the issues promoted by LGBTQ. See Asbury’s Commitment to Morality here; and see Asbury’s Human Sexuality Statement (in PDF) here.

Nevertheless, the statements from Brother Sey’s interviews are too disconcerting to be ignored.

Repentance could be either glorious and heavenly, or it could be worldly, deadly, and altogether ignoble.

The Scripture says,

For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death. 2 Corinthians 7:10

Godly grief or sorrow accompanies true repentance. It is a grace of God, which the Holy Spirit brings to the soul from above (Jas 1:17). It is not mustered from the filth and depravity of our sinful and corrupt flesh. Christ’s illumination (John 8:12), via the Holy Spirit who testifies of Christ (John 15:26) and convicts us of sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 16:7-11) does shed light upon those sins, however, so we may confess them before God (1 Jn 1:9) and repent from them for Christ’s glory (John 16:17).

Peter exhibited this kind of godly grief which produced repentance. After he had betrayed the Lord Jesus three times, denying that he was with Jesus (Luke 22:57), denying that he was a disciple of Jesus (Luke 22:58), and finally denying that he knew Jesus at all (Luke 22:59), when the rooster crowed as Jesus told him earlier (Luke 22:31-34), and when the Lord turned to look at Peter (Luke 22:61), Peter “went out and wept bitterly” (Luke 22:62).

Worldly grief or sorrow accompanies a sentimental, fleshly repentance.

Judas Iscariot, on the other hand, confessed his sin,

saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” Matthew 27:4

Judas even threw the thirty pieces of silver he received down in the temple (Matt 27:5a); and afterward, went out and hung himself (Matt 27:5b).

His confession of his terrible sin meant nothing because he confessed it before men who hated Christ and sent Him to Pilate. His repentance, though sincere and heartfelt, did not bring him to the cross. Yes, worldly sorrow produces death.

Concluding Remarks

Amidst all the sentimental hoopla, the shofar blowing, the speaking in tongues without an interpreter, the disorderliness, and other human manifestations, I’m sure there was more than likely some genuine conversions going on… but I believe they happened in spite of the to-dos, not because of them.

And just in case you don’t see the content of GoWithJordan’s tweet, here is the image associated with his tweet…

You can also view the original tweet by coping the following text and pasting it into an open browser window: twitter.com/GoWithJordan_/status/1626774979286122496?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Recommended Reads

• Samuel Sey’s article on ChristianPost.com

“The gospel accounts containing Christ’s genealogy could have easily been refuted while the temple still stood.”

It should have read…

“The gospel accounts containing Christ’s genealogy could have easily been refuted while the temple still stood, were it not so.” [emphasis added]

Please accept my sincerest apologies.

Moreover, my voice recording of the devotional thought was read with critical missing piece. Again, so sorry.

It only goes to prove, that there is only one true, flawless preacher of the gospel— the Lord Jesus Christ. Hallelujah! What a Savior!

You can read the entire corrected version by clicking here.

Listen to the audio devotional above, and/or read the written devotional below.

It’s been three months since I switched over to sending out my daily devotionals on this Substack platform. How do you like it?

I know that the email software I was using before was getting old and having trouble reaching some of you. Now, receiving these emails has been more reliable. It’s easier to sign up to receive these devotionals with this platform; and easy to unsubscribe if you don’t want them.

Moreover, I like the ability to record the daily devotionals as well. Some folks like reading and mulling over things. Some are visual learners. Some retain better through listening. Some like the combination of any or all three. I’ve also provided links to the online ESV Bible; which allows you to not only read the text, but to listen as well.

So far, the most popular devotional or commentary these last three months is “Happy Compliance Adorns Obedience with Grace,” from Ruth 3:5.

One of my favorite devotionals to write was “Salary and Something to Wear,” from Judges 17:10.

Which was your favorite devotional?

What feature do you like best from this platform?

Perhaps there’s something you don’t like. Feel free to let me know that too.

Please sound off and leave your comments, as this will help me minister to you better so that Christ is exalted in your life, and mine, much more greatly.

The audio recording is found below.

Read more

For the nine months in 1984 and 1985, the Lord ministered to me through several saved young men. I was a First Class Petty Officer in rank, and a Navy diver as my primary job; and then, I was stationed on the U.S.S. McKee (AS-41), homported at the submarine base in Point Loma, California. Two of the Christians witnessing to me were Navy divers (which seemed odd to me at the time) and two others aspired to be Navy divers (we called them “wannabes” — I know, not very kind). These Christian young men invited me to their Bible study held onboard ship in the early evenings before “taps” (lights out).

In the Bible studies, I heard the gospel, but it just didn’t make sense to me. I knew what they were saying. They weren’t speaking gibberish. Yet my unsaved, natural mind could not make sense of it. For one thing, I had no real sense of sin— never had it for my entire life up to that point. Being called a sinner was not offensive to me. It’s not that I didn’t believe there was a God. I did. I grew up in a non-religious home, so I had no real perspective of a holy God; unholiness was not a concept in my thought processes.

It’s somewhat laughable now, but in the early days of their witness to me, one of the  young sailors said to me: “You know, we didn’t come from monkeys.” My reply was along this line: “I know. I’ve been to the San Diego Zoo and monkeys don’t do the stupid stuff I do.”

Neither did I understand the gospel of Jesus Christ crucified which offered salvation by God’s grace through faith. I didn’t understand the cross or substitutionary atonement. The cross, Christ’s shed blood, His suffering the wrath of God: I heard it, but it was as far from my comprehension as the east was from the west.

By the end of May, I still didn’t get it, but I knew I wanted to be saved. I knew I needed to be saved, but I didn’t know how. I was so frustrated in this struggle of trying to understand, yet salvation was far beyond my furthest grasp. Attempts at “being good” only amplified the truth of sin, which for the spring months of 1985, it was becoming very real and overwhelming to me. I was so confused about the gospel that I didn’t even know what kind of questions I could ask.

Finally, since it seemed the Bible studies were becoming increasingly less helpful and my troubled soul was becoming increasingly more miserable, I decided that I wasn’t going to attend anymore… one of the Christians invited me to attend another Bible study they were going to have on a Friday evening at 1900 hours (7 p.m.) in the berthing compartment. I said “yes” to the invitation even though I determined not to go; and I went.

At the Bible study, I attempted to listen intently. “Perhaps this was the night I might find an answer,” I thought. My attention was consumed by my desperate desire for relief and I couldn’t make heads or tails of any of their Scriptural posits. There was one verse recited that evening that got into my head, which I couldn’t get out of my head—

but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear. Isaiah 59:2

You have to understand, I didn’t memorize this verse. I didn’t know Isaiah from Jonah or John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt. It was the essence of this verse that stuck with me; and it wasn’t until a few years later that I realized that this was the verse the Lord used through these young men to get my attention.

Now, this verse of Scripture didn’t make things better. No way, Jose! They made things much, MUCH worse. I was wretched. Looking back, I know it was only by God’s grace I even made it through the weekend. I must have been like a zombie walking around the darkened passageways of the ship after taps. I was at the end of my rope, at the end of myself, and wished it were all over. I even attempted to pray: “Lord, if I can’t be saved, You may as well strike me down right now and send me to hell…” and the gist of that verse from Isaiah came rushing to me in an instant; I knew my sins against God had caused Him to hide His face from me, and I cried aloud, “and You’re not even hearing me!”

I found one of the young Christians from the Bible study when the weekend was over, on Monday morning, June 3rd, 1985, 82 days before my 25th birthday. I asked him to pray for me because I was so low, hopeless, and helpless. He asked me if I knew how to pray, and of course, I did not and told him so. He said he would lead me in a prayer, and I could just repeat what he said. I didn’t realize at the time that this is what some Christians refer to as the “sinner’s prayer” (and even afterward I didn’t know what it was, as I will relate in a moment, a practice that I do not apply or promote in ministry, though I’m not against it per se).

Vince led me in this prayer, and I suppose I was repeating what he said because he didn’t stop me and tell me to repeat after him. You see, we knelt together to pray, and as soon as I closed my eyes, I didn’t hear a word he said. I was consumed in my own thoughts of Christ’s cross. I knew what it was. He bled and died for me. Jesus took my place and suffered for the sins I committed against a holy God. I believed it with every fiber of my being. I knew that trusting in Him I could turn from my sins and godless way of life and turn to Christ as my God, Lord, and Savior. I knew I belonged to Christ now, that He loved me, and that He gave Himself for me. It was as if I was engulfed in God’s love.

The only other word I heard Vince say was: “Amen.”

As I mentioned, I don’t use the “sinner’s prayer” when I share the gospel or witness to others. I don’t have “altar calls” when I preach. It was not the prayer that saved me. It was Christ alone, by God’s grace alone, through faith in Him alone that saved me. And as I mentioned before, I’m not against the sinner’s prayer per se. The Lord used it in Vince’s life, and certainly in mine, to be the catalyst by which I could literally kneel in prayer, and spiritually kneel before the cross, to surrender to Christ.

So transformed was I that day, Christ had changed my manner of speech. Before that June morning, every other word out of my mouth was a four-letter expletive, making me a “poster child” of sorts for having the mouth of a sailor. That was taken away from me instantly. It had to be pointed out by someone else because that kind of talk was so much a part of me that I didn’t know I spoke like that. So when it was gone, I didn’t realize it departed. Hallelujah! What a Savior!

I was in kind of a honeymoon with my Lord Jesus for a week. I kept on bugging these Christians about when they would have another Bible study.

Vince realized I didn’t have a Bible so he gave me a little New Testament, which also contained the Psalms and the Proverbs. This was exactly one week after the Lord had saved me.

I had duty that night and there were no dive jobs, so I sat up in the dive locker and read through the Gospel of Matthew, and then part way through the Gospel of Mark. You must understand, I learned to speed read when I was in high school, and once I learned, I hardly read anything slow at all… until the Lord saved me, that is. By the time I finished Matthew I was in tears. Not only could I understand several things I could never understand before, the truth of Christ’s righteous life, His crucifixion, and His resurrection were more real to me than anything I had ever experienced in my life. I wept even more reading through part of Mark.

After three weeks, I read through the entire New Testament, as well as the Psalms and Proverbs. Certainly, there were things I didn’t understand at all, but of those truths the Holy Spirit had opened to me, it was if I were a completely different person, just as God’s Word declared:

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 2 Corinthians 5:17

I had to get the whole Bible, one with both the Old and New Testaments. One of the Christian divers went with me to downtown San Diego to help me get my first Bible (as much as I traveled around the world by that time, I find it delightfully providential that I was born in San Diego in 1960 and I was born-again in San Diego in 1985).

With my first Bible in hand, my prayer to the Lord was something like this: “Lord, I know I’m not going to understand everything in Your Word, but if You’re willing, help me to understand as much as I’m able, by Your grace.” Of course He was willing! I read completely through the Bible in the next nine months.

My precious Lord was faithful to that promise 39 years ago and continues to be faithful to that promise today.

By 1987, I discovered Robert Murray M’Cheyne’s “Daily Bread” Bible Reading Plan, which allowed me to systematically read through the entire Old Testament once in the year, as well as the New Testament and the Psalms twice in that same year.

MY STUDIES

Fast-forwarding a few years, with my young Christianity growing, grinding, even groveling for repentance because of my failures and unfaithfulness, a passionate love for God’s Word and His blessed gospel yet remained.

By late 1989, I was a Chief Petty Officer stationed in the Diving and Salvage Division of the Ships Repair Facility in Subic Bay, Republic of the Philippines. My routine was: wake up at 0300 to pray and read my Bible; work out at the naval station gym at 0500 when it opened; eat a quick breakfast at the dive locker at 0600. Muster for divers’ PT (physical training) at 0630. After my shower following the exercises and 5-mile run, muster for quarters and dive job assignments at 0800. Knock off work anywhere from 1500 to 1600 hours after dive jobs were complete and maintenance was done for the equipment, dive boats, and recompression chamber.

I took a Bible College correspondence course. I just wanted to draw nearer to Christ through a better grasp of God’s Word, never imagining I would one day be called to be a pastor in Christ’s church. Since it was correspondence, it only took me nine months to complete.

The Lord called me into pastoral ministry in 2000. Since, I’ve applied and have been accepted to attend seminary; however, in God’s providence, I could not go, and I went to minister as the pastor of Sovereign Grace Baptist Church in Anniston, Alabama from 2009 to 2018 (my fourth pastorate).

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MY THOUGHTS ON EDUCATION

I had written all that to say this: I believe a biblical education is essential for every Christian. Nevertheless, I understand it might not always be possible or practicable for one to attend Bible college, seminary, or other Christian training.

Because of that, I want to do all I can to pass on to you some of the wonderful blessings God has provided for me in His merciful love and amazing grace.

MY THEOLOGY ARTICLES

With that, I’m starting a category of posts called, “Theology Thursday.”

Theology is sometimes a word some Christians may shy away from. It tends to conjure up ideas of dry academics. Look, I get it. I dropped out of college in 1979 to join the Navy to be a frogman because I was tired of school. But theology doesn’t have to be some deep scholastic thought endeavor. It can be simple, enjoyable, and best of all, glorifying to God through Christ’s exaltation as we grow in understanding of the doctrines from God’s Word. Here’s a terrific definition of what theology is:

…the science of God and divine things; or the science which teaches the existence, character and attributes of God, His laws and government, the doctrines we are to believe, and the duties we are to practice. —Noah Webster, Webster’s Dictionary of American English, published 1828

Each week, on Thursday, I’ll present some theological article. I pray they will be a blessing to you. And remember, using this platform on Substack.com, you can leave comments or ask questions to get clarity from what I’ve written.

That said, Theology Thursday is coming soon.

MY TAKE ON HERMENEUTICS

Although it’s not yet Thursday, I wanted to leave you with something helpful today. The topic is basic hermeneutics. Recently, I gave a student of Alaska Bible Institute my four-minute hermeneutics course. Hermeneutics is simply this:

Interpreting; explaining; unfolding the signification; as hermeneutic theology, the art of expounding the Scriptures. —Noah Webster, Webster’s Dictionary of American English, published 1828

My unaccredited college course isn’t exactly a 101; it’s more of a 001. Here it is…

First, read the Bible daily, and read through the entire Bible in one year… every year. As a resource, you can use Robert Murray M’Cheyne “Daily Bread” Bible Reading Plan, which is available online for free by clicking here.

Second, learn the meanings of words from original languages.

Ideally, it’s best to learn the original languages in Hebrew, Chaldean, and Greek, most especially if one is going into a preaching or teaching ministry. The wonderful pastor’s pastor and author of the hymn, “Amazing Grace,” counseled a young minster with this rich wisdom concerning the pursuit of study in the original languages:

“The original Scriptures well deserve your pains, and will richly repay them. There is doubtless a beauty, fullness, and spirit, in the originals, which the best translations do not always express.” John Newton, The Works of Rev. John Newton, Volume 1, Williams & Whiting, London; 1810; pgs.118-119  

Most people don’t have time to learn another language; however, a good concordance for word studies would be an eternal investment of infinite value. Click here to examine an exhaustive concordance for the ESV. Click here to examine an exhaustive concordance for the KJV.

Third, interpret Scripture with Scripture. The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge is a great primer for finding associated, applicable, and complimentary Bible verses for the portion of text you’re studying. I’ve used this for the 22 years the Lord has allowed me to minister as a pastor, gospel preacher, and Bible teacher. Click here to examine that resource.

Fourth, interpret Scripture by the truth of the gospel; in other words, by the truth of the New Testament in general, and the truth of Christ Jesus, and Him crucified, risen, ascended, and coming again, in particular. While some systematic theologies are good, they can be overwhelming in their many volumes. A good, thorough Confession of Faith would be a great place to start. The 1689 London Baptist Confession is a terrific theological, gospel presentation, and a free PDF copy can be obtained by clicking here.

Finally, if your hermeneutic does not drive you to exalt the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ for the ultimate glory of God the Father, the interpretation is in error.  God is most glorified in the exaltation of His only Son, as it is written,

Therefore God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:9-11

MY DISCLAIMER

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