Ol' Fuzzy's Cave: August 2017

Tuesday, August 29, 2017

A Commentary on the Book of Hebrews, Part 20

Shall we wind up the chapter?

19 For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God. 20 And inasmuch as not without an oath he was made priest: 21 (For those priests were made without an oath; but this with an oath by him that said unto him, The Lord sware and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec:) 22 By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament. 23 And they truly were many priests, because they were not suffered to continue by reason of death: 24 But this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood.

25 Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. 26 For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; 27 Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people’s: for this he did once, when he offered up himself. 28 For the law maketh men high priests which have infirmity; but the word of the oath, which was since the law, makeththe Son, who is consecrated for evermore.

The final nail that seals the crate is the oath that God took when appointing Jesus to be high priest. While the priests of the line of Aaron have to be replaced when they become infirm or die, Jesus continues His priesthood indefinitely, because Jesus cannot die again. Therefore, Jesus is able to intercede forever for the sins of men and women. His attributes are that He is holy, that is separate unto God; has no sin of His own to attend to; different than the sinners; and seated at the right hand of the Father in Heaven. He doesn’t need to continually make new offerings to God for sins, since the one offering He made is perfect and permanent: Himself.

The Law made ordinary men into high priests, with all their faults and foibles. But the oath of God that made Jesus permanently high priest came after the Law, and it made the Son and Heir a high priest who is never desecrated. Jesus is the last of His line, and the first fruits of the next world. What kind of choice is it to abandon Him?

Ol’ Fuzzy is not employable and was denied for disability benefits. The only thing I have is the blogs. But I don’t qualify for ads on the blogs until September. If you like the scribbles I post, please help me keep it going. You can leave me a gratuity by dropping a buck or two in Ol' Fuzzy's Tip Jar. This is a PayPal account I opened on Wednesday, April 5, 2017.

Monday, August 28, 2017

A Commentary on the Book of Hebrews, Part 19

Let’s dig a little deeper in the well.

11 If therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood, (for under it the people received the law,) what further need was there that another priest should rise after the order of Melchisedec, and not be called after the order of Aaron? 12 For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law. 13 For he of whom these things are spoken pertaineth to another tribe, of which no man gave attendance at the altar. 14 For it is evident that our Lord sprang out of Juda; of which tribe Moses spake nothing concerning priesthood. 15 And it is yet far more evident: for that after the similitude of Melchisedec there ariseth another priest, 16 Who is made, not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life. 17 For he testifieth, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec. 18 For there is verily a disannulling of the commandment going before for the weakness and unprofitableness thereof.

The preacher is showing these Jewish Christians the fact that a priest of the tribe of Judah is not acceptable under the Law of Moses. But an older law, the law under which Melchizedek was priest, take effect once Jesus became incarnate. The King of Righteousness has entered the picture, and the law of the priesthood reverts to that under Him. Jesus said, “I am come that they might have life; and that more abundantly.” The law of Moses was a law that required death and blood to cover sin. Jesus fulfilled that law by His sinless life, death by judicial execution for a crime which He did not commit and His resurrection from the dead. The law of Moses dealt with things of the body, outward actions. The law of Christ deals with things of the soul, inward intent.

The Law of Moses has the power to convict us of sin, and to cover that sin by the blood sacrifice of an innocent victim, a spotless lamb. The Law of Christ has the power to release us from sin, and forgive us of our shortcomings through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, Whose blood was shed as atonement for all. God the Father, through the prophecy of King David, appointed Jesus to be high priest, according to the line of the King of Righteousness.

If Christ is superior to the Law of Moses, why would anyone go back to the inferior way? Similarly, why do we go back to our old ways of idolatry, serving Mammon, money, possessions and status? Once Jesus is Lord of your life, you have no need of the old things. “Lift up your head, you gates. Open wide, you everlasting doors. The King of Glory is coming in.” Don’t shut the door to Christ by turning back to the things from which He has delivered you.

Sunday, August 27, 2017

A Commentary on the Book of Hebrews, Part 18

Now let’s see what else the preacher said about the King of Righteousness.

CHAPTER SEVEN

1 For this Melchisedec, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him; 2 To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of Righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of peace; 3 Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually. 4 Now consider how great this man was, unto whom even the patriarch Abraham gave the tenth of the spoils. 5 And verily they that are of the sons of Levi, who receive the office of the priesthood, have a commandment to take tithes of the people according to the law, that is, of their brethren, though they come out of the loins of Abraham: 6 But he whose descent is not counted from them received tithes of Abraham, and blessed him that had the promises. 7 And without all contradiction the less is blessed of the better. 8 And here men that die receice tithes; but there he receiveth them, of whom it is witnessed that he liveth. 9 And as I may so say, Levi also, who receiveth tithes, payed tithes in Abraham. 10 For he was yet in the loins of his father, when Melchisedec met him.

This is the basic argument I made of the position of Melchizedek. The Jebusite chronicles were lost between the time of Abraham and the time that David took Jerusalem for his capital. But there is no other mention of the title Melchizedek outside the book of Genesis before the scribe took down Saint Paul’s sermon here. So the preacher was able to use that as an example of Christ, as a pseudo-christophany. No one knows the names of the men who wore the title, but as long as there were Jebusite kings over Salem, or later, Jerusalem. It wasn’t until David became the ruler of that city, all records are lost.

If Melchizedek is the King of righteousness as well as the King of Peace, the priests that follow are descended from him in the priestly, order if not by blood. The next priest of the line of Melchizedek after David took the city is Jesus Christ, Whose titles include the title Prince of Peace. The prince is heir to the throne, and Jesus is Heir to the City of the Lord’s Peace (Jerusalem) as much as He is heir to everything else in creation. Therefore, when He comes into His inheritance, Jesus will be Melchizedek too. He shall be the King of Righteousness over all the is.

The preacher makes a great show of the superiority of the line of Melchizedek over the lineage of Aaron. The reason is that the target audience are those Jewish Christians who were contemplating abandonment of Christ for the Aaronic form of worship in the Temple at Jerusalem. We can look at this in another way too. Jesus is superior to any other form of worship. He is higher than the Buddha, the Brahmens, the Prophets and the shaman. No Pagan form of worship can touch the level of Christ. He is even more valuable than all the currency ever coined on Earth from the beginning of coinage unto the end of time.

Notice the principle the preacher exposes here, the lesser always pays tithe or tribute to the greater. If Abraham paid tithe to Melchizedek, it was a recognition on the part of Abraham that Melchizedek was greater than he in the faith of the Most High God. Therefore, since Abraham is greater than his descendants, Melchizedek is superior to Abraham’s descendants. That being the case, the faith of Melchizedek is superior to the faith of Moses and the priesthood of Aaron.

For us it means that there is no better way to get into the presence of God than the faith of Jesus Christ. No matter what people try to tell you or what you may feel about the church in your neighborhood, Jesus is the one and only Way, the one and only Truth and the one and only Life; no person comes to the Father except by Jesus Christ. Turn to Him.

Saturday, August 26, 2017

A Commentary on the Book of Hebrews, Part 17

Earlier I said the preacher would get back to the King of Righteousness. Well in the conclusion of chapter six he finally does. Let’s look at the verses.

16 For men verily swear by the greater: and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife. 17 WhereinGod, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath: 18 That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strongconsolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: 19 Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; 20 Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.

Continuing the discussion from yesterday, the preacher is explaining why God swore an oath. He is merely reassuring the listeners that God’s promises are true. The principle God laid out in the judicial system of Leviticus of using two witnesses to establish the veracity of a claim is shown here in operation. Notice that the event the preacher uses for an example predates Moses by more than a century. Yet God follows the principle before He has laid it down in the Law. “Out of the mouths of two or three witnesses will the thing be established.” That makes perjury difficult without elaborate conspiracies like we have in American courts. It takes more than one person to put a falsehood before the court as true. Not as easy in a highly religious society where the penalty for perjury is equal to the penalty for the crime the perjurers are trying to obscure or deflect.

So God does not commit perjury in His promises. He swore a binding oath and made deposition that it is so. Therefore, we can rest our hopes on those promises as surely as we rest our weight upon the ground. The hope we have extends across the former partition between God and men, because Jesus is the high priest of that hope, and He is both God and man. He is our high priest, not after the order of Aaron, who came after Abraham, but after the order of the King of Righteousness, Melchizedek. Let us put all anxiety, doubt and fear aside, our redeemer is true.

Tomorrow I shall get back to the preacher’s discussion of Melchizedek.

Friday, August 25, 2017

A Commentary on the Book of Hebrews, Part 16

Moving on to the next verses, let’s see where the preacher is going.

9 But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak. 10 For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister. 11 And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end: 12 That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises. 13 For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself, 14 Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee. 15 And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.

After that stern warning against apostasy, now the preacher is being more gentle by reminding the listeners of the blessing that God has promised to their ancestor, Abraham. He tells them first that he expects better of them than to turn away from the salvation of God in Christ Jesus. Then he reminds them of the just and merciful nature of the Father. The word translated here as unrighteous is ʹαδικαός, which means unjust, unrighteous and unmerciful all in the same word. The negation word before it turns it around. This is a legitimate use of double negative that forms an emphasis on the positive. God is just, merciful and righteous to remember the labors of love carried out by the followers of the Son.

The preacher tells them that he desires their completion of the course by their remaining diligent as they have been to reach the full assurance of hope until the Lord returns. He urges them not to be lazy, but to follow the examples of the ones who have already earned their crowns as children of the King. Then he reminds them of the promise God made to Abraham and the oath He took on His own being, since there is nothing greater than God for God to swear upon.

God is blessing the entire descendants of Israel, including those of us who are grafted into Israel by faith in Christ. All Christians are included in these promises to Abraham. So the wish of the preacher that his listeners continue to the end also applies to us. Brothers and sisters in Christ, if you are ever thinking of leaving the faith of Christ, follow the plea of the preacher in this chapter and remain steadfast until you realize the blessing of God’s eternal grace.

Thursday, August 24, 2017

Commentary on the Book of Hebrews, Part 15

Now let us examine chapter six.

CHAPTER SIX

1 Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, 2 Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. 3 And this will we do, if God permit.

4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were madepartakers of the Holy Ghost, 5 And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, 6 If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame. 7 For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God: 8 But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned.

This passage puts to rest the false doctrine of “once saved, always saved.” In these few words the preacher is giving the ultimate warning to those who are considering apostasy. Taking all the other warnings together, subtle or not, one could still be comfortable with the idea that nothing you do wrong after reciting the formulaic prayer will ever lose your salvation. But, brothers and sisters, if you read this and chose to follow that doctrine you are a heretic, picking and choosing what parts to believe and what parts to throw away. But the revelation of God is whole, all or nothing. So leaving out one single clause is enough to nullify the whole Gospel.

And just what is the preacher saying here? He wishes to move on to the meat of the word, and outlines the part he deems milk. Verse three is a reminder that just because you have begun to study the meat is no reason to neglect doing the things you have learned in the milk. The simple Gospel is laid out from changing your thought paterns (repentance), putting your full faith and obedience in God, being dunked in water (baptism), the laying-on of hands for the transmission of the Holy Spirit (what the Roman Catholics call confirmation, in the Eastern Orthodox Church we call it chrismation), the resurrection of the dead and the final judgment.

But the part that stings is the next five verses. We shall deconstruct them for the benefit of those who cannot grasp it in the stilted language of Queen Elizabeth. There is a certain point at which it becomes impossible to be restored to the faith leading unto salvation. That point is reached by everyone who follows Christ, eventually. But if from that point on, you turn away from the faith, your salvation is forfeit because you would have to crucify Christ anew and put Him to open shame at the time God the Father has appointed Him to Glory. The thing this preacher is saying is not that something outside of you will steal your salvation, nor is he talking about misplacing it. Remember, the preacher is talking to a group of Jewish Christians who are contemplating a return to the old ways of the Old Testament in rejection of Jesus Christ. And some had already done so. So this is a warning against intentionally walking away from the faith of Jesus Christ.

Now look at the conditions the preacher sets. In order to fit the criteria set here one must: have heard the Gospel and believed unto salvation (once enlightened); become Baptized and receive the Body and Blood of Christ in communion (tasted of the heavenly gift); filled with the power and the grace of the Holy Spirit (become partakers of the Holy Ghost); studied the scriptures, both Old Testament and New Testament, and learned of Christ on every page (tasted the good word of God); and have seen miracles inside and outside (and the powers of the world to come); once one has fulfilled all of the conditions, turning your back on God is the final decree of the divorce. All that is left is His alimony payments in the form of life on Earth, food and water.

The preacher is not saying that the devil can steal your salvation, only you can rid yourself of salvation. The preacher is giving a warning to people who ought to know already that they can’t go their own way and expect God to take them in at the end. Some of the worst sinners in history have been apostates from Christianity. If you leave the protection of the sheltering harbor, you must sail in the stormy sea. You become subject to every taunt of the spirits of darkness who seek to destroy your soul. Once the divorce is final, you can’t expect your ex-God to come running to your rescue when you put you foot in the snares of the devil. You were at one time the Bride of Christ, but you rejected Him for the other stuff.

The preacher concludes with an agricultural parable. When a farmer plants his field, God brings rain upon the seeds and causes them to grow into food for the farmer and for his income. But should the field produce weeds, thistles and poisonous plants, the farmer doesn’t try to harvest them. Instead he burns the field to cleanse it of the taint. This is a hint of the torment suffered by one who is eternally separated from God (in other words, in hell).

My conclusion is similar. If you have begun the journey down the road of Christianity, finish the course, follow that road to its end. If you leave the road to get on the highway to hell, you won’t find your own way back, and God has already done what He will for you. If you are thinking of turning back to the things God saved you from, think again.

Wednesday, August 23, 2017

A Commentary on the Book of Hebrews, Part 14

Let us finish out chapter five before we get back to Melchizedek.

11 Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing. 12 Forwhen for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. 13 For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.

14 But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

This passage is an interlude in the discussion on the King of Righteousness so the preacher can point out the failings of his intended audience. Remember, these were Jewish Christians, most of whom were learned beyond their fellow Jews. They should have been the ones preaching and teaching about Christ from the scriptures. Instead, the preacher has to chastise them for forgetting what they have learned in the Bible.

They proclaim themselves to be mature believers in God, but they have fallen to the level of immaturity that requires them to be fed the simple teachings again like a baby needs milk before it is weaned. Just like that baby can’t digest meat and other foods before its stomach is developed enough, these immature believers can’t handle the meat of the Word until their faith develops enough to digest it. The preacher is frustrated at their lack of understanding. And he’s really taking it out on them.

But what about us? We’ve had the Bible all our lives, and we hear a preacher every week. Are we ready to digest the meat of the Word? If you don’t understand the simplicity of the heavy stuff, you too may require bottle feeding from the milk of the Word and not the meat. Examine yourself to see what spiritual diet you need, and then consume it.

Tuesday, August 22, 2017

A Commentary on the Book of Hebrews, Part 13

Today I will start on chapter five.

1 For every high priest taken from among men is ordained for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins: 2 Who can have compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way; for that he himself also is compassed with infirmity.

3 And by reason hereof he ought, as for the people, so also for himself, to offer for sins. 4 And no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron. 5 So also Christ glorified nothimself to be made an high priest; but he that said unto him, Thou art my Son, to day have I begottenthee. 6 As he saith also in another place, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec. 7 Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tearsunto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared; 8 Though he werea Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; 9 And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him; 10 Called of God an high priest after the order of Melchisedec.

This looks like another big chunk, but it’s mostly just filler. The Jewish Christians who were thinking about returning to Judaism and abandoning the faith of Christ looked to the ordination of the Aaronic priesthood as proof that it is superior to the Church. God ordained Aaron and his sons to be the priests of the Tabernacle. Those contemplating apostasy saw that as desirable. The preacher is pointing out that the priesthood of Jesus Christ is older, and still ordained by God. The priests of the Temple were of the order of Aaron. Jesus is a Priest of the order of Melchisedec.

Melchisedec is a compound word made up of the Hebrew words for king and righteousness. So the name is most likely a title worn by the ancient Jebusite rulers of Salem, the city later taken by David to be his capitol. The kings of Salem were kings of righteousness. And Salem is the Chaldean word for peace, so they were also the kings of peace. To be a priest of the order of Melchisedec one must also be royal, in line to rule the City of Peace. Thus Jesus’s title, Prince of Peace, has more than one meaning.

I will cover more about Melchisedec in the next few posts, as the preacher spent quite a lot of breath on the subject. But rest assured that Jesus didn’t appoint Himself to be high priest over the Christians, He was ordained by God as the rightful ruler of the City of Peace. As Lord of all the creation, Jesus qualifies as a priest of the line of Melchisedec. I am glad to make Him Lord over my own life and my heart. Won’t you do the same?

Monday, August 21, 2017

A Commentary on the Book of Hebrews, Part 12

Let us move on now starting from verse fourteen.

14 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let ushold fast our profession. 15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

This is a comfort to us whenever we are tried by the devil in our faith. I know from personal experience that it is far too easy to lash out and fail the test. But Jesus was also tried by the devil, and He knows what we suffer. So our forgiveness is based not only on God’s eternal, self-giving love, but on the empathy of the Son who also suffered.

The difference between us and our Lord is that we are prone to fail these tests, while He has never failed. Jesus applies His righteousness to us, or we wouldn’t have any to speak of. We can thank His incarnation and His submission to the trials of the human condition for the empathy with which He now judges us.

It is because He holds us in His love with the empathy of One Who has been there and done that, that we can now enter into the very presence of the Father with the boldness of sons and daughters, to ask for unmerited favor of forgiveness of our failures. And it is this empathy that leads God to grant us grace to pull us through the test.

Friends, with support like that, we ought to do all in our power to live up to His standard. It is our own growth that is important to God, not some hide-bound rules and laws. Therefore, He will do all in His power to ensure we grow to the fullness of our potential. That is the definition of love given by M. Scott Peck in his book, The Road Less Traveled. It is now up to us to cooperate with that love so we can grow.

Monday, August 14, 2017

A Commentary on the Book of Hebrews, Part 11

Now let’s move on to chapter four.

1 Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it. 2 For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.

3 For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shallenter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. 4 For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works. 5 And in this place again, If they shall enter into my rest. 6 Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief: 7 Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long a time; as it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts. 8 For if Jesus has given them rest, then would henot afterward have spoken of another day. 9 There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. 10 For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. 11 Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief. 12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. 13 Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.

This is a big chunk of meat to chew on, but we’ll do it anyway. Verses one and two are the conclusion from chapter three. The word for fear here is the same as the word for respect. There is a Greek word for terror, I don’t know it, but this is not it. What the preacher is trying to get across is that we must be reverent about our salvation, and not take it for granted. True, it is granted to all who continue in the way. But Jesus always stressed the continue part and not the done-deal thing. The word translated faith doesn’t simply mean a mental acknowledgment of the veracity of the doctrine, but a fidelity to the Person that gave it.

Verse three would be better rendered, We who are faithful do enter into rest,… Because of the difficulty of translating from one language into another, and because the translators relied upon the Latin translation of Jerome, the Vulgate, there are many passages that are rendered in an unsatisfactory way. I urge as many as are able to learn the Koine Greek language of the New Testament. But putting that aside, the preacher is pointing out in these verses that there is a rest that God has planned for believers in the future. He compared it to the Sabbath rest that God instituted in memory of His creation work. But the seventh day of every week is not the rest to which He refers in the passages quoted by the preacher above.

Notice that the preacher says we don’t get to rest unless we do something to rest from. We have work to do. And that work revolves around love. We must exhibit our love for God and our fellow beings by our actions. I will get to the Epistle of James in a later series, but the pastor of the Jerusalem Church was adamant that we must demonstrate our faith by the work we do. Not all are required by God to live in poverty. But the people who claim God appointed them to live in luxury so they can help others are just making excuses for their profligate lifestyle. The worst offenders are those who live beyond their means. We can’t demonstrate our love for those who need by living on borrowed money. Nor can we show our love of God by depleting the available credit. To be faithful is to follow the example of Christ and to do what good we find before us.

Verse twelve is one of the most often quoted and least understood passages of the Bible. Here is the earliest reference to Jesus Christ as the Logos. But even Saint Paul was unaware of the full implications of the application of the word Logos to Christ. It wasn’t until Saint John wrote his Gospel much later that the full meaning of this revelation becomes known to us. (See my article A Word Study on the Word Word.) Jesus lives. Jesus separates the good from the evil. Jesus knows what is in our hearts, even if we delude ourselves into thinking it’s not there. And Jesus is coming soon to judge based on that. Nothing gets by Christ. He sees the invisible and hears the unspoken. Jesus is able to see the spirits around us even when we deny their existence.

As Saint Paul said elsewhere, don’t kid yourself, you’re not fooling God, whatever you do to others will come back on you. So let us do the work before us in a faithful manor so that we may enter into the rest that God has planned for us.

Sunday, August 13, 2017

A Commentary on the Book of Hebrews, Part 10

Let us continue to the end of chapter three. This is really just a continuation of the last post.

14 For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end; 15 While it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation. 16 For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses.

17 But with whom was he grieved forty years? Was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcasses fell in the wilderness? 18 And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not? 19 So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.

Bear with me, I have a new copy of the King James Bible in my word processor, and I have not yet cleaned it up.

The preacher is giving the apostate Jewish Christians a warning here, but it also applies to us today. God doesn’t condemn us for any commission of sin. It isn’t our deeds that send people to hell. It is the rejection of the grace of God that will keep you out of Heaven. Joshua, son of Nun, was not a perfectly sinless man. His righteousness stems from his acceptance of and adherence to the promises of God. Just like Abraham, Joshua believed God, and it was accounted to him as righteousness.

There were many people among the Hebrew tribes in the desert who had more claim to personal righteousness than did Joshua or Caleb, they did not enter into Canaan. They refused to believe that God told the truth about their victory over the inhabitants of the land. Similarly, there are many people in the world today who live good lives in right standing with society. They who do not believe God, no matter how good they are, will not enter into His rest. It isn’t that they’re not good enough, none of us are, but that they do not accept and trust in God’s perfect plan for redemption.

Now I am not talking about anyone who has not had opportunity to hear and believe the Good News of Jesus Christ. Saint Paul assures us in another place that they shall be judged by what they know. No I am talking about the people who have listened to the Gospel, weighed the message in their hearts, and rejected it out of any reason, but especially out of a sense of self-righteousness. Jesus said only the sick need a physician. God does not force Himself on anyone.

So what is the conclusion of chapter three? Don’t turn your back on God. You can’t get into the promised land by murmuring against God, His plan, or His people. Only heartfelt trust and obedience to the promises God has given in the person of Jesus Christ will bring us to salvation, justification by His atoning sacrifice, sanctification by the work of the Holy Spirit, and finally glorification (or as we in the Eastern Orthodox Church call it deification). This is the way that Jesus spoke of. We can’t get there if we don’t follow the road.

Friday, August 11, 2017

A Word Study on the Word Word

Today the Lord is leading me to do something different. I have no idea why this is needed by someone, but the Holy Spirit is adamant that I do a word study on the Greek word translated Word in the Gospel of Saint John.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God. And the Word was God.

This is the first verse of the Gospel of John. The Greek word John used to refer to Jesus before His birth is λόγος, which the translators translated as Word. But this is not the best rendering. The word comes from the old Attic language where it first referred to a commercial warehouse, then took on the meaning of the goods in any warehouse. In later Attic it came to denote a collection of objects or ideas, and in suffix form this is the meaning imparted to the word to which it appends. Finally in the Koine language, it takes on the meaning of the concept behind the word.

An interesting aside, the word agape first meant the public warehouse that stored the grain for emergency rations. It had become the habit of the rulers to throw open the doors of the warehouse when the new harvest is ready to come in so the old grain could be moved out by the needy and the new grain would have room to store it. The grain that was given was the logos of the agape. Today the logos is the center of the agape of the Father.

The Stoic philosophers used the word logos to refer to an impersonal force that permeates all of creation and holds all things together. When John used the word to refer to a human being, it really threw them off. They could easily adhere to the divinity of the logos, but could not believe the logos is a person.

In the Greek language there is a specific word to refer to the spoken word, rhema. There is also a word that refers to the written word, graphe. So the inclusion of logos into the Greek language fills a different niche. It refers to the meaning of the word, the concept or idea. And when it is used as John did in his Gospel, the word refers to the whole idea behind creation, the collection of all meaning.

So my conclusion is that Jesus is the whole idea behind the creation of God, centered in His selfless love. Think about it. The whole idea, the plan of creation, is Jesus Christ.

Thursday, August 10, 2017

A Commentary on the Book of Hebrews, Part 9

Now let’s look at verses 7 to 13 in chapter three.

7 Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, Today if ye will hear his voice, 8 harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: 9 when your fathers tempted me. Proved me, and saw my works forty years. 10 Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do always err in their heart; and they have not known my ways. 11 So I swear in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.) 12 Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. 13 But exhort one another daily, while it is called Today; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.

An awesome warning. The First Century Jewish Christians were tempted to fall back into the old way of sacrifices and festivals, thinking it is easier to just kill a lamb once a year to cover their sins than to live a sinless life to begin with. Some Christians, so called, believe a similar doctrine that they can live in sin and enjoy the righteousness of Christ. As Saint Paul wrote in Romans, God forbid!

The preacher reminds us of the plight of the rebellious Jews in the desert of Sinai. They were always trying God’s patience. After God brought them out of Egypt miraculously, fed them with the very manna of heaven, gave them water from a Rock, and made them victorious in every battle, they still wanted to turn back because “there are giants in the land.” So God forbade them to enter the Land of Canaan that He gave to their heirs.

What that means to us is that we must quit trying God’s patience in our own lives and live up to the standard Jesus set for us, or we will also be excluded from the Promised Land of Heaven. You can’t expect God, Who told us how to live, to reward us for ignoring the things He said. What kind of god do you think He is? He is not some idol you set on the altar of your home, demand gifts in return for some sacrifice, and put it away again. God is the Creator and the First Cause, the Proto-Urge, of all that exists. He is existence Himself (the Tetragramathon or Unpronounceable Name of God could best be translated into modern English as Existence).

The preacher warns his audience, and us, to be aware of our motivations and not be deceived by the enticements of sin. We must be vigilant in our own hearts, to ensure we do not backslide into the habits of sin that lead us away from God and into death. We also must encourage each other to keep the faith, as a part of our love for each other. Examine your own heart. Is there any doubt, any unbelief that can lead you away from the path of Christ’s purpose? Root it out, and encourage your fellows to do likewise.

Wednesday, August 9, 2017

A Commentary on the Book of Hebrews, Part 8

In the first two chapters, the preacher was showing that Jesus Christ is superior to the angels. Now in chapter three he shows that Christ is superior to Moses. Let’s take a look.

III Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus; 2 who was faithful to him that appointed him, as also Moses was faithful in all his house. 3 For this man was counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as he who hath builded the house hath more honor than the house. 4 For every house is builded by some man; but he that built all things is God. 5 And Moses verily was faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after; 6 but Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.

It is postulated that the reason for this sermon was that many Jewish Christians were abandoning the faith to return to the comfortable old ways of sacrifices and rules. Perhaps they didn’t have a very high opinion of Jesus Christ. This is why the preacher is comparing Jesus in this passage to Moses. Moses was a servant of the householder, that is God. But Jesus is the heir, and therefore, He is the reason the house is held. And the house of God’s construction is the entirety of the known (and unknown) universe.

As the heir, Jesus had a hand in the construction of the house. He laid the foundations and erected the walls all according to the plan of the Father. Nothing that is came into being without the direct action of Jesus Christ (see the Gospel of John 1:2). So while Moses was a faithful servant over the things of his Master, Jesus is faithful over His own things, a much greater motive. Moses is holy, yet the Bible records mistakes that he made. Jesus is much holier, and He has never made a mistake. The law was given to Moses, but Jesus was the one who spoke to him in the bush, the cloud and on the mountain top. So Moses may be called the “Lawgiver,” but he is really just the recipient of the Law that was given to him by Jesus, and then when He was incarnate Jesus was the first to completely fulfill the Law.

So these verses tell us that the faith of Jesus Christ is superior to the Law of Moses, because Jesus is the One Who built the universe and Who shall inherit the same. All we have to do to be members of Jesus’s household is to remain steadfast in the faith until the end. We can do that much.

Tuesday, August 8, 2017

A Commentary on the Book of Hebrews, Part 7

Today we will finish chapter two.

16 For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham. 17 Wherefore in all things it behooved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. 18 For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succor them that are tempted.

Here is the hope and relief we have in Christ Jesus when we face difficult times and struggle with trials and tests of our faith. Jesus didn’t become an angel, but He became a man of the Tribe of Judah, just like His brothers and sisters under the Father, so that He may know from experience what it is that we suffer in this life. Thus He can be far more merciful in His position as High Priest of the Heavenly Temple in His ministry of reconciliation.

For the ministry of Jesus Christ as High Priest is not condemnation of sinners, but reconciliation to God of all who have wandered away. Too many religious people are prepared to write off the folks they see as sinners. They believe in their own perfection and resent the idea that someone beneath them would be saved too. The surprise is that they themselves are in danger of damnation because of their unforgiveness and unwillingness to accept God’s will. Saint Peter tells us that God doesn’t want anyone to perish, but He wants everybody to come to the knowledge of the truth. Sorry for your dreams of superiority, dear Brother Better-than-you. But Jesus came to save the lost, not the self righteous.

The last verse here is a promise of hope for all of us who face problems in this life. The Greek word translated as tempted doesn’t necessarily mean enticed to commit sin. Rather it more often means tried as a lump of ore is tried in a fire to see how much metal is in it. The tests we endure are ones that Jesus experienced and understands. So He is able to better alleviate our stress and trauma over the testing while giving us the grace to see us through. Do not dispair when these trials come upon you, Jesus will see you through.

These tests are, like the tempting of the ore in the fire, a way to assay our value to God. Do we have the metal in our soul to live for God even when things go wrong? When the Lord returns in glory to rule over the whole Earth, we are to rule with Him. Do you have what it takes to pass through the fire of the devil’s testing and still be a person of God? God is not interested in “fair weather” Christians. He needs those who will stick to the way even when the road is rough. I plan to be worth something to God. Don’t you?

Monday, August 7, 2017

A Commentary on the Book of Hebrews, Part 6

Look at the next six verses, beginning with 2:10.

10 For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. 11 For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them bretheren, 12 saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee. 13 And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given me. 14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is the devil; 15 and deliver them who were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

Wow, this is deep. Let’s take it a little at a time. In verse 10 the preacher tells us it was proper for God to complete the plan of salvation by permitting Jesus to suffer. The revelator of the Apocalypse tell us that Jesus is the one for whom and by whom all things were created. Yet we know Him as the Captain of our salvation. Therefore, the preacher must be referring to God the Father in the verse as the One allowing Christ to suffer. A cultural note: the use of the word sons in the verse does not exclude women. It was customary in the Semitic languages to refer to the male children alone, while intending to include the daughters. Throughout the Old Testament, daughters are only referred to for emphasis or in the exclusion of sons.

Verse 11 says we are one with Christ, therefore, He is not ashamed to call us His siblings. Jesus is He that sanctifies, and we are the sanctified. The word means made holy, set apart unto a purpose, different from the common things. So Jesus sets us apart by becoming one with us that we may be siblings with Him in the Court of Heaven.

Verse 12 is a direct quote of Psalm 22:22 (21:23 in the Septuagint). This is the support the preacher gives for his statements in verse 11. It was essential in Jewish preaching to have support for your position from Torah, or Madrasah. Since the preacher is preaching to Hebrews, he uses the custom of the culture he is trying to reach.

In verse 13 he quotes Second Samuel 22:3 and Isaiah 8:17. The preacher of this sermon is still providing support for his above hypothesis. He is setting his listeners up for a dozy of a synthesis. The upcoming verses are the meat of this part of the sermon, sort of a conclusion before the body. The whole of salvation resides in the next truth he reveals. Verses 14 and 15 belong to one statement.

Jesus became a human being, flesh and blood as we are, because we are human beings of flesh and blood as well as soul and spirit. He did this so He could share in every part of the human condition, except sin. And His death, the impossible death of the immortal one, destroyed the confinement that death held over humanity, thus breaking the power of the devil to consign us to a damnation of separation from God in death, and alleviating the fear, the stark terror, that death held for human beings. It is the fear of death that bound humanity to sin, and the removal of the power of death that freed us from the fear, the bondage of death. Thus we are free to become holy as God the Father is holy.

Sunday, August 6, 2017

A Commentary on the Book of Hebrews, Part 5

Let’s take a look at the next five verses.

5 For unto the angels hath he not put in subjection the world to come, whereof we speak. 6 But one in a certain place testified, saying, What is man, that thou art mindful of him? or the son of man, that thou visitest him? 7 Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; thou crownedst him with glory and honour, and didst set him over the works of thy hands: 8 thou hast pur all things in subjugation under his feet. For in that he put all things in subjugation under him, he left nothing that is not put under him. But now we see not yet all things put under him. 9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the gracd of God should taste death for every man.

God did not subject anything to the rule of any angels. But all things are subject to the rule of Jesus Christ. The preacher quotes Psalm 8 where David is praising Jesus, “Jesus my Lord, how wonderful is Your Name in all the Earth!” Verses 4-6 are directly quoted here. Notice the title David used for Christ, Son of Man. This is the name by which Enoch knew Jesus before Jesus’ birth. Jesus uses this title for Himself extensively throughout the Gospels. In the book of Enoch, God the Father introduces the Son of Man to Enoch as a proud papa showing off his beloved son.

How is it that this Son of Man became a little lower than the angels? He placed His will under the will of the Father and took upon Himself the fleshly form of a man. The miracle of the incarnation of God is ineffably mysterious. This being outside of creation, transcendent of creation, entered creation in the form of a creature, interacted with other creatures on a human level, was falsely accused, convicted and condemned by humans, and suffered the most heinous judicial execution devised by humans. He did this voluntarily, so that humans will be released from the bondage to death that compels us to sin.

Saint Paul tells us that death took control of our lives when Adam willfully disobeyed the commands of God and partook in the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil. From that time to Jesus, death held dominion over humanity. When Jesus, God made flesh, died and entered into death, death burst from the inability to contain Him Who is infinite. He did this for all things (the Greek word rendered every man is mistranslated here, pantos could mean all men if the subject of the discussion was limited to male human beings. But the preacher is talking about a more extensive atonement, and the rendering should have been the literal meaning, everything that exists.).

Jesus returned to Heaven after his necrotic sojourn to be crowned with glory and honor and authority in direct consequence of His voluntary death and resurrection. None of the angels have been so crowned, although one of them has tried to usurp that crown. None of the angels has been so honored, although that same one covets the honor. None of the angels has been given such authority, although the one we speak of is trying to usurp it. Only Jesus, Enoch’s Son of Man, has attained that place, because it was His before the first created thing came into being.

Along with the first chapter of the Gospel According to John, this passage is the most clear reference to the divinity of Jesus Christ outside of Christ’s own words. Do you think that if God came to Earth and lived with people for about thirty-three years, died by execution in an obviously false case of sedition, and rose from the dead, people would listen to Him? Well most still don’t. Some who sit on the front pews of the churches refuse to follow what He taught. And this is the most powerful being there is.

Saturday, August 5, 2017

A Commentary on the Book of Hebrews, Part 4

Now we move on to chapter two.

Therefore, we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we whould let them slip. 2 For if the word spoken by angels was steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward; 3 how shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him; 4 God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will?

This is heavy. In today’s climate of inclusiveness, this passage is often either overlooked or outright ignored. The “ecumenical” people would definitely like to see it removed from the Bible. Here’s why: the modern ecumenical movement has adopted the Hindu concept of multiple paths to God. The people who follow this thought system teach that conversion of religious people who do not follow Christ Jesus is wrong, even an act of violence in some eyes. Yet we saw in chapter one that Jesus is superior to angels and all other created beings. And we know that Jesus Himself told us that He is the only way to be saved, redeemed, atoned with God, etc. ad nausium. So the arguments that “there is truth in all religions” doesn’t float once the person is exposed to the Gospel.

The problem resides in the fact that the deceiver has joined the Church and tries to lead the elect away from the Truth of salvation. (Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”) So when these people notice that there is some truth in all religions, they come to the conclusion that lead Origin into heresy, that God is going to save all people, no matter what they do with the Gospel. Under the Originic heresy proponents taught that there was no reason for holiness, since nothing can stop God from saving us if He wants to do so. Origin is the only person in the history of the Christian Church who was excommunicated posthumously, centuries after he died.

It seemed right to the Holy Spirit and to the delegates at the Ecumenical Council which kicked him out, to remove Origin’s name from the rolls of the faithful in order to combat the libertine attitude of rampant sin. Today we have a more subtle and dangerous application of Originism. That religious people need never accept the faith of the Gospel so long as they continue to be religious. This cannot be accepted in all cases. There are resurgent pagan idols that are definitely evil in nature. Some people are religiously serving these idols. This is not anything that God will accept. Human sacrifice, sexual immorality for religious purposes, and many other practices that have been explicitly condemned by God in the scriptures are coming back into practice now that it is considered acceptable to be religious without Christ.

Frankly, I can’t understand how some people can claim to be Christian and at the same time totally disregard the words of Christ. In his letter to the Romans, Saint Paul tells us that every person will be judged by what they knew and what they did with the Gospel once they heard. Here he reminds the Jewish Christians of Palestine that apostasy, turning back to the old religion once they started on the Way, is rejecting the salvation God has provided in order to do it themselves, and fail. The fact that the Law does not justify anyone, merely convicts of sin, seems to have slipped their minds. If Israel was the only nation at the time to have the revelation of God in the form of the Mosaic Law, and the religion built around the Law of Moses is inferior to the redemption offered in Christ, how much farther from salvation are Pagans and Heathens in comparison?

My conclusion to the passage is this: Christ is the only viable way to salvation, and anyone who rejects Christ in favor of some other form of religious practice is totally rejecting God. “[H]ow shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation[?]”

Friday, August 4, 2017

A Commentary on the Book of Hebrews, Part 3

Let us continue with the Sermon to the Hebrews from where we left off.

10 And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands: 11 they shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment; 12 and as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they sall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail.

The Person he is calling Lord here is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. Saint Paul recognizes, as Saint John does in his Gospel, that Jesus was the co-creator, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, of God’s creation. Saint John wrote, “...All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.” Saint Paul is quoting King David in Psalm 102:26-28 where God the Father is speaking through David to Jesus and calling Him Lord, that is recognizing the co-divinity of Jesus even before He was born. The significance of these conversations between God the Father and God the Son in the Psalms of David cannot be overstated. Before anything was created, Jesus was. And it was the three persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Who worked to create all things in harmonious synergy.

All of creation has an expiration date except those whom God elevates to His level, to be like Him by grace. The only other things that will outlast that which is created are the Creator Himselves. (Humorous aside: Poul Anderson wrote a series of short stories about people who moved around in time. They had developed a language to deal with the pitfalls of talking about temporal displacement. Writing and talking about the Three Persons of the Trinity as one God is sort of the same kind of confusion.) The use of plural was intentional. One God, one Creator, in Three Persons. That is a difficult concept to express in human language.

David wrote, and Paul affirms, that the universe will be folded up and put away in the end, just like a piece of clothing. I find it remarkable that some professing atheists who are physicists came up with an hypothesis that when the universe collapses, if it does, in the end, it will fold up upon itself like a piece of cloth.

13 But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool? 14 Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?

Saint Paul goes on to show that the angels, powerful as they are, are less than Jesus Christ in authority and station. King David wrote, “The Lord said to my Lord, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.” (Psalm 110:1) None of the angels qualified for the title, Lord. Although Lucifer covets the title, he shall never inherit it. It belongs only to the One whom Enoch referred to as the Son of Man, that is the Lord Jesus Christ. Our Lord Jesus Christ has appointed these angels to minister (the word is close in meaning to serve) to our needs in the spirit. We are the heirs of salvation.

To be continued….

Tuesday, August 1, 2017

A Commentary on the Book of Hebrews, Part 2

Let us begin to examine the sermon of Saint Paul the backsliding Jewish Christians in Palestine.

THE SERMON OF SAINT PAUL TO THE HEBREWS

GOD, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in times past unto the fathers by the prophets, 2 hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; 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 Majesty on high; 4 being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.

Wow, that’s a lot of sentence. And the Greek doesn’t break the sentence there. It runs on…. But what is he saying and why. First let’s look at why. The consensus among early Church Fathers is that the Jewish Christians were beginning to return to the Old Testament way of worship and ignoring Christ because there was a false teaching that He is just another prophet. Jews of the First Century had a lot more respect for angels than modern Jews. And these Jewish Christians were placing them above the Messiah.

The author and preacher of this sermon is obviously out to convince them that Christ is superior to the angels, and all other beings. He points out that in the past God only spoke through angels and prophets. But in the New Covenant, He speaks to us directly in the Person of His Son. Jesus is so much more than a mere prophet or an angel. He is the heir to the created universe.

Verse two states that Jesus is the instrument by which God created the universe, not just another man. And verse three is even more explicit that Jesus is God. If that isn't enough to make the listeners understand the supremacy of Jesus Christ over the angels, verse four plainly states He is better than the angels.

5 For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son? 6 And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he sayeth, And let all the angels of God worship him. 7 And of the angels he sayeth, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire. 8 But unto the Son he sayeth, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom, 9 Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.

The preacher is really making his case for the supremacy of Christ over all other claimants to our religious attention. Jesus is more than any other being, He is God in the person of the Son. When Enoch met Him in heaven, Jesus wore the title of Son of Man. Jesus used this title in reference to Himself exclusively. The Pharisees and Saducees understood the ramifications of the divine title, they each derived their fundamental doctrines from Enoch’s book. But the Christians of Jewish background in Palestine were wavering.

To be continued….