Just What do You Think, SAVIOR?
“And He said unto them,
These are the words which I spake unto you…
that ALL THINGS must be FULFILLED ,
which were written in the Law of Moses,
and in the Prophets,
and in the Psalms, concerning me.
Then opened He their understanding, that they
MIGHT UNDERSTAND THE SCRIPTURES,
And said unto them, Thus it is written , and thus it behoved
Christ to SUFFER, and
to RISE from the DEAD the third day:
And that REPENTANCE and
REMISSIONS of sins should be PREACHED
in HIS NAME among ALL NATIONS…
(Luke 24:44-47).
Having THE MIND OF CHRIST, we should PREACH the REMISSION and FORGIVENESS of SINS, the “Gospel of PEACE”, in ALL NATIONS! That Jesus DIED for our SINS and ROSE from the DEAD, that He is ALIVE (Seated at the Right Hand of God), and is COMING SOON!
This was the MAGNIFICENT PURPOSE why Jesus Christ, the MESSIAH, was born HUMAN. To FULFILL ALL THINGS which were written in the Law of Moses, in the Prophets and in the Psalms. Begin to ask the Lord Jesus Christ to OPEN your UNDERSTANDING so you might UNDERSTAND ALL that it is WRITTEN in the Bible! Once your UNDERSTANDING was OPENED, you will begin to LEARN the WAYS of God. Soon, you will have THE MIND OF CHRIST. Notice, Jesus OPENED the UNDERSTANDING of His disciples. So they might have THE MIND OF CHRIST!
Just what do you think when Jesus performed MIRACLES such as, HEALING, RAISING the DEAD to LIFE, etc… The MESSIAH came to bring GOOD NEWS to the BROKEN HEARTED, to ENCOURAGE the OPPRESSED and those that are PERSECUTED, to INSPIRE the HOPELESS, to lift up the UNQUALIFIED and LOWLY, to bring us out of DARKNESS!
Let’s take a glance to what is written in the Law of Moses about QUALIFYING a PRIEST. In Leviticus 21:18-21, 23 (NLT), the Lord says,
“No one who has a defect may come near to Me, whether he is BLIND or LAME, STUNTED or DEFORMED, or has a BROKEN [Crippled, NIV] FOOT or HAND, or has a HUMPED BAK or is a DWARF, or has a DEFECTIVE EYE, or has oozing SORES or SCABS on his skin, or has DAMAGED TESTICLES. Even though he is a descendant of Aaron, his PHYSICAL DEFECT DISQUALIFY HIM from presenting offerings to the LORD by fire. Since he has a BLEMISH, he may not offer food to his God. Bec. of his physical defect, he must NEVER GO BEYOND the INNER CURTAIN… I am the LORD [Jesus Christ] who makes them HOLY.”
In other words, the PRIESTS must be GOOD LOOKING, TALL, HANDSOME, STRONG, HEALTHY, CLEAN, etc…
In the Law of Moses, only those QUALIFIED PRIESTS can OFFER SACRIFICES to God and can enter the INNER CURTAIN, “the Holy of Holies” “But ye are a CHOSEN GENERATION, a ROYAL PRIESTHOOD… that ye should shew forth the praises of Him who hath CALLED you out of DARKENSS into His MARVELOUS LIGHT… to OFFER up Spiritual SACRIFICE, ACCEPTABLE to God by Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 2:9, 5). Notice, the word “STUNTED” in Leviticus 21:18, was translated as “FLAT NOSE” in ESV. It makes me laugh at heart, thinking of myself with a flat nose! Most Filipinos are flat nosed. Nevertheless, we are a CHOSEN GENERATION to PREPARE the WAY for the 2nd Coming of Christ , the MESSIAH!
Jesus Christ, the MESSIAH, came to FULFILL this Law, so that everyone will be QUALIFIED to OFFER SACRIFICES to the HOLY God and BOLDLY ENTER the “Holy of Holies” with CONFIDENCE. “Yet because of his physical defect, he must NEVER GO BEYOND THE INNER CURTAIN… I am the LORD [Jesus Christ] Who makes them HOLY.” (Leviticus 21: 23). Only Jesus Christ can make us HOLY! So through FAITH in the BLOOD of Jesus, we are QUALIFIED as a HOLY, ROYAL PRIEST.
Just after Jesus died, the “INNER CURTAIN” was torn (Matthew 27:51; John 15:38). “Having therefore, brethren, BOLDNESS to ENTER into the HOLIEST [Heaven’s Most Holy Place, NLT] by the BLOOD of Jesus, By a NEW and LIVING WAY, which he hath CONSECRATED for us, through the VEIL, that is to say, His FLESH; And having an HIGH PRIEST over the house of God; Let us draw near with a TRUE HEART in FULL ASSURANCE OF FAITH…” (Hebrews 10:19-22). With a TRUE, PURE and CLEAN HEART with FULL ASSURANCE of your FAITH, you can ENTER Heaven’s Most Holy Place! Not just Heaven, but Heaven’s Most Holy Place! I repeat, MOST HOLY PLACE!
Yes, you can ENTER the MOST HOLY PLACE. Where is this place? Remember, Heaven is INFINITE, LIMITLESS and ENDLESS, even far GREATER than the Universe. Then, where is the Heaven’s Most Holy Place? That’s the KINGDOM of God. Oh, I SEE, the KINGDOM of God! It requires BOLDNESS and CONFIDENCE to ENTER the KINGDOM of God with FULL ASSURANCE of FAITH that you are CONSECRATED by the BLOOD of Jesus. Everybody is QUALIFIED to ENTER the KINGDOM of God but ONLY those who BELIEVE who can ENTER! This is the GOOD NEWS, the Gospel of the KINGDOM of God!
For example, Malacaňang Palace, everybody is welcome to ENTER. But only those who are CONFIDENT can ENTER the Palace! They are CONFIDENT because they knew their IDENTITY, their RIGHTS and AUTHORITY!
The same manner, only those who have COURAGE, BOLDNESS and CONFIDENCE can ENTER the KINGDOM of God. It was PROMISED, by the MESSIAH, the KING of kings, Jesus Christ, Himself! “You are a CHOSEN people. You are a KINGDOM of Priests, God’s HOLY NATION, His VERY OWN POSSESSION.” (1 Peter 2:9, NLT). This is our RIGHTS and IDENTITY. This GOOD NEWS was SUPPRESSED by Satan, the “Father of Lies” for centuries! But Praise God for REVEALING this GOOD NEWS, the Gospel of the KINGDOM of God, in these Last Days. Always be CONFIDENT because you have THE MIND OF CHRIST!
You are even GREATER than John the Baptist, for you will do GREATER THINGS than Jesus Christ did during His earthly Ministry (John 14:12). "I assure you, of all who have ever lived, NONE is GREATER THAN John the Baptist. Yet even the most INSIGNIFICANT person in the KINGDOM of Heaven is GREATER THAN he [John the Baptist] is!” (Matthew 11:11).
When John the Baptist was in prison, he sent his disciples to Jesus if He is really the Messiah. John the Baptist heard the MIRACLES of Jesus yet he still DOUBT! John the Baptist was a GREAT Prophet who PREPARED the way before the Lord Jesus Christ REVEALED Himself, 2000 years ago (Isaiah 40:3, Luke 3:4, Matthew 3:3)
“Are you really the MESSIAH we’ve been waiting for,
or should we keep looking for someone else?”
Jesus told them,
“Go back to John and tell him about
what you have HEARD and SEEN [Witness] –
the BLIND see, the LAME walk, the LEPERS are cured,
the DEAF hear, the DEAD are RAISED to LIFE, and the
GOOD NEWS is being PREACHED to the POOR.
And tell him: ‘God blesses those who are
not offended by me. ‘” (Matthew 11:3-5, NLT).
This GOOD NEWS gave HOPE to the SUFFERING, PERSECUTED and OPPRESSED John the Baptist! What is this GOOD NEWS? That you are SAVED from the “Hell Fire” when you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior? That you are going to Heaven after death?
What did Jesus Christ means when he said, “The BLIND see, the LAME walk, the LEPERS are cured, the DEAF hear, the DEAD are RAISED to LIFE, and the GOOD NEWS is being PREACHED to the POOR.” (Matthew 11:5). Just what do you think about this MIRACLES performed by the MESSIAH Himself? “Only an evil, FAITHLESS GENERATION would ASK for a MIRACULOUS SIGN.” (Matthew 12:39; Matthew 16:4). “But you are not like that, for you are a CHOSEN people. You are a KINGDOM of Priests, God’s HOLY NATION, HIS VERY OWN POSSESSION.” (1 Peter 2:9, NLT). The Lord Jesus Christ added, “HARDEN THE HEARTS of these people. CLOSE their EARS, and SHUT their EYES. That way, THEY WILL NOT SEE with their EYES, HEAR with their EARS, UNDERSTAND with their HEARTS, and TURN TO ME FOR HEALING.” (Isaiah 6:10, NLT). The KINGDOM of God is at hand! This is the time to REPENT and TURN to God, OBEY His LAW and FOLLOW His WAYS!
On the other hand, just what do you think HEALING? “By His [Jesus] stripes [wounds] we are HEALED.” (Isaiah 53:5). I remember the song, “Light of the world, stepped down into darkness, opened my eyes let me SEE.” Just what do you think SEE? Jesus said, “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be BORN AGAIN, he cannot SEE the KINGDOM of God.” (John 3:3). And the Lord, Jesus Christ said, “You will HEAR MY WORDS, but you will NOT UNDERSTAND. You will SEE what I do, but you will NOT PERCEIVE ITS MEANING.” (Isaiah 6:9, NLT). The PROMISED, ETERNAL KINGDOM of God was never UNDERSTOOD so, it was never PROCLAIMED!
The PROMISED, MILLENNIAL KINGDOM of God is mistakenly interpreted as Heaven, a place where we go after death. The HOPE of the RESURRECTION was gone because of the TRADITIONAL “gospel” of Heaven and hell. I remember the Apostle Paul, pleading his case to the High Council. In Acts 23:6-10, look.
Paul realized that some members of the high council were Sadducees & some were Pharisees, so he shouted, “Brothers, I am a Pharisee, as were all my ancestors! And I am on trial because my HOPE is in the RESURRECTION of the dead!” This divided the council -- the Pharisees against the Sadducees -- for the Sadducees say there is NO RESURRECTION or angels or spirits, but the Pharisees BELIEVE in all of these. So a great clamor arose… Pharisees jumped up to ARGUE that Paul was all right. "We see nothing wrong w/ him," they shouted. "Perhaps a spirit or an Angel spoke to him." The shouting grew louder & louder, & the men were tugging at Paul from both sides…
When the Apostle Paul said, “My HOPE is in the RESURRECTION of the dead!”, the high council was DIVIDED. During their time, there are DISAGREEMENT and DIVISION. Until now, there are many OPPOSING DOCTRINES the DIVIDES the Body of Christ! Truly, this ETERNAL KINGDOM is really a MYSTERY that was kept SECRET from the FOUNDATION of the world.
The Gospel of the KINGDOM of God is the most NEGLECTED yet, the MOST IMPORTANT Gospel for the SALVATION of the Jews first, then, to ALL NATIONS! It is the MESSAGE of the WHOLE Bible! The KINGDOM of God is the PURPOSE and PLAN of the Creator of the entire LIMITLESS UNIVERSE for MANKIND! This KINGDOM was PREPARED even before the world began. Nevertheless, the Lord Jesus Christ REVEALED this ETERNAL KINGDOM in these Last Days.
In the Book of Mark, chapter 8, verses 22-24, there was a BLIND man brought to Jesus, asking him to HEAL him. Jesus laid His hand on Him, then He asked the BLIND if He can SEE anything. Yes he can SEE! But it was not CLEAR it was a BLURRED VISION. “Then Jesus placed His hands over the man’s EYES AGAIN. As the man stared intently, his SIGHT was COMPLETELY RESTORED, and he could SEE EVERYTHING CLEARLY.” (Mark 8:25, NLT). Whether we like it or not, some of us still have UNCLEAR VISION of the KINGDOM of God. Some of us thought we already UNDERSTOOD the KINGDOM of God. Some can’t even SEE the KINGDOM of God. Like the BLIND MAN in the story, we really need a RETOUCH from the Lord. It takes HUMILITY to ACCEPT that we didn’t UNDERSTOOD the Gospel of the KINGDOM of God. Yes, PROUD people are STUCK to where they are and will never GROW in the KNOWLEDGE of Christ. They can’t even RECEIVE THE MIND OF CHRIST.
Many of us, thought, they have already UNDERSTOOD the MESSAGE of the Bible. But Jesus said, “I have come to judge the world. I have come TO GIVE SIGHT to the BLIND and to SHOW THOSE WHO THINK THEY SEE that THEY ARE BLIND.” (John 9:39, NLT). Jesus continued, "You hypocrites! Isaiah was prophesying about you when he said, ‘These people HONOR ME with their LIPS, but their HEARTS ARE FAR AWAY. Their worship is a FARCE, for they REPLACE God’s COMMANDS [Law] with their OWN MAN-MADE TEACHINGS [Doctrine of Man].’” (Mark 7:6-7, NLT).
Now, RECEIVE your SIGHT! You might ask, “But how can I SEE the KINGDOM of God?” Best way to make this CLEAR is the CONSECRATION and CLEANSING of Isaiah, look!
“In the year that king Uzziah died I SAW also the Lord sitting upon a throne, HIGH & LIFTED, & his train filled the temple. Then said I, ‘Woe is me! For I am undone; bec. I am a MAN OF UNCLEAN LIPS, & I DWELL IN THE MIDST of a PEOPLE OF UNCLEAN LIPS: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.” Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, w/c he had taken w/ the tongs from off the altar: And he laid it upon my mouth, & said , ‘Lo, this hath touched thy lips; & thine INIQUITY IS TAKEN AWAY, & thy SIN PURGED.’ Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, ‘Whom shall I send, & who will go for us?’ Then said I, ‘Here am I; send me.’” (Isaiah 6:1,5-8)
Notice in Isaiah 6:1, “In the year that king Uzziah died I SAW also the Lord sitting upon a THRONE.” When king Uzziah died, Isaiah began to SEE the GLORY of the RISEN KING of kings, Jesus Christ.
Who was king Uzziah then? Open your own Bible to 2 Chronicles 26:1-23, please. He was a king in the Kingdom of Judah. During his early reign he did what was PLEASING in the Lord’s sight. He FEARED, OBEYED God’s LAW and followed the WAYS of God. For this reason, the Lord gave Him GREAT SUCCEESS and VICTORY over his enemies. He became FAMOUS and VERY POWERFUL. It was the Lord who helped him WONDERFULLY and MAGNIFICENTLY.
So what’s the CONNECTION with Isaiah? The king Uzziah became so PROUD! Thinking, it was by his OWN MIGHT and STRENGTH that gave him GREAT, SUCCESS and VICTORY. He became HARD HEADED and REFUSED to OBEY the Law of Moses. This was, probably, the reason why Isaiah was INTIMIDATED. The Lord STRUCK king Uzziah with LEPROSY (a SKIN DISEASE)! Then he lived in ISOLATION away from the Lord’s Temple. He REFUSED to REPENT, so he had LEPROSY until he died.
Notice, LEPROSY is the MOST SHAMEFUL disease in the Old Testament. This disease is commonly for those who REFUSE to RESPOND and OBEY the Word of God. In the Law of Moses, those who have SKIN DISEASE cannot ENTER the Most Holy Place, they shall SURELY DIE! In the first place, before king Uzziah was struck by LEPROSY, was because of REBELLION against the LAW of God. He became so PROUD and SELFISH, he even REFUSED to follow the WAYS of God. King Uzziah probably thought, “The SUCCESS and VICTORY of our nation was ALL BECAUSE OF ME.” The Priest REBUKED him. He even REFUSED to REPENT.
The same manner, if we refuse to follow the WAY of HOLINESS, God’s LAW and respond to the Word of God, we can never ENTER the KINGDOM of God or Heaven’s MOST HOLY PLACE. How can we ENTER the KINGDOM of God? Jesus answered, “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be BORN of WATER and of the SIRIT, he cannot ENTER into the KINGDOM of God.” John 3:5. Just what Jesus mean, Born of Water and of Spirit? This is CLEARED as you continue to PURSUE THE MIND OF CHRIST.
So when king Uzziah died, Isaiah SAW the Lord seated on the RIGHT HAND of God. He SAW the ETERNAL KINGDOM of God! “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be BORN AGAIN, he cannot SEE the KINGDOM of God.” (John 3:3). You need to be BORN AGAIN! Just what do you think BORN AGAIN? We’re very NEAR to that ISSUE!
The very reason why we didn’t UNDERSTOOD and cannot SEE the KINGDOM of God was because of our NEGATIVE emotions, NEGATIVE feelings, NEGATIVE thoughts, NEGATIVE attitudes, NEGATIVE words and NEGATIVE desires or SELFISH ambition. Even when you SEE the KINGDOM of God, you cannot ENTER, unless, “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be BORN of WATER and of the SPIRIT, he cannot ENTER into the KINGDOM of God.” (John 3:5).
It requires REPENTANCE! If you REPENT, acknowledge your FAULT. ‘Woe is me! For I am undone; because I am a MAN OF UNCLEAN LIPS, and I DWELL IN THE MIDST of a PEOPLE OF UNCLEAN LIPS…” (Isaiah 6:5).
Remember Saul of Tarsus? The Christian killer. After he RECEIVED his SIGHT, Ananias told him, “The God of our fathers hath CHOSEN THEE, that thou shouldest KNOW HIS WILL, and see that Just One, and shouldest HEAR THE VOICE OF HIS MOUTH. For thou shalt be HIS WITNESS UNTO ALL MEN of what thou hast SEEN and HEARD. And now why tarriest thou? ARISE, and BE BAPTIZED, and WASH AWAY THY SINS, calling on the name of the Lord.” (Acts 22:14-16).
