Of Pardon, Pilot and Parousia
"For God is not a God of disorder..." 1 Cor 14:33
First things first. What is the chief and highest end of man? Let the revered Christian Book namely the Westminster catechism give the answer. Man’s chief and highest end is to glorify (worship) God, and fully to enjoy him forever. When it comes to glorifying Him and fully enjoying Him, let it be said that the entire exercise ought to be "absolutely genuine emanating right from the innermost core of one’s being (read spirit)". This would lead to the next question, how could the process of glorifying Him originate right from the depths of one’s heart? It is only possible, when a person is truly fascinated by His unique traits. Remember, worshipping God for WHAT HE IS, is the highest form of worship, standing head and shoulders above other forms of worship, which come with strings attached, such as worshipping Him for the blessings, He showers upon us. While on the subject, at this stage, it would serve us well to look at the synonym of the word "Glorify", which is "Magnify". When, one magnifies Him, that is to say, when one keenly observes His Divine nature, with a magnifying glass, as it were, the "spiritual explorer" (if you permit me to use this expression) in you is bound to come across several unique attributes of the Almighty, which would evoke awe, and in turn lead to spontaneous, heart-felt worship and praise.
In this message punctuated with...what else... "Hallelujahs" (incidentally Hallel in Hebrew language means To praise and Yah means God) I would like to bring before my readership, one definite attribute in the Almighty, which at once evokes awe in me that is ...He is (as the above-captioned Scripture emphasizes) a GOD OF ORDER. There is perfect order, in whatever He does. Period. One may well say that His signature of orderliness is seen vividly in all of His physical creation and to the keen observer, perfect order would be perceptible in the spiritual realm too. Firstly, let us focus upon our Planet, as one entity. There is a distinct orderliness about it in all areas’ especially in matters such as its distance from its "heating system" ...the Sun, isn’t it? If it were a lit bit closer, we would all be fried to death and a little further away and we would all freeze. Right? Do not get your thinking "marred" by imagining about possibility of life in Mars. Nothing quite like our good ole’ Earth, when it comes to sustaining life. Look at the "reverse breathing order" of human and plant life, and we find one more reason to spontaneously praise Him. What we inhale, the plants exhale and vice versa! Is this breathing pattern a result of some bizarre cosmic accident? NO WAY!
Now let us come to the spiritual realm. Let us look at the classification of the Scriptures and at once, we see Divine order in operation. Be it the the Old Testament Books (before the advent of Christ) which had been classified into three categories (Luke 24:44) using the criteria which was ACCEPTED by our Lord and the Early Church or our contemporary Christian Bibles’ which follow a beautiful symmetry. Firstly, let’s look at the classification which the Early Church accepted...
1. Law: Genesis to Deuteronomy
2. Prophets: Joshua to Malachi --It needs to be said here that the word "Prophecy" has to be understood in the way Jews and the Early Church understood it. For them Prophecy was not only foretelling but also forth telling. Hence Books of Daniel and Lamentations which appear in the "Prophets" section of the Modern-day Bibles’, despite containing prophecies were not placed in the Prophets’ section of the Jewish/Early Church Bible but in that of Writings for the simple reason they do not contain anywhere in their contents the authoritative, powerful figure of speech "THUS SAYS THE LORD" which distinguishes a Prophecy from other forms of speech (praise, prayer etc) in the Scriptures.
3. Writings: Psalms to II Chronicles
The Christian Bible without as much as adding or deleting any Book of the OT Section follows the beautiful symmetry of
1. History: Genesis to Esther
2. Poetry: Job to Song of Solomon
3. Prophecy: Isaiah to Malachi
The New Testament Scriptures have also been categorized--generally speaking-into 3 sections based on the following time-related yardsticks
1. Past- The four Gospels (redemption work has been completed)
2. Present -- From the Book of Acts to the Epistle of Jude (symbolizing the age of Grace, following the atoning work of Christ on the Cross)
3. Future- The Book of Revelation
Amazing, isn’t it? If all Scripture is God-inspired as this portion of the Bible testifies,
All Scripture is God-breathed...(2 Tim 3:16)
then it follows that Divine inspiration would be very much there behind its classification too. Now during this PERIOD OF LENT, when we reflect on the Passion of Christ, I would like to focus upon the UNIQUE SEQUENCING of three Psalms "22-24".
Say Christian, what is the Psalm you like the most? Do I hear the answer... Psalm 23!!! Well, I wouldn’t be surprised at all by such an answer, for Psalm 23 beginning as it is with the touching words "The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want" is a universally liked Psalm at once connecting to the deeper realms of one’s heart. Now it is not coincidence (mind you, you would not find the words "accident" or "coincidence" in God’s lexicon) that it is preceded by Psalm 22 and succeeded by Psalm 24 but rather Providence, as you would discover during the course of this message. Before going any further, let’s look at the three basic doctrines of Christianity around which ALL of preaching/teaching revolves
1. Justification/Redemption: The stage where a sinner receives the Saviour into his/her life and is justified from the penalty of sin (Romans 8:1).At this stage, the saved sinner having received the Holy Spirit at the point of regeneration is still a baby in faith. He would learn to walk in the joy of the Holy Spirit step by step (Romans 8:1 Acts 9:31).
2. Sanctification: The process which depicts the growth of a regenerated soul into Christ-likeness (2 Cor 3:18), with he/she yielding ALL areas’ of his/her life with Holy Spirit’s help into God’s Hands, thus rendering them holy. With the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit (I John 4:4) at the beginning stage of Christian life, the reformed individual is not only able to say NO to the lust of the World and the Flesh (kept from the power of sin) but also in due course with increased anointing is able to serve the Lord as per the calling which would be revealed to him/her.
3. Glorification: This connotes that Blessed stage in a believer’s life, when he/she is either raptured to meet the Lord in mid-air ...should the Final trumpet (I Thess 4:13-16) be blown when he/she is still alive or by passing away from the Earthly tent (read body- II Cor 5:6) one is ushered into the permanent, joyous presence of the Lord.
Speaking about the classification of Biblical Books, hey, the Book of "LEVITICUS" (all about sanctification) figures right in between Books of "EXODUS" (symbolizing redemption from Egyptian bondage) and "NUMBERS" which symbolizes or atleast was supposed to symbolize Glorification (in normal course, in the Book of Numbers the liberated Jews ought to have entered the Promised Land). Coming to Psalms’ 22-24 and their unique sequencing...it is no exaggeration to say that they represent the microcosm of a Christian’s life and three foundational Christian doctrines. Let’s begin with Psalm 22...permit me some alliteration-usage of Ps’- in sub-headings, as the word Psalm begins with a letter P
PARDON
"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?..." The words of the very first verse of Psalm 22 are Prophetic in nature as they constitute the fourth utterance of utter exasperation and anguish on the cross (Matt 27:46). It was THE moment in history, for which the Lamb fore-ordained for atoning sacrifice was set apart. It was THAT defining moment when ALL the sins of mankind (past, present and future) came upon the Sinless Son followed almost immediately by the Just Divine Wrath of the Holy Father who cannot even see or far less tolerate any impurity (Hab 1:13). That was THE moment frozen in Cosmic history when the Eternal union between Father and Son which they had enjoyed from Eternity snapped in order there is provision for the re-establishment of the union between God and mankind which had snapped in the Garden of Eden by the sin of our First parents. Effectively, the Final Adam (another name for Christ- I Cor 15:45) was purchasing the pardon on behalf of entire Mankind for the sin the First Adam had committed.
Now it is for us to appropriate this pardon in our lives, which Jesus had purchased on the cross by His unimaginable suffering (can anyone fathom or quantify the depth of his physical and spiritual anguish on the cross especially when ALL the sins of mankind were laid upon Him and Divine Just wrath came visiting consequently?). That is why the Author of the Epistle to Hebrews writes...
"How shall we escape, if we neglect so GREAT a salvation;..." Heb 2:3. Salvation procured by Christ is qualified by the word "GREAT" because the Saviour underwent immeasurable suffering to procure it for us. The unbearable physical pain was compounded by the unimaginable spiritual agony. It is also GREAT, because it is "GRACE IN ACTION" being placed "WITHIN EASY REACH OF US, FREE OF COST". Let the Scripture (TLB) take over at this stage...
"For Salvation that comes from trusting Christ-which is what we preach-is already within easy reach of each of us; in fact it is as near as our own hearts and mouths. For if you tell others with your own mouth that Jesus Christ is your Lord and believe in your own heart that God has raised him from the dead, YOU WILL BE SAVED".- Romans 10:8-9
Scriptures declare irrefutably that ALL of us are sinners irrespective of our social standing. It is not our fault to be a born a sinner but it would be our fault if we die as one hardening our heart to the invitation of Divine Grace. Want proof...some even scientific ones’ to prove...Bible is true when it comes to the account of Pristine creation...the Fall of our First parents...and transmission of sinful nature from them to us (Romans 5:12)? So here goes...does anybody (parents or school teachers) teach us how to lie when we are young? How do we inherently know that that there is something truthfully WRONG about lying? Why make such a fuss about scams (in Indian context) in media about scams from Bofor (gun) to Chopper, if TRUTH is something so unimportant? Who explained to us the difference between truth and a lie? How does the lie-detector work? Boy, the heart-beat and pulse rate when we are speaking the TRUTH acts a template at the time of interrogation by the authorities. When we speak a lie, immediately it is "detected" as the normal heart-rate/pulse-rate go awry. Is it not because the difference between what is right and wrong is written in our DNA formed as we are originally in truthful God’s image Genesis 1:27. Tell me why DO NOT even atheists go about walking naked in defiance of what Bible says about origin of sin and realization of SHAME? At this stage, let me speak with all the earnestness I can muster...only if you have personally appropriated the Redemption work "FINISHED" on the cross (incidentally Psalm 22 ends with the word "Finished" (vs 31GWT) --sixth utterance on Mission accomplished by the Saviour), can you ever say...
PILOT
"Lord is my Shepherd (Pilot of my Life) and I shall not want". Now let me come to Psalm 23...
Here, I am prompted to share a humorous yet insightful Church story involving a Sunday school girl. Given the task of reciting the first verse of Psalm 23 before a huge Church crowd (including her anxious parents), this girl is said to have uttered unwittingly out of nervousness the most profound statement one can make...yes one that that would embody the trust professed by all Biblical heroes of faith "The Lord is MY Shepherd and THAT’S ALL I WANT". Boy, it sums it up!!!
Oh, how much anyone would like to appropriate the promises’ of this Blessed Psalm which guarantees both abundant provision and protection, so vital for our physical and emotional welfare in this journey...we call life. Yes, the Almighty God takes over "the controls" ONLY when you have received the pardon His Son had purchased on the Cross, guaranteeing thence NOT a "safe, trouble-free flight but a SAFE landing" on the ethereal shores. In the journey, there is that matter of moulding a Christian into His Son’s image. If by Jesus’ stripes we are healed, it follows that by the disfigurement of the Final Adam (Isaiah 52:14), we are put on the road of sanctification to get back the original, pristine God’s image that the First Adam had lost in the Garden of Eden.
In this paramount growth process, there is something we need to do and there is something the Lord would do. I reiterate that throughout the Scripture, if there is one truth which gets reinforced time and again...it is that we need to do our part, then the Lord would His. Only when we fill the water troughs with water, so to speak, He would turn them into wine vats (John 2:1-9)!!! Quite simple...really!!! While we need to exercise discipline in always taking time out for prayer, Bible-reading and Church fellowship which represent the rich spiritual fare of "green pastures and still waters" the Shepherd provides for strengthening our "inner man", the troubles which come visiting once we endeavour to do His work by being His faithful witness are often thwarted by His rod at the "right time". By then they (troubles) would have accomplished the intended purpose in our lives of building up Christ-like Character. Oh yes, the Staff of the Shepherd keeps us in the right track, should we veer off track. What a Blessed Psalm and What a Blessed Shepherd!!!
PAROUSIA
Lift your heads, you gates. Be lifted, you ancient doors, so that the king of glory may come in. Who is this king of glory? The LORD, strong and mighty! The LORD, heroic in battle! Lift your heads, you gates. Be lifted, you ancient doors, so that the king of glory may come in. Who, then, is this king of glory? The LORD of Armies is the king of glory!-Psalm 24:7-10
Verses 7-10 of the 24th Psalm sum up the Glorification doctrine!!! After the Church rapture and 7-years of horrific tribulation, the Messiah would come (II Coming), to defeat the Anti-Christ in the Armageddon War and set-up His Millennial Kingdom.
At the Second Coming, He would triumphantly enter Jerusalem from the EASTERN GATE , which is CLOSED NOW (anti-semitism led to its closure some centuries back) to fulfill the Prophecy of it being "lifted soon". Mind you, Psalm 24 begins with the declaration that everything on Earth belongs to the Lord (vs 1). So after temporary domination of evil over good during the horrific tribulation period (Rev 13:7) as per His Sovereign will, the Lord would be reclaiming what is rightfully His, by entering Jerusalem through the Eastern Gate and ruling the World from that City on the Hill.
Is the Church Rapture nigh? The Lord told His disciples that just before His Coming, the Days of Noah would return (Luke 17:26). To the regular visitors of my site, even at the cost of sounding repetitive , I want to state that the sins prominent during Noah’s Days were "Violence and Corruption" (Genesis 6:11) ...an everyday occurrence now-a-days...many who follow the media would concur...
To borrow an Aussie slang even Blind Freddy knows that media reports are full of violent events (not a fortnight passes by without a bomb blast/terror attack in some part of the globe).
Oh the media overflows with accounts of mafia killings, gang-rapes, domestic violence, terror strikes (now there are female suicide bombers also), feudal , communal killings in real and reel life (minus a smoking gun or a bloody knife the macho-image of any cine hero in a movie poster is said to be incomplete).
Is Jesus RIGHT only when it comes to his sayings such as "Those who live by the Sword, die by it" -- Matt 26:52. Why shouldn’t we take His other Prophecies as regards His II Coming seriously, just as we take earnestly his time-tested ones’ such as the one quoted above? No cherry-picking please...
And corruption scandals (Wikileaks or no Wikileaks)? They regularly keep exploding in the process rocking the Parliament proceedings in our country (India) and other countries. BOOM BOOM....Satyam...CWG scam... Adarsh housing...2 G Spectrum... Obalapuram Mining...Coalgate...WHRRRRR...now Helicopter Scam...
"...You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. " - Matt 16:3
Meanwhile on Earth after the Church Rapture, violence and corruption scenario would deteriorate from bad to worse during the Seven year tribulation "till the GATES OF JERUSALEM ARE LIFTED UP to usher Him in even as He sets up His Kingdom therein from where His will would be done on Earth as it is in Heaven" (Rev 20:4-6). So things would worsen before they come better.
As Christians the moot point is are we ALERT and are we ALERTING OTHERS?
Amazing is the sequencing of Psalms 22-24. Encapsulating all the three foundational doctrines of Christianity, they virtually symbolize the "whole counsel of God" (Acts 20:27)!!!
As we had closed the study of Psalms 22-24 by focusing on eschatological events, it would not be out of context here to pose this poser. Now what is the immediate overarching subject of the last Book (Revelation) of N.T? RAPTURE...Ah the Blessed hope of every Christian which is alluded to in the command given to John at the sound of something resembling a "trumpet blast" ... "COME-UP" (Rev 4:1)!!! Now do you know what are the last words of the last Book (II Chronicles) of the Hebrew Bible (O.T) followed by Early Church in the first Century / Jews to this day...it is...oh boy...oh boy..."GO-UP" (2 Chronicles 36:23-KJV)!!!
What Cyrus the Persian ruler effectively is telling the Jews is (NT counterparts of OT times)..."GO UP to the Holy City of Jerusalem on a mountain for you DO NOT BELONG HERE in Babylon (geographically Babylon is a plain, flat as a pancake), you belong to the Holy City of Jerusalem up on a mountain. Your God in His Holy City is calling you... COME-UP"!!! Has not the World been telling the same of the Church...you DO NOT BELONG HERE in this "Earthly Babylon". Young girl who had recently become a Christian asked the famous Baptist Preacher Charles Spurgeon..."What friends do I need to give-up now"? The Prince of Preachers replied "Hey, you do not have to give up any of your friends, they would give you up" (I Peter 4:4)! While we feel that "we belong" only in the Church family, what ought to be our response to anyone who enquires about our faith in curiosity?
Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect- I Peter 3:15
We always need to reach out and share the love of Christ, even if the World is inherently hostile to us.
NT Scriptures have been heralding the fact about "Our citizenship in Heavenly Jerusalem for 2000 years now" (Philippians 3:20-21/Col 3:2). Oh the alluring chemistry between OT and NT, which the orderly God in His sovereign wisdom has placed!!! Hallelujah!!! Amen and Amen!!!
(Suresh Manoharan)
Ps: This message replete with pics/animation is also available on the following URL...
http://www.jandsmministries.com/message_Mar1_13.asp
