I created this chart in conjunction with our messages on the Kingdom. The chart emphasizes the distinctions between the Universal & Mediatorial Kingdoms of God and provides an overview of God's Plan for the Ages. Also emphasized is Daniel's 70 Weeks Prophecy and "The Times of the Gentiles."
Our
Returning King
(Pastor Terry L. Reese,
Valley GBC, Armagh, PA; 7/4/2021)
I.
The Old Testament Kingly Office: its nature & history.
A. The King, as a mediator, had the authority to reign over the Israelite Kingdom on God’s behalf, enforcing God’s Torah Laws.
His powers included executive, judicial, & military functions.
>But he was NOT the Supreme Legislator. He was bound to observe & obey the Law of Moses—not be a law unto himself!
B. The
Monarchy’s unfolding history & Constitutional basis.
1. The origins of the Monarchy.
Israel
was initially a direct Theocracy, with God employing Judges &
Priests—but the people desired a King (1 Sam. 8).
Earlier, Gideon had refused the crown (Judges
8) and Abimelech had briefly instituted a Canaanite-style monarchy (Judges 9).
Their
request not intrinsically bad; the sin was in…
1) …dissatisfaction
with God’s method of rule;
2) …their
desire to be like the nations.
2. The Monarchy was anticipated by the Law: Deut. 17:14-20.
The
standards for the King, who was not to imitate the heathen:
i.
He had to be Israelite (Deut. 17:15), a son of the Covenant.
ii. He must not place his trust in a large military organization and multiply horses (Deut. 17:16; cf., Ps. 20:7).
iii. He was not to multiply wives (Deut. 17:17; cf., 1 Kings 11:3) who would tend to turn his heart away from the LORD.
iv.
He was not to amass great personal wealth (Deut. 17:17).
This
would lead to a divided allegiance (Luke 16:13, Matt. 6:21).
v.
He was to transcribe a personal copy of the Law (17:18).
This
would promote thoughtful mental interaction with God's Law and revealed will
for the nation that the king was to rule.
vi.
He was to read this law throughout his lifetime. As king, he
MUST
know & meditate upon God’s word (Deut. 17:19-20)!
In
short, the King was to serve as the model Israelite.
·
His
power was limited; he was to avoid arbitrary tyranny.
·
He
was to be a Law-keeping Israelite.
·
He
was not to walk as the “god-kings” of the nations.
4. The House of David of the Tribe
of Judah.
a. God allows the people to have a king—but warns them of the perils of kingship (1 Sam. 8).
b. Saul, a Benjamite donkey driver (1 Sam. 9), becomes Israel’s first king. He begins well, but ultimately is rejected (1 Sam. 15).
c. God chooses a Judahite (Gen. 49:10) shepherd, David—a man after His own heart—as the next king (1 Sam. 16).
d. The Davidic Covenant (2 Sam. 7).
God’s
unconditional Covenant with the House of David:
i. Eternal (2Sam. 7:16, 2Chron. 13:4-5); fulfilled in Messiah.
ii.
Not uninterrupted, however; God would discipline the
House
of David (2 Sam. 7:14-15) with foreign incursion, leaving the throne
temporarily and outwardly unoccupied.
e. The Chronicler’s
handling of the reigns of David & Solomon
as Types: David foreshadows the role of
Christ as mighty Conqueror (Rev. 19); Solomon serves as a Type of Christ, foreshadowing
His glorious Millennial Reign (Rev. 20).
f. The Failure of the Monarchy
& the Times of the Gentiles.
The
last two Davidic Kings, Jeconiah & Zedekiah, end up miserably in a
Babylonian dungeon. The Times of the Gentiles (Luke 21:24; pictured in Dan. 2
& 7) commence—and will continue until the glorious Second Appearing of our
Lord and the establishment of His Millennial Kingdom (Rev. 19-20).
II. CHRIST is King—the prophesized Messiah, legal heir to David, King of Kings and Lord of Lords (Matt. 2:2, 21:5, 27:11).
A. He offered Himself unto the Hebrew Nation as King at the Triumphal Entry (Zech. 9), but was rejected (John 1:11), not meeting their limited and inaccurate expectations (Matt. 23:37-39).
B. The Present Church Age is an interregnum; the Church is NOT Israel, as does not constitute the Messianic Kingdom.
>BUT…it is a time of preparation (Acts 1:6-8); today’s Christians will be the Dignitaries of the future Kingdom (Rev. 20:4).
C. But a literal
Kingdom is coming; Jesus will claim His Throne!
A Grace Brethren distinctive: Dispensational Premillennialism.
a. There must be a 1,000 year Kingdom
centered in Jerusalem (Rev. 20)
b. It follows the Great Tribulation & precedes the Eternal State (Rev. 21-22)
c. There will be a rebuilt Temple with a functioning Levitical Priesthood (Ezek. 40-48).
4.
Into the Fire! (3:19-23).
v.
19a: “Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with fury…” “
v.
19b: “…and the expression of his face was changed”
o Prov. 16:14: “A king's
wrath is a messenger of death…” [cf., Matt. 2:16]
o The King’s wrath is uncontrollable—lending
itself to folly (see comments on v. 22 below). Even his facial features betrayed
the enormity of his rage (cf., Gen. 4:5).
o Contributing factors to
his insane fury include the following:
o Absolute, despotic power
will admit of no opposition!
o The King’s forbearance
in offering a second chance had been spurned.
o Enormous efforts & expenses had been made in order
to guarantee the success of the national-unity project.
v.
19c: “He ordered the furnace heated seven times more…”
o
Perhaps figurative; i.e., “Make it as hot as you can!” "Seven
times more" is frequently employed as a proverbial expression (cf.,
Prov. 24:16, 26:16).
o
But,
perhaps literal; the ancients were technologically adept at the
temperature regulation of blast furnaces.
v.
20: “And he ordered some of the mighty
men of his army…”
o
He
chooses the choicest soldiers at his command to function as executioners;
the strongest guards.
o
Possibly
another indication of the King’s unreasoning anger. Were ordinary
soldiers insufficient to the task at hand?
o
Certainly,
everything is designed to make a harsh example unto others.
v.
21: Then these men were bound in their cloaks… and their other garments…
o Again, perhaps
indicative of the fierceness of the King’s wrath, which demanded a sudden
satisfaction instant gratification and. Ordinarily, prisoners would be stripped.
o Others believe that it
was in the King’s mind that such clothing would supply additional combustible
material.
o The fate of the
clothing will ultimately serve as a testimony in the outcome of the episode,
unto the glory of God (v. 27).
o The nature of the
clothing speaks as to the fact that the men were dressed for a state occasion
in apparel that spoke as to their position.
o Another testimony unto
the antiquity of the book. By the time of the Greek Septuagint
translation (3rd to 2nd century BC), the precise meaning
of the 6th century BC Aramaic terms for the various articles of
clothing were obscure.
v.
22: …the flame of the fire killed those
men…
o
The
King’s choicest soldiers killed by the fierceness of the flame—a testimony
to the following: 1) the reality of the great heat of the flames;
2) the king’s reckless indifference to human life; 3) the foolishness
of his wrath.
o
The
would-be executioners become victims themselves: Prov. 11:8: “The
righteous is delivered from trouble, but the wicked takes his place.” [cf.,
Esther 7:9-10; the death of Haman, the archetypal anti-Semite].
o
A general truth: those who live under authority (e.g., a
political subject, a wife, a child, a parishioner) often are the victims
of the poor decisions made by the ruler.
Prov. 29:2:
When the righteous increase, the people rejoice, but when the wicked rule, the
people groan.
Prov. 28:12:
When the righteous triumph, there is great glory, but when the wicked rise,
people hide themselves.
2 Kings 24:3-4: Surely this came upon Judah at the command of the LORD,
to remove them out of his sight, for the sins of Manasseh, according to all
that he had done, and also for the innocent blood that he had shed. For he
filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, and the LORD would not pardon.
o
The
astonishing, multi-faceted foolishness of Nebuchadnezzar’s rage…
1. The intensity of the
flames would only have assured a quick death for the three offenders; he
should have demanded that the flames be made seven times cooler
than usual, thereby guaranteeing a slower, more excruciating death.
The 17th century traveler, Jean
Chardin, records that offending Persian bakers were slow-roasted as a
terrifying example by the Shah’s government when they attempted to profit from
a food shortage (The Travels of Sir John Chardin).
2. The king loses some of
his best men, needlessly, because of the wild carelessness of his rage.
3. The folly of a bad
tempered man testified to in Scripture.
Prov. 14:17a: “A man of quick temper acts foolishly…”
Prov. 14:29b: “…he who has a hasty temper exalts folly.”
Prov. 25:28:
“A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls.”
Eccl. 7:9:
Be not quick in your spirit to become angry, for anger lodges in the heart of
fools.
v.
23: “And these three men… fell down bound
into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.”
o
Perhaps
the furnace was employed in the Image’s very construction.
o
With
the above in mind, some have understood the mode of execution as representing a
form of human sacrifice unto the Image.
o
The
complete, utter, absolute helplessness of the three men will only serve
to magnify the saving-power of their God!
o
The
description that they “fell down” into the furnace testifies that the sort of
furnace involved was probably of the sort seen in ancient bas-reliefs that depict
conical, beehive, or milk-bottle shaped silos.
o The victims would have
been thrown down from the top of the chimney.
o A side opening would have
allowed visibility of their sufferings.
Our Great High
Priest
“after the
order of Melchizedek.”
(Pastor Terry L. Reese, Valley GBC, Armagh, PA; 6/27/2021)
I.
OT Levitic/Aaronic Priests offered sacrifices unto God on behalf of the people for the
cleansing of sin, serving as mediators between God and man, representing the
people before God.
The importance of their sacrifices.
1. Holding back the outbreak of the wrath of a
Holy God
who dwelt uniquely amongst the Hebrew Nation.
2. Picturing the future atoning work of Messiah
(Heb. 10:1)
The
limitations of their work: The blood of animals could not answer as our saving
propitiation (Heb. 10:1-4).
II. The Better Way: JESUS, the MESSIAH, the ultimate High Priest who offered a once-for-all sacrifice unto the Father of infinite and everlasting value (namely, Himself) on behalf of His people. He is thus both offering and offeror (Heb. 1:3, 9:11-12, 10:9-14; 1 John 1:7).
A. His Priesthood is that of Melchizedek—of a higher order than that of Aaron (Gen. 14:18-20; Ps.110:4; Heb. 6:19-20, 7:1-28).
B. The Post-Ascension
Priestly Ministries of Christ.
We have a sympathetic
& merciful High Priest (Heb. 2:17-18, 4:14-16) who is alive and who ever
ministers on our behalf, bringing us nigh unto God, ever interceding on our
behalf! (Heb. 7:23-25; Rom. 8:34; 1John 2:1-2).
o This account also
demonstrates that they took seriously the truth of Matt. 10:28:
“And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill
the soul. Rather fear Him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”
o
Also,
this incident is a dramatization of Jesus’ words in regard to Disciples’ proper
expectations for this Age as we stand in testimony unto the Nations:
Mark 13:9-11: “But be on your guard. For they will
deliver you over to councils, and you will be beaten in synagogues, and you
will stand before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them.
And the gospel must first be proclaimed to all nations. And when they
bring you to trial and deliver you over, do not be anxious beforehand what you
are to say, but say whatever is given you in that hour, for it is not you who
speak, but the Holy Spirit.”
o The Three Holy
Children, as true disciples, knew that whether we live or die, it is ultimately
a “win/win-more” situation! We gain Christ either way!
Php 1:21: “For to me to live is Christ, and to
die is gain.”
o
Modern
missionary martyr Nate Saint (1923–56), killed in Ecuador:
The way I see it, we ought to be willing to die. In
the military, we were taught that to obtain our objectives we had to be willing
to be expendable. Missionaries must face that same expendability.
o This account also
underscores the necessity for believers to engage in Biblical Civil
Disobedience rather than disobey the express command and revealed will of
God as given in Scripture. Note the following examples:
o The Hebrew midwives
disobedience to Pharaoh’s cruel edict (Ex. 1:16-21), for which they were
blessed by God (1:20-21).
o Moses’ parents hid their child from
Pharaoh (Ex.
2:2)—an
act of faith (Heb.
11:23).
o Daniel’s refusal to compromise
his prayer life & habits (Dan. 6:10).
o Mordecai’s refusal to bow before the
wicked anti-Semite, Haman (Est. 3:1-5).
o Peter & John’s disobedience to the
Jewish High Council, which commanded them not to speak nor teach in the Name of
Jesus:
Acts 4:19-20: But Peter and John answered them,
"Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to
God, you must judge, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and
heard."
o Peter and the full
company of Apostles
also defied the same command from the High Council, preaching before the people
in the Temple.
Acts 5:29: But Peter and the apostles answered,
"We must obey God rather than men.
o Future saints will also refuse to
worship the Antichrist Beast during the 70th Week of Daniel (i.e.,
the Great Tribulation; Rev. 13:15, 15:2, 20:4).
Christ as Prophet,
Priest, and King
(Pastor Terry L. Reese, Valley GBC, Armagh, PA, Sunday, June 13, AD 2021)
TEXT: 2 Chon. 26:3-5, 16-21.
Introduction.
The Heidelberg Catechism, focusing on the word
“Christ:”
Q. Why is he
called "Christ," meaning "anointed"?
A. Because he has
been ordained by God the Father and has been anointed with the Holy Spirit to
be our chief prophet and teacher who
perfectly reveals to us the secret counsel and will of God for our deliverance;
our only high priest who has set us
free by the one sacrifice of his body, and who continually pleads our cause
with the Father; and our eternal king
who governs us by his Word and Spirit, and who guards us and keeps us in the
freedom he has won for us.
In I Tim. 2:1-6, Paul gives us the joyful announcement
that there is one Mediator between God and Man, the God-Man,
Christ Jesus. He is the one, all-sufficient Mediator between a Holy God
and a sinful Humanity. He is the one
appointed Mediator for all categories of men—regardless of race, creed,
social-status, sex, etc.)—and we should thus pray for the salvation of all
categories of men everywhere.
In order to adequately understand the work of CHRIST,
we need to examine His unique three-fold Messianic office, through which He
brings complete fulfillment to the important mediatorial offices of the OT.
Three OT offices to which men were anointed
with oil and appointed by God to serve in a representative function, acting as
mediators between God and man: Prophet, Priest, and King. These offices were
essential within the Theocratic Commonwealth for the salvation and preservation
of the Old Testament community.
A
mediator: one
who takes a middle position between two parties, and principally with the view
of removing their differences (Job 9:32-34). A mediator bridges the gap—and the
gap between God and man can only be ultimately bridged by the one Mediator, the
Incarnate God/Man, Jesus the Messiah.
I. The Messiah/Christ:
the “Anointed One,” unique Holder of the Threefold Office
Jesus the CHRIST is the central figure whom the
Old Testament foreshadows and the New Testament proclaims as the fulfillment of
prophecy fact.
John 5:39-40: "You search the Scriptures
because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify
about Me; and you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life.
It is therefore essential to understand the
biblical portrayal of the Messiah (Heb. masiah;
Gk. Christos; the Annointed One), whom God has anointed to
redeem his people and creation.
Unlike OT anointed office holders, we observe
that Christ uniquely holds all three offices. Uzziah was severely
judged when he unconstitutionally intruded upon the priest’s office (2 Chon.
26:16-21).
2
Chon. 26:16-21:
But when he was strong, he grew
proud, to his destruction. For he was unfaithful to the LORD his God and
entered the temple of the LORD to burn incense on the altar of incense. But
Azariah the priest went in after him, with eighty priests of the LORD who were
men of valor, and they withstood King Uzziah and said to him, "It is not
for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the LORD, but for the priests, the sons of
Aaron, who are consecrated to burn incense. Go out of the sanctuary, for you
have done wrong, and it will bring you no honor from the LORD God." Then
Uzziah was angry. Now he had a censer in his hand to burn incense, and when he
became angry with the priests, leprosy broke out on his forehead in the
presence of the priests in the house of the LORD, by the altar of incense. And Azariah the chief priest and all the
priests looked at him, and behold, he was leprous in his forehead! And they
rushed him out quickly, and he himself hurried to go out, because the LORD had
struck him. And King Uzziah was a leper to the day of his death, and being a
leper lived in a separate house, for he was excluded from the house of the LORD.
And Jotham his son was over the king's household, governing the people of the
land.
Messiah, however, was prophesized to be
uniquely qualified to be both King and Priest, holding a higher Priesthood than
Levi (Ps. 110:4, Heb. 5:5-6), joining the two offices (Zech. 6:9-15).
Ps.
110:4 The
LORD has sworn and will
not change his mind, "You
are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek."
Zech.
6:9-15:
9The word of the LORD also came to me, saying, 10"Take
an offering from the exiles, from Heldai, Tobijah and Jedaiah; and you go the
same day and enter the house of Josiah the son of Zephaniah, where they have
arrived from Babylon. 11Take silver and gold, make an ornate crown
and set it on the head of Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest. 12Then
say to him, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts, "Behold, a man whose name is
Branch, for He will branch out from where He is; and He will build the temple
of the LORD. 13Yes, it is He who will build the temple of the LORD,
and He who will bear the honor and sit and rule on His throne. Thus, He will be
a priest on His throne, and the counsel of peace will be between the two
offices."' 14Now the crown will become a reminder in the temple
of the LORD to Helem, Tobijah, Jedaiah and Hen the son of Zephaniah. 15Those
who are far off will come and build the temple of the LORD." Then you will
know that the LORD of hosts has sent me to you. And it will take place if you
completely obey the LORD your God.
As we shall see, the OT expectation of Messiah
was not simply that He would be a prophet, or a priest, or a king—but that He
would embrace all three offices. Our Lord reminds His Disciples on the Road to
Emmaus of this:
Luke 24:25-26: And He said to them, "O foolish
men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Was it
not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His
glory?"
Thus, today, in order to fully appreciate and
understand the work of Christ, we must nor view Him merely as a prophet, a
priest, or a king, but rather as the Anointed Messiah in Whom all three offices
are perfectly realized and fulfilled. We have in Him everything that we
require! And we require much!
II. Question: Why a
Threefold Office? Answer: we are a needy people!
We require a triple cure, or remedy for a
threefold illness of ignorance, guilt, and the tyranny and bondage that
oppresses us due to the pollution of sin…
1. Ignorance. Our minds are darkened
and clouded by sin…
We needed the supreme Prophet to reveal the
Father and His will unto us…
2. Guilt. We stand guilty before
God in our guilt and shame…
We needed the ultimate High Priest to offer a
perfect atonement for our transgressions… and who continually pleads our cause
with the Father…
3. Tyranny and bondage. We need the Stone not
cut-out by human hands (Dan. 2) to crush the power-centers of this world and
bring us the Kingdom of God… but who shall, in the meantime, powerfully reign
over the hearts of His people.
We are polluted vessels, carrying a hopelessly
corrupt sin nature around with us, making ourselves and our world miserable…
SUMMARY…
Let us close where we came in: The Heidelberg Catechism:
Q. Why is he called
"Christ," meaning "anointed"?
A. Because he has
been ordained by God the Father and has been anointed with the Holy Spirit to
be our chief prophet and teacher who
perfectly reveals to us the secret counsel and will of God for our deliverance;
our only high priest who has set us
free by the one sacrifice of his body, and who continually pleads our cause
with the Father; and our eternal king
who governs us by his Word and Spirit, and who guards us and keeps us in the
freedom he has won for us.
“These three offices of Christ as Prophet,
Priest, and King are the key to the purpose of the incarnation. His prophetic
office was involved with the revealing of God’s message; the priestly office
was related to his saving and intercessory work; His kingly office gave him the
right to reign over Israel and the entire earth.” (Paul Enns, Moody Handbook of
Theology)
We need no other Mediator or cures for what ails us… Thus, He is the only Way through which men must lawfully approach God.
In the threefold mediatorial Messianic Office,
we find our cure! Let us in further messages examine the aspects of the so-called
munus triplex, or "threefold
office" in depth.
“ECCE HOMO!”
(“Behold, the Man!”)
(Sunday, June
6, AD 2021; Pastor Terry L. Reese)
I.
Christology: The Doctrine of Christ.
A. Biblical Christology: Affirms that Jesus Christ is both truly & fully God and truly & fully man, having two complete and distinct natures joined in one Person.
B. Heretical Christology: typically rejects or else reduces either His Deity or else His Humanity, or misunderstands the relationship and union of the two Natures.
II.
Historic errors regarding the Humanity of Christ.
A. Gnosticism (Docetic Theory) denied His genuine humanity. He only appeared to be human (cf., 1 John 4:2-3; 2 John 7).
B. Apollinarianism reduced His Humanity. Jesus was only partially human (i.e., the Logos replaced a rational human soul).
III.
The Humanity of Christ: genuine & complete.
A.
Straightforward, direct Scriptural testimony.
(Matt. 1:1; Mark 6:3; John 1:14, 5:27,
8:40; I Tim. 2:5; 1 Cor. 15:21)
1. He began earthly life as a babe,
like other men (Luke
2:5, 12).
2. He grew & developed as a true
human being (Luke
2:40, 52).
3. He displayed the emotions found in a normal human being (Isa. 53:3; Matt. 26:38; Mark 3:5; Luke 10:21, Luke 22:44; John 11:35, 12:27).
4. He displayed normal human appetites
(Matt.
4:2, John 19:28).
5. He displayed certain human limitations (Matt. 8:24, 24:36; Mark 11:13; Luke 22:43; John 4:6). These limitations reflect the Self-emptying of Christ, or kenosis (Phil. 2:5-8).
6. He had the appearance of a human
being (John
1:10, Phil. 2:8).
7. His humanity is seen in His suffering
& death (John
1:10).
Note: He had a Human Spirit (contra
Apollinarianism)!
Summary: He had all of
the essential characteristics of a true human being, but was without sin (Heb.
4:15).*
*Question: “To err is
human.” Can one be sinless, yet human?
Answer: His lack of a
sin nature does not minimize nor negate His genuine humanity. Sin is an abnormality—it
is not an essential, vital, nor permanent component of human nature. Adam
was originally without sin—and ultimately so will every glorified saint!
