[I am going to] try to make clear that there are probably some people that are not aware, or maybe they are just listening on Paltalk, or through the Internet, we are not a church, we are not a church. We are just a bunch of believers, individuals, who meet together on Sunday. There is no authority, there is no individual Pastor, Deacon, Elder with any authority. We are just individuals that meet together, and we just gather really around the Word of God. We are fellowshipping with Him through His Word.
Now, a while ago, months ago, we were looking at Hebrews 5 and 6. And I would like to start there. I would like to begin there today and then work some other things in as we go along. In Hebrews 5:8-14 we read:
Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him; Called of God an high priest after the order of Melchisedec. Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing. For when 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. For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. 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.
And it goes on into chapter 6 where the Lord speaks of “leaving the principals of the doctrine of Christ” and going “unto perfection.” And we looked at this a while back, as far as what God had in mind with going “unto perfection.” For instance, in verse 14 of Hebrews 5:
But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age …
And the word “full age” is one Greek word, and it is teleios, which is a word that is related to tell us, which has to do with the end. It is translated sometimes, the word it is derived from as the end, or the uttermost, and this word has some of that idea. That is why the translators used the English words “full age.” It is when something has developed to completion. And actually, this word “full age” is translated three different ways in the New Testament, it is translated as “perfect,” it is translated as “full age,” and it is translated as “man.” Those three words, English words the translators used to translate this Greek word teleios that is found here in Hebrews 5:14.
For instance in Matthew 5:48, the word teleios is there:
Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.
“Perfect” in both instances is teleios. It is the word that is found in Romans 12:2, which says:
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
The word “perfect” is the word teleios. In 1 John 4:18, it says:
There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear …
Because, what is love? God tells us it is keeping His commandments. “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” “Perfect love,” which is perfect obedience to the Word of God would cast out fear. We would not have moments of doubt, or as we look at our lives, or we see sin in our lives, we wonder at times, am I really a child of God? Well, “perfect love,” when God completes His salvation within one of those that He has elected to save, will cast out all that fear. We are not perfect in love yet, we are not perfectly obeying God in this world except in the new spirit He has given us. But really, we have to admit that we are still with sin, as it also tells us in 1 John. Yet, this word “perfect,” is teleios. Now it is used in 1 Corinthians 13, in this very familiar passage about love or charity. It says in verses 8-9 of 1 Corinthians 13:
Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.
When did “we know in part”? Actually, throughout the history of the world, but especially during the church age, there was partial understanding, partial knowledge of the Bible. That is why we are learning so many new things now about judgment and the Resurrection, and the timeline of history, and many, many other teachings. So during the church age, the Christians, whether saved or unsaved, whether truly God’s people or not, knew “in part,” partial knowledge. And that is because God sealed up the Word till the time of the end. And then He says in verse 10 of 1 Corinthians 13:
But when that which is perfect is come …
“Perfect,” that is the word. Who is “perfect,” but God. “Be ye therefore perfect” is the command to us, “even as your Father which is in Heaven is perfect.” When God comes, we always thought at the end of the world, He destroys this world we are in, “the new heavens and the new earth,” and that is when knowledge will increase. No, knowledge is increasing now at this time. The Holy Spirit, the perfect is come. He set His hand a second time in pouring out of the Gospel, the latter rain period, to recover a remnant, His elect people. And so, He has come at this point, and that is why knowledge which was “in part,” it says here, in verse 10:
But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.
People get very upset, they are really disturbed. “Are you telling me that I did not even know what Jesus was doing on the Cross? That I even had that wrong?” Yes, you only knew “in part” because that was a tableau. And all of God’s people knew “in part,” but now God is giving us a better understanding, clearer. We can see things much clearer because of the advantage point of being at the end of the world when the Lord is opening up His Word. And in verse 11:
When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
Very similar to Hebrews 5 about being a babe, being a babe you can only use milk. You have to come to “full age,” you must come to be “perfect,” and it is in the context of understanding the Word of God, and so is this. There are several places where the Lord refers to those who teach the Bible as though they were children, or babes, because spiritually they are, and they have been. They have been like a little child, they know a little bit about the Resurrection, but not all the more complete information. They know a little bit about how God saved, but not the much more complete information we have today, that He did it all before the world began. And that is how it is with many doctrines of the Bible. And it says in verse 12:
For now we see through a glass, darkly …
That would be through the church age. That is when God was moving Paul to write this.
… but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.
“Face to face,” which is an expression in the Bible that God uses to really declare that when He speaks “face to face” with someone, it is to speak plainly, without hidden truth, without parables, He will reveal Himself in a much clearer way. That is what He did with Moses. The Lord spoke with Moses “face to face” it says in one place, and “mouth to mouth” in another place. In Numbers 12, you can read that; in making that statement, I speak with Moses “mouth to mouth” in order that he will have, let me turn there, I cannot remember it exactly, in Numbers 12:7-8:
My servant Moses is not so …
That is, the LORD was just speaking to Aaron and Miriam who were trying to indicate that they also were prophets, just like Moses, and God was correcting them that Moses is a special case:
My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all mine house. With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of JEHOVAH shall he behold …
That is what God is indicating. There are other references to “face to face,” or “mouth to mouth,” because that is the most or the clearest form of communication still. Emails are not that clear, phone calls you cannot see a person’s face, a letter is good, but if you really want to make sure someone understands, “face to face.” So I see your reaction, you see my reaction, and then it is the most complete way of learning, or the most complete form of communication still in this electronic age, person to person, in one’s presence. And that is what God is saying in 1 Corinthians 13, that the partial knowledge will be done away when He speaks with His people “face to face,” He will reveal more and more truths of the Bible at that time.
Now if we go to 1 Corinthians 14, the next chapter, teleios, the word translated “full age” in Hebrews 5, is found in verse 20 of 1 Corinthians 14:
Brethren, be not children in understanding …
See that theme? It is in Hebrews, you are a babe. It was in 1 Corinthians 13, “I thought as a child,” “I spake as a child.” And here again:
Brethren …
That is believers, true believers:
… be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice [or evil] be ye children, but in understanding be men.
Here is where the original language is so necessary because in English, we would just assume well, it means like grow up, grow up, be a man. That is the idea, but actually, “men,” “in understanding be men,” is teleios. It is the same word in these other places that is translated “perfect,” or “full age,” “in understanding be perfect.” Do not be a child any longer, do not be a babe, but in understanding “go unto perfection,” as it says in Hebrews 6:1, “leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go unto perfection,” perfection. And what is perfection as far as understanding the Bible? Well, it just simply means that whatever God wants us to understand, we will understand. The full measure of the cup of knowledge, we could say it was only partially full throughout the church age but now God is giving us the full measure of everything He wants His people to know before the world ends, even though we are not going to understand everything in the Bible. There are many things that maybe we will not know. We can know even some things, and realize we do not know much about it, like the Trinity. Yes, we know the Bible teaches the Trinity. But how can we understand three persons, but one God? We cannot. So whatever the Lord wants us to know of “the secret things belong unto the LOD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us,” it is what He gives us, it is Him in parting understanding to His people. And that is what 1 Corinthians 14 is saying here.
Let us also go to Ephesians 4 where we find teleios. In verse 11, I will start:
And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man,
That is that same word.
… unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
That is what God is saying here, move “unto perfection.”
That we henceforth be no more children …
Once again, children, if you have not achieved the “perfect” understanding in how God means that, that is, coming to a better and clearer understanding of judgment, of what May 21, 2011 means, of what the Resurrection is, of God’s penalty for sin which is death, annihilation, not eternal suffering in hell. If you have not moved in the direction of the Bible’s teaching as God is teaching us at this time through His Word, you remain a babe, you remain a child, spiritually, and you have need of milk, and not “strong meat,” or “sure meat.” That word “strong” is translated as “sure,” where it says, “the foundation of God standeth sure.” It is “sure meat,” it is truth, pure truth, 100% truth, not partial truth, but truth that God has hid until our day, until this time that He wants His people to understand and know. So He says:
That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine …
We see how the word “perfect” is used in relationship to the teaching of the Bible. And that is what the Lord wants His people to begin to understand.
If we go back to Hebrews 6, Hebrews 5 and 6, it says in verses 1-2 of Hebrews 6:
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, Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.
Now if you study theology, or the churches teachings over the centuries, they got all of it wrong, little, little truth as far as baptism. Look at all the different teachings in the various churches on baptism alone. They did not understand baptism as a sign of the washing away of sin. They got it wrong.
Well, we are not going to go through all that again, we did that before. But in this context, we find a little further down in chapter 6, where the Lord speaks of “those who were once enlightened,” if they fall away it is impossible “to renew them again unto repentance,” which applies to our day. So we know that the Lord in this passage is making reference to our time when salvation or repentance is impossible within the churches because the Holy Spirit has come out of the midst. And that is the context of what we are reading in Hebrews 5 and 6.
But actually, there is a context here that I never noticed before. If you look at verses 10-11 of Hebrews 5, it is interesting how God has worked this person into the discussion.
Called of God an high priest after the order of Melchisedec. Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing.
And then He goes into speaking of not being a babe but coming to “full age,” and to “strong meat,” to “sure meat,” and it is really a discussion of Melchisedec. And then God says, you cannot understand Him because “ye are dull of hearing.” And that word “dull” is only translated one other place in the next chapter as “slothful.” It is just, not quick to hear, very slow, very much like a sluggard or a sloth. I saw a sloth in Bolovia when we took our trip there this past year. It was on a tree in a Bolivian Zoo in Santa Cruz, and we went in, and the sloth was hanging from a tree, and my wife Maria went up and tried to pet it, and as she touched it, it came around with its claws very, very slow, but Maria must be slower because it got her. But the sloth came around and then got her skin a little bit, but the animal does not move fast, it does not move fast at all. And that is what God is saying, “ye are dull of hearing,” you cannot hear it now.
It is just like when Jesus would say things to His Disciples and they could not comprehend, they could not get it, they could not understand. But the Lord says in one place, let these words sink down in you, into your ears. He is just pointing out that even though God’s people have been slow by God’s design to understand these things because He sealed them up, there will come a time when He reveals truth to His people. He has “many things to say” about Melchisedec, and then He breaks off in the discussion towards the end of chapter 5, into chapter 6. And if you look at the last verse of Hebrews 6, He says:
Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.
It is like book ends. And then chapter 7 goes into detail about Melchisedec.
Let us go back to chapter 4 of Hebrews, and really, this is where one of the places where the discussion of Melchisedec begins in verse 14 of Hebrews 4:
Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.
“Jesus the Son of God.” Whenever we see “the Son of God,” that name, or title given to the Lord Jesus, we can know immediately that it is saying, Jesus, the One who rose from the dead before the foundation of the world to become “the Son of God,” victoriously, is really what the Bible is saying. Every place we read, “the Son of God,” or God calls Him the “Son of man,” and He is the “Son of man,” because He was born of a virgin and entered into the human race, and God has some special significance attached to that name. But when Jesus is called “the Son of God,” always it is because He rose from the dead. And we can know that every time we read this name of Christ.
Let us go to Revelation 13:8. This is becoming a very familiar verse, which says:
And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
So Jesus is “the Lamb.” As John the Baptist called Him, “the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” Well here, God tells us that He was slain, He was killed, and He tells us when, before the foundation of the world. That is when Christ died for the sins of His people, that is when He was laden with iniquity, He bore our sins in His body, that is when God poured out His wrath upon Him and Jesus made payment for sin. Now Him, bearing sin, making payment for sin, happened before the foundation of the world. It did not happen on the Cross. It did not happen in the Garden. Jesus was living it out because He is “the light of the world” and “whatsoever doth make manifest is light,” and the Bible tells us He was making these things manifest, He was putting them all on display. He was showing us He was shining the light on the truth, that God had already punished Him for sin, and He had already victoriously won the battle, and He had Resurrected.
Let us also go to Hebrews 4:3:
For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.
See, it is not just Revelation 13:8 that teaches us that. And some people, they try to say, “Well, that is just the reference. From before the foundation of the world is only addressing those who were written in the Lambs book of life.” And they try to get around the statement that Christ is the Lamb slain from before the foundation of the world, saying that it does not apply to from before the foundation of the world.
But there are other Scriptures that make no sense unless we realize that Jesus was “the Lamb” and did die as “the Lamb of God,” the sacrifice for His people’s sins. And the works necessary to save God’s elect were finished back then at that point, before the world began. You know God is really, as Bob was saying in his report, the Lord gets all the glory. God is revealing that yes, He gets all the glory for salvation, even more glory then we imagined, because we thought yes, we understood it was “the faith of Christ” and God gives us the gift of salvation, but still, He has gone beyond that, and showed us that it was all accomplished, finished, all the works necessary that Jesus did to save His people were completed before there was any man; “of the people there was none with me,” “mine own arm brought salvation unto me.” He was alone, completely alone, because He had not yet created the world, or man in the world, and of course it is all of Him. It is God’s salvation there is no one else.
Now if we start from that point, then we really in sharing the Gospel with people, we are starting at a point where only God could possibly get the glory. There is not even a possibility for man to foul it up, or to pollute it, to pervert the Gospel of Grace, because it is all done, finished before God even created this world. And we can see how this understanding much more greatly glorifies God.
Let us also go to Matthew 25. In Matthew 25:34 where it is a parable that Jesus is giving regarding the sheep and the goats, “as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats,” and then in verse 34:
Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
There is evidence, actually it is conclusive, it is conclusive, Jesus died, He finished the works, He prepared the Kingdom, He named His elect and died for their sins, all before, way before this world began. And so He is a God who gets the honour and the glory, and man, we are the recipients of God’s grace, He worked it out in order to bless His people.
Let us also go to 1 Peter 2:24. Speaking of Christ:
Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree …
Now it is saying Jesus was bearing sins. Pilate found Him with no fault, “I find no fault in him.” Because He was sinless. He was not bearing sins in 33 AD, He bore sins prior to the world’s existence and here it says:
Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree …
Which means, what does it mean if He bore our sins? When would that have been? At what point, not in time, at what point? Prior to the world, before the foundation of the world. But it says He bore, “our sins in his own body on the tree.” That is the Cross, right? 33 AD? No, it is not the Cross. It is teaching, He bore our sins before the foundation of the world. And to prove this, we just have to think, Revelation 13:8 says, He was the Lamb slain from before the foundation of the world. Was there any lambs back then? Did God create lambs before He created the world? He did not create lambs back then before He spoke and created the world and universe. But the word “Lamb” means, Jesus was the sacrifice for His people’s sins, not that He was an actual lamb.
Likewise, the word “tree” is very important because it points to the Cross and the Cross if you were to look at it in its essence, you know to bare bones. What does the Cross teach us? Anyone that hangs on a tree is cursed and has been made a shameful spectacle. Did that happen before the foundation of the world? Was Jesus accursed? Yes, with the sins of His people. Was He put on display? Or actually, that is one of the reasons why Christ entered into the world, to reveal these things in a tableau. But He was shamed before the foundation of the world, and cursed before the foundation of the world, which means He hung on a tree, because that is what the tree teaches. That is what the Cross, the spiritual essence, or the truth of the reference to the tree is teaching.
So Jesus, “his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree.” And that is the reason why we want to look at Melchisedec. Did Jesus have a body before the foundation of the world? It says here He did. It cannot be 33 AD because He is bearing sins, and it says He had a body. No, he was not born of a virgin back then, but God gave Him a body because this verse tells us so. And this is the Greek word soma, it is a word that means body, just like you have a body, I have a body. God gave Christ a body before the foundation of the world in order that He could bare the sins of man, and die for the sins of man, and then later be Resurrected in a victorious resurrection proving that He had paid the penalty in full for His people.
How did Christ get a body? Well, I think there is a verse that tells us how He got a body, and we will try to look at that later, but first we have to go a little bit more, because in backtracking and understanding that Jesus died, but the Bible also tells us He rose. And if we go to Romans 1:3-4:
Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by [or out of] the resurrection from the dead:
When we read this, we have gone over this, but it is easy to forget, it is easy for us to not understand, or to slip back into where we do not understand it correctly. And this verse is saying if we leave out just the center part of the verse for a second, it is saying that Jesus was declared to be the Son of God by the resurrection from the dead, or through, or out of the resurrection from the dead. In other words, Jesus, when He was laden with sin, when He was bearing sin before the foundation of the world was Jesus, God, Christ, the Lord Jesus Christ, all the many names of God. But one name did not apply at that time until He made payment and Resurrected, and once He Resurrected, then He was declared to be “the Son of God,” “the Son of God.” That is a name that teaches us, this name means Christ died and rose victoriously, “the Son of God,” that applies to Him. He was given that name upon His Resurrection. Now if we go to Hebrews 1:1-5:
God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, 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; Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. 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?
It is a quote from Psalm 2. If we go back to the Psalms, in Psalm 2:7:
I will declare the decree: JEHOVAH hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.
“Thou art my Son” was stated by God the moment Jesus rose from the dead, that is when He was begotten. Of course, He is eternal God, and He has always been God from eternity past, and always will be God, but at point in eternity. It is as though He was the first begotten of God because He rose from the dead. As it says in Colossians 1:17-18:
And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.
It is referring to Jesus. Or also in Revelation 1:5 it says:
And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,
“The first begotten of the dead” is why God says in John 3:16:
For God [or in this manner] so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son …
Already the Son, He had not died, He had not Resurrected, that would be of a period of time. But God says, He is my Son. How could God call Him His Son if He had not already been Resurrected and declared to be the Son of God as He is “the first begotten?” Well, I would like to go back to Hebrews 5. In Hebrews 4, we read of “Jesus the Son of God” who was the “high priest” for His people. And then in Hebrews 5:1-6:
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: 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. And by reason hereof he ought, as for the people, so also for himself, to offer for sins. And no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron. So also Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest; but he that said unto him, Thou art my Son, to day have I begotten thee. As he saith also in another place, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.
So God is joining Psalm 2:7 with the statement about Melchisedec. He says in another place. Why? What is the point that God is trying to make regarding Melchisedec? Melchisedec is a mysterious character, theologians call him a theophany. Theologians also say that Jesus was slain in principle before the foundation of the world, and they were incorrect about that. Melchisedec appears first in the book of Genesis in chapter 14. And that chapter is very interesting, because it really records the first kings that are mentioned in the Bible, it records the first war that is mentioned in the Bible. It also has Abraham arm his trained servants and three other men and go after his nephew Lot, and Lot’s goods, and other inhabitants of cities that were overcome. And Abraham rescues Lot and all the people, and all the goods, and then he comes back to Sodom. And then we find this priest. This priest comes out with bread and wine, and Abraham gives this priest a tenth of the portion of all that he took. And so, Melchisedec received tithes, and that was between the years of 2092 BC and 2081 BC. We can know that definitely because, 2092 BC is the year that Abraham came out of Ur of the Chaldees, or Haran, and entered into the land of Canaan. And 2081 BC is the year when other events were going on in his life that had already passed by this battle in Genesis 14. So it was right around 2100 BC. And then the next mention of Melchisedec is in the Psalms. In Psalm 110, where the LORD is moving David to write a Psalm. And it says in verses 1-4:
JEHOVAH said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool. JEHOVAH shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies. Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth. JEHOVAH hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.
He just mysteriously shows up again. And David, we know lived from 1037 BC to 967 BC, so probably around 1000 BC he was writing these Psalms. The Bible does not tell us exactly, but about 1,000 years from the time Melchisedec first showed up on the scene in around 2100 BC, 1,000 years later, God moves David to mention him. And then, it is not for another 1,000 years, 1st century AD that God moves the writer of Hebrews to make reference to Melchisedec and go into a lot more detail about this man. Who was this man? Well, Jesus is the Lamb slain from before the foundation of the world, and He came into the world in 33 AD to teach us that, and to show us that, and to make that manifest, and John the Baptist when He saw Him said, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” Who offered Jesus up in 33 AD? Because if you have a sacrifice you also need a priest to offer the sacrifice. Who offered Him up? He offered Himself up, He is the “great high priest” of His people. So, He was “the Lamb” and He was the “high priest.” Now before the foundation of the world Jesus was the Lamb? Where was the Priest, who offered Him up? Well, He offered Himself up, yes that is true, that is true, under the name of Melchisedec.
And Lord willing, we will try to study that a little bit more into chapter 7 and a little further in Hebrews.
We are going to close right now, and let us close with a word of prayer.
Questions and Answers (paraphrased)
1st Question: My question is still formulating in my head. But I just want to say that the way you ended the message was better then the season finale of Grey’s Anatomy, because it is a cliff hanger. I cannot wait to hear what else you have to say. But my question is this. When it comes to the exposure to the doctrine of everything being completed before the foundation of the earth, what is going through my mind is, in regards to a question about whether or not Christ was capable of falling because of His human nature when He entered into the world, when He was tempted of the devil and so forth.
Chris: The Bible tells us God cannot be tempted of evil. Satan certainly tempted Him, and the Pharisees, and the leaders of Israel were constantly going after Him. God just put on display there also His perfection, His holiness and His perfect obedience in order to show us. So He submitted Himself to these tests to show us really the ideal or how He created Adam in the beginning to be good, and perfect, and to obey Him. And so, He came as the second Adam to show these things.
Question (continued): I think that answers the question because I had asked this question a long time ago, this was back when I was still going to church and there was an answer given that, because of His human nature, there was a chance that He could have fallen, but that is not correct.
Chris: Why should we speculate or get into what ifs? It did not happen. We do know that God makes it very clear, He was the perfect God-man in every way. And when we see Him for instance, in the wilderness being tempted of the devil, He was showing us that here is the ideal. This glorifies God to obey Him, to refer to His Word for understanding and direction and strength. The way we find Jesus presented in the Bible, the way He lived His life, we can just thank God, and glorify God that He lived perfectly and obediently.
Question: Within 60 seconds can you give us an insight into where you left off at?
Chris: I am trying to learn some things for the conference. But in Hebrews 7, there are a couple statements made. I will just point out one that really I think should have us thinking. Verse 14:
For it is evident that our Lord sprang out of Juda; of which tribe Moses spake nothing concerning priesthood.
So God is trying to lay out how Jesus is a legitimate Priest, but not due to earthly ties to Aaron, no, He is actually a far greater Priest because He is connected to Melchisedec, He is after the order of Melchisedec. Verse 15:
And it is yet far more evident: for that after the similitude of Melchisedec there ariseth another priest,
And who is that other Priest? Jesus. Do you notice anything about that statement, “after the similitude of Melchisedec”? It is reversed, it is normally Melchisedec a type of Christ. Melchisedec is a similitude of Jesus, but it is not saying that, it is saying Jesus came “after the similitude of Melchisedec.” He came after the likeness of this mysterious man, Melchisedec. We will try to get into the word “similitude” another time, but it has reversed the types and figures order, is what its done. And there would be absolutely no way of understanding that except we have learned that Jesus when He entered into the world was living out a tableau, a “similitude” of what had already taken place and been accomplished. And so that statement I think is key.
2nd Question: Inaudible
Chris: 1 Thessalonians 3:4:
For verily, when we were with you, we told you before that we should suffer tribulation; even as it came to pass, and ye know.
Well, when we have a word we want to find out information about, we go to the Strong’s and maybe the Englishman’s Greek Concordance that gives us all the English words of where that word is found. And there are many, many, many places where the Greek word 1492, which I think is eido is found, and that is how God teaches us. As we go to one place we make a little mental note, go to another place, and hopefully starts filling out the word so we can understand what the word means. So, I would not just go to this one verse, I guess is what I am saying, without trying to understand it with all the other verses too.