Luke 23:18
And they cried out all at once, saying,
Away with this man, and release unto us Barabbas:
The question is, Who did the rejecting of Messiah? What do we mean by saying that the nation rejected Him? And with that question is another: Why did not the Lord ever announce Himself publicly that He was the King, the Messiah? Also, where does repentance come in?
From what we see of Pentecost, we would think that the nation was going to repent. That had been the message of John, the Lord Himself, the 12, and also the 70 who were sent out. Prophecy also seems to indicate that there was a remnant that would finally be involved instead of the whole nation. Malachi prophesies, as well as others, that when the Lord comes, there will be a judging and a burning up of the chaff. There is clear evidence that not all of Israel is saved as a nation when the Lord comes. But there is a time coming when all Israel will be saved, none unbelieving.
Now, the reason that the Lord did not proclaim Himself as King is that such a proclamation should be made by the rulers of Israel, who would then represent the nation. The Sanhedrin (70 men) and the high priest were this ruling body, and they spoke for Israel as a nation. It was their business to recognize the King from the miracles and signs for which evidence they had in their possession.
However, those who represented the people did not choose to recognize Christ. The Truth was preached to the people, as by John and by others, so that the multitudes might get to know. But the leaders paid no attention to the people. They were ignorant and even accursed in their estimation.
So, in Judea, The Lord was rejected and crucified. In response to the Lord's last request that He made to The Father for them, they were forgiven for that, and another offer was made during Acts. But the same ruling body rejected Him again by the stoning of Stephen, the arrest of Paul in the temple, and finally, even the Synagogues, for the most part, rejected Him not only in Judea but even the leaders of the Jews in Rome (Acts 28:28).
The pattern cannot be followed by looking at one side of the tapestry only. Prophecy must be studied along with the history. The fig tree was cursed for not having fruit when it was not the season for fruit. That makes no sense to most folks. Prophetically, it was not time for Israel to bear fruit, but the offer was bona fide, and they refused. So, there was a curse laid upon them.
Even at the all-day meeting in Rome, there was still a chance that leaders of the Jews would accept The Truth and start a movement that would end up in Jerusalem with the leaders repenting (changing their minds) and believing that Jesus of Nazareth was indeed the Messiah. But the last chance slipped by, and the pronouncement was made that The Salvation of God was then sent to the Gentiles.
We might add that the Sanhedrin represented all Twelve Tribes. It ceased with the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus, the Roman. When God deals with Israel again, there will be new conditions. We have very little idea of what they will be.
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Acts 1:7
And he said unto them,
It is not for you to know the times or the seasons,
which the Father hath put in his own power.
In Acts 1:6, the Apostles asked, Lord, wilt Thou at this time restore again the Kingdom to Israel? And His reply was, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in His own power. This is a very strange answer in view of the fact that these Apostles could have turned to Daniel 9:20-27 and have found their answer. From there, it is told when the Messiah should be cut off and also that after 70 weeks of Israel being in the Holy City, the Messiah should come. That would be the setting up of His kingdom. And according to the figures given, that would be A.D. 85.
We wonder why the Lord did not set them right by quoting Daniel. Of course, 85 came and went, and there was no restoration of The Kingdom. On the contrary, about 15 years before A.D. 85, Jerusalem was destroyed, and the temple burned. So, the only answer to why The Kingdom did not begin in A.D. 85 is Acts 28:28. The Kingdom was postponed, and The Dispensation of The Mystery intervened and is still going on. Israel will not be revived till after the two days of Hosea 6:2 . Will this be 2,000 years?
The first usage of the expression seasons is in Gen 1:14, where the lights were set in the firmament to be for signs and seasons and for days and years. According to the Companion Bible note, signs were things to come, and seasons appointed times. So, even the signs of the zodiac were prophetic (See Companion Bible Appendix 12).
Another thing that puzzles us is that in Acts 1:7, the apostles are not to know the times or the seasons, yet in 1 Thessalonians 5:1, Paul states that these people of Thessalonica should already know the times and seasons and that there was no need of his writing about them. Why this statement? A lot of theologians have never realized that about ten years before this, John had his revelation, and these people knew about it. In the 16th verse of the chapter before, Paul mentions things that would later be written in the Book of Revelation (about AD 96). There is the answer.
The Word has been very exact about prophetic times and seasons. Abraham was told that 430 years after he left Haran, Israel would leave Egypt. It proved to be true. In Dan 9:2, we read that Daniel understood from the prophecy of Jeremiah that the desolations would be 70 years. So Daniel could figure out when they would be over and when Israel would return. For further light on this, read 2 Chr. 36:21 and Jer. 25:11-12 and Zec. 1:12 & Zec. 7:5.
Now, back to the two days again. The present times begin either with Acts 28:28 or the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. From A.D. 70 until the last few days, the people and the Holy City have not been together to fulfill prophecy. But it looks as if they now were going to have all the city. But since the 70 weeks of Dan. 9 began with the dedication of the temple, we may not be too sure when the 70 weeks will be resumed. We just do not know.
And we mention these things because many want to know when the Lord will be Manifested with His Church. It seems that we are not to know that, but we can know that as the time of Israel approaches, we can be sure the time of our Hope draws near.
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Matt 28:18
All power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth.
In the beginning, God created the heavens (dual) and the earth (singular). Gen. 1:1.
In the same Chapter, the firmament was established and called heaven, but not called good.
Then, after mentioning the heavens and the earth, the account goes on to deal with the earth, the man, his fall, and the plan for redemption. Nothing is said about the heavens, whether inhabited, in need of redemption or what part they play in the affairs of men.
All power is given unto Me in heaven (singular) and in earth (singular). Matt. 28:18.
Here, heaven is singular since it is mentioned in contrast to earth. See note in the Companion Bible. But again, we are disappointed, for the Lord goes on to give an earthly program to The Apostles and gives no information about the heavens.
From the two references given in Genesis and Matthew, we see only an earthly program of redemption. Man is given dominion over the earth. He has a relationship with beasts, fowls, fish, and the like. Later on, we can see that there is a ministration of angels, but all connected with the Dispensation of Promise, which began with Abraham.
Peter gives us a pretty good panorama of the heavens and the earth. He speaks of those in Gen. 1:1 as those that then were. And he speaks of the heavens and earth that are now. And he looks forward to the heavens and earth that are to come in which will be righteousness. See 2 Peter 3:5-8.
The Lord's words in Matt. 28 and those of Peter in 2 Peter 3 give a slight hint that there might be sentient beings in the heavens. He is to have power there, and there is to be righteousness there. These references show that there are three heavens and three earths in the Scriptures. John was caught up to the 3rd heaven and also to paradise, the new earth. See 2 Cor. 12:1-4 where Paul speaks of a vision he experienced, and then compare what Paul said with what John experienced in various expressions in the Revelation.
The great turning point in our account of redemption is where, in Scripture, God began to reveal something about the heavens. For over 4,000 years, the earth was man's domain and place of dominion. His Hope in Resurrection was to be again on the earth in a Great Kingdom or in a new earth in either a Great City made without hands or in Paradise. And all this Great Salvation which had to do with The Kingdom and the Great City was of the Jews.
At the time, Acts 28:28, the Jews are for the present set aside, and The Salvation of God sent to the Gentiles. This is where the switch is made. The theme, the Hope from there on of Salvation, is connected with the Heavens, not the earth. This is where The Church of The Dispensation of The Mystery began. (Well, it actually began in The Mind of our God, and He then Called us in Christ before the overthrow of the word. Eph. 1:4)
The Church is blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places (Eph. 1:3).
All in heaven and earth to be under one Head (Eph. 1:9-10).
The riches of the glory of His inheritance in the holiest of all, heaven itself (Eph. 1:18).
Christ over every power in heaven and earth, as well as every name (Eph. 1:20-21).
The two spheres mentioned in Gen. 1:1 are the subject of the rest of the Word of God. Although both are mentioned at first, we soon discover that the earth is the main subject till we get to the Epistle to the Ephesians.
Both spheres were in the overthrow, which must have come about with the rebellion of the greatest and wisest creature ever created (Eze. 28:12-19). Peter speaks of this overthrow as being by water (2 Pet 3:5-6). And we note that when redemption is completed, as far as the earth is concerned, there will be no more sea (Rev. 21:1).
We are assured that the redemption of all creation was in view even before the overthrow. We are told in Eph. 3:6 that the members of The Church have a part in a promise in Christ. In 2 Tim. 1:1, it tells us that this promise is one of Life. And in Titus 1:2, it is eternal life promised before the ages began. Note that this is in connection with the revelation of The Mystery. It was not revealed to God's earth people, Israel.
After man was put on the earth and failed, and the nations also failed for a period of 2,000 years, a new nation was formed to have a ministry among the other 70 nations, and from this nation would arise The Redeemer, a King from Judah.
This nation of Israel was a chosen nation. They were to be a Kingdom of priests (Exo. 19:6) to make known the name of Jehovah to the nations. They were called God's firstborn (Exo. 4:22). They were The Church in the wilderness (Acts 7:38).
Because of their sins, Israel was unable to fulfill her purpose. So finally, their Redeemer came, who was to save His people from their sins (Matt. 1:21) so that they might accomplish that for which they were chosen. They rejected their Redeemer. The work they were to do was postponed (Acts 28:27-28). But redemption was procured by the blood of Christ. All was set in order for the work to begin. After the Dispensation of The Mystery is over, Christ will return to earth. Then Israel will begin her work among the nations with The Lord and the Twelve directing it.
Upon the rejection of Israel's Messiah for the second time (Acts 28:27-28), the great secret of a work of redemption in Heavenly Places is revealed. Another people from among the Gentiles has been chosen. They are another firstborn (Eph. 1:5). Even now, this Church is making known the manifold wisdom of God to principalities and powers in Heavenly Places (Eph. 3:10 ). No promised land on the earth for this Church! It is blessed with all spiritual blessings in the Heavenly Places in Christ. Read Eph. 1:3-14.
So we discover that a Church (Acts 7:38) was chosen as one body for God's earth program. When it was set aside, then another Church called The Body of Christ came into being, which has its citizenship in Heaven (Phil. 3:20 ). (We must remember, however, that The Church of The One Body of Christ was called before all others and was a primordial plan of habitation, not redemption.)
We must conclude that the heavens and the earth of Gen. 1:1 are the objects of redemption, for we know that redemption must reach out as far as sin did.
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Colossians 2:8
Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit,
after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
This is a translation according to usage by the author:
Colossians 2:4. And this I say, lest any man should beguile you with enticing words.
Do not be fooled by plausible speech.
There are all kinds of traps to get you involved in some religious movement and rob you of your mind and goods. Hypnosis or brainwashing accompanies these false movements. Moreover, it becomes impossible for one to burst the bands and get free. Satan has his so-called gospel and plenty of agents out selling it. Even in the Bible school classroom or in the pulpit, the reasonings of man can be detected, leading folks astray from The Truth that is in Jesus Christ. It is like the old parable of the spider and the fly. And many are entangled in these days.
Colossians 2:8. Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
Now, the word philosophy means love of wisdom. But when it is the wisdom of the world, it is often a lie. And much of what is called religious philosophy is just that, lies. Note that this could read as a vain and deceitful philosophy. So the word is not out of place if used of True Wisdom, that not of this world.
Most of the traditions of men are the outcome of a false philosophy and even from rationalizing, which is also a dangerous practice. You can fool yourself into believing almost anything if the flesh actuates it. Galatians 4:3 speaks of children of bondage under the elements of the world. Elements really mean a foundation, necessary things. But when of the world, they are to be shunned. All these things are not after or according to Christ.
Colossians 2:16. Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holy day, or of the new moon, or of the Sabbath days.
This warning is aimed at going back to the elements of Judaism, the law. The eating and drinking of the Passover are no longer to be observed (wrongly called the Lord's supper). We are to worship in spirit and in truth, not by earthly things. Religious holidays are not to be observed (Lent, Easter, Christmas, etc.). All these are carnal, not spiritual. Not of works, lest any man should boast. At the present rate, there may soon be more holidays on the calendar than working days.
Colossians 2:18. Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind.
Voluntary humility is worth nothing. It is only a pretense to gain the admiration of men. It is disgusting when one sees the goal of it. And such can have pride in their humility, which is, after all, just a false front. God has no reward for such human antics; in fact, just the opposite. It is common for religious organizations to portray angels in their decorations. Empty, vain idolatry!
Be on guard, beware, lest you get entangled and lose rewards!
According To Ephesians
1. Doctrine. All Spiritual Blessings. Members are blessed with every blessing that is spiritual. Where? In the Heavenlies. In Whom? In Christ. Why? In harmony with the choice from before the overthrow.
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