“And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. And Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son,a with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Rise, and have no fear.” And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.” (Matthew 17:1-8)
I was listening to Drive By Pneumatology , and in lecture 10 by Emilio Ramos, I was struck by some insights by the lecturer.
The Holy Spirit’s ministry is to point to Christ (John 16:13-14). Christ is the pre-eminent Person in all the universe (Colossians 1:18). Peter, in his boundless and sometimes unthinking enthusiasm, wanted to make a tabernacle for all three of the glorified beings he saw before him. One for Moses, one for Elijah and one for Jesus. In verse 4 Peter makes it clear, he says it twice, ‘three tents’ and then explains, ‘one for you and you and you…’
WHILE He was speaking, God interrupted Peter. Peter was off on the wrong track. We cannot put anything or any one equal to Jesus. He is preeminent.
God said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him” God says it twice, ‘this is My Son,” and ‘listen to Him.’
Do we get the message?
Jesus is preeminent. He is counted to have more glory than Moses (Hebrews 3:3). he speaks with more authority than Elijah, the prophet, and all the prophets. (Hebrews 1:1-2).
My prayer for you is that you put Jesus at the highest exaltation point in your mind and heart. He is pre-eminent, better than our idols, our celebrities, our traditions, and better than any picture or shadow of anyone else in the bible.
“Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:10-11).
Jesus, the Name High Over All, written by Charles Wesley
Though we are in a battle, “The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.” (Psalm 9:9). Our Lord of hosts is God commanding, ordering, summoning the hosts of heaven. These are the angels, in and among the starry worlds.
He organizes and dispenses helps from these realms to those who love Him. If you are feeling troubled, take refuge in Him. “The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah” (Psalm 46:7)
His protections are never ceasing, constant, and uninterrupted: “He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber.” (Psalms 121:3). He misses nothing, He is not unaware of anything. We do not have to be fearful of him being overtaken by stratagems or surprise. He does not sleep.
Even when it seems to us that His helps are meager, not enough, ineffectual, they are not. “And the LORD said unto Gideon, By the three hundred men that lapped will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into thine hand: and let all the other people go every man unto his place.” (Judges 7:7).
Hearken to God, precious brethren. The days are going to grow darker, but He is LIGHT!
“But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.” (Proverbs 1:33). Of those who love Him we have a new heart: “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.” (Ezekiel 36:26).
He strengthens this new heart, “Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.” (Psalms 27:14). Eventually, precious brothers and sisters, “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.” (Matthew 5:8).
He is our shield and our reward!
“After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.” (Genesis 15:1)
The Prophetess Anna (or Old Woman Reading) by Rembrandt van Rijn.
Reading through Chronicles in the Bible is eye-opening. In the sections where it is described about the complexity of Temple architecture and the complexity of worship, it’s astounding. But then again, it is all God’s due! He is worthy of the most beautiful Temple and the most precise worship. He wants and should receive exactly the kind of worship He desires.
John MacArthur: Luke gave another significant detail about Anna, who is usually mentioned at Christmas time:
“and then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She did not leave the temple grounds, serving night and day with fasts and prayers“. (Luke 2:37).
“That’s an emphatic statement, which suggests that Luke meant it in a literal sense. Evidently, Anna lived right there on the temple grounds. There were some apartments in the outer courts (Nehemiah 13:7–9). These were modest chambers, probably used as temporary dwelling places for priests who lived on the temple grounds while doing their two weeks’ annual service.”
“Perhaps because of her long faithfulness, her obvious spiritual gifts, her steadfast devotion to the Lord, and her constant commitment to her ministry of prayer and fasting, temple officials had given her a small chamber. She was now too old to be employed as a caretaker, but perhaps she had once served in that capacity, and her living quarters had been given to her for life. In any case, it was ultimately the Lord who had graciously provided her a place in His house and sovereignly orchestrated whatever arrangement she might have had with the temple custodians. Source -sermon, Anna, the Aged Evangelist“. –end MacArthur quote
Interesting to think of sleeping cells in the Temple, but it makes sense.
In Alfred Edersheim’s 1898 book, The Temple—Its Ministry and Services, he explains about the apartments inside the Temple. Really, just sleeping chambers. Some were above the Court of the Gentiles, while bigger apartments were for the High Priest to spent the week before the Day of Atonement in study and meditation. Other apartments were for the Levite musicians. (1 Chronicles 9:33)
When we think of the Temple at the time of Jesus in 30AD, we know it was grand and large. Perhaps we think of a European cathedral, or a large church sanctuary in the US, where all is still and quiet. A hushed reverence hangs over the pews, dust motes swirling in the occasional sunbeam angling in through stained class, with people quietly praying or worshiping. Marble halls echo in stillness of shuffled footsteps as priests move about.
Below is a listing of all the Temple Ministries and Duties. Wow, that’s a lot. Source MacArthur Study Bible, Day June 30. Think of all the personnel it took to maintain it, thrive it, and protect it.
The Jerusalem Temple was not like that at all. It was hugely busy, loud, and active. Edersheim again:
In this court tradition places eating and sleeping apartments for the Levites, and a synagogue. But, despite pharisaic punctiliousness, the noise, especially on the eve of the Passover, must have been most disturbing. For there the oxen, sheep, and doves selected as fit for sacrifices were sold as in a market; and here were those tables of the money-changers which the Lord overthrew when He drove from His Father’s house them that bought and sold (Matt 21:12; John 2:14).
If Anna literally did not depart from the Temple, but that she actually lived on premises, she was probably given a sleeping chamber and was taken care of, since she was a widow, especially since her devotion to the LORD was known and noted.
I think of Paul’s admonition for single women, to be selflessly devoted to loving God with all our strength, heart, mind, and soul. The verse in 1 Corinthians about unmarried people being single-mindedly devoted to the Lord was not written yet at Anna’s lifetime, but she certainly fulfilled the spirit of that verse.
Imagine Anna’s life. Living in such a busy and loud place, apostasy all around, yet undeterred, Anna was constantly in devotion to God, vigilantly awaiting Israel’s Consolation. What a blessing the Lord gave her, to see the babe who would be King.
Amid the hustle of Temple business, the men and women coming and going, Priests at their tasks, lowing of the cattle, rattle of the money changers, Anna herself praying, in the crowd she spotted a couple with a baby. It must have been the Spirit that alerted her that this, of all the people entering the majestic Temple, this was the Babe she had been waiting for. What did she do?
And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem. (Luke 2:38).
We Christians on this side of the cross are no longer waiting for the redemption of our souls. We have been blessed to receive it by the Holy Spirit if we have repented of our sins. We now wait for the return of our Messiah. We long to see Him in person. Perhaps today will be the day He returns. If not, then another day. Meanwhile we can take up Anna’s example and give thanks to God, and speak of Him to all.
SYNOPSIS: Are you confused at the dizzying pace in which commonly understood words are being re-defined? Has someone used a weaponized word against you? What IS ‘linguistic theft’ anyway? All this and more in today’s essay about the new Newspeak and Thoughtcrimes.
SYNOPSIS: Struck by the similarities of living conditions described in a 1909 dystopian novella and the modern TV show Love Is Blind, I discuss the notion of the importance of physicality in relationships, as shown on the face, and if it’s true that ‘love is blind.’
the-end-time.org 