Jesus Christ and the flood?
Jul 26
"For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be" (Matthew 24:38-39). noah The Lord Jesus Christ not only believed in the special, recent creation of all things by God (note Mark 10:6-8), but also in the worldwide Flood of Noah's day, including the special preservation of life on the Ark. The Flood in which He believed was obviously not a "local flood," for He compared it to the worldwide future impact of His Second Coming. Neither was it a "tranquil flood," nor a "selective flood," for Jesus said, "the flood came, and destroyed them all" (Luke 17:27). It is clear that He was referring to--and that He believed--the Genesis record of the great Flood! There it says that the whole earth was "filled with violence" (Genesis 6:13), having first been filled with people, and that the resulting world-cleansing deluge was so cataclysmic that "every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth" (Genesis 7:23). Indeed, "the flood came, and took |literally `lifted'| them all away."
Cities of refuge
Jul 19
"Ye shall give three cities on this side Jordan, and three cities shall ye give in the land of Canaan, which shall be cities of refuge" (Numbers 35:14). refuge When the Israelites entered the promised land, God told Joshua to provide six "cities of refuge" into which those who had slain someone could flee for refuge until a trial could ascertain the facts and render a proper verdict. As such, these cities are a type of Christ through whom "we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us" (Hebrews 6:18). The names of the six cities are given in Joshua 20:7-8 as Kedesh, Shechem, Hebron, Bezer, Ramoth, and Golan. The meanings of these names seem planned especially to foreshadow this spiritual application. Kedesh means "holy place," and Christ in the New Jerusalem is the ultimate refuge, for "the Lamb |is| the temple of it" (Revelation 21:22). Shechem means "strong shoulder" which answers to the "strong consolation" we have in Christ when we flee to Him for refuge.
Summary of divine grace
Jul 13
"Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He retaineth not His anger for ever, because He delighteth in mercy. He will turn again, He will have compassion upon us; He will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea. Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob, and the mercy to Abraham, which thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of old" (Micah 7:18-20). jesus01 The lengthy text above is quoted in its entirety because, coming as it does at the end of Micah's dual prophecy of imminent judgment of the sinful, rebellious nation of Judah, and of the coming glorious reign of the Lord, it sums up the work of God's grace in dealing with iniquity. Each of the three verses quoted describe a part. Such grace: Pardons iniquity (v.18): As sinners, we have the assurance of mercy instead of judgment. God pardons our iniquity, passes by our transgressions, and retains not His anger. Why? "Because He delighteth in mercy."
Repentance and faith and the only way
Jul 06
"Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel" (Mark 1:14-15). repentance There are many passages in the New Testament which indicate that repentance is the key to salvation. For example, Paul said that he had preached everywhere that they "should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance" (Acts 26:20). But he also preached that faith in Christ is the way to be saved. "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved" (Acts 16:31). One could cite many verses stressing repentance and many that stress faith. There can obviously be no real conflict here, though there is a danger in what has been called "easy believism," if repentance is ignored. Mental assent to certain facts about Christ is not true saving faith. Nor will it produce salvation for a person merely to be sorry for his sins and change his behavior if he did not really trust from his heart in the person and work of Christ.
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