Brian and Cathy Gray Bible study

Pentecost Continued…

Peter’s Sermon Part 1

Peter the Apostle did not start out as an Apostle. And while he was not “THE ROCK”, as the Catholic Church asserts, he was definitely Smart Like a Rock. Peter occasionally began with what looked like understanding, only to prove he had very little, if any, real understanding of what Jesus taught until Holy Spirit crashed in at Pentecost to lead him and others into all truth.

There was a rushing wind, and onlookers heard what sounded like mindless babbling and assumed everyone was drunk.

But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel:

Acts 2:14-16

Peter begins with an appeal to reason. One hundred twenty men and women, the devotion of which was clearly evidenced by their ten days of prayerful obedience, were not drunk, especially at 9 AM in the morning. He could have begun with the age-old irrefutable proposition,

“The Lord told me…”

I mention this because some people believe that the litmus test for God’s presence and voice is the defiance of all reason and logic. Of course, God can and does transcend our perceptions of reality and truth. However, eccentricity is not proof of Holiness. Rather, it proves that God works despite our weirdness and weakness. 1 Corinthians 1:27-31 is not a call to be foolish. It is a declaration of God’s character and purpose. He is the author of truth that includes the laws of logic and reason. The scientific method is the fruit of devout men and women who recognized complexity and design and sought to know more about the designer through his design.

It is the glory of God to conceal things,
    but the glory of kings is to search things out.

Proverbs 25:2

This is important as we contrast the beginning of the church with the body of Christ today, because there has been a growing anti-intellectual movement within the charismatic stream since the 1990s.

In any case, Peter began his argument logically according to scripture, and in the context of God’s ultimate eschatological plan.

And it shall come to pass afterward,
    that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh;
your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
    your old men shall dream dreams,
    and your young men shall see visions.
Even on the male and female servants
    in those days I will pour out my Spirit.
“And I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke. The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as the Lord has said, and among the survivors shall be those whom the Lord calls.

Joel 2:28-32

Some people read Joel Chapter 2  in the context of the destruction of Jerusalem and the dispersion of Israel by the Roman emperor Hadrian in 70AD. This is called Preterism. Preterists assert that what Jesus called

…great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be...

Mathew 24:21

took place in full in 70 AD. Preterists tend be be postmillennial or amillenial regarding the 1000-year reign of Christ in Revelation 20.

Jesus’s declaration, “It is finished!” – teléō (paid in full) on the cross is interpreted as His statement of completion. They believe that since Jesus has been given all authority and is seated on the throne then God’s rule on earth is already established. Postmillennialists claim we are in the 1000-year reign the end of which culminates with the return of Christ. In contrast, Amillennialists claim that the millennial reign in Revelation 20 is metaphorical. In both cases, it is the job of the church on earth to “Christianize” society in preparation for Christ’s return.

In contrast, premillennialists see Christ returning after the great tribulation to judge the world and establish the thousand-year reign on earth. The end times began on Pentecost and continue today until “It is done!” in Revelation 21:6. The beginning of the end is marked by the fulfillment of the first part of the prophet Joel’s declaration.

And it shall come to pass afterward,
    that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh;
your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
    your old men shall dream dreams,
    and your young men shall see visions.
Even on the male and female servants
    in those days I will pour out my Spirit.

The complete fulfillment is on God’s timeline, not ours, as described in the very eschatological chapter three of 2 Peter.

But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

2 Peter 3:8

Let the reader note, the mere fact that one verse follows another does not in itself imply an immediate and linear chain of events.

In my opinion, the beginning of Joel 2 describes the scene when Jerusalem was sacked in 70AD, which is itself a prophetic foreshadowing of the future great tribulation. The concluding verses mark the beginning of the last days, marked by Holy Spirit being poured out on all flesh and the church being born. The remaining events appear to reflect those described in places like Mathew 24.

“Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earmth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

Mathew 24:29-31

Another important point for contemporary Bereans is that Peter immediately goes to scripture in his interpretation of the present event. His prompt was from Holy Spirit, who leads us into all truth. John 14:26, John 16:13, 1 John 2:27

Prophetic declarations abound today. Much of it is person-centered and is better defined as words of knowledge. Some represent false signs and wonders. Other prophecies are just foolish babble. The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. Revelation 19:10 One of the best ways to test prophecy as we are commanded in 2 Thess 5:19-22 is by determining who or what is glorified. Genuine prophecy is characterized by new and or deeper revelation of God, His glory, and His plan as it is outlined in scripture. At the very least, it does not add to or contradict scripture. Galatians 1:8-9 Hence, Peter at Pentecost is the perfect example of genuine prophetic preaching.

Peter concludes his quotation of Joel with,

And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. 

Acts 2:21

I find it notable that Peter only quotes the first part of Joel 2:32. The full context of Joel 2 is eschatological yet Peter homes in on soteriology (the study of salvation) as he begins his apologia.

I often see contemporary believers mired in debates related to the end times. Even unbelievers are drawn by discussions about the anti-Christ, the mark of the beast, etc. U.S. presidents and other world leaders are popular candidates. Most of this reflects too much time spent on social media and TV rather than searching the scripture.

Peter remains Christocentric in his approach.

…For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as the Lord has said, and among the survivors shall be those whom the Lord calls.

Joel 2:32

among the survivors shall be those whom the Lord calls?

The overarching theme that we often water down or neglect entirely is that if salvation exists, then there is something from which people need to be saved. Any conversation regarding the end of the age (the eschaton) must include the reality that any one of us could meet our end before tomorrow. If those who call on the Lord are saved, then those who don’t are not. And what exactly does it mean to call on the Lord?

So often, I see false conversions because Jesus is framed as a proverbial magic happy pill to make whatever discomfort we may be experiencing go away. The teens and adults to whom we minister, frequently tell me,

“I got baptized because I thought it would make everything better.”

“It didn’t.”

How can there be understanding of our life in Christ if there is no understanding of our condition and destiny apart from Him? Life in Christ is not a call to live our best life now. It is a call to sell everything we have up to and including our very lives in the flesh for an eternal inheritance, the down-payment of which is the indwelling of Holy Spirit while we live on earth. Ephesians 1:11-14 Life in Christ on earth is not a free ticket out of fire and tribulation. It is a promise of fire and tribulation into and through which He will accompany us.

It often seems that we don’t want to tell people the whole truth because we think we need to market Jesus. We might mention condemnation and hell in passing. Then sell Jesus like a used car instead of preaching His entire Gospel. Fearing God is no longer phobeo – terror as in the terror of being accursed for twisting or redacting God’s Word. Fear is most often translated as “awe”. Contemporary awe is sweet like the awe of biting into a delicious piece of cake. One man equated the presence of God to mainlining Jesus like heroin as he motioned sticking a needle into his vein.

“So good!…”

Whatever happened to,

Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.

Hebrews 12:28-29

Clearly, Peter, who had sworn he would die with Jesus, then denied him three times less than two months before, was now fully convinced and ready to walk his talk. He boldly proclaimed,

Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. 

Many of us are ready in season and out of season to share the gospel with broken people. But how many of us have proclaimed the same truth to those with the desire and power to marginalize or destroy us?  Even as I write, powerful ministers are being exposed as wolves for their abuse of those they claimed they were called to serve. I’m talking about decades of abuse and cover-up with no sign of repentance. The overarching theme in all of these cases was multitudes of people who knew but didn’t say anything because they were afraid of repercussions.

Peter sets the standard in the opening of his sermon. It is a standard of boldness in proclaiming truth regardless of the consequences. It would seem that he had a revelation of his true identity. It resulted in his being persecuted for righteousness’ sake and ultimately crucified like Christ. Some historians claim he was crucified upside down per his request because he didn’t think he was worthy of being crucified like Jesus. 

Chew on that.

Maranatha

Brian and Cathy Gray Bible study

A Week Apology

If you are tracking with our most recent Acts 17:11 Berean Bible study post, I asked people to give a 1 Peter 3:15-16 defense (apologia) for the hope that is in us to a Jewish person claiming the Torah says,

all Christians are idolaters and should be killed.

First, we must sanctify our hearts in preparation to speak with gentleness and respect. 1 Pet 3:15-16. The Jews are still God’s chosen people into whom we are grafted. We must not become arrogant toward the branches. Rom 11:18 As regards the gospel, they (the Jews) are enemies for our sake. Rom 11:28

Here is one apology.

Somewhere around 2000BC Abraham had his son Issac carry wood for a burnt offering on his shoulders to the top of Mount Moriah. Issac had no idea that he was to be the sacrifice. Abraham was fully prepared to end the life of the very son whom God had promised. Then God stopped him.

But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.”  He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called the name of that place, “The Lord will provide”; as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.And the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven 16 and said, “By myself I have sworn“, declares the Lord, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you,  Genesis 22:11-17

Two thousand years later God fulfilled His sworn oath in His own son Jesus who was fully aware that He was to be the final sacrifice, the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world as he carried the wooden Cross on His shoulders to the top of the same mountain to be crucified.

As believers, we know multiple scriptures tell us that our omniscient God had His plan in place before the foundations of the world. The key to our defense of this all-encompassing hope before our unbelieving Abrahamic siblings is to make this argument using the Old Testament alone. The book of Daniel is just one example of God foretelling His plan so that His chosen people, the Jews could know and recognize their Messiah when He arrived. But they rebelled. Therefore,

“God gave them a spirit of stupor,
    eyes that would not see
    and ears that would not hear,
down to this very day.” Rom 11:8 Eze 12:2

As all of Romans 11 explains, even their hardness of heart was part of God’s plan.

Ironically it was the Magi from Persia where Daniel had been exiled that recognized the birth of the Jewish Messiah Mat 2 while His own people rejected Him. Psalm 118:22 Isa 53:3 John 1:11 Nevertheless, God can not lie. He swore an oath by His own name. Gen 22

“The Deliverer will come from Zion,
    he will banish ungodliness from Jacob”;  “and this will be my covenant with them
    when I take away their sins.” Isaiah 59:20 Rom 11:27

Sworn in Gen 22:11-17 is shaba` Literally “to seven oneself”, i.e. to swear an oath by repeating a declaration seven times. The masculine form Sheba is the numeral 7. Hopefully, you will see the poignance in this as you read on.

Daniel 9 gives us the exact year when Jesus’s ministry began. It was there for the Jewish people the whole time. I understand that this might be confusing. I will do my best to answer questions when we meet.

The Seventy Weeks of Daniel

In the first year of his reign I, Daniel, understood by the books the number of the years specified by the word of the Lord through Jeremiah the prophet, that He would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem. Dan 9:2

Daniel is referring to the following verses.

This whole land shall become a ruin and a waste, and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon for seventy years. Jer 25:11

For thus says the Lord: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. Jer 29:10

In addition to the sexual sins associated with Baal and Asherah worship (Asherah is the first recorded Transgender) and the infanticide associated with Molech worship, Israel was sentenced to exile for 1 year for every Shmitah (Sabbath year 7th year that they failed to observe and allow the land to rest.) 7 x 70 = 490 years is the total time Israel was in rebellion against God. That they only served a 70-year sentence is more evidence of God’s mercy.

For the record, we know that a week of years is seven years because “You shall count seven weeks [Sabbaths] of years, seven times seven years so that the time of the seven weeks of years shall give you forty-nine years. Lev 25:8

“Seventy weeks are determined
For your people and for your holy city,
To finish the transgression,
To make an end of sins,
To make reconciliation for iniquity,
To bring in everlasting righteousness,
To seal up vision and prophecy,
And to anoint the Most Holy. Dan 9:24

This verse is a summarization of the entire prophecy of Israel’s future from the end of their exile up to the start of the Millenial reign of Jesus on earth following His return on the Mount of Olives. Zechariah 14:14 Mat 24:29-31

“Know therefore and understand,
That from the going forth of the command (decree) To restore and build Jerusalem Until Messiah the Prince, There shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; The street shall be built again, and the wall, Even in troublesome times. Dan 9:25

Verse twenty-five is speaking of the rebuilding of the Temple and Jerusalem by Nehemiah. The decree to do so marks the beginning of seven and sixty-two, or 69 “weeks of years”. 69 x 7 = 483 years. Keep in mind, that “Messiah the Prince” is not the birth of Jesus. Rather it refers to the date of Jesus’ anointing when He was baptized by John, the Holy Spirit descended upon Him and He officially began His ministry on earth.

The exact date of the decree to rebuild Jerusalem is rather ambiguous at first. Therefore it helps to do the math based on what we already know. Given that we are still BC (before Christ) the date of Jesus’ baptism (anointing) and the start of His ministry should work out to

483 – “X” years. X=unknown.

Both Luke and Matthew mention Jesus’ birth as occurring during Herod’s reign and before his death in 4BC Luke 1, Mat 2 The consensus among most Scholars is that Jesus was born around 4BC. In addition, we are told that Jesus was about thirty years old when He began His ministry. Luke 3:23

Possible References

The decree to rebuild Jerusalem is mentioned in four places.

– Cyrus 538 BC Ezra 1:1-11 Messiah would have to be anointed in 55BC
– Darius 520 BC Ezra 5-6  Messiah would have to be anointed in 37BC
– Artaxerxes 457 BC  Ezra 7 Messiah would have to be annointed in 26AD
– Artaxerxes 444 BC  Nehemiah 2:4-11Messiah would have to be anointed in 40AD

As we will see Artaxerxes’ decree in 457BC Ezra 7 is the only one that fits. The reasons are as follows.

1. Ezra 7 is the only place where a full decree to is written out.

2. Four hundred eighty three years from Artexerxes’ decree in 457BC is 26AD because

483 years – 457 BC = 26AD

If Jesus was born in 4BC He’d have been 30 years old in 26AD because

4BC + 26AD = 30 years

“And after (the specific date is not given) the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself; (this is when Jesus was crucified). And the people of the prince who is to come Shall destroy the city and the sanctuary…
Dan 9:26

The Romans destroyed the Temple and Jerusalem under Titus in 70AD. The Jewish people were dispersed to the nations and Israel ceased to exist as a nation until it was restored in 1948 and Jews began returning to their ancestral home. “The people of the prince who is to come” are the people who follow the spirit of antichrist.

More poignant details

Consider that it was the angel Gabriel who came to Daniel amidst his intercession for his people and gave him the prophecy of the coming Messiah. It’s no coincidence that Gabriel announced the birth of John and Jesus 2000 years later. The name “Zacharias” means “remembered of Jehovah”. His wife “Elizabeth” means “oath of God”. Together they mean,

“God remembered His oath.”

“Jesus has come. Jesus is coming.”

We must be ready to make Old Testament connections to New Testament scripture.

“Do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah as you did that day at Massah  in the wilderness, Psalm 95:8 Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion Heb 3:15

That said, you may be wondering about the remainder of Daniel 9

The 70th week that brings in everlasting righteousness, seals up vision and prophecy, and anoints the Most Holy.

Daniel 9:27 refers to the end of days e.g. Daniel 12, Matthew 24, Luke 21, Revelation 12 and 13, etc. That said, there is a world of controversy over this verse. Hence it is a separate study. For now, let’s be content to bask in the awe of comprehending one piece of God’s complexity and precision in what He resolved to accomplish before the foundations of the world has been fulfilled. These are foundational to the reason for the hope that is in us.

Maranatha

Brian and Cathy Gray Bible study

We Owe You an Apology

“but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame.” 1 Peter 3:15-16

This is known as the apologetics scripture. Defense is apología – a verbal defense, a speech in defense of, a reasoned statement or argument. Ironically it is also the word from which the English word apology is derived. a regretful acknowledgment of an offense or failure. While the word of God most certainly is an offense to many, we are not apologizing for it. We are arguing for it’s validity.

Paul and Peter were the first Christian apologists. Justin Martyr followed. Christians were accused of being atheists and cannibals. Hence Martyr’s was a formal legal defense of Christianity before the Roman Emperor.

There are at least eight primary schools of apologetics. While each assumes a different approach they support one another and frequently overlap. They are as follows.

Experiential Apologetics is most easily recognized in personal testimonies about salvation and other encounters with the presence of God. This approach is most common and most accepted within charismatic circles. As valid as testimonies may be we must consider that Mormons, Muslims, and especially New Agers all have testimonies as well. Testimony alone is often ineffective unless we also expose the fallacies of any worldview devoid of Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Historical and Evidentialist Apologists like J Warner Wallace a former cold case homicide detective use the same investigative principles employed by detectives to defend the historical accuracy of the Bible.

Presuppositional Apologetics begins with the fact that everyone has a worldview and every worldview is rooted in at least one empirically unprovable assumption or presupposition. “God exists” and “God does not exist” are equally unprovable. Hence everyone is a person of faith. The question that follows is, “Which statement of faith has the most supporting evidence?”

Biblical Apologetics assumes the inerrancy of scripture and argues for or against theological truth claims such as  Continuationism – “The gifts are for today” based on scripture alone. Biblical Apologetics and Presuppositional Apologetics are close bedfellows.

Philosophical Apologetics, argues for the existence of God but not the deity of Jesus or the inerrancy of scripture. The Cosomolgical
Argument argues points like, the Kalam cosmological argument.
1. Everything that exists has a beginning.
2. The universe exists.
3. Therefore the Universe has a beginning.
What often follows is the

Teleological Argument which includes arguments like one based on Complexity. One such argument is called the “Wristwatch Argument”. If an alien landed in a remote forest and found a wristwatch he would based on its complexity alone, assume there was a designer and a maker. A single human cell is far more complex than a wristwatch. Therefore it follows that the cell had to have a designer and maker.

Prophetic Apologetics argues for the accuracy of scripture on the basis of fulfilled prophecy and may include evidential arguments such as the mathematical impossibility of their being random chance events.

Moral Apologetics
Absolute moral law exists. That’s how we know it is wrong to torture and kill babies. That absolute moral law exists implies a creator. If there is no creator then absolute moral law does not exist. You are free to “do as thou wilt”. Moral apologetics converges with presuppositional and Biblical apologetics and illustrates how inherently sinful we are, how incapable we are of being good, and our subsequent need for a savior. Ray Comfort frequently applies Moral Apologetics in his evangelism.

Still, Peter prefaces this famous apologetics verse with “but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy… The KJV says But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts…

Honor or Sanctify is hagiázō – to render or acknowledge, or to be venerable or hallow, to separate from profane things, to consecrate, to purify…

One thing you will learn if you study apologetics is that a logically valid argument can be made about almost anything provided it remains faithful to the original supporting presupposition. That Jews should be killed is a valid statement by Hamas in the context of Jews committing genocide against their people. The same argument is valid in the case of Jews as the recurring victims of genocide for hundreds of years. If there is no God there are no absolutes. There is nothing outside of group consensus to stop anyone from doing anything be it exterminating a group of people or hybridizing mankind. A man can be a woman, a woman can be a man and a child can be a cat or a dog. Hence logically valid is not always the same as

RIGHT.

It is for this reason that Peter instructs us to consecrate our hearts onto to God. We need to separate our hearts from profane things such as war and the mutilation of His images and consecrate them to God.

Herein lies the paradox.

Peter instructs us to lead with our hearts. But we can not do so unless our mind informs our hearts. One problem I see in the church today is that we have

too many heartless minds and just as many mindless hearts.

Heart and Mind are not exclusive nor are they adversaries. They are interdependent and complementary.

Here is an exercise for our next Acts 17:11 Bereans Bible Study.

I posted this video in the previous post. A Jewish man tells a Christian evangelist that Christians should be killed. The Christian man does a great job of sanctifying his heart and a horrific job, in my opinion, of making a defense for the hope that is in him.

One thing is certain

We owe this Jewish man and everyone like him whose jealousy we are called to provoke an apology.

Make a defense as if you were the evangelist he confronted.

MARANATHA