Either, Or

by Scott Rossy
We live in a postmodern world. It’s a world that hates absolutes. It’s a world that rejects the idea of knowing anything for certain. It hates clarity. It despises the idea of seeing things as either black or white. It despises being absolutely sure or certain in our faith and in our beliefs. Instead, it loves the idea of gray, of not being completely sure of anything. It loves the concept that in spiritual matters, we really can’t know anything for certain and to claim certainty is a sign of ignorance. Unfortunately, this kind of thinking has also spilled over into the church. While there are things in scripture that are hard to understand and leave room for honest debate and discussion, man’s eternal destiny and standing before God is not one of them. The Bible is very black and white on this. Every human being on the face of the earth is in either one category, or the other. We all fall into either this or either that.

For instance, we’re all:

Either saved or we’re unsaved

Either born again or we’re not born again

Either a child of God or we’re a child of the devil

Either a child of light or we’re a child of darkness

Either a sheep or we’re a goat

Either wheat or we’re chaff

Either spiritually alive or we’re spiritually dead

Either in Christ or we’re in Adam

Either a slave of righteousness or we’re a slave of sin

Either have a mind set on the Spirit or we’re have a mind set on the flesh

Either married to Christ or we’re married to the Law

Either we’ve entered through the Narrow Gate or we’ve entered through the Broad Gate

Either we’re traveling on the Narrow Path or we’re traveling on the Broad Path

Either we’re clothed in the righteousness of Christ or we’re clothed in self righteousness

Either we have the Son or we don’t have the Son

Either we’ve been reconciled to God or we haven’t been reconciled to God

Either we’re on our way to heaven or we’re on our way to hell

In all of these, there is no middle ground. There is no 3rd option. In every case, we all are in one of the two. There is no situation where someone is neither saved nor unsaved but is in the middle, trying to be saved. The same with being born again. Nobody is in the middle, hoping, working on or trying to be born again. Either we are or we aren’t. To be in the middle would be like being sort of pregnant. It can’t be. Either you are or you aren’t. The same with salvation. Either you’re in Christ or you’re not. If you’re in Christ, you’re saved. If you’re not in Christ, you aren’t saved.

The good news is that God does want us to know for certain. He doesn’t want us to be uncertain about our eternal destiny, but to know Him and to have an intimate relationship with Him. He wants us to be able to live a fruitful and productive life for His glory and to have the joy and assurance of our faith. He says in 1 John: “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.” (I John 5:13). It’s those who believe in the name of the Son of God who already, right now possess eternal life. They are the only one’s who can know for sure. Believing in the name of the Son of God is to believe fully in the Person and work of Jesus Christ. To trust in Him and Him alone for forgiveness. By coming to Him in faith and repentance, we no longer place any hope in our own self effort and goodness as a means to gain approval and acceptance from God. It’s to truly believe that if it weren’t for Jesus Christ and His work on the cross, then no one could be saved. We’d all be consigned to an eternity in hell. Forgiveness would not be possible.

“This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” (John 17:3)

“And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life.” (I John 5:11-12)

“For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.” (I Corinthians 15:3-4)

“And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)

Jesus says; “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)

The concept of grayness or finding the middle ground is not admirable. It’s not a virtue and it doesn’t come from God. It’s spiritual poison, don’t drink it. Know for sure! You can know for sure. God wants you to know for sure. His salvation in Christ is certain, sure and complete. “He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.” (Hebrews 7:25)

Do you know for sure? If you don’t know for sure, could it be that perhaps you are placing your trust and hope in something else other than Christ? Are you trusting in your own goodness? Thinking that you’re not that bad and that you’ve done enough good to outweigh the bad, hoping God will understand that even though you’re not perfect, you meant well? If you think this way, you’re still on what Jesus called the road to destruction. You’re not trusting completely in Him.

“Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other.” (Isaiah 45:22)

“Seek the LORD while He may be found; Call upon Him while He is near.” (Isaiah 55:6)



Treading the Wine Press Alone

by Scott Rossy
“I have trodden the wine trough alone, and from the peoples there was no man with Me. I also trod them in My anger and trampled them in My wrath. And their lifeblood is sprinkled on My garments. And I stained all My raiment.” – Isaiah 63:2

I still remember the first time I heard these verses as a new Christian and I can still remember the strong impression it had on me. This vivid, awesome image of the Lord Jesus Christ is something I’ve never forgotten. When most people think of Jesus, this probably isn’t the way the picture or think of Him. Here the Lord Jesus Christ, who is “The King of Kings and Lord of Lords” (Revelation 19:16) is pictured at His second coming as marching to Jerusalem, in anger having trampled in judgment His enemies under His feet. He’s portrayed as a Majestic warrior King, with wrath and vengeance in His heart.

Isaiah 63:1-6

"Who is this who comes from Edom, with garments of glowing colors from Bozrah, This One who is majestic in His apparel, marching in the greatness of His strength?

"It is I who speak in righteousness, mighty to save."

Why is Your apparel red, and Your garments like the one who treads in the wine press?

“I have trodden the wine trough alone, and from the peoples there was no man with Me. I also trod them in My anger and trampled them in My wrath; and their lifeblood is sprinkled on My garments, and I stained all My raiment. "For the day of vengeance was in My heart, and My year of redemption has come.”I looked, and there was no one to help, and I was astonished and there was no one to uphold; so My own arm brought salvation to Me, and My wrath upheld Me. "I trod down the peoples in My anger and made them drunk in My wrath, and I poured out their lifeblood on the earth."

This is an awesome picture of Christ coming in judgment to carry out God’s vengeance on the nations. The winepress imagery that’s portrayed here refers to the process of winemaking in Isaiah’s day. The grapes are the essential element. To make the wine, they needed to get the juice out of the grapes. The grapes would be put in a large winepress. The workers would then step into the winepress and begin trampling the grapes to squeeze the juice out of the grapes. As the juice squeezed out of the grapes some of the juice would inevitably splash up and stain the workers garments. But when Christ returns in judgment, instead of grapes, it’s people that are portrayed as being thrown into the winepress and trampled. He then tramples them in His wrath and instead of grape juice, it’s their blood that squirts out and stains His garments. He’s asked in v. 2: "Why is Your apparel red, and Your garments like the one who treads in the wine press? He answers: “I trod them in My anger and trampled them in My wrath; and their lifeblood is sprinkled on My garments, and I stained all My raiment.” His garments are red because He has just trampled His enemies in the winepress of judgment and it’s their blood that has stained His garments. The wine press imagery for God’s judgment on the nations is not unique to Isaiah. Other scripture passages also use this imagery. Habakkuk says: “In indignation You marched through the earth; In anger You trampled the nations.” – Habakkuk 3:12. This picture of treading the winepress is also described in the book of Revelation. Here, as in Isaiah’s vision, the Apostle John’s vision of the Lord Jesus Christ also sees Christ pictured as coming in glory, riding on a white horse, marching in the greatness of His strength. Here, as in Isaiah His garments are pictured as bloody, “He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.” –Revelation 19:13. The trampling is described further, “From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.” –Revelation 19:15.

The Angels Reap People for the Winepress

Both the prophet Joel and the book of Revelation describe people as the grapes to be thrown in the winepress and the angels as the ones who harvest these people. Joel says:

“Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, tread, for the wine press is full; the vats overflow, for their wickedness is great”. – Joel 3:13

“So the angel swung his sickle to the earth and gathered the clusters from the vine of the earth, and threw them into the great wine press of the wrath of God. And the wine press was trodden outside the city, and blood came out from the wine press, up to the horses’ bridles, for a distance of two hundred miles.” – Revelation 14:19-20

This is an awesome picture of judgment. As I said, this is not the way the world thinks of Christ. The idea of God’s judgment is lost to the world. It’s a thought that never enters their mind. The world prefers to view Christ as weak, non judgmental, tolerant and accepting of sin. A “loving” Jesus that changes with the times. Sadly, even many Christians reject the idea of God’s wrath and judgment. They prefer to be “positive”, speaking only of God’s love. They will never speak of God’s wrath and judgment. They will mention that Jesus said He didn’t come to judge the world but to save it. Yes, Christ did say that, but that was true of His first coming. Then, He came to atone for His peoples sins’. But at His second coming, He will be coming in judgment. His first coming He came as “the Lamb of God!” (John 1:36) but at His second coming, He comes as “the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah” (Revelation 5:5).  In fact, all judgment has been given to Him:

“For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son.”...“He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.” – John 5:22, Acts 17:31

All of humanity will bow and appear before Him for judgment “at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” – Philippians 2:10-11

Redeemer or Judge

Christ is the Redeemer/Judge. To every single person who has ever lived, He will be either one or the other. He’s either your Redeemer or He’s your Judge. There is no other option. He alone is worthy to judge. He, being fully God and fully man was the only One to live a perfect life, without sin, always obeying the Law of God in all points. He as the sacrificial “Lamb of God” has alone provided salvation. Coming in judgment, He states in verses 1 and 5 “"It is I who speak in righteousness, mighty to save...I looked, and there was no one to help, and I was astonished and there was no one to uphold; so My own arm brought salvation to Me.” The One who has provided salvation is also the Judge of all. The One who came to reconcile man to God is the same One who will trample under His feet those who remain unreconciled. Those who are abiding in Christ, who have been born of His Spirit, who have come to Him in faith and repentance, trusting in Him and Him alone for their salvation and forgiveness have already passed from judgment to life. They are not amongst the ones trampled in God’s wrath. But this is what the world has ahead it. This is what those who have never been reconciled to the Father through the Son are destined to. Those who are still abiding in their own self righteousness and are trusting in their own goodness.

Who is Jesus to you? Your Redeemer or your Judge? Will you be amongst those who He will trample in His wrath? Have you called on Him?

“WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.” – Romans 10:13

 

Born Again

by Scott Rossy
The term “born again” when used in Christian/religious circles tends to lead to a lot of misunderstanding. What is meant by this saying? Is it just another “type” of Christian? Just another denomination? Is being born again nothing more than a person deciding to start over again by turning over a new leaf in life? Some well meaning people understand it to be just that. They see it as something similar to making New Year’s resolutions. Taking stock of one’s life and determining to make some changes. Changes that attempt to clean up one’s life in the hope that these changes will make one more acceptable to God. These changes can include going to church, trying to do “good” things and trying to stop doing “bad” things. Maybe even volunteering and getting involved in church. But making changes in one’s life is not what the bible means when it speaks of being born again. Making changes like this is clearly the work of man, trying to improve himself by self effort.

The most direct portion of scripture that talks of being born again is in the gospel of John, chapter 3.   Here a conversation between Jesus and a man named Nicodemus is recorded. Their conversation, though taking place almost 2000 years ago has as much significance for us today as it did when these words were originally spoken. In this conversation Jesus talks of the need to be born again.

We all know who Jesus is but who was Nicodemus? Well, Nicodemus was a very devout, sincere religious leader in Israel. He is described as “a ruler of the Jews” and as “the teacher in Israel”. He was a member of the Pharisee’s who were the spiritual leaders and rulers of the Jews. Jesus tells this very sincere, devout religious leader what he is lacking and what is necessary to enter heaven. The necessary thing that Nicodemus and all of us lack and must have is the New Birth, also known as being born again or born of the Spirit.

John 3:1-10

“Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews; this man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, "Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him." Jesus answered and said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born, can he?" Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. "Do not be amazed that I said to you, 'You must be born again.' "The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit." Nicodemus said to Him, "How can these things be?" Jesus answered and said to him, "Are you the teacher of Israel and do not understand these things? “

I’ve been asked by people if it’s necessary to be born again or born of the Spirit to be a Christian. Whether it’s necessary to be born again or born of the Spirit to get to heaven. The words of Jesus leave no room for doubt. Jesus uses the words must, unless and cannot. He states: “You must be born again”, “Unless you’re born again”, “You cannot see the kingdom”. He says these things more than once. Unless! Must!, Cannot! But why? Why does Jesus say we must be born again? What does He mean by these things? The reason why Jesus said that it is necessary for Nicodemus and for all of us to be born again or born of the Spirit is because we do not possess spiritual life within us. He says in John 6: “you have no life in yourselves.” – John 6:53. Obviously, we all possess physical life but what Jesus is speaking about is spiritual life. We do not possess spiritual life within us when we come out of the womb. Our parents can give us physical life but they cannot give us spiritual life. To understand Jesus meaning, we must understand what the bible says about man’s true spiritual condition. The bible teaches unequivocally that all of mankind without exception is spiritually dead. This is the case of every one of us. We are spiritual corpses. Walking around in physical bodies but dead spiritually. None of us possess spiritual life within us. The reason for the spiritually dead condition of man is SIN. Sin brings about spiritual death. It is by the decree of God that the result of sin is death. He says: “when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.” - James 1:15 “so death spread to all men, because all sinned.” – Romans 5:12. In Ephesians 2:1 we are described by God as being “dead in your trespasses and sin”. Spiritual death is what sin deserves, “the wages (earnings) of sin is death” – Romans 6:23. So all of us are dead spiritually. We do not possess the necessary spiritual life we need to enter into heaven. Only God, the Creator of life can give us the necessary, eternal, spiritual life we need. It must come from Him.

The new birth spoken of by Jesus is described in the 36th chapter of the book of Ezekiel. Here God says through the prophet: “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh…"I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes.” – Ezekiel 36:26-27. This is the new birth. God places His Spirit in us, giving us the spiritual life necessary to enter heaven and to obey God. At this point, a person becomes born again or born of the Spirit. He has new life, spiritual life. He is no longer spiritually dead but is now spiritually alive! God’s Spirit is now permanently in Him and gives him the ability to know and understand the things of God. He now can perceive the beauty, the greatness, the holiness and the majesty of God. He now desires to obey God and walk with Him. He now delights in God. This spiritual life is permanent, making him fit to enter into and live in the presence of God for all eternity. He is now a child of God. He has experienced spiritual birth, spiritual renewal and spiritual regeneration. “He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” (Titus 3:5-7)

This new spiritual life comes only from God. He alone is the Author and Creator of life. We can’t inherit it. As stated before, our parents can give us physical life but they can’t give us spiritual life. This is why Jesus said: “Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.” – John 3:6 “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.” John 6:63

If being born again or born of the Spirit is absolutely necessary to enter into the kingdom of God, then how does one become born again? The Lord continually tells us throughout scripture to call upon Him. Repeatedly He says: call upon Me, seek Me, come to Me. Over and over again throughout the bible He continually calls on man to do this. Romans 10:13 says: “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

”Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return to the LORD, and He will have compassion on him, and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.” - Isaiah 55:7

“Seek the LORD while He may be found; Call upon Him while He is near.” – Isaiah 55:6

“AND IT SHALL BE THAT EVERYONE WHO CALLS ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.’ – Acts 2:21

“Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’” But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.” – John 7:37-39.

Jesus promises: “The one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out.” – John 6:37. Whoever comes to Him in faith and repentance, believing that He is the only way to the Father has the promise that He will not be cast out. Jesus alone has provided salvation for His people “He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.” (I Peter 2:24). While He was bearing in His body the sins of His people, the Father in Heaven was pouring out His hatred and wrath towards sin on His Beloved Son. He was our substitute. He was punished in our place. "For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures." - I Corinthians 15:3-4. The debt of sin was paid and those who believe are now clothed in the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ. It is not their own self righteousness that they possess but it is “the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith.” – Philippians 3:9. They are born again with God’s Spirit and are now clothed in white robes, representing the perfect life of Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God. They can now stand before God without the debt of their sin hanging over them and are now viewed by God as perfectly holy.

Psalm 14 states that one of the characteristics of the wicked is that they “do not call upon the Lord” – Psalm 14:4

The Test

Scripture declares that the new birth is the test of whether we are truly of the faith. It’s the test of whether we are a genuine Christian. Paul told the Corinthian Christians: “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you--unless indeed you fail the test?” – II Corinthians 13:5. The test of whether we are of the faith is if Christ is in us, if we’ve been born again. If Christ is not in us, if we haven’t been born again, we fail the test. We’re not of the faith. Similarly he says in Romans 8:9, “you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.” Spiritual life is found only in Jesus Christ. He alone can give it. “He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life.” – I John 5:12

A person who is still trying to gain acceptance from the Lord based on the “good” things he is doing has never been born again. It’s an indication he’s never received the new life Jesus spoke of. He is like the person who views being born again as turning over a new leaf in life. He is still spiritually dead. His works or deeds proceed from his spiritually dead condition and are nothing more than an attempt to try and reform his condition. It can’t be done. Good deeds cannot produce spiritual life. It can only come from above, from God.

 If you leave this life while still in your spiritually dead condition, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven but will be separated from God for all eternity. Jesus says; "Unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins." (John 8:24) “You must be born again!"

Nicodemus’ end

As a side note, Nicodemus did become a true believer in Jesus Christ. He is amongst those who have been born again. John 19:38-42 records that after Jesus was crucified, Joseph of Arimathea, a disciple of Christ, gained permission to take the body of Jesus from the cross to bury it. It then records that Nicodemus came also and brought with him “a mixture of myrrh and aloes” for Jesus burial. For many reasons, Nicodemus certainly wouldn’t have done this had he not become a true believer in Christ.

A Brand Plucked from the Fire

by Scott Rossy

“Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?”

This beautiful, although relatively unknown portion of scripture has always been one of my favorites. Surprisingly, I’ve never heard a sermon on these verses and until recently, I never even heard it mentioned in a sermon. The book of Zechariah itself does not get a lot of attention but it is a great prophetic book about restoration and the glorious future of the nation Israel, the return of the Lord Jesus Christ and His future Kingdom here on earth.

Zechariah 3:1-5

“Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him. The LORD said to Satan, "The LORD rebuke you, Satan! Indeed, the LORD who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?" Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments and standing before the angel. He spoke and said to those who were standing before him, saying, "Remove the filthy garments from him " Again he said to him, "See, I have taken your iniquity away from you and will clothe you with festal robes." Then I said, "Let them put a clean turban on his head." So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him with garments, while the angel of the LORD was standing by.”

The immediate context of these verses depicts the restoration and cleansing of Jerusalem, the priesthood and Joshua the high priest during the exiles return to Jerusalem. These five verses from the prophet Zechariah are also a beautiful picture of the cleansing and forgiveness that takes place for all the redeemed. It pictures salvation as totally the work of God, proceeding from Him. It shows His grace and mercy, portraying Him as both Judge and Advocate of the redeemed. Jerusalem is spoken of as a brand, a stick or piece of timber that keeps a fire burning. It is portrayed as plucked from or rescued from the fire of destruction and judgment.

To understand what exactly is taking place, knowledge of the preceding 100 years of history will help to better understand the setting. Approximately 100 or so years earlier the prophet Jeremiah was ministering in the land of Judah. This was from 626-586 B.C. God decided He had had it with Judah and Jerusalem. The kings, priests and false prophets were persistent in leading the people into continued idolatry and rebellion. They forsook God to worship the false gods of the surrounding nations. Most of the abominations were done during the 55 year reign of wicked King Manasseh. They refused to listen to His prophets and repent so finally God decided it was time for His judgment to come. This judgment was certain and unalterable. Jeremiah was sent by God to confront the people (kings, priests, scribes, prophets and people) of this idolatry and rebellion. God spoke through Jeremiah saying, “Has a nation changed gods?...“For My people have committed two evils: they have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, to hew for themselves cisterns, broken cisterns that can hold no water.” – “For My people are foolish, they know Me not; they are stupid children and have no understanding.” …“An appalling and horrible thing has happened in the land: the prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule on their own authority; and My people love it so! But what will you do at the end of it?” …“Why then has this people, Jerusalem, turned away in continual apostasy? They hold fast to deceit, they refuse to return.” …“Everyone is greedy for gain; from the prophet even to the priest everyone practices deceit.” Jeremiah 2:11, 13, 4:22, 5:30-31, 8:5, 10, 8:10.

God was determined to cure Jerusalem of her continued idolatry. This judgment was irreversible. God’s judgment and the carrying out of His decree would be by the hands of the Babylonians, the notorious world empire, lead by King Nebuchadnezzar. This powerful pagan nation that did not know the Lord would be His servant in carrying out His will and purposes in punishing Judah. The Lord would stir up and put it in the heart of Nebuchadnezzar to conquer Jerusalem. The decree of the Lord was that the fierce Babylonian army would come into Jerusalem and conquer the city. They would destroy the Temple of the Lord and knock down the wall surrounding Jerusalem. They would burn the city and leave nothing but rubble. The people of Jerusalem would be taken captive to Babylon and would be used in the service of King Nebuchadnezzar. Among them were Daniel, Ezekiel, etc. Only the poorest of the poor people would remain in Jerusalem.

God’s decree against Jerusalem

“Behold, I am bringing a nation against you from afar, O house of Israel,” declares the LORD. “It is an enduring nation, it is an ancient nation, a nation whose language you do not know, nor can you understand what they say. Their quiver is like an open grave, all of them are mighty men. They will devour your harvest and your food; they will devour your sons and your daughters; they will devour your flocks and your herds; they will devour your vines and your fig trees; they will demolish with the sword your fortified cities in which you trust.” Jeremiah 5:15-17

“Thus says the LORD, “Behold, a people is coming from the north land, and a great nation will be aroused from the remote parts of the earth. “They seize bow and spear; they are cruel and have no mercy; their voice roars like the sea, and they ride on horses, arrayed as a man for the battle against you, O daughter of Zion!”  Jeremiah 6:22

“A lion has gone up from his thicket, and a destroyer of nations has set out; he has gone out from his place to make your land a waste. Your cities will be ruins without inhabitant.” Jeremiah 4:7

“ I Myself will war against you with an outstretched hand and a mighty arm, even in anger and wrath and great indignation… For I have set My face against this city for harm and not for good,” declares the LORD. “It will be given into the hand of the king of Babylon and he will burn it with fire.” Jeremiah 21:5, 10

“Therefore thus says the LORD, “Behold I am bringing disaster on them which they will not be able to escape; though they will cry to Me, yet I will not listen to them.” Jeremiah 11:11

Judgment carried out

The Babylonians did just as the Lord decreed. They conquered and overthrew the kingdom. “Now in the ninth year of his reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month,  Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came, he and all his army, against Jerusalem, camped against it and built a siege wall  all around it.” – II Kings 25:1. “Therefore He (God) brought up against them the king of the Chaldeans (Babylonians) who slew their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion on young man or virgin, old man or infirm; He (God) gave them all into his hand. All the articles of the house of God, great and small, and the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king and of his officers, he brought them all to Babylon. Then they burned the house of God and broke down the wall of Jerusalem, and burned all its fortified buildings with fire and destroyed all its valuable articles. Those who had escaped from the sword he carried away to Babylon; and they were servants to him and to his sons until the rule of the kingdom of Persia, to fulfill the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah.” – II Chronicles 36:17-21

Promise of eventual Restoration

The people of Jerusalem were deported to Babylon in three waves. The first in 605 BC, the second in 597 BC and then the final wave in 586 BC when the Temple was destroyed. God’s word was fulfilled. His judgment came to pass. God spoke to the people through Jeremiah telling them not to resist the Babylonians but to submit to them. It was His will. They should not fight but go to Babylon and pray for the welfare of Babylon, to carry on with their lives. But God was not finished with His people. He promised through Jeremiah that their time in Babylon would last for 70 years and then He would bring them back to the land and restore them. “For thus says the LORD, ‘When seventy years have been completed for Babylon, I will visit you and fulfill My good word to you, to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope” – Jeremiah 29:10-11

God’s word was again fulfilled 70 years later. The Babylonians were conquered (as God also decreed) by the Persian’s who became the world empire. God gave the Jews favor with the Persian king allowing them to return to Jerusalem to rebuild. The first group of exiles returned under the leadership of Ezra and Zerubbabel who lead in the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem. Year’s later Nehemiah lead more exiles back who built the wall of Jerusalem.

This was the time and setting of the book of Zechariah. Zechariah is back in Jerusalem and God sends him to the returning exiles to encourage them and to give them hope. God gave Zechariah 8 night visions recorded in the first 6 chapters of his prophecy, one of which is the vision in 3:1-5 picturing the cleansing and restoration of Jerusalem, Joshua the high priest and the entire priesthood. The scene is that of a courtroom. Joshua is the defendant. God the Father is the judge. Satan is the prosecutor and Christ is Joshua’s advocate. With the building of the Temple, Joshua is to be installed as the high priest. He is pictured as being presented before the Lord. “Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD “( v.1). Satan is also present to accuse Joshua before the Lord- “and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him.” (v.1). this is characteristic of how Satan is described in scripture. Revelation 12:10 speaks of him as “the accuser of our brethren”. It is his nature to hate the children of God. To bring charges and accusations against God’s elect in the hope that the Lord would destroy His people. Satan is correct in his accusation against Joshua, Jerusalem and the priesthood. They are guilty. They have committed idolatry and rebellion. Joshua is described in verse 4 as being clothed in “filthy garments”, representing his polluted and defiled spiritual condition. But the redeemed of the Lord have an advocate on their side. Joshua’s advocate speaks in verse 2: The LORD said to Satan, "The LORD rebuke you, Satan! Indeed, the LORD who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?” The Lord Jesus Christ, the true High Priest is the believers advocate -“if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins” – I John 2:1-2. Jerusalem, which includes Joshua and the priesthood are to be cleansed and restored because they are spoken of as chosen by “the LORD who has chosen Jerusalem”  They are the elect of God. Satan’s accusation is of no effect. “Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies” (Romans 8:33). The covenant He made with their father Abraham is the basis of their being chosen. The cleansing is pictured in the remaining 2 verses: "Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments and standing before the angel. He spoke and said to those who were standing before him, saying, "Remove the filthy garments from him" Again he said to him, "See, I have taken your iniquity away from you and will clothe you with festal robes." Then I said, "Let them put a clean turban on his head." So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him with garments, while the angel of the LORD was standing by.” Joshua and his fellow priests (mentioned in verse 8 as also being present) are standing before the Lord in “filthy garments.” They have no hope in themselves. They are defiled and unworthy. Their salvation comes from their Advocate who removes the filthy garments and clothes them in clean festal robes and clean turbans. That is the immediate context of Zechariah 3:1-5 but  verses 8-10 also speak of the future, final restoration of national Israel when the Branch (Messiah) returns.

This is also a beautiful picture of what happens to us who are abiding in Christ and have experienced His salvation. In ourselves we are polluted and defiled. “For all of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment” – Isaiah 64:6. We are unfit and unworthy to enter into the Lord’s presence. We need cleansing and forgiveness. We need an Advocate to intercede for us and to remove our filthy garments and to clothe us with clean garments. Jesus Christ is our Advocate and High Priest who “is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.” – Hebrews 7:25. Once we come to Him in faith and repentance, believing in Him and His High Priestly work on the cross, the exchange is made. Like Joshua, we have our filthy garments of sin removed and we are clothed in festal “white robes”-Revelation 7:9, representing the perfect Holiness of Jesus Christ. We will possess a righteousness, but not of our own doing but “that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith” -Philippians 3:9.

I love the way (plucking from the fire) the Lord chose to describe the salvation depicted in Zechariah 3:1-5. This is truly the case for every believer, plucked and rescued from the fires of judgment, hell and destruction. I certainly view myself as nothing more than a brand plucked from the fire. Unworthy of nothing more. Unable to save myself. Without the Lords’ rescue and salvation, I’d be forever in the fire of judgment.

“I will rejoice greatly in the LORD, my soul will exult in my God; for He has clothed me with garments of salvation, He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness”- Isaiah 61:10

Not Automatic

The High Priestly ministry of Jesus Christ is not automatic for every person. He does not advocate for every person automatically, only those who are His. Those who have never called on the name of the Lord in faith and repentance and who are trusting in their own goodness to gain approval from the Lord are still clothed in filthy garments. He is not their advocate. They have never seen their need to receive cleansing and forgiveness from the Lord. Is Christ your Advocate? Have your filthy garments been removed and have you been reclothed in garments of white?

“WHOEVER WILL CALL UPON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED”

Romans 10:13

Being a Berean

by Scott Rossy
Berea was a New Testament city located in Macedonia that was visited by the Apostle Paul during his second missionary journey. Berea is first mentioned in Acts 17:10.

Before arriving in Berea, Paul first arrived in Thessalonica as is recorded in Acts 17:1-9. As was his usual custom when arriving in a city, he preached to the Jews in their synagogues, reasoning with them from the scriptures that Jesus is the Christ. While in the Thessalonian synagogue:

“Paul… reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and giving evidence that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, ‘This Jesus whom I am proclaiming to you is the Christ.’ ”- Acts17:2,3.

After hearing Paul preach, some of these Thessalonians were persuaded and believed that Jesus is the Christ. After hearing this, the non believing Jews were jealous and became enraged. They formed a mob with some “wicked men” – Acts 17:5 and turned the city into an uproar, searching for Paul and Silas. Hearing that the crowd and the city authorities were being stirred up against them, “The brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea” – Acts 17:10. Upon arriving in Berea, they immediately entered the synagogue there and again began reasoning with the Jews from the scriptures that Jesus is the Christ. And again, as in Thessalonica, “Therefore many of them believed” – Acts 17:12. But scripture records something very interesting about these Jews in that Berean synagogue. It states: “Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.”- Acts 17:11. Luke, the human author of the book of Acts, states under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit that these Bereans were “noble minded”. That is God’s evaluation of them. There are 2 reasons given for this. 1) they received the word with “great eagerness” and 2) they “examined the scriptures daily” to see if what they were being told is true. This is what made them more noble than those in Thessalonica. Noble minded is better defined as being a “noble race” or a “better bred” people. Unlike most of the Thessalonians, the Bereans being a more noble, better bred people, were open and eager to what Paul had to say. As a result of the Bereans openness, “many” of them came to believe, whereas in Thessalonica only “some” of them believed. It wasn’t just that they (the Bereans) believed what Paul was preaching to them, but it was the eagerness that they showed in receiving the word. Their eagerness was demonstrated in the fact that they were examining the scriptures (the Old Testament) daily to confirm if what Paul was preaching was true. They could have just taken Paul’s word for it and believed. After all he was an Apostle who was given direct revelation concerning the gospel of Jesus Christ and the “mystery” of the church.

“For I would have you know, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ”. –Galatians 1:11-12. “ by revelation there was made known to me the mystery, as I wrote before in brief. By referring to this, when you read you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which in other generations was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit” – Ephesians 3:3-5.

Not content to take the Apostles word, these noble minded Bereans chose to search the scriptures for themselves. The text doesn’t indicate that they doubted the validity of Paul’s preaching but that they were of such a noble character that they would naturally examine the scriptures for themselves. These Bereans were not only examining the scriptures to see whether these things were so, but they were also examining to have a better understanding of what it is they were being taught. So as Paul was “explaining and giving evidence that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, "This Jesus whom I am proclaiming to you is the Christ."- Acts 17:3, these Bereans were “examining” and comparing this new revelation that Paul was giving them concerning the Christ, with the Old Testament prophecies concerning the Christ. They did this “daily”. They didn’t want to just know what they believe, they wanted to know why they believe. After better understanding for themselves what the scripture teaches, they’d also be able to teach others as well. This searching, examining of the scriptures brings more glory to God. It shows a reverence and love for His Word. Remember, He is the one who called these Bereans noble minded. We therefore should carry this same mindset in us as these Bereans did. We, as His children, must strive to test and compare everything we hear with the Word of God. We who are bible believing Christians, who hold the position that the bible is the sole source of all authoritative truth and that it is the sole source for all matters of doctrine and practice are to test the validity of all teaching and all preaching with scripture to see if what we’re being taught is scripturally true. God has warned us repeatedly throughout scripture about the danger of false teachers and their infiltration into the church and the damage their teaching can cause. Much can be said of this. We are commanded to be diligent. It is especially important for us to be diligent in this massive information age that we live in. All of us are constantly being bombarded daily with information, opinions and teachings. Whether it be in the secular or spiritual realm, it never stops. Whether it be Christian radio, television, the internet, seminars or books, we are always being exposed to something that is trying to influence our beliefs, to affect our way of thinking. The battle for the mind never ceases. Sadly, most of what we are being exposed to is contrary to what the bible truly teaches. This is especially true in Christian circles. It may be overt or it may be very subtle, but much of what is peddled in the Christian community is contrary to the “sound words” – II Timothy 1:13. of scripture. We must strive for a biblical worldview in all things and strive to make sure that everything we believe is grounded in scripture. We should examine all our beliefs in light of the scriptures. If we are not sure that what we believe is derived from the clear teaching of the bible, we should study to find out what the bible teaches. Anything that is not in conformity with sound doctrine is to be discarded. As bible believing Christians, we need to sift everything through the Word of God, to “ examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil.” – I Thessalonians 5:21-22. With the leading of the indwelling Holy Spirit, this is what He has commanded us to do. We need to ask ourselves: Does scripture address this? What does scripture have to say about this? Is this (what we are being taught) scriptural? What is the context? These types of questions. It doesn’t mean that every teacher we hear is perfect in all that he teaches and never errs. It’s not about slamming a brother who misspoke. All human teachers are fallible and will err, but we must discern how his overall teaching compares with scripture. Was it just an honest mistake he made or is the thrust of his teaching nothing more than a twisting of scripture to suit his agenda? A true man of God, one who has truly been called by God to teach His word, will gladly be open to correction from the Word by his brothers. Pride will not be a concern for him. His only concern as one who will have to give an account of himself before the Lord will be to handle the word accurately and truthfully. There is an accurate way to handle the Word and there is an inaccurate way. The accurate way takes diligence and study on our part. As Paul told Timothy, ”Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.” –II Timothy 2:15. It’s not enough for a teacher to quote scripture. Many “bible” teachers will quote scripture, but are they quoting it out of context? The question is: Are they staying true to the (biblical) authors original meaning, or are they changing the authors original intent? Words have meaning and can’t be changed to suit ones agenda. Every word is in the context of a sentence. Every sentence is in the context of a paragraph. Every paragraph is in the context of a chapter. Every chapter is in the context of a book. Every book is in the context of the entire bible and all of scripture is in complete harmony with itself. The indwelling Holy Spirit gives us illumination, understanding, wisdom, conviction and discernment in all these matters. Proper hermeneutics are essential. It’s not a question of whether a teacher “uses” scripture; it’s a question of whether he is “teaching” scripture.

We who are Gods children should have the same “noble minded” eagerness in our day that the original Bereans had in their day. We need to know not just what we believe, but why we believe. To think biblically about all things. If we as “the light of the world” – Matthew 5:14. don’t know why we believe as we do, how can we possibly proclaim the truth to those who are still in darkness? How do we know that we aren’t being deceived ourselves in our beliefs? Just as the Bereans examined the scriptures daily to confirm the validity of what they were being taught, we are called to labor to do the same. Concerning the reading, exhortation and teaching of scripture, Paul commanded Timothy to “Take pains with these things; be absorbed in them, so that your progress will be evident to all. Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you. “ – I Timothy 4:15-16.

We are commanded to long for the pure milk of the word, to completely saturate ourselves with it, to think about it, and to meditate upon it. As we fill our minds and hearts completely with the Word of God, the Holy Spirit will speak to us in all situations. Not an audible voice, but He will bring to mind the scripture that we’ve hidden in our heart and give us discernment and the wisdom to apply the truth in all situations. He does not speak to us apart from His word but He does speak to us through His word.

Like the Bereans, let us be noble minded as well, not automatically accepting everything we hear, but examining everything carefully in light of the word, holding fast to that which is good and turning away from evil. Is there anything else more important?

“Do not be carried away by varied and strange teachings” – Hebrews 13:9