Saturday, October 27, 2007

The Current Controversy

As I sit here staring at the blank screen before me, scratching at five day's worth of beard stubble, which incidentally I noticed this morning is going grey, I wonder how I get myself in these kinds of situations. It isn't that I fear offending anyone with the words I am about to write, the inevitability of offense is something I came to terms with a long time ago. What I fear is that some of you will offended for the wrong reasons, or because I was not adequately able to get my point across with my limited vocabulary.
I think to myself there are easier things I could be doing right now, perhaps go down to the local grocery store, buy an industrial size bottle of Grecian formula, and have at my grey hairs, but vanity was never something I saw any value in, plus the stuff costs an arm an a leg.
Well, I guess it's rip off the band aid time, one quick tug, one brilliant flash of searing pain, then on to less painful endeavors like borrowing my wife's tweezers and yanking the grey hairs out individually, one by one, until I pass out.
In recent days a great controversy has been brewing within Christendom, one which has as yet, unfortunately, not reached its zenith. It will continue to grow, and draw the attention of the saved and unsaved alike, everyone likes a good controversy, each throwing in their respective two cents never really bothering to go to the Scripture for answers.
It has to do with a recently published book, by a well known American evangelist, which asserts that 'Jesus did not come to earth to be the Messiah and that Jesus refused by word and deed to claim to be the Messiah'. He further asserts in his writings that 'the Jews cannot be blamed for not accepting what was never offered'.
I will not mention the man, or the title of his book in this post, but if you seek you will find it, since cyberspace is all abuzz about it.
Let me begin by saying I consider Israel to be God's chosen people. I also believe that due to our defense of Israel, God has spared this nation for longer than its many transgressions should have allowed. However, we cannot deny their culpability in rejecting the Christ, just as we cannot deny that the Pharisees and Sadducees of that time had a hand in His crucifixion. I will be the first to say that I am all for being in defense of Israel, as long as we heed the Word, and not gloss over what is written therein, in an attempt to expunge the notion of accountability on behalf of those long returned to the earth.
There are many avenues we can pursue here, but I would like to answer the question at the heart of this particular controversy: "Did the Pharisees know they were rejecting the Messiah?"
Since I have a bad back, I often refrain from throwing around big words, but this is a delicate and important matter, so I will make an exception in this case.
The answer to the all important question, can be found in Matthew the twenty second chapter, a chapter that has been dubbed by many 'the chapter of controversies'.
Here they were, the most brilliant religious minds of the time, Pharisees and Sadducees, teachers of the law, and priests of the highest order, trying desperately to silence and destroy the ministry of one called Jesus of Nazareth. All had come together under a singular banner, that of discrediting Jesus, and proving that He in fact was not that which He claimed to be.
Jesus never had a polemical, contentious, or argumentative spirit about Him, yet here He was rising to the challenge, embroiling himself in the controversy, and provoking the Pharisees and Sadducees to answer Him one question.
Before I quote the Scripture passage, I would like to make a point. Jesus always spoke to His audience on their level. To fishermen He spoke of fishing, to farmers He spoke of farming, so to those that were now gathered before him, the religious, the educated, the Pharisee, and the Sadducee, He spoke of the Old Testament, the law, referencing topics, and in terms they should have understood.
Matthew 22:41-45, "While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, saying, 'What do you think about the Christ? Whose Son is He?' They said to Him, 'the Son of David.' He said to them, 'How then does David in the Spirit call Him 'Lord', saying: 'The Lord said to My Lord, sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool'? If David then calls Him 'Lord,' how is He his Son?"
All those present, witnessing this exchange, including the apostles believed that Jesus was asking this question in the hopes of silencing His adversaries, and causing them to shrink away from Him.
The reason Jesus asked the question, was not to silence the theologians of Jerusalem, but rather it was His final attempt to open their eyes to who He was, that they would believe, His final attempt at their salvation.
Those opposed to Christ did not have a clear answer, as Jesus knew they wouldn't. If however they would have at least tried to give an answer that was not mechanical and cold, but would have asked for time to study, to search, to compare His life to the prophecies of old, they would have reasoned very differently.
Christ spoke to these men on their level, in a riddle that He knew they could understand, if they so desired. Jesus knew that if He simply would have said, "I am the Messiah, the one the prophets of old foresaw", the hearts of the Pharisees, and Sadduccees would have been all the more hardened. He gave them enough information, to reach the conclusion themselves, to see the truth for what it was, if only their heart had been to know the truth.
If anyone should have known, it was the Pharisees that the Anointed One, the Messiah was to be a descendant of the Davidic lineage. It had been prophesied. Even though there were different interpretations concerning the place, and the role of the Messiah, no one doubted that He would be of the family of David, David's son.
At this point we can go deeper, and see the mystery and beauty that is Christ telling David to sit at his right hand, denoting the fact that indeed He was, and is, and forever shall be co-regent with God, sitting on the throne, but the post is already a lengthy one, and if I added all the notes I've made in the last two days, it would end up being a small booklet, so we will just focus on Christ's final words to those listening.
Then Jesus asked His final question, one that would either open the eyes of those listening to who He was, or end the debate. "If David then calls Him 'Lord', how is He his Son?"
If we looked upon these words in the context of the times, we would realize that it was largely a patriarchal society. It was inconceivable for a son to ask his father to call him 'Lord'. On the contrary it was the children who often used punctilious terms with their parents. Respect for ancestry was deeply rooted in all the peoples of antiquity, and the Jewish people, although they never had a cult of the dead like other nations, had a veneration, and respect for those who came before them. They often spoke of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, in words heavy with religious sentiment. I would even go so far as saying that there was a greater respect in how they spoke of their ancestors, than there was in the way in which they spoke about angels. It was then inconceivable for someone to say they were the 'Lord of David, Abraham and Jacob', and yet David calls the Messiah 'my Lord'.
Why would Jesus speak these words if he had not intended for the Jewish people to know that He was Messiah? Truthfully, he wouldn't have. He was about to leave this earth, and His people, the Jewish people had as yet not understood His purpose or ministry, nor had they recognized Him for who He was. It was a final attempt, and Jesus was inviting those wholly capable of unraveling the mystery, to follow it to its rightful conclusion and acknowledge Him as Messiah!
Did Jesus give them enough information to reach the right conclusion? Yes. Did those listening to Jesus have the aptitude and education to follow the thread, and see where it inevitably led? Yes. Did they choose instead to ignore the truth that stood before them, plug up their ears and harden their hearts? Yes.
John 1:10-13, "He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God."
Isaiah 53:2-7, "For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or comeliness; and when we see Hm, there is no beauty that we should desire Him. He is despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely He has borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He opened not his mouth."
Thank God for Jesus! Thank Jesus for the cross!

With love in Christ,

Michael Boldea Jr.

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thank you, Michael Boldea for your insights, explanation of the Scripture passage, and love for our Savior, Jesus Christ!

Anonymous said...

I appreciate your insights Mr.Boldea. I have not yet read John Hagee's book In Defense of Israel. I'm assuming that is the book you were speaking of. In these last days(the Days of Noah) we all as brothers and sisters in Christ better be reading,studying, and meditating the Holy Word to show ourselves approved. 2 Timothy 2:15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
How are you and Bro. Geno?

Anonymous said...

I'm shocked but not surprised by this persons comments. I know whom you speak of and I never thought I would here that from him.

I don't follow his TV programs or read his books, but to be so careless with the Word of God, and yet to be in such a position of influence...

We truly are in the last days.

God have mercy on his soul. Oh God have mercy on his soul.

The day is fading fast and the night is coming. Where are the men of God to speak the truth in these dark times?

So many listen to men like this to only be lead down a wide path that leads to destruction.

How foolish can they be....

Why, why do they stop their ears from the truth and listen to fables and lies and stories?

Why do they compromise? Because they have not love of the truth.

Sorry for the rambling, but I'm writing this will tears in my ears.

I'm having trouble seeing the screen.

Don't they know what they're doing?

I feel I'm looking at a dead man. One that has turned his back on Christ (yes...the MESSIAH). For what?

These are the men that have claimed to be the authority for God? Blind guides they are. The blind leading the blind.

You don't have to post this...I'm just flabbergasted (sp?) by his statements. How dare he do such a blasphemous thing. He truly has his reward.

Sorry...

I get tired of the lies that spew out from the so-called Church leaders.

You've got a bunch over here trying to sell blessings, a bunch over there trying to make you feel good about yourself and another bunch over there denying Christ.

These must be the bundles that are being gathered together for burning.

I pray that some will come out before it's too late.

Anathema Maranatha!


Jeff S.

Anonymous said...

Michael, don't worry about those grey hairs - Proverbs equates them with wisdom. I turned to the bottle when I turned 40 (the hair dye bottle, I mean)
That book sounds blasphemous - it is obviously casting doubt on Jesus being the Messiah, although I have not heard of it or read it. Jesus leaves no doubt that He was the Christ and those with ears to hear and eyes to see identified Him as the One. Yes, thank God for Jesus and the Cross. I know in Whom I believe!

Marcel said...

You wrote;
'I also believe that due to our defense of Israel, God has spared this nation for longer than its many transgressions should have allowed.'

Michael, things are not always what they appear to be.
This is no longer the case.
It's not athiest Russia or Totalarian,Communist China who betray the Israel of God but 'Christian' America and her 'Christian' president.
and the Laodecian church is at ease focused on herself.
America by treachery has betrayed Israel and is working overtime for her destruction and this is why God will pay us in kind soon.
Our wickedness and treachery has reached to heaven and the grafted on branch is silent to what this nation is doing to the root of the tree they were grafted on to.

The sure thing about the God we serve is that He has not rejected Israel and the Jews and that His promises are still for them.
That's why He brought them back and why He will judge all the nation's who come against Israel with destruction.
No other nation has this active ongoing covenant,not one.

Israel ,the Jews God has brought back to their land in unbelief and He will sprinkle clean water on them ,His Spirit AND THEY WILL SEE HIM WHOM THEY HAVE PIERCED.
That love He has for His people is a work in progress for all of us to see now .
If we miss it I believe we will miss Jesus' heart his incredible love the times of the gentiles is fast ending.
After escaping organize religion,apostate Rome,the Lord helped me understand His love by way of Israel.
If He can throw Israel and the Jes in the garbage then that where you will end up also because apart from His grace none of us will stand.
I am greatly encouraged in the Lord by what I see Him doing with Israel now.
We need to understand that God can AND WILL save Israel in 10 minutes,maybe even 2 minutes acording to Romans 11:25-27
He has raised up Iran and will bring down the U.S. so that Israel will desperately seek Him,and this is what we are about to see.
I know God has a remnant,at least a third set apart for Him in Israel.
I don't know how large the faithful remnant is here in America but it is shrinking rapidly among those who do not understand whose tree and root they are grafted on to.
Pride will cut off many Christian's who boast themselves above Israel and the Jews.
This is critical to our standing in these last days.

For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Zion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins. As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers' sakes. For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief: Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy.
Roman's 11 a must read for the Chriatian remnant in America today.

I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy.
Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness?
For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead?
And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree;
Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee.
Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be graffed in. Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear
Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off. And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be graffed in: for God is able to graff them in again.
For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert graffed contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural [branches], be graffed into their own olive tree?

A Seed Sower said...

Excellent Bro Micheal, thanks for the warning about this book. I just came across the perfect scripture for discribing what this site is for us sheep. Hebrews 3:13
"But exhort one another daily, while it is called today, lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin." This is why we need this site Bro Michealm, so we can be kept on track for Jesus. At least that's my five cents worth. God Bless Helen B

A Seed Sower said...

Yes Brother Michael, we will all glean something different from what the Lord gives you, but we will always glean something good.
Let’s face it some things just have to be plucked out, and some things have to be cut off. As for trying to cover up something ugly, it will always resurface, and no matter how hard you try to cover it up it returns again and again. Moral of the story don’t try to cover up the ugly, let it be exposed, and with God’s help learn to be an over comer. What needs to be plucked out pluck it out, what needs to be cut off, cut it off. And that’s what God spoke to me through your revelation this morning. Praise His Holy Name.

A Seed Sower said...

Oh Dear Lord Help us, I just found said book and said book teaser video on amazon. Oh my giddy aunt martha, is this man of his blooming rocker, has he lost his mind. Well quite a few years back I saw said preacher in an advertizement with a money hungry prosperity preacher, and I remembered what my grandma used to say, "Birds of a feather flock together, show me your friends and I'll tell you what you are." That was the day I stopped watching or listening to his preaching. I see now that was a wise move. God Bless you for helping the sheep see the wolves Bro Michael.

Anonymous said...

Marcel, I truly agree with your comments about Israel. Although I am not American, I have read enough to know where you are coming from. I thank the Lord that He is the Truth, and what is hidden from our eyes, He knows. And what He has decreed, He wil accomplish. Amen.

Elm Street Chapel said...

Mike,
you are and have rightly divided the "Word of Truth". Truth is hidden from the wise in the worldly sense. When one believes a heresy, anything past that point, can be "tainted" (eartly, bitter tasting, unclean). This odor (rotten meat to use a previous analogy) has been present for some time in this man's life. Any departure from truth stinks. He is a strong proponant of a pre-tribe rapture as well. How can one distingush a brother in error from an anti-christ? Will the end of those who follow either be any different? At what point does God say,"depart from Me, I never knew you"?

Come out and be seperate means come out from the church of error, the apostate church. Having ears to hear allows those who can hear and know truth to come out, and be seperate from those who can not. Those who can't tell the difference, or care, will suffer a simular fate. The Word says:Titus 3:10 A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject; 11Knowing that he that is such is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of himself. So why would we think it strange, if we believe God's word, to be seperate from people like this?


Jesus has a church, a people. He hasn't lost any except for the "sons of perdition". His church just doesn't look like the one on television. His Spirit is not confused, divided or double minded. Truth is not hidden.
L,J,P&HG
Dave

Anonymous said...

Hi Michael,
I am all for the support of Israel but I fear that some of what is going on in the said author's church is the "worhsip" of Israel, he has even erected a "wailign wall" in his church...which i fear is leading people to idolatry..and amid shouts of "Israel lives" there is a message to attack others. We must not forget that God is the protector of Israel (both physical and spiritual). That the blessing of Abraham is for both his children - yes remember Ishmael too for God blessed him and moslems are lost and in need of the savior just as much as we all were once lost; remember too that the jews are scattered in the whole middle east region - even in the Palestinian territory and Iran! Remeber that God also requires them(Israel) to treat the stranger among them with dignity remembering their days in bondage.

The words that the said preacher is preaching are dangerous. I watched an interview on TV recently (CNN's God's Chirstian Worriors" special investigation) where he was asked who he thinks will be right about the messiah at the end of the world and he said he "hopes" it's the christians...he is not even sure about the grounds of his salvation...that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life...that Christ is the lamb given for our salvation. He is very mistaken/lost and i fear his flock is too. It would be good and wise to pray for him and his flock. The great delusion is upon us...and it looks so much like the truth (angel of light) we have to be founded in the Word to know the difference between the truth and the lie...remeber Jesus warned that if we are not careful, even the elect may be decieved (Matt 24).

In His Grace,
Joyce

Anonymous said...

Good Afternoon, Michael:

Your teaching is right on the button, scripturally.

In addition to what you pointed out, the prophet Daniel referred to Him as the Messiah (Daniel 9:25-26); Jesus Himself said that He was the Messiah to the woman at the well, in Samaria (John 4: 25-26), and during His trial, Jesus also told the high priest that He was indeed the Messiah (Mark 14: 61-62).

Not even to mention the blessing Peter received from Jesus, when he referred to Him as the Messiah.

God Bless,

Eric

Anonymous said...

Thank You Michael. I personally have bought John Hagee's books and watched his programs in the past and have been blessed by them. I am a great supporter of Israel as being God's chosen and do not believe in "replacement theology". Lately though, I must admit I have had some concerns about Pastor Hagee. His rabbi guests on his program never admited to being Messianic Nor did Pastor Hagee discuss this.

As previously stated, I am a staunch supporter of Israel, but not at the expense of backing down on Jesus being the only way to the Father. This dual covenant theology that He is pushing, isn't Helping the Jews, it is Hurting them by hindering the Messianic mov't that is occuring among them. Messianic Rabbi, Jack Zimmerman is already encountering negative affects in his effort to reach his fellow Jews (Identified in His article "What's Love Got To Do With It?), because of the Heresy Pastor Hagee is espousing.
I hope both Jew and Gentile Christians across the world continue to cry out against this damnable Heresy. The stakes are simply too hight not to.