Monthly Archives: April 2025
AWAY IN A MANGER: HE FIXED HIS TENT AMONG US
And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. [John 1:14]
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In the preceding verse, the word “dwelt” comes from a Greek word which means “To fix one’s tabernacle or tent,” and “To dwell.” There is no doubt this Greek word came from a Hebrew original. God Himself fixed His tent among us.
THE TIME OF HIS VISITATION
It was in the autumn of the year. The Feast of Sukkot or Ingathering was the last on the annual calendar. It was a weeklong event celebrating the harvest. Also called the Feast of Tabernacles or Booths, it hearkened back to that in-between time in the vast and lonely Sinai desert when Egypt was long gone and in the remote recesses of their rear view mirror. The Promised Land was up ahead in the distant future. It was an unsettled time of transition and hope.
“You shall live in booths for seven days; all the native-born in Israel shall live in booths, so that your generations may know that I had the sons of Israel live in booths when I brought them out from the land of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.” [Leviticus 23:42-43]
These booths were crude, temporary dwellings. Constructed of entwined boughs and branches from desert flora and brushwood, these canopied shelters served as impermanent homes as commanded by the Lord. As in all things spiritual with fleeting types and shadows, their otherwise ostensible purpose and full meaning was known only by Him. The Hebrew word is sukkah. The first time it is used in Scripture, it refers to a corral Jacob built for his livestock, the location of which eventually became the settlement of Sukkoth east of the Jordan.
In escaping Egypt and entering the unknown and ultra-challenging wilderness of Sinai, the sons of Israel were a nation in the making and a people on the move. Forty years of wandering were on tap in order to learn to walk by faith and know the voice of the Lord. It would be a hard lesson for the current populace of that time, being thoroughly engrained with worldly vestiges of a foreign and pagan nation. It would take long years for the Lord to extract the fetters which opposed spiritual life and add the building blocks of circumcised hearts and willing minds. In His own wisdom He chose an unruly and rebellious people with stiff necks and hard hearts to eventually show forth His glory and to bring to this world the hope of celestial communion.
These rustic booths of branches were thus a stark opening lesson in spirituality 101—that of pure and holy humility—the door which makes all else possible. Whoever declines the offer and refuses to cross this threshold chooses instead to harbor their pride. It should thus be obvious that God chose the most humble of circumstances to enter into this world.
AWAY IN A MANGER
While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” [Luke 2:6-12]
Newborn babies are completely vulnerable. They are entirely dependent on their parent’s love and protection. God had carefully chosen Joseph and Mary if for no other reason than their great faith and obedience born of a humble nature to serve and please the Lord. Mary did not understand why she was chosen but she readily complied. Joseph had a tad tougher row to hoe and it took a few angelic visitations to get him on track. As long as these two remained faithful all would be well, but there was no guarantee.
There is also no guarantee for anyone in this life outside the will of God. Without faith it is impossible to please Him. Each of us enters this world just as the Lord did but each of us is also initially unaware of God’s purpose. Discovering His purpose is the true quest of life. It is what gives our lives meaning. He’s got it all covered as long as we don’t rebel. We know by the life He lived that rebellion and disobedience were never part of His nature. Some of us learn the lesson somewhat easily by comparison to those who fight all the way. For the majority, it is far too high a price and for them, this life is the only home they will ever know. In the drive to escape all things humble they construct the most humble and temporary life of all compared to the glories of heaven.
The tabernacles of the Lord’s people are temporary. They are necessary for now. We exist to please Him and nothing pleases Him more than to take care of us, rescue us from the ravages of sin, and bless us. This demands a process not at all unlike the process He chose to be with us. He meets us where we are.
And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.” When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, “Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.” So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger. [Luke 2:13-16]
GETTING OUR WINGS
I love the movie It’s a Wonderful Life and the overall message it conveys. It illustrates the important role of each person and signifies the far-reaching effect each of us has on the lives of others. We all know the line spoken by George Bailey’s young daughter at the very end of the movie: “Look Daddy. Teacher says, every time a bell rings an angel gets his wings.” For every person who overcomes his or her personal pride and surrenders to the Lord, the same thing happens. A miracle takes place.
“I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” [Luke 15:10] [1]
By humbly giving our lives to the Lord as He gave His for us, we also effectively fix our tent as He did. From such humble beginnings, He is then able to bring us out of Sinai into our personal Promised Land, a place of greatly meaningful service to Him and to others.
© 2018 by RJ Dawson. All Rights Reserved.
[1] Unless otherwise noted all Scriptures are taken from the New American Standard Bible, © 1960, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
A STIFFNECKED PEOPLE [Part 2]
Ancient Israel was supposed to be a spiritual exemplar—a light shining to the nations. Instead it became a microcosm of this dark fallen world (the macrocosm).
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LEMMINGS OFF A CLIFF
Like many of you, if not most I assume, I had assumed in my youth that the little rodents called lemmings had an inbred death wish in that a large group of them will on occasion get together and decide they must run at full speed toward a local towering seaside cliff and then rush headlong right over the side, diving into mass lemming destruction in the deep briny waters far below. I never learned why they did this only that they did. And that was that. I probably heard this for the first time when I was quite young and never questioned it, you know, the same way we hear and learn a lot of stuff growing up without ever questioning it (pretty much all of it for most people).
When I got a little older I began to put two and two together and saw the need to question a few things here and there because some of what I learned in life didn’t add up. Somewhere in that youthful time frame was the genesis of my early onset critical thinking skills in that I learned the best course was to question pretty much everything. One of the things I figured out was that lemmings running over a cliff was a myth. They don’t actually do this. Though endowed by the Creator with tiny little rodent brains their brains actually work pretty well which means their gray matter is not really loaded with a little kill switch that somehow gets triggered (by “instinct” I assume?) to gather with a bunch of like-minded ones and go flying into eternity.
However, that does not mean they don’t have a rodent herd mentality because they actually do band together in large groups on special occasions. These are kind of like political rallies or rock concerts. Or lemming mega churches. Actually, banding together in large groups is the way lemmings migrate. In herds. Lemmings migrate in herds. They do this when their present environment no longer adequately engages in supply side economics and they go off looking for a new land of rodent milk and honey. And they are wise enough to travel in very large groups.
On the way over yonder, when they come upon the inevitable natural barrier, they do their best to go around it or through it even if it means a good climb or a decent descent or a good swim through a local body of water. And it is likely, sadly, that there may be a few casualties but not on purpose. It is also likely they have no rebels in their herds like cheesed-up bikers or rat finks or squirrelly agitators. No, the little critters are just migrating together with a herd mentality.
HUMAN HERDS
Regarding rebellion, however, especially spiritual rebellion, humanity in general has been proven over the millennia after the fall of man and advent of spiritual death to also possess a built-in herd mentality and also be in possession of pure animal instincts. Though there is a brain in the head (a much larger one) it often does not have the power to overcome raw unbridled emotions which many people live by or an additional component which the New Testament refers to as “the lust of the flesh.” One would think evolution would have granted an in-brain controller or governor (like in the old lawnmowers) of some kind in the physical evolutionized superior body to limit the desired excesses of physical cravings and whatnot.
But then again, evolution is a ridiculous unscientific theory dashed to bits on the rocks of proven-wrongness though many believe it is why humans actually exhibit animalistic behavior because they are actually animals anyway which seems to be proven worldwide on a daily basis.
Looking for clues, psychology says the human soul is composed of will, mind, and emotions. The New Testament says it a little differently in that the big three composing the entire human are spirit, soul, and body. In both cases there appears to be a controller/governor which should seemingly rule the other two, the first being the will ruling over the mind and emotions and the second being the spirit ruling over the soul and body.
However, the Bible also teaches that the spirit of man died in the Garden of Eden due to the sin of Adam and Eve and cannot ever be resurrected unless one is born again as taught by the Lord Jesus. This means human beings in their natural unregenerate pre-born again state are merely soul and body with no spirit to rule over/control/govern them, which again puts the focus on the will within the soul (according to Psychology) as the only possible authority figure to ride herd on the other hapless members. Such members often have zero impulse control and complete inability to resist temptation.
But where does the human will gets its strength? How can it possibly conjure up the great power it needs to shut down the all-over-the-map, out-of-control, physical-body/fleshly/human-nature/animalistic-tendencies coupled with raw/uninhibited/wild/hysterical/uncontrolled emotions with the consistency of water? That appears to be asking a lot of little mister will and it likely is since this guy was never intended to be able to achieve such a world class accomplishment.
So if the spirit is dead (before being born again) and the will is too weak, what keeps humans on the earthly societal straight and narrow since many people appear to try hard to do what is right, at least in civilized societies with a Christian ethic, and have a pretty good amount of success? What is the actual controller/governor riding herd on one’s behavior? I know what you’re thinking: God has given us a conscience, a built-in sense of right and wrong that seems to be like the little angel guy on one shoulder debating with a little devil guy on the other as both try to convince us to do either the right thing or the wrong thing.
It would appear then, that if a herd of humans gathers together based on doing the right thing then one will have a pretty good society or culture. Or nation. Maybe even a church. Which means there would exist relatively good nations in the world (which must be in the minority because achieving such good nationhood is hard). And of course there would also be nations of the other kind. And sometimes there are nations which have a good conscience so to speak (good leadership) but possess a majority of unwilling members who have the decided tendency to listen to the little devil guy instead of the angel guy.
The opposite would also be true in that, due to unfortunate events like an evil group wresting government control in a good nation, in which a good nation ends up going bad because the good people thereof are too stupid, lazy, willingly uninformed, and hopelessly weak to overthrow the evil ones. (This should sound very familiar.)
What is more, sometimes there is a very special nation such as the ancient nation of Israel which had God Himself as their Leader and yet they still couldn’t get it together the vast majority of the time. I mean, if the Lord God of all Creation is your Leader (Conscience/Controller/Governor), how can you not have a good nation or even a great one? Yet we know the history, however. And we know it almost never worked with ancient Israel except in fits and starts. And that it certainly wasn’t because the Leader was not good because He was both Good and Great. Sadly it has generally been the same with every nation on earth in that they all end up going bad eventually mainly due to a violation of the conscience on an increasingly mass scale.
THE FEW, THE REMNANT, THE SAVED
And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. [Revelation 20:15]
I would think the evidence of this world would indicate there is therefore nothing to be done about the human problem but await the big incinerator below the big cliff and be done with the whole mess. Actually, as it turns out, that is the final solution. But not for everyone. For the majority of ancient Israel, yes. For the majority of humanity in general, yes. But again, the big fire will not claim everyone. One must take a looksee, therefore, into what the few who escape the culminating conflagration have in common.
We can start with the greatest Human Being who ever lived (there is no second place). Stay tuned…
© 2025 by RJ Dawson. All Rights Reserved. [To Be Continued…]
A STIFFNECKED PEOPLE [Part 1]
As a variation on the incredulous query of Nathanael in John 1:46, “Can any good thing come out of Israel?”
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AGAINST ALL ODDS
As I’ve written here many times, it is truly a great wonder that the ancient nation ever survived as long as it did. Without God’s ongoing support and supreme faithfulness Israel would have had no chance. Sadly, it was not so much that it was vulnerable to outside attack, though this was certainly the case, but it was much more about national suicide. As the Lord God stated directly on numerous occasions, starting way back as early as shortly after the Exodus from Egypt (1446BC), the emerging nation had a serious attitude problem and could be described perfectly through the use of just one word, which was first used here:
And the Lord said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people…” [Exodus 32:9 KJV]
Also, we see that it was the Lord God Himself who first used this term. And with regard to this perfect descriptive, God actually referred to His people in Scripture as “stiffnecked” a total of four times in the KJV Old Testament (out of eight overall) and once, through the prophet Ezekiel, as “stiffhearted.” In the KJV New Testament, Stephen, under a powerful spiritual anointing, used the term only minutes before his murder at the hands of, well, the stiffnecked, who were enormously convicted because the descriptive term described them so well:
Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye. [Acts 7:51] …When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth. [Acts 7:54] …Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord, and cast him out of the city, and stoned him… [Acts 7:57-58]
The evocative –S– word was later cleaned up somewhat in later Bible versions. For example, what follows is the NASB95 translation of the first OT occurrence which also includes verse 10 for context:
The Lord said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and behold, they are an obstinate people. Now then let Me alone, that My anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them; and I will make of you a great nation.” [Exodus 32:9-10]
Whoa. That’s pretty harsh. If God said that today He would be censored and accused of, well, you know.
Here is the same passage in the KJV, which is just a tad more descriptive:
And the Lord said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people: now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them: and I will make of thee a great nation. [Exodus 32:9-10 KJV]
Now, why in the world would God be so powerfully angry at His own people not long after showing great love by miraculously rescuing them from abject misery and hopeless slavery in Egypt? What could they have done that would want to make Him trash the entire plan He had for them and consume/destroy them and start again from scratch making a new nation with Moses?
Oh yeah. The golden calf. And they had lost all moral control and had “rose up to play” and “have corrupted themselves.” All this while the Lord God was up on the mountain delivering grand plans for the nation’s bright future to Moses who was fasting for forty days in order to effectively commune with God, receive the Torah, come down in glowing joy bearing great gifts and a wonderful message, and would later lead them to the Promised Land.
That.
Therefore, it is absolutely perfectly understandable why God was so extremely wrathful that He wanted to off them entirely. We must note, of course, that the golden calf was in reference to the Egyptian deity Apis which in part portends to a love of money and which also means Israel quickly reverted back to idolatry and vile immoral behavior as soon as their deliverer was gone for a while. They were always doing this. They always required, by their inability to control themselves and live a holy life, a powerful anointed man of God to deliver, shepherd, and maintain them since they possessed so little personal discipline and desire for spirituality and closeness to the Lord. There was thus Moses, and then Joshua, and then after they arrived in the Promised Land one Judge after another over not just a few decades but centuries.
However, the actual much bigger issue regarding the very quick fall from grace Israel made on that momentous occasion of the revealing of the Torah is that God allowed His perfect mind to be changed and that He eventually relented of inflicting due justice by wiping them off the face of the earth. How did this happen?—
PUTTING UP WITH GOATS TO SAVE THE SHEEP
The same as it always does. Someone stepped in and did some heavy duty interceding. Someone got on their face before God and pleaded and prayed and wept and wailed. Someone proved to God that though the great majority may be hopelessly hell bound by their own choosing, there are others, though few, who really, really, really love the Lord and want to serve and honor the Lord no matter what and are willing to put up with any humiliating circumstance, every indignity, much longsuffering, and even pain if that’s what is required to do it. Some people will choose to try very hard to live holy lives and not rise up to play or corrupt themselves. The Lord God knew that Moses not only had a great heart for God but also a spiritual passion for God’s people and God’s great plans for them, and that he was willing to do whatever and put up with anything to see it all come to pass as impossible it appeared to be, in part because he knew all things were possible with God.
So Israel was saved to live another day yet again—saved from itself—due to the righteous Remnant of Israelites of which Moses was a part—the few and far between—being faithful to God and standing in the gap and taking it on the chin and interceding in prayer and suffering persecution from the very people they kept praying for and preserving in hope of their eventual salvation which never came for the majority.
I remember long ago when the Lord first gave me the revelation that the greater the particular ministry the more time it would take to prepare for it. Thus, Moses would not only have to be a very strong man, and he was, but would also need much preparation because he was being tasked with one of the hardest ministries of all time.
He would have to deal with the great cloud of stiffnecked goats in order to minister to the few faithful sheep.
REAL MEN OF GOD
It goes without saying, of course, that the people of Israel were in general a very hard people to shepherd (understatement alert). Moses, the man God chose for the task, was surely a monumental figure in history—one of a kind—since he actually fulfilled for forty years a ministry which was not only akin to herding a million cats but effectively far more difficult and which involved eternal proportions. He also spent his first eighty years preparing for those last forty, first as a member of royalty “educated in all the learning of the Egyptians, and he was a man of power in words and deeds” (Acts 7:22), and secondly as an obscure unknown sheepherder in the land of Midian. Yet Moses was just a man and could never have successfully completed the immense preparation requirements and then the massive task of transforming a great multitude into a cohesive nation able to conquer the wicked interlopers in their given land of Promise without the Lord God in complete control due to the humble man’s willing submission and the Lord’s powerful anointing, guidance, and strength.
For greater perspective on the actual nature of what had become a thoroughly sinful people deserving of not only ongoing rebuke but severe judgment back into exile, consider the following prophetic word of Ezekiel delivered eight and a half centuries later in 593BC in the midst of the Babylonian invasion (God uses the adjective “rebellious” four times!):
Then He said to me, “Son of man, stand on your feet that I may speak with you!” As He spoke to me the Spirit entered me and set me on my feet; and I heard Him speaking to me. Then He said to me, “Son of man, I am sending you to the sons of Israel, to a rebellious people who have rebelled against Me; they and their fathers have transgressed against Me to this very day. I am sending you to them who are stubborn and obstinate children (stiffhearted KJV), and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God.’ As for them, whether they listen or not—for they are a rebellious house—they will know that a prophet has been among them. And you, son of man, neither fear them nor fear their words, though thistles and thorns are with you and you sit on scorpions; neither fear their words nor be dismayed at their presence, for they are a rebellious house. But you shall speak My words to them whether they listen or not, for they are rebellious.” [Ezekiel 2:1-7] [1]
© 2025 by RJ Dawson. All Rights Reserved. [To Be Continued…]
[1] Unless otherwise noted all Scriptures are taken from the New American Standard Bible, © 1960, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
SING FOR JOY
Sing for joy in the LORD, O you righteous ones; praise is becoming to the upright.
Give thanks to the LORD with the lyre; sing praises to Him with a harp of ten strings.
Sing to Him a new song; play skillfully with a shout of joy.
For the word of the LORD is upright, and all His work is done in faithfulness.
He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the lovingkindness of the LORD.
By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, and by the breath of His mouth all their host.
He gathers the waters of the sea together as a heap; He lays up the deeps in storehouses.
Let all the earth fear the LORD; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.
For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast.
The LORD nullifies the counsel of the nations; He frustrates the plans of the peoples.
The counsel of the LORD stands forever, the plans of His heart from generation to generation.
Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people whom He has chosen for His own inheritance.
The LORD looks from heaven; He sees all the sons of men;
From His dwelling place He looks out on all the inhabitants of the earth,
He who fashions the hearts of them all, He who understands all their works.
The king is not saved by a mighty army; a warrior is not delivered by great strength.
A horse is a false hope for victory; nor does it deliver anyone by its great strength.
Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear Him, on those who hope for His lovingkindness,
To deliver their soul from death and to keep them alive in famine.
Our soul waits for the LORD; He is our help and our shield.
For our heart rejoices in Him, because we trust in His holy name.
Let Your lovingkindness, O LORD, be upon us, according as we have hoped in You. [Psalm 33][1]
[1] Unless otherwise noted all Scriptures are taken from the New American Standard Bible, © 1960, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
REAL CHRISTIANITY HAS ONLY ONE REAL LEADER
Nobody else qualifies. Sadly, this otherwise obviously means that Christianity in general is saturated with scads of unreal “leaders” not in alliance with God.
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THE WORD “LEADER”
The English word “leader” occurs nine times in the NASB95 New Testament in eight verses and in only four books. It occurs in the singular form four times and as a plural five times. It is capitalized twice. However, “leader” is translated from five different Greek words, as follows in order of their occurrence:
Leaders [Matthew 2:6] G2232: ἡγεμών hēgemṓn (hayg-em-ohn’)
leaders [Matthew 23:10] G2519: καθηγητής kathēgētḗs (kath-ayg-ay-tace’)
Leader [Matthew 23:10] G2519: καθηγητής kathēgētḗs (kath-ayg-ay-tace’)
leaders [Luke 14:1] G758: ἄρχων árchōn (ar’-khone)
leader [Luke 22:26] G2233: ἡγέομαι hēgéomai (hayg-eh’-om-ahee)
leader [Acts 18:8] G752: ἀρχισυνάγωγος archisynágōgos (ar-khee-soon-ag’-o-gos)
leader [Acts 18:17] G752: ἀρχισυνάγωγος archisynágōgos (ar-khee-soon-ag’-o-gos)
leaders [Hebrews 13:17] G2233: ἡγέομαι hēgéomai (hayg-eh’-om-ahee)
leaders [Hebrews 13:24] G2233: ἡγέομαι hēgéomai (hayg-eh’-om-ahee)
The key teaching regarding this leadership question utilizes G2519 as seen in the preceding chart in the following significant verse in which the Lord Jesus applies a complete restriction upon His disciples (and all disciples present and future) in the given context:
“Do not be called leaders (G2519); for One is your Leader (G2519), that is, Christ.” [Matthew 23:10]
As we see from our chart the essential Greek word is καθηγητής kathēgētḗs (kath-ayg-ay-tace’). It is defined by Strong’s Concordance as: “a guide, i.e. (figuratively) a teacher:—master.” The Lord is specifically stating here that His movement has only one Leader and that this Leader is the long awaited Messiah. By the use of the word He is also relaying that He is the only ultimate spiritual Guide, the only definitive Teacher, and the only legitimate Master. He is quite clear. There is therefore no reason whatsoever for any false “interpretation” claims to muddy the waters or for any causes of confusion regarding who’s in charge.
The point here is that every legitimate minister honors the Lord Jesus exclusively as his only Master and strives to serve Him according to His specific leadership and teaching curriculum. He will thus not teach what the Lord did not teach and he will teach only whatever the Lord taught.
In order to gain even greater understanding of the Lord’s statement in Matthew 23:10, we must consider it in the broader context of the overall instruction the Lord is giving and why He is adamant about this particular point. At that time He was teaching His close disciples and followers about the excesses of the Pharisees, about how they are so strongly concerned with religious authority and control, about gaining and maintaining their power and wealth, about putting forth a ridiculously overblown outward image, and why they insist there is a good reason for such adornment. He said His own followers should never engage in that sort of behavior or be like the Pharisees and the Rabbis thereof because, while they might actually quote Scripture correctly and get it right on occasion, they most often teach their own false traditions (in their case the ultra-casuistic [1] and false commentary-based Oral Law) and fail to do what the actual Scriptures teach. Sound Familiar?
He notes that their approach is all about making verbal declarations and assertions to be applied to others but not to themselves in that the Pharisees say but do not do. This is in further keeping with their dual class clergy-laity division model in which the establishment of their rule over everyone else is paramount. All of this comes down to leadership and is why the Lord stated the following to His disciples:
“But do not be called Rabbi; for One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers. Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. Do not be called leaders; for One is your Leader, that is, Christ. But the greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.” [Matthew 23:8-12] [2]
THE REAL AND THE UNREAL
Based on this teaching, we can deduce that there are only two kinds of Christian ministers. First, there are the relatively few legitimate ministers who are actually called by the Lord Jesus to assist Him in His ministry (and there is actually only one legitimate Christian ministry—His) and do so to the best of their ability. These real ministers possess and produce the spiritual fruit and consistent evidence of their work to confirm their standing and legitimacy which matches the evidence and confirmation as listed in the historical record in the New Testament. Yet it must be noted that every real follower of the Lord Jesus is a legitimate minister of the Gospel. Remember, He said. “For One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers.”
Secondly, there are the great many Christian ministers who were never called by God in the place they are working and who do not assist the Lord Jesus in His ministry and who effectively start ministries on their own of which each is the sole leader thereof. Or they join existing ministry organizations and preacher unions as members and fellow “ministers” which were never founded by God. Such organizations, including “churches” and even large to universal denominations give forth a misleading air of legitimacy through their authority, power, wealth, longevity, and vast number of adherents.
How can these two be distinguished? How can one tell the difference between the real and the unreal? How can one identify the legitimate and detect the illegitimate? Such a means is not actually all that difficult once one locates the source material with all the answers and the means of confirming the spiritually genuine. Without the source material and confirmation means and process, a person can be easily deceived and led astray. He or she can be made to believe things that are not true and led to accept things that are in opposition to the very God one claims to believe in and possibly honor and serve. One can even be deceived into rejecting actual spiritual confirmation as given by the Lord and accepting a false form of confirmation based on illicit claims of authority.
Therefore, the source material is mandatory as are the means God uses to confirm it and the work of those who use it and teach from it. Real Christians know this source material as the New Testament. They know the New Testament Scriptures are the legitimate Word of God. They know this not only because the NT has stood the test of time but also because the teachings and instructions within it when applied correctly and fully actually work.
This also proves the presence of the Lord.
© 2025 by RJ Dawson. All Rights Reserved. [To Be Continued…]
[1] Casuistry (noun): Specious, deceptive, or oversubtle reasoning, especially in questions of morality; fallacious or dishonest application of general principles; sophistry. © Copyright Dictionary.com
[2] Unless otherwise noted all Scriptures are taken from the New American Standard Bible, © 1960, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
MESSIANIC PROPHETS IN CAPTIVITY: STRANGERS IN A STRANGE LAND
The ancient Hebrew prophets spoke of the Messiah often. They told of a future day when He would arrive. It would obviously be the greatest Great Awakening of all time.
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PROPHETIC ACCOUNTS
And His name will be called
Wonderful Counselor,
Mighty God,
Eternal Father,
Prince of Peace. [Isaiah 9:6]
For historical perspective regarding the prophetic Messianic timeline, the prophet Isaiah, who was quoted by the Lord Jesus several times in the Gospel accounts, dates to the mid-to-late 700s BC. This means the beginning of his ministry was almost eight centuries before the Lord’s.
In his composite work The New Evidence That Demands a Verdict, well-known author and speaker Josh McDowell highlights sixty-one major fulfilled Messianic prophecies. [1] The total number of fulfilled prophecies is actually much higher and an exact number depends on interpretation, comprehensive context, and detailed analysis. Suffice it to say, however, that the total exceeds 300! Specific sources cite 324 [2] and as many as 333. [3] In Isaiah’s written work alone, one source has listed as many as 122 fulfilled prophecies of the coming Messiah, each and every one fulfilled by the Lord Jesus, of course. [4] It is impossible that anyone else could have qualified to fulfill these many prophecies to even a slight degree.
Isaiah is characterized as a major prophet, primarily due to his book and extensive prophetic work. There are other prophets which could also be characterized the same but have no distinct books with their respective names in the title, such as Elijah and Elisha, whose works are recorded in the historical books of 1Kings and 2Kings.
JUDGMENT FOR SIN
The prophets with which we are likely most familiar date to either the time before the Babylonian Captivity, a severe judgment against the wayward Kingdom of Judah, or during it. This judgment began in circa 606/605 BC and lasted a prophesied 70 years. Before that key event, going back centuries, the Word of God had always arrived and in a clear and concise manner. This continued during the Captivity by a select group of Messianic prophets.
It must be noted that at the time of the Babylon judgment, the three-tribe Southern Kingdom of Judah was all that remained of a previously much larger United Kingdom of Israel which was composed of all twelve tribes (actually thirteen) and had existed from the time of the first king, Saul, who began his reign in 1050 BC. Following Saul, King David, through his many wars, excellent leadership, and heart for God, built the kingdom into the expanded state in which it existed for over a century until it was broken up into two separate kingdoms by internal strife in 930 BC after the death of Solomon (the third king). These two realms were the ten-tribe Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judah (comprised of the predominant tribe of Judah, plus Benjamin and Levi), each with its own kingly lines of succession.
The same manner of judgment against Judah at the hands of Babylon was also earlier rendered against the larger ten tribe Northern Kingdom over a century before by the Assyrians. The conquest by Assyria began in approximately 740 BC. This eventuated in the removal of the Israelite tribes located east of the Jordan River—Reuben, Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh—to locations in Assyria. The invasion of Israel proper then commenced centered on the central section of Samaria. The conquest was completed in 722 BC when the rest of the Northern Kingdom of Israel population was also exiled to Assyria—the remaining seven and a half tribes—though many inconsequential stragglers remained. Samaria was later repopulated with other foreign groups who intermarried in part with the remaining native inhabitants and is why the area was later deemed a place of impure Israelite blood.
These two major judgments against the kingdoms of Israel and Judah differed however, in that the native tribes of the North were deported permanently with no allowed return, whereas the Southern Kingdom (Judah) would return after a 70 year hiatus. The tribes of the Northern Kingdom were apparently unredeemable since they had ventured so far into sin, idolatry, abominable practices, and gross degradation. Though Judah also engaged in great sin and likely deserved the same fate, a core of the nation had to be preserved for future purposes, the most obvious and greatest being the forthcoming eventual arrival of the Messiah. This is in part why the times called for Messianic prophets and their major works filled with detailed accounts of both the times and future prophetic events. (After the end of the Northern Kingdom of Israel, Judah was later referred to as Israel also since it was all that was left and became the de facto Israelite nation.)
PROPHETS IN CAPTIVITY
The three primary prophets chosen for this difficult time were Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel. Prior to and after the start of the Babylonian Captivity in 606/605 BC the clear prophetic Word continued primarily through these men whose lives began before the great exile and continued throughout the first twenty year period thereof. This was the initial destruction phase which lasted until the fateful summer of 586 BC. It was on the infamous date of Av 9 of that year that Jerusalem and the 380 year-old Temple of Solomon were destroyed by the forces of Nebuchadnezzar. Afterwards, much of the remaining population was taken captive in the third and final deportation to Babylon.
Even though a sizable number of the population living in Judah was exiled per the nation’s judgment and was composed in the main of the nation’s best and brightest, Jeremiah only records a relatively small number of 4,600 deportees (See Jeremiah 52:28-30) though some authorities have estimated it to be as large as 20,000. There is also some apparent discrepancies regarding the deportation dates. Whatever the case, though these numbers of the exiled appear small relative to the overall population, there remained an existent segment of Israelites in the land left to survive on their own, primarily in the southern tribal areas of Judah and Benjamin (though a few migrated north). Yet it was likely the case that those who remained had the least chance for survival (or possibly no chance). This was due to God’s determination to inflict the strongest of judgments:
“Thus you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “As I live, surely those who are in the waste places will fall by the sword, and whoever is in the open field I will give to the beasts to be devoured, and those who are in the strongholds and in the caves will die of pestilence. I will make the land a desolation and a waste, and the pride of her power will cease; and the mountains of Israel will be desolate so that no one will pass through. Then they will know that I am the Lord, when I make the land a desolation and a waste because of all their abominations which they have committed.”’ [Ezekiel 33:27-29] [5]
Of these three major prophets associated with the Exile, only Jeremiah remained in the land for the initial twenty years until the great destruction of 586 BC. Though history does not record his exact birth year, it can be deduced to have occurred in circa 650-648 BC or possibly a little later. Jeremiah then began his prophetic ministry as a young man during the reign of the righteous King Josiah. He remained in his native land until sometime after 586 BC when the prophet was taken by force by his own people to Egypt, a place where many Israelites had been relocating in prior years. The time of his death is also lost to history though some sources estimate it took place in Egypt in about 570 BC.
The prophet Ezekiel was born in 623/622 BC and was part of the second deportation to Babylon in 597 BC. He began his ministry at 30 years of age like the Lord Jesus. Ezekiel’s year of death is unknown as well but is also estimated at the year 570 somewhere in Mesopotamia. The prophet Daniel lived from 620-536 BC though his date of death is an estimate based on the year of his last prophetic account. His life likely extended beyond that date, possibly to as late as 530 BC when he would have reached 90 years old. After being deported to Babylon as a young man in 605 BC he lived out the remainder of his life there, eventually seeing the same judgment inflicted upon Babylon when it was conquered by Persia. All three of these prophets never returned to their homeland and each were also victimized by the sad events of the Babylonian Exile.
With regard to other prophets of that time, Habakkuk, of which little is known, lived and preached in the range of approximately 612-598 BC according to some sources. If so he would have witnessed at least the first deportation and likely the second. Reportedly a contemporary of Jeremiah, he refers to the Chaldeans (Babylonians) in his short book of three chapters with strong sentiments and heartfelt complaints.
Thus we see that the Lord had good men stationed in the right place at the right time to give a clear and precise accounting of the events of that significant historical period. The Lord always kept His people informed though the majority either never listened or rejected His Word as well as the men who delivered it. Sound familiar? Nevertheless, the Messianic prophets were raised up and anointed to speak the Word of God to His people, to teach, guide, and direct them, and to apply ongoing necessary correctives and even severe rebukes.
There was always much need for the latter since the nation of Israel was constantly going astray.
© 2025 by RJ Dawson. All Rights Reserved. [To Be Continued…]
[1] The New Evidence That Demands a Verdict Copyright ©1999 by Josh D. McDowell
[2] See: https://firmisrael.org/learn/how-many-messianic-prophecies-did-jesus-fulfill/
[3] See: www.preceptaustin.org/messianic_prophecies
[4] See: www.preceptaustin.org/messianic-prophecies-in-isaiah
[5] Unless otherwise noted all Scriptures are taken from the New American Standard Bible, © 1960, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
DOCTOR FRANKENSTEIN I PRESUME?
Who are the unknown concealed purveyors of various nefarious secretive agendas designed to condition, persuade, and convince the public at large to believe in and act on mere illusions presented as reality?
.
IT’S ALIVE!
When one is presented with the unfortunate subject of brainwashing one usually pictures a run-down grubby quasi-scientific laboratory off on the gritty edge of an industrial district in a bad part of a dark metropolis staffed by nutcase goons with grimy lab coats, strange facial expressions often stuck in place, and a psycho determination to fulfill a wild and crazy theory or some such for the sake of wholesale societal change involving the transformation of people into automatons. Or programmed slaves. Or manipulated masses obsessed by wacked-out agendas. Or extremists extraordinaire unaware of being the victims of mass social engineering yet insisting their position and belief is good, right, and correct though otherwise obviously backwards, stupid, senseless, morally wrong, and thoroughly unsupported by facts.
OUTWITTING TOTO
The sure existence of brainwashing demands the existence of brainwashers. While the reality of the latter may be acknowledged on a small scale, this acknowledgment decreases as the scale increases. At some point early in the process of their latest brainwashing technique the manipulators behind the scenes have the decided ability to fade into perceived nothingness though their ongoing number of deceived subjects increases exponentially. This would otherwise not only prove their work’s effectiveness but also their presence.
Yet when their illicit strategy works according to plan no one beyond them even notices there is a plan and thus is correspondingly never aware of the brainwashers’ existence. That they escape detection is obviously due to the brainwashers not only controlling the narrative but also controlling the narrative disseminators which they created whose main function is to spew out incessant spurious falsities, untruths, and inaccuracies disguised as facts as part of an ongoing overall agenda. This successfully gives forth only a fabricated perception of reality. The narrative disseminators also act as an imperceptible façade behind which the brainwashers may not only hide but essentially cease to exist in the minds of their subjects.
Hence, we somehow arrive at having great masses of the brainwashed yet without existent brainwashers. This in turn puts forth the false notion that the brainwashed masses do not exist either, as being brainwashed that is, which allows the brainwashed to continue on in their brainwashed condition though not aware of it or aware of what they actually are, especially since most of the people they know personally or are friendly/familiar with are seemingly just like them. They all appear to share the same common beliefs, have the same general view of history, have the same relative overall view of the world, and in the main operate according to the same social and cultural conventions.
EXPOSING THE MASTER SHYSTERS
This further means that the remaining few non-brainwashed who are still in control of their minds and have a handle on truth and actual reality are perceived by the brainwashed masses as the real social deviants since such people refuse to get with the program and go along with the nefarious overall social agenda. What this really means is that there are some who are somehow not programmable and are seen by the brainwashers not only as bad subjects but enemies of their shrouded plan. Their greatest fear is that the non-programmable few will expose their shrouded plan.
Because of this the societal brainwashers do all they can to initially censor any truth-tellers who are determined to shine light and expose darkness. They know such good guys not only want to tell the truth but also—aghast!—free the brainwashed captives. If censoring fails they will then attempt to demonize the truth-tellers by making them appear incorrect, extreme, and even nuts in the eyes of the brainwashed in the hope that the brainwashed masses turn against the ones trying to free them. Sound familiar?
IT’S THE REJECTION AND SHUNNING OF VERIFIABLE FACTS AND OBJECTIVE TRUTH THAT PROVES SUCH PEOPLE ARE BRAINWASHED.
This further proves the existence of hidden Doctor Frankensteins.
And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. [2Corinthians 4:3-4][1]
© 2025 by RJ Dawson. All Rights Reserved.
[1] Unless otherwise noted all Scriptures are taken from the New American Standard Bible, © 1960, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
SUFFERING FOR THE SINS OF OTHERS: COUNT IT ALL JOY (TRADING MY SORROWS)
It is sometimes the case that a Christian is forced to go through some seriously bad stuff not because of his or her own sin but due to the evil of others.
.
BEING SPIRITUALLY VULNERABLE
It is not exactly the same as being utterly defenseless though these two words are seen as synonymous. I would not think the Lord ever leaves His children completely defenseless in that He is always there watching over them. Any good parent always does his or her best to protect one’s children. The Scripture is clear:
“I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you” [Hebrews 13:5]
PAUL
However, we also have several Scriptural examples that such a promise appears untrue, especially during the worst of times when it seems as though God has checked out or is a million miles away. Every mature Christian has experienced this, many on multiple occasions, and a probable few as part of a discipleship lifestyle. One may be reminded of the life of the apostle Paul, for example, when it seems as though the poor man was always getting beat up, trashed, and run out of town. Paul’s ministry differs from the Lord’s in such a respect as there is no record that the Lord Jesus ever had a hand laid on Him until the time of His ultimate suffering and death.
So, why was Paul so vulnerable? Why didn’t God protect him? Why did he have to suffer such extreme persecution? For starters we know the New Testament states that persecution is a given, will happen, is a byproduct of spiritual warfare, and there is nothing to be done about it. It occurs because people are given a free will. When people exercise their free will for evil purposes then evil will certainly happen and does. The devil, however, never physically laid a hand on Paul though it can be construed that someone inflicting pain on him was possessed by the devil. We know Paul once wrote, “There was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me” (2Corinthians 12:7 KJV). This is an indication of physical suffering brought on by a demonic entity but does not necessarily fall into the category of persecution. The point is that it was not usually demonic entities but human beings who were responsible for Paul’s persecution, though such people could have been and likely were possessed by some such foul spirit.
The reason I am keying on Paul here is because of his unique position and standing as a zealous Hebrew of Hebrews:
…For we are the true circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh, although I myself might have confidence even in the flesh. If anyone else has a mind to put confidence in the flesh, I far more: circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee… [Philippians 3:3-5]
Prior to his conversion, Paul was perhaps the greatest representation of a powerfully strident Pharisee determined to invoke and follow what he believed was the apparent epitome of OT Scriptural teaching and doctrine who expressed no fear whatsoever toward the carrying out of what he deemed his official duty. His fellows knew very well who he was and the power of personality he held. Though likely less than five feet tall he was an otherwise ultra-feisty banty rooster one would not want to mess with. He had a fire in his gut pretty much unmatched by no one.
Because of his unique position within his religious crowd and the stature he held (along with the possible fact that he was meant to be the twelfth apostle but declined) the Lord reverted to extra steps to secure Paul’s conversion. When the Lord was successful in this and Paul submitted to Him, he instantly became public enemy number one. His former crowd would never forgive him. He was made a target early on and suffered through repeated assassination attempts. He was simply far too important a person in his nation in general and Pharisaism in particular to not be seen as a great loss and a prize for their avowed enemy—Christianity.
This does not mean he was special compared to other believers or more important, however, because every believer fills a niche no one else can, can do work no one else can, and reach particular people with the Gospel no one else can. What can certainly be discerned, though, is that Paul would have a lifetime great price to pay in that his spiritual vulnerability would be illustrated at the highest of levels but this only proved his great effectiveness as a disciple as well.
JOSEPH
A well-known Old Testament example of the innocent suffering for others is Jacob’s son Joseph. This young man had a heart for God and righteousness and through no fault of his own was rudely removed from a great life with his family and close relationship with his father. His young life was effectively destroyed. One can only imagine the great pain Joseph felt at being betrayed by his own and thrust into a hard difficult life surrounded by the uncaring and brutal who had no knowledge of who he was or concern if they did.
He had become highly vulnerable to the enemy and whims of humanity but it was all for a specific purpose which no other man could have had or performed.
The good news is that Joseph fulfilled God’s plan, as hard and little understood as it was early on. He submitted wholeheartedly and served as an effective savior of his family, his nascent nation in the making. Without Joseph’s sacrifice there would be no Israelite nation and no resultant Messiah and Savior of the world.
TRADING MY SORROWS
This is the title of a popular worship song from several years ago. It was written on the fly in a church service by Darrell Evans in 1997 and has long since gone worldwide enjoyed by multiple millions. If you are not aware of this song or haven’t heard it in a while I encourage you to look it up. The lyrics are based in part on a passage of Scripture from 2Corinthians:
I’m trading my sorrows
I’m trading my shame
I’m laying them down for the joy of the Lord
I’m trading my sickness
I’m trading my pain
I’m laying them down for the joy of the Lord
Yes Lord yes Lord yes yes Lord Amen…
I am pressed but not crushed
Persecuted not abandoned
Struck down but not destroyed
I am blessed beyond the curse
For His promise will endure
And His joy’s gonna be my strength
Though the sorrow may last for the night
His joy comes with the morning
I’m trading my sorrows…[1]
But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves; we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death works in us, but life in you. [2Corinthians 4:7-12] [3]
And later on into the future as these new believers ministered to by Paul become spiritually mature, death will begin working in them also so life can live in others.
TWO SUFFERINGS
These distinct forms of suffering experienced by real believers have their purposeful origin in the life of the Lord. As the apostle Paul wrote, “we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus’ sake.” The mature Christians of that time were therefore subjected to a spiritual suffering meant as a purposeful and effective means of ministry which somehow resulted in spiritual life for others. And though this suffering may have appeared as a violation of the Lord’s protection and fidelity, it was actually necessary to birth new life not at all unlike a woman delivering a child.
The second form is suffering due to the sins of others. Many Christians have suffered large losses in life because of those choosing to act out willfully in an evil manner. Excellent reputations have been maligned by malicious gossip. Many have had their lives demolished by unrepentant Judases stubbornly and selfishly insistent on having their own way. Many other righteous ones have actually been murdered. As such events were allowed by God it means they were in accordance with His allowable will. The victims of these attacks certainly knew they were essentially unprotected and even betrayed but not by God.
We must remember that the Lord Jesus Himself went through the worst persecution and suffering of anyone and was brutally killed. But it did not mean He was abandoned or forsaken even though He certainly felt that way for a moment while on the cross. Rather than be defeated by His suffering, however, He was the great Victor through it! His example must therefore encourage us to continue fighting the good fight of faith regardless of circumstances.
Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. [Hebrews 12:2-3]
What we must remember is that He was soon removed from the cross and three days later resurrected to new life. Whatever suffering we may go through, therefore, has its limits and is temporary. And if a disciple went through it in faith and obedience, completing the course as it were, something truly wonderful, miraculous, and life-changing occurred in another or maybe several others, as well as bringing a great benefit to the sufferer. The New Testament clearly explains these things and gives many examples. It is simply all a part of real Christian ministry and the lives of those who love the Lord.
Therefore, let us all know and acknowledge that though—
We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed
Perplexed, but not despairing
Persecuted, but not forsaken
Struck down, but not destroyed
—We can joyfully sing:
Though the sorrow may last for the night
His joy comes with the morning!
I’m trading my sorrows
I’m trading my shame
I’m laying them down for the joy of the Lord!
I’m trading my sickness
I’m trading my pain
I’m laying them down for the joy of the Lord! [2]
© 2025 by RJ Dawson. All Rights Reserved.
[3] Unless otherwise noted all Scriptures are taken from the New American Standard Bible, © 1960, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
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