Disciples Digital Library

A key point of the  Letter to Hebrews  is the victory of the Son on behalf of his people, and consequently, his exaltation to the “ right hand ” of God as their High Priest “ after the order of Melchizedek .” He secured what none of his predecessors could. Through his self-sacrificial death, he “ achieved the purification of sins ,” then he “ sat down ” in the “ true and greater Tabernacle ” in God’s very presence where he now intercedes for his saints.

Paul provided the Assembly in Thessalonica with instructions on how believers must live in anticipation of the “ Day of the Lord .” It will not overtake them since they “ are not in darkness .” They are the “ Sons of Light ” and the “ Sons of the Day .” Unlike the unrighteous of this fallen age, the watchful believer who lives in the light of the Gospel will not be caught off guard by that Day’s sudden arrival.

God has spoken His decisive and superior “ word ” in His son, and He did so “ upon the last of these days .” This clause refers to the end of the period epitomized by the Levitical code with its priesthood and repeated animal sacrifices, a system of worship that was centered in the Tabernacle, and later, in the Jerusalem Temple. With the appointment of God’s Son as the High Priest “ after the order of Melchizedek ,” a new and final era of salvation commenced.

The saints in Thessalonica responded to the preaching of the Gospel by turning from “ idols to serve the living and true God .” Their life orientation changed radically because of their new faith in and allegiance to Jesus Christ. Rather than a comfortable life in Macedonia, they chose a path that virtually guaranteed opposition and persecution.

After defeating Satan, Jesus began proclaiming the “Good News” of the Kingdom in Galilee – “ The season is fulfilled, the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe the gospel .” The term “Kingdom of God” is a summary statement that meant different things to different people, but the man from Nazareth identified his mission with the glorious “ Son of Man ” figure described in the  Book of Daniel .

The opening salutation of the  Book of Revelation  is from “ He Who is ,” Jesus Christ, and the “ Seven Spirits of God .” The last phrase is unique to this Book in the Bible, and the idea of God having “ Seven Spirits ” creates theological difficulties since elsewhere Scripture stresses His absolute oneness. Moreover, in  Revelation , the “ Spirit ” always speaks in the singular number, and never the plural.

In the  Book of Revelation , God is the “ Almighty ,” the “ One Who sits on the Throne ,” the “ Alpha and Omega ,” the “ One Who is and Who was and Who is coming .” This last phrase is more than a declaration about His nature, and the appellation is modified at key points in  Revelation  to mark progress towards the consummation of the present age. This description of God recalls the self-designation that Yahweh declared to Moses:  I AM WHO I AM .

On the way to Jerusalem, Jesus explained to his disciples what it meant to be the Messiah of Israel. In the city of David, he was about to face his final confrontation with the Temple authorities which would end in his violent and unjust death at the hands of the Romans. Was not Jerusalem the appointed place where the prophets sent to proclaim God’s word to Israel were slain, where the Messiah himself must suffer rejection and death, according to the Scriptures?

When Daniel was delivered from the lions’ den, “ Darius the Mede ” was relieved and issued a decree to all his subjects commanding them to revere Daniel’s God. But he also condemned the prophet’s accusers to be cast to the lions instead of Daniel. Both incidents are reflected in the book of  Revelation .

Jesus is the one who unveils the Mysteries of God, and only he is qualified to reveal the nature of the “ unseen God .” In him, all the promises of God find their substance. He is the interpretive key that unlocks the Hebrew Scriptures and provides the correct understanding of Bible prophecy, and this is especially so in the  Book of Revelation  where the sacrificial “ Lamb ” reigns over all things.

The vision of the “ Son of Man ” in the  Book of Revelation  is preceded by “ greetings ” from the “ One who is, who was, and who is coming ,” the “ Seven Spirits before His Throne ,” and from Jesus Christ, the “ Faithful Witness ” and the “ Firstborn of the Dead .” In his death, he gave faithful testimony, and God vindicated his sacrifice by raising him from the dead.  Moreover, his resurrection is the precedent for the future resurrection of his followers, therefore, he is the “ Firstborn of the Dead ,” the first of many over whom the “ Second Death has no power . ”

In the  Book of Revelation , Jesus is called the “ Faithful Witness ” and the “ Ruler of the Kings of the Earth ,” and the two designations are inextricably linked. The first title establishes  HOW  he obtained the second and established his sovereignty over the Earth. It was by his sacrificial death that he made the saints into a “ Kingdom of Priests ,” and because of his redemptive act for them, God exalted him to reign over all things as the “ Lamb .”

Jesus admonished his disciples: If anyone wishes to come after him, “ Let him deny himself daily, take up his cross, and follow after me .” This is more than metaphorical or hyperbolic language. It was said at the very time the Nazarene was on his final journey to Jerusalem where he would demonstrate to one and all just what it meant to “ deny yourself and take up the cross .” To borrow a phrase from the older Holiness Movement,  DEATH TO SELF .

According to Paul, there is “ now no condemnation ” for anyone who is “ in Christ Jesus .” This happy condition exists because the “ law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set us free from the law of sin and of death .” Moreover, he links our salvation to the inheritance of Christ and the coming redemption of the creation. Adam’s transgression condemned the entire universe to bondage and death, not just humanity. However, “ much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one man, Jesus, abound to the many .”

The  Gospel of John  identifies Jesus as the  Logos , the “ Word ” through which God made all things. This theme is threaded throughout  John  and builds on traditional ideas from the Hebrew Bible about how God created the Universe, especially life through His spoken Word. Jesus of Nazareth is the ultimate expression of that Word and the Living God.

In the salutation sent to the Seven Assemblies, Jesus is called the Faithful Witness because of his self-sacrificial death . The vision of John begins with “ greetings ” to the Seven Assemblies of Asia from the One “ Who is ,” the “ Seven Spirits ,” and Jesus Christ, the “ Faithful Witness .” The Son of God bore “ witness ” in his sacrificial death, and it becomes the pattern for the “ Assemblies ” to emulate as they give “ testimony ” while undergoing tribulation “ for the Word of God .”

On the eve of the city’s conquest by the “ Medes and Persians ,” the Babylonian crown prince, Belshazzar, gave a feast “ for a thousand of his lords ” and “ tasted wine ” from the sacred vessels that Nebuchadnezzar had looted from the Temple in Jerusalem, thereby disrespecting the God of Israel while also praising the false gods of Babylon.