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New Covenant Israel is no longer physical (nor literal)!

...which the Messiah would come! What about the nation of Israel? There are some internet memes which are still doing the rounds every so often, quoting Gen 12:3 ("I will bless those who bless [Israel], and the one who curses [Israel] I will curse") and by implication, putting guilt on anyone who dares say a bad word against the nation of Israel. Yes, all the families of the earth shall be blessed — but not by national Israel, but Jesus who IS the true Israel; the one in whom all the promises to the people of Israel are found complete (2 Cor 1:19-20). It is now through faith in Jesus that we are grafted into the true Israel of...

Melchizedek to Jesus: The Divine Thread of Bread and Wine

...Jesus as Messiah. Jesus, the Prince of Peace, not only fulfils the royal lineage through King David but also the priestly order of Melchizedek. Hebrews 7:2–3 elaborates on Melchizedek’s name and title, explaining that Melchizedek “means ‘king of righteousness’; next, he is also king of Salem, that is, ‘king of peace’.” This dual kingship of righteousness and peace perfectly summarises Jesus’ ministry and mission. Psalm 110:4 further cements Melchizedek’s significance by declaring the Messiah as “a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek”. This eternal priesthood signifies a lasting peace and righteousness that Jesus embodi...

The Coming of Jesus: Coming on the clouds

...e was the Messiah (Matt 26:63-65), and how did Jesus answer? By making a reference to Daniel 7: Jesus said to him, “You have said so. But I tell you, From now on you will see the Son of Man    seated at the right hand of Power    and coming on the clouds of heaven.” The reaction of High Priest says it all: Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, “He has blasphemed!” This was more than just an idle phrase, this was Jesus making himself equal to God and the Jewish leaders understood this which is why they got so angry. The disciples/apostles understood this about Jesus also, which is what they preached and wrote about and also why...

Lent: Day 16 - Justin Martyr: First Apology, Chaps. 48-59

...g-awaited Messiah. I won’t quote massive amounts of these chapters, since it would be redundant, so I’ll just highlight each prophecy and give the Scriptural references which are used in Apology as proofs for Jesus's Messiahship. Finding the actual quotes is sometimes difficult because Justin has a habit of combining various verses from different chapter of the same prophet into one sentence! Christ’s Life and Death Foretold Jesus’ life and ministry foretold from a combination of Isa 35:5-6, Isa 32:4 and Isa 26:19 – “At His coming the lame shall leap as an hart, and the tongue of the stammerer shall be clear speaking: the blind shall see, and...

Coffee With Jesus: Luke 24

...about the Messiah. How I often wish this was recorded in full detail here, rather than just as a passing detail! I’d love to read how Jesus himself interprets and exegetes the Scriptures in full. They later have a meal together and it’s only when Jesus breaks the bread that they recognise him before he vanishes from their sight (v.31). My first thoughts when reading this were how it almost is a pointer towards the later understanding of the Eucharist in that we see Jesus in the bread and receive him there. Even in verse 35, Luke says it in such a Eucharistic way how Jesus was “made known to them in the breaking of the bread”. Another thing which I’ve...

When did Christians become so whiny?

...of their Messiah, all of them provide for his needs. . . . And if there is among them a man that is needy and poor, and they have not an abundance of necessaries, they fast two or three days that they may supply the needy with their necessary food. Can we get back to this level of love? Yes, I believe so. In many cases and places it's already happening, but there's obviously still a lot more work to be done — hard, but loving, work. We need to be living in a mindset of Matthew 25:35-36 every day. It's not like you can reverse hundreds of years of 'bad press' overnight, but it needs to be done and it's got to start somewhere. I'm glad that there are alr...