Short Takes

[Olde Tymer]

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● Gen 14:18 . . Melchizedek was a priest of God Most High.

Mel was active in Palestine something like +/- 400 years prior to establishing the
covenant that Moses' people entered into with God per Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers,
and Deuteronomy; and as the covenant isn't retroactive (Deut 5:2-4 & Gal 3:17)
then none of the covenant's curses for non compliance applied to him. (Rom 4:15 &
Rom 5:12-13)

Now if none of the covenant's curses for non compliance applied to Mel, then
neither did they apply to the folks for whom his priesthood ministered; which at the
time included Abraham (a.k.a. Abram)

Seeing as how Jesus' priesthood is patterned after Mel's (Ps 110:4 & Heb 5:1-10)
then as it was for Mel and Abraham, so it is for Jesus and the folks for whom he
ministers.

The measure of immunity available to folks via the priesthood order of Melchizedek
is quite an advantage-- it's practically a license to steal, so to speak --and I could
only wish everybody knew about it because there are folks out there whose slipshod
compliance with the Ten Commandments has them on a direct path toward a terrifying
destination.
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[Olde Tymer]

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FAQ: Is it wrong to attempt communicating with God's son?

REPLY: Jesus encouraged prayer to himself on numerous occasions, for example:

● Matt 11:28-29 . . Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will
give you rest.

● John 4:10-14 . .If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a
drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.

● John 7:37 . . On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a
loud voice: If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink!

When Jesus says come and/or ask he expects the hearers to contact him with an
appropriate response.

● John 5:39 . . .You diligently study the scriptures because you think that by them
you possess eternal life. These are the scriptures that testify about me, yet you
refuse to come to me to have life.

In point of fact, Jesus' superior urges folks to contact His son.

● John 6:44-45 . . No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws
him, and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets: "They will
all be taught by God." Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from Him
comes to me.

NOTE: In the letter to Hebrews, Jesus is portrayed as the new covenant's high
priest. Now it would be a fine kettle of fish if I was never permitted to communicate
with the one man in Heaven that I'm confident has God's ear.

I have inoperable end-stage esophageal cancer. Radiation and chemo have slowed
it down, but haven't stopped it. When I complete my walk thru the valley of the
shadow of death, I hope to have enough presence of mind remaining to speak up
the same as Stephen did in his last moments.

● Acts 7:59-60 . .While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed: "Lord Jesus,
receive my spirit".
_

 

[Olde Tymer]

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● Rev 21:3-4 . . Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them.
They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will
wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying
or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.

Much of the tears, the mourning, the crying, and the pain will most certainly be
related to the great white throne event depicted at Rev 20:11-15, which will likely
be a public spectacle.

In other words: people will have to watch as friends, family, associates, and loved
ones are literally pale with terror, lips trembling, mouths too dry to speak,
shrieking, sobbing, screaming, weeping, yelping, and bellowing like wounded dogs
as their eyes dart about in sheer white-knuckled panic, desperately looking for
someone, anyone, to help them as powerful celestial beings drag them off to a
mode of death akin to a foundry worker falling into a kettle of molten iron.

The Bible says the lost will be given a fair trial (Jude 1:14-15) which suggests some
of us might be subpoenaed as witnesses for the prosecution where we will have to
testify, not for but instead against, people we know and love; including our own,
i.e. moms, dads, brothers, sisters, grandparents, and quite possibly spouses too.

When I was a child, retribution was academic, i.e. an article of faith. But not
anymore because now I'm 81 and most of my family has passed on. It's very,
probable that my mom and two of my three brothers will have to face justice at the
great white throne event. Somebody else's kin facing that throne is one thing, but
quite a different feeling about it when it's likely to be your own in that fix.

Now; whether the lake of fire speaks of termination plus perdition, or only
termination, is debatable; but one thing is for sure: according to Dan 12:2 and John
5:28-29 there's only one resurrection allotted per person. Therefore nobody is
coming back from the second death because the dead will use up their one and only
resurrection to stand trial.
_

 

[Olde Tymer]

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He looked beyond my faults,
And saw my need.
( Dottie Rambo, 2003 )

NOTE: Solomon wrote 1,005 songs (1Kings 4:32) Dottie surpassed him with
+/- 2,500.

Anyway, that one brief lyric of hers says quite a bit.

● 1John 4:9-10 . .This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and
only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we
loved God, but that he loved us and sent His son as an atoning sacrifice for our
sins.

Without Christ's crucifixion, mankind would have no safety net to rescue them from
facing justice with a very meticulous, unbiased jurist; and for sure the outcome
would not be to their advantage. But why would God go to the trouble?

The Greek word translated love in the above passage isn't necessarily relative to
affection. It mostly pertains to impersonal interactions, for example: kindness,
courtesy, charity, civility, tact, assistance, compassion, pity, and sympathy, et al.

Compassion plays a strong role in many of God's activities with mankind. It can be
defined as a sympathetic awareness of others' distress coupled with a desire to
alleviate it. A longing for sympathy is sometimes viewed as a character flaw; but
nonetheless, I think it's perfectly normal for people to crave it.

I've encountered folks on internet forums who actually resent Christ for doing
something for them that they didn't ask for. Well; the thing is; complainers don't
have to sign on for the benefit, after all; it is optional: sort of like the liberty that
homeless people exercise when they refuse a hand-out. But in this respect, we're
not talking about money and/or goods and services, instead, we're talking about a
man's life. i.e. an uncommon donation that's above and beyond the usual.

● Rom 5:6-8 . .At just the right time, when we were still helpless, Christ died for
the impious. Very rarely does anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good
man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love for us
in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
_