Sunday I talked about Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane and his prayer of “letting this cup (death Heb 12:2) pass from me”. We have to use an enormous amount of scripture to figure this out. The syntergy principle and the prophetic typological story of the second Adam is a must to understand what is going on ( It takes almost 1/3 of the N.T.) As I seemingly explained the cup, now I am understanding why Jesus makes the “TEMPTATION” statement and telling them to keep “WATCH”. There are temptations of Jesus and the disciples that are enourmously important to understanding so much in the N.T.! It is even enoumously important to understand even why Jesus singled out Peter, James and John to take with him!
In another post, I will expound the “sorrow” of Jesus while in the Garden of Gethsemane.
- st Adam- there was the temptation for Adam to become a god equal to God and actually Jesus (afterall it is only the 2nd person of the Trinity that is man flesh like him).
- Adam failed as a man. ( very important to remember when reading the text in Matt., Luke, Mark, John, Philippians,
- If the garden scene is happening again, which it is, then Satan is there in the garden(Luke 22:31)! I believe I can deductively reason without exact text that a picture of all of the angels ( Satan and his 1/3 followers) swords will be drawn and all of heaven is about to implode if Jesus fails and is persuaded by Satan like 1st Adam (he has already been tempted in the wilderness so isn’t the testing over? NO!).
- Now the stage is set when Jesus says first, ” My soul is overwhelmed to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” (Hebrews 5 confirms literal death here and now -a physical death- the same curse Adam recieved (1 Cor. 15:22)- and victory for Satan because Jesus won’t make the cross- death by sorrow- Hematidrosis)
- “Watch” for what? They weren’t shepherds, but they were men who would pull a sword or reach to heavens with their hands like an act of a character most guys can relate with in the original “Mortal Combat” video game. These two men would however literally reach to heavens with their two hands and demand fire to slam the enemy (and the enemy is coming)to the ground like lighting as well.
All three men were about to be TESTED! This is super important in understanding many things. First, God says he called them like all the other disciples. God even not only called/choose them but he elected (John 6:40,51 John 10:9; John 17:6; Ex. 7:5) them (like all who are saved and even not saved Rom. 9:17) for a special purpose with a free will to choose (Ex. 10: 16-17) in their testing from God WHOM THEY WILL WORSHIP (Rom.1:18-28 John 10:16) and their place in heaven (Luke 22:28-30). The election of the disciples is better understood by understanding the same “election” of grace”.
The Great Mystery (part of which is the Gentiles coming to accept Christ when the Jews rejected him) was at the foundation of time; that being that the way to God would change from the O.T. ways to a better. For heaven( 1st garden) and a better heaven (2nd garden) are the same place. For salvation came before Christ’s coming by the hope of Christ; and now, after Christ’s resurection, by the fullfillment of Christ’s completed work (now quickly turn to Heb. 10 and read it very slowly!) The dispensation of grace in a small word picture is like an easier way of getting saved from the flood without the water and the flood, the horrifying experience on the Ark .
Did you get the part that God said that the blood sacrifices in the O.T. DID NOT SAVE THEM!? THE ENTIRE O.T. BLOOD SACRIFICE WAS A RITUAL! It was Christ that saved them then and Christ that saves us now! The only thing the blood sacrifices did was REMINDED them of their sin and need for a savior!
God planned from before the begining to save those whom the Jews thought were forever the heathen enemy. So even these disciples ( Jewish in particular) recieved by grace what the nation did not. You can’t get anywhere close to saying the Jews were the “choosen ones” in the common mis-understood way.
(Watch my videos to hear why and how the Jews are choosen).
You are lieing if you say that Isreal was also fundementally predestined without the light, or the general call, or the testifying of their kindred, or the signs and wonders given specifically to them, by the momuments that represented their past fathers had worshipped the Yahweh, so many more! It is even that the wicked government (established by God because of the wicked request of man attempting to rid his judgement over them) reveals the truth of God (a general call to salvation- showing them authority that is above them) to the unrighteous where the righteous have the scriptures.
It is the fraility of faith ( the predestined INIQUITY that is before the foundation of the earth – NO MAN IS LOST OR SAVED BEFORE THE SOP- John 13:27! & Acts 2:40, 3:19; 10:42-43; 13:46-48; 14:15; 26:13-32> It is the whole reason God elected, while he was walking to Dimascus, Saul/Paul to go preach (Rom. 10:17) to the lost and persuade them from hell to heaven!) even when the truth is revealed unto man that the knowledge of man, the flesh, and the powers unseen hinders the heart from keeping the faith(Acts 14:21-32 and also read the parable of the sower and the faith of a child Matt. 13).
The parable of the little children has always seemed unfinished in understanding. It is because it takes so much scripture and stories like this to get a grasp on it. The disciples have seen and heard and participated in even performing miracles. Remember Matt 7:22-23.
Look at Judas (a walking , talking disciple that they don’t even recognize as different), what seperates him? Did God choose that he would sin? No! You better not believe that; or you defile scripture and Jesus’ own saying that he came for the sinner(all of mankind Rev.2:7,11,26 & 3:20-22). So, as a child what can we relate a child to all of these things: the garden, the fraility of faith, the works a man must do unto the end, and working out his sanctification starting on the bottle of scripture and maturing to meat? First a child is helpless and the smaller the child the more he has to depend upon the mother and father. The eyes and ears and his own mind hasn’t investigated much of this world or has been able to influence him from truth. His lusts, selfishness, worldly desires and wicked influenced desires are only begining to blossom. If you tell an infant to eat, they trust it is food. A child might resist going to sleep but it recognizes what the bed offers. A child’s HEART is fragile and tender! Innocence and understanding actually comes from ignorance. Discernment comes from a seasoned meat eating Christian that GOD HAS awarded wisdom and understanding for “HIS puposes and glory”( Hebrews 6:3)(see also teaching on veils). God forbid if you continually go back to your justification, the foundation of repentance and faith, and not growing spiritually, suffering, labouring, for sanctification in the knowledge of God ( Heb. 4:11; Heb. 5:14; Heb. 6:1-2)!
So, a MAN must submit like a child in his faith, because wasn’t it the eyes, ears, and his knowledge that corrupted him in the begining? Matt. 18:3-14.
Matt 18:3-4:And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 18:3-4 KJV
From birth until our death, we are taught by our own flesh and the world to grow up independently. We are taught you have to help yourself because no one else will. The simple act of feeding ourselves seems to convey a psychological all encompassing reality that our bodies are dependent upon “itself” (try fasting, you will experience that truth). Submission to God is an opposite philosophy and socialistic experience to every individual from birth (doth the curse from God).
http://bible.com/1/mat.18.3-4.KJV
The disciples, the 3 strongest willed warriors for their beliefs are still being tested for their sanctification( Luke :I’m sure it takes probably more sanctification for those that seek the right hand of the Majesty).
When Jesus tells them to watch, they were about to be barrged by Satan and his angel warriors to decieve them with lies. Satan (nor their own flesh) doesn’t know their hearts, but he isn’t going to stop until they are dead in trying to pull them away. To Satan they have a spirit and even a wilder temper than that like Judas( mad that Jesus isn’t going to conquer HERE AND NOW). John 17:17; Luke 16:15.
Will add a little more here later, more on Jesus’ temptational part.
