Posted on 03/31/2015 2:13:21 AM PDT by SoFloFreeper
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from Joel Beeke Mar 30, 2015 Category: Articles
“And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”(Matt. 27:46, KJV).
It is noon, and Jesus has been on the cross for three pain-filled hours. Suddenly, darkness falls on Calvary and “over all the land” (v. 45). By a miraculous act of Almighty God, midday becomes midnight.
This supernatural darkness is a symbol of God’s judgment on sin. The physical darkness signals a deeper and more fearsome darkness.
The great High Priest enters Golgotha’s Holy of Holies without friends or enemies. The Son of God is alone on the cross for three final hours, enduring what defies our imagination. Experiencing the full brunt of His Father’s wrath, Jesus cannot stay silent. He cries out: “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”
This phrase represents the nadir, the lowest point, of Jesus’ sufferings. Here Jesus descends into the essence of hell, the most extreme suffering ever experienced. It is a time so compacted, so infinite, so horrendous as to be incomprehensible and, seemingly, unsustainable.
Jesus’ cry does not in any way diminish His deity. Jesus does not cease being God before, during, or after this. Jesus’ cry does not divide His human nature from His divine person or destroy the Trinity. Nor does it detach Him from the Holy Spirit. The Son lacks the comforts of the Spirit, but He does not lose the holiness of the Spirit. And finally, it does not cause Him to disavow His mission. Both the Father and Son knew from all eternity that Jesus would become the Lamb of God who would take away the sin of the world (Acts 15:18). It is unthinkable that the Son of God might question what is happening or be perplexed when His Father’s loving presence departs.
Jesus is expressing the agony of unanswered supplication (Ps. 22:1–2). Unanswered, Jesus feels forgotten of God. He is also expressing the agony of unbearable stress. It is the kind of “roaring” mentioned in Psalm 22: the roar of desperate agony without rebellion. It is the hellish cry uttered when the undiluted wrath of God overwhelms the soul. It is heart-piercing, heaven-piercing, and hell-piercing. Further, Jesus is expressing the agony of unmitigated sin. All the sins of the elect, and the hell that they deserve for eternity, are laid upon Him. And Jesus is expressing the agony of unassisted solitariness. In His hour of greatest need comes a pain unlike anything the Son has ever experienced: His Father’s abandonment. When Jesus most needs encouragement, no voice cries from heaven, “This is my beloved Son.” No angel is sent to strengthen Him; no “well done, thou good and faithful servant” resounds in His ears. The women who supported Him are silent. The disciples, cowardly and terrified, have fled. Feeling disowned by all, Jesus endures the way of suffering alone, deserted, and forsaken in utter darkness. Every detail of this horrific abandonment declares the heinous character of our sins!
But why would God bruise His own Son (Isa. 53:10)? The Father is not capricious, malicious, or being merely didactic. The real purpose is penal; it is the just punishment for the sin of Christ’s people. “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” (2 Cor. 5:21).
Christ was made sin for us, dear believers. Among all the mysteries of salvation, this little word “for” exceeds all. This small word illuminates our darkness and unites Jesus Christ with sinners. Christ was acting on behalf of His people as their representative and for their benefit.
With Jesus as our substitute, God’s wrath is satisfied and God can justify those who believe in Jesus (Rom. 3:26). Christ’s penal suffering, therefore, is vicarious — He suffered on our behalf. He did not simply share our forsakenness, but He saved us from it. He endured it for us, not with us. You are immune to condemnation (Rom. 8:1) and to God’s anathema (Gal. 3:13) because Christ bore it for you in that outer darkness. Golgotha secured our immunity, not mere sympathy.
This explains the hours of darkness and the roar of dereliction. God’s people experience just a taste of this when they are brought by the Holy Spirit before the Judge of heaven and earth, only to experience that they are not consumed for Christ’s sake. They come out of darkness, confessing, “Because Immanuel has descended into the lowest hell for us, God is with us in the darkness, under the darkness, through the darkness — and we are not consumed!”
How stupendous is the love of God! Indeed, our hearts so overflow with love that we respond, “We love him, because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19).
This post was originally published in Tabletalk magazine.
I’ve not lied and you know it. You simply don’t like the direction the discussion is taking. That’s fine, but your libelous post is wholly wrong and unChristian.
Take care.
You have obscured the truth with your comments (You: "I am not an LDS apologist, not in the strict sense." <= What does this mean?), and then refused to answer even simple questions (Me: "Fair enough. Are you a member of the LDS church? If not, what church do you attend?" <= A question to understand what your previous comments mean, which you never answered).
You simply don’t like the direction the discussion is taking.
Now, this statement is an ad hominem attack, as you have imputed a false motive to what I have said. You have no idea what I am thinking beyond what I have said, which is to leave me alone. I ask you to honor this request.
My posts speak for themselves and I did not attack you personally. I am interested in a discussion. If I’ve hurt your feelings I am sorry. I am sorry you are abandoning the discussion as well. Take care.
1–6, Exaltation is gained through the new and everlasting covenant; 7–14, The terms and conditions of that covenant are set forth; 15–20, Celestial marriage and a continuation of the family unit enable men to become gods; 21–25, The strait and narrow way leads to eternal lives; 26–27, The law is given relative to blasphemy against the Holy Ghost; 28–39, Promises of eternal increase and exaltation are made to prophets and Saints in all ages; 40–47, Joseph Smith is given the power to bind and seal on earth and in heaven; 48–50, The Lord seals upon him his exaltation; 51–57, Emma Smith is counseled to be faithful and true; 58–66, Laws governing the plurality of wives are set forth.
16Therefore, when they are out of the world they neither marry nor are given in amarriage; but are appointed angels in bheaven, which angels are ministering cservants, to minister for those who are worthy of a far more, and an exceeding, and an eternal weight of glory.
17For these angels did not abide my law; therefore, they cannot be enlarged, but remain separately and singly, without exaltation, in their saved condition, to all eternity; and from henceforth are not gods, but are aangels of God forever and ever.
18And again, verily I say unto you, if a man marry a wife, and make a covenant with her for time and for all eternity, if that acovenant is not by me or by my word, which is my law, and is not sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise, through him whom I have anointed and appointed unto this power, then it is not valid neither of force when they are out of the world, because they are not joined by me, saith the Lord, neither by my word; when they are out of the world it cannot be received there, because the angels and the gods are appointed there, by whom they cannot pass; they cannot, therefore, inherit my glory; for my house is a house of order, saith the Lord God.
19And again, verily I say unto you, if a man amarry a wife by my word, which is my law, and by the new and beverlasting covenant, and it is csealed unto them by the Holy Spirit of dpromise, by him who is anointed, unto whom I have appointed this power and the ekeys of this priesthood; and it shall be said unto them—Ye shall come forth in the first resurrection; and if it be after the first resurrection, in the next resurrection; and shall inherit fthrones, kingdoms, principalities, and powers, dominions, all heights and depths—then shall it be written in the Lamb’s gBook of Life, that he shall commit no hmurder whereby to shed innocent iblood, and if ye abide in my covenant, and commit no murder whereby to shed innocent blood, it shall be done unto them in all things whatsoever my servant hath put upon them, in time, and through all eternity; and shall be of full force when they are out of the world; and they shall pass by the angels, and the gods, which are set there, to their jexaltation and glory in all things, as hath been sealed upon their heads, which glory shall be a fulness and a continuation of the kseeds forever and ever.
20 Then shall they be gods, because they have no end; therefore shall they be from aeverlasting to everlasting, because they continue; then shall they be above all, because all things are subject unto them. Then shall they be bgods, because they have call power, and the angels are subject unto them.
21Verily, verily, I say unto you, except ye abide my alaw ye cannot attain to this glory.
22For astrait is the gate, and narrow the bway that leadeth unto the exaltation and continuation of the clives, and few there be that find it, because ye receive me not in the world neither do ye know me.
23But if ye receive me in the world, then shall ye know me, and shall receive your exaltation; that awhere I am ye shall be also.
24This is aeternal lives—to bknow the only wise and true God, and Jesus Christ, whom he hath csent. I am he. Receive ye, therefore, my law.
25aBroad is the gate, and wide the way that leadeth to the bdeaths; and many there are that go in thereat, because they creceive me not, neither do they abide in my law.
Sometimes much can be deduced by the ABSENCE of data...
We've been taking a beating on the Internet - especially from those hateful ANTIs on FreeRepublic!We MUST keep the media constantly informed of those things the world considers christian.
We must NOT allow our MORMONness to show thru, as it has gotten a really bad rap thru history - lord only knows why...Tommy
Do you ALSO reject the BINITY; which is clearly shown by the Scriptures with...
In conclusion let us summarize this grand key, these “Fourteen Fundamentals in Following the Prophet”, for our salvation depends on them.
1. The prophet is the only man who speaks for the Lord in everything.
2. The living prophet is more vital to us than the standard works.
3. The living prophet is more important to us than a dead prophet.
4. The prophet will never lead the church astray.
5. The prophet is not required to have any particular earthly training or credentials to speak on any subject or act on any matter at any time.
6. The prophet does not have to say “Thus Saith the Lord,” to give us scripture.
7. The prophet tells us what we need to know, not always what we want to know.
8. The prophet is not limited by men’s reasoning.
9. The prophet can receive revelation on any matter, temporal or spiritual.
10. The prophet may advise on civic matters.
11. The two groups who have the greatest difficulty in following the prophet are the proud who are learned and the proud who are rich.
12. The prophet will not necessarily be popular with the world or the worldly.
13. The prophet and his counselors make up the First Presidency—the highest quorum in the Church.
14. The prophet and the presidency—the living prophet and the First Presidency—follow them and be blessed—reject them and suffer.
I testify that these fourteen fundamentals in following the living prophet are true. If we want to know how well we stand with the Lord then let us ask ourselves how well we stand with His mortal captain—how close do our lives harmonize with the Lord’s anointed—the living Prophet—President of the Church, and with the Quorum of the First Presidency.
Ezra Taft Benson
(Address given Tuesday, February 26, 1980 at Brigham Young University) http://www.lds.org/liahona/1981/06/fourteen-fundamentals-in-following-the-prophet?lang=eng
Nice words; but it does NOT square with LDS teaching.
They succeeded in killing Joseph, but he had finished his work.He was a servant of God, and gave us the Book of Mormon.He said the Bible was right in the main, but, through the translators and others, many precious portions were suppressed, and several other portions were wrongly translated; and now his testimony is in force, for he has sealed it with his blood.As I have frequently told them, no man in this dispensation will enter the courts of heaven, without the approbation of the Prophet Joseph Smith, Jun.Who has made this so?Have I?Have this people?Have the world?No; but the Lord Jehovah has decreed it.If I ever pass into the heavenly courts, it will be by the consent of the Prophet Joseph.If you ever pass through the gates into the Holy City, you will do so upon his certificate that you are worthy to pass.Can you pass without his inspection?No; neither can any person in this dispensation, which is the dispensation of the fulness of times.In this generation, and in all the generations that are to come, everyone will have to undergo the scrutiny of this Prophet.They say that they killed Joseph, and they will yet come with their hats under their arms and bend to him; but what good will it do them, unless they repent?They can come in a certain way and find favor, but will they?
--JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES, vol. 8, p. 224
May God have mercy upon you for this blasphemy. Paul addressed this blasphemy with his teaching that it is not of works lest any man like storm prepper boast, it is by His Grace that He HAS SAVED YOU ... well, apparently not you, SP, since you still believe you’re goinfg to work your way to worthy ‘after all that you can do.’
Truly, I suspect that geometric physicists like P.S. Wesson would be more open to concentric higher dimension dynamics, such as time - than the evolutionists would be to any aspect of soul/spirit/mind. Math theorists deal with the abstract whereas biologists have a greatly narrowed scope, i.e. only that which can be observed by mortal men (snicker...)
Physicists do not say that particles, fields, dimensions, etc. which have no direct or indirect measurable effect cannot therefore exist. But a thing must be measurable to be 'real' is the presupposition in sciences such as biology.
Worse, the historical sciences such as anthropology, archeology, Egyptology and evolution biology - owing to a spotty historical record - do a great deal of story telling by consensus based on an orthodoxy in their respective field. Ironically, to those scientists their own stories are 'real' though they obviously cannot be observed.
Nothing limits us more than thinking that we are already there, and thinking that what we have come to understand is all there is to understand. A person can waste so much time and so many opportunities thinking he is already there.
It seems obvious in a way to say it, and yet it occurs to me frequently that where ever I am with respect to God, there is more. And whatever is my level of understanding, there is more. Almost like the blind men with the elephant. Its a delicious problem though, that can only be resolved by staying close and following as close as you dare.
This is sort-of apropos of nothing, its just on my mind lately.
Cheers
Just couldn't resist emphasizing there, dearest sister in Christ! I so agree with your statement, and note that people promoting any kind of an orthodoxy usually end up getting hoist on their own logical petard in due course. But they never seem to notice this.
The problem is: Is Truth itself "objectively real?" In certain circles nowadays, it seems that is a forbidden question. It comes uncomfortably close to the idea of Deity; so best to leave it unasked; instead "pivot" to the other idea: Man is the measure. Of God; of everything.
But were that true, we would be living in a totally senseless world — senseless because minds have to be destroyed in the relentless, and totally abstract, reduction of God to Man. Without minds rooted in truth, what sense can be made of anything?
Man does not create truth. At best he can only intuit or, if you prefer "observe" it, and faithfully report it if called upon to do so. There is a moral dimension implicated here that goes straight to the heart of Justice....
All the above kind of remind me of the fabulous statement attributed to the fallen Lucifer, formerly archangel and beloved son of God, a/k/a Satan: "It is better to rule in Hell than to serve in Heaven." Non serviam.
It seems to me the only place that a man who seriously believes he is "the measure of God" or of anything else justly belongs is: the lunatic asylum....
But we don't have those anymore. Which is probably why society in general tends more and more towards the "model" of the lunatic asylum....
Thank you ever so much, dearest sister in Christ, for your wonderful insights!
All the above kind of remind me of the fabulous statement attributed to the fallen Lucifer, formerly archangel and beloved son of God, a/k/a Satan: “It is better to rule in Hell than to serve in Heaven.” Non serviam.
Brilliant sidebar......
Life is about service....
IF you are no good to somebody THEN you are worthless to everybody..
Satan serves worms, God makes Butterflys..
Totally agreed, dear marron! In my case, I would describe this understanding as: The more I know, the more I realize how much I don't know.
Certainly, I do not possess exhaustive knowledge about the world of Creation. That is still an "open book," and must remain so. (At least WRT my lifetime.) Or so it seems me.
And certainly not with respect to God.
Such things have been much on my mind lately, as well, dear brother.
Undaunted, the "quest" remains in all its immediacy and vibrancy. It is joy to follow in the Lord's light and grace....
Which is just to say that there is no way for a human mind to exhaustively penetrate the why's and wherefore's of the Divine Mind. This is a case where "cause" can only be seen in its "effects." Divine Cause itself is totally incapable of being "isolated" for abstract study; i.e., subjected to "scientific" observation and measurement.
But it is implicit in logic and reason. Without it, logic and reason would utterly fail.
Maybe my remarks are "sort-of apropos of nothing, " too. But they, too, have been "on my mind lately."
Thank you ever so much for writing, dear brother in Christ!
I'm curious though, as to just what work you might do in life that would make you worthy of the one thing ONLY GOD CAN ACCOMPLISH and He offers as Grace to the unworthy?
Praise God!!!
It occurs to me that God alone can read the hearts and minds. He alone can see all that there is, every when and every where, all at once.
And if He didn't care to do so, there would be no such thing as justice.
And speaking of lunatic asylums, the rantings of angry atheists conjure up those very scenes to my mind. Jeepers...
Thank you oh so very much for all of your wonderful insights!
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