FOCUS

FOCUS

                After coming out of Babylonian Captivity to rebuild their temple, there arose over the ensuing decades and centuries a religious sect that wanted to restore truth to Israel. They had come out of a traumatic and prophetic time period that had spawned many prophets both good and bad. As we look back on it even as Jesus did in His time it seems that they stoned all of the prophets that brought them warnings, and listened to the good news prophets who led them astray.

                So they developed a system of what we call “fence laws,” a lesser light leading to the greater light of the Torah to protect the Torah from being broken. These laws began to multiply into a system of its own that in time began to overtake the Torah. In fact, by the time Jesus came upon the scene their traditions had become the law of the land.

                Jesus rebuked them saying: “Why do you yourselves transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your traditions?” So they were in effect plotting to kill their Messiah for breaking their traditions and their fence laws. And to this day, the Talmudic Traditions rule in much of Israel and it is these same traditions that are causing them to reject their Messiah once again in the person of His followers and they are about to make life very difficult for Messianic Jews who believe in Jesus.

                We know this because we know that the antichrist system is being built up and centered in Jerusalem even as we speak and it is going to result in the antichrist entering their temple claiming to be God so that those who are Christ’s true followers are going to have to flee to the mountains without even going back for their coat and hat. And from that time on Jesus says that there will be a “time of great tribulation such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever shall.” Mt. 24:21.

                So God’s true followers can expect persecution just as Jesus said and Jesus warned us saying: “But keep on the alert at all times, praying in order that you may have strength to escape all these things that are about to take place and to stand before the Son of man.” Luke 21:36. (The King James says pray that you be “counted worthy to escape all these things.” I this case the King James is the most accurate for the Greek interlinear translation, the literal translation says to “pray that we be accounted worthy to escape these things.”

                This brings to mind, at least to me, the 10 virgins among whom 5 were accounted worthy to enter into the marriage feast because they had oil, the Holy Spirit in their lamps.

                In recent discussions with a person who has been doctrine oriented and who operates under the authority of the fence laws, by which the bible must be explained, I came to realize something very important and I want to pass it on to you. We can get so embroiled and entangled in laws and doctrines that we begin to think that our salvation is in the exact right turn of phrase of every nuance of every doctrine and yet a person can become completely out of focus, simply for the reason that every picture is distorted that does not find its focus in Jesus.

                It doesn’t matter whether we are talking about the Old Testament or the New Testament. If Jesus is not the central theme and focus of all that we study and read, we will get just as far off as were the Pharisees who used their traditions to put to death their promised Messiah. Even the prophetic book of Revelation is a revelation of Jesus Christ and again, if Jesus is not the focus of all prophecy it too can become distorted.

                Jesus said in John 5:39: “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is these that bear witness of Me.” And of course He was referring to the OT Scriptures here. And again on the road to Emmaus Jesus brought the Scriptures into focus where it says: “And beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.”  Luke 24:27 (See also Luke 24:44-49)

                Jesus is the absolute focal point of all Scripture from Genesis to Revelation and if we lose that central focus, then even our doctrines will become skewed and distorted… and we may think to protect ourselves from danger by erecting fence laws and lesser lights to help us to understand the greater lights, but in the end all you will have is a big bunch of doctrines and interpretations to argue over even as Jesus is sidelined and the Holy Spirit shunned.

                So as we come closer and closer to the close of earth’s history, it becomes increasingly important to center our focus on Jesus and to receive of His Holy Spirit as oil in our lamps so that we may be accounted worthy to escape all of these things that are coming upon the earth. And whether that escape takes on the form of Psalms 91 in which a thousand shall fall by our side and ten thousand at our right hand, or whether it takes the form of a rapture, or first resurrection, we need to be ready and that means having a personal relationship with Jesus through His Word and through His Holy Spirit… and we need to make sure that our focus has not been distorted by fence laws that have replaced the clear and Holy Word of God.

                Paul said that he had determined to know nothing among us save Jesus Christ and Him crucified, even to the extent that he considered all previous religion, whether right or wrong to be rubbish compared to knowing Christ. (Phil. 3:8) Paul’s focus was on Jesus Christ and because it was, it shaped and formed all that he taught and believed. In fact, God inspired Paul to show us how to transition from Old Testament thinking to New Testament thinking… how to move from a Levitical priesthood to the Melchizedek Priesthood… from the sacrifice of animals to the Sacrifice of God’s Own Son, with better blood and a better covenant…from life under Law to life in the power of grace and the indwelling of Christ by His Holy Spirit. We should follow Paul closely because the true Christian doctrine is based upon what he said and yet Christianity tends to keep falling into one ditch or the other, either legalism or antinomianism and it is always because we take our focus off of Jesus Christ.

                The cross of Jesus Christ is the only route of passage from the kingdom of Satan and into the kingdom of God’s dear Son… and Jesus tells us that in order to make that passage, we must be born again. The Law must put us to death in Satan’s kingdom so that we can be borne by the Spirit and power of His resurrection into the Kingdom of heaven that Jesus proclaimed.

                According to Paul, when that transition takes place in us, the Law has finished its work and we are to continue on in the power and leading and comfort of the Holy Spirit who alone can guide us into all truth. John 16:13.

                As for me, I am going to put an end to all of these religious arguments with people and I am going to refocus on Jesus Christ and Him crucified and risen from dead to live in my heart. On this “Resurrection  Sunday” I have determined to  make Jesus the focus of all that I believe and all that I teach… for He alone can save us and He alone can transform us into His image… and He alone can take us into the Promised Land. Can someone say Amen?