This Week's Focus Passage

Luke 24:27 ‘And beginning from Moses and from all the prophets.’

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This Week’s Focus Passage: Luke 24:27

‘And beginning from Moses and from all the prophets.’

    ‘But we don’t see Jesus in the Psalms; we want to sing songs of praise unto   Jesus Christ; we want to be able to pronounce His Name; He is our Savior and our Lord. The Psalms are so restricting.’ It is, of course, more than just sad, to ever have multitudes of Christians, in multitudes of churches, that make such a cry with absolute sincerity. Primarily, they are found among the many that have been willing, or made willing, to, in their own view at least, ‘Rightly Divide the Word of Truth.’ We don’t question the sincerity of these folk, but we do greatly fear that they have been much deceived; by others of pretended rank, or in some instances, at least, self-deceived. This ‘rightly dividing the Word,’ largely refers to separating the Older Testament from its Newer Testament accompaniment. They don’t understand that these two testaments cannot stand by themselves; there are sixty-six books in our Bibles, and not just twenty-seven. It is such an unhappy, and macabre [is this too strong a term?] thing, that millions have been persuaded, or deluded, into believing that the thirty-nine books of the Older Testament do not pertain unto, or for, them. 

    Some of this may be laid at the feet, as it were, of pragmatism. Historically speaking, many volumes of copies of the ‘New Testament’ were published, as we understand, to be given out to members of the armies of the North and of the South during the late war between the states. These simple, small copies were, of course, and very naturally, much easier to stick into the soldier's pocket, or his ‘old kit-bag.’ Indeed, one of the most frequent, and common, terms for these was ‘coat-pocket’ Bibles. Such were undoubtedly printed earlier than the Civil War [how civil was that?], yet we believe that the need for a small volume greatly increased usefulness of a copy that would fit handily into a ‘coat-pocket.’ 

But we are blessed with almost as many copies of the entire Word of God, that is, both Testaments; yea, all sixty-six books; there is virtually no limit to the number of copies that we may be able to possess in this wonderfully free land in which the Providence of God has lovingly placed us. There are multiple English translations available for us to compare one with another in our studies. There was an occasion a number of years ago when, taking notice of the bible belonging to a fellow employee at his work station, and simply being curious with regard to his choice of translation, we opened it in order to determine if our friend made use of the New American Standard, or the King James Version, or perhaps he has chosen the New International Version. What we discovered was somewhat shocking; the pages in the New Testament portion were well-worn, almost worn-out, we might suggest, while at the same time, the Old Testament portion appeared to be almost brand new, with the notable exception of the book of Daniel. That particular book of prophesy is held in especially high regard, as essentially important in the teaching of the Dispensational school. They have made much of their own interpretation of the ‘Seventy Weeks of Daniel’ to forward, in their minds, their own ‘program.’ Very sadly, they have largely dismissed the Older Testament as being written primarily for the Jews, or Israel. They focus their attention upon the Newer Testament; that which was written for the Church. We wish very strongly that these folk, many that may be sincere believers, would pick up their Newer Testaments and read from them the passage found in the Gospel account written by Luke, and in chapter 24:13ff:

And behold, two of them were going that very day to a village named Emmaus, which was threescore furlongs from Jerusalem. And they communed with each other of all these things which had happened. And it came to pass, while they communed and questioned together, that Jesus himself drew near, and went with them. But their eyes were holden that they should not know him. And he said unto them, what communications are these that ye have one with another, as ye walk?—vs. 13-17.

They responded to Him that they were very disappointed with the things that had transpired recently in Jerusalem. Jesus asked them, saying, What things? They spoke to Him, then, of all those things regarding the apprehension, trial, conviction, and crucifixion of Jesus Christ. And with conspicuous sadness in their voices, they added to the report, But we hoped that it was he that should redeem Israel. They were two disciples that had not understood what Christ was saying when He spoke of His impending death and subsequent resurrection in three days. Few, if any, understood that Christ had come to redeem them, yes, but not as a great military leader on a white charger, but One who was to lay down His life for His sheep. He responded: 

And he said unto them, O foolish men, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Behooved it not the Christ to suffer these things, and to enter into his glory? And beginning from Moses and from all the prophets, he interpreted to them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself. 

We would sincerely desire that these poor deluded souls ensnared by this teaching that ‘Moses and the prophets’ are not necessary to be prayerfully read and studied; if they were to do this sincerely, with prayer, and true faith, we believe that they would have their eyes opened by God the Holy Spirit. They would undoubtedly experience, in one way or another, the same thing that was experienced by those two disciples on the Road to Emmaus. ‘One way or another,’ but still by the very same God the Holy Spirit’s enlightening grace, as the blind man in the 8th of Mark, 22-26, whose eyes Christ had touched who then could see, but he was seeing men as trees walking. Then again he laid his hands upon his eyes; and he looked steadfastly, and was restored, and saw all things clearly. This man received a ‘second touch,’ not in order to be able to speak in tongues, or to lay healing hands on others, or to be able to prophesy; these things that some others maintain about this ‘second touch,’ but that he could now see clearly what he was seeing in a confused manner. We imagine that he might have said what we read of the Emmaus disciples saying to one another, Was not our heart burning within us, while he spake to us in the way, while he opened to us the scriptures, ‘while he opened our eyes?’ All glory to God thru Jesus Christ.

David Farmer, elder

Fellowship Bible Church

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