October 2002

Christ:
The Landscape of Life

Part Thirty-one

“LO and BEHOLD”

(O)

“Omnipotence reigns!” [7]

“In the days of her great afflictions and miseries,
Jerusalem remembered all the pleasant things
that she once had in days gone by!” (Lam 1:7)

          Hear these words, beloved, “Jerusalem remembered”! How quickly God’s children forget “all the pleasant things” they have received from His generous hand in times past. No matter what blessings God has heaped upon us, the flesh still whines, “But what has He done for me lately?!” Why is this? Hear the Word of God: “The eye is never satisfied with riches...he that loves silver is not satisfied with silver when he gets it; nor is he that loves abundance satisfied with his increase!! This is vanity!” (Eccl 4:8; 5:10) Then Pr 27:20 adds, “As hell and destruction are never full, so the eyes of man are never satisfied!” Heb 5869 ayin translates “eyes” also as “eye of the landscape”. It is interpreted as “colour” exclusively; and used 11 times as “fountain”; 4 times as “conceit”; and in 1 Sa 16:7, “Man looks on the ‘outward appearance’; but the Lord looks on the heart!!” Since “Natural man cannot receive spiritual things” (1 Co 2:14); his eye is restricted to the “outward appearance” of things. Thus the “landscape” perceived by his eye is only earthly!!
           But since man’s flesh is fashioned from the dust of the earth, it is understandable that earthy things would attract his “lusting eye”, stir up his “lusting flesh”, and, finally, appeal to his “pride of life”! (1 Jn 2:16) Lust knows no limit! Lust is never content with enough. Lust induces the soul to covet! So God issued a 10th commandment, “You shall not covet anything of your neighbor’s: neither his house, his wife, his man or maid servants, his ox or donkey, or his possessions!” (Ex 20:17) But since “The Law is spiritual” (Ro 7:14); and “Natural man cannot receive spiritual things”;
           Paul says, “I wouldn’t have known what sin was except by the Law; nor would I have known what coveting really was if the Law had not said, ‘You shall not covet’!” (Ro 7:7) The man of flesh sees this command as God’s prohibition: “You shall NOT covet”; whereas the man of spirit sees it as His precious promise, “You SHALL not covet”, that is being fulfilled in his life by Jesus Christ!!
           So will a man ever be satisfied with his estate? The Good News is: “A man is blessed when You choose him and cause him to come near so he may live in Your Courts! We will be satisfied with the goodness of Your House- that is Your holy *temple!” (Ps 65:4) [*“Don’t you know that you are the temple of the living God?!” 2 Co 6:16] Also, “My soul shall be satisfied with marrow and fatness; my mouth will praise You with joyful lips!” (Ps 63:5) Then “A man will be satisfied with goodness by the *fruit of his mouth!” (Pr 12:14) [*Pr 18:21 says, “Death and Life are in the power of the tongue, and men shall eat the fruit of whichever they love!” In Isa 3:10 the Lord says, “I create the fruit of the lips!”] He adds in Jer 31:14, “I will fully satisfy the soul of the priests with abundance; and My people shall be satisfied with My *Goodness!” [*Goodness is the sixth Fruit of the Spirit in Gal 5:22.] The Lord says in Jer 50:19-20, “I will bring Israel (lit., “All who contend and prevail to rule with God”) again to his habitation; he will feed on Carmel [Heb 3760 “a fruitful garden”] and Bashan [“soft, loamy soil”]; his soul shall be satisfied on Mt. *Ephraim and Gilead [Heb 15:68“A heaped up testimony”] .”[*Heb 669 lit. means: “Double-fruitfulness” and God declares, “Ephraim is My Firstborn!” (Jer 31:9) Jesus Christ is identified as “Firstborn of every creature” in Col 1:15.] Joel 2:25-26 adds, “All the years consumed by the locust, the cankerworm, the caterpillar and the palmerworm- which is My great army that I sent among you- I will restore to you and you shall be satisfied; for you will have an abundance to eat and you will praise the Name of the Lord your God for dealing so bountifully with you! My people shall never be ashamed!” We know from the third Blessing in Mt. 5:5 that, “The meek inherit the earth”; thus we see why Ps 22:26-28 says, “The meek shall eat and be satisfied! And they that seek the Lord shall praise Him! Your hearts will live forever!” [But that is not all; this verse continues on! Let us behold this awe-inspiring Revelation!!]

A-L-L THE ENDS OF THE EARTH SHALL REMEMBER,
AND SHALL TURN TO THE LORD! A-L-L FAMILIES OF
THE NATIONS SHALL WORSHIP BEFORE YOU!! FOR
THE KINGDOM IS THE LORD’S AND HE IS THE RULER
OVER A-L-L THE NATIONS!!”

When shall all this take place?

“AS FOR ME, I SHALL BEHOLD YOUR FACE IN RIGHTEOUSNESS;
I SHALL BE SATISFIED WHEN I AWAKE WITH YOUR LIKENESS!”

          Ge 2:21 says “God cast the first Adam into a deep sleep”, but it never says He awoke him! It was in that dream-like trance that Adam “fell” from grace. But all the seeds of Adam’s posterity were also cast into that death-sleep while sequestered in his loins; and they remain asleep until the Second and Last Adam, Jesus Christ, quickens them awake one by one; but each in his own order! (1 Cor 15:45; 22-23)! How wonderful! If any can read these words and still not see and believe that Jesus Christ is the Savior of A-L-L men, they still asleep and must wait for Him to awake them!
But never fear, that wonderful day shall come to all men!

[TO BE CONTINUED]