We are human beings. We are no small thing. If the earth is not the physical center of the solar system it is the center of it in terms of man being here.
If we discover human beings on some other planet then I will have to contemplate what that does to my understanding of things.
Not considering the revelation of God and just observing the universe we are usually dwarfed into an attitude of insignificance. We are so small. We are so "temporary" it seems. How could be be so proud to think we occupy a central place in the universe.
But we do occupy that central place. The center of the creation is man and the center of man is the Son of God - Jesus Christ.
Without seeing the centrality of the incarnation of God as the man Jesus we probably would be dwarfed into oblivion in the vast expanse of the universe.
Many have this problem and consider it naive and even arrogant that we would think of humanity as special in any way. Why the cock roach will probably out survive us, they would say.
But come back and see the central human being on earth- the Son of Man - the Son of God.
Originally posted by Suzianne And this, boys and girls, is the meaning of irony, that robbie would actually say this, given that his scripture is derived from his dogma, and not the other way around.
please Buffet Queen, we both know you don't know anything about translation.
Man (humanity) is so important to God. The term "son of man" is used in Ezekiel more than ninety times. This indicates how much God desires to have a man.
The One sitting on the throne in Ezekiel 1:26 has the appearance of a man. The verse mentions "One in appearance like a man." The vision is of the glory of God the Almighty. But the One on the throne has the appearance of a man. This shows God's desire to be expressed through man.
It is good to think of the connection between Ezekiel 1:26 and another 1:26 - Genesis 1:26. Genesis 1:26 says that God created man in His own image and according to His likeness. This shows God wants man to be like God.
But further God Himself finally became a man in incarnation - Jesus Christ. Having the nature of man, He lived, died, resurrected, and ascended as a man. This means that today this man is now in heaven.
I had a long debate with an Orthodox Jew. He challenged me to show him one verse that said God died. I told him it was not necessary to show a verse saying that God died. It was only necessary to show that God and man became one. So we may have no Bible verse saying God died. But we have the verses showing that God and man were one in Jesus Christ.
This unspeakable coordination is mysteriously revealed in Ezekiel's vision. The four living creatures with the God with the appearance of a man on the throne above them and the wheels are quite mysterious. In light of the whole Bible the vision speaks of the incorporation of humanity and divinity in a harmonious way to cause the eternal purpose of God to move through the universe.
The Lord Jesus is leading the way as the God-man. He is the complete God and the perfect man. He is the Head of this entity called - the church which consummates as New Jerusalem at the end of the Bible. The twelve tribes of Israel have their names on the twelve gates and the names of the twelve apostles of Christ, the Lamb are upon its twelve foundations. Both the Old Testament believers and the New Testament believers are therefore represented.
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11 Dec '13 12:091 edit
Jesus Christ is STILL a man in the throne of all the universe. Many Christians believe that from the manger to the cross He was a man. But we all need to realize that He is still a man today in heaven - a Godman. He is the Man-God.
Through His crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension, the Lord Jesus was brought to the throne. This is why we declare "Lord Jesus" and why we call "O Lord Jesus."
God has always been Lord, but now a man is on the throne as the Lord.
Through His resurrection and ascension, "God has made Him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus" (Acts 2:36).
The eternal plan of God is to work Himself, to wrought Himself into the man created in His image and according to His likeness. Jesus Christ the Man God upon the throne is the Firstborn among many brothers to follow.
This does not mean that any other one can accomplish redemption.
This does not mean any other one will become an object of worship.
The Source and Headship of this corporate entity is His alone.
But God's intention is to produce - mass produce many saved and redeemed people to be conformed to His image and built up as His harmonious and coordinated Body.
To be born again then is only the beginning. To be born again is the beginning, we might say, to be "matured again" or "gown up again". That is to have the divine life of God permeate and saturate one's being.
We who believe into Christ as double victors. For we have His promise that if we love God and are called to His plan EVERYTHING, but EVERYTHING is caused by God to work together for the good of this plan. We may thank our God for all things because He is able to make all things work together for the furtherance of His plan to work Himself into us, the believers.
"And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
Because those whom He foreknew, He also predestinated to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the Firstborn among many brothers." (Romans 8:28,29)
That He might be the Firstborn among many brothers.
That He might be the Firstborn among many brothers.
Now let's try to get into some of the details of Ezekiel's mysterious vision.
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11 Dec '13 12:441 edit
Ezekiel 1:4 - "And I looked, and there came a storm wind from the north, a great cloud and a fire flashing incessantly; and there was a brightness around it, and from the midst of it there was something like the sight of electrum, from the middle of the fire."
Visible, physical things things are used here, as elsewhere in the Bible, to signify spiritual things.
The storm wind here is a figure of the powerful Spirit of God (Acts 2:2,4a). The Holy Spirit is depicted as a shy dove in some places in the Bible. That means He is easily disturbed away. But sometimes, because of the situation we find ourselves in, the Spirit of God has to come in powerful way to disturb the situation.
Wind have both a negative and positive significance. Negatively speaking, wind is a symbol of God's judgment upon man, a sign of divine judgment. Positively, the wind is used to signify God's Spirit descending upon man to cause man to have God's life as in (Ezek. 37:9-10; John 3:6-8; Acts 2:2-21).
God is versatile. And how we react to God's coming may depend upon our attitude. Yes, He comes to upset our complacency in the sinful condition. But this has a positive view in mind. That is to impart Himself to us as divine life.
God comes to upset your life apart from Him THAT He might impart His life into you. So the wind has lastly a positive connotation here.
The backround is that God's people were scattered in Babylon. They had been carries away in God's discipline. Yet God's purpose in the Old Testament was not in Babylon but in the Good Land of Canaan from which they had been carried away.
He wants to bring fallen man back to His eternal purpose. And He comes as the wind. This may disturb our complacency in man's fallen and scattered condition. We have become accustomed to the fall of man, being carried away from His eternal purpose. But He comes to bring us back.
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11 Dec '13 13:031 edit
Ezekiel 1:4 - "And I looked, and there came a storm wind from the north, a great cloud and a fire flashing incessantly; and there was a brightness around it, and from the midst of it there was something like the sight of electrum, from the middle of the fire."
So we have the vision coming in a wind and from the north.
From the north means from God -
"For neither from the east nor from the west, and neither from the south, does exaltation come; For God is the Judge:
He puts this one down and exalts that one." (Psalm 75:6,7)
East, west, and south are mentioned. But instead of north it mentions "God" who puts one down and exalts another.
We also see that the Daystar (the ancient Lucifer who became Satan) willed to exalt his throne in the north, the direction signifying God Himself.
"But you, you [Daystar] said in your heart:
I will ascend to heaven;
Above the stars of God I will exalt my throne.
And I will sit upon the mount of assembly in the uttermost parts parts of the north. ... I will make myself like the Most High." (See Isaiah 14:13)
Whenever God visits people and revises His backslidden people, it is like a wind from the north. He blows on those whom He is after like a mighty wind to bring a spiritual storm into our lives.
He blows to turn around the spiritual condition. He does not blow so hard as to destroy us. But He may blow enough that we feel something or someone attempting to change our direction.
Since the fall of man, man's direction needs to be changed by the Spirit of God. In fact to repent means to have a turn, a change of mind. Your mind is in one direction. God seeks to blow upon us to get us to turn our mind towards Himself.
Then Ezekiel said that the cloud came with the wind. The cloud here is the figure of God as the Spirit abiding with His people and covering them. He covers them in order to care for them and show His favor to them as in (Exodus 13:21; 40:34-35; Prov. 16:15; 1 Cor. 10:1-2) .
God comes to man as a wind, but He stays with man as the cloud. Together, the wind and the cloud here signify that there is an important transaction about to take place between God and man.
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12 Dec '13 12:32
Originally posted by Suzianne I do know that men will do (and say) anything for a buck.
The was a saying that "The flow of money determines all behavior." But actually it should be that the flow of the Holy Spirit determines all behavior.
Originally posted by sonship We also see that the Daystar (the ancient Lucifer who became Satan) willed to exalt his throne in the north, the direction signifying God Himself.
"But you, you [Daystar] said in your heart:
I will ascend to heaven;
What is the Daystar?
Do you believe it is Venus?
(The Morning Star - rising before the sun)
Lucifer = Light Bringer
?
Or isn't Daystar = Jesus in some text?
God's focus - man
10 Dec '13 15:41
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