Hosanna - the Redeemer

Hosanna -

They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, "Hosanna!" "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" "Blessed is the king of Israel!"

John 12:13.

After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.

And they cried out in a loud voice:

“Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.”

Revelation 7:9,10.

Oh, how beautiful isn't this. In gospel of John, people are shouting "Hosanna", means, "Save us now, or Please save, or Save now". It's like a prayer, Save, I pray.

Whereas when it comes to Book of Revelation, people from every nation, tribe, people and language, are crying out of happiness, "Salvation belongs to the Lord". Their white robes signify that they are Redeemed and are Washed by the Blood of Jesus.

In both of the verses from gospel of John and Book of Revelation, we see people holding the branches of Palm in their hands. They are symbolically used for such ideas as triumph, victory, peace, plenty and also fertility. It is always evergreen. In one of Judaism' cults (Kabbalah) palm is symbolized as the Tree of Life. The Romans rewarded champions of the games and celebrated military successes with palm branches.

What symbolism can a Christian derive from this. Yes, it is Jesus Christ who gave up His life as a ransom. In gospel of Matthew 20:28, Jesus says, "just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Apostle Paul writing to the Church in Ephesus, says, "In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us" (Ephesians 1:7,8). For we are been "bought with a price" (1Corinthians 6:20). So lets "stop becoming slaves of men" and this world (1Corinthians 7:23) and "by all means, glorify God in your body" (1Corinthians 6:20), because you're a Winner over sin and eternal death through Christ' death and resurrection. So let's continue our journey of Spiritual warfare with this hope.

Knowledge Seeker

 Just a Knowledge Seeker -

I'm just a knowledge seeker,

On my way to the glory.

I know what truth is, but

I should learn to diffuse it.

Knowledge is the only source,

As I just learnt a jot and a tittle of it.

Of the chasm of knowledge, 

There are still areas unexplored. 

People force me to share it, 

For it would be like leaving them 

With a life boat in the middle of an ocean.

I know what they incur by it.

It is better to share what I'm confident of,

Than to show off as a Philosopher.

A halo and a nimbus I may desire to,

What worth is it for when I'm half empty.

For the LORD is the source of it,

From his mouth come knowledge and understanding.

And I completely depend on Him,

As I seek it to enlighten my understanding.

Holiness

Holiness - 

When I wanted to write about this, I retrospect and introspect my life and my illness to speak or write about this inherent  charcter of the Lord. Isn't that why, prophet Isaiah when he had a vision in the times of king Uzziah, in Isaiah chapter 6, saw that the Seraphim, the dwellers of heaven, themselves covered their feet and their faces, as if they are not worthy to present themselves before the Lord or in the presence of the Lord, and cried to one another, knowing where they are, calling, "Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of Armies; His glory fills the whole earth" (v3). And Isaiah, the prophet who was watching all this dumb struck, felt the weight of his own sinfulness, said, "Woe to me! I [too] am doomed! - because I, a man with unclean lips, living among a people with unclean lips, have seen with my own eyes the King, ADONAI - Tzva'ot!", which means, "the King, the Lord of Armies" (v5). This is how the holiness of the Lord would be. No one is worthy to stand in this presence. When God called Moses in Exodus chapter 3, and presented himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Moses was awe struck and "hid his face because he was afraid to look at God" (v6). The Lord introduces Himself when questioned by Moses, replied as, "I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you" (v14). 

Can man become holy? No. Never by himself, because Romans 3:23 says, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God". Man can become righteous by the salvific and redemptive blood of Jesus Christ. Jesus calls himself as "I AM", as in Exodus 3:14, in John 8:58. And Jesus also says that we die in sin, because, "for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins" (Jn 8:24). Matthew 20:28, Mark 10:45, reads, "Even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” 2Corinthians 5:21 reads, "He made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God". We are made righteous by the blood of Jesus, but are in the process of being holy. We should  live a pious life to be made holy till the day of the Lord or until our last breath. Till then day after day we should live a life sanctified to the Lord. Romans 12:9-21, Colossians 3:12-17, etc, all teach how to lead a pious life, to present yourselves as "a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you..." (1Corinthians 6:19). Because "For you are bought at a price" (1Corinthians 6:20), the invaluable blood of Jesus.

Apostle Paul in his bid farewell address to Ephesian elders before leaving to Jerusalem (Acts 20:22), giving them a hope in the present and in the future says, "Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified" (Acts 20:32). Paul is speaking of an inheritance among all those who are sanctified, which means, the sanctified has an inheritance. They may be the believers and the church or may be those who inherit the heaven or the new heaven and earth. The scriptures says, "..we are children, then we are heirs - heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ.." (Romans 8:16,17). His children are sanctified for this purpose.

The word "holy", render to mean sanctified. Sanctified is used in hope to encourage the believer and the Church in his spiritual journey, as well as, also the resultant act of Christ through the Cross. The scriptures also confirm that we are sanctified through the blood of Jesus. Hebrews 13:12; 10:10 reads, "And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through his own blood". "By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all." Scriptures like 1Corinthians 6:11; 1Thessalonians 5:23; Hebrews 10:14; Revelation 22:11 and so on, are all there to encourage the believer and the Church in hope to encourage our spiritual warfare. But one thing is clear that we are sanctified and set apart for the Lord. Jesus before his arrest declares himself as "sanctified/ set apart" in John 10:36; 17:19, and He also wants his apostles to be "sanctified by the truth", and separating or consecreating them as "who are not of this world", in John 17:17-19. 

"25 And thou shalt make it an oil of holy ointment, an ointment compound after the art of the apothecary: it shall be an Holy (qodes) anointing oil. 26 And thou shalt anoint the tabernacle of the congregation therewith, and the ark of the testimony, 27 And the table and all his vessels, and the candlestick and his vessels, and the altar of incense, 28 And the altar of burnt offering with all his vessels, and the laver and his foot. 29 And thou shalt sanctify (qadas) them, that they may be most holy (qodes): whatsoever toucheth them shall be holy (qadas). 30 And thou shalt anoint Aaron and his sons, and consecrate (qadas) them, that they may minister unto me in the priest's office." Exodus 30:26-30. We can read the words "consecrate/ sanctify/ holy" all come under the same word "qadas". We can also read that the Levites, Aaron and his sons are also sanctified for the special work God has appointed for them. It makes clear that the Levites, the utensils and other things are all sanctified or consecrated for special work, just like Jesus himself, the Apostles. Even the believers are all sanctified for a special purpose and we need to accept it in faith and in hope.

To conclude, "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy (hagios) nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light" (1Peter 2:9). Ephesians 1:4 says, "For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy (hagios) and blameless in his sight." Colossians 3:12-17, includes reiterating that we are "the elect of God, holy and beloved..", following with some rules for christian living to live a pious and acceptable life. Peter writing in his first letter encourages us to have a 'holy conduct' to 'be holy in all you do', "But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy” (1Peter 1:15,16).

There are many other things that are connected with holiness but out of those this is the most prominent thing I thought to write it down. I want to close with a hope and a wish that, "May he make your (our) hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints. Amen (1Thessalonians 3:13).

Idolatry and Idolaters

In the Salvation Cantata, Psalms, 115, v4-8, "But their idols are silver and gold, made by human hands. They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes, but cannot see. They have ears, but cannot hear, noses, but cannot smell. They have hands, but cannot feel, feet, but cannot walk, nor can they utter a sound with their throats. Those who make them will be like them, and so will all who trust in them."

Very recently, I read about a Pompeii excavation, a four wheeled "Ceremonial Chariot" made of iron, bronze and wood, which has been found. Some archaeologists claim that the chariot was used for marriages for bringing bride and the groom and others claim that the chariot was used to carry the idols of gods and goddesses as a ceremonial possession on the roads. (Look for information on Tensa and Pilentum are given in the pictures below). Even today we can see such ceremonials happen all around the world.

In Roman history, we can see temples for the emperors like Julius Caesar and Augustus, and the adoration that took place in the temples, as like we can see the divine forms of the Egyptian Pharaohs as well. 

In the Holy Bible, we can see idolatory in the times of Moses. Aaron makes a golden calf and says, "Behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of Egypt", in Ex.32:4. In the next verses we can clearly see that an alter was built and sacrifices were made.

After the reign of King Solomon, Jeroboam with a contemptuous intention, if let the tribes on his side go to the temple in Jerusalem, may join Rehoboam and might kill him. So, he made two golden calves and said, "here are your gods who brought you up from the land of Egypt", 1Kings 12:28. And he made a special festival and offered sacrifices.

There are some more instances of the idols in the Bible.

"Your calf-idol is rejected..", (Hosea 8:5) says the Lord. You made those idols with your own hands and brought distruction upon yourselves (Hosea 8:4). Colossians 3:5 says that, "Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry." 1Corinthians 10:7,14, says "Do not be idolaters..", and "..flee from idolatory". The boasting Philistines, after capturing the Ark of Covenant, and placed it in the temple of Dagon. The next morining the people of Ashdod saw that the idol of Dagon fell facing ground before the Ark of Covenant and the next day they saw the fallen broken idol of Dagon (1Samuel 5:1-5). The Lord we serve is the Living God who calls Himself as "I am" (Ex 3:14) and even our Lord Jesus refers Himself with the same title in John 8:58, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abharam was, I am".

I want to close with a verse from Habakkuk 2:19,20, "Woe unto him that saith to the wood, Awake; to the dumb stone, Arise, it shall teach! Behold, it is laid over with gold and silver, and there is no breath at all in the midst of it. But the Lord is in his Holy Temple: let all the earth keep silence before Him". And the Temple is your body, and the Holy Spirit lives in you and "You are not your own, for you were brought at a price. So glorify God with your body" (1Corinthians 6:19,20).