Mat 17:5-7 KJV While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.
I can still hear the Lawless One keep telling us, "No, God did not tell us to hear any commandment or law from Jesus; God just tell us to 'hear His son' or 'hear' only. Jesus did not give any command to the disciples when He gave only the gracious words or positive words and ask them to 'arise and be not afraid' in Mat 17:7."
Is it true that God did not give us any command to obey Him? No, it is the lie of the Lawless One. I can quote many Bible verses to show why it is a lie. It is a lie to say that hearing Him is equivalent to hearing no more law, no more prophets, or no more keeping of God's commandments:
Mat 4:4 KJV But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
Joh 7:16-17 KJV Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me. (17) If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.
.. ..
I can quote many more Bible verses, but today we will just 'hear' Mat 17:5 only and discuss if Mat 17:5 is a commandment itself? Many of us cannot deny that it is clear command from God to hear His Son. However, if we can hear or see beyond the surface, we should know that it is not just a command to hear only; but we see Jesus as 'God's Commandments' too. Hence, we will hear 'Him' and keep 'God's Commandments' in our hearts and minds too (based on Heb 8:10, 10:16). And,if we keep His Commandments in our hearts and minds, we must do them too; otherwise, we have not really heard Him.
Mat 7:15-24 KJV Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. (16) Ye shall know them by their fruits. .. (21) Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven .. .. (24) Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
Some believers may follow Jesus closely in the beginning. But they departed when they heard more from Jesus and they realized that they could not accept or obey Him totally. It will just show that they cannot bear any fruit:
Joh 6:26-65 KJV Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled .. (59) These things said he in the synagogue, as he taught in Capernaum. (60) Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it? .. (66) From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.
Jesus is The Commandment of God
Jesus is the commandment of God not only because God said, Hear Him (when we hear Him, we hear God); but also because the way Jesus, Moses, and Elijah were shown together in the Lord's transfiguration. We can see something significant not only in the physical and spiritual realms, but also in the sequence of the Lord's
1. transfiguration (appearance of the law and the prophets)
2. prayer at Gethsemane (offering of burnt incense)
3. crucifixion (offering of the Lamb sacrifice)
4. shedding of His blood (offering of the blood sacrifice)
5. body in the tomb (The Word in the 'ark')
6. resurrection on the 3rd day (The risen Word and Christ)
I have explained that the above could be the pictures and sequence of how Jesus fulfilled all the law of sacrifice under the Old Covenant. When His body was laid in the tomb with two angels by His sides (Joh 20:12), the tomb could be a picture of the Ark and His body, the picture of the Commandments, the Manna, and the Rod in the Ark. He became the Word in the Ark.
I think the following Bible verses did explain why the Word, the transfiguration, and what John saw or heard could be the picture of the tabernacle or the ark:
1. Joh 1:14 LITV And the Word became flesh and tabernacled among us. And we beheld His glory, glory as of an only begotten from the Father, full of grace and of truth.
2. Mat 17:1-5 KJV And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, (2) And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. (3) And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him. (4) Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. (5) While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.
Moses came first with the Commandments, then Jesus came as the Manna of God, but the Holy Spirit and the Spirit of the prophets will come in the resurrection power of Christ:
1. Moses - is a type of the law or God the Father who is the LAWGIVER. Jas 4:12 KJV There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another? Joh 1:17 KJV For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
2. Jesus - is a type of the manna or God the Son who is also the bread of life or the LIFEGIVER. Joh 6:48-63 KJV I am that bread of life. (49) Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead.. .. (63) It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
3. Elijah - is a type of the budding rod or God the Holy Spirit who is the POWERGIVER, who brings spiritual birth, resurrection, and restoration in the kingdom of God. Joh 3:5 KJV Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. Act 1:8-9 KJV But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you ..
Rev 22:17 KJV And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.
Hence, I believe that after the transfiguration, Jesus was no longer the same in a different realm, even though He is still the same yesterday, today, and forever. He was probably walking with the Spirit of the law and the prophets, and He was still the Son of man. He was considered as the 'triune' Word or the 'complete' God in the flesh:
Joh 1:14 KJV And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. (John was referring to the transfiguration when they saw the glory of the Begotten Son and heard the voice which commanded them to hear Him)
1Ti 3:16 KJV And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.
Today many preachers argue vehemently and say, "Jesus is 100% man and 100% God. Jesus is the centre of our life. We believe that Jesus has come in the flesh. We preach the name of Jesus more than anything. We do many miracles in His name .. We can never fall away, we can never be the antiChrist .. "
I will tell them, The more you need to argue and boast, the more you need to examine yourselves. Do you truly believe that Jesus has come in the flesh and that God's words and commandments have come in the flesh too? If you would just confess it verbally without the true conviction of doing what the Word said, you have not followed the Word who has become flesh. Repent.
'We do not live by bread alone' - today it is still a command of the Lord in the heart of a believer
I can hear the Lawless One still arguing, "But God said, 'Hear ye Him'. It means 'hear Him only'. It means hear the positive words, hear the gracious words, hear the words of life; not any do's and don'ts, warnings, or judgement, like the Ten Commandments. Yes, we agree totally that Jesus is the bread of life. Hence, you should ask for the 'bread', cash, and prosperity as the sons of God; but the Bible did not tell you that He is the commandment. If he is the bread of life, you should only hear the words of life, the words of 'bread', or the words of wealth and prosperity; not the words of God's commandments."
I will tell him, You had lied once when you said to the Lord to command the stones to become bread (and told Him not to think of any God's command). That's why the Lord reminded you about His commandments and said,
Mat 4:3-4 KJV And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. (4) But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
Now, I will still tell you the same command. We do not live by 'bread' alone; but by every word or command of the Lord. The Bible verse itself, Mat 17:5 which you quoted, is a God's command. God Himself confirmed it and told us to hear His Son. In another words, His Begotten Son is His commandment; and whatever He said, we hear. If you are still not clear, I said this again: Jesus confirmed and said that He is
1. the Bread of life and
2. the Resurrection; but God Himself confirmed that Jesus is
3. His commandments, 'hear ye Him'
Joh 11:25-26 KJV Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: (26) And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?
Hence, the commandments that we hear are not just the Ten Commandments; but every commandment that Jesus said although He would include the Ten Commandments too. It's because He now dwells in us as God's commandments which are written on our hearts (Heb 8:10, 10:16)
I don't think you can say that we are boasting if we hear Him and obey every word that He said, or hear Him by doing and keeping all that He said or commanded. In another words, whatever He said, we hear and we do. If you said that this is boasting like the Israelites who did said, 'All that the Lord commanded, we will do', you are lying:
Exo 19:8 KJV And all the people answered together, and said, All that the LORD hath spoken we will do. And Moses returned the words of the people unto the LORD.
Didn't we know that Moses' face shone when he came down with God's commandments, and the people must hear God's commandments only? Jesus' face shone too when He came down with God's commandments. But where are God's commandments? He Himself is God's commandments, and we all must hear Him only! Of course, He is the bread of life, the resurrection, and the commandment too, He is The Word who came in the flesh; so, hear Him and do whatever He commanded. If we try to twist it or change it, we have rejected The Word who came in the flesh. May God help us.
In summary, we have just seen how the ministry of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit is being fulfilled in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We have seen the picture of the living ark which is a type of ark of covenant symbolised by two tablets of commandments, a bowl of manna, and a budded rod of Aaron. Today we can no longer find the ark of covenant, because the spiritual ark can be found in the hearts of the believers. However, can we still find any symbols similar to commandments, manna, or budded rod in the life of a believer or a church today? Yes, we can still find the cross, the holy communion, and the gifts of the Holy Spirit in
1. taking up our cross (obeying God's commandments),
2. taking the holy communion or water baptism (being born again)
3. taking the baptism of the Holy Spirit (being empowered by the Holy Spirit to preach repentance and do the works of restoration, especially in our age of deep darkness, corruption, and sins)
I believe that it is still the will of the Lord for us to do all these while waiting for His return to the churches.
Why do we need the baptism of the Holy Spirit?
It is not just because it is a command of the Lord to His disciples to tally for it; it is because the church needed it to preach what the Lord had commanded them to do:
Luk 24:45-49 KJV Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures, .. (47) And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. (48) And ye are witnesses of these things. (49) And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.
We have learned that God is the lawgiver, Jesus is the bread of life, and the Holy Spirit is the power-giver. We also know that the law has been given, salvation of Jesus has come, but have we received the power of the Holy Spirit?
Yes, when the Holy Spirit is upon us, we can see, feel, hear, or experience His power. I will not want to argue if speaking in tongues is the only sign or not. But, I will just ask, So far, have those who spoke in tongues shown the power of the Holy Spirit? Have they preached repentance with such power ? When Peter spoke, three thousand people were convicted and saved. That's the power of the Holy Spirit.
Act 2:37-41 KJV Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? (38) Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. .. (41) Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.
Some may say that they show power in many things. But I believe that most of the believers (or every believer) in the early church were taught to preach repentance with the power of the Holy Spirit:
Mar 6:12-13 KJV And they went out, and preached that men should repent. (13) And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them.
Luk 24:47-48 KJV And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name..
Act 17:30 KJV And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:
Act 26:20-21 KJV But shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance. (21) For these causes the Jews caught me in the temple, and went about to kill me.
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