Christ in 1 Chronicles

~ Jesus Christ is The Reigning King ~

The Bible is about Jesus Christ  ~  “Jesus said to them, ‘How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter His glory?’ And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning Himself” (Luke 24:25-27).

In 1 Chronicles Jesus Christ is the sovereign reigning King.  Jesus Christ is closely linked throughout Scripture to King David.  As David planned for the physical temple and for those who served in it, in a much greater way Jesus Christ made provision for the temple which was not to be made with hands.

“And He Himself [Jesus Christ] gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love” (Ephesians 4:11-16). 

Comment  ~  We have only touched the surface of Christ in 1 Chronicles.  

The Apostle Paul told us the Scriptures present many shadows of things to come but the reality is found in Jesus Christ (Colossians 2:17). 

~~~ EXPLANATORY “JESUS CHRIST IN EVERY BOOK OF THE BIBLE” SERIES ~~~   

(1)  Approximately once a month ALN posts an overview of how Jesus Christ is seen in a specific book of the Bible.

(2)  In most cases these posts only scratch the surface regarding Jesus Christ in the particular book.

(3)  These posts will typically be in the same order as the books are found in the Bible.

(4)  These serial posts are in addition to our other ALN postings.

(5)  Subscription to ABUNDANT LIFE NOW blog is simple—just use the link on the left sidebar.  Once subscribed you will not miss future posts.

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW

Messiah, 133

~ Messiah Would Bring Peace ~

“Search the Scriptures—they testify of Me.”

— Jesus Christ (John 5:39)

The Scripture

“For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this” (Isaiah 9:6-7).

The Messiah 

“For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father” (Ephesians 2:14-18). 

The Future Complete Fulfillment

“He shall judge between many peoples, and rebuke strong nations afar off; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore. But everyone shall sit under his vine and under his fig tree, and no one shall make them afraid; for the mouth of the Lord of hosts has spoken. For all people walk each in the name of his god, but we will walk in the name of the Lord our God forever and ever” (Micah 4:3-5).

“The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them” (Isaiah 11:6).

~~~ EXPLANATORY “MESSIAH” NOTES ~~~   

(1)  Each Saturday ALN posts an example of a Hebrew Scriptures prophecy (or foreshadowing) related to the coming Messiah which was fulfilled in the birth, life, death, or resurrection of Jesus Christ.

(2)  While extensive it will not be a complete list—there are hundreds of prophecies of the coming Messiah which have been fulfilled by one man—Jesus Christ at His First Coming.

(3)  It is important that there are many more prophecies of the Messiah, yet unfulfilled, which Christians believe will be fulfilled at the time of His Second Coming.  A particularly relevant Scripture verse in this regard is: “Do not despise prophesies” (1 Thessalonians 5:20).

(4)  These posts will typically consist only of Scripture—which speaks for itself.  Sometimes italicized or bold font will be used by ALN for emphasis.

(5)  The numbering of these fulfilled prophecies of the Messiah is used to differentiate individual posts. It is not chronological (either by time of the prophecy or by sequence in the life of the Messiah).  The posting sequence will, for the most part, be in the order that the prophecies appear in Scripture.

(6)  Because of the chosen methodology (#5 above) we will find many specific prophecies repeated multiple times throughout the Scriptures.

(7)  These serial posts are in addition to our regular Tuesday ALN postings on random topics.

(8)  Subscription to ABUNDANT LIFE NOW blog is simple—just use the link on the left sidebar.  Once subscribed you will not miss future posts.

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW

“A Remarkable Work”

~ Book Review of “God Light” by Writer’s Digest ~

Reproduced immediately below is one of the independent book reviews “God Light” has received.

21st Annual Writer’s Digest Annual Self-Published Book Awards

Entry Title:  GODLIGHT: Sunlight Sonlight

Author:  Robert Lloyd Russell

Judge Number:  23

Entry Category:  Inspirational

Books are evaluated on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 meaning “needs improvement” and 5 meaning “outstanding.”  

Structure and Organization:  5

Grammar:  5

Production Quality and Cover Design:  5

Judges Commentary:

The author has identified and written on an aspect of God, the Bible and faith that is rarely a focal point, and

he has come up with a remarkable work that captures the many, many parallels between what sunlight does for the physical world and what Sonlight (Godlight) does for our spiritual selves. 

He has done a great job in laying this out in a form that allows the reader to ride along on the journey of this work—we know that God tells us “you are the light of the world” but our understanding has traditionally been with regard to sharing our faith in God and witnessing to others. 

The beauty of this work is that it doesn't relate only to our outward reflection of Godlight but leads us to a deeper understanding of what it is—by taking our long-standing grasp of what sunlight is and its relationship to us physically and our physical world and gives us an “aha” moment of understanding how Sonlight (Godlight) performs remarkably similar functions in our spiritual life and on our faith journey. 

He clearly is someone mature in his faith and the text resonates with his deep intimacy with Biblical scripture and his ability to draw these commonalities into an easily-understood book with deep meaning, a balance which isn’t easy to achieve.  Very illuminating!

~ Judge, Writer’s Digest 21^st Annual Self-Published Book Awards 

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS:

In the time since “GOD LIGHT: Sunlight Sonlight” was released, it has received accolades including being named:

“Gold Medal Winner” (Christian non-fiction) by the “2013 Readers’ Favorite Awards”

“Best Book” (Religion: Christianity) by the “2012 World Book Awards”

“Winner” (Religion non-fiction) by the “2012 Beverly Hills Book Awards” 

“1st Place” (Religion: Eastern-Western) by the “2012 Reader Views Awards”

“Runner-up” (Religion: Christianity) by the “2012 USA Best Books Awards”

“Finalist” (Book: Biblical Studies) by the “2013 Word Guild Awards” (Canada)

There is more information about God Light at the author’s website.

You may order directly from Amazon, Barnes&Noble, Infinity Publishing, and other retailers.

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW

8 Biblical Resolutions

~ Make 2014 Count Eternally! ~

Why not begin the new year and continue through it with a full confession of your faith? 

Trust  ~  “Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; ‘For Yah, the Lord, is my strength and song; He also has become my salvation.’ Therefore with joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation” (Isaiah 12:2-3). 

Grow  ~   “Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord.  Who is the man who desires life, and loves many days, that he may see good?  Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking deceit.  Depart from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it” (Psalm 34:11-14). 

Love  ~  “I will love You, O Lord, my strength.  The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold” (Psalm 18:1-2).

Pray  ~  “I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised; so shall I be saved from my enemies” (Psalm 18:3). 

Obey  ~  “Hear me, O Lord!  I will keep Your statutes” (Psalm 119:145b).

Walk  ~  “For You have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, and my feet from falling.  I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living” (Psalm 116:8-9). 

Praise  ~  “For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother's womb.  I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well” (Psalm 139:13-14).  “I will sing of mercy and justice; to You, O Lord, I will sing praises” (Psalm 101:1). 

Walk Wisely  ~  “I will behave wisely in a perfect way.  Oh, when will You come to me?  I will walk within my house with a perfect heart” (Psalm 101:2). 

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW