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"... until the
appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ: Which in his times he shall
shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of
kings, and Lord of lords; Who only hath immortality, dwelling in
the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen,
nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting.
Amen."
1st Timothy 6:14-16
LESSON 1:
Paul five times mentions the
"appearing" of our Lord Jesus Christ, always using the very same
Greek noun. By this term he of course is referring to Jesus'
Second Appearance!
Also five times the Apostle talks
about the "coming" of Jesus, again in the sense of His Second
Advent! However, in Paul's phrase "the coming of our Lord
Jesus Christ" he uses two different Greek nouns.
In 1st Corinthians 1:7 he writes:
"So that ye come behind in no gift;
waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."
Here he employs
the word "apokalupsis," which means an unveiling of something or
someone. ("Krupto" means to conceal! "Apo" means away! Blend
them ... to take away the veil, to remove that which conceals!)
But in 1st
Thessalonians 2:19 and 3:13 and 5:23 and again in 2nd
Thessalonians 2:1 the "coming" of the Lord is translated from
the noun "parousia," which means the very presence of the Lord!
("Para" means right beside someone! And "eimi" means I am!
Hence, Jesus being right alongside us!)
All this
introduction is to point you to one of Paul's greatest Passages
of Scripture concerning Jesus!
He begins the
Text by talking about Jesus' appearing, His "epiphaneia." Here
it is: "... Until the appearing of our
Lord Jesus Christ: Which in his times he shall shew, who is
the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord
of lords; Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which
no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to
whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen." 1st
Timothy 6:14-16
Jesus' appearing!
Epiphaneia fuses
"epi" which means "upon" and "phaino" which means "to shine!"
This is our English word epiphany!
Paul believes and
preaches that Jesus' literal Second Coming will embody a bold
and brilliant flash of Light, the "Glory of God" kind of Light!
Why would Paul
not believe this. He "saw" Jesus on the Damascus Road the day he
got saved! That Light blinded him for three days!
Let me stop long
enough today to guarantee you that Jesus is coming again! He has
so promised again and again!
In our chaotic
world of contradiction and doubt and irreverence it is good to
have a God, a Saviour, Who is firm on His resolve to come to
earth again!
Jesus, Who will
yet flash the light of God's grace and power and glory across
the whole globe!
And when it
occurs ... to God be the Glory!
Grace, Grace to
Him even now!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 2:
There are several times in Scripture where
God is said to put some things on "display," to "show" them to
mankind!
Paul's Second
Epistle to Timothy gives us one example. Speaking of the
"appearing" of Jesus, His Second Coming, Paul assures us that
this great Event will be "shown" to all the world ... in due
time! When Jesus comes back to earth, "every eye shall see Him"
declares Revelation 1:7.
Read with me these
words: "... until the appearing of our
Lord Jesus Christ, which in his times He shall show ...."
1st Timothy 6:14-15
The Return of
Jesus to earth will include a glorious manifestation of His
Power and Essence!
In fact, you will
remember that the Greek noun for "appearing" is "epiphaneia" and
contains the idea of a bright and awesome sight, filled with
glory!
And "in His
times," or at just the right moment, the Lord will reveal
Himself! It's as if it were an "unveiling" ceremony at an
exquisite art gallery, except Jesus is more precious than any
work of art.
The noun "times"
is spelled "kairos" (not "chronos" which suggests days and hours
and minutes) and means "opportunities" of time!
And the Lord's
Second Coming as a "Display" or an "Exhibition" is clearly
taught by the verb "deiknuo." It means to paint something on a
sign, to placard it, to publicly display it! If you will take
this definition reverently, it means to "advertise" it! One Text
says "to exhibit!"
On that coming
great Day, we shall see and hear and learn much about our dear
Saviour!
In a respectful
kind of way I say this; God the Father, at Jesus' Second Coming,
is going to reveal and show and exhibit His Son and all His
Glory in a grand and holy demonstration of power and victory!
No wonder Jesus
taught us to pray, "Thy Kingdom come!"
Amen, Lord Jesus!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
P. S. --- Here are some things God puts on
display! In Colossians 2:15 God openly made a show of the
demons of hell and the devil their leader! This happened when
Jesus died victoriously on the Cross! In Ephesians 3:10 the
Church will be on display through all the future ages! And in
Romans 3:25 Jesus is God's Trophy of Grace shown to all creation
for all eternity ... because He provided soul salvation through
His precious shed Blood! And one more, in Revelation 1:1 Jesus
is able to show John, then us, future things "which must
shortly come to pass." Coming events ... in preview!
LESSON 3:
The world today
is filled with false doctrine.
There is even another Jesus being
preached!
I mean other than the Jesus of the
Gospels!
Paul said this would happen!
In the Galatian Churches some had
begun to follow "another Gospel!"
Yes, even now another Jesus is being
promoted by the media, liberal theologians and even the devil
himself!
He is called by
some the Cosmic Christ, others term Him a Gnostic Saviour, while
a few just call Him a good teacher or healer or maybe even a
political rebel!
Who is the real
Biblical Jesus?
How can He be
described?
Again we consult
Paul the Apostle. He attributes to Jesus these traits:
"Who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and
Lord of lords; Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light
which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can
see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen." 1st
Timothy 6:15-16
For those who
believe in a Jesus who was powerless before the Romans and for
those who say he really could not work miracles and to those
whose Jesus was ignorant and backward ... let me say this:
The Real Jesus,
the Bible Jesus is "the blessed and only
Potentate!"
That noun is
spelled "dunastes" in Greek and has at its base the well-known
word for power, "dunamis." It means a Prince! One with High
Authority! A Royal Minister! The word is only used 3 times in
the whole Bible! In Luke 1:52 God demotes the "mighty"
rulers of the world, putting humble folks in their places! In
Acts 8:27 the Ethiopian eunuch was the treasurer of his country
and had "great authority!" And then our Text uses "dunastes"
of Jesus God's Son, the great Potentate! One Who is in a
position to command! A Ruler! A Sovereign!
Jesus Himself
said to His Disciples in Matthew 28:18 ---
"And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying,
All power is given unto
me in heaven and in earth."
All power!
Then He is
a Potentate!
Jesus was not a
spineless cowardly social worker!
He was not the
husband of Mary Magdalene!
He fathered no
physical children!
He was no pawn in
the hands of political dignitaries.
He was no ghost
on the Cross!
He was no spirit
on the Day of His Resurrection either!
But ... He is a
Potentate!
He is the
Potentate!
He is the
Potentate of potentates!
Shout it from the
street corners!
The modern Jesus
lacks power and authority!
The Bible Jesus
is Almighty!
We thank Thee,
our great Lord and Saviour and Potentate, for
being Who Thou art ... eternally!
Amen!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 4:
Not only did
Paul once call Jesus the "Potentate," but he qualified that Name
by saying that Jesus is "the blessed and only Potentate!"
He wrote in
1st Timothy 6:15-16 of our Lord: "Who is
the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord
of lords; Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which
no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to
whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen."
Potentate means
the Powerful One!
Yet these two
adjectives make a tremendous difference in the overall impact of
the phrase.
Jesus is
"blessed!"
"Makarios"
generally means something like "happy!"
It historically
was a term the Greeks used only of deity.
Paul is likely
saying to us two things. First, Jesus is God, very God of very
God! Fully Divine! Then Jesus is perfectly content, completely
joyful, altogether fulfilled and eternally incapable of being
upset! Happy, in the best sense of that word!
Next, Jesus is
the "only" Potentate.
There is no
other!
I realize that
"potentate" is not a commonly used word anymore. As far as I
know it has passed out of use in the general American
vocabulary. But let me hasten to ask this. Who would want to be
called "potentate" ... especially after we've just been told
that Jesus is the only Potentate?
To be called such
would be "usurping" the Lord's glory and honor! Stealing His
exclusivity!
Many Preachers
prefer not to be called "reverend" for that same reason. The
adjective is used but once in Scripture, Psalm 111:9. There it
refers to God Himself! "He sent redemption
unto His people: He hath commanded His covenant for ever: holy
and reverend is His Name." If only God is reverend
("yare" in Hebrew) ... what man would want to be called by that
holy name? "Yare" means "to be feared, to be respected, to cause
astonishment and awe" or obviously, "to be revered!"
In like manner
the Scriptures choose to use "potentate" particularly for God
the Son!
Thank God today
for the one Potentate!
Jesus Christ, the
only begotten Son of God!
He alone is
blessed and powerful to that exalted degree!
This awesome
Saviour is NOT the Jesus many are preaching today. Jesus has
been stripped of His power and glory by many, some even in the
religious world!
But the Jesus of
the Bible is indeed ... "the blessed and
only Potentate."
Amen!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 5:
The
Lord Jesus is described in glorious detail in 1st Timothy
6:14-16. He is the One Who will yet appear again, His Second
Coming! He is the blessed and only Potentate too! Then ... He is
called "the King of kings!"
What an
expression!
The first word
for "King" is a noun.
The second "king"
is a participle, a verb acting like an adjective.
We are literally
being told that Jesus is the premier King of all those who are
kings themselves!
He is the
uttermost King!
This expression,
"King of kings," is found six times in the Bible.
Three times it is
used of heathen kings.
Then three times
it refers to Jesus!
Once of
Artaxerxes, a Persian Monarch, it is employed. The unique thing
is that Artaxerxes uses the accolade for himself!
"Artaxerxes, king of kings, unto Ezra the
priest, a scribe of the law of the God of heaven, perfect
peace, and at such a time." Ezra 7:12
Twice it is used
of Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon.
Here God calls him such a powerful name!
"For thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will bring upon Tyrus
Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, a king of kings, from the north,
with horses, and with chariots, and with horsemen, and
companies, and much people." Ezekiel 26:7
Then next is
Daniel 2:27. "Thou, O king, art a
king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom,
power, and strength, and glory." This is pretty hefty
praise, again for Nebuchadnezzar.
But then comes
Jesus!
And in keeping
with His preeminence, we must note these references.
Our Text here,
1st Timothy 6:14 says of our dear Lord ...
"Who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and
Lord of lords."
That's Jesus!
Then John adds
... "These shall make war with the Lamb,
and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and
King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and
chosen, and faithful." Revelation 17:14
But, best of all,
when Jesus returns to earth, we are told:
"And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name
written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS." Revelation
19:16
Written on His
clothes and his thigh!
"King of kings!"
Glory to His
Name!
One more time,
let's go back to the grammar of our phrase "King of kings." He
is the supreme Ruler of those who are ruling!
The King of those
who are already reigning!
Jesus is the
Subject, the Focus here.
"King," the noun,
is the nominative masculine singular of "basileus."
But "kings," the
object ("of kings"), is a present participle active voice in the
genitive case and plural number.
It means anyone
who is currently ruling, anywhere!
Now, think of
this.
Not only is Jesus
Victor and Conqueror over every mighty Monarch of this world,
every President and Premier and Prime Minister and Chancellor
... but He is also the King of every Believer too!
For, according to
Revelation 1:5, Jesus is the "Christ, who
is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and
the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us,
and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and
hath made us kings and
priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and
dominion for ever and ever. Amen."
He has made us
"kings" and priests unto God!
Therefore we,
being kings, Jesus is our King too!
Yes, the great
King of all us lesser rulers (kings) in the coming Millennial
Age on this earth.
Jesus ..."King of
kings!"
Hallelujah!
Many today tell
us that Jesus is merely a spirit, a principle or emanation from
God!
No, He's the King
of all the earth!
Others say He
merely rules over hearts or over spiritual spheres.
No, He has now in
Heaven and will have yet on earth a literal Throne!
He must ... to be
King of kings!
I must close this
Bible Study.
"For unto us a child is born, unto us a
son is given: and the
government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall
be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting
Father, The Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9:6
"And she brought forth a man child,
who was to rule all
nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up
unto God, and to his throne." Revelation 12:5
"And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword,
that with it he should smite the nations: and
he shall rule them with
a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the
fierceness and wrath of Almighty God." Revelation 19:15
He was born to be
King!
And He will be
King!
For ever!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 6:
I have been
told that one way the Hebrew language expresses its superlatives
is by using the _______ of _______ formula.
The greatest
holy place would be called the "Holy of Holies!"
The greatest
king would be the "King of Kings!"
The greatest
God would be the "God of Gods," Which Moses calls Jehovah in
Deuteronomy 10:17.
And in
reference to today's Text, the greatest lord would be the "Lord
of lords!"
Paul, in 1st
Timothy 6:14-16, calls Jesus many wonderful things. One of Which
is just that, "Lord of lords."
Some tell us
that Jesus is merely a teacher, or a miracle worker, or a
philanthropist, or even a political agitator or just a good
human being!
But, no!
He is Lord!
He is the
supreme Lord!
He is the Lord
God Almighty!
And He also is
the Lord of all those who are in any way lords!
In the Bible I
can find five times our God is called this awesome Name.
Deuteronomy
10:17-18 ---
"For the LORD your God is God of gods, and Lord
of lords, a great God, a mighty, and a terrible,
which regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward: He doth execute
the judgment of the fatherless and widow, and loveth the
stranger, in giving him food and raiment." This "Lord of
lords" is just and fair and caring, even to the poor and needy!
Psalm 136:3
--- "O give thanks to the Lord
of lords: for his mercy endureth for ever."
This "Lord of lords" is great in mercy, as His earthly Ministry
so proved!
Then, in the
very middle, comes our Text, 1st Timothy 6:14-16.
"... the appearing of our Lord Jesus
Christ: Which in his times he shall shew, who is the
blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord
of lords; Who only hath immortality, dwelling in
the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen,
nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting.
Amen." This "Lord of lords" is unique and singularly
exalted! There is none like Him!
Revelation
17:14 --- "These shall make war with the
Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord
of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with
him are called, and chosen, and faithful." Here
the "King" and Lord" Titles are reversed! This "Lord of lords"
is the Ultimate Victor in this cosmic conflict between good and
evil!
Lastly,
Revelation 19:16 --- "And he hath on
his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS,
AND LORD OF LORDS." This Name or
Title is so precious to Jesus that it has been written on His
very clothing! He adorns the Name when He returns to earth to
rule and reign!
The Greek noun
"lord" translates "kurios" which means master, owner, sir or
even boss!
What authority
is vested in Jesus!
He is so much
more than most people today admit!
Is He your
Lord?
Of course
Jesus warned us: "Many will say to me in
that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in
thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name
done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I
never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity."
Matthew 7:22-23
It is
obviously possible to call Him Lord in a vain and empty way!
But then Paul
adds: "Wherefore I give you to understand,
that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus
accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the
Lord, but by the Holy Ghost." 1st Corinthians 12:3
To call Jesus
Lord, with real meaning and understanding, can only be done
through the illuminating power of the Holy Spirit of God!
Now ...
Brethren and Sisters, say it with all the conviction and faith
you have: Jesus is Lord!
Jesus is Lord
of lords!
Amen!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 7:
The Greek word is
used but three times in the whole Bible!
It's really a blend of the noun for
death, spelled "thanatos," and the "alpha" prefix "a" which here
just reverses the meaning of its root. Hence, "athanasia."
It therefore means "without death"
or better yet, "incapable of death!"
All three times in our New
Testaments it is translated "immortality!"
In 1st
Corinthians 15:53-54 Paul writes: "For
this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must
put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have
put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on
immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that
is written, Death is swallowed up in victory." He's here
talking about our glorified resurrected bodies, folks! We shall
enjoy immortality forevermore! This precise event will occur
when Jesus comes again! I means when He comes to catch us away
... into His Presence!
But how is this
possible?
The third use of
"athanasia" explains it all! Speaking of Jesus, Paul in 1st
Timothy 6:16 writes: "Who only hath
immortality."
We shall never
die ... because Jesus has conquered death! By means of His
literal Resurrection from the grave!
Four words!
"Who only hath immortality."
The adverb "only"
translates "mono." It here means "alone" or "by One's self!"
Jesus, and no other, has immortality!
When all is said
and done, the gods of this world
will not
last eternally,
none of them!
But Jesus is
immortal!
The verb "hath"
is "echo" and means "to possess" or "to hold on to" or even "to
wear!" Jesus is clothed, draped in "immortality!"
"Echo" is here
expressed as a present participle. Jesus constantly has
immortality!
He now exists in
the state of "no death!"
Praise the Lord!
See today's
lesson?
Because Jesus
possesses immortality, we shall ourselves live in immortality!
Or ... because He
lives, we shall live also!
That's exactly
what the Lord Jesus said in John 14:19.
"Because I live, ye shall live also."
Amen!
His immortality
has made possible our immortality!
Hallelujah!
That's a good
thought for Memorial Day!
Jesus' Death made
possible our eternal life!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
P. S. --- In our King James Bibles
"immortality" occurs two more times, using another Greek word, a
synonym!
Romans 2:7 --- "To them
who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and
honour and immortality,
eternal life."
2nd Timothy 2:10 ---
"But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus
Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and
immortality to
light through the gospel."
The word is "aphtharsia." It means NOT ("a")
TO WITHER OR WILT OR BE RUINED OR ROT OR DECAY ("phtheiro").
Twice in the Bible it is translated "incorruption!" For example,
still talking about our future glorified bodies:
"So also is the resurrection of the
dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption."
1st Corinthians 15:42
And again I say, we shall eternally enjoy
incorruptibility and immortality because of Jesus our dear
Saviour!
LESSON 8:
Last night I
preached about the Glory of the Lord. Beholding His Glory, says
Paul, can change us Christians into His image!
Now, in 2nd Timothy 6:14, Paul
considers this same Subject yet again.
He says that Jesus is ...
"dwelling in the light which no man can
approach unto."
The Greek word for "light" is "phos,"
from which we get photographs, photography and for that matter,
phosphorus! The verb "phao"
means "to shine" or "to make manifest."
This noun "light"
is a synonym for the Glory of God!
One Preacher says
that in the very word GLO-ry you can see the GLOw! The Glory of
God, being the sum total of all His attributes, surely must
shine more brightly than anything we could imagine!
Paul knows about
this glory!
He was
overwhelmed by It on the Damascus Road, really by Him! Acts 9:3
describes it: "And as he journeyed, he
came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a
light from heaven." Now read Acts 22:6 ---
"And it came to pass, that, as I made my
journey, and was come nigh unto Damascus about noon, suddenly
there shone from heaven a great light round about me."
Finally, Acts 26:13 adds: "At midday, O
king, I saw in the way a light from heaven, above the brightness
of the sun, shining round about me and them which journeyed with
me." Three times Paul told his story! Each time the light
got brighter too!
Now we see that
Paul says Jesus dwells in such Light, unapproachable Light!
Furthermore, Paul
has been "caught up" to the third heaven! And he lived to tell
about it! "I knew a man in Christ above
fourteen years ago, whether in the body, I cannot tell; or
whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth; such an one
caught up to the third heaven. And I knew such a man, whether in
the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth; how
that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable
words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter. Of such an one
will I glory: yet of myself I will not glory, but in mine
infirmities." (2nd Corinthians 12:2-5) Here for sure yet
again Paul would have beheld that Glory!
And Paul of
course knew Peter too. Peter saw that Glory! In person! He says,
referring to Jesus' Transfiguration, that he was an "eyewitness"
of the Lord's Majesty! "For we have not
followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you
the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were
eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received from God the Father
honour and glory,
when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory,
This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. And this
voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in
the holy mount." 2nd Peter 1:16-18
Each time Jesus'
Transfiguration is described in Scripture, the adjectives vary
beautifully! "And He was transfigured
before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment
was white as the light," says Matthew 17:2. Then Mark 9:3
adds: "And His raiment became shining,
exceeding white as snow; so as no fuller on earth can white
them." Then Luke 9:28 preaches "And
as He prayed, the fashion of his countenance was altered, and
His raiment was white and glistering."
All these
Passages depict Jesus ... in association with Light!
Now back to our
Text, 1st Timothy 6:16, where Jesus is ...
"dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto."
The verb
"dwelling" is really a present participle. "Oikeo" means "to
live in" and carries the idea of permanence! Jesus is not
sojourning in the Light! He's at home there!
Also notice this
Light, this Glory, is so bright that "no man can approach it!"
This term, unapproachable, is spelled "aprositos." The "a"
negates the word's definition. And the heart of the word is
"pros," which means "to" or "toward" someone, especially their
face! It indicates: not able to be face to face!
Now listen to
Moses and God in dialogue, "And Moses
said, I beseech thee, shew me Thy
glory. And God
said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will
proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious
to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will
shew mercy. And He said, Thou canst not see My face: for there
shall no man see Me, and live." Exodus 33:18-20
Unapproachable!
My point today is
simply this!
Jesus is no ordinary
man. Not just a teacher or miracle worker or philosopher or
politician or zealot!
He is God!
He is Glorious!
And He, apart from
Grace and Mercy and His precious shed Blood, is absolutely
unapproachable!
Yet, because of
Calvary, this glorious Lord invites us to:
"Come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy,
and find grace to help in time of need." Hebrews 4:16
And even Paul
elsewhere strongly suggests that we "with
open face behold as in a glass the
Glory of the
Lord," consequently being "changed
into the same image from
glory to glory,
even as by the Spirit of the Lord."
Come!
That's what Jesus
says!
"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are
heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28
Words like that,
from a Saviour Who dwells in the Light, must be counted precious
indeed!
Today spend some
time thinking about His Glory!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
Furthermore, as Albert Einstein sought to
prove and as has now been scientifically demonstrated ... there
is a direct relationship between light and time! If you could
hitch a ride on a beam of light, traveling at 186,000 miles per
second, time would cease to exist! That's hard to comprehend,
but apparently it is so! Physics!
All I'm saying today is this. If God is
Light, and He is, the speed with which he can move is
immeasurable! No Christian will disagree with that statement.
God is omnipotent anyway! And for that matter, omnipresent!
Therefore, if God exists as Light, at least that divine
Attribute includes the speed of light too, God is timeless!
Eternal! With God there is no aging or deterioration or death!
Forevermore timeless!
Sometimes science can help!
LESSON 9:
When Scripture
speaks of Jesus as "He Whom no man hath
seen, nor can see," we must pay special attention!
In these last days of apostasy the
Virgin Birth must be vehemently defended and the literal body of
Christ often emphasized. John preached that
"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 1:14
Yet in spite of such verses many
still believe Jesus was just spirit, no flesh whatsoever! For
example, such error lies at the very heart of today's Gnostic
resurgence!
But we must
preach the Word, all the Word, the whole counsel of God!
Yes, Jesus was
physical!
But also
Spiritual!
And since Paul in
1st Timothy 6:16 said that Jesus dwelt in the Light which no man
could approach and since He had never been seen, nor could be
... we must address that fact too.
I believe the
Apostle is describing the Lord in all His Glory! In His
resurrected state! In His form as He exists in Heaven right now!
What bright glory
must emanate from the Lord Jesus!
Although here we
almost have a problem ... when applying these words to Jesus.
Again, "Whom
no man hath seen, nor can see."
That sounds like
God the Father!
But so does
Isaiah 9:6 "mix" terms about Jesus and the Father! There He is
both the Child born to us ... and the Everlasting Father too!
Plus the Prince of Peace and the Counsellor and the Wonderful
One and the Mighty God!
Jesus plainly
told the Jews: "I and My Father are One!"
John 10:30 (Explain that!)
And to Philip he
said: "He that hath seen me hath seen the
Father." John 14:9
So, yes ... Jesus
has a Body, a physical one.
So too does He
live in glorious ineffable Light!
And yes,
thousands saw Him in His literal Body!
But in Glory, in
Heaven, many already know Him to be the very Brightness of the
Glory of God too!
Yes, He's the
Lamb!
Yes, He's the
Lion!
Yes, He's the
Glory!
I may not
understand all that, but I delight and rejoice in it anyway!
Jesus is
certainly more than we can comprehend with our present minds!
In the meanwhile
I shall worship the One Who saved me and now dwells in Heavenly
Light! Jesus ... on Whom no man can gaze, at least not yet!
Glory to His
Name!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 10:
Jesus is due
great "honour!"
Paul, in 1st Timothy 6:16,
reverently says of our Lord: "to Whom be
honour!"
The noun for "honour" is spelled
"time" in Greek and is pronounced tee-may'.
In the King James New Testament it
is translated as honour (35 times) and price (8 times) and sum
(1 time) and precious (1 time).
The noun means "value" or "esteem."
It can actually represent the "great price" one might pay for
something of extreme value!
It is thought to
be derived from the root verb "tino," which means "to pay a
price!" It often is used even in a punitive sense too, to pay a
penalty! This very definition may have a veiled reference to the
Cross of Calvary where Jesus paid the ultimate price. In fact,
The first time "time" is used in the New Testament, Matthew
27:6, the "price" of blood is being discussed!
We often say
"Glory to God!"
Now we can say "Honour
to Him also!"
After all, God
the Father has crowned Jesus with honour!
"Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; thou crownedst
him with glory and honour, and didst set him over the
works of thy hands." Hebrews 2:7
And Peter, using
our word "time" or "honour," writes of Jesus:
"Unto you therefore which believe he is
precious." 1st Peter 2:7
Jesus also was
honored on the Mount of Transfiguration. Again, Peter is
talking: "For he received from God the
Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to
him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I
am well pleased." 2nd Peter 1:17
But in Heaven,
according to John's Book of Revelation, honour upon honour will
be pronounced upon Jesus!
Revelation
4:9, describing those four lovely creatures around the Throne,
reports: "And when those beasts give glory
and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who
liveth for ever and ever."
The twenty four
elders do the same! "Thou art worthy, O
Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou
hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were
created." Revelation 4:11
And get this:
"And I beheld, and I heard the voice of
many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the
elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten
thousand, and thousands of thousands; saying with a loud voice,
Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches,
and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and
blessing. And every creature which is in heaven, and on the
earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all
that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour,
and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the
throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever." Revelation
5:11-13
Then again the
angels in Heaven chime: "Saying, Amen:
Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour,
and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever.
Amen." Revelation 7:12
Next the whole
saved crowd in Glory: "And after these
things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying,
Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power,
unto the Lord our God." Revelation 19:1
Honored is our
glorious Lord!
Hallowed be His
Name!
He is ...
priceless!
He is ...
precious!
Sometime today,
be sure to honour Jesus!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 11:
Jesus has power!
Jesus IS Power!
He Himself even said:
"All power is given unto me in heaven and
in earth." Matthew 28:18
Many of the New Testament's
Benedictions and Doxologies ascribe to Jesus power!
For example, Paul in 1st Timothy
6:15-16 says of our Saviour: "King of
kings and Lord of lords ... to whom be power everlasting.
Amen."
Then Jude adds:
"To the only wise God our Saviour, be
... power, both now and ever. Amen."
Peter too,
translating "power" as "dominion," declares:
"To him be glory and dominion for ever and
ever. Amen." 1st Peter 5:11
But John most
frequently writes words like these. "Thou
art worthy, O Lord, to receive ... power: for thou hast created
all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created."
Revelation 4:11
And ...
"Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to
receive power ...." Revelation 5:12
Again just one
verse later: " ... Power be unto him that
sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever."
Revelation 5:13
Hear this too:
"Power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever.
Amen." Revelation 7:12
Revelation 19:1
also records: "And after these things I
heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia
... Power, unto the Lord our God."
The occultists of
our day speak of the Force or the Power or the Presence that
backs their faith!
Poor folks!
They know not
Jesus, the omnipotent (read as "all powerful") God!
By the way, the
word "power" back in 1st Timothy 6:15-16
("King of kings and
Lord of lords ... to whom be power everlasting. Amen.")
is derived from the Greek
noun "kratos" which means strength or might, usually indicating
"manifested" power! It's root, "kra," may even be the basis for
our word Creator!
There is nothing
Jesus can't do!
Surprisingly "kratos"
occurs only 12 times in the 260 chapters of the New Testament! I
will underline "kratos" in a few of these.
Luke 1:51 ---
"He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered
the proud in the imagination of their hearts."
Acts 19:20 ---
"So mightily grew the word of God
and prevailed."
Ephesians 1:19
--- "And what is the exceeding greatness
of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of
his mighty power."
Ephesians 6:10
--- "Finally, my brethren, be strong in
the Lord, and in the power of his might."
Colossians 1:11
--- "Strengthened with all might,
according to his glorious power, unto all patience and
longsuffering with joyfulnes."
Hebrews 2:14 ---
"Forasmuch then as the children are
partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part
of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had
the power of death, that is, the devil."
Revelation 1:6
--- "And hath made us kings and priests
unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for
ever and ever. Amen."
Then I wondered,
"Is there a hymn that celebrates our Lord's Power?" Seems like
He brought this one to mind:
All hail the power
of Jesus’ Name! Let angels prostrate fall;
Bring forth the royal diadem, and crown Him Lord of all.
Bring forth the royal diadem, and crown Him Lord of all.
Or even:
Would you be free
from the burden of sin?
There’s power in the blood, power in the blood;
Would you o’er evil a victory win?
There’s wonderful power in the blood.
And now we can
all say a hearty "amen!"
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 12:
The thought is
astounding!
Paul, in 1st Timothy 6:16, closes
his great doxology of Jesus by saying: "To
Whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen."
Think of that!
It's one thing for someone to have
honour. But it's another situation altogether if they have
honour "everlasting!"
And power?
Whoever heard of someone having
power "forever?"
The Kings of
history have nearly all had honour, at least to some degree and
for some time.
But no earthly
King has ever had honour eternally!
And the
Presidents and Prime Ministers and Premiers and Chancellors of
world government have all had power, some more than others of
course.
But none has had
power everlasting!
But ... Jesus has
both!
Both honour and
power!
Both eternally!
The Greek word
used here for "everlasting" is spelled "aionios." It's root, "aion,"
means an age or an epoch of time. Its connotation now denotes
perpetuity! That which is unending!
Of its 71
appearances in the Bible, the King James Version renders it
"eternal" 42 times, more than half! And "everlasting" 25 more
times! And "for ever" 1 more time.
Mankind has made
some great power packs, from long lasting batteries to nuclear
engines ... but eventually they all lose power!
Even the sun, 93
million miles away, will ultimately run out of fuel we are told!
But Jesus!
Never!
And He lives in
me!
Saved friend, in
you too!
Hallelujah!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
CONCLUSION ... THE
"MODERN" JESUS AND THE "BIBLICAL" JESUS!
Or I could just say the real Jesus versus the
made-up Jesus the liberals have fabricated!
The Bible Jesus worships the Father, His
Father, Who is in Heaven! The modern Jesus worships some
goddess! That's because they say our Father God is evil, having
created this world and all its matter!
The Bible Jesus is King! He has a Kingdom. It
exists now in some sense in the hearts of saved men and women,
the Kingdom of God. But it will come to earth some future day
when Jesus rules here for a thousand glorious years, the
Kingdom of Heaven! The newly invented Jesus only has a mental or
spiritual Kingdom, known and experienced by mystical
illumination!
The new Jesus has no physical body, being
spiritual only! The Biblical Jesus was human as well as divine!
He ate and slept and rested and loved and died for us sinners!
The Bible Jesus is also God, God the Son! The
new Jesus is only divine in the sense that all humans are!
The Bible Jesus lived in the power of the
Holy Spirit of God, the third Person of the Triune Godhead. The
liberal's Jesus depends on spirits of all kinds, whatever and
whomever are immediately present! They draw no distinction
between holy and unholy!
The Jesus we know and love was sinless when
it came to sensuality and sex. I believe He never even had a
dirty thought. The Gnostic Jesus, the New Age Jesus, was married
and bore children and satisfied all such passions freely!
The Biblical Jesus preached forgiveness! The
new one does not, there being no need for such! If there is no
sin ... there is no guilt or need for cleansing! To them there
is no judgment coming at all!
The Bible Jesus died a literal excruciating
physical death, vicariously offering Himself for the sins of the
world! The progressive Jesus never died at all, death being
merely an illusion anyway!
And needless to say, the new Jesus was never
raised from the dead! Our Jesus was! Paul's Jesus was! The Jesus
of the Gospels was! And people must believe so ... or they will
die unsaved and go to hell eternally!
"That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and
shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the
dead, thou shalt be saved." Romans 10:9
Paul could best close this dreary Lesson by
warning all: "But though we, or an angel
from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we
have preached unto you, let him be accursed." And just in
case you didn't get that: "As we said
before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other
gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be
accursed." Galatians 1:8-9
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
WHAT A SAVIOUR,
THE BIBLICAL JESUS!
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