Dear friends,
Greetings in Christ!
In Chapters 1 and 2, we saw the transition from the Old Covenant to the New Covenant. After the religious leaders rejected Messiah, things would never be the same. Judgment was coming, and some of them even wrote that they understood as much:
In the days of the Second Temple, there was a custom to fasten a red-colored strip of wool to the head of a goat which was sent away on the Day of Atonement. When this ribbon became white, it was a sign that God had forgiven Israel’s sins. There is a statement in the Talmud that about “forty years before the second temple was destroyed … the red wool did not become white!”(1) The same passage informs us that the gates of the temple swung open on their own accord! The ancient rabbis believed that these events were indicators that the sins of Israel were no longer being forgiven and the Temple would be destroyed!(2)
— From The Search For Messiah (Joy Publishing, 1996).
Yet the invitation to receive Messiah was and is still open to everyone. In Chapter 3, the Holy Spirit continues pointing people to Jesus. Give us understanding, Father, as we read thy word, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Acts 3:1-11
NOW Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour. [3 PM]
2 And a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple;
3 Who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple asked an alms.
4 And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us.
5 And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them.
6 Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.
We usually tend to think that if we somehow had a lot of money, we would have a lot of power to change things. The Holy Spirit says the exact opposite. (Matt 19:23) Peter said, Silver and gold have I none, but the one thing Peter definitely had was Holy Spirit power.
The ‘money = power’ theory is what many of the cults teach (eg, Kabbalah et al). Yet, much like Peter, the most powerful testimonies still come from people with no money to speak of, like Benny Prasad or George Müller. Through faith in Christ, Benny Prasad miraculously overcame physical disabilities, achieved world-class success, and helped many others with debilitating challenges. Through faith in Christ, George Müller cared for thousands and thousands of orphans. This way, it is God who gets the glory, not money.
7 And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ancle bones received strength.
8 And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God. [Cf Isa 35:6]
9 And all the people saw him walking and praising God:
Could any amount of money help the lame man as much as what Peter had to offer?
10 And they knew that it was he which sat for alms at the Beautiful gate of the temple: and they were filled with wonder and amazement at that which had happened unto him.
11 And as the lame man which was healed held Peter and John, all the people ran together unto them in the porch that is called Solomon’s, greatly wondering.
Acts 3:1-11
Despite his circumstances, the lame man had a mustard seed of faith (v 16). He in turn becomes an example of fulfilled prophecy. (Isa 35:6) Whether or not we ever experience a miracle like this one, the spiritual truths of the gospel are solid promises for every believer. (John 20:29) True faith is believing even when there are no material reasons to do so. (Hab 3:17ff) Not every believer is healed in this lifetime, but we all will be eventually.
Peter’s power to heal the lame man came from his faith in Christ. To be a Spirit-filled follower of Jesus Christ is to believe in the Bible, which is diametrically opposed to the world’s way of thinking. Not only so, but one must correctly interpret the Bible per the apostles’ doctrine. (Acts 2:42) For example, if you take the miracles out of the Book of Acts, you do not have much left. To believe the Bible is to accept it all, lame men being healed, Red Sea being parted, all of it. Doctrine is worldview, and the cosmology of the Bible is the correct one.
The Bible says:
• God created a perfect world that was very good around 6000 years ago.
• God created Adam and Eve, who brought sin and death into the world. (Rom 5:12)
• There was a flood in which only eight survived, who then repopulated the earth.
• Jesus kept his promise to come and pay for our sins at the cross. (Rom 6:23)
• Jesus rose again and ascended into heaven.
• Jesus will rescue his own before the great tribulation period.
• There will be 1000 years of peace that follow.
Therefore:
• We are fallen in sin. (Gen 3)
• The heart is desperately wicked. (Jer 17:9)
• We need a Saviour. (Rom 3:10, 23; 5:8, 12; 6:23)
The world says:
• People are basically good.
• Therefore, we do not need a Saviour.
Furthermore, the world says:
• The cosmos were created by chance from nothing, billions of years ago.
• We are evolving and getting better.
• We will eventually achieve godlike capabilities on our own.
The current worldview du jour would not have had anything to offer the lame man. Even greater than his physical infirmity was his wounded spirit. All of us are damaged in this way because of the fall in Genesis 3. All of us are in need of repair. There is something in the soul that is broken. When we come to Christ, we are born again and his Spirit begins to repair that which has been broken, the same way He healed the lame man’s feet and ankle bones.
The spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity; but a wounded spirit who can bear?
Proverbs 18:14
He restores my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Psalm 23:3
Jesus said we have to receive Him as a child would. (Luke 18:17) To the extent that we only receive the parts of God’s word which we understand or like, we hinder the healing process and keep from receiving all that God has to offer us. (Acts 20:27)
Father, thank You for all the miraculous ways in which You heal the lost causes, those who psychology could not help, those who modern medicine could not help. Thank You that your promises are for the best of us and the worst of us, however far gone we may be. Thank You, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Prophecy Update: You may have heard about a date that has been set for the rapture which has people talking: September 23, 2025.
After a bit of investigation, here is what I found: The date comes from Joshua Mhlakela who initially made the claim in 2018, which I vaguely remember hearing about at the time. Mr Mhlakela says Jesus appeared to him and told him He is coming on Rosh Hashanah, 2025. The reason people find this interesting is it makes 2550 days to Yom Kippur (the high day which is prophetic of the second coming), 2032. This aligns with Daniel 12:11 and Revelation 11:3. It would also make 2000 years from the crucifixion in 32 AD to the second coming in 2032, which comports with the seven-thousand-year model that goes all the way back to the church fathers. I found these figures interesting because they match the chart I made in the 90s when I was writing Where Did All the People GO? (Download here.) I also noticed there is a lunar eclipse (blood moon) on September 7 and a partial solar eclipse on September 21. (Acts 2:20; Joel 2:31) People are also pointing to the UN meeting on September 23. Meanwhile, the pope is pushing for an end to the war in Gaza. (Dan 9:27)
Beyond that, I don’t have much to say. It may be interesting but so is Matthew 24:44. I will say this, though: Thinking about the rapture reminded me of a passage I recently read in The Spiritual Man by Watchman Nee. Nee talked about having a “spirit of rapture.” Nee believed that a Christian’s spirit should be elevated toward heaven with God‘s Spirit, always in communion with heaven, always ready to ascend up when God calls — like Enoch did before the flood. (Gen 5:24)
Nee wrote that in 1928. It was published again in English in 1969, when the rapture was becoming an earnest expectation among many Christians. I agree with Watchman Nee.
1 Babylonian Talmud, Yoma Chapter 39b.
2 Adapted from The Messianic Hope, Arthur Kac, p 227.