When Heaven and Earth Passed

“For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass,

one jot or one tittle shall in now wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.”

 — Matthew 5:18

“For the priesthood being changed,

there is made of necessity a change also of the law.”

— Hebrews 7:12

Now, was Jesus being parabolic in his sermons or prophetic? Jesus said to his disciples, “it is easier for heaven and earth to pass than one tittle of the law to fail, [1]”yet Hebrews is telling us that the law indeed has changed. We do not have a temple, or priests, or animal sacrifices in the New Covenant. When Christ cried out, “It is finished [2],” it means that the demands of the law have been fulfilled in the person and work of Christ. Matthew Henry writes in his commentary on John 19:30:

It is finished, that is, all the types and prophecies of the Old Testament, which pointed at the sufferings of the Messiah were accomplished and answered. The work of man’s redemption and salvation is now completed, at least the hardest part of the undertaking is over. A full satisfaction is made to the justice of God, a fatal blow given to the power of Satan.

Christ says, “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away[3.]” Indeed Christ IS the word made flesh (John 1:1) and “because he continueth forever, hath an unchangeable priesthood [4.]”

The cross of Calvary was an inflection point in human history. Time has been winding down from that point on. John the Baptist and Jesus were preaching that the kingdom of heaven is at hand. I don’t think 2,000 + years fits the definition of at hand. However, “except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God,[5] and even if he is born again, “we know in part, and we prophesy in part...For now we see through a glass, darkly[6.]” I’m not dogmatic about this doctrine of the new heavens and new earth. Greater theologians than myself do not all agree. It may be one of those things we can discern to some degree in our limited understanding, or not, but either way the Holy Spirit is sanctifying and renewing us in our minds until the day when we will see face to face.

Selah.

Scriptures

1Lk 16:17

2John 19:30

3Matt 24:35

4Heb 7:24

5John 3:3

61st Cor 13:9-12

Image:

George de la Tours, The Penitent Magdalene. Public Domain Image.

Because of the Angels...

“For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, for as much as he is the image and glory of God: but the woman is the glory of the man. For the man is not of the woman; but the woman of the man. Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man.

For this cause ought the woman to have power on her head

because of the angels.

Nevertheless neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord. For as the woman is of the man, even so is the man also by the woman; but all things of God.”

— 1st Corinthians 11:7-12

“...I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne,

high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.

Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings;

with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet,

and with twain he did fly.” — Isaiah 6: 1-2

The practice of head coverings has fallen on hard times in American churches. I was shocked the first time that I heard that it was the norm for women to wear head coverings in virtually all denominations throughout the country until about the 1960's. What do you think changed?

But rather than appeal to tradition let’s pray for the Holy Spirit’s illumination and study the scripture. After all, the Catholic church preached a false gospel of works for over one thousand years before the Reformation. People can be wrong for that long!

Giovanni Strazza- The Veiled Virgin

Much of the argument for and against head coverings revolved around cultural norms and customs. I say if the Bible is our standard for life and godliness then it alone should tell us whether a custom is good or bad. “Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonoureth his head….For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, for as much as he is the image and glory of God (v4, 7)."

Haman the Agagite villain in the book of Esther covered his head when he was inflamed with grief and aggravation (Esther 6:12). Haman is not an Israelite at all but appears to conform to what Paul is saying about men wearing head coverings – it is a shame to them. There may be a time when that is appropriate, but the corporate worship of God isn’t it.

Head coverings for women communicate something else. When Rebekah approaches Isaac (who pictures Christ) for the first time in Genesis 24:65, she covers herself with a veil. The servant who escorted her from her father’s house to Isaac did not tell her to do that — it came from within herself. I think we can infer that this modesty and impulse to cover up did not spring from the corrupt nature of Adam and Eve when they scrambled for fig leaves when God came looking for them. Rather I think of it like the angels in Isaiah 6 who cover both the heads and feet in the presence of the glory of God. These angels have no sin and yet they cover themselves anyway. It is simply a reaction to the presence of God’s perfect holiness.

I wouldn’t bind anyone’s conscience on this issue, nor would it make or break my decision on which church to attend. We must worship in spirit and in truth1, according to knowledge.2I’ve struggled with this doctrine for a long time and the Spirit is only now beginning to give me understanding. While the remnant of churches that practice head coverings have their own theologically astute reasons for doing so, I’ve never heard a good explanation for why it says down in verse 16: we have no such custom, neither the churches of God.” Paul says elsewhere in the same epistle, “Let all things be done decently and in order [3].” The spirit behind the letter that is much easier to prove is that dress standards should appeal to common decency and gender roles. Matthew Henry’s commentary on verses 13 and 16 read;

It should be our concern, especially in Christian and religious assemblies, to make no breach upon the rules of natural decency… He sums up by referring those who were contentious to the usages and customs of the churches. Custom is in a great measure the rule of decency. And the common practice of the churches is what he would have them govern themselves by…. It was the common usage of the churches for women to appear in public assemblies and join in public worship veiled; and it was manifestly decent that they should do so. Those must be very contentious indeed who would quarrel with this or lay it aside.

If Paul is deferring to custom, and the customs of society have changed, then I think we are at liberty to practice this or not. By two or three witnesses should a matter be established, and there really aren’t any other specific instructions on head coverings. Whether you do it or not, be firmly persuaded in your own mind and thank God for the liberty we have in Christ.

Scriptures:

1John 4:24

2Rom 10:2

31st Cor 14:40

The Wrath of Man and Righteousness of God

“The LORD is slow to anger, and great in power,

and will not at all acquit the wicked…”

— Nahum 1:3

“Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear,

slow to speak, slow to wrath:

For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.”

 — James 1:19-20

We must be angry and sin not[1] because our anger, even when it is justified, does not accomplish the righteousness of God’s perfect, holy, wrath against sin. James’ warning always reminds me of Simeon and Levi in Genesis 34, who for the sin of one man against Dina, decide to deceive and massacre the entire village. Was that justice?

Yet God, who is angry with the wicked every day, nevertheless lets the sun rise on the evil and on the good, [2] and often allows the wicked to enjoy prosperity and good health for long stretches of time. [3]

Salisbury Cathedral from the Meadows - John Constable

Anger is not sinful in and of itself but we often fall into sin when anger clouds our judgment. The full verse says, Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: neither give place to the devil. Nevertheless we should never be so comfortable with sin that it stops grieving us. David says, “I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me [4]...” and in another place, “Do not I hate them, O LORD, that hate thee? And am I not grieved with those that rise up against thee?" [5]

I rejoiced at the news that God raised up a man zealous enough for the LORD to cleanse the Iowa statehouse of its satanic display. I am glad that there is still a remnant in this country willing to be salt and light. Michael Cassidy, the man who demolished the idol, took full responsibility for his actions and stated his motives on the record. Come what may. That is the key. When we go on the offensive against evil we need to do so prayerfully and with a definite purpose.

In John chapter 2 Jesus took the time to build the scourge he used by hand before he used it to drive the money-changers out of the temple. We are commanded to be “wise as serpents and harmless as doves." [6] If we choose to engage this fallen world we must be ready for the persecution and blowback that comes with it. There are many spoiling for a fight who would love to see blood in the streets, and many corrupt politicians who will use violent incidents as a pretext for further erosion of due process and constitutional rule of law. Realize that all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution[7] and remember our command to bless them that curse you and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.[8]

Cease from anger, and forsake wrath:

fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.

For evildoers shall be cut off:

but those that wait on the LORD, they shall inherit the earth.[9].

Scriptures:

1Eph 4:26

2Matt 5:45

3Ps 73:3

4Ps 101:3

5Ps 139:21

6Matt 10:16

72nd Tim 3:12

8Matt 5:44

9Ps 37:8-9