A Look At Prophecy In The Gospel of Matthew
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Jesus rebuked Satan and then the Devil went away and the angels of God (vs. the Angel of Light) came and took care of him. This fits what Paul says: "... angels are only servants—spirits sent to care for people who will inherit salvation."
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LIVING IN THE LAND WHERE DEATH CASTS ITS SHADOW
Some Notes On The People In Darkness
I love the passage in Isaiah 9:1-2 the way it is translated in Handel's Messiah:
A people who walk in darkness
Have seen a great light
And on those who dwell in endless gloom
A light has shown.
The words in our Bibles are different than Handel's. The words in our Bibles are also different than the quote in Matthew. Matthew quotes the Greek Bible of his day. Like us, he used a translation that emphasized the truths he shared.
Jesus took his message to a place where many Gentiles lived. From Nazareth, he moved to a city founded by Gentiles and home to Gentiles. Thus, indirectly, Matthew says that the Gentiles live in darkness.
Most of us live in countries we consider "Christianized". Until recent history, many of us found it hard to remember that we live in Gentile nations, nations of people that sit in darkness. Ours are the people who walk in darkness. Why? Because we live in lands where death casts its shadow.
Jesus is the Light shining in the Darkness. How terrible to live in a land where death's shadow has no light to mitigate the darkness. No light to draw people out of the darkness into the light.
And Jesus said to us, "You are the light of the world." We are points of light in the darkness. Our light draws the people in darkness to us where they find the Light of the Christ, Jesus.
We must never forget where we live - in lands that dwell in the shadow death casts.
When a nation rejects Christ, as so many of ours are doing, that shadow returns. That shadow deepens.
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Take Heed America.
Take Heed You Nations of the Earth.
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Photo Credits:
Shadows of the Soul by VincePal, some rights reserved @flickr.com
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