HHA | Yvonne Nachtigal | 3-14-17
What is the proper, Christian response to the various fronts of the New World Order? First and foremost, we need to address these things spiritually. That much is clear. But still, from dispensational complacency (“all these things must happen-all we can do is pray and wait for Jesus”) to the “Kingdom Now”,’ take dominion’ approach, Christians are all over the map on this. The story of the triumphal entry offers some much needed insight.
The crowds cried “Hosanna!” as, in accordance with prophecy, Jesus of Nazareth rode humbly into Jerusalem on a donkey (Zech 9:9). What a sight it must have been; People throwing their coats, clothes and palm branches on the road, welcoming the arrival of the King of Kings!
“Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” Mat 21:9
News of his miracles and the wisdom of his words had spread throughout the land and the people were overjoyed as they welcomed him to Jerusalem!
Hosanna! Save us!
The word “Hosanna” was traditionally used as an expression of joy and praise for anticipated or granted deliverance. (Save us!) The expression flowed naturally from the lips of the Passover crowds.
The crowds hoped that Jesus had come to save them from oppression; that He would use his supernatural wisdom and divine power to deliver them from the evil of the Roman empire and establish a physical kingdom on earth. They hoped that Jesus’ salvation was political, in other words. They may as well have been crying out for “Change!” But Jesus hadn’t come to overthrow or establish a government, not a physical one anyway. Jesus had come to save the people in a much greater and vastly more needed way. He had come to save them from their sin. He had come to defeat the power of an invisible kingdom much greater than Rome. He had come to bring true deliverance and true life. But they didn’t understand.
One short week later, when Pontius Pilate, unable to find any crime that Jesus should be convicted for; and when Herod also could find no fault in him, and sent him back to Pilate; Pilate tried to offer Jesus back to the people under the Roman custom of allowing one prisoner to go free in honor of Passover. He offered them a choice of Jesus or Barabbas.
Barabbas was a political prisoner who had been arrested for “sedition and murder”. Barabbas was what we might know today as an activist. His worldview was physical, his agenda political.
When given the choice of the two prisoners, the crowd, which had only one week earlier been crying “Hosanna in the highest!” made their choice: “Barabbas!” And when Pilate asked what he ought to do with Jesus, the people, having been riled up by the Pharisees, (not unlike the Soros-incited riots today), cried out loudly and repeatedly; “Crucify him!” Lk 23:21
“My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.” Jn 18:36
They wanted their physical, political world saved.
“What does it profit a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?” Mk 8:36
They did not see the need to be saved from their sin.
“Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” Lk 23:34
The crowds were enraged against Jesus for not establishing a physical kingdom on earth. What they didn’t understand was that the kingdom of God is a spiritual kingdom that Jesus successfully established when He was crucified, buried and resurrected. The spiritual kingdom of God is here, now. It does not reside in a building.
“Neither shall they say, Lo, here! or, There! for lo, the kingdom of God is within you.” Lk 17:21
“Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?” 1 Cor 3:16
Christ will not return to rule from a rebuilt Jewish temple and set up a physical, earthly kingdom that the people crucified Him for not establishing the first time He was here. When God tore the veil to the Holy of Holies in half, it was forever. The teaching of a yet-to-come, earthly reign from a physical temple is a Zionist, Dispensational lie that diminishes the phenomenal truth; that His Kingdom has come, making alive in spirit all who hear his voice and put their trust in him. To them he gives generously of his Holy Spirit, to equip, guide, comfort and lead them through the perils of this world. 1 Pet 1:3-7
“It is finished.” Jn 19:30
He had made the new way of reconciliation between man and Himself.
“…in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their sins against them…” 2 Cor 5:18-19 , also Col 1:19-22 & Rom 5:10
Hosanna! Save Us from Our Sin!
This is the miracle of the son of God and his work. Christ came to reveal the truth of the kingdom of light; to pay the price for our sin; to achieve the salvation we could never achieve on our own. Those who didn’t understand then and those who don’t understand now, feel this lacks “teeth”. Hardly. Scripture tells us that the kingdom of heaven was taken by force. (Mat 11:12).
The lie in the garden was that if Adam and Eve disobeyed God (sinned) and ate of the fruit “[they would] not surely die” (Gen 3:4). Oh, but they did die. They died spiritually, and in a few short years they died physically. They were tempted and fooled into rebelling against the very source of life. In that sense, Adam and Eve lost LIFE ITSELF. Since the day of the fall, man has been spiritually dead and physically doomed to die. Where Adam and Eve had had spiritual life and fellowship with their true life-source, which is God, they now suffered spiritual death (Eph 2:1) and were left to find their own source of life, purpose and meaning in what remained; the futile, physical world and the ‘flesh’ (body and mortal soul). This is what the crowd did not understand.
Professor David Needham of Multnomah School of the Bible gives this accurate definition of the essence of sin:
“Sin is more pointedly the expression of man’s struggle with the meaning of his existence while missing life from God. It is all the varieties of ways man deals with and expresses his alienation from his Creator as he encounters the inescapable issue of meaning.”[1] “It is in this sense, that the following familiar expressions of the sinfulness of man can best be understood:
“There is no one who does good, not even one.” Ps 14:3
“All our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment.” Is 64:6
“The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick.” Jer 17:9
“For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is in my flesh.” Rom 7:18
“For the creation was subjected to futility, not by its own will, but because of the One who subjected it, in hope” Rom 8:20.”[2]
“We humans have no choice but to deal with the issue of meaning –
To search for it,
Fight for it,
Envy it in others,
React against those who might take it from us,
Grieve because it has been lost,
Or perhaps (most deceptively and pitifully)
Be deluded into thinking we have found it.
To give up is suicide. But to continue existing in meaninglessness – is that so much better?
This is sin. It is not merely something a non-Christian “has,” it is his most basic nature.”[3] (emph mine)
The whole world is still under the lie that we can do it our own way and escape futility; that we can exclude the very source of life and still have life. The idea that we can define our own purpose and meaning, is, by the way, the lie of the occult.
But Jesus did not come to save us in accordance with our own delusion. The superficial selfishness we define ourselves by is not in our true self interest. He came to save us truly and profoundly! Eternally! Through Him we are brought out of the kingdom of darkness, and become citizens of the kingdom of light (Phil 3:20). He came to purchase back the spiritual life that was forfeited in the garden! Through Him, we are “born again” in spirit (Jn 3:3-7), becoming a “new creation” (2 Cor 5:17)! As Dr Needham puts it:
“Consider physical conception and birth. Being born isn’t simply someone getting something more that one didn’t have before (like getting the holy spirit). No! Being born is becoming someone who was not there before. And that is exactly the issue in spiritual new birth!”[4]
That’s radical! That, and nothing less, is the work of Jesus Christ to all who hear his voice and put their trust in him.
Hosanna! Save us!
Sin is what we need to be saved from. Not Rome. Not the New World Order. (Mt 16:25)
This world is not our home. But that doesn’t mean we stop bringing awareness to people about the exponential rise of evil and deception; the Mystery of Iniquity. It doesn’t mean we do nothing to help those who are oppressed, protect our loved ones, neighbors and their children, or do what is in our power to change bad laws as God leads us. We are to be “salt and light” (Mt 5:13-16) in the world while we are here. We are to be courageous:
“I have spoken these things to you so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation. But take courage; I have overcome the world.” Jn 16:33
Courage is not avoiding fearful things or pretending they don’t exist. It is not succumbing to public opinion and the bewitching of humanity into blind complacency. Courage is prayerfully using our God-given eyes, ears and minds to boldly face evil, calling it what it is, exposing it and standing opposed to it with the truth and light of Jesus Christ (Eph 6:10-18) so that people can see through all the deception to their true need. Walking in joyful obedience to the one who called us out of darkness and into the light of His love. We are to walk in His love:
“…love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.” Jn 13:34
In this increasingly dark world, where people are under information overload, their minds muddled by toxins and mind numbing technologies, where the religion of self is preached from every television screen and far too many pulpits; people are distracted, have short attention spans, are disingenuous and uncaring. Often times they are hard to love. Love them anyway.
Hosanna! Save Us Lord!
Instead of giving the people what they wanted, Jesus was compelled by love to give them what they desperately needed. They didn’t understand then and they still don’t understand. But if we want to affect this dark world for the true good, then we must take the road that Jesus took; the road of Calvary, where he selflessly gave everything and held nothing back. Our goal must be the same as our Lord’s; to bring the truth, life and the kingdom of Light to this dark world.
“In Him was life, and that life was the light of men.” 1 Jn 1:4
footnotes:
[1] Needham, David. Birthright, Christian Do You Know Who You Are?. Portland, Multnomah, 1979. P25. Print.
[2] Ibid. p26.
[3] Ibid. p30.
[4] Ibid. p48.
