Romans-Revelations

 

Much of the book of Romans talks about faith in Jesus Christ. The people who find this faith are God’s people. In Romans 2:29 their praise is “...not of men, but of God.” According to this verse, the world does not praise Christians for their faith, only God does. However, in the old testament we find that God’s people are praised by mankind. Speaking of the start of the Messianic reign of the Lord, we find in Isaiah 61:9 “And their seed shall be known among the Gentiles, and their offspring among the people: all that see them shall acknowledge them, that they are the seed which the Lord hath blessed.” In this verse we find that all men speak well of the Lord’s people and that his people find favor not because of faith, but because of meekness, mourning, and the spirit of heaviness. Proverbs 3:4 says “Thou shalt find favor and good understanding in the sight of God and man.” However, according to the new testament, the Christian will be hated and misunderstood.

Romans 4: 7-8 wrongly applies Psalms 32:1-2 to be about the apostles’s doctrine regarding Christian believers. To the Christians, real faith in Jesus covers their sins. However, in Psalms 32 sins are covered, not because of faith, but because there is no guile in that person’s spirit.

Throughout the new testament, there is a lot of detail about the suffering of the apostles. This life of suffering is something all Christians should expect according to the new testament. In 1’st Corinthians 15:19 we find “If in this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.”This is different from the life of the righteous in the old testament. The righteous man in the old testament is happy in this life as well as the next. Some Christians might say they are happy because in the end they go to heaven. However, there is an abundance of God’s word which describe the righteous having a better life than the wicked in this life. In the books of Proverbs we find “Blessings are on the head of the just…”, the blessing of the Lord it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it," “There shall no evil happen to the just…”, Good understanding giveth favour, but the way of transgressors is hard.”, “evil pursueth sinners: but to the righteous good will be repayed". In Psalms 34, we find a verse that indisputably shows the righteous will enjoy his current life and will want more of it. Verse 12 “What man is he that desireth life, and loveth many days, that he may see good.” This theme is also common throughout the old testament where the righteous man has a long happy life. There are exceptions to the righteous being blessed. However, if you consider the totality of scriptures, the righteous man loves his current life. The main exception I want to point out is regarding Jerusalem, which are the afflicted people of God. They suffer for the entirety of their lives until heaven is revealed. However, their suffering is not because they accept Jesus as God, but they are born with an afflicted condition. Isaiah 61 calls them “trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.” I’m pretty sure that everyone who mourns and has the spirit of heaviness goes to heaven. There is actually even a covenant with the afflicted people of this world. In Isaiah 54: 11 we find “O thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted, behold, I will lay they stones with fair colours, and lay thy foundations with sapphires.”

Continuing with the theme of blessings for the righteous and suffering for the Christian, we find 2 Timothy 3:12 “Indeed all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.” This verse uses the word all, so we know that persecution is not just for some Christians, but for every of them. A verse that contradicts Christian doctrine is in the book of Proverbs which says “when a man’s ways please the Lord he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.” Continuing with this same theme let’s skip ahead to the Book of Peter. In chapter 4: 13 we find “But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings…”. Now, throughout the old testament, we find safety to be a reward for the righteous. Some examples are Jobs 5:11 “To set up on high those that be low; that those who mourn may be exalted to safety. Jobs 11: 18 “And thou shalt be secure, because there is hope: yea, thou shalt dig about thee, and thou shalt take thy rest in safety.” On the contrary, the new testament says the disciples of Jesus will be in danger. 

Hebrews is probably the hardest chapter in the new testament to understand. However, there is one scripture I can show to be error. In chapter 1:8-9 it says “But unto the son he saith Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. Thou lovest righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath annointed thee with the oil of gladness above they fellow.” Now when we turn to Psalms 45, the chapter is full of contradictions to the life of Jesus. The King, who is the Lord, has children with multiple women in Psalms 45. Obviously, Jesus didn’t fulfill this part of the chapter because he did not have children. In addition, the Lord in Psalms 45 rides prosperously, his arrows are sharp in the heart the king’s enemies, and the people fall under him. Again, the messianic prophecies about the real Lord and the false Messiah Jesus couldn’t be further apart because Jesus did not triumph over his enemies.

The book of James presents another contradiction between the old and new testament. In the old testament riches are almost always a sign of God’s favor. However, in James 2: 5 “Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world…”, seems to break form old testament teaching. Again, I want to speak some more on old testament teaching regarding the life experience of the righteous. In Job 36: 11-12 “If they obey and serve him, they shall spend their days in prosperity, and their years in pleasures. But if they obey not, they shall perish by the sword, and they shall die without knowledge.” The life of pleasure is condemned by all the writers in the testament. Instead, Christian are supposed to lose their lives for Christ and endure to the end. Enduring to the end is the complete opposite of enjoying to the end.

The second coming of Jesus Christ is drastically different then the life of the righteous servant of God. In 2 Peter 3:10 “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fercent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.”I just want to contrast that description with the rise of the righteous servant of God. In Isaiah 26: 9 “...for when they judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.” The old testament Lord shows his judgments and teaches the world righteousness. He doesn’t come like a thief in the night, he shall “...sprinkle many nations: the kings shall shut their mouths at him.”(Isaiah 52: 15) Also, in Isaiah 2 people go to his house to learn the way of the Lord. In Isaiah 11, he sets up an ensign for the afflicted, and throughout the old testament he speaks peace to the meek heathen.