nthebrews5

Caution to students of God's Word - Please remember two things when using our studies: #1. Our commentary is not God's Word. It is only our interpretation or understanding of "His Word" and even though we try our best to be accurate we may or may not be correct. #2. The King James translation, or any other translation, of the original Hebrew text has some words which were given different translations at different places probably because of the interpreters preconceived ideas of what they think God meant to say. For example: According to the notes in the "Dake's Annotated Reference Bible" the Hebrew word hayah in the KJV is Trans. (became) 67 times, (becamest or came to pass) 505 times, (become) 66 times, and (come to pass) 131 times, but for some reason in Genesis 1:2 it is translated (was)! That sure changes the way a person perceives the original creation of the earth, doesn't it? Gen. 1:2 And the earth was (became) without form, ... Having said that, let us continue with our "Key Knowledge" lessons. These are pamphlets containing knowledge, we believe, you must have to fully and accurately unlock and understand the Word of God.

John 15:26
But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:

John 16:13-14
[13] Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. [14] He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.

This Bible Study was originally written by Roger Christopherson,
published at http://www.theseason.org/

Without the leading by the Holy Spirit, there is no understanding of the truths, for all the truth of the Scriptures are revealed to us by God's Spirit.

The purpose of the high priest in this flesh age is to take care of the liturgical duties between man and Almighty God. The thought still carries over here from Hebrews 4, that "Jesus Christ is our High Priest". Jesus is the one that stands before the Heavenly Father on our behalf, with sympathy on our behalf for our sorrow and our gilt. Paul is saying here that if we chose a man amongst us as a teacher, or priest, to take care of those divine gifts, this is what kind of a person he (she) should be.

Hebrews 5:2 "Who can have compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way; for that he himself also is compassed with infirmity."

That person must be able to deal gently with those that are out of Christ's way, and this person must realize in his heart that he (she) is a sinner.
All of mankind has weaknesses, whereas our Lord Jesus Christ had none. "Ignorance" of God's Word causes sin, and our instruction when choosing a man to lead over us, is to pick one that has compassion and the ability to teach where the short falling is, and to be able to understand when he has fallen short of God's Word.

Hebrews 5:3 "And by reason hereof he ought, as for the people, so also for himself, to offer for sins."

This preacher must know that he, like those under him, must also repent for his sins.

Hebrews 5:4 "And no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron."

This is directed to those men and women that take up the ministry to wear the cloth of a minister, or priest. Paul is saying that you had better have received the calling before you take up the duties of a minister or teacher. When God calls someone, He gives them gifts; a gift of teaching, or to evangelize, or even the gift of comforting the sick. When you are around a person that is called of God, you will see and feel that gift that God has given him. Not all hirelings, or hired hands of the pulpit have gifts, but many of them do. There is nothing wrong with a pastor receiving a salary, a servant is worthy of his hire, but many treat the pulpit as a way of earning a living and getting their pension and medical plan. Someone that teaches for the money only is a hireling. Jesus spoke of them in John 10:12 & 13.

John 10:12 "But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep."

John 10:13 "The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep."

The "hireling" teaches for the paycheck, and does as he is told by those that are writing his paycheck. The gifted teacher, preacher or priest teaches only what is in or supported by the Word of God, and their love for the Word and their flock. They believe in everything that is in the Word, and have the knowledge and ability to teach it.

Hebrews 5:5 "So also Christ glorified not Himself to be made an High Priest; but He That said unto Him, "Thou are My Son, to day have I begotten Thee."

These men that have become high priests did not have the ability within themselves to become the high priests, nor did Christ call Himself to be our High Priest. It was the Father that chose and begat Jesus Christ, and appointed His Son to be our High Priest. God proclaimed it, and made it come to pass.

Hebrews 5:6 "As He saith also in another place: Thou art a Priest forever after the order of Melchizedek."

Paul is calling our attention to Psalm 110:4 "The Lord hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever After the order of Melchizedek,"

You cannot have a higher priest then Melchizedek [Melchizedek is the Hebrew form of the same word]. "Melchizedek" was not born of woman, but is eternal, He is the king of the just. "Melcha" in the Hebrew tongue means "King", and "Zedek" means "of the Just", as well as "peace". There is only one true "King of the Just" and that is Jesus Christ. The King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. Lets go back and read the entire Psalm 110.

Psalm 110:1 "The Lord said unto my Lord, "Sit Thou at My right hand, Until I make Thine enemies Thy footstool."

Psalm 110:2 "The Lord shall send the rod of Thy strength out of Zion: Rule Thou in the midst of Thine enemies."

Psalm 110:3 "Thy People shall be willing in the day of Thy power, In the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: Thou hast the dew of Thy youth."

Psalm 110:4 "The Lord hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever After the order of Melchizedek,"

Our Heavenly Father is swearing by Himself, and will not change his mind [repent], that this shall happen.

Psalm 110:5 "The Lord at thy right hand Shall strike through kings in the day of His wrath."

"The day of His wrath" is the sounding of the seventh and last trumpet, which is not too far away. Then all kings and kingdoms will be placed under Christ's Rule.

Psalm 110:6 "He shall judge among the heathen, He shall fill the places with the dead bodies;"

Psalm 110:7 "He shall drink of the brook in the way: Therefore shall He lift up the head."

Jesus Christ will lift up His Head and rule over His kingdom with truth and justice, and God shall see that Jesus will always remain our High Priest. Jesus will always be after the order of Melchizedek because He was Melchizedek. It was for this reason that Abraham paid His tithe to Him. Jesus was not chosen by man, but by Almighty God.

Hebrews 5:7 "Who in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto Him That was able to save Him from death, and was heard in that He feared;"

This is to say that in the days that Jesus walked on this earth, and taught the gospel of Christ, and performing miracles, God heard Him because He revered God. Jesus cried with tears, for he was a flesh man, and he cried because of you and because of all of our ancestors that walked this earth and were separated from God. So many men and women hear the truth of God's Word, of their sins, yet they reject the gift of God and go about their own ways.

Jesus Christ's tears, as He knelt in the garden before His crucifixion were not for Himself, but for you and me. Jesus tears were shed that the cup of wrath would pass, and that there could be a different way then the cup of God's wrath being poured out on the entire earth at His return. Jesus loved the people of this world, but He does not love the evil things that are in it.

Hebrews 5:8 "Though He were a Son, yet learned He obedience by the things which He suffered;"

Though Jesus Christ was the very Son of God, and the heir to all things in the universe, yet Jesus learned to be obedient to His Father. Jesus did all His suffering just for you and me and any one that would repent of their sins in Jesus name, and believe on Him. His prayers and tears were just for you. He wept because of the unbelief of those that refused to listen to Him. Jesus was here on earth for a purpose, and that purpose was to die on the cross, as prophesied many times in the Scriptures, but the reason for His tears was for the lack of faith of those that would not believe in Him.

Hebrews 5:9 "And being made perfect, He became the Author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey Him;"

There is a qualifier in this verse as to who eternal salvation is offered to. Salvation is offered to anyone in the world "that obey Him". Today there is this idea that all you have to do is say that you believe and you are saved. Only because you have knowledge, that you would have faith. Faith does come by hearing the Word of God, but Christ's salvation is given to all them that obey Him. Christ is the Word that was made flesh and dwelt amongst us. That Word is what He spoke through the prophets and apostles which is what we are to obey. Obey is to take God's Word and absorb it into our minds, and do what that Word instructs us to do.

I Peter 3:18 "For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the Just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:"

I Peter 3:20 "Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the arch was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water."

Those three days that Christ was in the tomb, He went back to the soul and spirit of those that had died and were in the prison of the souls, awaiting judgment, and many heard and received the preaching. He went back to those souls that could not make it without salvation, and shared this salvation with them. God is the same yesterday, as He is today, and He will be that way forever.

Here again we are told that it was God that called His Son to be the High Priest, after the order of Melchizedek. Christ did not volunteer for the job, but God the Father designated Jesus to be the High Priest.

Hebrews 5:11 "Of Whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing."

Paul is saying that he could tell us many things of the mysteries of God and His universe, but you wouldn't understand. It is hard for me to communicate with you, because you are slow to understanding anything in depth. "Dull" as used here means you are lazy in your effort to understand.

Stop and think for a moment. Anyone that has heard of the promises of God's salvation and many blessings, including the peace of mind that comes from it all, has to be stupid and blind to refuse them. Paul is saying that if you had understood the Word, and listened to His instruction I could have discussed even more with you, but because you are lazy, you have not studied the Word.

Hebrews 5:12 "For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat."

Paul is saying that by this time you ought to be teachers of the Word, but instead you need teachers to teach you again. You haven't gone beyond even the first baby steps in your Christian life, and you are still as a milk sucking baby in your growth. Just like a tiny infant is incapable of taking strong meat, you are incapable of understanding any strong meat of the Word. All you want to do is sit around and have others spoon feed you with the milk of Salvation, and you never get into depth of the understanding of the full plan of God.

What is new, people are no different today then they were in Paul's day, most Christians never want to get any deeper then the milk of salvation, given over and over, salvation and baptism, baptism and salvation, even when every person in that church is saved, and has heard it for decades. That is a milk sucking, diapered congregation of baby Christians that Paul is referring to here. The meat of the Word comes when you start studying and teaching chapter by chapter, and verse by verse for understanding. Using the proper tools, such as Strong's numbered concordance, with a numbered dictionary [Hebrew and Greek] to the concordance.

Hebrews 5:13 "For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe."

Paul is saying that if all you know is salvation and baptism you are unskilled in the Word. Paul is calling you a babe in Christ. You are passing out pabulum to the congregation, rather then the true communion of Christ, which is the Word of God.

Christ was tempted one on one by Satan in the wilderness, and Satan will be here on earth shortly facing each of us. Salvation and baptism are precious, but for your sake as a Christian get off it and into the Scripture or you will be in no shape mentally nor spiritually to stand in SATAN'S day of testing. We are living in critical times which demand that we put on the whole armor of God to withstand against all the fiery darts of Satan. That battle with Satan, when he comes as the Antichrist, will take place in our minds, and it will be fought with words, and ideas that come right out of the Word of God. Satan is a master in God's Word, in knowing how to twist that Word and make a lie out of the truth. That is why it becomes essential for our generation to know the meat of God's Word, the full plan of God, that we will not be deceived when Satan comes.

You must know why you were converted, for Satan distorted Scriptures to the face of Christ, and he is going to do it to you also. So many today are so unskilled in the Word that if someone quotes something to them, they don't know if it is what the Bible really says; If it is true or not. Satan quoted scripture to Christ, but in each case he either left a word out or added a word to make what he said a complete lie. Today there is probably not one in ten thousand that call themselves Christians, that could tell you how Satan misquoted the scripture in Matthew 4.

Hebrews 5:14 "But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil."

The strong meat of the Word, of God's full plan is for them that are mature in God's Word. Babies are cute, and loveable, but it is a tragedy when a person stays at the mentality of a child all his life. There is no trust in them, nor is their stability. You will be considered strange when you become forty or fifty years old, and still wearing diapers, and sucking on a bottle of spiritual milk. That is exactly as a Christian is who has not risen above salvation and baptism, when they claim to be a Christian for many years.

The full meat of the Word is for those Christians that are using their gray matter, the common sense that God has given them. The are using "their senses exercised to discern both good and evil". That means that they are in the Word, and studying it for the exact meaning of what God is saying to them. That is how you come to full age in the Word as a Christian, and come to the point whereby you can discern between good and evil. What is of God, and what is not of God, but of the devil.

Today the lie that is peddled is that you don't have to know the full word of God, because you will not be here when Satan the Antichrist comes. So they sit back and allow themselves to become nothing but one of these bottle-sucking, diapered Christians that knows absolutely nothing of the plan of God, nor the sign of the times that they are living in.

Most of the Church houses are teaching only one thing, "rapture", and it isn't even in the Word of God.

Their people aren't even aware that there are two Messiah's coming, and that the first is Satan. They have no idea of what to look for before the coming of each. They have turned themselves over to traditions, and left themselves completely open to the deceptions and false doctrine that is filling the church houses today.

They never will come to full age in the churches today, because they are not teaching the Word of God in the churches. They believe that you cannot hold a congregation by teaching the Word of God, when in fact the reason that people are jumping from church to church is that the Word of God is not taught in hardly any of them. My fellow Christian, it is time to sharpen your senses so that you can discern the Word of God when it is taught, and about the only way to do that today, is to study it for yourself.

To study the Bible is the noblest of all pursuits; to understand it, the highest of all goals. We pray that with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, you accomplish both.

doctrine of many of our Christian churches, (The Man on a White Horse)
political direction of our country, (The Man on a Red Horse)
economic direction our country has taken, (The Man on a Black Horse)
and teaching of our schools and media, (The Man on a Pale Horse)

The Four Hidden Dynasties of the New World Order Revelation 6:1-8
"The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse"
Did you know all four are being ridden by Satan?