Chp.32 - The Truth Falls On Deaf Ears

"And when I had ceased, Trypho said, “These and such like Scriptures, sir, compel us to wait for Him who, as Son of man, receives from the Ancient of days the everlasting kingdom. But this so-called Christ of yours was dishonourable and inglorious, so much so that the last curse contained in the law of God fell on him, for he was crucified.”" Justin Martyr. (1885). Dialogue of Justin with Trypho, a Jew. In A. Roberts, J. Donaldson, & A. C. Coxe (Eds.), The Apostolic Fathers with Justin Martyr and Irenaeus (Vol. 1, p. 210). Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Company. Trypho's theology believes that the Ancient of days is the Father because, as a Jew, he doesn't have a Trinitarian theology; and therefore has twisted the old texts to make his presumption reasonable to his imaginations of God. Even the Jews had to battle with textual criticisms in Trypho's and the previous generations. Jesus himself had to give an apologetic regarding the trustworthiness of the Scriptures (Matt.5:18;Lk.16:17). What he means by this, is that as languages change and progress, the understanding of the original (the authorship of the Holy Spirit) intent will not be forsaken. God will always have his faithful Word preserved in the first order of creation until both advents of the Christ are fulfilled. After these we behold the living Word, face to face, and will have no need of a written word, for heaven and hell will be fully realized in the new creation in the minds of all souls under the Triune Power.

Daniel 7:13 (LHB) 13 חָזֵ֤ה הֲוֵית֙ בְּחֶזְוֵ֣י לֵֽילְיָ֔א וַאֲרוּ֙ עִם־עֲנָנֵ֣י שְׁמַיָּ֔א כְּבַ֥ר אֱנָ֖שׁ אָתֵ֣ה הֲוָ֑ה וְעַד־עַתִּ֤יק יֽוֹמַיָּא֙ מְטָ֔ה וּקְדָמ֖וֹהִי הַקְרְבֽוּהִי׃ It continued to be made known to me by the revelations of the night watch, lo and beholding together with the clouds of the heavenlies, like a son of man he comes as the Ancient of days, until that which precedes him is brought under his reign. (MAST) . . . with the clouds of the heavenlies, The Greek translation uses heaven in the singular while the Aramaic and Hebrew use it in the plural. It was most likely reduced down to "the clouds of heaven" because it was commonly understood by all to include all the souls of resurrected saints coming with Christ in judgment through his second advent. These all come "with him" in the appearance of men but in the glorified condition. Therefore these are heavenly bodies who rule in Christ's perfect power. This is not referring to fleshly men of corruption, for these are those rulers who precede him and will be made subject to him. This reign, however, will be an "incorruptible" reign. For Daniel, it is as though this vision is a live event before his very eyes, like he is seeing himself participating in this event as a first hand eyewitness. Trypho would have been able to understand this best, reasoning from the Hebrew/Aramaic Scriptures. But notice that Trypho also accepts "such like Scriptures" in reference to the Septuagint. The Septuagint was an acceptable translation of the original Hebrew and Aramaic texts into Greek. But it is in the Hebrew/Aramaic that Trypho understands the Son to come in glory; and he is correct, but to the neglect of other texts that teach the Christ is to come and suffer for mankind. In Trypho's legalistic theology of the law, he sees Jesus as an insane idolater who was cursed by God according to the law as a sinner, but only because Trypho, and his teachers of the law, viewed the law as the means of salvation. In other words, they were not looking for the Christ to save them from sin, but from the miseries of this life. So in the blindness of their own idolatry, they view Christ cursed by God; but the irony of this theology is absolutely correct. However, it is only correct in that Christ became a curse in obedience to the law, only to remove the law's curse from those who believe in his name (Gal.3:10-14), so that he should be viewed the only Son of the living God, as Peter viewed him rightly (Jn.6:68-69;Matt.16:12-17). He had to die as a sinless man for sinners and to bear the sign of divinity in the resurrection from the dead, in order to testify of this nature. And he did! But this resurrection is suppressed by the unrighteousness of the Jews' commitment to their idolatrous view of the law of God. John 5:37–47 (NKJV) 37 And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form. 38 But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe. 39 You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. 40 But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life. 41 “I do not receive honor from men. 42 But I know you, that you do not have the love of God in you. 43 I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive. 44 How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God? 45 Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father; there is one who accuses you—Moses, in whom you trust. 46 For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me. 47 But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?” Therefore Justin brings again to Trypho's attention what Isaiah prophesied concerning the first advent: "Then I replied to him, “If, sirs, it were not said by the Scriptures which I have already quoted, that His form was inglorious, and His generation not declared, and that for His death the rich would suffer death, and with His stripes we should be healed, and that He would be led away like a sheep; and if I had not explained that there would be two advents of His,—one in which He was pierced by you; a second, when you shall know Him whom you have pierced, and your tribes shall mourn, each tribe by itself, the women apart, and the men apart,—then I must have been speaking dubious and obscure things. But now, by means of the contents of those Scriptures esteemed holy and prophetic amongst you, I attempt to prove all [that I have adduced], in the hope that some one of you may be found to be of that remnant which has been left by the grace of the Lord of Sabaoth for the eternal salvation." Justin Martyr. (1885). Dialogue of Justin with Trypho, a Jew. In A. Roberts, J. Donaldson, & A. C. Coxe (Eds.), The Apostolic Fathers with Justin Martyr and Irenaeus (Vol. 1, p. 210). Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Company.

The positive note was that Justin has some ground upon which to stand, to give Trypho the true hope, which was that Trypho believes in the authority of the Scriptures, and that his reasoning, though not solid, is based upon them. Justin and Trypho are about to embark on a course of hermeneutics to establish the true authority. But first lets return to Daniel's text to see how this vision had come to him of the second advent. It continued to be made known to me by the revelations of the night watch, . . . It is often confused that these revelations come by surprise in the form of dreams or visions, but this is the furthest thing from the truth. Daniel in customary fashion would seek the Lord in prayer and study of the written Word. These revelations came to him through hard work in how to discern his generation in the captivity of his people. He was seeking the Lord for intercession and looking for the objective wisdom "from above" that would restore Israel to pure fellowship with God. But these came through many sleepless nights pouring his heart out to God for answers. In other words, these were not happenstance visions but comfort in the weariness of his pursuit to know God and bring restoration to the true worship of God in Israel. It is also given in the understanding of the current events unfolding unto the world scene. By looking back he is given a hope for the future. The Hebrew verb hazeh in conjunction with the noun hezwe means to be made sleepless by the customary study of the "outer perspective" of God (Ecc.12:9-14). The answer comes to him (like a trance) in the weariness of his flesh through study and the restless meditations and applications of his prayer life. In other words, in his weakest moment, God reveals to him the future of Israel. He sees the Lord, high and lifted up, with all the saints before him, coming in victory over the enemies of the Truth. Daniel's britches are on fire, but it's not because he is a liar. He is in the hot seat to provide answers for his people while the world around them is crumbling to the Medes and Persians. This, Trypho would agree with, but he fails to understand this victory is accomplished through the sufferings of a real man. Christ not only must come like a man but as a man. He must take on real flesh and real blood to fulfill the law. Matthew 26:26–29 (NKJV) 26 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.” 27 Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. 28 For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. 29 But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.”

But Trypho's understanding comes through the external law and would have been nonsense to him to eat flesh and blood: Leviticus 17:11 (NKJV) 11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.’ Numbers 18:17 (NKJV) 17 But the firstborn of a cow, the firstborn of a sheep, or the firstborn of a goat you shall not redeem; they are holy. You shall sprinkle their blood on the altar, and burn their fat as an offering made by fire for a sweet aroma to the Lord. Hebrews 10:1–18 (NKJV) 1 For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect. 2 For then would they not have ceased to be offered? For the worshipers, once purified, would have had no more consciousness of sins. 3 But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. 4 For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins. 5 Therefore, when He came into the world, He said: “Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, But a body You have prepared for Me. 6 In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You had no pleasure. 7 Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come— In the volume of the book it is written of Me— To do Your will, O God.’ ” 8 Previously saying, “Sacrifice and offering, burnt offerings, and offerings for sin You did not desire, nor had pleasure in them” (which are offered according to the law), 9 then He said, “Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God.” He takes away the first that He may establish the second. 10 By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. 11 And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, 13 from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool. 14 For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified. 15 But the Holy Spirit also witnesses to us; for after He had said before, 16 “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them,” 17 then He adds, “Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.” 18 Now where there is remission of these, there is no longer an offering for sin. So, therefore, Trypho could not make one and one equal two. God never intended for Israel's worship to remain in the external nature of the law, so they were to look for the day of the Lord's visitation. These elementary things do not possess the power to make a man in the image of God (Heb.10:1). They are merely the shadow, held in darkness facing the rear end of God, not the face of the true image and power of the Lord's forgiveness (Heb.10:4;Ex.33:18-23). As a woman's glory is to have long hair to cover the shame of her backside, the shadow of the cross was to cover Israel's shame until the day of her marriage to the Lord's face in glory (Rom.7).

So the Father prepared a literal body of flesh and of blood for the incarnation of his beloved Son (Heb.10:5). In the fulfillment of "this body" God took away those offerings which were according to the law that gave him no pleasure. The desire of the Father was for the glory of the Ancient of days (Col.1:13), his own beloved, who Justin quotes of David, saying: "In order, therefore, that the matter inquired into may be plainer to you, I will mention to you other words also spoken by the blessed David, from which you will perceive that the Lord is called the Christ by the Holy Spirit of prophecy; and that the Lord, the Father of all, has brought Him again from the earth, setting Him at His own right hand, until He makes His enemies His footstool; which indeed happens from the time that our Lord Jesus Christ ascended to heaven, after He rose again from the dead, the times now running on to their consummation; and he whom Daniel foretells would have dominion for a time, and times, and an half, is even already at the door, about to speak blasphemous and daring things against the Most High. But you, being ignorant of how long he will have dominion, hold another opinion. For you interpret the ‘time’ as being a hundred years. But if this is so, the man of sin must, at the shortest, reign three hundred and fifty years, in order that we may compute that which is said by the holy Daniel—‘and times’—to be two times only. All this I have said to you in digression, in order that you at length may be persuaded of what has been declared against you by God, that you are foolish sons; and of this, ‘Therefore, behold, I will proceed to take away this people, and shall take them away; and I will strip the wise of their wisdom, and will hide the understanding of their prudent men;’3 and may cease to deceive yourselves and those who hear you, and may learn of us, who have been taught wisdom by the grace of Christ. The words, then, which were spoken by David, are these:4 ‘The Lord said unto My Lord, Sit Thou at My right hand, until I make Thine enemies Thy footstool. Justin Martyr. (1885). Dialogue of Justin with Trypho, a Jew. In A. Roberts, J. Donaldson, & A. C. Coxe (Eds.), The Apostolic Fathers with Justin Martyr and Irenaeus (Vol. 1, p. 210). Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Company.

Justin quoting David, makes the case that Jesus Christ is the Lord of David; by which this is also an authoritative Old Testament reference to the Triune personhood of God. First, David, being a lord himself, filled with the very nature of God (the Holy Spirit), speaks of the Father giving equal authority to David's Lord, by manner of the same name and title. This would be considered blasphemy apart from a Triune theology, for to have "another" Lord would be a violation of the Exodus commandment (Ex.20:3). Together equally, each person is the same Lord and God (Yahweh Adoni). This is the glory that is to be revealed in the second advent when Israel looks upon whom they pierced and behold his face! But this body (of death) is to be transfigured a glorified body that has been resurrected from the dead, and those who call upon his name, also will receive a new (heavenly) body. This was the glory that Israel was to seek, but it comes "exclusively" through the death of this one man who Trypho observes as "dishonorable and inglorious" and a sinner. This then lays down for us the importance of hermeneutics to establish God's authority. Trypho rightly believes that the Christ will receive a kingdom from the Father, but again identifies the Father as the Ancient of days, who Daniel identifies as the Son, the Father's beloved. This is simply an error of hermeneutics. Therefore in order to correct Trypho's theological imaginations Justin shows him the Scriptures:

The words, then, which were spoken by David, are these:4 ‘The Lord said unto My Lord, Sit Thou at My right hand, until I make Thine enemies Thy footstool. The Lord shall send the rod of Thy strength out of Sion: rule Thou also in the midst of Thine enemies. With Thee shall be, in the day, the chief of Thy power, in the beauties of Thy saints. From the womb, before the morning star, have I begotten Thee. The Lord hath sworn, and will not repent: Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek. The Lord is at Thy right hand: He has crushed kings in the day of His wrath: He shall judge among the heathen, He shall fill [with] the dead bodies.5 He shall drink of the brook in the way; therefore shall He lift up the head.’" Justin Martyr. (1885). Dialogue of Justin with Trypho, a Jew. In A. Roberts, J. Donaldson, & A. C. Coxe (Eds.), The Apostolic Fathers with Justin Martyr and Irenaeus (Vol. 1, p. 210). Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Company. Justin labors to show all this to say that because of their spiritual imaginations of superiority over the nations, God has hidden interpretations and given them to other nations that they may learn and be rebuked in their pride. And because of this, judgment is at the door! But they are to lift up their heads to the one who has the power to save!