Hidden (Krypto) Treasures

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Tag: INRI

A king’s dream (of an everlasting kingdom)

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On January 22, 2013

In Christian

In addition to my mother, Dr. Iris Paul’s birthday (Happy Birthday Amma), on January 21st, 2013, we celebrated MLK day, celebrating the birth of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who is well known for his fight against racial discrimination and his famous “I have a dream” speech. In that speech, Dr. King, Jr. expressed his dream of seeing America one day without any discrimination on the basis of race.

The Bible records in Daniel 2:31-45 , the dream of another king, king Nebuchadnezzar, the ruler over Babylon, and this was his dream –
He saw standing before him a huge, shining statue of a man, which was a frightening sight. The head of the statue was made of fine gold. Its chest and arms were silver, its belly and thighs were bronze, its legs were iron, and its feet were a combination of iron and baked clay. As he watched, a rock was cut from a mountain, but not by human hands struck the feet of iron and clay, smashing them to bits. The whole statue was crushed into small pieces of iron, clay, bronze, silver, and gold. Then the wind blew them away without a trace, like chaff on a threshing floor. But the rock that knocked the statue down became a great mountain that covered the whole earth.

God’s servant, Daniel interprets this dream as the events that are and that are to come saying “The great God was showing the king what will happen in the future. The dream is true, and its meaning is trustworthy (certain)”.

King Nebuchadnezzar is the head of gold and prophet Jeremiah calls Babylon, a gold cup in the Lord’s hand (Jeremiah 51:7). But after his kingdom comes to an end, another kingdom (Medo-Persian led by Darius the Mede and Cyrus the Persian), inferior to his, will rise to take his place. After that kingdom has fallen, yet a third kingdom (Grecian lead by Alexander the Great), represented by bronze, will rise to rule the world. Following that kingdom, there will be a fourth one (Roman empire), as strong as iron. That kingdom will smash and crush all previous empires, just as iron smashes and crushes everything it strikes. The feet and toes you saw were a combination of iron and baked clay, showing that this kingdom will be divided. Like iron mixed with clay, it will have some of the strength of iron. But while some parts of it will be as strong as iron, other parts will be as weak as clay. This mixture of iron and clay also shows that these kingdoms will try to strengthen themselves by forming alliances with each other through intermarriage. But they will not hold together, just as iron and clay do not mix. During the reigns of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom (Jesus’ kingdom, for he was God’s Only begotten Son, not fashioned by the hands of any man) that will never be destroyed or conquered. Jesus’ kingdom will crush all these kingdoms into nothingness, and it will stand forever. That is the meaning of the rock (Jesus the Rock of our Salvation) cut from the mountain (Mount Golgotha/Calvary), though not by human hands, that crushed to pieces the statue of iron, bronze, clay, silver, and gold.

When Jesus was born, it was asked of him “Where is he, who is born THE KING (of the Jews)?” (Matthew 2:2) When Jesus was killed, it was inscribed in the titulus placed over his head, on the Cross, the inscription “This is Jesus THE KING (of the Jews)” (Matthew 27:37). And when you believe in Jesus, there is no Jew or Gentile discrimination, for we all become the children of God (Galatians 3:28) and he is the Sovereign King over all. His kingdom is indestructible and indomitable, one without end, ever expanding to cover the whole earth and every knee will bow and every tongue will confess, that Jesus Christ is Lord (Romans 14:11; Philippians 2:11)

Points to ponder:
Only those who have trusted in Jesus and have been born again by the Spirit of God belong to the indestructible, indomitable, never-ending, non-discriminating Kingdom of God? (John 3:1-18). Do you belong to the kingdom of Jesus Christ? The kingdom of God is at hand: repent and believe the gospel (Mark 1:15).

Galatians 3:26-28 (KJV)
26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

Revelation 11:15 (KJV)
15 And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.

Mark 1:15 (KJV)
15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.

Daniel 2:44 (KJV)
44 And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.

Professional Speaking :: Jesus The King (of kings)

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On August 17, 2012

In Christian, Professional Speaking

A monarchy is a form of government in which a single person has sovereign authority and undivided rule over a nation or state. The head of a monarchy is a monarch and a male monarch is conferred the title of a king. The last song in the album, “We cry out: Worship project” by Jeremy Camp is a powerful song entitled “King Jesus”. So is Jesus The King?

It is interesting to note that in the birth of Jesus, he was referred to as a king when the wise men from the east asked, “Where is he [Jesus], who is born, KING of the Jews?” (Matthew 2:2). Also in his death, the inscription in Latin above his head, on the Cross, read INRI which stands for IESVS NAZARENVS REX IVDAEORVM, which means Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews (John 19:19). In his life and in his death, Jesus is King, but because he willingly offered to lay down his life for the Salvation of mankind,  God the Father, conferred on him a name above all names; a title of the KING OF KINGS AND THE LORD OF LORDS  which is written on his thigh (Revelation 19:16), and to this KING of kings, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess, that He [Jesus] is LORD.  Jesus is The King (of kings).

Points to ponder:
A king has sovereign authority and undivided rule over his kingdom and if you and I are part of God’s kingdom, have we allowed Jesus to have Sovereign authority and undivided rule over our lives? In the presence of a King, the best posture for us to be in, is on our knees, confessing that He is Lord. Are/Am you/I before Jesus, The King.

Revelation 19:16 (KJV)
16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.

Revelation 17:14 (KJV)
14 These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.

King Tutankhamun vs. King Jesus Christ

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On December 28, 2011

In Become a Child, Christian, Egypt Enlightenments, Reuben

During our visit to the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, Egypt, we spent hours looking at the ancient Pharonic antiquities and artifacts on display. One section of the museum is dedicated to housing the varied treasures of the boy king Tutankhamun aka king Tut. King Tut’s artifacts came from his tomb and included over 3500 treasures and affluent items that he supposedly used throughout his life. These artifacts ranged in items made of gold, silver, precious gems, calcite, alabaster, etc., such as golden perfume bottles and amulets, the Wadjet or eye of Horus, canonic chests and shrine, statue of an one horned Oryx, golden scarab necklace, golden buckle depicting a chariot drawn by horses, the gilded throne and statutes, including life-size statues (1 meter 73 cm) of King Tut. Additionally, two of the three sarcophagi in which king Tut was laid to rest as a mummy are on display, with the third outermost (not on display), made of complete gold and weighing 450 kilograms (over 990 pounds), resting today in the Valley of the Kings housing his mummy still. But the highlight of the museum (a must see to all who visit) is king Tut’s funerary mask, which was found placed over the mummified head of the king. It is made of gold and inlaid with precious stones (lapis lazuli, turquoise, and carnelian), weighing 11 kilograms (nearly 25 pounds) and is believed to represent what the king really look like. Suffice it to say, that the king certainly lived an extremely affluent life and an inscription on his tomb door declares the king had “spent his life in fashioning the images of the gods”.

After being flabbergasted by such opulence, my loving wife Sangeetha in levity remarked, “This king must have been a brat (given he was only about 19 when he died), for who in life (or death) really needs such luxuries. Such wealth seems to indicate that the king had subjects who served him and a good king is one who serves his subjects, not the other way round!” To this our beloved five year old son, Reuben questioned, “We must be nice to him, because he is a king, correct?” seeking my support.

Later on, as I pondered over this conversation, it struck me that I personally know of another king, The KING, King Jesus Christ, who in his birth and death was affirmed of his kingship. In his birth, the question was “Where is he who is born THE KING of the Jews?” (Matthew 2:2) and even in his death, a promulgation with an inscription on the Titulus, placed over of his head, on the Cross affirmed, that Jesus is King, King of the Jews as it read IESVS·NAZARENVS·REX·IVDÆORVM meaning Jesus of Nazareth King of the Jews. (Mathew 27:37; Mark 15:26; Luke 23:38; John 19:19). But unlike king Tut, King Jesus Christ, gave up the riches of his glory (Philippians 4:19) to spend his life fashioning the image of his creation, and took the form of a servant in the likeness of man, making himself of no reputation (Philippians 2:6-8). Not only that, King Jesus Christ expressed that as a king, he had not come to be served, but to serve (Matthew 20:28) and give his life as a ransom for many, and that my dear friends, makes not only a good King, but a GREAT King. Jesus Christ is the King of kings and the Lord of lords (Revelation 19:16) and I will leave you to ponder on the same question that our son asked, “We must be nice to him (Jesus), because he is a KING, correct?”

Philippians 2:5-11 (KJV)
5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Matthew 20:28 (NKJV)
28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” 

Revelation 19:16 (KJV)
16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. 

The Name is Jesus, Jesus of Nazareth

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On July 17, 2009

In Christian, The Name

Many know the name Jesus. Some think that He was just a good man. Others think He is a Christian God. Christians and His followers pray to Jesus and they pray in the name of Jesus. But did you stop for a moment to see how much there is to this Name.  Let’s just take some time to ponder over the depth of God’s wisdom behind that Name.

The Almighty and Eternal God for whom any name would be an understatement of his character and abilities had to choose a name for Himself when He had to arrive on earth. The uncontainable God in divine wisdom chose the name to be Jesus, which meant Savior for He shall save His people from their sins (Matthew 1:21).

Jesus means Savior, but isn’t it interesting that when the wise men (Magi) sought Jesus upon his birth, they did not seek Him as Savior, rather they sought Him as the King of the Jews. They went and asked Herod, the then reigning king, the following question – Where is he that is born the King of the Jews (REX IVDAEORVM) not where is he that is born the Savior (Jesus) as recorded in Matthew 2:2.

Herod was troubled by this request and feeling threatened by a babe in a manger, orders the slaughter of all children, two years and under, but God in divine intervention warns Joseph, the earthly father of Jesus to leave Bethlehem (where Jesus was born), and go to Egypt. Herod eventually dies and the angel of God appears to Joseph, and says that he can return to Israel, but Joseph fearing to return, since Archelaus, the son of Herod was the reigning king, moves into Nazareth. Interesting, isn’t it to note that when Jesus was called the Holy One of God by the unclean spirits in a man, they specifically address Him by saying, I know who you are, Jesus of Nazareth (IESVS NAZARENVS) (Mark 1:24).

When Jesus fulfilled the will of God and accomplished the work of being the Savior (saving His people from their sins) by suffering and enduring the shame of the Cross, He lived up to His Name. Even in the death of Jesus, His Name stood out literally. An inscription in 3 languages was placed on the cross which in Latin (the then official Roman language) read, INRI. INRI  stood for IESVS NAZARENVS REX IVDAEORVM. (John 19:19) Fascinating, absolutely fascinating, this inscription (or) title meant, Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews. Jesus (what He was to be called, meaning Savior) of Nazareth (what He was identified as), King of the Jews (what He was sought as and branded in His death)

The Name is Jesus, Jesus of Nazareth but what is even more poignant is that God who had contained Himself in that Name now has been bestowed a Name that is above ALL NAMES. Incredible, absolutely incredible is the depth of God’s wisdom. The King of kings was born as the King of the Jews and the name given to Him is Jesus, Jesus of Nazareth. Next time you say the name, Jesus, I beseech you to ponder over how Saving and Kingly that Name is. I sure will.

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