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Tuesday, 9 December 2025

The Divine Case

 How Revelation responds to Psalm 82, Daniel 7, and Deuteronomy 32 — a theological synthesis

These four texts form a tight conversation across scriptures. Below is a clear, step-by-step synthesis: (1) what each older text asserts or leaves open, (2) how Revelation takes up those themes and settles the question, and (3) theological implications for Christology, worship, and cosmic order.


1) What the three older texts present (the problem they pose)

Psalm 82 — the divine council and divine judges

  • Scene: “God has taken his place in the divine council; in the midst of the gods he holds judgment” (Ps 82:1).
  • Content: Some “gods” (אֱלֹהִים) — often read as divine beings or rulers—are charged with injustice; they are judged and told they will die like mortals (82:6–7).
  • Tension left open: If lesser “gods” exist, who really rules? Who gets true worship? Psalm 82 calls Yahweh the supreme judge among a populated heaven but does not finally extinguish the ontological status of those beings.

Daniel 7 — cosmic court and the Son of Man

  • Scene: Vision of four beasts, the Ancient of Days on a throne, and “one like a son of man” who receives dominion (Dan 7:9–14).
  • Content: The Son of Man is presented to the Ancient of Days and given everlasting kingdom and worship. The vision portrays an exalted human figure who joins the divine court and inherits universal rule.
  • Tension left open: Is the Son of Man an angelic figure, a heavenly representative, a human messianic figure, or something more? The vision anticipates enthronement but leaves room for interpretation.

Deuteronomy 32 — the nations and divine allotment

  • Scene: Divine song describing how God apportioned the nations: “When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance, when he divided mankind, he fixed the boundaries of the peoples according to the number of the sons of God” (Deut 32:8–9 in some textual traditions).
  • Content: A cosmic ordering in which Yahweh is supreme and other heavenly figures have role/responsibility in the nations.
  • Tension left open: How absolute is Yahweh’s kingship over these other agents? Are they independent gods or subordinate administrators?

Net of the three: Scripture consistently shows a populated heavenly realm and a supreme Yahweh, but the precise relation between Yahweh, other divine agents, and a promised exalted figure (Messiah/Son of Man) is not exhaustively spelled out. The canonical drama leaves “the case” open: Who receives ultimate worship? Who governs the cosmos? What happens to rebellious powers?


2) How Revelation takes up and closes the case

Revelation functions like a theological exegesis and eschatological climax. It brings the motifs above to their consummation.

A. Revelation’s throne-vision completes Psalm 82’s courtroom drama

  • Rev 4–5 portrays God enthroned and surrounded by a court (four living creatures, twenty-four elders) — a vivid divine assembly reminiscent of a council scene.
  • Crucial move: the heavenly assembly recognizes the Lamb (Rev 5). The one “worthy” opens the sealed scroll and receives universal worship and authority (5:12–14; cf. Ps 82’s courtroom but now with the one legitimately worthy).
  • Result: Where Psalm 82 judges lesser gods and leaves questions, Revelation shows a flowing liturgy: godlike beings exist (angels, elders), but only the Lamb and the One on the throne receive worship and execute final judgment. Lesser powers are subjected and judged; they do not share ultimate sovereignty.

B. Revelation explicitly identifies and enthrones the Son of Man

  • Daniel’s “one like a son of man” is fulfilled in Revelation’s enthroned Lamb and risen/ascended Lord (see Rev 1:13–18 imagery echoing Daniel; Rev 5:6–14 enthronement and worship).
  • The Lamb exercises eschatological authority: He executes judgment, defeats cosmic enemies (Rev 12, 19–20), and reigns with the Father (Rev 21–22).
  • Result: The ambiguous “Son of Man” becomes the decisive agent of God’s victory and receives the rule Daniel anticipates.

C. Revelation resolves the Deuteronomic ordering of nations

  • Revelation shows cosmic ordering restored: the nations that opposed God are judged, Babylon (the anti-city) falls, and the New Jerusalem — God’s rule — is established with the nations coming into proper relationship (Rev 21–22).
  • The “dividing” and governance of nations is no longer a pendulum among lesser gods; it culminates in the Father and the Lamb’s shared reign (Rev 22:1–3 — river of life, throne where God’s servants serve him).
  • Result: Any delegated or intermediate governance is finalized under the direct rule of the God-Lamb covenant.

D. Defeat and finality of rebellious powers

  • Satan, the beast, false prophet, and cosmic adversaries are unambiguously defeated and consigned to the lake of fire (Rev 20:10–15).
  • Revelation thereby eliminates rival claims to divine authority; theologies that posited competing gods are met with eschatological negation.


3) The theological moves — how Revelation answers each question

  1. Who deserves worship?
    • Psalm 82 poses the question.
    • Revelation answers: worship is due to the One on the throne and the Lamb alone (Rev 4–5; elders and angels worship but do not receive worship). Worship distinguishes Creator and Redeemer from created powers.
  2. Who rules?
    • Daniel 7 anticipates a Son of Man who receives dominion.
    • Revelation identifies Jesus as that Son of Man who rules eternally (Rev 5; 11:15; 19:11–16).
  3. What happens to lesser divine or heavenly agents?
    • Deut 32 suggests delegated roles.
    • Revelation shows those roles consummated or judged: they are subordinate, and any rebellion is executed. The cosmic order is not abolished but definitively realigned under Father and Lamb.
  4. Is there polytheism after all?
    • Scripture acknowledges many spiritual beings, but Revelation makes final the biblical monotheistic claim of one sovereignty — not by denying other beings’ existence, but by making them wholly subordinate and by directing ultimate allegiance to Father and Son.


4) Christological and soteriological implications

  • Christ as the eschatological Lord: The Lamb is the rightful executor of covenantal judgment and mercy. Daniel’s enthronement becomes Jesus’ reality.
  • Worship and doxology: Worship is the test of theological truth — who you worship declares who you believe is God. Revelation’s liturgies teach a rightful worship of both God and the Lamb.
  • Cosmic restoration: Salvation is not merely individual rescue; it is cosmic reordering: nations, angels, demonic powers, and creation itself are restored and judged under the Lamb’s reign.
  • Pastoral assurance: For believers facing spiritual intimidation (powers, principalities), Revelation says: these exist but their defeat is definitive in Christ.

AI and Stephen D Green 

Monday, 8 December 2025

The Light

 When we read the Bible today, it’s easy to imagine that the spiritual world it describes is simple—just one God and nothing else. But the world Jesus walked in was far richer, far more vivid than we often realize. There were angels, rebellious spirits, a real Satan, a divine council, and a coming Messiah who would be exalted above all. These elements were part of the spiritual landscape Jesus knew intimately.


Jesus came into a world full of light and shadow—and He is the true light of God. He came not into a world of fantasy, but into a real spiritual world, where power, danger, and glory coexisted. Let’s see that light clearly. Let’s explore the world Jesus and the apostles knew, how they originally understood God and His heavenly realm, and how later Christianity actually modified how we think of the faith today. Most importantly, we will see how the original faith in Jesus given to the apostles can bring us into the light today. Scholars call this the Second Temple worldview. 


Let’s start with Scripture. Deuteronomy 6:4 says:
“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.”

God is one. But that doesn’t mean He is alone. The Hebrew Scriptures also speak of many heavenly beings: angels, “sons of God,” “holy ones,” even “gods” who serve under Him. Psalm 82 says:
“God has taken his place in the divine council; in the midst of the gods he holds judgment… ‘I said, You are gods, sons of the Most High.’”

This pattern goes all the way back to the Exodus account, central to the light on which the faith was built. In Egypt, the priests of Pharaoh invoked their gods to challenge the God of Abraham and Moses. Some of them were even partially successful—they could reproduce some of the plagues God sent. But eventually God’s plagues outdid theirs, showing He is greater than all these other gods. The Israelites saw that these other gods have some real power, but God is King over all of them.


In Job 1:6, we read about the “sons of God” presenting themselves before the LORD—and Satan is there too.

The point is clear: The world Jesus knew is a spiritual world full of beings, real and active. God reigns supreme, but His heavenly realm is populated. Jesus’ light shines into a very real spiritual world, not a fantasy.


Some people today question whether Satan exists, but Jesus did not. Luke 10:18 recounts Him saying, 
“I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.” And in John 8:44, He calls him “the father of lies.” Jesus confronted demons personally. In Luke 4, we read of a man possessed by an unclean spirit crying out, “Have you come to destroy us?” Jesus commanded the spirit to leave, demonstrating His authority and the power of God active in the world.


The light of Jesus Christ came into a world where gods are real—some heavenly and some earthly—and the evil one is real. To believe in Jesus is to believe that He conquers the darkness around us. It is to believe that He is the light sent by God Himself: sent by the one God in whom no darkness exists.


Ancient writings preserved before Jesus’ time, like 1 Enoch, offer a window into the world of heavenly powers. They describe angels, rebellious spirits, and a pre-existent heavenly Son of Man. In 1 Enoch 48, we read: 
“In that hour, the Son of Man was named before the Lord of Spirits… All who dwell on earth shall fall down and worship before him.”

Jesus identified as the Son of Man, as this figure—the one God sends, exalted above all, bringing the true light into the world. He is the fulfillment of what the faithful had long awaited.


When the religious leaders accused Him of blasphemy, Jesus quoted Psalm 82 in John 10:34–36: 
“Is it not written in your Law, ‘I said, you are gods’? …how much more the one sanctified and sent by the Father?” Here, Jesus places Himself within the heavenly council, yet in a unique way—glorified and sent by the Father. He participates in the worldly powers and in the powers of the spiritual world, but He is appointed to reign above all of these powers. He is the light that no darkness can overcome.


The apostles did not speak in the philosophical language of later centuries. Paul, in 1 Corinthians 8:4–6, summarizes the pattern: 
“There is no God but one… yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things… and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things.”

The apostolic understanding was simple yet profound: One God—the Father, and One Lord—the Son. This fits perfectly within the Second Temple worldview: one God, many heavenly beings under Him, and an exalted Lord.


After the Temple fell in AD 70, Judaism became more rigid, rejecting ideas like a second heavenly figure beside God or a divine Messiah. Early Christians faced a question: how could Jesus be worshiped without being considered “another God”?

This led to centuries of theological development: modalism, early distinctions between Jesus and the Father, the Arian controversy, the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD, and the eventual formulation of the Trinity in the 4th and 5th centuries. These debates show how the church varied in understanding the light of Jesus in a changing world.


So here is the good news: Jesus is the light! He came into a world full of power, danger, and glory. Believing in Him today means trusting the one God, the Father, and believing this Father sent Jesus as the light of the world, then holding to the teachings he revealed to his apostles, as the New Testament records; it means honouring the exalted Son who is made Lord over all by God when He raised Jesus His Son from the dead; and then being led by the Holy Spirit’s power in our own lives, the Holy Spirit given by God to those who believe. Yes, doctrines are now different from those believed by the earliest disciples, so we need to dig down and find “the faith once delivered to the saints”: That Jesus Christ is the light sent into the world by the One God, the Father, and it is His teachings we should receive as that light. 


The light has come! Jesus Christ shines into the darkness, conquering evil, teaching the teachings of God, and calling us to trust in this light.


Today, He calls you: Believe in Him, the Son of God. Follow Him. Keep His teachings as light from God. Honour Him as Lord. Pray to His Father as the one true God. Step into the light that no darkness can overcome.

Christ died for you, and He lives forever by the power of the One God who sent Him. 

Sunday, 7 December 2025

Gospel Sermon

 Sermon: The Light Has Come: Believing in Jesus in the World He Knew


Opening / Introduction
Greetings to you all. When we read the Bible today, it’s easy to imagine that the spiritual world it describes is simple—just one God and nothing else. But the world Jesus walked in was far richer, far more vivid than we often realize. There were angels, rebellious spirits, a real Satan, a divine council, and a coming Messiah who would be exalted above all. These elements were part of the spiritual landscape Jesus knew intimately.

Jesus came into a world full of light and shadow—and He is the true light of God. He came not into a world of fantasy, but into a real spiritual world, where power, danger, and glory coexisted. Today, I want us to see that light clearly. We will explore the world Jesus and the apostles knew, how they originally understood God and His heavenly realm, and how later Christianity actually modified how we think of the faith today. Most importantly, we will see how the original faith in Jesus given to the apostles can bring us into the light today.


1. One God, Many Heavenly Beings
Let’s start with Scripture. Deuteronomy 6:4 says:
“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.”

God is one. But that doesn’t mean He is alone. The Hebrew Scriptures also speak of many heavenly beings: angels, “sons of God,” “holy ones,” even “gods” who serve under Him. Psalm 82 says:
“God has taken his place in the divine council; in the midst of the gods he holds judgment… ‘I said, You are gods, sons of the Most High.’”

This pattern goes all the way back to the Exodus account, central to the light on which the faith was built. In Egypt, the priests of Pharaoh invoked their gods to challenge the God of Abraham and Moses. Some of them were even partially successful—they could reproduce some of the plagues God sent. But eventually God’s plagues outdid theirs, showing He is greater than all these other gods. The Israelites saw that these other gods have some real power, but God is King over all of them.

Even in Job 1:6, we read about the “sons of God” presenting themselves before the LORD—and Satan is there too.

The point is clear: The world Jesus knew is a spiritual world full of beings, real and active. God reigns supreme, but His heavenly realm is populated. Jesus’ light shines into a very real spiritual world, not a fantasy.


2. Satan and Demons Are Real
Some people today question whether Satan exists, but Jesus did not. Luke 10:18 recounts Him saying, 
“I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.” And in John 8:44, He calls him “the father of lies.” Jesus confronted demons personally. In Luke 4, we read of a man possessed by an unclean spirit crying out, “Have you come to destroy us?” Jesus commanded the spirit to leave, demonstrating His authority and the power of God active in the world.

The light of Jesus Christ came into a world where gods are real and the evil one is real. To believe in Him is to believe that He conquers the darkness around us. It is to believe that He is the light sent by God Himself: sent by the one God in whom no darkness exists.


3. The Heavenly World in Ancient Writings
Ancient writings preserved before Jesus’ time, like 1 Enoch, offer a window into this spiritual world. They describe angels, rebellious spirits, and a pre-existent heavenly Son of Man. In 1 Enoch 48, we read: 
“In that hour, the Son of Man was named before the Lord of Spirits… All who dwell on earth shall fall down and worship before him.”

Jesus identified as the Son of Man, as this figure—the one God sends, exalted above all, bringing the true light into the world. He is the fulfillment of what the faithful had long awaited.


4. Jesus Among the “Gods”—Yet Above Them
When the religious leaders accused Him of blasphemy, Jesus quoted Psalm 82 in John 10:34–36: 
“Is it not written in your Law, ‘I said, you are gods’? …how much more the one sanctified and sent by the Father?” Here, Jesus places Himself within the heavenly council, yet in a unique way—glorified and sent by the Father. He participates in the spiritual world but reigns above it. He is the light that no darkness can overcome.


5. The Apostolic Pattern: One God, One Lord
The apostles did not speak in the philosophical language of later centuries. Paul, in 1 Corinthians 8:4–6, summarizes the pattern: 
“There is no God but one… yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things… and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things.”

The apostolic understanding was simple yet profound: One God—the Father, and One Lord—the Son. This fits perfectly within the Second Temple worldview: one God, many heavenly beings under Him, and an exalted Lord.


6. How Later Christianity Reshaped the Faith
After the Temple fell in AD 70, Judaism became more rigid, rejecting ideas like a second heavenly figure beside God or a divine Messiah. Early Christians faced a question: how could Jesus be worshiped without being considered “another God”?

This led to centuries of theological development: modalism, early distinctions between Jesus and the Father, the Arian controversy, the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD, and the eventual formulation of the Trinity in the 4th and 5th centuries. These debates show how the church varied in understanding the light of Jesus in a changing world.


7. The Gospel Light Today
Here is the good news: Jesus is the light! He came into a world full of power, danger, and glory. Believing in Him today means trusting the one God, the Father, and believing this Father sent Jesus as the light of the world, then holding to the teachings he revealed to his apostles, as the New Testament records; it means honouring the exalted Son who is made Lord over all by God when He raised Jesus His Son from the dead; and then being led by the Holy Spirit’s power in our own lives, the Holy Spirit given by God to those who believe. Yes, doctrines are now different from those believed by the earliest disciples, so we need to dig down and find “the faith once delivered to the saints”: That Jesus Christ is the light sent into the world by the One God, the Father, and it is His teachings we should receive as that light. 


Conclusion / Invitation
The light has come! Jesus Christ shines into the darkness, conquering evil, teaching the teachings of God, and calling us to trust in this light.

Today, He calls you: Believe in Him, the Son of God. Follow Him. Keep His teachings as light from God. Honour Him as Lord. Pray to His Father as the one true God. Step into the light that no darkness can overcome.

Christ died for you, and He lives forever by the power of the One God who sent Him. 


Slides


Opening / Introduction
Slide Title: The Light Has Come
Slide Content:

  • Jesus entered a world full of light and shadow.
  • A real spiritual world: angels, Satan, divine council, coming Messiah.
  • Goal: See the light of Jesus clearly and follow the faith of the apostles.
    Visual Suggestion: Light breaking through darkness, maybe with subtle angelic figures or a faint divine council in the background.


1. One God, Many Heavenly Beings
Slide Title: One God, Many Heavenly Beings
Slide Content:

  • God is one (Deut 6:4)
  • The world is populated: angels, “sons of God,” “holy ones” (Ps 82; Job 1:6)
  • Jesus’ light shines into a real spiritual world.
    Visual Suggestion: A throne in heaven with angels around it, representing God’s sovereignty.


2. Satan and Demons Are Real
Slide Title: Satan and Demons Are Real
Slide Content:

  • Jesus saw Satan fall (Luke 10:18)
  • Jesus confronted demons (Luke 4)
  • Believing in Jesus is believing He conquers the darkness.
    Visual Suggestion: Light shining in darkness, with shadowy figures retreating.


3. The Heavenly World in Ancient Writings
Slide Title: Ancient Writings Reveal the Heavenly World
Slide Content:

  • Texts like 1 Enoch describe angels, rebellious spirits, pre-existent Son of Man
  • Jesus as the Son of Man fulfills this expectation
  • Brings the true light into the world
    Visual Suggestion: Scroll or ancient manuscript imagery with faint heavenly figures above.


4. Jesus Among the “Gods”—Yet Above Them
Slide Title: Jesus Above All
Slide Content:

  • Quoting Ps 82: “You are gods” (John 10:34–36)
  • Jesus participates in the spiritual world but reigns above it
  • The light that no darkness can overcome
    Visual Suggestion: Jesus elevated above a council of angelic figures, radiating light.


5. The Apostolic Pattern: One God, One Lord
Slide Title: One God, One Lord
Slide Content:

  • Paul: One God (Father), One Lord (Jesus Christ) (1 Cor 8:4–6)
  • Apostolic faith: simple, yet profound
  • Fits the Second Temple worldview
    Visual Suggestion: Two figures labeled “Father” and “Son,” with a halo of light connecting them.


6. How Later Christianity Reshaped the Faith
Slide Title: Faith in Transition
Slide Content:

  • Post-AD 70: Judaism becomes rigid; question of Jesus’ divinity arises
  • Centuries of theological debates: Modalism, Arianism, Nicaea, Trinity
  • Shows the church varying from Jesus’ light in a changing world
    Visual Suggestion: Timeline of church councils with question marks and light emerging from Jesus.


7. The Gospel Light Today
Slide Title: Jesus, the Light Today
Slide Content:

  • Believe in the one God, the Father, and in His Son, Jesus, as the Light 
  • Follow, hold to, original apostolic teachings, guided by the Holy Spirit
  • Find the faith once delivered to the saints: Jesus as the true light
    Visual Suggestion: A person stepping from darkness into radiant light with open hands.


Conclusion / Invitation
Slide Title: Step Into the Light
Slide Content:

  • Jesus Christ conquers evil and guides our steps
  • Believe, follow, honour, and pray to the one true God
  • The light has come—no darkness can overcome it
  • Christ died for you 
    Visual Suggestion: Open path of light leading forward, symbolizing faith and journey.