Notice what naturally happened. The rulers of the synagogue asked the two strangers if they had “any word of exhortation for the people” and perhaps also wanted to hear any news that would be of interest to the congregation. Also, they would want to know the thoughts of others of Jewry in regard to the passage of the Law just read. Paul stood up quickly and beckoned with his hand as if to say, “I have something of significance to say.” Then he spoke courageously, feeling the importance of the situation and the message, and knowing that God had anointed him, through Jesus, to be a special ambassador to the Gentiles.

All men were in expectation of Messiah, but in addition, they were expecting the Prophet Elijah. “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD” (Mal. 4:5). Elijah was known to have worn rough clothing, and now along came John the Baptist wearing rough clothing and speaking with authority. Hence many thought he was the predicted Elijah. John spoke with such conviction that the people were willing to be baptized. And they assumed he was doing the very “Elijah” work predicted: “He shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers” (Mal. 4:6). The point is that the appearing of John the Baptist in this manner alerted and awakened the nation of Israel so that he could introduce Jesus as someone different.

Notice Jesus’ reply: “Even the same that I said unto you from the beginning.” The Jews’ question is astounding: “Who art thou?” Not only had Jesus been telling them all along, but they should have been able to figure out who he was because of his miracles. In the Garden of Gethsemane, he asked his apprehenders, “Why do you come after me at night? I have boldly, throughout my ministry, stated these things to you frequently, yet you apprehend me like a thief.” And at his trial, they asked what he had been saying when he had taught over and over, and they should have known. He spoke openly of his purpose in appearing before them as a teacher. The point is, if one is not sympathetic to the words spoken by another, it is like talking to a stone wall. The reasoning will not get through no matter how plainly stated.

Jesus called the sheep his own, but he purchased them with his own life. The Good Shepherd gave his life for the sheep. Getting the sheep cost him something, whereas there was no cost to the hireling. The hireling was on the receiving end, not the giving end; consequently, his rapport with the sheep was much inferior (there were far less concern and interest).

Under the Law, if a wolf came and devoured a sheep, the shepherd was required to bring back a piece of the sheep to prove that he had risked his own life to try to save the sheep. Spiritually speaking, one might risk his own reputation to defend a brother who is being attacked.

“Cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished [ended].” What “warfare”? Israel’s punishment, her “appointed time” (KJV margin), her “time of service” (RSV footnote). In other words, Israel’s “warfare” is not merely a date but a period of time that terminates with a date.

The “appointed time,” or “time of service,” is the “double”; that is, it is the time period of Israel’s punishment, or sentence. A “double” is a fixed period of time having a beginning and an ending that correspond to a previous beginning and ending. The first part of the double was a period of favor of 1,845 years, and the second part of the double was a period of disfavor of equal length, or 1,845 years. The turning point in the double was the year AD 33, the middle of the 70th week. (Messiah was cut off in the midst of the last week of the 70-week prophecy in Daniel.) The 1,845-year period of favor began with the death of Jacob, for at that time, God began to deal with Jacob’s 12 sons as a nation (of 12 tribes). The blessing that had previously been on Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob passed on to the 12 sons of Jacob. From Jacob’s death through AD 33 was the period of favor when God dealt directly with Israel and only with Israel out of all nations (Amos 3:2).

No, Boaz was not a born-again Christian. When Jesus came to earth, he came to provide the Ransom for Father Adam, in effect to buy the race from God, whose divine attribute of Justice had condemned the race in Adam. While Jesus was on his mission to buy back the race with his life, he also opened up a new and living way.

Many of the scriptures seem to be talking about the act of baptism, (immersion), but that is only where it begins. Jesus refers to his baptism beginning at Jordan but ending at Calvary. Just as baptism pictures the death of the “old man” our “old nature”, and that we are buried with Christ, elsewhere it talks about baptism into death, or the thought more being “unto death.”

When we give our lives to the Lord, that is a baptism of sorts, the death of the old man, we symbolize what was already done in the heart, but the baptism is over when we actually die, when the sacrifice is consumed on the altar.

After a quick review of the scriptures quoted above. We will give our reasoning: First is that Elijah did not go to heaven. He is part of what we call the Ancient Worthies, a class of Godly men or women, who followed after God. John the Baptist being the last of this group. Jesus opened up a “new and living way.” which by implication of that statement it was not opened up before his death, therefore none had the opportunity of entering in. We are told two things in the scriptures quoted above, 1) King David, a man after God’s own heart, was still in his tomb, he hadn’t gone anywhere in the hundreds of years that had elapsed. 2) we are told that who ever is least in the Kingdom of Heaven was greater than John the Baptist, meaning John was not of the Kingdom of Heaven.

The new dimension of faith in verse 6 is that not only do we have to believe God exists, but the next step is to believe that He is the “rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” James was talking about this subject when he said that a living faith does works (James 2:17-22). However, he was not saying that we are justified by works—works are merely a proof of our faith. But even that is not the faith which most pleases God. Works are an evidence of belief, so many sincere Christians do a lot of good things and work hard in trying to obey the royal law of God—they help the poor and the homeless, etc.—but that is not what God is looking for.

Paul’s saying that God is “a rewarder of them that diligently seek him” gives a new slant on the faith of Abel and Enoch. Their faith acted on their belief and brought obedience. Thus sandwiched in between Abel and Enoch, the first two examples, and other Ancient Worthies who are subsequently singled out is the statement of verse 6 that “without faith,” it is impossible to please God because we are to believe not only “that he is” but also “that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him”—as Abel, Enoch, and the others did. There is a big difference between just believing there is a God (or believing that Jesus died on the Cross) and faith. To please God, we must consecrate, which is believing into God and believing into Jesus Christ; this diligent seeking is spiritual faith.