The Holy One of God

The unbelievers draw back and no longer follow Jesus. He has explained His words but they still do not believe and so they leave Him. Jesus does not call them back and retract His words. His sign was not enough for them. He even asks them if they would believe if He ascended back into heaven, but they were hardened of heart. It made no difference to them who He was. 

Saturday of the 3rd Week of Easter - John 6:60-69.

Many of his disciples, when they heard it, said, "This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?" But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples murmured at it, said to them, "Do you take offense at this? Then what if you were to see the Son of man ascending where he was before? It is the spirit that gives life, the flesh is of no avail; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. But there are some of you that do not believe." For Jesus knew from the first who those were that did not believe, and who it was that would betray him. And he said, "This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father." After this many of his disciples drew back and no longer went about with him. Jesus said to the twelve, "Do you also wish to go away?" Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life; and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God."

He was the Holy One of God, but they could not stomach what He said. They could not look beyond what they could see in front of them. They had neither eyes to see nor ears to hear. And  Jesus knew who they were for it says He "knew from the first who those were that did not believe, and who it was that would betray him."

I find it interesting that the verse which says many drew back and not longer went about with Him is John 6:66. Is unbelief, even with signs, the mark of the beast of which we hear in Revelation?

If any one has an ear, let him hear: If any one is to be taken captive, to captivity he goes; if any one slays with the sword, with the sword must he be slain. Here is a call for the endurance and faith of the saints. Then I saw another beast which rose out of the earth; it had two horns like a lamb and it spoke like a dragon. It exercises all the authority of the first beast in its presence, and makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose mortal wound was healed. It works great signs, even making fire come down from heaven to earth in the sight of men; and by the signs which it is allowed to work in the presence of the beast, it deceives those who dwell on earth, bidding them make an image for the beast which was wounded by the sword and yet lived; and it was allowed to give breath to the image of the beast so that the image of the beast should even speak, and to cause those who would not worship the image of the beast to be slain. Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name. This calls for wisdom: let him who has understanding reckon the number of the beast, for it is a human number, its number is six hundred and sixty-six. ~ Revelation 13:9-18

666 is the number of the beast who causes those who dwell on earth to be deceived. Six is the number of man who was created on the sixth day. The beast performs signs and those believe who dwell on the earth. They do not dwell in God. Notice the word dwell could be substituted with the word abide. Those who abide in the things of the world are deceived. They worship the beast that has been healed of its wound and lives instead of the lamb who has been slain. 

Both have performed signs, but the lamb that is slain dies and rises again. The Lamb of God who is Jesus, dies and rises from the dead. Those who dwell or abide in Him will have eyes to see and ears to hear. They will understand and reckon the number of the beast which is 666, the perfection of that which is of the world.

They will instead follow the Lamb that is slain. They will follow the number of perfection of that which is of God. They will seven themselves or make a covenant with the Lamb. The word shevah in Hebrew is the number seven. From the same root word, savah, meaning to be full or satisfied, to have enough, comes the word shavagh which means to swear an oath. Those who have eyes to see and ears to hear will dwell in Him by swearing an oath to Him. They are not fooled or deceived by the beast who is wounded but heals. They see that the Lamb is slain and rises again. They understand the signs and swear allegiance to the Risen One.

 
So let us be believers. Let us dwell in Him who tells us, "I am the bread of life; he who comes to me shall not hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst" and again "I am the bread which came down from heaven" and again, "I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if any one eats of this bread, he will live for ever; and the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh", for He is the Holy One of God. 

Crown Him with Many Crowns
Text: Matthew Bridges, 1800-1894, and Godfrey Thring, 1823-1903
Music: George J. Elvey, 1816-1893  

Crown Him with many crowns, the Lamb upon His throne.
Hark! How the heavenly anthem drowns all music but its own.
Awake, my soul, and sing of Him who died for thee,
And hail Him as thy matchless King through all eternity.

Crown Him the virgin’s Son, the God incarnate born,
Whose arm those crimson trophies won which now His brow adorn;
Fruit of the mystic rose, as of that rose the stem;
The root whence mercy ever flows, the Babe of Bethlehem.

Crown Him the Son of God, before the worlds began,
And ye who tread where He hath trod, crown Him the Son of Man;
Who every grief hath known that wrings the human breast,
And takes and bears them for His own, that all in Him may rest.

Crown Him the Lord of life, who triumphed over the grave,
And rose victorious in the strife for those He came to save.
His glories now we sing, who died, and rose on high,
Who died eternal life to bring, and lives that death may die.

Crown Him the Lord of peace, whose power a scepter sways
From pole to pole, that wars may cease, and all be prayer and praise.
His reign shall know no end, and round His piercèd feet
Fair flowers of paradise extend their fragrance ever sweet.

Crown Him the Lord of love, behold His hands and side,
Those wounds, yet visible above, in beauty glorified.
No angel in the sky can fully bear that sight,
But downward bends his burning eye at mysteries so bright.

Crown Him the Lord of Heaven, enthroned in worlds above,
Crown Him the King to Whom is given the wondrous name of Love.
Crown Him with many crowns, as thrones before Him fall;
Crown Him, ye kings, with many crowns, for He is King of all.

Crown Him the Lord of lords, who over all doth reign,
Who once on earth, the incarnate Word, for ransomed sinners slain,
Now lives in realms of light, where saints with angels sing
Their songs before Him day and night, their God, Redeemer, King.

Crown Him the Lord of years, the Potentate of time,
Creator of the rolling spheres, ineffably sublime.
All hail, Redeemer, hail! For Thou has died for me;
Thy praise and glory shall not fail throughout eternity.