BIBLICAL INSIGHTS BY ERIC BURSEY
AMEN
The word "amen" is a most remarkable word. It was transliterated directly from the Hebrew into the Greek of the New Testament, then into Latin and into English and many other languages, so that it is practically a universal word. It has been called the best-known word in human speech. The word is directly related — in fact, almost identical — to the Hebrew word for "believe" (aman), or faithful. Thus, it came to mean "sure" or "truly", an expression of absolute trust and confidence. — HMM (from Strong's Concordance at H543, G281).
In his Gospel John quotes Jesus saying, "Amen, Amen," ("Verily, Verily" in KJV) doubly, 25 times. (See: Strong's Concordance, G281, in Book of John; plus, John ends his book with a single "Amen.")
Jesus makes it clear to Nicodemus at His 4th "Amen, Amen" in John (Jn. 3:11-21) "...If I have told you earthly things, and you believe not, how shall you believe, if I tell you heavenly things ?"
Jesus had just finished telling Nicodemus 6 things which Jesus Himself identifies as "earthly things."
1. Verily, verily, I say unto you, except a man be born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God. (3:3)
2. Verily, verily, I say unto you, except a man be born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God. (3:5)
3. That which is born of flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. (3:6)
4. Marvel not that I say unto you, you must be born again. (3:7)
5. The wind blows where it wills, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell from where it comes, and whether it goes; so is every one that is born of the Spirit. (3:8)
6. Verily, verily, we speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen, and you receive not our witness. (3:11) (This 4th "Verily, verily," statement in John is a unique standout in its plural use of "we... we... our."!
Is Jesus' plurals a hint that the Triune God was already at work (...The Wind blowing where it wills...) convicting and convincing an unbelieving Nicodemus into Jesus' Kingdom ?)
Immediately, and surprisingly, Jesus proceeds to reveal to Nicodemus even more truths. From the context it appears Jesus intends us to understand these next 8 truths are "heavenly," as though, perhaps in time, Nicodemus would come to believe them; and, as though prophetically
Jesus already knew Nicodemus would. (See John 19: 39-42, Nicodemus with Jesus' dead body).
1. No man has ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of Man who is in heaven. (3:13)
2. As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up: that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (3:14-15)
3. God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (3:16)
4. God sent His son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. (3:17)
5. He that believes is not condemned: but he that believes not is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. (3:18)
6. This is the condemnation: Light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. (3:19)
7. Everyone that does evil hates the light, neither comes to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. (3:20)
8. He that does truth comes to the light that His deeds may be made manifest, that his deeds are wrought in God. (3:21)
John, the Writer, in 21 verses, downloads 14 distinct, otherwise
unknowable, truths that Jesus revealed to Nicodemus (and us) about the Kingdom of God, some earthly, some heavenly. AMEN
More Insights from Eric Bursey
The pillar of cloud by day;
The pillar of fire by night.
In effect, the LORD says,
"When the pillar moves,
you arise and move with it,
you follow the moving pillar;
when the pillar stops,
you also stop with it,
and don't move forward again until the cloud moves forward again."
In Egypt on the night of the first Passover, each household of the Israelites was instructed by God to kill a lamb, selected four days earlier, sprinkle the lambs' blood on the posts and lintel of the entrance door of each house, and [here is the point] to stay inside the house, to not venture out of the house, with the explicit warning, if they did, they would surely die.
Sounds like language in Eden.
While the Death Angel traveled throughout Egypt that night killing the first born male of every family whose house had no blood applied, the Death Angel, on the other hand, did indeed pass over [not visit with Death] every house on whose entrance door the blood of the dead lamb was actually applied [hence, Passover].
On the night of the Ultimate Passover, the fourth Passover at the end of the Lamb of God's three year ministry, after they sang a Psalm, Jesus said, "*Arise, let us go." Here, the True Pillar of Fire lifted, and invited His eleven remaining disciples to follow Him to leave, and go *outside the house, defying the Command at the Original Passover to stay inside and to not leave, under threat of Death.
The Eleven following Him out, walking with Him, conversing with Him, passing out of Jerusalem with Him through a gate in the city wall, descending all the way to the valley of the Kidron Brook with Him, and there The Pillar of Fire *stopped moving, [they all, therefore, *stopped], He looked up, and prayed the prayer that John later wrote in his gospel, chapter 17.
When Jesus, the Pillar of Fire finished praying, He crossed the Kidron Brook [the Eleven also crossed], He ascended the Mount of Olives [they ascended], He stopped in a Grove of trees [they stopped].
Here the tandem movement changes: He detaches. The Pillar of Fire tells them to wait here, except three, who are invited to follow Him a little further, but soon tells them also to stop, to watch and pray here, while the Pillar of Fire moves forward again, Alone, only Himself to Stop, and pray.
This Pillar of Fire moves back and forth three times, with not one of His disciples following Him. He finds them nodding off and sleeping, until He again says, "Arise." They arise, and led by Him, [following the Pillar of Fire, again] deliberately find the incoming Kiss-Mob intent on arresting the Pillar of Fire!
The Pillar of Fire is, paradoxically, leading those who follow Him into what He came to save them from: Death.
The Faithful Promise of our being saved from Death by the Savior ...while simultaneously and providentially being led by The Pillar of Fire into our death by a cross ...is indeed a true mystery of Biblical proportions, and a Biblically proportioned Mystery of Eternal Truth.