Shalom.

The Jews use this term as a form of greeting whenever they meet and when they take leave of each other. What does the greeting encompass?
Shalom is "peace" in Hebrew and when they speak "Shalom" they are not only saying "peace" as in peace in the circumstance but peace with everything including good health (mental. physical), good wealth, good relationship with others. It is an all-encompassing greeting. What a powerful greeting - one word speaks it all.

Since Adam was created, the Lord has always longed for the fellowship of mankind. His love for man was so strong that He even cut a covenant with Abraham and this was renewed with his son Isaac and subsequently with Jacob, Abraham's grandson. The covenant relationship was not broken even though the nation of Judah went into exile for seventy years. In fact you can find in the first chapter of the gospel of Matthew all the names of the descendents of Abraham, generations after generation right until Jesus.

And it is interesting to notice, if you would like to count the names there, that there are 14 generations from Abraham till King David (Matthew 1: 1 - 6) and 14 generations from King Solomon, David's son till Jeconiah (vs 6b till 11). Now from Jeconiah the last king before the Jews were deported to Babylon to Jesus, there were actually only 13 generations although we read in Matt 1: 17 there were 14 generations from the captivity in Babylon until Jesus.

Now where is the missing generation? Initially I was confused and counted and recounted the names recorded there; I thought there was a printing error. And then I realized that there was no mistake at all. The missing generation is ours. You see, all of Jesus' ancestors were Jews and direct descendents of Abraham. However, when He came into the world, Jesus had a specific ministry and that is to provide a reconciliatory path for man to go back to God the Father. In fact Jesus said that the only way back to the Father was through Him and therefore He had to die for us in order that the penalty of sin can be paid.

Because of that one Death on the cross, Jesus put paid on the requirements of the Law and we in turn can now claim the same position that Jesus has with God the Father. In fact, on the cross, Jesus bore all our sins and He was rejected by the Father so that we can now enjoy the Sonship that He had with God the Father. Our birth into the family of Jesus is a spiritual one unlike the ancestors of Jesus who had to have a physical lineage traceable back to Abraham. And because of the spiritual relationship, we can now enter into the Presence of God to enjoy His grace and His blessings.

It is interesting that Jesus invites us to become His children and the invitation remains the same for every generation. One day I asked the Lord why I was to be a child of His when my own earthly father was also a child of His. Why was I not called a grandchild of Jesus? And He told me to look at the human Father-son bonding against the Grandfather-grandchild relationship.

The way a father loves his own son is a very special relationship. Because the son is his own flesh and blood, the father will not cease to do all he can to not just provide for his son but also protect and guard him against all external harm and danger. The son stays with his father and there is that mutual trust built as the bonding develops. Because of the love that the father has for his son and demonstrated in everyday living, the son grows in maturity and his character develops. Because of the stability of the family environment, the son becomes confident and will be able to face the challenges of the world himself.

The relationship between a grandfather and his grandson is different as the grandson normally does not stay with his grandfather but only visits him maybe once a day.

The Heavenly Father loves us too much to treat us less than as sons and daughters of His Heavenly Kingdom. He longs for our communion with Him and He will go to great lengths to make sure He is available whenever we need Him. In fact besides giving Jesus to die for our sins, God the Father had also sent His Holy Spirit to come and live within each one of His children to guide and lead us in the way we should live our lives. Can we find any relationship that is better than that? The best father on earth cannot be with his children all the time. We, earthly fathers, may be able to provide everything that we can afford, but there will still be limitations. We can never outshine the love that comes from above; it is in a class of its own.

Now I can understand clearly what Jesus meant in Luke 21: 32.
"Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all things take place".
The first century church was mistaken when they interpreted the verse to be speaking directly to their physical generation and they were excited and were looking forward to see the return of Jesus in their time. However, Jesus did not come in their time. In fact He has yet to come back. So until we have a good understanding of what Jesus meant in that verse, we will be confused and be easily led astray. We should not be confused. Know for a fact that the generation that Jesus was alluding to, is a spiritual generation and not a physical one. As a spiritual generation, the end of this generation will only come when Jesus comes back to physically rule this Earth for a thousand years in what the Bible calls the Millennium Reign of Jesus Christ and that will be coming soon.

Oh yes, everyone who is willing to receive Jesus into their lives can and will be part of Jesus' family. No one is too sinful that Jesus' death cannot handle. If you will turn to Matthew 1:3 - 6, we can read of three ladies who, in the eyes of the world, would be the most unlikely to qualify leave alone be counted as ancestors of Jesus. Tamar (v 3) was a daughter-in-law of Judah and because of the law prevalent at that time, sort redress from the wrongful treatment she suffered had sexual relations with her own father-in-law and as a result, it is recorded that her sons was named as a direct ancestor of Jesus.

Ruth was a Moabite woman and according to the Jewish law was considered an outcast and never allowed to join the mainstream Jewish worship and way of life. Yet she married Boaz and thereby became the great grandmother of King David. She was accepted because of her great faith in God.

Bathsheba was the third woman mentioned in the direct lineage of Jesus. She committed adultery with King David and her son Solomon became king after the death of King David. The world would not even consider all three women because they would have been considered as shady characters. Yet God the Father chose not to view us in the same way that we humans contemplate each other.

So it is not true that there is no hope. Never! Our sins are never too big for Jesus. There is yet hope for all. As long as we open our lives to Jesus, He will come into our hearts and live there and we will be called His children because of the great love He has for us.

Have you believed in the Blood of Jesus Christ that He came and died for your sins and that believing you will have eternal life? If you have not, then please do not wait. Jesus will be coming back very soon and unless you have received Him, you will not be with Him in Heaven when He returns. Why not take the time and pray this prayer?
"Our Heavenly Father, thank you for the great love you have for us in that You sent Your One and only Precious Son, Jesus Christ, into this world to die for us and to rise again on the third day. I acknowledge my sin and my need for Your love and forgiveness. Come into my life, Lord Jesus, forgive my sins and give me eternal life, life with You. I confess You as my Lord. Thank you for my salvation. Now I am a child of God; a joint-heir with Jesus of the inheritance that is ours.
Jesus who knew no sin had become a curse for me so that I can receive His blessing. Thank you that I am greatly blessed, highly favored, deeply loved and completely protected.
I thank you in Jesus' Name.
Amen."

The benefits from being a child of God outweigh the arguments against it. So why not go back and pray that prayer. It would make the difference between life with God and eternal separation from the Source of life (or what the Bible calls "eternal death").

The Lord blesses you and keeps you;
The Lord makes His face shine upon you and be gracious to you;
The Lord lifts up His countenance up you and gives you peace. (Numbers 6: 24-26)

Shalom.

Best regards,
Andrew L W Lee

Dated : 15 October 2001