Christian Art | Prayer With Jesus | The Psalms
Psalm 12 | King James Audio Bible
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Psalm 12 is a reflective composition. This psalm delves into the theme of integrity and truthfulness in a world filled with deceit and shifting loyalties.
We are invited to imagine a time when it seems that honesty and trustworthiness are fading away. Psalm 12 captures this sentiment, as the psalmist contemplates the challenges of finding genuine people and reliable words.
At the outset, the psalmist cries out to the Lord for help, lamenting the scarcity of godly and faithful individuals among humankind. The psalm addresses the issue of insincere speech, where people converse with vanity and double hearts – saying one thing but meaning another.
Divine intervention is foreseen, as the psalmist anticipates the Lord silencing flattering lips and proud tongues that seek dominance. The psalm points out the arrogance of those who believe their words hold power, considering their speech independent of accountability.
Turning the focus to the oppressed and needy, the psalm reveals the Lord’s commitment to respond, promising safety and protection from those who belittle them. The psalm shifts to the theme of pure words. The psalmist compares divine words to silver purified through intense testing, highlighting their trustworthiness.
The psalmist expresses confidence that the Lord will guard and preserve these pure words, ensuring their endurance for generations to come.
Concluding on a somber note, the psalm observes that wickedness seems to thrive in a world where the most unscrupulous individuals rise to prominence.
Psalm 12 | King James Audio Bible KJV
Help, Lord; for the godly man ceaseth; for the faithful fail from among the children of men.
They speak vanity every one with his neighbour: with flattering lips and with a double heart do they speak.
The Lord shall cut off all flattering lips, and the tongue that speaketh proud things:
Who have said, With our tongue will we prevail; our lips are our own: who is lord over us?
For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now will I arise, saith the Lord; I will set him in safety from him that puffeth at him.
The words of the Lord are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.
Thou shalt keep them, O Lord, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.
The wicked walk on every side, when the vilest men are exalted.
Key Themes Of The Psalm For Reflection | Love Revealed By Jesus Christ
- Scarcity of Integrity: The psalm begins by lamenting the scarcity of godly and faithful people among humanity.
- Deceitful Speech: The psalm addresses the issue of insincere speech, highlighting how people often use flattering words and speak with a double heart.
- Divine Intervention: The psalmist foresees the Lord’s intervention, envisioning the silencing of those who use deceitful and proud speech.
- Arrogance and Accountability: The psalm examines the arrogance of those who believe their words are powerful and remain unchecked by authority.
- Protection for the Oppressed: The psalm shifts to the theme of God’s concern for the oppressed and needy, promising safety and protection from belittlement.
- Trustworthy Words: The psalm compares divine words to purified silver, emphasizing their trustworthiness and reliability.
- Divine Preservation: The psalm expresses confidence in God’s preservation of pure words, ensuring their endurance for future generations.
- Rise of Wickedness: The psalm concludes with an observation of wickedness thriving when the most unscrupulous individuals gain prominence.
- Integrity Amid Deceit: Psalm 12 focuses on the challenge of upholding integrity and truthfulness in a world filled with deceitful speech. It calls for divine intervention, underscores the value of trustworthy words, and reflects on the contrast between genuine individuals and the rise of wickedness.
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Christian Art | Parousia | Second Coming | Lamb Of God, You Take Away The Sins Of The World Luke 17: 26-37 (Audio Bible KJV, Spoken Word) Early Christian thought about the Parousia – the second coming – was largely influenced by the teachings of Jesus and the writings of Saint Paul. In the early Christian community, expectation of Christ’s return was strong, and many Christians believed that it would happen in their lifetime. This belief is evident in the New Testament, where the authors express a sense of urgency in their writings and encourage their readers to be prepared for Christ’s imminent return. As Christianity spread throughout the Roman Empire, the idea of the Parousia became more complex and nuanced. Theological debates arose around the nature of Christ’s return and the events that would precede it. Some theologians, such as Origen and Augustine, saw the Parousia as a spiritual event that was already happening in the Church. Others, such as the Montanists and the millenarians, believed in a literal, physical return of Christ and the establishment of a new, earthly Kingdom. In the Middle Ages, the Parousia was often associated with apocalypticism and the idea of a final, cataclysmic battle between good and evil – the last battle. The idea of the Antichrist, who would precede Christ’s return, became a popular theme in Christian literature, and the book of Revelation (Apocalypse – meaning to reveal, to uncover) was interpreted as a prophetic guide to the end of the world. Biblical Basis For The Parousia | The Second Coming The concept of the Parousia, or the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, is central to Christian eschatology and is supported by numerous biblical passages in both the Old and New Testaments. In the Old Testament, there are numerous passages that refer to the coming of a Messiah who will restore Israel and bring about the final judgment. For example, in Daniel 7:13-14, it is written: ‘I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.’ This passage describes a divine figure who comes in the clouds and is given dominion over all nations. In the New Testament, the Parousia is described in greater detail, particularly in the teachings of Jesus and the writings of Saint Paul. Jesus speaks of his return in many passages, including Matthew 24:30-31, where Jesus says: ‘And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.’ Here, Jesus describes his return in power and glory, accompanied by angels who gather Jesus’ elect from all over the world. In Saint Paul’s letters, the Parousia is also described in detail. In 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, Saint Paul writes: ‘For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.’ This passage describes a resurrection of the dead and the gathering of believers to meet the Lord Jesus in the air. The language and imagery used to describe the Parousia are often dramatic and apocalyptic in nature. The Parousia is often described as a time of judgment, when the righteous will be separated from the wicked, and God’s justice will be fully revealed. The imagery of clouds, trumpets, and angels is used to depict the power and glory of Christ’s return. Theological Interpretations Of The Parousia | Jesus’ Second Coming The concept of the Parousia has been interpreted in a variety of ways throughout Christian history. Dispensationalism Dispensationalism is a theological framework that emerged in the 19th Century and has since become popular among some evangelical and fundamentalist Christians. Dispensationalists believe that history is divided into distinct periods or ‘dispensations’, each of which is marked by a particular mode of divine revelation and a specific plan of salvation. According to dispensationalist theology, the Parousia will be preceded by a period of tribulation, during which the Antichrist will establish a one-world government and the Jews will be restored to their homeland. The Parousia itself will involve a physical, visible return of Christ, who will establish a thousand-year reign on earth before the final judgment. Preterism Preterism is a theological interpretation of the Parousia that holds that many of the prophecies in the New Testament, particularly those in the book of Revelation, were fulfilled in the first century AD. According to this view, the Parousia occurred in a spiritual sense when Christ ascended to heaven and sent the Holy Spirit to empower the Church. Preterists argue that the tribulation and other end-time events predicted in the New Testament were fulfilled in the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem in AD 70. Postmillennialism Postmillennialism is a theological view that holds that the Parousia will occur after a period of history in which the Church will gradually bring about the kingdom of God on earth. According to this view, the Church will spread the gospel throughout the world, and social, political, and economic conditions will gradually improve. Eventually, Christ will return to a world that has been largely transformed by the Gospel. Amillennialism […]
