One of Jesus’ names is Shiloh. The word Shiloh means “sent” according to Hitchcock’s Bible Names.
~Genesis 49:10 The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.
How appropriate is this title! The Son of God was sent by the Father to deliver us from the punishment we so rightly deserve!
~John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Strong’s says:
H7886 שׁילה shîylôh shee-lo’ From H7951; tranquil; Shiloh, an epithet of the Messiah: – Shiloh.
What blessings to read definitions where we can picture the characteristics of our Lord and Saviour! Tranquil provides a picture of peace – a peace which can only be given by Christ! He has become a bridge from earth to the Father, becoming our Passover Lamb – a perfect and complete sacrifice so that mankind’s fellowship with the Father can be restored. What better peace can one have than to know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that his eternal soul will go to Heaven when he dies! There is no need to worry because the responsibility of salvation lies with Jesus Christ and His work, not works of our own. There is no security if we have to depend on our own abilities. After all, we are all human and we all have broken a commandment or two. All of our own righteousnesses are as filthy rags, the Bible says. Our works do not mount to a hill of beans with God.
~Isaiah 64:6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.
It’s a good thing that the price of our eternal soul is not left to us! For we would fail miserably! Praise the Lord that our eternal security is left to One who is Perfect and, therefore, can keep our salvation! Restoration was Jesus’ mission. Reconciliation was His motive. However, He will not force anyone to be saved. Jesus has given us His Word (the Holy Bible) to show us why we need salvation, where to find salvation, how we can receive salvation and how we are to live after salvation. This is an important topic and the Lord would not have us be in the dark. Christ is also known as the light of the world as well and His light shines through the pages of the Bible. I also find it interesting that the Tabernacle was located in Shiloh, a city North of Bethel. Jesus Christ was sent to us and He dwells inside our hearts (our tabernacles/our temple).
~1 Corinthians 6:19-20 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? (19) For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s. (20)
We were purchased with a great price, my friend. It cost Jesus Christ His own life, His own blood, to pay for the penalties for each one of us. To say that Christ’s death was not enough is blasphemy. To place additions to salvation is blasphemy. To say that baptism, sacraments or anything above must be done in order to be saved is to say that repentance and accepting Christ just isn’t enough. Anything that a religion says that man must contribute toward salvation is a lie from the pits of hell. The devil has tried to trick mankind since the Garden of Eden. Salvation is simple – it is plain – it is not confusing. This would make God a cruel God. But we know that God is love. Not only is He love, but He demands justice and payment.
So what tranquility can be found in judgment and payment? There is no tranquility attached to keeping countless rules, dogmas, penances, sacraments, etc. The Jews tried to keep all their laws and could not. That is why God had to send His Son. The end result of trying to keep these, as the catholic church requires, only brings doubt when the catholic thinks about eternity. The catholic does not lay on his death bed with full assurance that he is going to heaven when he dies. Instead, he lays on his death bed believing that purgatory is on the other side of death and he is hoping that his family and friends will buy enough indulgences and buy enough masses to be said on his behalf so he can be released in the not-too-distant future. What tranquility is in that? None! The Bible says:
~Hebrews 9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
After death comes judgment, my friend. There is no purgatory. This will be, however, a time when you will stand before Christ, the Judge, and He will look your name up in His Book of Life. If you repented and were born again according to the Scriptures (not the traditions of the church), your name will be there. If you trusted in the catholic church, the sacraments, baptism, etc. for salvation, then your name will be blotted out and you will suffer eternal life in the Lake of Fire. Won’t you let Jesus Christ be your Shiloh? He was sent for this purpose and He can provide you with salvation and tranquility. If you would simply look inside your own heart and ask yourself if you have complete peace – complete tranquility as it relates to your eternal destiny. Life here on earth is but a moment in time – but eternity is a very LONG time. Only a fool would leave his eternal soul in the hands of another human being. But to leave one’s soul securely in the hands of Jesus Christ, our Shiloh, will bring that tranquility that you desire from within!
I was raised in the Roman Catholic church in an all catholic town in Northern Maine. My father was an alcoholic and my mother a devout catholic. I was also a devout catholic and even taught catechism in the local Catholic CCD program. I was married in the Catholic church to my high school sweetheart in 1974 and we moved to the Northern Virginia area a year later.
