Wouldn’t it be helpful to
better understand the Word of God? Whether you believe in God or not, if you
are a person who wants to better your life, knowing more about God will benefit
you. Learning more about the Bible will help you and all around you. We will
start with the Book of the Bible that is most likely the most misunderstood and
least read book-Revelation. We begin with the first chapter of this book.
“Revelation” is
the translation of a word which has been misused to convey fear. It is the
Greek word “apocalypse”, which means “unto covering” or “revealing”.
Revelation, the apocalypse, is the unveiling of Jesus Christ. It is a book that
is both about Him and by Him. This book is not a puzzle; it is a completed
picture. The word “revelation” (in common language) means “the disclosure of
that which was previously hidden or unknown”. The book of Revelation tells us
that Jesus is coming again, how He is coming, and what condition the world will
be in when He comes.
An angel told the prophet Daniel that many
prophesies would not be understood until the end times. “Go your way, Daniel,
because the words are rolled up and sealed until the time of the end…those who
are wise will understand” (Daniel 12:9-10). In Revelation, prophecies are
unsealed, and John is given opposite orders: “Then He told me, ‘Do not seal up
the words of the prophecy of this scroll, because the time is near” (Revelation
22:10). John was told to get the word out! He was to use every method he could
to relay this message to the world.
Some people say
they can’t understand the book of Revelation. Even Martin Luther (the one responsible
for the Protestant Reformation from the Catholic Church 16th
Century) wrote, “My spirit cannot adapt itself to the book, and a sufficient
reason why I do not esteem it highly is that Christ is neither taught nor
recognized in it”. Twelve years later, Luther modified his view somewhat, but
he never fully accepted the last book in the Bible. However, down through the
centuries, men have been blessed by reading Revelation, but many still ignore
studying the book saying it is not relevant to our daily lives.
UNDERSTANDING THE BOOK OF REVELATION
Before reading the
passages of this first chapter, here is the summary of that chapter to provide
the understanding and the meaning of the Book of Revelations- the last book in
the Bible. Apostle John introduces his book as a revelation given to him by
Jesus and pronounces a special blessing on those who read, hear and take to
heart “the words of this prophecy”. The book is sent to the seven
churches with which John has special ties and is dedicated to Jesus as coming
Savior.
This is the Coronation of a Savior! John
now tells his story, while exiled to Patmos by the Roman emperor Domitian (A.D.
81-96). John was praying one Sunday, when a voice instructed him to write what
he was about to see. John turned and was given a vision of Jesus in His full
glory, so awesome that John fell to the ground, stunned. Jesus lifted him up,
identified Himself, and told John to write. NOTICE- Jesus touched and lifted
John up.
Now the reading of Revelation Chapter One!
1 The revelation of Jesus
Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants what must soon take place;
and he made it known by sending his angel to his servant John,
2 who bore witness to the word
of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw.
3 Blessed is he who reads aloud
the words of the prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is
written therein; for the time is near.
4 John to the seven churches
that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is
to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ the
faithful witness, the first-born of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth.
To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood
6 and made us a kingdom, priests
to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
7 Behold, he is coming with the
clouds, and every eye will see him, everyone who pierced him; and all tribes of
the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen.
8 “I am the Alpha and the
Omega,” says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the
Almighty,
9 I John, your brother, who
share with you in Jesus the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient
endurance, was on the island called Patmos on account of the word of God and
the testimony of Jesus.
10 I was in the Spirit on the
Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet
11 saying, “Write what you
see in a book and send it to the seven churches, to Ephesus and to Smyrna and
to Per’gamum and to Thyati’ra and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to
La-odice’a.”
12 Then I turned to see the voice
that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands,
13 and in the midst of the
lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden
girdle round his breast;
14 his head and his hair were
white as white wool, white as snow; his eyes were like a flame of fire,
15 his feet were like burnished
bronze, refined as in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of many
waters;
16 in his right hand he held
seven stars, from his mouth issued a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was
like the sun shining in full strength.
17 When I saw him, I fell at his
feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand upon me, saying, “Fear
not, I am the first and the last,
18 and the living one; I died,
and behold I am alive for evermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.
19 Now write what you see, what
is and what is to take place hereafter.
20 As for the mystery of the
seven stars which you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden lampstands,
the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches and the seven lampstands
are the seven churches. RSV.
The Meaning of Each of These
Verses !
The
Revelation of Jesus. 1:1-In the N.T. revelation (unveiling of a
mystery) is always used of a divine unveiling of something that has been
hidden. Here Jesus is the one who discloses “what must soon take place” – and
in the process reveals something of His glory.
Blessing.
1:1-The “one who reads” and “those who hear” refer to a public reading of
the book in church. Because this is “prophecy”, in the sense of divine
revelation, it merits immediate acceptance as Scripture. Because the revelation
comes directly from the risen Jesus, it is of utmost importance.
The seven churches. 1:1-. All
seven were in the Roman province of Asia, now AsiaMinor. They are
listed in 1:11, and a message directed to each is found in Rev. 2 and 3. It
describes the churches of John’s day- but they are also present churches, with
good and bad qualities- all during the Church Age, which is from Pentecost (50
days after Jesus’ resurrection) to Rapture. More on this in another video!
Firstborn from the dead. 1:5a- Christ’s
resurrection is the pledge that we too will be raised. He was not only the
first, He is the One who has supreme authority over the vast family of faith
destined to follow Him.
The Key Verses are1:5b-6.
Doxology to Christ. 1:5b-6- Here is some
of the most powerful praise found in the Bible, celebrating Christ’s love, the
forgiveness won for us by His blood, and the exalted position to which He has
raised us.
John’s Exile. 1:7-10- Tradition
agrees that as an old man John was exiled duringthe reign of
Domitian and that he wrote Revelation from Patmos, an island off the coast ofAsia
Minor, probably in the mid A.D. 90’s.
The Vision of Jesus. 1:7-10-Each
element in the seven-element description of the glorified Christ has symbolic
significance. The white head and hair reflect Daniel 7:9 and symbolize wisdom
and judgment. The eyes of blazing fire reflect Daniel 10:6 and may indicate a
penetrating gaze or perhaps the fierceness of the judgment to come. The feet of
glowing metal reflect a common O.T. symbol of God’s glory, found in Ezek. 1:13,
27; 8:2; and Dan. 10:6. The voice like rushing waters is a familiar simile in
Jewish writings for the power of God’s voice, repeated in Rev. 14:2 and 19:6.
Anyone who has heard a thundering waterfall can sense why. The doubled edged
sword may reflect Isa. 11:4, which is again a portrait of final judgment.
Overall, John’s language serves to express the awesomeness of the glorified
Christ’s appearance and the unity of this book with O.T. prophetic books that
describe history’s end.
First and the Last. 1:17- This
title granted to God in Isa. 44:6 and 48:12 affirms Jesus as Lord of Creation
and Master of history.
The keys of death and Hades. 1:18- Keys
were a symbol of authority. Jesus has full control over every realm.
The key to interpreting Revelation. 1:19-20- Many
understand verse 19 to provide the key to understanding Revelation. “What you
have seen” is John’s vision of Jesus, found in chapter1. “What is now” is
reflected in the letters Christ dictates, to be sent to the seven Asia Minor
churches, found in chapters 2 and 3. And “what will take place later” is a
vision of history’s end, correlated with the O.T. prophet’s vision of that
time, found in chapters 4-21, which is the Tribulation, the Millennium, and
then the New Heaven and the New Earth.
These
end events will not be fulfilled until the Church Age is over- or when the
Rapture occurs. To close let’s hear Jesus’ words in Revelation 3:10- “Since you
have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of
trial (Tribulation) that is going to come upon the whole world to test those
who live on the earth.” (NIV)
This is the promise of
protection and eternal salvation given by the Son of God- Jesus Christ our
Lord!
“Blessed is he who reads and those
who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in
it, for the time is near” (Rev. 1:3). These are Jesus’ words to the Apostle
John to prepare us to study the Book of Revelation.
PRAYING FOR OURSELVES
As we have been talking, prayer is FAR more than bringing our needs and
requests to God, but that is where we often start. The Model Prayer gave us a
different approach. When we use the Model Prayer, the prayer is essentially
half over before a single personal request is made. We need to focus on God. We
need to seek His honor. We need to concentrate on His Lordship and Will. After
doing these things, we are in the best mind-set to present our daily needs to
Him. Then we can take our needs and requests to God daily and trust Him to
answer. However, as humans, we may forget to do this daily. So, we need ask God
to remind us to turn to Him first. The Holy Spirit is there to give us that
reminder. We are then ready to ask God to supply our needs.
Read Mathew 6:11b and Isaiah 38:1-3
When we pray “Give us today the food we need”, we are acknowledging that God
is our sustainer and provider. It is a misconception to think we provide for
our needs ourselves. We must trust God daily to provide what He knows we need.
We need to note the order of the petitions in the Lord’s Prayer. The first
three petitions have to do with God and with the glory of God; the second three
petitions have to do with our needs and our necessities. That is to say, God is
first given his supreme place, and then, and only then, we turn to ourselves
and our needs and desires. It is only when God is given his proper place that
all other things fall into their proper places. Prayer must never be an attempt
to bend the will of God to our desires; prayer ought always to be an attempt to
submit our wills to the will of God.
The second part of the prayer, the part which deals with our needs and our
necessities, is a marvelously wrought unity. It deals with the three essential
needs of man, and the three spheres of time within which man moves. First, it
asks for bread, for that which is necessary for the maintenance of life, and
thereby brings the needs of the present to the throne of God. Second, it asks
for forgiveness and thereby brings the past into the presence of God. Third, it
asks for help in temptation and thereby commits all the future into the hands
of God. In these three brief petitions, we are taught to lay the present, the
past, and the future before the footstool of the grace of God.
Turning to Isaiah, the narrative shifts its center of interest from national
welfare to the personal health of the king. It shows us how ancient Israel
understood one part of the prophetic office and how it understood the prayer
relationship between people and God. Here is the first time that Isaiah faced
Hezekiah personally. The prophet had a stern prognosis: death. Hezekiah found
the proper prescription: prayer. The content of the prayer is interesting. As
so often in the Psalms (Ps. 7; 17; 26; 59), a confession of innocence appears.
Hezekiah had always done God’s Will and attempted to serve God without fail.
So, he did not think he deserved the fate received, He went straight to God
with his complaint. Hezekiah did not have a self-righteous attitude.
In those days – That is, his sickness commenced about the
period in which the army of Sennacherib was destroyed. It has been made a
question whether the sickness of Hezekiah was before or after the invasion of
Sennacherib. The most natural interpretation certainly is, that it occurred
after that invasion, and probably at no distant period. The only objection to
this view is the statement in Isaiah 38:6, that God would deliver him out of
the hand of the king of Assyria, which has been understood by many as implying
that he was then threatened with the invasion.
Was sick – What was the exact nature of this
sickness is not certainly known. In Isaiah 38:21 it is said that it was a boil,
and probably it was a pestilential boil. The pestilence or plague is attended
with an eruption or boil. The pestilence was, and is still, rapid in its
progress. It terminates the life of those who are affected with it almost
immediately, and at the furthest within three or four days. Hence, we see one
ground of the alarm of Hezekiah. Another cause of his anxiety was, that he had
at this time no children, and consequently he had reason to apprehend that his
kingdom would be thrown into contention by conflicting struggles for the crown.
Unto death – Ready to die; with a sickness which in the
ordinary course would terminate his life.
Set thine house in order – Give command to thy house, that
is, to thy family. If you have any directions to give in regard to the
succession to the crown, or in regard to domestic and private arrangements, let
it be done soon. Hezekiah was yet in middle life. He came to the throne when he
was twenty-five years old 2 Kings 18:2, and he had now reigned about fourteen
years. It seems that he had as yet made no arrangements in regard to the
succession, and as this was very important to the peace of the nation, Isaiah
was sent to him to tell the necessity of leaving the affairs of his kingdom so
that there should not be anarchy when he should die. The direction, also, may
be understood in a more general sense as denoting that he was to make whatever
arrangements might be necessary as preparatory to his death.
Notice how Hezekiah responded to the bad news. He turned to God, prayed and
then wept bitterly. He didn’t ask Isaiah to plead with God for him. Neither did
he explode in uncontrollable anger out of a sense that God had mistreated him
with an injustice. Instead, he went to God in prayer. Previous experience had
taught him the value of spending earnest time with the Lord when he faced a
crisis (37:14-38).
Read Isaiah 38:4-6
The parallel account in 2 Kings 20:4 reveals that Isaiah left Hezekiah and
was on the way to departing from the palace, being as far as the middle court,
when the Word of God came to Isaiah again, instructing him to reveal that the
Lord had heard his prayers and was extending his life by some fifteen years.
“So swiftly does God answer the prayer of faith!” From this we may
conclude that God approves of our prayers for health, for life and for
strength.
The Lord God of David thy father – is mentioned here,
probably, because Hezekiah had a strong resemblance to him 2 Kings 18:3, and
because a long and happy reign had been granted to David; and also because the
promise had been made to David that there should not fail a man to sit on his
throne (see the note at Isaiah 37:35). As Hezekiah resembled David, God
promised that his reign should be lengthened out; and as he perhaps was then
without a son and successor, God promised him a longer life, with the prospect
that he might have an heir who should succeed him on the throne.
Behold, I will add fifteen years to yourlife
– This is perhaps the only instance in which any man has been told exactly how
long he would live. Why God specified the time cannot now be known. It was,
however, a full answer to the prayer of Hezekiah, and the promise is a full
demonstration that God is the hearer of prayer, and that he can answer it at
once. We learn here, that it is right for a friend of God to pray for
life. However, when we study Hezekiah’s prayer closely, we observe that
he didn’t ask the Lord to heal him. Who can tell but that God often spares
useful lives when worn down with toil, and when the frame is apparently sinking
to the grave, in answer to prayer? He may not indeed work miracles as he did in
the case of Hezekiah, but he may direct remedies which had not before occurred;
or he may himself give a sudden and unlooked-for turn to the disease and
restore the sufferer again to health.
And I will rescue you and this city – The purport of this
promise is, that he and the city should be finally and entirely delivered from
all danger of invasion from the Assyrians. It might be apprehended that
Sennacherib would collect a large army, and return; or that his successor would
prosecute the war which he had commenced. But the assurance here is given to
Hezekiah that he had nothing more to fear from the Assyrians (see the notes at
Isaiah 31:4-5; Isaiah 37:35). In the parallel place in 2 Kings 20:6, it is
added. ‹I will defend this city for mine own sake, and for my servant David‘s
sake.‘ In the parallel passage also, in 2 Kings 20:7-8, there is inserted the
statement which occurs in Isaiah at the end of the chapter Isaiah 38:21-22. It
is evident that those two verses more appropriately come in here.
Read Isaiah 38:15-17
What shall I say? In a way of praise and thankfulness, for
the mercies promised and received; I know not what to say; I want words to
express the gratitude of my heart for the kindness bestowed. What shall I
render to God for all his benefits? He has both spoken to me, and
himself has done it; the Lord had sent him a message by the prophet,
and assured him that he should recover, and on the third day go up to the
temple; and now he had performed what he had promised, he was restored, and was
come to the house of God with his thank offering; whatever the Lord says, he
does; what he promises, he brings to pass. I shall go softly all my
years in the bitterness of my soul. Before he did not reckon of a day
to live, now he speaks of his years, having fifteen added to his days, during
which time he should “go softly”, in a thoughtful
“meditating” frame of mindF18; frequently calling to
remembrance, and revolving in his mind, his bitter affliction, and recovery out
of it, acknowledging the goodness and kindness of God unto him: or leisurely;
step by step, without fear of any enemies, dangers, or death, having a promise
of such a length of time to live: or go pleasantly and cheerfully, after the
bitterness of my soul, as it may be rendered; that is, after it is
over, or because of deliverance from it.
O Lord, by such things men live – The design of this and
the following verses is evidently to set forth the goodness of God, and to
celebrate his praise for what he had done. The phrase “these things” refers
evidently to the promises of God and their fulfillment; and the idea is, that
people are sustained in the land of the living only by such gracious
interpositions as he had experienced. It was not because people had any power
of preserving their own lives, but because God interposed in time of trouble,
and restored to health when there was no human prospect that they could
recover.
Behold, for my own well-being I had great bitterness. Meaning
not that instead of peace and prosperity, which he expected would ensue upon
the destruction of Sennacherib’s army, came a bitter affliction upon him; for
he is not now dwelling on that melancholy subject; but rather the sense is,
that he now enjoyed great peace and happiness, though he had been in great
bitterness; for the words may be rendered, “behold, I am in peace, I had
great bitterness”; or thus, “behold my great bitterness is unto
peace”: or, “he has turned it into peace”; it has issued in it,
and this is my present comfortable situation: “but”, or rather, and
thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption:
the grave, where bodies rot and corrupt, and are quite abolished, as the word
signifies; see Psalm 30:3 or “thou hast embraced my soul from the pit of
corruptionF23“; it seems to be an allusion to a tender parent,
seeing his child sinking in a pit, runs with open arms to him, and embraces
him, and takes him out.
For thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back; as
loathsome and abominable, and so as not to be seen by him; for though God sees
all the sins of his people with His eye of omniscience, and in His providence
takes notice of them, and chastises for them, yet not with his eye of avenging
justice; because Christ has taken them on Himself, and made satisfaction for
them, and an end of them; they are removed from them as far as the east is from
the west, and no more to be seen upon them; nor will they be any more set
before his face, or in the light of his countenance; but as they are out of
sight they will be out of mind, never more remembered, but forgotten; as what
is cast behind the back is seen and remembered no more. The phrase is
expressive of the full forgiveness of sins, even of all sins; see Psalm 85:2,
the object of God’s love is the souls of his people; the instance of it is the
delivery of them from the pit of corruption; the evidence of it is the pardon
of their sins.
A New Testament connection with Hezekiah’s poem can be made with Romans
8:28-29. In that passage, Paul urged believers to trust the Lord to be at work
in us so we can grow toward maturity in Him. He intends to shape us through our
experiences in life so we can be more like Christ. Therefore, we live in the
assurance that God answers us when we pray. He also strengthens and benefits us
in ways we had not anticipated, especially when “Praying for Ourselves”.
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REVELATION: What are Christians Affirmations? They are a method to reprogram your mind to gain spiritual confidence in agreement with God's word. It is a marvelous way to gain an amazing insight into God's loving character. Affirmations that lift your life.
Have you ever told a child- “Because I said so”? Or how about- “You need to
do it my way”? Anyone who has ever helped raise a child knows it’s sometimes difficult
to explain the reason why the child must do something or can’t have something.
Children often don’t ask for what is best for them, but they must learn to
trust the parent or adult. As we come to God with our requests, we must trust
Him also. For God is the “parent” and we are His children. It comes as a
surprise to many people from what has been called the “selfie” generation that
to follow Jesus means to give up our selfish desire and to seek first God’s
kingdom (Matt. 6:33). We need to have God teach us to make our priority to pray
for God’s Will to be done. Then we can approach prayer with humble submission
to God’s Will.
Read Matthew 6:10-11a
Honoring the Lord when we pray opens the door for surrendering to Him.
Jesus’ Model Prayer showed us the path from praise to submission as we approach
our Father. It tells us to pray that His Will be done. This makes it a Prayer
of Surrender. Jesus taught us to honor the Lord’s name as holy when we pray
(6:9). Jesus intends for us to grow in Him as kingdom citizens and to make Him
our highest priority. He knows that as we strive to live out His intention, we
will face a serious temptation. When we give into temptation, we’ll neglect
God’s kingdom. But we invite Christ into our lives, we become citizens of His
kingdom.
The phrase in verse 10 “May your kingdom come” is a reference to God’s
spiritual reign, not to Israel’s freedom from Rome. The eternal community in
which God rules as king with complete authority over His people who have
received His gift of salvation through Jesus Christ. God’s kingdom was
announced in the covenant with Abraham (Matt. 8:11; Luke 1:26), is present in
Christ’s reign in believers’ hearts (Luke 17:21) and will be complete when all
evil is destroyed, and God establishes the new heaven and earth (Rev. 21:1).
When we pray “May Your Will be done”, we are not resigning ourselves to fate
but praying that God’s perfect purpose will be accomplished in this world as
well as in the next. God accomplishes His Will largely through people willing
to obey Him. This part of the prayer allows us to offer ourselves as doers of
God’s Will, asking Him to guide, lead, and give us the means to accomplish His
purposes.
Read James 4:6-10
James 4:6-10 is showing the need to be humble. There are three challenging
things James tells us to do. He promises that these will change our lives.
This passage from James was written in a very serious circumstance. Christians
were quarreling; committing murder and adultery; living by lust, greed, and
envy. They were making themselves enemies of God, denying the Spirit who
dwelled in them, and embracing the world and its ill-gotten pleasures (James
4:1-5).
Having reprimanded them for this, James tells them, “God is opposed to
the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6). Then James
tells sinners three things they need to do. 1) Resist the devil (v. 7).
2) Draw near to God (v.8). 3) Humble yourselves (v. 10). James wipes the smiles
off their faces: “You sinners, cleanse your hands. You double-minded
purify your hearts. Be miserable and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be
turned to grieving, and your joy to gloom” (James 4:8-9). In the course of this
rebuke, James offers these three things for those sinners to do, so as to
revolutionize their lives and mend their relationship with God. We may not be
in the fallen state those rebuked were in, but the three things are not
reserved for apostates and reprobates. Even the best Christians ought to do
these things, because they promise the avoidance of sin as much as
they promise its rectification.
Now here is something wonderful. You can resist the devil.
Did you realize you have that power? Well you do. The grace of God grants
it to you —if you are humble about it (1Corinthians 10:12-13). The devil’s
reaction may not be to scamper off immediately. He may tempt and try you a bit
harder at first. But if you consistently resist him, he will fear the power
of God in you, and he will flee. He may come back again another time, but
he can’t win if you keep resisting him with the power God’s grace
supplies you.
Here’s something more wonderful still. You can draw near to God.
Did you realize that you have that privilege? Is it possible to be close to a
God far away in heaven, “who dwells in unapproachable light”
(1Timothy 6:15-16)? Well of course you cannot go into heaven (yet) and meet
with God. James however mentions “the Spirit dwelling in us” (James
4:5). We have access to God through the Spirit (Ephesians 2:18) and “The
Spirit intercedes for us” (Romans 8:26). So, we can draw near to God and
be near him all the time —so long as we go to him humbly.
This is perhaps the most wonderful thing of all. God will exalt
those who come tohim humbly. Peter says the same
(1Peter 5:6). Some translations say that God will “lift you up” but I’m
inclined to think “exalt” is more what God has in mind. We come to God with no
pretensions, seeking his grace, and he blesses us “with every spiritual
blessing in the heavenly places in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3), and grants us
“his precious and magnificent promises” (2Peter 1:4).
Read James 4:13-17
James moves to a new application in giving a warning specifically about
business forecasting. Somewhat unusually, he focuses first on the principle of
trusting God. He opens with sobering words: “Come now, you who say, ‘Today or
tomorrow we will go to such and such a town and spend a year there, doing
business and making money.’ Yet you do not even know what tomorrow will
bring. For you are a mist (vapor) that appears for a little while and
then vanishes” (James
4:13–14). It might seem that James is condemning even short-term business
planning. Planning ahead, however, is not his concern. Imagining that we are
in control of what happens is the problem.
The following verse helps us see James’s real point: “Instead, you ought to
say, ‘If the Lord wishes, we will live and do this or that’” (James 4:15). The problem
is not planning; it is planning as if the future lies in our hands. We are
responsible to use wisely the resources, abilities, connections, and time that
God gives us. But we are not in control of the outcomes. Most businesses are
well aware how unpredictable outcomes are, despite the best planning and
execution that money can buy. The annual report of any publicly traded
corporation will feature a detailed section on risks the company faces, often
running ten or twenty pages. Statements such as “Our stock price may fluctuate
based on factors beyond our control” make it clear that secular corporations
are highly attuned to the unpredictability James is talking about.
Why then does James have to remind believers of what ordinary businesses
know so well? Perhaps believers sometimes delude themselves that following
Christ will make them immune to the unpredictability of life and work. This is
a mistake. Instead, James’s words should make Christians more aware of the need
to continually reassess, adapt, and adjust. Our plans should be flexible and
our execution responsive to changing conditions. In one sense, this is simply
good business practice. Yet in a deeper sense, it is a spiritual matter, for we
need to respond not only to market conditions but also to God’s leading in our
work. This brings us back to James’s exhortation to listen with deep attention.
Christian leadership consists not in forcing others to comply with our plans
and actions, but in adapting ourselves to God’s word and God’s unfolding
guidance in our lives.
“As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil.” (v. 16). Boasting
is evil because we are defying our utter ignorance of the true state of thing,
turning a blind eye to the frailty of the fittest man and the fact that we
depend upon God for everything. God wasn’t in Rodale’s thinking. There in that
New York TV studio was a man who in one area of life had some knowledge, that
is, of vitamins and healthy eating. He had one piece of the jigsaw and had
become an authority in that single piece. But the other pieces? Such as length
of life? And human unpredictability? And the divinely forged connection between
sin and death? And the whole picture? He knew nothing at all about these
things. The youngest child in the kingdom of God knew more than he did. John
Calvin once observed, “Men arrogate too much to themselves when they think that
they excel in anything.” James says baldly, “That is evil.” Not just the great
cruel crimes that we read about too often. Yes, they are evil too, but boasting
and bragging. Its source is the evil one. From the beginning he boasted what he
could do for our first parents. He boasted to the Son of God that if he would
fall down and worship him he would give him all the kingdoms of the world and
their glory. Every time you hear a man bragging, think of the pit. That is the
source of all pride. Our boasting shows that we are sinful men. Then there is
the other root problem.
Our Sins of Omission. v.17 “Therefore to him that know to do good, and do it
not, to him it is sin.” We know the good we ought to do? Yes, because the
things of the law are written in every heart. We know that it is wrong to lie
and to steal and to kill and to worship an idol and to boast and brag. We know
because God has given you a conscience – his great monitor that commends you
when you do well and condemns you when you do wrong. The famous Puritan
illustration of the conscience compares it to a sundial. That is, it operates
effectively only when it is enlightened by the light that strikes it from the
Bible. It will give us a reading if we shine our torch upon it. It will tell us
a time but it is inaccurate, because it only works effectively by the light of
the sun. So, our consciences will work best when they are illuminated by the
Bible. Think of those who have the conscience of evil! They do it in
conscience. Think of the conscience of the Auschwitz guards! They acted by the
light of their conscience. Driving the Jews into the gas-chambers and going
home to sing ‘Silent Night’ with the families at Christmas. Men can muffle and
distort the voice of conscience.
James reminds us that we should be guided by what is good when we make our
plans. What is good is the coming of God’s kingdom and our willingness to be
submissive to His Will for us. Surrendering our plans to Him enables us to
accomplish His kingdom plan for us each day. We sin when against God when we
decide to take actions that reflect rebellion against Him. So, sin can also
involve what we decide not to do. That is where “A Prayer of Surrender” comes in
and is important to know God’s Will.
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We have considered to whom we pray, now let’s think about why we pray. It is
natural for many of us to call out to God when we need something. While it is
certainly okay to ask God for help or even something we need, it should not be
the only time we pray to God. God does invites us to come to Him with our
requests and prayers. However, we need to consider what God wants. In the Model
Prayer, Jesus tells us to petition for God’s name to be honored as holy. We are
to bring our requests to Him and seek an answer that brings honor and glory to
God. Our prayers should be driven by the desire to honor God and in everything
we say and do.
Read Matthew 6:9b; Psalm 96:1-3
The second part of Matthew 6:9b states- “Your name be honored as holy”. This
is Jesus’ instruction for us to honor our Father. The honor we give Him cannot
be something that’s contrived or produced out of obligation or ritual. It’s
something that we sincerely want to do. Our desire to honor Him inspires us to
praise Him. While we know the prayer that Jesus shared with us as the Lord’s
Prayer, it may be best to call it the Model Prayer. Both are very good names.
However, Jesus intended for us to use it as a guide or model when we pray.
Jesus was telling us how to acknowledge God as Father when we begin to talk
with Him. How we approach our Father makes more of a difference than we may
realize at first. When we honor God at the outset of our prayer, we’re more
settled in His presence. Coming into His presence matters more than making sure
that He hears about our needs- since He already knows our needs.
Psalm 96 is for royalty. It should start with timpani (kettledrum) and end
with a trumpet. This enthronement psalms (93; 95-99) calls the people to praise
God (verses 1-3, 7-10a, 11-12a) and gives reasons why God is worthy of praise
(verses 4-6, 10b, 12b-13). Taken together these moves “describe the nature and
consequences of God’s rule.” God’s reign gets spectators
involved and awakens sleepers. No wonder the Psalm brims with imperatives:
three times we are told to sing, and after that to bless, tell, declare,
ascribe and worship. This Psalm is motivational. It moves people to proclaim
God’s mercy and might. It offers insights into how to honor the Lord as holy
when we pray.
In Part 1 (verses 1-3) God’s people get their marching orders. First, we are
to “sing a new song” (verse 1). But what exactly is that new song? The
preacher can well ask what song his or her congregation is given to sing. The
Psalm leaves that pretty open ended. It could be Psalm 96 itself, or some brand
new composition. It might be a response to some event in the story of God’s
people, such as “the return of the exiles from Babylonian captivity” or
something that has happened in your congregation or community. It could be a
song looking toward the future, or one that combines past, present and future.2
After three calls to sing, the Psalm moves to another imperative:
the call to bless God’s name (verse 2). Of course, God does not need
our blessing. But in worship, to bless God is to tell of God’s saving deeds…to
extol God’s mercy, might and compassion. Ancient worshippers in the Temple used
Psalm 96 (and others like it) to bless God, and they may also have knelt and
lifted up their hands. Worship is between the worshipper and God, yet it moves
outward with another imperative: we are to tell others of God’s
salvation. This is not just preaching to the choir, but to all the world. The Psalmist
says we are to declare God’s glory “among the nations” God’s marvelous
works “to all the people.” So, Psalm 96 has been called a “missionary psalm.”
Because He has saved us, glorifying Him always remains our primary passion.
To glorify Him implies that we cast the light on Him and call attention to His
name and the meaning in our lives. When we declare His glory to others (v.3),
we eagerly put the light on God so they will turn to Him. Our eagerness to
declare His glory knows no boundaries. We want to proclaim His name to every
people group and every nation in the world. As we eagerly sing the song of
praise to Him, we want the whole world to hear the good news of His salvation.
Read Psalm 96:4-6
Part 2 (verses 4-6) tells why God is to be praised. God is great above the
heavens. But down here on earth where there are many gods, the one true God
outshines them all. The Psalmist dismisses those other gods-with-a-small-‘g’-
as mere idols. They are things we made up, in contrast to the creator who made
us, and the heavens (verse 5). We praise God as Creator, and we also praise
God’s character.
For the LORD is great and greatly to be praised (v. 4). He is no petty
deity, presiding, as the heathen imagined their gods to do, over some one
nation, or one department of nature. Jehovah is great in power and dominion,
great in mind and act; nothing mean or narrow can be found in him or his acts,
in all things he is infinite. Praise should be proportionate to its object,
therefore let it be infinite when rendered unto the Lord. We cannot praise him
too much, too often, too zealously, too carefully, too joyfully. He deserves
that nothing in his worship should be little, but all the honor rendered unto
him should be given in largeness of heart, with the utmost zeal for his glory.
He is to be feared above all gods (v. 4). Other gods have been worshipped at
great cost, and with much fervor, by their blinded rotaries, but Jehovah should
be adored with far greater reverence. Even if the graven images had been gods
they could not have borne comparison for an instant with the God of Israel, and
therefore his worship, should be far more zealous than any which has been
rendered to them. He is to be feared, for there is cause to fear. Dread of
other gods is mere superstition, awe of the Lord is pure religion. Holy fear is
the beginning of the graces, and yet it is the accompaniment of their highest
range. Fear of God is the blush upon the face of holiness enhancing its beauty.
For all the gods of the nations are idols (v. 5). Mere images of wood
and stone, vanities, nothings. But the Lord made the heavens. The reality of
his Godhead is proved by his works, and foremost among these the psalmist
mentions that matchless piece of architecture which casts its arch over every
man’s head, whose lamps are the light of all mankind, whose rains and dew fall
upon the fields of every people, and whence the Lord in voice of thunder is
heard speaking to every creature. The idol gods have no existence, but our God
is the author of all existences; they are mere earthly vanities, while he is
not only heavenly, but made the heavens. This is mentioned as an argument for
Jehovah’s universal praise. Who can be worshipped but he? Since none can rival
him, let him be adored alone.
Perhaps the most famous description of God’s character appears in Psalm
103:8 (and elsewhere): God is “merciful and gracious, slow to anger and
abounding in steadfast love.” The description of God’s character found in Psalm
96: 6 has a different emphasis: God’s “honor and majesty are before Him, his
strength and beauty fill the sanctuary.” This points to God’s sovereignty and
holiness, an important theme in scripture though often neglected today. Honor
and majesty are before him. (v. 6). Men can but mimic these things; their pompous
pageants are but the pretense of greatness. Honor and majesty are with him and
with him alone. In the presence of Jehovah real glory and sovereignty abide, as
constant attendants.
Strength and beauty are in his sanctuary. In him are combined all that is
mighty and lovely, powerful and resplendent. We have seen rugged strength
devoid of beauty, we have also seen elegance without strength; the union of the
two is greatly to be admired. Do we desire to see the “sublime and
beautiful” at one glance? Then we must look to the eternal throne. In the
Chronicles we read strength and gladness; and the two renderings do not
disagree in sense, for in the highest degree in this instance it is true that
“a thing of beauty is a joy forever.”
Read Psalm 96:7-9
Part 3 (verses 7-10) returns to the imperative mood once more, in a worship
setting. Three times we are told to ascribe to glory to God. To
“ascribe” is to name a quality that belongs to a person or thing. To a deer we
ascribe speed and grace and to an artist or composer we ascribe creative
genius. To God we ascribe glory and strength — especially when looking at
creation. To express our gratitude and dependence on God, we are told to bring
an offering, come into God’s courts (verse 8) worship the
Lord, and tremble before God (verse 9). In verse 10 (not included in
the lectionary) we are to say to the nations that the Lord is King.
Ascribe to the Lord, used in the same triple manner. This is after the
manner of those poets whose flaming sonnets have best won the ear of, the
people, they reiterate choice words till they penetrate the soul and fire the
heart. The invocation of the sweet singer is still addressed to all mankind, to
whom he speaks as Ye kindreds of the people. Divided into tribes and families,
we are called in our courses and order to appear before him and ascribe to him
all honor. “All worship be to God only,” is the motto of one of
our City companies, and it may well be the motto of all the families upon
earth. Family worship is peculiarly pleasing unto him who is the God of all the
families of Israel. Give unto the LORD glory and strength, that is to say,
recognize the glory and power of Jehovah, and ascribe them unto him in your
solemn hymns.
Bring an offering and come into his courts. Come with an un-bloody
sacrifice; atonement for sin having been made, it only remains to bring thank
offerings, and let not these be forgotten. To him who gives us all, we ought
gladly to give our grateful tithe. When assembling for public worship we should
make a point of bringing with us a contribution to his cause, according to that
ancient word, “None of you shall appear before me empty.” The time
will come when from all ranks and nations the Lord will receive gifts when they
gather together for his worship. 0 long expected day begin! This is language
taken from the temple worship, and means that God is to be worshipped, in the
manner which he has prescribed, as a suitable expression of his majesty.
Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness. This is the
only beauty which he cares for in our public services, and it is one for which
no other can compensate. Beauty of architecture and apparel he does not regard;
moral and spiritual beauty is that in which his soul delights. Worship must not
be rendered to God in a slovenly, sinful, superficial manner; we must be
reverent, sincere, earnest, and pure in heart both in our prayers and praises.
Purity is the white linen of the Lord’s choristers, righteousness is the comely
garment of his priests, holiness is the royal apparel of his servants. Fear
before him, all the earth. “Tremble” is the word in the original, and
it expresses the profoundest awe, just as the word “worship” does,
which would be more accurately translated by “bow down.” Even the
bodily frame would be moved to trembling and prostration if men were thoroughly
conscious of the power and glory of Jehovah. We should enjoy the privilege of
knowing Him intimately as our Father. Then all of our prayers will be “A Prayer
of Praise”.
As we further consider Angels’ prayers in Revelation, we
need to investigate what type of angels God identifies and they can work for
Him. It is clear from Revelation that angels are very important to God’s work
with all of us.
God’s Secret Agents
Ps. 91:11; Ez. 10:9-13,16-17; Col.
2:15; Ps. 68:17; Deut. 33:2; Gen. 3:24; Heb. 1:14
There is a story of an illiterate
Chinese mother who had never attended school or a church and had never seen a
Bible, but had met a missionary. This missionary had told her about Jesus, “who
is able to help you when you are in trouble”. This mother lived in a mountain
area in China where tigers lived. One day a year or so after her encounter with
the missionary, she was walking up the foothills with a baby tied to her back
and a little child walking beside her.
Suddenly, she saw a tigress springing at her, followed by two cubs. The
claws of the tigress tore into her arm and shoulder. The mother screamed out in
a frenzy, “O Jesus help me”. The ferocious beast stopped attacking and just as
suddenly, turned and ran away.
The
Bible says, “He will give His angels charge of you, to guard you in all your
ways” (Psalm 91:11). Had God sent an angel to help this poor ignorant Chinese
mother? Are God’s Secret Angels today able to be involved in situations like
this one? In his book “Angels”, Billy Graham tells many such stories, all with
no clear explanation of how the people involved were their saved from harm or
experienced some unexplained intervention.
In
Ezekiel 10 we read, “Each of the four cherubim had a wheel beside him-
The Whirl Wheels- as I heard them
called, for each one had a second wheel crosswise within, sparkled like
chrysolite, giving off a greenish-yellow glow.” “When the cherubim stood still,
so did the wheels, for the spirit of the cherubim was in the wheels”. Clearly,
these cherubim were not called angels in these passages, but they were some
type of heavenly being. However, Cherubs are angels that stand close to God’s
throne. God had cherubim guard the gate with flaming swords, in Genesis 3:24-
which was first time cherubim appear in the Bible.
Billy
Graham writes that he is convinced that these heavenly beings exist and that
they provide unseen aid on our behalf. He further says that he does not believe
in angels because someone has told me about a dramatic visitation from an
angel, impressive as such rare testimonies may be. Mr. Graham says he does
believe in angels because the Bible says there are angels, and he believes the
Bible to be the true Word of God. He further says that he believes in angels
because he has sensed their presence in his life on special occasions.
Colossians 2:15. Paul is indicating that
angels are here to help.
Psalm 68:17.
It says that angels are chariots of God.
Deuteronomy 33:2. Ten thousand angels came down on Mount Sinai to
confirm
God’s presence.
Hebrews 14:1. The writer asks: “Are they (angels) not all ministering
spirits?”
In Daniel 6:22 we read, “My God hath sent His angel, and hath
shut the lions’ mouths.” Daniel’s sight evidently perceived the angelic
presence, and the lions’ strength more than met its match in the power of the
angel. Inmost instances, angels,
when appearing visibly, are so glorious and impressively beautiful as to stun
and amaze men who witness their presence. In Daniel 3:25, the king said, “I see
four men…in the midst of the fire”. The angel had come to the Hebrew friends of
Daniel in the midst of the flame without harm and was seen by the king.
In Revelation
10:1, John describes the glories of the angels visibly descending from heaven
with immeasurable beauty and brilliance, shining like the sun. Who told John to
record this? Revelation 5:11 says, John saw “ten thousand times ten thousand,
and thousands of thousands of angels around the throne”.
In Numbers 22:23,
31, it seems that God granted Balaam and his donkey a new optical capacity to
view the angel! Without this special sense they might have thought him (angel)
to b only a fragment of their imagination.
On the other
hand, the bible indicates angels are more often invisible to human eyes.
Whether visible or invisible, God causes His angels to go before us, and to
follow after us. All of this can be fully understood only by believers who know
that angelic presences are in control of the battlefield around us, so we can
stand with complete confidence in the midst of the fight, like Romans 8:31.
There are also
Scriptures that tell us about angels and their qualities, like Matthew 22:30;
Mark 12:25; Psalm 91:11-12. Let’s read the verses in Mark and Matthew. We had
previously reviewed the verses in Psalms. All of these passages indicate that
angels are real- visible or invisible! But there are many more that offer proof
that angels exist.
Angels in Prophecy and Gospels
Luke 1:16; Luke 1:47; Matt. 1:20;
Dan. 9:24; Luke 2:10,11; Acts 8:26; Rev.19:11-14
In Daniel 9:24 the angel Gabriel
appeared to the prophet Daniel and In Luke 1:5-25 Gabriel appeared to Zacharias
the father of John the Baptist. So, here is a case where Gabriel is in both
prophecy and the Gospel.
In
Luke 1:47 it says: “My spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior.” Here was the
news that Mary herself needed a Savior, and had found Him. It was Gabriel that
was the angel that brought the message to Mary about being with child.
Matthew 1:20. It tells of an angel that
appeared to Joseph and told him the real story that Mary was innocent of any
transgression and that he, Joseph, was chosen as the vessel of God in affording
Mary’s perfection in this extraordinary event. gr
In
Luke 2:10-11, the angel had quieted the fears of the shepherds, when he brought
the message of the Savior, Christ the Lord. In Acts 8:26, Philip obeyed the
angel and approached the chariot and then the angel led Philip away (seemingly
disappearing) to preach the gospel in another area.
The
Book of Revelation, from chapter 4 to 19, gives us a picture of judgments to
befall the earth such as the world has never known. Angels will be involved in
all of these judgments. Revelation 19:11-14 tells of Jesus’ return (known as
the Second Coming) with the saints (us) and the angels following to set up His
kingdom.
These
are just a few of the events that describe where angels have been or will be involved
in prophecy and the Gospel.
How would you live if you knew you
were being watched all the time? We know God is watching us, but 1 Corinthians
4:9 teaches that angels are watching us. Paul says we are a “spectacle” to the
angels. “God has made an exhibit of us…a show in the world’s amphitheater- with
both men and angels (as spectators)” (Amplified Bible). Billy Graham states:
“We know they are watching, but in the heat of the battle, I have thought how
wonderful It would be if we could hear them cheering.”
Ephesians
3:10- Talks about principalities and powers in heavenly places. Angel hosts
have witnessed the formation of the church of Christ Jesus, and have watched
the walk of each believer as the Lord worked His grace, love and power into
each life. The angels are observing firsthand the building of the body of the
true church in all places of His dominion this very hour.
1 Timothy 5:21- Paul was stirring up
Timothy to remember that the elect angels were constantly watching how he
served the Savior and lived the Christian life. What fact could provide a
greater motivation to righteous living than that? Careful, angels are watching!
Luke 15:10 says the angels rejoice over one sinner who repents and then
the angel hosts are numbered among the spectators in the heavenly grandstands.
Hebrews 12:1 says that the angels refer to us as “so great a cloud of witness”,
and they never miss any of the details of our earthly pilgrimage. They rejoice
with us!
To conclude this section let’s look
at Exodus 23:23; Hebrews 13:2; and Acts 1:9.
A GLIMPSE OF HEAVEN- PERM https://youtu.be/GMnRVRdvOrI ANENT HEAVEN https://youtu.be/GMnRVRdvOrI
Will the New Earth Be an
Edenic Paradise?
This
world -including its natural wonders- gives us foretastes and glimpses of the
next world. This life -including its culture- gives us a look into the next
world. If we take literally the earth depictions of life on the New Earth, it
will allow us to make a direct connection with our current lives. We have gone
through many, many scriptures in the past 4 weeks that seem to make that case
very strongly. When we are eating with people here, enjoying food and
friendship, it’s a bridge to when we will be eating there, enjoying food and
friendship. This isn’t making a leap into the dark of a shadowy afterlife; it’s
just taking a few natural steps in the light scriptures give us. The Grand
Canyon, the Alps, the Amazon rain forests, the Serengeti Plain- these are rough
sketches of the New Earth/ (Can you imagine the trips to be taken by Thelma and
Louise?) What about a visit to the Serengeti Plain
without the worry of being eaten by a lion? Whenever we see beauty in water,
wind, flower, deer, man, woman or child, we catch a glimpse of Heaven. Just
like the Garden of Eden, the New Earth will be a place of sensory delight,
breathtaking beauty, satisfying relationship, and personal joy. “Now the Lord
God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden,
and there He put the man He had formed. And the Lord God made all kinds of
trees grow out of the ground- trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for
food.”(Genesis 2:8-9). The phrase ”planted a garden”, shows God’s personal
touch, His intimate interest in creative details of the mankind’s home. John
14:2-3 tells us that Christ is paying attention to the details as He prepares
for us an eternal home in Heaven. Think- if He prepared Eden so carefully and lavishly for mankind in
the six days of creation, what has He fashioned in a place He’s been preparing
for us in the 2,000 years since He (Jesus) left this world?
There are those who believe that the New Earth
will “start over” with Eden’s
original paradise. The scriptures indicate the New Earth will be a carryover of
culture and nations from the old earth. The New Jerusalem will be a great,
advanced city as we see in Revelations 21:22. Besides Eden wasn’t just a garden. It was an entire
land of wonders (Gen. 2:11-12). In Revelations 21:19-20, it tells us about the
foundations of the New Jerusalem’s walls. The onyx of Eden
(as described in Exodus 28:9-12 & Ezekiel 28:13) will be on this foundation
and displayed as a memorial to Eden.
So we will not return to Eden
but we will remember it. Isaiah 51:3 says “Indeed, the Lord will comfort Zion; He will comfort all
her waste places. And her wilderness He will make like Eden, and her desert
like the garden of the Lord; joy and gladness will be found in her,
thanksgiving and sound of a melody.” Isaiah, considered the greatest prophet of
the Old Testament, says all of the New Earth will be magnificent and glorious.
But so does Ezekiel 36:35- “This desolate land has become like a Garden of Eden;
and the waste, desolate and ruined cities are fortified and inhabited.” Isaiah even goes further in 35:1 and 55:13.
That seems to be saying that if we want to see a desert, we had better do it
now. In studying Isaiah, I am amazed at the New Earth prophecy in the Old
Testament. Wait until you hear about animals from Isaiah.
What will New Nature Be Like?
We’ve
never seen men and women as they were intended to be. Herman will likely be
able to out race us all. We’ve never seen animals the way they were like before
the Fall. Have you seen the new Travelers Insurance commercial with the scenes
of the animals? We have seen marred remnants of what once was. Likewise, we’ve
never seen nature unchained and undiminished. Authors C.S. Lewis (Narnia) and
J.R.R. Tolkien (Lord of the Rings) saw core truth of old mythologies and they
give us a glimpse of people & beasts & trees that are vibrantly alive.
Lewis goes on to say that “Christians have the best of both worlds; we have joy
whenever this world reminds us of the next and we take solace whenever it
does”. If you get a chance, watch the original Narnia where Lucy & her
family and friends come upon what reflects the biblical revelation of the New
Earth. It also uses the comparisons of the Old Narnia to the New Narnia to
capture the biblical theology of the old and New Earth better than any
theologian- according to Randy Alcorn. So C.S. Lewis has used scripture in the
making of his Narnia series. It is hard to believe that these movies became
popular in today’s environment. On the New Earth we will see the Earth where no
good thing will be destroyed. The New Earth will be a place of healing, the
place where all hurts are healed, all suffering forever eclipsed by joy (Rev.
22:2). Every healing was a memorial to the Eden that was and a signpost to the New Earth
that will be. Everything changes when we grasp that all we love about the old
Earth will be ours on the New Earth – either in the same form or another. Think
about what this means- we won’t have to regret leaving all the wonders of this
world we’ve seen or mourn not having seen its countless other wonders now. We
will yet be able to see them.
What is the New Jerusalem?
Scripture
that we have talked about before describes Heaven as both a country and a city,
(Hebrews). Fifteen times in Revelation
21 & 22 the place where God and His people will live together is called a
city. In these verses there is a detailed description of the architecture,
walls, streets, and other features of the city. So it is a literal geographical
location. What do we know about cities? A city is a place with buildings,
streets, residences occupied by people (both inhabitants and visitors),
bustling activity, cultural events and gatherings involving music, arts,
education, religion, entertainment, and athletics. It would seem to be
misleading for Scripture to repeatedly call it a city if the New Jerusalem, as
the capital city of the New Earth, doesn’t have these defining characteristics.
The New Jerusalem will be the largest city any human could imagine. In
Revelations 21:15-16 the exact dimensions are given, as measured by an angel. It
is said to be 12,000 Stadia, or the equivalent of 1,400 miles in length, width,
and height. A metropolis this size in the middle of the United States would stretch from the Canadian
border to the Mexican border and from the Appalachian Mountains to the California border. ( I
have heard others use from the Atlantic Ocean
to the Rocky Mountains- not sure which is most accurate. Either case- it is
big!) That makes the ground level two million square miles- 40 times bigger
than England, 15,000 times
bigger than London, 10 times larger than France or Germany,
and many times larger than India.
However, we are told it is also 1,400 mile high. I am not sure how to compare
that- except if each story was 12 feet high, the city would consist of 600,000
stories- each 1,400 miles long and 1,400 miles wide. All of this is very hard
for us to try to understand or visualize. However, this is just the city.
Revelation 21:4 appears to be telling us that the Church (us when it says
nations) will live in the Holy
City. The rest of those
who came to Christ during the Tribulation and Millennium will likely live
outside the New Jerusalem in other cities and in the country (which will be the
rest of the New Earth). All who live on the New Earth will be able to travel to
all parts and come and go to the New Jerusalem and other areas at will.
The city will have “a great high wall with 12
gates and with 12 angels at the gates.” There will be three gates on the east,
three gates on the north, three gates on the south, and three gates on the
west- Revelations 21:12-13. Revelation 21:25 says these gates will never be
closed. There will be no need for security, plus the angels will keep watch.
There will be no enemies outside the city’s gates as the entire New Earth will
be filled with the knowledge of God- Habakkuk 2:14. And citizens from outside
the gates will regularly travel through them, (Rev. 21:24, 26). The city’s open
gates will be a great equalizer. There’s no elitism in Heaven; everyone will
have access because of Christ’s blood. All people will have access to the
city’s parks, museums, restaurants, libraries, concerts- anything and
everything the city has to offer. The vast distances involved between the three
gates on any side of the city, suggests each gate may go out into a different
country, perhaps each with radically different terrain and spectacular sights.
People have always gathered at city gates to share news and tell stories. We will
be freed to be even more rational, without fears, inadequacies, and sins that
plague us now. Revelation 21:8 says there will be no deceit and no lies. To be
part of a city is to be a citizen. Apostle Paul in Philippians 3:20 says “Our
citizenship is in Heaven.” Note the verb tense- “is” – not “will be”. Although
our citizenship in Heaven is present, our residence there is future and
assured! This New Jerusalem will be a solid, permanent city, secured by far
more than tent stakes. It has not one foundation but 12, each decorated with a
different gem-Rev. 21:14, 19-20. Hebrews 11:8-10 tells us that Abraham “was
looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is
God.” The New Jerusalem is that city. This city will have all the advantages of
an earthly city but none of its disadvantages. The city will be filled with
natural wonders, magnificent architecture, thriving culture- but it will have
no crime, pollution, sirens, traffic fatalities, garbage or homelessness.
Imagine moving through the city to enjoy arts, music, and sports without
pickpockets, porn shops, drugs, or prostitution. Imagine sitting down to eat
and toasting the King (with a glass of fruit juice), who will be glorified in
every pleasure we enjoy. All who wish to come to Him, anytime, at His throne
may do so. God will delight to share with us the glories of His city – and
ours.
What will the Great City Be Like? https://youtu.be/2VNdSR3ik88
The
New Jerusalem, capital city of the New Earth, will be the largest city that has
ever existed. However, in Luke 19:17-19, Jesus mentions many other cities that
will be on the New Earth. So others will come from many cities and countryside
to visit New Jerusalem. Heaven’s capital city will be filled with visual
magnificence. “It shone with the glory of God and its brilliance was like that
of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal”.-Rev. 21:11. John
continues on in Rev. 21:18-19 to describe the opulence- “The wall made of
Jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass. The foundations of the
city wall were decorated with every kind of precious stone.” John then names
twelve stones, eight of which were stones of the high priest’s breast piece in
Exodus 28:17-20. “The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a
single pearl. The great street of the city was of pure gold, like transparent
glass.- Rev. 21:21. Tressa- there is your streets of gold!
What is the River
of Life?
John
describes a natural wonder in the center of the New Jerusalem: “The river of
the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of
the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city”- Rev. 22:1-2. Because
the city is a center of life and water is an essential part of life, it
suggests further that our new bodies will still want water. And where does John
say is the source of this great river of life? The Throne of God!! So we won’t
have to leave the city to find natural beauty. This river will very likely have
many tributaries throughout the rest of this vast city. We are able to walk
down the street beside this river and even drink from it (no pollution). The
city will have countless other streets but likely none like this great street
with the river that leads directly to the Throne of God and the Lamb.
What is the Tree of Life?
John
then mentions another striking feature: “On each side of the river stood the
tree of life, bearing 12 crops of fruits, yielding its fruit every month. And
leaves of the tree of life are for the healing of the nations.”- Rev. 22:2. (It
seems that we, the Church Age believers and the Old Testament saints are
referred to as the “nations” many times.) This may be indicating we will
continuously get “refreshing” from God. The tree of life is mentioned three
times in Genesis 2 and four times in Revelations, three of those in the final
chapter. We are told the tree of life is presently in Paradise- Present Heaven-
Rev. 2:7. All of this seems to be saying two other note-worthy observations: 1)
in the New Earth there will more than one tree of life, (“on each side of the
river stood the tree of life”), possibly an entire park of these trees in many
locations in the New Jerusalem, and 2) as we talked last week about past
perfect verbs in Hebrews description of the New Jerusalem, this also seems to
be saying John was seeing the city in Present Heaven. So this is the second
time that scriptures may be indicating that the New Jerusalem is also ready to
live in – in the Present Heaven- and has been prepared long before it comes to
Earth as told in Rev. 21:1. This tree of life suggests a supernatural provision
of life as Adam & Eve ate the fruit their Creator provided for their use,
and we shall have access to it forever. Notice there is no mention of the tree
of the knowledge of good & evil to test us. “To him who overcomes (believes
in Jesus), I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the
paradise of God.”-Rev. 2:7. So this tree of life will be brought down to the
New Earth. The indication that there is a monthly yield of fruit demonstrates
the newness and freshness of Heaven and that the fruit is to be consumed.
Ezekiel 47:12 prophesied the same thing, “Fruit trees of all kinds will grow on
both banks of the river. Their leaves will not wither, nor will their fruit
fail. Every month they will bear, because the water from the sanctuary flows to
them. Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing.” So Ezekiel
seems to be confirming that there will be many types of trees and Rev. 2:7
seems to say the city is full of parks containing these trees. (See how all of
this fits together.) In Rev. 22:2 John says “the leaves of the tree are for
healing nations”. This is the third time in Rev. 21 and 22 that the inhabitants
(us) of the New Earth are referred to as Nations. So nations will not be eliminated
but healed. Indicating that our source of everything is coming directly from
God!
Will the New Earth have other Natural Wonders?
What
the scripture tells us about the river of life and the tree of life and its
fruits is indicative of the natural wonders that will be part of the New Earth.
We should expect lakes to be formed by the many rivers. John speaks of “a
mountain great and high”- Rev. 21:10. John says “a” mountain not the singular
“the” mountain, indicating most likely many more. Just as our resurrection
bodies will be better than our current ones, the New Earth’s natural wonders
will presumably be more spectacular than those we now know. To view the New
Earth as having fewer and less beautiful features than the old earth, pictures
the earth’s regression. This is contrary to what we are told over & over.
In fact, I believe God was just “warming up” and getting started with this
current earth. If we were to think about all the wonders of this earth (Niagara Falls, Grand Canyon, Yosemite, the Himalayas, etc.) we should consider that these will be
more spectacular and even a great many more of them.
Will there be Space and Time? https://youtu.be/fEBUHJaNKkI
What
does the Bible mean by the term “new heavens”. In Genesis 1:1 it speaks of God
creating “the heavens and the earth”, the words are synonymous with what we
mean by universe. In this case “heavens” refer to the realms above the earth;
atmosphere, sun, moon, stars and all that’s in outer space. Isaiah 65:17
“Behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth.” This corresponds to
Genesis, indicating a compete renewal of the same physical universe God first
created. Rev. 21:1-2 says “I saw a new heaven and a new earth…”. This too seems
to be referring to exactly the same atmospheric and celestial heavens as in
Genesis. It also corresponds to the “new
heavens” of Isaiah 65:17, 66:22, and 2 Peter 3:13. The new heavens will be
superior to the old heavens -which are confirmed by the Bible’s final two
chapters. Earth is the first domain of mankind’s stewardship, but it is not the
only domain. Because the whole universe fell under mankind’s sin, we can
conclude that the whole universe was intended to be under mankind’s dominion.
If so, then the entire new universe will be ours to travel to, inhabit, &
rule- to God’s glory. Even under the Curse, we have been able to explore the
moon, and have technology to land on Mars. What will our accomplishments be for
God’s glory when we have resurrected minds, unlimited resources, complete
scientific co-operation, and no more death? Will the far edges of our galaxy be
within our reach? Scripture appears to be hinting that “all things are possible
through Christ, who strengthens us”. In Rev. 2:28, Jesus says “I will also give
him the morning star”. The morning star is a celestial object- the planet
Venus. Of course Jesus was Himself referred to as the “morning star”. However,
here Jesus is saying I will give it to him. Is this a figurative statement that
means something else or is this saying that there will be a new Venus, as part
of the new heavens that we will be able to travel to and rule over? This is
likely another of those mysteries. However, we can logically conclude based on
the other scriptures we have pointed out that the new cosmic heavens will be
the old – renewed!
Will we Live is a Spatial World?
The
doctrine of the resurrection is an emphatic statement that we will forever
occupy “space”- we’ll be physical human beings living in a physical universe.
The resurrected Jesus said “Touch Me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and
bones, as you see I have.”-Luke 24:39. He walked on Earth, we will walk on
Earth. He occupied space; we will occupy space. Eden was in space and time, and the New Earth
will be in space and time. The promise of Heaven is not that we will become
infinite that would be inhuman, but that we will become far better finite
humans than we have ever been. The Biblical texts speak of time and space in
the New Earth similarly to how they speak of them here and now. Jesus spoke of
the uttermost parts or farthest ends of Heaven – Mark 13:27. Even the Present
Heaven appears to occupy space. But certainly the new heavens and the New Earth
will. God is the one” who inhabits eternity”-Isaiah 57:15. By being with Him on
the New Eath, we will share space and time with God.
Will we Experience Time in Heaven?
This
is a different look at time than what we did in “space and time”. King James’
version of the Bible translates Rev. 10:6 as “There should be time no longer.”
Several other translations have gone back to the original manuscripts (we
learned from the Pastor’s study that the KJV did not go back the original
source) -to translate this correctly as “There will be no more delay”, which
means not that time itself will cease but that there is not time left before
God’s judgment is executed. There is an
old hymn that also gets this wrong. In that hymn there a phrase “Time shall be
no more”. Ironically in the same hymn it speaks of “When morning breaks…” Both
the words “morning” and “when” are references to time. “Amazing Grace” has a
better grasp of time: “When we’ve been there ten thousand years, Bright shining
as the sun, we’ve no less days to sing God’s praise, Than when we’d first
begun.” I have attached a list of ten scripture references (copied from the
book) that contain evidences of time in Heaven. How can scripture be clearer
about time in Heaven? Right down to point 8. (on the list) about silence in
Heaven for half an hour. The sixth day of creation was followed by a day of
rest- time again. Time was never the mark of the world’s fallen state; it was
sin. So time is good and its God’s time, without any time pressure that our
future is limited or that we have to do something at a certain time in Heaven.
Our future in Heaven will be unlimited. We’ll no longer have to “number our
days”.-Psalm 90:12.
Will the New Earth have Sun, Moon, Oceans, and Water?
Rev.
21:23, Rev. 22:5, & Isaiah 60:19-21 say that the New Jerusalem will not
need the light of the sun & moon because they will be outshone by God’s
glory. None of these scriptures state that there will be no more sun or moon.
So the emphasis is on them being overshadowed by the greater light of God. In
Genesis 1 God was the light source before He created the sun & moon. So
here is another example of how the last chapters of the Bible reestablish
something from the first chapters. Other scriptures that tell us God is the
light are Isaiah 60:19, Rev. 21:23, John 1:9,5, John 8:12 and Isaiah 60:13. The
New Jerusalem will be a city illuminated not only by God’s Holiness but also His
grace. So if the New Earth is full of God’s light, does that mean no more sun
rises and sunsets? Our sun is on of countless billions of suns. It is likely we
will see many more sunrises & sunsets on many worlds. Darkness was part of
the original creation and darkness is not evil- only what sinful people do in
darkness. Without sin on the New Earth, darkness will be good and even better.
Because God created the first celestial heavens to display His Glory-(Psalm
19:1)! He makes the new celestial heavens, they will perform their mission even
better. That means we’ll have to be able to see sunrises and sunsets, but maybe
not in the Holy City itself. Light may be constant in
the New Holy city but not necessarily in the other cites and countries outside
of the city gates.
Will there be Oceans?
Rev.
21:1 states there will be “no longer any sea”. However, the core meaning seems
to be that there will be no more of the cold, treacherous waters that separate
nations, destroy ships, and drown our loved ones. This may be referring to the
fact that there will be no more creatures swallowing up seafarers and no more
poisoned salt waters (typically used to clean up hazards). Of course God
created the seas- Genesis 1:31, but the Curse had a devastating effect on all
creation. Revelation 22:1-2, as we talked before, tells us a great river flows
right through the capital city. Flowing rivers go somewhere. We would expect
lakes and quite possibly huge sea-like, lakes. However, these will likely be
fresh water “oceans” or large lakes without the problems of the seas as we know
them. Even now many large lakes are ocean like in size and some are fresh
water. There will also need to be large bodies of water for the animals (we
will talk details about animals a bit later) that live underwater. Isaiah 60
says the renewed Jerusalem
will have “the wealth of the seas brought to you, to you the riches of the
nations will come”- Verse 5. Then in Isaiah 60:9 it speaks of inhabited islands
and their ships traveling the sea, “Surely the islands look to me; in the lead
are the ships of Tarshish, bringing your sons from afar, with silver &
gold, to honor of the Lord your God.” So it seems the New Earth will have large
bodies of water- likely all fresh water- for all types of activities. Remember-
No Death, so we can not drown.
Will there be Seasons and Varying Weather?
In
Ezekiel 34:26-27, God says “I will bless them and the places surrounding My
hill. I will send down showers in season; there will be showers of blessings.
The trees of the field will yield their fruit and the ground will yield its
crops.” So rain is a good thing (where has it been?) We will see trees bearing
fruit on the New Earth, so presumably they will be rained on. Job 37:3-6 says
that lightning, thunder, rain and snow all declare God’s greatness. So is there
any reason to conclude such things will not be part of the New Earth? None!!
However, no one will die or be hurt by such weather on the New Earth. When we
live on the New Earth, could we go hiking in a snowstorm without fear? Could we
jump off a cliff into a river three hundred feet below? Could we stand in an
open field in flashing lightning and roaring thunder? Must the New Earth be
tamed, stripped of high peaks, waterfalls, huge valleys and thunderstorms? I
like the seasons, each of them, but without the danger. Jeremiah 5:24- “God who
gives autumn and spring in seasons.” There are no specific scripture that
clearly says that when the New Earth comes down that everything GOOD won’t be
part of the New Earth. The upgrade from the old Earth to the New Earth will be
vastly superior to anything we know about or have experienced.
Unless
we grasp the full meaning of the resurrection, we won’t believe we’ll continue
to be ourselves in the afterlife. We are physical beings now and we will be
physical beings again after the resurrection. Also as we learned in week #2, we
will be in some form of physical state in the present Heaven- although not
likely as superior or in a completely physical form as when Jesus comes to
Earth (Second Coming). Jesus called people in Heaven by name, including Lazarus
in Present Heaven (Luke 16:25) and Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in eternal Heaven
(Matthew 8:11). A name denoted a distinct identity, an individual. The fact
that people in Heaven can be called by the same name they had on Earth
demonstrates they remain the same people. If you “know” Jesus, you’ll be you
–without the bad parts- forever. (Sherlock Holmes would love this type of
logic.)
Will we be Unique? https://youtu.be/CecdlL_4UuA
Just
as our genetic code and fingerprints are unique now, we should expect the same
of our new bodies. Heaven’s inhabitants don’t simply rejoice over nameless
multitudes coming to God. They rejoice over each and every person (Luke 15:4-7,10).
That’s a powerful affirmation of Heaven’s view of each person as a separate
individual whose life is observed and cared for one at a time. When Moses &
Elijah appeared out of Heaven with Christ at the Transfiguration, the disciples
with Christ recognized Moses & Elijah as the distinct individuals they
were, the same men they were on Earth, infused with holiness. Matthew 8:11
tells us we will sit at a banquet and eat with Abraham & Isaac and others,
sitting, eating, talking, laughing with particular individuals. So what makes
you –you? It’s not only your body but also your memory, personality traits,
gifts, passions, preferences, and interest. In the final resurrection, it is
logical to believe all of these facets will be restored and amplified,
untarnished by sin. Do you remember when you really felt good, (not in pride or
arrogance), about yourself when you honored God? That was just a little taste
of who you’ll be in Heaven. Let’s review when we are to get our resurrected
bodies. Rev. 20:4-6 says the first resurrection, when all believers’ bodies
join their spirits, occurs before the millennium right after Jesus returns to
clean up the Tribulation.
Will we become Angels?
No!!
The same person who becomes absent from his or her body becomes present with
the Lord-2 Corinthians 5:8. The person who departs is the one who goes to be
with Christ- Philippians 1:23. Angels are angels. Humans are humans. Angels are
beings with their own histories and memories, with distinct identities like
Michael and Gabriel. Under God’s direction they serve us on Earth (Hebrews
1:14). Daniel 10:13 & Rev. 12:7 tells us about Michael serving under God.
In Heaven, human beings will govern angels- 1 Corinthians 6:2-3. Angels have
been with us from childhood, protecting us, standing by us, doing whatever they
could on our behalf (Matthew 18:10) Besides God, no one could know us better.
According to John’s encounter, angels will show us around in Present Heaven and
then we will also walk & talk with them on the New Earth. How great will it
be to get to know these brilliant ancient creatures who have lived with God
from their creation. We will consult them as well as advise them, realizing
they too can learn from us, God’s image- bearers. If we really believed angels
were with us daily here and now, wouldn’t it motivate us to make wiser
choices? There is no Biblical basis for
trying to make contact with angels now (not even Tess and Monica). We are to
ask God, not angels, for wisdom (James 1:5). However, scripture teaches that
one or more of God’s angels may be in the room with you now, every once in a
while you might say “Thank You and I am looking forward to meeting you.” We
won’t be angels but we’ll be with angels- and that will be far better.
Will we have Emotions?
In
scripture, God is said to enjoy, laugh, have love for His children, take
delight, and rejoice, as well as be angry, happy, jealous, and be glad. So we
should consider that our emotions are derived from God’ emotions! To be like
God means to have and express emotions. Hence, we should expect that in Heaven
emotions will exist for God’s glory and our good. Rev 6:16 & 7:10 talks about emotions John
encountered in Heaven. Even angels respond emotionally –(Rev. 7:11-12,
18:1-24). While Revelations 21:4 says there will be no crying or pain, it is
clearly speaking of those emotions not happening because of injustice or
sorrow. However, how about tears of joy when we see Jesus, and experience all
the good things of banquets, feasts, singing and being with loved ones? Luke
6:21 says people will laugh in Heaven.
Will we have desires?
We
will have many desires in Heaven but they won’t be unholy desires. Everything
we want will be good and pleasing to God. One of the greatest things about
Heaven is that we’ll no longer have to battle our desires. Christianity is unique
in its perspective of our desires, teaching that they will be satisfied and
fulfilled on the New Earth. Also that Jesus takes our sins away while redeeming
our desires. God’s law, the expression of His attributes, will be written on
our hearts- Hebrews 8:10. “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you
the desires of your heart”- Psalm 37:4. Whatever we want will be exactly what
God wants.
Will we Maintain our own Identities?
You
will be you in Heaven. It is obvious that the resurrected Jesus did not become
someone else, He remained who He was before His resurrection: “It is I Myself”
Luke 24:39. In John 20:10-18, 24-29, 21:15-22, the resurrected Jesus deals with
Mary, Thomas, & Peter in very personal ways, drawing on His previous
knowledge of them in His pre-resurrected state. Also if we were not ourselves
in the after life, we couldn’t be rewarded or held accountable for activities
we did in this life. Isaiah 66:22, “As the new heavens and the new earth that I
make will endure before Me, declares the Lord, so will your name and
descendents endure.” The names of God’s children are written in the Lamb’s Book
of Life (Rev. 20:15 21:27). To have the same name written in Heaven that was
ours on Earth speaks of continuity between this life and the next. In addition
to our earthly names, we’ll receive new names in Heaven (Isaiah 62:2, 65:15,
Rev. 2:17, 3:12). New names don’t invalidate the old ones. Many people have had
multiple names in scripture. When God is finished with the resurrection, we
will be ourselves without sin- meaning we will be the best we can be.
It will be sudden! 2. It will be unexpected! 3. It will
be surprising! 4. We should be alert!
Jesus said, “No man
knows the day or the hour” so we should live so as to “be ready for the Son of
Man is coming at an hour you do not expect” (Matthew14:44). Only a
pretribulation rapture preserves an imminent (“at any moment”) return of
Christ. Throughout the ages, Christians have understood the rapture to be
imminent. Nothing could be a better motivator to holy living than knowing that
Jesus could come as any moment. In fact, He may come before you are finished
reading this.
Also, Jesus will come
in a cloud and take His believers back to heaven, where He has prepared a place
for them. There will be an exodus of believers that will leave non-believers on
earth alone. Jesus will not meet His non-believers in a battle and He will not
establish a reign on earth. Remember the Second Coming of Jesus is one event
that occurs in two parts. The Scriptures that provide these characteristics
have already been presented herein. This is just a summary of what to expect
and what will not happen at the rapture.
The 7,000 Year Theory
of Mankind
The 7,000 Year Theory
is one of the oldest theories dating from the earliest days of the Church. It
begins with God creating the heavens and the earth in six days and resting on
the seventh. It should be noted that God does not spell out upon which “day”
was the first day in terms of days of the week as we know them. The theory
states that God will deal with mankind for six of His days (6,000 of our years)
and rest on the seventh day (the1,000-year Millennium). It also assumes that
all the days of the week are of equal length. Knowing three other Scripture
verses will help in understanding: 1) 2 Peter 3:8 teaches one day with the Lord
is 1,000 years, 2) Hebrews 4:4-11 presents the Millennium as a day of rest, and
3) Revelation 20:1-9 gives us the idea of a 1,000-year Millennium.
According to the
Jewish calendar (which has today’s year 360 days –not 365), 3,760 years after
Creation the Christian Era begin (1 AD on our calendar). That is almost four of
God’s days. Since its beginning, the Christian Era has lasted almost 2,000
years or two more of God’s days. This means mankind is approaching the seventh God-day
(the Millennium). But before the Millennium occurs two things must take place-
the Rapture and the Tribulation Period.
As we are now in the
21st Century and a new millennium, there is a
sense of change in the air with mounting anticipation about the Rapture and the
Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Today, Messianic expectations are rampant among
Jews in Israel, Predictions of the Rapture and the Second Coming are widespread
among Christians, and doomsday prophecies are flourishing among cults. As a reminder
in Matthew 24:44, Jesus said: “No man knows the day or the hour,” so we should
live so as to “be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not
expect”.
Some Rapture Background/History
Critics of the
Pretribulation rapture view often refer to its lack of historical support.
These critic types have argued that it was invented by John Darby in the
mid-1800s and was never mentioned before that. These arguments generally reason
that because this teaching is less than 100 years old, it cannot be biblical,
or Christians would have held to this view many years earlier. What this
reasoning fails to completely understand is that biblical truth must be
determined by the clear teaching of Scripture, not how that teaching has been
perceived throughout history. This reasoning seems to completely ignore the way
Scripture is determined to be in the Bible. However, a substantial amount of
Scripture evidence reveals a belief in a Pretribulational rapture long before
John Darby. The earliest documents of the ancient church (including the New
Testament cannon) reflect a clear premillennialism. Pretribulationists point to
the early church’s clear belief in imminence as evidence that Pretribulationism
was held by at least a few from the earliest times.
Clearly early views of
the church’s theology were underdeveloped and sometimes contradictory,
containing a base out of which would develop various and diverse theological
viewpoints. Finding clear Pretribulationism spelled out in the early church
fathers is difficult, but some Pretribulational elements are clear. When
systematized with their other prophetic views, these elements contradict
posttribulationism, and support Pretribulationism. For an example, the
apostolic fathers clearly taught the Pretribulational features of imminence. So
an examination of the early church fathers reveals that they were predominantly
Premillennialists or chiliasts. I found at least eight listed writings from 100
AD to 330 AD. That supported these views. While the early church fathers expected
the church to be suffering and persecuted when the Lord returns, they also
believed in the imminent return of Christ, which is a central feature of
Pretribulational thought.
Expressions of
imminence abound in the apostolic fathers. Clement of Rome (90-100 AD),
Ignatius of Antioch (98-117), The Didache (100-160), The Epistle of Barnabas
(117-138), and The Shepherd of Hermas (96-150) all speak of imminence. In fact,
The Shepherd of Hermas speaks of escaping the Tribulation. So in the end, one
cannot find a clear statement of patristic eachatology in the early church
regarding the rapture. However, the argument that Pretribulation is not valid
only because of the lack of historical support in the early church is certainly
NOT true. What we can conclude from the early church fathers is:
They expected a literal coming of Christ followed by a
literal 1000-year kingdom.
They believed in the imminent coming of Christ with
occasional Pretribulational inferences.
They were being persecuted by the Roman government but
did not equate this with the future Tribulation wrath.
It will be sudden! 2. It will be unexpected! 3. It will
be surprising! 4. We should be alert!
Jesus said, “No man
knows the day or the hour” so we should live so as to “be ready for the Son of
Man is coming at an hour you do not expect” (Matthew14:44). Only a
pretribulation rapture preserves an imminent (“at any moment”) return of
Christ. Throughout the ages, Christians have understood the rapture to be
imminent. Nothing could be a better motivator to holy living than knowing that
Jesus could come as any moment. In fact, He may come before you are finished
reading this.
Also, Jesus will come
in a cloud and take His believers back to heaven, where He has prepared a place
for them. There will be an exodus of believers that will leave non-believers on
earth alone. Jesus will not meet His non-believers in a battle and He will not
establish a reign on earth. Remember the Second Coming of Jesus is one event
that occurs in two parts. The Scriptures that provide these characteristics
have already been presented herein. This is just a summary of what to expect
and what will not happen at the rapture.
The 7,000 Year Theory
of Mankind
The 7,000 Year Theory
is one of the oldest theories dating from the earliest days of the Church. It
begins with God creating the heavens and the earth in six days and resting on
the seventh. It should be noted that God does not spell out upon which “day”
was the first day in terms of days of the week as we know them. The theory
states that God will deal with mankind for six of His days (6,000 of our years)
and rest on the seventh day (the1,000-year Millennium). It also assumes that
all the days of the week are of equal length. Knowing three other Scripture
verses will help in understanding: 1) 2 Peter 3:8 teaches one day with the Lord
is 1,000 years, 2) Hebrews 4:4-11 presents the Millennium as a day of rest, and
3) Revelation 20:1-9 gives us the idea of a 1,000-year Millennium.
According to the
Jewish calendar (which has today’s year 360 days –not 365), 3,760 years after
Creation the Christian Era begin (1 AD on our calendar). That is almost four of
God’s days. Since its beginning, the Christian Era has lasted almost 2,000
years or two more of God’s days. This means mankind is approaching the seventh God-day
(the Millennium). But before the Millennium occurs two things must take place-
the Rapture and the Tribulation Period.
As we are now in the
21st Century and a new millennium, there is a
sense of change in the air with mounting anticipation about the Rapture and the
Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Today, Messianic expectations are rampant among
Jews in Israel, Predictions of the Rapture and the Second Coming are widespread
among Christians, and doomsday prophecies are flourishing among cults. As a reminder
in Matthew 24:44, Jesus said: “No man knows the day or the hour,” so we should
live so as to “be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not
expect”.
Some Rapture Background/History
Critics of the
Pretribulation rapture view often refer to its lack of historical support.
These critic types have argued that it was invented by John Darby in the
mid-1800s and was never mentioned before that. These arguments generally reason
that because this teaching is less than 100 years old, it cannot be biblical,
or Christians would have held to this view many years earlier. What this
reasoning fails to completely understand is that biblical truth must be
determined by the clear teaching of Scripture, not how that teaching has been
perceived throughout history. This reasoning seems to completely ignore the way
Scripture is determined to be in the Bible. However, a substantial amount of
Scripture evidence reveals a belief in a Pretribulational rapture long before
John Darby. The earliest documents of the ancient church (including the New
Testament cannon) reflect a clear premillennialism. Pretribulationists point to
the early church’s clear belief in imminence as evidence that Pretribulationism
was held by at least a few from the earliest times.
Clearly early views of
the church’s theology were underdeveloped and sometimes contradictory,
containing a base out of which would develop various and diverse theological
viewpoints. Finding clear Pretribulationism spelled out in the early church
fathers is difficult, but some Pretribulational elements are clear. When
systematized with their other prophetic views, these elements contradict
posttribulationism, and support Pretribulationism. For an example, the
apostolic fathers clearly taught the Pretribulational features of imminence. So
an examination of the early church fathers reveals that they were predominantly
Premillennialists or chiliasts. I found at least eight listed writings from 100
AD to 330 AD. That supported these views. While the early church fathers expected
the church to be suffering and persecuted when the Lord returns, they also
believed in the imminent return of Christ, which is a central feature of
Pretribulational thought.
Expressions of
imminence abound in the apostolic fathers. Clement of Rome (90-100 AD),
Ignatius of Antioch (98-117), The Didache (100-160), The Epistle of Barnabas
(117-138), and The Shepherd of Hermas (96-150) all speak of imminence. In fact,
The Shepherd of Hermas speaks of escaping the Tribulation. So in the end, one
cannot find a clear statement of patristic eachatology in the early church
regarding the rapture. However, the argument that Pretribulation is not valid
only because of the lack of historical support in the early church is certainly
NOT true. What we can conclude from the early church fathers is:
They expected a literal coming of Christ followed by a
literal 1000-year kingdom.
They believed in the imminent coming of Christ with
occasional Pretribulational inferences.
They were being persecuted by the Roman government but
did not equate this with the future Tribulation wrath.
First and middle names are often used together- Betty
Jean, Mary Louise, Mary Jo. The funniest is likely Billy Bob. But what is it
that we should call God’s Son and what do they mean? Christians know the name
Jesus Christ. Actually, Jesus is a name; Christ is a title equal to “Messiah”.
Early Christians put the two together as a proper name. God came to earth as
Jesus, our Savior and Immanuel. These two names tell us that He saves us and is
with us. To consider these two names- Jesus Christ- in some depth can help us
to arrive at a fresh understanding of Him as Jesus “Immanuel”. As I was writing
this, the Christmas season was in full swing for several weeks-for our church
it was the Lottie Moon Dinner Auction, Music Cantata, Deacon’s Dinner,
preparations for Journey Through Bethlehem, and many personal activities.
Everywhere we turn, we encounter a seasonal emphasis. However, we all need a
reminder of an important truth: The significance of Christmas is something more
than even a baby’s birth long ago. It is the arrival of God Himself among us.
In Christ, God took the human flesh and became one of us to redeem us. Jesus
Christ came to earth to die for us and thus to save us. God sent His Son.
Isaiah 9:6-7 Jesus Promised to Us
As we read in
the last section, Isaiah predicted the coming of God’s Son. Isaiah’s prophecy
in 9:1-7 was a beacon of hope penetrating deep darkness. God promised to send a
light “who” would shine on everyone living in the shadow of death. Isaiah
told of God’s promise likely around 730 BC- over seven hundred years before it happened.
This prophecy came during the pending attack of the Northern Kingdom of Israel
by the Assyrians. Isaiah also had prophesied that Judah’s (Southern Kingdom)
destruction would NOT be complete, but the nation’s life would be threatened
severely. God said it was time to give His people a promise of hope for the
ages. Isaiah presents the events as if it were the time of the child’s arrival
(a child will be born for us and a son will be given to us) with an exception of
what He will achieve (v. 7), when he says “… there shall be no end” and “from
now on and forever”.
Do
you know where and by whom the words of verse 6 were made famous today? (Handel’s Messiah musical.) One of my many blessings in serving the Lord was when
I had the great honor to lead the choir in Klamath Falls, Oregon in 1964 in
this marvelous music (while serving in the Air Force). I believe that was one
of the major reasons that I have such a fondness for the Book of Isaiah and
just had to lead in its study recently. The significance of the promised names
in verse 6 relates to those names for God we have studied this month. First, we
are told a child would be born to us that would fulfill the promise- not
adopted, not grown from an earthly king, and not appointed. To be a “Wonderful
Counselor”, He is one who is able to make wise plans and whose wisdom is far
beyond human capabilities. To be a “Mighty God”, He is a mighty or heroic
warrior, capable of unsurpassed strength or power to accomplish His purposes
and promises. As the “Eternal Father”,
He possesses constant love, concern, and provision for His people to fulfill
His caring and endless rule. Then finally, the “prince of Peace” tells us of the
absence of hostilities but much more than that. It means “completeness”,
“soundness”, and ‘welfare”, with health and prosperity included. John 10:10
gives us the promise of a full, rich, joyful life that Jesus gives.
Can there be
any doubt that Isaiah was predicting the coming of Jesus? Most of the attention
by many concerning Isaiah’s prophecy of the Messiah centers on Isaiah 53, and
certainly it is well-deserved. However, Isaiah tells all of the coming of the
Messiah all through his book and no more evident than in Chapter 9. God
promised that Jesus’ rule would be “vast” and it would increase as He reigns
forever. The last part of verse 7- “The zeal of the Lord of Hosts” ensured the
messianic reign would become a reality, where “zeal” means a “glowing fire” and
conveys deep feelings. The term “Lord of Hosts” refers to God as the Commander
of Heaven’s armies, and heavenly bodies (Rev. 19:14 “the armies of Heaven”).
Matthew 1:18-21 Jesus Comes
It is easy to
turn the pages of our Bible from Isaiah’s prophecy of the “birth of the child”
to Matthew’s account of actual birth of Jesus. Most of the time we read Luke
2:1-14, what we have called the true “Christmas Story”. However, Matthew 1:1-17
carefully trances the lineage form Abraham through David to Joseph. This
stressed that Jesus was related to all people by including Rahab and Ruth. This
Son of David fulfilled God’s promise to David in 2 Samuel 7:12-16 that I
mentioned last week, and of course it fulfilled Isaiah’s prophecy. Matthew also
clearly defines Mary and Joseph’s situation that led up to the birth of Jesus.
Matthew tells us Mary had been engaged to Joseph before the pregnancy by the
Holy Spirit. The Greek term “engaged” means betrothal. Betrothal among the Jews
lasted for a year during which time the man and woman were considered married
but did not live together and were not intimate. Divorce was necessary to end
the betrothal even though the actual marriage ceremony had not taken place prior
to Mary being “found with child of the Holy Ghost” (KJV).
What
was the important role that Joseph (part of the lineage that Matthew describes)
plays in the story of Jesus’ birth? (God’s message to Joseph was not intended just to save Mary from
disgrace, but to save all of humanity.) The
angel of the Lord that appeared to Joseph gave him the explanation and
confidence to go far out of his comfort zone and believe in God’s wonderful
plan. Mary’s pregnancy was the work of God’s creative power through the Spirit.
God did what humans could not: He provided the Messiah who would redeem us from
enslavement to sin. Joseph played very significant role in this process –not
often recognized, albeit a subservient role. A message here for all of us might
be to ask the Holy Spirit to be involved in our lives more completely. It is
appropriate to say that the Holy Spirit that brought Jesus to earth as a human
baby is the same Holy Spirit that resurrected Him on the third day after His
crucifixion, and who was given to all of us upon Jesus’ ascension (Acts 1:8).
Matthew 1:22-25 Jesus Is With Us
In verses
22-23, Matthew interrupted his account of Joseph’s vision with the angel of the
Lord to stress that the events surrounding Jesus’ birth fulfilled God’s prophecy
through Isaiah. Matthew quoted Isaiah 7:14 not as the source of the belief in
Jesus’ virgin birth but to support an account already held to be true. Isaiah’s
prophecy was fulfilled completely when the virgin Mary bore god’s Son. In
Isaiah chapter 9, the power, grace, wisdom and eternal presence was predicted.
Here in verse 7, we learn that God gave the Son a name of meaning- Immanuel.
For Isaiah’s and Matthew’s non-Jewish readers, the word is translated: “God is
with us”. As Immanuel, Jesus is more than a sign of God’s presence: Jesus is
God in person. How do we think that is possible? (The “God Head” has three separate entities, the Father,
Son and Holy Spirit).)
Our pastor
recently (on Sunday night), drew an explanation of what this really means. He
drew a big circle that represented the “God Head”. The “Father” is at the head
of the circle. Then in a triangle position, he put the “Son” at one point on
the circle and the “Holy Spirit” at another point. So we have the “God Head”
made up of all three, yet separate. This helps to explain John’s words in
Revelation 5:6- “Then I saw a lamb (Jesus)… standing between the throne…”
(where in 4:3 John indicates the One seated on the throne was brilliant- but
not the lamb- or Jesus until Rev. 5:6). Then in Rev. 4:5, John says he sees the
“sevenfold Spirit of God”, which is another name for the Holy Spirit. This
helps me to believe that Jesus is with us (Immanuel), the Holy Spirit
intercedes for us and is with us always, and God –the Father- puts all together
and will come to the new heaven and new earth as described in Rev. 21:3.
Matthew
concludes this section by telling us that Joseph married Mary (Jewish formal
marriage ceremony) as he was commanded to do. Matthew also makes it clear that
Joseph “did not know her intimately until she gave birth to a son”. So it is
clear that Joseph and Mary were actually married (formally) before the birth of
Jesus but that Mary was a virgin. Joseph named Him Jesus (Yahweh saves) as he
had been instructed. So God is a person with a name not a comic force or
impersonal power. We can and must know Him personally through faith in Jesus.
See Hebrews 11:1 for a great definition of faith. But now we see that God sent
His Son for all of us.
Isaiah 9:6-7 Jesus Promised to Us
As we read in
the last section, Isaiah predicted the coming of God’s Son. Isaiah’s prophecy
in 9:1-7 was a beacon of hope penetrating deep darkness. God promised to send a
light “who” would shine on everyone living in the shadow of death. Isaiah
told of God’s promise likely around 730 BC- over seven hundred years before it happened.
This prophecy came during the pending attack of the Northern Kingdom of Israel
by the Assyrians. Isaiah also had prophesied that Judah’s (Southern Kingdom)
destruction would NOT be complete, but the nation’s life would be threatened
severely. God said it was time to give His people a promise of hope for the
ages. Isaiah presents the events as if it were the time of the child’s arrival
(a child will be born for us and a son will be given to us) with an exception of
what He will achieve (v. 7), when he says “… there shall be no end” and “from
now on and forever”.
Do
you know where and by whom the words of verse 6 were made famous today? (Handel’s Messiah musical.) One of my many blessings in serving the Lord was when
I had the great honor to lead the choir in Klamath Falls, Oregon in 1964 in
this marvelous music (while serving in the Air Force). I believe that was one
of the major reasons that I have such a fondness for the Book of Isaiah and
just had to lead in its study recently. The significance of the promised names
in verse 6 relates to those names for God we have studied this month. First, we
are told a child would be born to us that would fulfill the promise- not
adopted, not grown from an earthly king, and not appointed. To be a “Wonderful
Counselor”, He is one who is able to make wise plans and whose wisdom is far
beyond human capabilities. To be a “Mighty God”, He is a mighty or heroic
warrior, capable of unsurpassed strength or power to accomplish His purposes
and promises. As the “Eternal Father”,
He possesses constant love, concern, and provision for His people to fulfill
His caring and endless rule. Then finally, the “prince of Peace” tells us of the
absence of hostilities but much more than that. It means “completeness”,
“soundness”, and ‘welfare”, with health and prosperity included. John 10:10
gives us the promise of a full, rich, joyful life that Jesus gives.
Can there be
any doubt that Isaiah was predicting the coming of Jesus? Most of the attention
by many concerning Isaiah’s prophecy of the Messiah centers on Isaiah 53, and
certainly it is well-deserved. However, Isaiah tells all of the coming of the
Messiah all through his book and no more evident than in Chapter 9. God
promised that Jesus’ rule would be “vast” and it would increase as He reigns
forever. The last part of verse 7- “The zeal of the Lord of Hosts” ensured the
messianic reign would become a reality, where “zeal” means a “glowing fire” and
conveys deep feelings. The term “Lord of Hosts” refers to God as the Commander
of Heaven’s armies, and heavenly bodies (Rev. 19:14 “the armies of Heaven”).
Matthew 1:18-21 Jesus Comes
It is easy to
turn the pages of our Bible from Isaiah’s prophecy of the “birth of the child”
to Matthew’s account of actual birth of Jesus. Most of the time we read Luke
2:1-14, what we have called the true “Christmas Story”. However, Matthew 1:1-17
carefully trances the lineage form Abraham through David to Joseph. This
stressed that Jesus was related to all people by including Rahab and Ruth. This
Son of David fulfilled God’s promise to David in 2 Samuel 7:12-16 that I
mentioned last week, and of course it fulfilled Isaiah’s prophecy. Matthew also
clearly defines Mary and Joseph’s situation that led up to the birth of Jesus.
Matthew tells us Mary had been engaged to Joseph before the pregnancy by the
Holy Spirit. The Greek term “engaged” means betrothal. Betrothal among the Jews
lasted for a year during which time the man and woman were considered married
but did not live together and were not intimate. Divorce was necessary to end
the betrothal even though the actual marriage ceremony had not taken place prior
to Mary being “found with child of the Holy Ghost” (KJV).
What
was the important role that Joseph (part of the lineage that Matthew describes)
plays in the story of Jesus’ birth? (God’s message to Joseph was not intended just to save Mary from
disgrace, but to save all of humanity.) The
angel of the Lord that appeared to Joseph gave him the explanation and
confidence to go far out of his comfort zone and believe in God’s wonderful
plan. Mary’s pregnancy was the work of God’s creative power through the Spirit.
God did what humans could not: He provided the Messiah who would redeem us from
enslavement to sin. Joseph played very significant role in this process –not
often recognized, albeit a subservient role. A message here for all of us might
be to ask the Holy Spirit to be involved in our lives more completely. It is
appropriate to say that the Holy Spirit that brought Jesus to earth as a human
baby is the same Holy Spirit that resurrected Him on the third day after His
crucifixion, and who was given to all of us upon Jesus’ ascension (Acts 1:8).
Matthew 1:22-25 Jesus Is With Us
In verses
22-23, Matthew interrupted his account of Joseph’s vision with the angel of the
Lord to stress that the events surrounding Jesus’ birth fulfilled God’s prophecy
through Isaiah. Matthew quoted Isaiah 7:14 not as the source of the belief in
Jesus’ virgin birth but to support an account already held to be true. Isaiah’s
prophecy was fulfilled completely when the virgin Mary bore god’s Son. In
Isaiah chapter 9, the power, grace, wisdom and eternal presence was predicted.
Here in verse 7, we learn that God gave the Son a name of meaning- Immanuel.
For Isaiah’s and Matthew’s non-Jewish readers, the word is translated: “God is
with us”. As Immanuel, Jesus is more than a sign of God’s presence: Jesus is
God in person. How do we think that is possible? (The “God Head” has three separate entities, the Father,
Son and Holy Spirit).)
Our pastor
recently (on Sunday night), drew an explanation of what this really means. He
drew a big circle that represented the “God Head”. The “Father” is at the head
of the circle. Then in a triangle position, he put the “Son” at one point on
the circle and the “Holy Spirit” at another point. So we have the “God Head”
made up of all three, yet separate. This helps to explain John’s words in
Revelation 5:6- “Then I saw a lamb (Jesus)… standing between the throne…”
(where in 4:3 John indicates the One seated on the throne was brilliant- but
not the lamb- or Jesus until Rev. 5:6). Then in Rev. 4:5, John says he sees the
“sevenfold Spirit of God”, which is another name for the Holy Spirit. This
helps me to believe that Jesus is with us (Immanuel), the Holy Spirit
intercedes for us and is with us always, and God –the Father- puts all together
and will come to the new heaven and new earth as described in Rev. 21:3.
Matthew
concludes this section by telling us that Joseph married Mary (Jewish formal
marriage ceremony) as he was commanded to do. Matthew also makes it clear that
Joseph “did not know her intimately until she gave birth to a son”. So it is
clear that Joseph and Mary were actually married (formally) before the birth of
Jesus but that Mary was a virgin. Joseph named Him Jesus (Yahweh saves) as he
had been instructed. So God is a person with a name not a comic force or
impersonal power. We can and must know Him personally through faith in Jesus.
See Hebrews 11:1 for a great definition of faith. But now we see that God sent
His Son for all of us.
