“The LORD furthermore said to him, ‘Now put your hand into your bosom.’


​So he put his hand into his bosom, and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous like snow. Then He said, ‘Put your hand into your bosom again.’ So he put his hand into his bosom again, and when he took it out of his bosom, behold, it was restored like the rest of his flesh”

(Exod 4:6–7).



There is an ancient, though perplexing, belief that one of the names of Israel’s Messiah will be the “leper scholar.” This name comes from the Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin 98b, which draws on Isaiah 53:4, where the suffering servant is described as “smitten and afflicted” (see also Pesikta Rabbati 36–37). [Remarkably, in this same passage, the Messiah is also identified as an exalted king called “Shilo”

(Gen 49:10).]

​
In this tradition, we begin to see the details of redemption more clearly within the Scriptures. Ancient Judaism preserves a careful reading of Isaiah’s suffering servant as a new Moses, grounded in shared language and themes between Isaiah’s new exodus and the Exodus narrative. When God gave Moses a sign, He marked him with leprosy, the very affliction later associated with the Messiah in rabbinic memory. This sign, set within the story of Israel’s deliverance, points forward to the Messiah, who will bring about the new exodus and the new Passover by being smitten, stricken, and afflicted.

Although Moses is not mentioned in the Passover Haggadah, the ancient rabbis read the Passover narrative with attentiveness to its textual signs. They teach us to look again and direct our gaze to a new Moses, a redeemer who is not only exalted, but who brings about Israel’s redemption through rejection and affliction, as Moses himself experienced.

In this season of Passover, let us follow the lead of those ancient interpreters of Scripture who, when reading about Moses, were seeing the Messiah and simultaneously celebrating Israel’s past redemption while looking forward to a far greater redemption in the future.

In Exodus 32 Moses returns from talking with the Lord on the mountain and finds that the Israelites have turned to sinful actions. Verse 6 says, “The people rose early and sacrificed burnt offerings and presented fellowship offerings. Afterward they sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.”


What exactly was

this “revelry” that followed

the Israelites’ feast?


The context helps identify the main actions that offended the Lord. First, verse 4 notes that the people gave offerings to a golden calf. They had already broken the first of the Ten Commandments before Moses had even returned to them! And verse 6 mentions that feasting and drinking were part of the festivities.

Second, Moses had identified the noise emanating from the camp as “the sound of singing” (Exodus 32:18). In their pagan revelries, the people of Israel were singing songs of adoration to the golden calf. In the not-so-distant past, they had been singing praise to the Lord after He led them safely through the Red Sea (Exodus 15). Now their tune had changed.

Third, the people of Israel danced as part of their celebration of the golden calf. Verse 19 says, “When Moses approached the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, his anger burned and he threw the tablets out of his hands, breaking them to pieces at the foot of the mountain.” Dancing per se is not noted as wrong, but dancing in celebration of an idol made Moses (and God) angry.

Fourth, there was an unrestrained attitude of partying around the golden calf. Verse 25 presents the shameful truth: “The people were running wild . . . Aaron had let them get out of control and so [they became] a laughingstock to their enemies.”


Details of their behavior are not given, but their actions were unruly, uncivilized, and ungodly.



In turning to a graven image, the people had turned away from the Lord

(see Deuteronomy 9:16).


Even though the golden calf had been billed as the god they had been following all along

(Exodus 32:4),

the True God cannot be reduced to imagery.


The Lord will not share His glory with another


​ (Isaiah 42:8).



​
That is why God

judged

the people of Israel

at the


foot of Mount Sinai.

First Peter 2:2 reads, “Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation.” In the previous verse, Peter had urged his readers to rid themselves of sinful behaviors and the desires of the natural man. As they laid aside “all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind” (verse 1), they were to strive for spiritual milk like babies.

Every nursing mother knows the intensity of babies looking for milk, crying until they are satisfied. Experts have shown that a mother’s milk benefits her baby in many ways, including aiding brain development, promoting healthy weight, and bolstering antibodies (www.healthline.com/health/breastfeeding/11-benefits-of-breastfeeding#benefits-for-you). Peter employs this analogy to convey that, as Christians, our overall spiritual growth and well-being hinge on receiving “pure spiritual milk.” But what exactly is this spiritual milk?

Elsewhere, Scripture uses milk as a metaphor for the basic essentials of the gospel and Christian living. In Hebrews 5:12–14, the writer speaks of milk and solid food to encourage readers to move beyond “the elementary truths of God’s word” (verse 12). Paul likewise references milk in 1 Corinthians 3:1–3 in a rebuke to his immature readers. However, Peter uses the term spiritual milk positively, encouraging his readers to feed continually on it.

The “pure spiritual milk” constitutes God’s complete, special revelation, encapsulated in what we now know as the Bible. Some translations, such as the KJV, render the phrase as the “sincere milk of the word.” The Word can also symbolize Christ (John 1:1–5), implying that our craving should extend to deeper knowledge of Christ and closer fellowship with Him. In essence, growth comes as we feed on the written Word and fellowship with the living Word.

The directive in 1 Peter 2:2 is active and imperative, signifying that it is our responsibility to yearn for pure spiritual milk. We are to read, meditate upon, and study God’s written Word both individually and in the company of fellow believers. We should also engage in communion with the living Word and cultivate a deeper understanding of His person and work. Through these activities, we progress toward becoming more like Jesus in character and conduct. We will “grow up in [our] salvation” (1 Peter 2:2b).

Bible-based sermons are also helpful, as are Christian books and Christ-centered songs. Sound teachers facilitate a deeper understanding of God’s Word and rekindle a zeal for more. Well-written Christian books can provide insight into the knowledge of Christ, while songs enhance fellowship and remind us of the beauty found in Christ.

Peter’s instructions serve as a reminder that what we crave and consume profoundly impacts our spiritual growth. The world’s “milk” is impure and only gratifies our sinful desires. False teachings are, at best, spiritual junk and, at worst, poison. We must hunger for pure, unadulterated spiritual nourishment.

In Galatians 4:8–20, the apostle Paul expresses deep concern over the wayward spiritual condition of the Galatians. The church had come under the influence of Judaizers who preached a false gospel combining God’s grace with human works. As a result, the Galatians had slid back into religious legalism. In a lengthy argument reminding them that righteousness is based on faith in Christ’s work of redemption and not our own works (Galatians 3:1—4:31), Paul conveys the intensity of his love for the Galatians. These converts were the fruit of his evangelistic efforts. He had labored for their salvation, and now he feels like a mother going through labor pains again: “My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you” (Galatians 4:19).

God’s purpose for every believer is to be transformed into the image and character of Jesus Christ: “For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters” (Romans 8:29, NLT; see also Ephesians 1:4–11). Paul was eager to see his beloved spiritual children advancing in that purpose, “growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church” (Ephesians 4:15, NLT). Paul would never cease caring and travailing in anguish until the life of Christ was formed in them.

The word translated as “formed” (morphoomai in Greek) in Galatians 4:19 means “to be or become developed into a distinctive entity,” as in the formation of an embryo in the womb. Paul’s illustration stresses their need to begin growing up spiritually. He ached to see the reality of Jesus Christ living in the Galatians.

At salvation, the life of Christ indwells believers. Jesus said, “I am in them” (John 17:23, NLT), and Paul affirmed, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me” (Galatians 2:20). But the transformation “until Christ is formed in you” is a life-long process (1 John 3:2; Philippians 3:21; 2 Peter 1:4). Paul told the Colossians, “Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him” (Colossians 3:10). The process of spiritual growth was being hindered in the Galatians through outward religious performance instead of true inward change (see Colossians 2:20–23). Believers don’t become righteous through their own efforts, observing rules and regulations, but by the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit: “And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image” (2 Corinthians 3:18, NLT; see also Ephesians 4:23; 1 Corinthians 6:11; 2 Corinthians 1:21–22; Titus 3:4–7).

Paul told the Philippians that nothing is more important in the Christian life than knowing Christ and becoming like Him. We accomplish this not by obeying the law but through faith in Jesus: “Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith” (Philippians 3:8–9, NLT).

Christ is formed in you when there is nothing left to see but Him living in you (Romans 8:9–11; Galatians 3:27). Christ is formed in you when He is your everything and all you need (Romans 7:4; 1 Corinthians 1:30; 2 Corinthians 12:9; Ephesians 4:15; Philippians 4:19; 2 Peter 1:3).

Jesus is described as the author and perfecter, or finisher, of our faith in Hebrews 12:2. An author is an originator or creator, as of a theory or plan. The Greek word translated “author” in Hebrews 12:2 can also mean “captain,” “chief leader” or “prince.” Acts 3:15 uses the same word: “And killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses” (KJV), while the NIV and ESV use the word “author” instead of “prince.” From this we can deduce that Christ is the originator of our faith in that He begins it, as well as the captain and prince or our faith. This indicates that Jesus controls our faith, steers it as a captain steers a ship, and presides over it and cares for it as a monarch presides over and cares for his people.

The Greek word translated “perfecter” in Hebrews 12:2 appears only this one time in the New Testament. It means literally “completer” or “finisher” and speaks of bringing something to its conclusion. Putting the two words together, we see that Jesus, as God, both creates and sustains our faith. We know that saving faith is a gift from God, not something we come up with on our own (Ephesians 2:8-9), and that gift comes from Christ, its creator. He is also the sustainer of our faith, meaning that true saving faith cannot be lost, taken away or given away. This is a source of great comfort to believers, especially in times of doubt and spiritual struggles. Christ has created our faith and He will watch over it, care for it, and sustain it.

It is important for us to understand that God in Christ is not only the creator and sustainer of our saving faith, but He is also the sustainer of our daily walk and the finisher of our spiritual journey. For if God in Christ is not the author of our new life, and if Christ is not the finisher and perfecter of our faith through the Holy Spirit’s indwelling power, then we are neither born again nor are we a true follower of Christ. “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” “In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory” (Philippians 1:6; Ephesians 1:13-14).

In Philippians 3 Paul exhorts the Philippians to rejoice in the Lord rather than in their own perceived adequacy (Philippians 3:1). Paul uses himself as an illustration, explaining that in his flesh he had many reasons to have confidence (Philippians 3:4–6). Yet he put none of his confidence in his own accomplishments (Philippians 3:3). Instead, he looked to the power of Jesus’ resurrection (Philippians 3:10). He counted all the things that most would consider as gain to be loss (Philippians 3:7). In comparison to Christ, everything else was rubbish (Philippians 3:8). Only Christ was of value to Paul. Paul found his confidence and joy in the Lord, and he looked to the power of Jesus’ resurrection: “I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection.”

Rather than put confidence in the flesh, Paul was confident in the work God had done in his life to make Paul righteous not by works of the Law of Moses, but by faith in Jesus Christ (Philippians 3:9). Paul knew that real righteousness does not come from works but from belief in Jesus (Romans 3:20; Ephesians 2:8–9). Paul counted his own personal achievements to be nothing. He counted of utmost importance the fact that by God’s grace he had gained Christ (Philippians 3:8) and righteousness (Philippians 3:9). Paul would be found in Christ (Philippians 3:9) and knew Christ and the power of His resurrection (Philippians 3:10).

Paul even knew the fellowship of Jesus’ sufferings, being conformed to the death of Christ (Philippians 3:10). This is another way of saying that Paul (and all believers in Christ) had been accounted as dying with Christ. Because of these things, Paul looked forward to being resurrected from the dead (Philippians 3:11). As Paul put it elsewhere, if we have died with Christ, we believe we will also be raised up with Him and glorified with Him (Romans 6:6–8). This was the power of His resurrection.

Jesus died as a substitute for sin. All who believe in Him receive His righteousness and are redeemed from death and separation from God. One day, Jesus will be revealed in glory, and we will be revealed in glory with Him (Colossians 3:4). This is what Paul understood. Everything in life pales in comparison to the great glory of knowing Christ. Christ showed by His resurrection that He has the power to conquer death and ultimately to provide true life to all who believe in Him. This knowledge was more valuable to Paul than anything else in life.

Because of the power of Jesus’ resurrection, Paul had confidence in Jesus and could rejoice in the Lord. Because of the power of Jesus’ resurrection, Paul could challenge all believers to rejoice in the Lord (Philippians 3:1) and to value above all else the knowledge of Christ (Philippians 3:8), counting everything else as worthless in comparison.

The apostle Paul’s singular ambition in life was to know Jesus Christ experientially. More than merely acquiring superficial head-knowledge, Paul wanted to connect with Jesus on the closest possible relational level: “My goal is to know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death” (Philippians 3:10, HCSB).

Nothing else in life mattered to Paul. He was willing to lose every earthly possession and pursuit for the sake of intimately knowing Christ (Philippians 3:7). He considered “everything else worthless,” labeling it “garbage” compared to “the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” His supreme objective was to “gain Christ” (Philippians 3:8). For Paul, to experience a relationship with Jesus in this way meant sharing in the fellowship of His sufferings, even if that meant death.

In Galatians 2:20, Paul reiterated his desire to share in a dynamic, all-in union with Jesus: “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). Paul taught believers that “the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ” (2 Corinthians 1:5, NLT).

The early apostles believed that participating in the fellowship of Christ’s suffering was part of our preparation for sharing in His future glory. To his student Timothy, Paul explained, “Everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution” (2 Timothy 3:12, NLT). Peter urged believers not to “be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you. Instead, be very glad—for these trials make you partners with Christ in his suffering, so that you will have the wonderful joy of seeing his glory when it is revealed to all the world” (1 Peter 4:12–13, NLT).

In Philippians 2:5–11, Paul told believers to have the same attitude or mindset as Christ. Our preparation for heaven involves becoming like Christ, being conformed into His image (Romans 8:29; Philippians 3:21). Jesus embodied humility and obedience to God as He walked a path to death. The very purpose God sent His Son was to suffer and die for us that we might be saved (1 John 3:16; 1 Peter 2:24; 3:18). To be like Christ, we must enter the fellowship of His suffering and death “so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies” (2 Corinthians 4:10, NLT). Paul informed Christians in Colossae, “I am glad when I suffer for you in my body, for I am participating in the sufferings of Christ that continue for his body, the church” (Colossians 1:24, NLT).

We should not be shocked to encounter trials in this life because following Jesus inevitably leads to the cross. One commentator urged, “We must be ready for—and we cannot hope to avoid—the downward path of the Crucified” (Motyer, J., The Message of Philippians, InterVarsity Press, 1984, p. 169). Jesus told His disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me” (Matthew 16:24, NLT).

Taking up our cross means being willing to surrender our lives and even die for the sake of following Christ. Jesus didn’t paint a rosy picture of discipleship. Instead, He said, “If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but are yourself lost or destroyed?” (Luke 9:24–25, NLT).

Just before Paul spoke of the “fellowship of His sufferings,” he said his goal was to know Christ “and the power of His resurrection.” As we share in hardship and persecution on our downward path to the cross, Jesus is our co-companion on the journey. He promises never to leave us alone (Matthew 28:20). Christ is a living Savior who pledges to impart His resurrection power and give us the strength to endure and even overcome (Romans 8:11; Philippians 3:10; John 16:33).

The apostle Paul gave the directive to “test yourselves” while dealing with serious problems of sin in the church of Corinth. In his second letter to the Corinthians, Paul was preparing to return to them a third time after having spent a great deal of time in Corinth already. Before his arrival, Paul sternly cautioned the congregation to prepare to face the issues he had previously raised. Part of Paul’s warning included these words: “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?” (2 Corinthians 13:5).

Paul did not want to have to exercise church discipline in Corinth. He would rather see the wrongdoers repent. But many of those who had fallen into immoral practices had taken to challenging Paul’s authority as an apostle. Paul intended to firmly discipline those who did not heed his warnings and repent before his arrival (2 Corinthians 13:2–3). So he turned their challenge around, asking them to examine and test themselves to see whether they were in the faith.

This was not the first time Paul had admonished the Corinthians to examine themselves. Earlier, he had observed the church participating in the Lord’s Supper in an unworthy manner. He told them, “Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup” (1 Corinthians 11:28). Believers are to examine their motives, their actions, and the current condition of their hearts to make sure they don’t bring God’s discipline on themselves.

Paul’s primary concern was to bring spiritual health and wholeness to the Christian community in Corinth. If the individuals were genuinely in the faith, then they would know that Jesus Christ lived inside them. His Holy Spirit would be at work within them, promoting sanctification and moral living. But if their lives showed no evidence of the Spirit’s activity, then Jesus Christ was not indwelling them. And if Christ was not in them, they failed the test.

Rather than cross-examining others, believers are to stick to examining their own lives: “Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else” (Galatians 6:4). In his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul told them, “I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified” (1 Corinthians 9:27, NLT). Paul made it a practice to test himself, too. He knew that no one could skate by God’s judgment (1 Corinthians 3:13).

The words examine yourself and test yourself mean essentially the same thing. Some Bible versions have “look carefully at yourself” or “ask yourself.” One way to test yourself is to check for evidence of the Holy Spirit’s work in your life: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Galatians 5:22–23). Jesus confirmed that true prophets of God are recognized by their fruits (Matthew 7:15).

A tough but spiritually beneficial question to ask ourselves regularly is, “What is my spiritual condition?” The prophet Jeremiah called God’s people to honest self-evaluation and repentance: “Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the LORD” (Lamentations 3:40). Scripture calls us to “test everything,” renounce evil, and “hold fast what is good” (1 Thessalonians 5:21–22, ESV). We might consider making this our prayer as David did: “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:23–24).

First Corinthians 13 is one of the most famous passages in the New Testament. It is often referred to as the “Love Chapter” because it illustrates a biblical understanding of love. It’s in this chapter that Paul speaks of a time when “we shall see face to face” (1 Corinthians 13:12).

In 1 Corinthians 13:1–3, Paul argues that love surpasses all spiritual gifts. Even the greatest spiritual gift is worthless without love.

In 1 Corinthians 13:4–7, Paul describes the characteristics of love. These characteristics emphasize the importance of putting the interests of others above our own (cf. John 15:13; Philippians 2:14).

In 1 Corinthians 13:8–12, Paul speaks to the temporary nature of spiritual gifts and the hope that Christians have for a full, complete, and intimate knowledge of God in the future. This section reminds us that spiritual gifts such as speaking in tongues and prophesying are not eternal. Love, however, is eternal and will never fail (verse 8 and verse 13). Therefore, love is what truly matters.

This section also speaks to the limitations of human understanding. Because of sin and human finitude, we can only know and prophesy in part (1 Corinthians 13:9). Currently, we cannot understand God’s ways (Romans 11:33), nor can we fathom the depths of His love (Ephesians 3:17–19). But when Christ returns, sin will disappear and we will finally see God face to face (1 Corinthians 13:12).

The expression face to face appears in 1 Corinthians 13:12. The full verse reads, “For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.” The event described in this verse is often referred to as the “Beatific Vision” (to see God as He is), promised to Christians when Christ returns: “We know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:2). In our present state, however, we only have an indirect and imperfect knowledge of God’s infinite wisdom, glory, and love. Thus, we cannot see God as He is.

Paul compares our present knowledge of divine things to a dark reflection in a mirror. In New Testament times, a mirror was formed from polished metal, which could only reflect a dim and imperfect image. Yet Paul promises that God will exchange our dim images for a face-to-face encounter with Himself. On that glorious day, the light of God will shine upon us, and we will be free from all darkness. imperfection, and error. We will know Him fully, even as we are fully known by Him. This mutual recognition and understanding is the epitome of a deeply intimate relationship.

The beatific vision has roots in the Old Testament (Genesis 32:20; Exodus 33:11; Deuteronomy 34:10). In Exodus 33:18–23, Moses asks to see God’s glory, but God tells Moses that no one can see His glory and live. However, God allows Moses to see His back, but not Him in His entirety (that is, in His full glory).

In Matthew 5:8, Jesus promises that the pure in heart will see God. Jesus can make this promise because He is the only one who has seen the Father (John 1:18), and whoever has seen Jesus has seen the Father (John 14:9). Jesus is the “radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being” (Hebrews 1:3). And when He returns, we will behold the fullness of God’s glory. On that day, we will see God as He truly is.

The New Covenant is the promise that God will forgive sin and restore fellowship with those whose hearts are turned toward Him. Jesus Christ is the mediator of the New Covenant, and His death on the cross is the basis of the promise (Luke 22:20). The New Covenant was predicted while the Old Covenant was still in effect—the prophets Moses, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel all allude to the New Covenant.


The Old Covenant that God had established with His people required strict obedience to the Mosaic Law. Because the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23), the Law required that Israel perform daily sacrifices in order to atone for sin. But Moses, through whom God established the Old Covenant, also anticipated the New Covenant. In one of his final addresses to the nation of Israel, Moses looks forward to a time when Israel would be given “a heart to understand” (Deuteronomy 29:4, ESV). Moses predicts that Israel would fail in keeping the Old Covenant (verses 22–28), but he then sees a time of restoration (Deuteronomy 30:1–5). At that time, Moses says, “The Lord your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love him with all your heart and with all your soul, and live” (verse 6). The New Covenant involves a total change of heart so that God’s people are naturally pleasing to Him.

The prophet Jeremiah also predicted the New Covenant. “‘The days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah. . . . This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time,’ declares the Lord. ‘I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people’” (Jeremiah 31:31–33). Jesus Christ came to fulfill the Law of Moses (Matthew 5:17) and to establish the New Covenant between God and His people. The Old Covenant was written in stone, but the New Covenant is written on hearts. Entering the New Covenant is made possible only by faith in Christ, who shed His blood to take away the sins of the world (John 1:29). Luke 22:20 relates how Jesus, at the Last Supper, takes the cup and says, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood” (ESV).

The New Covenant is also mentioned in Ezekiel 36:26–27, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.” Ezekiel lists several aspects of the New Covenant here: a new heart, a new spirit, the indwelling Holy Spirit, and true holiness. The Mosaic Law could provide none of these things (see Romans 3:20).

The New Covenant was originally given to Israel and includes a promise of fruitfulness, blessing, and a peaceful existence in the Promised Land. In Ezekiel 36:28–30 God says, “Then you will live in the land I gave your ancestors; you will be my people, and I will be your God. . . . I will call for the grain and make it plentiful and will not bring famine upon you. I will increase the fruit of the trees and the crops of the field, so that you will no longer suffer disgrace among the nations because of famine.” Deuteronomy 30:1–5 contains similar promises related to Israel under the New Covenant. After the resurrection of Christ, God in His grace brought the Gentiles into the blessing of the New Covenant, too (Acts 10; Ephesians 2:13–14). The fulfillment of the New Covenant will be seen in two places: on earth during the Millennial Kingdom, and in heaven for all eternity.

We are no longer under the Law but under grace (Romans 6:14–15). The Old Covenant has served its purpose, and it has been replaced by “a better covenant” (Hebrews 7:22). “In fact the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, since the new covenant is established on better promises” (Hebrews 8:6).

Under the New Covenant, we are given the opportunity to receive salvation as a free gift (Ephesians 2:8–9). Our responsibility is to exercise faith in Christ, the One who fulfilled the Law on our behalf and brought an end to the Law’s sacrifices through His own sacrificial death. Through the life-giving Holy Spirit who lives in all believers (Romans 8:9–11), we share in the inheritance of Christ and enjoy a permanent, unbroken relationship with God (Hebrews 9:15).

“I am the bread of life” (John 6:35) is one of the seven “I Am” statements of Jesus. Jesus used the same phrase “I AM” in seven declarations about Himself. In all seven, He combines I AM with tremendous metaphors which express His saving relationship toward the world. All appear in the book of John.

John 6:35 says, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.”

Bread is considered a staple food—i.e., a basic dietary item. A person can survive a long time on only bread and water. Bread is such a basic food item that it becomes synonymous for food in general. We even use the phrase “breaking bread together” to indicate the sharing of a meal with someone. Bread also plays an integral part of the Jewish Passover meal. The Jews were to eat unleavened bread during the Passover feast and then for seven days following as a celebration of the exodus from Egypt. Finally, when the Jews were wandering in the desert for 40 years, God rained down “bread from heaven” to sustain the nation (Exodus 16:4).

All of this plays into the scene being described in John 6 when Jesus used the term “bread of life.” He was trying to get away from the crowds to no avail. He had crossed the Sea of Galilee, and the crowd followed Him. After some time, Jesus inquires of Philip how they’re going to feed the crowd. Philip’s answer displays his “little faith” when he says they don’t have enough money to give each of them the smallest morsel of food. Finally, Andrew brings to Jesus a boy who had five small loaves of bread and two fish. With that amount, Jesus miraculously fed the throng with lots of food to spare.

Afterward, Jesus and His disciples cross back to the other side of Galilee. When the crowd sees that Jesus has left, they follow Him again. Jesus takes this moment to teach them a lesson. He accuses the crowd of ignoring His miraculous signs and only following Him for the “free meal.” Jesus tells them in John 6:27, “Do not labor for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.” In other words, they were so enthralled with the food, they were missing out on the fact that their Messiah had come. So the Jews ask Jesus for a sign that He was sent from God (as if the miraculous feeding and the walking across the water weren’t enough). They tell Jesus that God gave them manna during the desert wandering. Jesus responds by telling them that they need to ask for the true bread from heaven that gives life. When they ask Jesus for this bread, Jesus startles them by saying, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.”

This is a phenomenal statement! First, by equating Himself with bread, Jesus is saying he is essential for life. Second, the life Jesus is referring to is not physical life, but eternal life. Jesus is trying to get the Jews’ thinking off of the physical realm and into the spiritual realm. He is contrasting what He brings as their Messiah with the bread He miraculously created the day before. That was physical bread that perishes. He is spiritual bread that brings eternal life.

Third, and very important, Jesus is making another claim to deity. This statement is the first of the “I AM” statements in John’s Gospel. The phrase “I AM” is the covenant name of God (Yahweh, or YHWH), revealed to Moses at the burning bush (Exodus 3:14). The phrase speaks of self-sufficient existence (or what theologians refer to as “aseity”), which is an attribute only God possesses. It is also a phrase the Jews who were listening would have automatically understood as a claim to deity.

Fourth, notice the words “come” and “believe.” This is an invitation for those listening to place their faith in Jesus as the Messiah and Son of God. This invitation to come is found throughout John’s Gospel. Coming to Jesus involves making a choice to forsake the world and follow Him. Believing in Jesus means placing our faith in Him that He is who He says He is, that He will do what He says He will do, and that He is the only one who can.

Fifth, there are the words “hunger and thirst.” Again, it must be noted that Jesus isn’t talking about alleviating physical hunger and thirst. The key is found in another statement Jesus made, back in His Sermon on the Mount. In Matthew 5:6, Jesus says, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” When Jesus says those who come to Him will never hunger and those who believe in Him will never thirst, He is saying He will satisfy our hunger and thirst to be made righteous in the sight of God.

If there is anything the history of human religion tells us, it is that people seek to earn their way to heaven. This is such a basic human desire because God created us with eternity in mind. The Bible says God has placed [the desire for] eternity in our hearts (Ecclesiastes 3:11). The Bible also tells us that there is nothing we can do to earn our way to heaven because we’ve all sinned (Romans 3:23) and the only thing our sin earns us is death (Romans 6:23). There is no one who is righteous in himself (Romans 3:10). Our dilemma is we have a desire we cannot fulfill, no matter what we do. That is where Jesus comes in. He, and He alone, can fulfill that desire in our hearts for righteousness through the Divine Transaction: “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). When Christ died on the cross, He took the sins of mankind upon Himself and made atonement for them. When we place our faith in Him, our sins are imputed to Jesus, and His righteousness is imputed to us. Jesus satisfies our hunger and thirst for righteousness.


He is our Bread of Life.




As Paul states in Romans 11:29,

“the gifts and callings of God are irrevocable” or “without repentance”

(KJV).


“Gifts” are those things that are freely or graciously given—think of the Christmas gifts you may have been given as a child. “Callings” are those things someone has summoned or invited another to do. In this instance, the gifts and callings come from God—God is the giver of the gifts and the initiator of the callings. These particular gifts and callings “can never be withdrawn” (NLT).

In the immediate context of Romans 11:29, Paul is discussing the place of Israel in God’s plan. Romans 1—8 discusses the condemnation, justification, sanctification, and future glorification of all the world. He concludes chapter 8 with a wonderful statement of the surety of all these things, particularly the security of the believer in Christ regarding eternal life. The following questions then arise: “Didn’t God make promises to Israel? Are those promises going to be kept?” Paul answers in Romans 9—11.

Prior to the statement, “The gifts and callings of God are irrevocable” in Romans 11:29, Paul says that “Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in” (Romans 11:25). When all the Gentiles who will be saved receive salvation, Israel will return to God and be saved (verse 26). Paul then concludes that, from the viewpoint of the Gentile, the Israelites are enemies, but, from the viewpoint of God, they are His beloved (verse 28). God will not renege on His promises to Israel, because the gifts and callings of God are without repentance (verse 29).

The history and future of Israel are foundational for understanding Romans 11:29. In Genesis 12, God makes a seven-part promise to Abraham. The first part of this promise is, “I will make you into a great nation” (Genesis 12:2). Abraham follows the command of God and leaves his homeland. God fulfills His promise by making the descendants of Abraham a great nation—Israel. God calls Abraham to be the father of this nation. This calling is irrevocable. Throughout the Old Testament, God makes many promises to Israel, including an eternal kingdom (2 Samuel 7:12–13), fellowship with Him (Jeremiah 31:31–34), and much more.

Paul was sure that God had plans for Israel. The people had hardened their hearts against God, but God’s gifts and callings are without repentance. God did not regret those gifts and callings and would not revoke them. Even to this day, God has not fulfilled all the gifts, callings, and promises given to Israel, but we can be certain, as Paul was, that He will.

God’s gifts and callings to the believer in Christ are also irrevocable. For example, “the free gift of God is eternal life” (Romans 6:23). This gift is given to those who believe in the finished work of Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8–9); namely, His death and resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:3–4).


That gift is truly

eternal,

secure, and irrevocable.



​

The appointed times of



​
Passover


and


The Feast of Tabernacles




both take place at the full moon, in the middle of the Jewish month: the fifteenth of Nissan and the fifteenth of Tishri respectively. Of course in Jewish tradition the day starts the evening before, but the point is that the moon is full. The fact that we celebrate these feasts at full moon is not insignificant.

The appointed times and celestial signsUnlike the Christian or Gregorian calendar, months in the biblical calendar follow the waxing and waning of the moon far more closely with a “leap month” inserted occasionally to keep the biblical year in sync with the seasons. The Islamic calendar tracks with the moon alone and so Ramadan moves all over the place as their calendar cycles around, independent of the agricultural year, but the Jewish people always celebrate Passover in the Spring and Tabernacles in the fall.

The connection between God’s appointed times and the celestial hosts begins way back in Genesis:

And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years, and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth.” And it was so. And God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good.” (Genesis 1:14-18)

The Hebrew for “signs and seasons” ( “otot and moedim” לְאֹתֹת וּלְמוֹעֲדִים) uses the word “moed” which means appointed time, the same word God uses when talking about the Feasts of the Lord.

As we say in our free book about the Feasts of the Lord, the word for “feast” is moed (מועד), based on the root word, יעד. That is, something with an end goal, with a fixed time, and designated for a certain purpose. Each feast (or holy day) marks an aspect of God’s plan of salvation for mankind, through Messiah Jesus. They all point to events that happened in the past, and also to real events that will happen in the future. In other words, each appointed time has a double meaning—both immediate and prophetic. Just as the earthly tabernacle was built according to the pattern of the heavenly one, so the feasts in the Torah are like shadows, pointing to real future events.

These important fixtures are likened to the times and seasons marked by the sun and the moon, since God’s calendar points to His prophetic plan.

The people of Israel and the moonAnd it’s not just the feasts that are linked with the moon. God has also linked the people of Israel themselves with the celestial beings, saying that His covenant with Israel will continue for as long as the sun and the moon are in place:



Thus says the Lord,

who gives the sun for light by day

    and the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night,
who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar--
    the Lord of hosts is his name:
“If this fixed order departs
    from before me, declares the Lord,
then shall the offspring of Israel cease
    from being a nation before me forever.”

Thus says the Lord:
“If the heavens above can be measured,
    and the foundations of the earth below can be explored,
then I will cast off all the offspring of Israel
for all that they have done,
declares the Lord.”


(Jeremiah 31:35-37)


There’s another interesting passage in Psalm 89:
 I will not violate my covenant
    or alter the word that went forth from my lips.
Once for all I have sworn by my holiness;
  I will not lie to David.
His offspring shall endure forever,
 his throne as long as the sun before me.


Like the moon it shall be established forever,

a faithful witness in the skies.”

Selah


(Psalm 89:34-47)



Israel will be a nation forever, God says, like the signs in the sky. The moon is a witness.
Pharaoh was unable to destroy or even contain Israel, and the people walked free in the light of the full moon.
It’s impossible to wipe out IsraelIt’s hard to keep track of all the annihilation attempts Israel has been up against over the years. Yet none of these attempts will succeed according to the Bible. Israel is indestructible according to God’s promises. However, the people of Israel have undergone centuries of suffering, and been decimated in genocidal attempts like the Holocaust. The Bible paints a picture of extremely dire days to come in the future, but still God’s promise is that as long as the sun and the moon are there, so the people of Israel will be too.
I have a friend here, an Arab pastor, who says that those wanting to get rid of Israel should fire at the sun and the moon instead, because as long as they’re still in place, Israel isn’t going anywhere.

Now Israel is yet again fighting against enemies that have vowed to wipe us off the map, but those guys should read the Bible. They will not succeed. The Islamic regime of Iran will just become another fallen enemy, and the people of Persia will be free. A new day is coming.

Funnily enough there have been a couple of blood moons over the Feast of Purim, the feast that celebrates yet another escape from annihilation – in Persia! The Jewish people were in exile and despite all the plans to exterminate them, the tables were turned and the bad guys were the ones who didn’t make it.

What is coming?Signs in the sky like solar and lunar eclipses are very dramatic, and cause us to look up in wonder. They can be part of God speaking to us, but these natural phenomena don’t necessarily have spiritual significance and blood moons are not so rare.

In ancient Mesopotamia a lunar eclipse was considered a bad omen: “a direct assault on the king”, a portent signifying their imminent downfall.

Blood moons were a taken as sign that the leader’s time was up, and it turned out to be the case in this war with the Islamic Regime. The Ayatollah Khamenei was killed in the very first strike on February 28, 2026. In fact, all the leadership of the Islamic Regime were taken out and any replacements find themselves immediately top of the hit list. 


The moon turning to blood is mentioned in the Book of Joel as a harbinger of the “Great and terrible Day of the Lord” (Joel 2:31). When that day comes, we will most certainly get a new King!

We long for an end of war and for God’s peace to rule and reign on earth — something that has been established in the heavenlies for us when Yeshua, the Lamb of God, took away the sins of the world and redeemed us from death. He taught us to pray: “Let Your Kingdom come, let Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven,” and we long to see His peace here on earth. We know that any peace that comes by human endeavor will not last, but it could open up some great opportunities for freedom of travel and gospel proclamation. The only true peace, the lasting peace, will come only at the glorious return of Messiah.
“And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars,” Yeshua Himself tells us.

“And on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”(Luke 21:25-28)

And then all Israel will finally greet Him as their Savior, the Messiah, saying:

“Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!”


(Matthew 23:39)

God made a conditional covenant with the

children of Israel

through His servant Moses


He promised good to them and their children for generations if they obeyed Him and His laws, but He always warned of despair, punishment, and dispersion if they were to disobey. As a reminder of His covenant, the Lord had the Israelites make a box, according to His design, to house the stone tablets containing the Ten Commandments. This box, or ark, was to be kept in the inner sanctum of the wilderness tabernacle and eventually in the temple when it was built in Jerusalem. This chest is known as the ark of the covenant.



Moses instructed Bezalel,

God’s anointed craftsman,

to build

the ark of the covenant


(see Exodus 37:1–9; 25:10–22).



The “sacred chest” was to be a rectangular wooden box made from acacia wood, overlaid “inside and out with pure gold,” measuring approximately “45 inches long, 27 inches wide, and 27 inches high” (Exodus 37:1–2, NLT). The chest was fitted with two pairs of gold rings on either side in which permanent poles were inserted for transporting the ark. No one was allowed to touch the ark out of reverence for God’s holiness. The poles were also fashioned with acacia wood and overlaid with gold.

The ark of the covenant was built to contain the two tablets of the law given to Moses by God (Exodus 25:16, 21). These tablets were also known as “the testimony,” and thus, the ark was also called “the ark of the testimony” (see Numbers 4:5, Joshua 4:16, ESV). In the original Hebrew, the word translated as “testimony” refers both to the terms of God’s covenant with Israel as written on the tablets of stone and to the covenant itself. Later, Moses had Aaron place inside the ark a jar of manna to remember God’s faithfulness in providing miraculous bread from heaven (Exodus 16:4, 33) and Aaron’s staff that had budded as a warning against rebellion (Numbers 17:1–13; Hebrews 9:4).

A lid called the “mercy seat” or “the place of atonement” was constructed for the box (see Exodus 25:17). The mercy seat was made of pure gold and covered the entire length and width of the chest. Bezalel crafted two cherubim from hammered gold and molded them atop each end of the mercy seat so that the whole lid was one solid piece of gold. The cherubim faced each other and looked down on the mercy seat with their wings spread wide, overshadowing and protecting it.

The real significance of the ark of the covenant involved the mercy seat. The Hebrew word for “mercy seat” meant “cover, appeasement, or place of atonement.” Once a year, the high priest entered the holy of holies where the ark of the covenant was kept, and here he atoned for his sins and the sins of the Israelite people (Leviticus 16:2–16). Seven times, the priest sprinkled the blood of sacrificed bulls and goats onto the mercy seat. This atonement on Yom Kippur appeased God’s wrath and anger for past sins committed.

The lid of the ark of the covenant was termed a “seat” because this sacred place was considered God’s holy throne (see Psalm 99:1). Here, the Lord spoke to Moses from between the winged cherubim (Numbers 7:89). Here, where the sacrificial blood was sprinkled and God’s mercy was dispensed, was the only place in the world where atonement could take place.

The mercy seat on the ark was a symbolic foreshadowing of the ultimate sacrifice for all sin—the blood of Christ shed on the cross for the remission of sins (Hebrews 7:27; 9:12–14; 1 Peter 1:18–19). The apostle Paul, a former Pharisee and one familiar with the Old Testament, knew this concept quite well when he wrote about Christ being our covering for sin in Romans 3:24–25: “And all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith.”

Just as there was only one place for atonement of sins in the Old Testament—the mercy seat of the ark of the covenant—so there is also only one place for atonement in the New Testament—the cross of Jesus Christ (1 John 2:2; 1 Peter 3:18). As Christians, we no longer look to the ark but to the Lord Jesus Himself as the One who covers, cleanses, cancels, and atones for our sins (1 John 4:10).

As the Israelites traveled from Mount Sinai to Canaan, the ark of the covenant was to be carried before them through the wilderness as a constant reminder of God’s holy, living presence (Numbers 10:33–36). The ark played a central role in Israel’s entrance into the Promised Land (Joshua 3:3, 6, 15–16; 4:9; 6:4–16) and the life of God’s people there (Joshua 8:33; Judges 20:26–28).

Eventually, Israel lost sight of the ark’s true significance. In 1 Samuel 4, the nation was battling the Philistines. When the Israelites suffered a loss, rather than deal with the real problem—sin—they fetched the ark and took it into battle. They viewed the ark as little more than a talisman or ceremonial token that would ensure God’s help. As a result, they suffered another defeat, and God allowed the ark to be captured by the Philistines (1 Samuel 4:1–11, 17–22; 5:1–12). But the hand of the Lord was heavy on the Philistines, so they returned the ark (1 Samuel 6:1–3, 10–15, 19; 7:1–2).

Much later, King David had the ark brought to Jerusalem (2 Samuel 6:1–12, 17), and when his son Solomon completed the temple, the ark and all the tabernacle furnishings were placed inside the temple (1 Kings 8:1–12).

The Bible doesn’t say precisely when the ark of the covenant was lost to history. Some speculate it was destroyed or potentially removed during various raids (see 1 Kings 14:25–28; 2 Kings 14:8–14). The last time the location of the ark is mentioned in Scripture is when King Josiah ordered the caretakers of the ark to return it to the Jerusalem temple (2 Chronicles 35:1–6; cf. 2 Kings 23:21–23). The ark is not cited in the list of temple spoils that Nebuchadrezzar took to Babylon when Jerusalem was sacked (2 Kings 25:13–17; Jeremiah 52:17–23).

The origins of Israel’s ark of the covenant are as mysterious and fascinating as its current whereabouts and final destiny. Archeologists and treasure hunters have sought to find it for centuries. In Revelation 11:19, John sees the ark of the covenant as part of the future heavenly temple. However, this is probably not the same ark Moses built; instead, the heavenly ark is more likely a symbolic representation of God’s holy presence.

Mercy and grace are closely related. While the terms have similar meanings, grace and mercy are not exactly the same. Mercy has to do with kindness and compassion; it is often spoken of in the context of God’s not punishing us as our sins deserve. Grace includes kindness and compassion, but also carries the idea of bestowing a gift or favor. It may help to view mercy as a subset of grace. In Scripture, mercy is often equated with a deliverance from judgment (e.g., Deuteronomy 4:30–31; 1 Timothy 1:13), and grace is always the extending of a blessing to the unworthy.

According to the Bible, we have all sinned (Ecclesiastes 7:20; Romans 3:23; 1 John 1:8). As a result of that sin, we all deserve death (Romans 6:23) and eternal judgment in the lake of fire (Revelation 20:12–15). Given what we deserve, every day we live is an act of God’s mercy. If God gave us all what we deserve, we would all be, right now, condemned for eternity. In Psalm 51:1–2, David cries out, “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.” Pleading for God’s mercy is asking Him to show kindness and withhold the judgment we deserve.

We deserve nothing good from God. God does not owe us any good thing. What good we experience is a result of the grace of God (Ephesians 2:5). Grace is simply defined as “unmerited favor.” God favors us—He shows us approval and kindness—in blessing us with good things that we do not deserve and could never earn. Common grace refers to the blessings that God bestows on all of mankind regardless of their spiritual standing before Him, while saving grace is that special blessing whereby God sovereignly bestows unmerited divine assistance upon His elect for their regeneration and sanctification.

Mercy and grace are evident in the salvation that is available through Jesus Christ. We deserved judgment, but in Christ we receive mercy from God and are delivered from judgment. In Christ we receive eternal salvation, forgiveness of sins, and abundant life (John 10:10)—all gifts of grace. Our response to the mercy and grace of God should be to fall on our knees in worship and thanksgiving. Hebrews 4:16 declares, “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

The coupling of grace and truth is found in numerous places in the Bible, including Colossians 1:6 and 2 John 1:3 in the New Testament, and 2 Samuel 15:20 and Psalm 86:15 in the Old Testament. Then there is John 1:14, 17, which says, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. . . . For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”

There is a strong possibility that John is referencing the Hebrew terms hesed (“mercy” or “lovingkindness”) and emet (“truth” or “faithfulness”), found together in Exodus 34:6: “Then the Lord passed by in front of him and proclaimed, ‘The Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth.’” Note that the attributes of God in the Old Testament are applied to Christ in the New. At the beginning of his gospel, John is making a subtle statement regarding the divinity of Jesus. The rest of John’s gospel will expound on that truth.

It is important for grace and truth to work in tandem. An emphasis on grace alone can dissipate into a shallow and sentimental foundation where justice or truth is discarded. However, a focus only on truth can devolve into a cold, hardened dogma. Jesus’ character demonstrates the perfect balance of both grace and truth. He is “full” of both.

Grace and truth meld together in the gospel message to form a key distinction of Christianity over other religions. In all other religions, grace and truth are never balanced. Instead, the deity being worshiped either dispenses justice at the expense of grace or dispenses grace at the expense of justice and truth. Christianity is unique in that God delivers grace through His justice and truth.

The truth is, everyone has fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23) and deserves God’s justice. However, God’s justice is satisfied, and His truth upheld, through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. That act delivers God’s grace to those who will accept it by faith.

In this way, Christianity stands alone as an ontological faith—one that is fully dependent on a person—Jesus Christ—who perfectly balances and embodies both grace and truth in His very being.




​Mary, Full of Grace


Grace, as it relates to salvation, is

God’s unmerited favor.



This is why some Bible translations render

Gabriel’s greeting to Mary,


“Chaire kecharitomene,” as “highly favored one.”




God eternally favored Mary to be the mother of His divine Son incarnate, the only person who ever has or ever will give birth to a divine Person. Because Mary is the only person whom God will ever select and predestine to fulfill this most exalted role and responsibility among creatures, we would better understand “highly favored one” as “most favored.”

Therefore, God most graced Mary for this unique relationship from the moment of her conception, a relationship only she and her Son unceasingly enjoy. Now, when God favors someone, He communicates grace to that person. And when He favors someone above all others, He fills that person with grace.

So, we must have no doubt that God made and preserved Mary full of grace. Since God most highly favored her from eternity, He most fully graced her from conception. She is the spotless Ark of the New Covenant and is the only created being to have such a close, personal connection to God.



Mary, Most Blessed


Additionally, when Mary visited Elizabeth, whom the Holy Spirit had filled (Luke 1:41), Elizabeth said to Mary, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb” (Luke 1:42, RSVCE). Thus, at the Holy Spirit’s inspiration, Elizabeth gave Mary and Jesus the same blessing. By giving them both the same blessing, Elizabeth and the Holy Spirit implied that Mary is the most blessed among all women.

So, Mary is most graced, most blessed, and due to her special relationship with the Son, most exalted among God’s creatures. In fact, God’s favor toward Mary and His blessing of her as the mother of the Most High inspired St. Bonaventure (A.D 1221 to 1274, Bishop, theologian, philosopher, and a Doctor of the Church) to write the following:

It is but fit that the Blessed Virgin should be without any stain, and that she should so entirely conquer Satan, that she was not even for one moment subject to him. If Mary’s soul had been, only for one moment, spotted with original sin, she would have been subject to Satan for that length of time; she would have been a seat, a dwelling of the devil, a slave to him, and a child of divine wrath. Would it have been suitable that the only Son of God should dwell nine months in the womb of a created being, who before, though for ever so short a space of time had been a dwelling of Satan?

Can we think, without trembling, that she, who was chosen from all eternity to become the mother of our Lord, had been a slave to the devil, an object of divine wrath? If this had been the case, Satan could have boasted that, before Christ, he had inhabited the Ark which was destined by the Almighty, not to preserve manna, or the lifeless tables of the law, but to keep, during nine months, the holy Lawgiver Himself. Would this have been worthy of Christ? No one will dare say it. Hence, the honor of Him, whom Mary gave to the world, demands that she should have been conceived immaculate. The high dignity to which Mary was raised allows not the thought that she, even for one moment, was defiled with original sin

There are four “Servant Songs” of Isaiah that describe the service, suffering, and exaltation of the Servant of the Lord, the Messiah. All four songs show the Messiah to be God’s meek and gentle Servant. He is a royal figure, representing Israel in its ideal form; He is the high priest, atoning for the sins of the world. Isaiah predicts that this Servant of the Lord would deliver the world from the prison of sin. In the royal terminology of the ancient Near East, a servant was a “trusted envoy,” a “confidential representative,” or “one who is chosen.” The Servant Songs are found in Isaiah 42:1–9; Isaiah 49:1–13; Isaiah 50:4–11; and Isaiah 52:13—53:12.

Isaiah initially identifies God’s servant as Israel (41:8; 44:1–2), who serves as God’s witness (43:10) and as a light to the Gentiles. Yet Israel could not fulfill this mission: Israel was deaf, blind (42:19), and in need of God’s forgiveness (44:21–22). Israel failed again and again. By contrast, God’s Servant, the Messiah, faithfully completes all the work He is given to do (cf. Luke 13:32; John 17:4). The Servant of the Lord is God’s faithful and true witness to humanity.

In Acts 3:13 Peter calls Jesus the “servant” of God. That verse says, in part, “The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus.” Peter’s description of Jesus as a “servant” is accurate for at least four reasons:


1) Jesus always did the will of the Father (John 4:34; 6:38).
2) Jesus never sought to please Himself but always to please the Father (John 5:30).
3) Jesus finished the work that God had sent Him to do (John 17:4).
4) Jesus came to glorify the Father (John 13:31; 17:4).


Additionally, Peter’s reference to Jesus as the “servant of God” would have brought to the minds of his Jewish hearers the passages in Isaiah that describe the Messiah as the “Servant of the Lord.” Here is a brief look at the four Servant Songs in Isaiah:




Isaiah 42:1–9


This first of the four Servant Songs

introduces us to

the Servant of the LORD:


“Here is my servant, whom I uphold,
my chosen one in whom I delight;
I will put my Spirit on him,
and he will bring justice to the nations.
He will not shout or cry out,
or raise his voice in the streets.
A bruised reed he will not break,
and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.
In faithfulness he will bring forth justice;
he will not falter or be discouraged
till he establishes justice on earth.
In his teaching the islands will put their hope” (verses 1–4).

According to this song, the Servant of the Lord is chosen by God, and God delights in Him. The Servant has the Spirit of God abiding on Him. The first four verses of this passage are specifically applied to Jesus in Matthew 12:18–21.

When Jesus was baptized in the River Jordan, the Spirit of God descended upon Him, and a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” This was a divine allusion to Isaiah 42. The clear teaching of the New Testament is that Jesus Christ is the Servant in the Servant Song prophecies.



Isaiah 49:1–13


This second of the

four

Servant Songs speaks of

the Messiah’s work

in the

world and His success


The Servant’s statement that “before I was born the Lord called me” (verse 1) uses language similar to the call of the prophet Jeremiah (Jeremiah 1:5). The reference in Isaiah 49:2 to the mouth of the Servant of the LORD being “like a sharpened sword” is a prophetic image that crops up several times in the New Testament (Ephesians 6:17; Hebrews 4:12; Revelation 1:16; 2:12, 16; 19:15).

In the second Servant Song, the Messiah displays God’s splendor (verse 3), restores God’s people (verse 6), and is honored in God’s eyes (verse 5). Significantly, the Messiah feels a great loss: “I have labored in vain; / I have spent my strength for nothing at all” (verse 4), yet He receives worldwide acclaim in the end:



“To him who was despised and abhorred by the nation,
to the servant of rulers:
‘Kings will see you and stand up,
princes will see and bow down’” (verse 7).



The Servant of the Lord will oversee the restoration of the land and the establishing of a peaceful kingdom (verses 8–13). The Messiah will be the agent of the Lord’s comfort to His people (verse 13).

In addition to being the One to restore the land of Israel (verse 8), the Messiah is chosen to redeem the Gentiles:



“It is too small a thing for you to be my servant
to restore the tribes of Jacob
and bring back those of Israel I have kept.
I will also make you a light for the Gentiles,
that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth” (verse 6).



In this way, God’s salvation is brought to all people. Christ Jesus is “the light of the world” (Luke 2:30–32; John 8:12; 9:5) and the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecies. On their first missionary journey, Paul and Barnabas bring the gospel to the Gentiles in Antioch, and they quote Isaiah 49:6. The response of the Gentiles in Antioch is pure joy: “When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord” (Acts 13:48). In Christ both Jews and Gentiles are made one (Ephesians 2:11–18).



Isaiah 50:4–11. This third Servant Song contrasts Israel’s sin with the Servant’s obedience


We also see that the Messiah will be persecuted yet vindicated. The verses preceding this song (Isaiah 50:1–3) liken Israel to an immoral wife; only God has the power to ransom her back. Starting in verse 4, the Servant responds to the instruction of God. He is not rebellious (verse 5), even when His obedience to God results in suffering:


“I offered my back to those who beat me,
my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard;
I did not hide my face
from mocking and spitting” (verse 6).


The Servant of the Lord expresses His confidence that God will help Him and that He will be found innocent (verses 7–9). In this confidence, the Messiah resolves to see His task to completion, no matter how difficult the road becomes (cf. Luke 9:51).

Some 700 years later, Jesus fulfilled this prophecy, too. Abuse and insults were heaped upon our Lord as He was thrown to the Roman soldiers. His back was beaten, His face was hit, and He was spit upon (see John 19:1–3; Matthew 27:30). The Lord Jesus was obedient unto death (Philippians 2:8), and the Father vindicated His Suffering Servant by resurrecting Him. “Because the Sovereign Lord helps me, / I will not be disgraced” (Isaiah 50:7).




Isaiah 52:13—53:12.



This climactic fourth Servant Song


describes the


suffering and triumph

of the

Servant of the LORD



It is also one of the most detailed passages in the Old Testament

concerning the


death and resurrection of the Messiah


The song begins

with a promise that the Servant

will be exalted (Isaiah 52:13),

but then immediately

turns to a description of extreme violence:


“His appearance was so disfigured beyond that

of any human being

and his form marred beyond human likeness”


(Isaiah 52:14).



The Messiah will be “despised and rejected by mankind”


(Isaiah 53:3).


When He is brutally punished,

people will assume

that He is being afflicted by God


(verse 4).



But the fourth Servant Song makes it clear why He endures such persecution:



“He was pierced for our transgressions,

he was crushed for our iniquities;

the punishment that brought us peace was on him,

and by his wounds we are healed” 


It is our iniquity being placed on Him that explains His suffering (verse 6). Verse 7 predicts that the Messiah will be silent before His accusers (cf. Matthew 27:14). Verse 9 says that, although the Servant of the Lord is innocent, He will die with the wicked and be “with the rich in his death.”


Isaiah 53:10 tells us why the Servant dies:


“It was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer,

and...the Lord makes his life an offering for sin.”



This is the substitutionary atonement.

His life for ours.

The death of the Messiah accomplished the will of God concerning our salvation.


Immediately following the prophecy of the Servant’s death, Isaiah makes a startling prophecy of the Servant’s victory:



“[The Lord] will see his offspring and prolong his days,

and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand.


After he has suffered,

he will see the light of life and be satisfied. . . .

Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,

and he will divide the spoils with the strong”


(verses 10–12).



So, in the fourth Servant Song, death is not the end for the Servant.


After He suffers, He will “see the light of life.” He will “divide the spoils.” His days will be prolonged.

What we have here is a prophecy of the resurrection of Christ.

The whole of Isaiah 53 is a poignant and prophetic picture of the gospel. Jesus was despised and rejected by men (Luke 13:34; John 1:10–11); He was stricken by God (Matthew 27:46) and pierced for our transgressions (John 19:34; 1 Peter 2:24). By His suffering, Jesus received the punishment we deserved and became for us the ultimate and perfect sacrifice (Hebrews 10:10). Although His Son was sinless, God laid on Him our sin, and we became God’s righteousness in Him (2 Corinthians 5:21). Jesus was silent in front of His accusers (Matthew 27:12, 14; 1 Peter 2:23). Jesus was crucified between two thieves yet buried in a rich man’s tomb (Matthew 27:38, 57–60). In the Suffering Servant’s humiliation and final exaltation, He reconciles humanity with God (Matthew 8:17; Acts 8:30–35; Romans 10:15–17; 15:21; 1 Peter 2:24–25).

As the Ethiopian eunuch is traveling home in his chariot, he is reading from one of the Servant Songs (Acts 8:32–33). The eunuch was unsure of whom Isaiah was speaking—was it the prophet himself, or another man? Philip the evangelist had the privilege of using Isaiah 53 to point the Ethiopian to Christ: “Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus” (Acts 8:35). Without a doubt, the four Servant Songs in Isaiah are about Jesus. Our Lord is the theme of Scripture.




The Seven Sorrows (or Dolors) of Mary

are a Catholic devotion

focusing on intense moments of suffering in the life of the

Blessed Virgin Mary,

particularly regarding the passion of her son, Jesus.


Commemorated on September 15th, they represent her role as the


"Sorrowful Mother" (Mater Dolorosa)

and her

sharing in Christ's redemption. 




The Seven Sorrows of Mary:
​

1. The Prophecy of Simeon (Luke 2:34–35): Simeon tells Mary a sword will pierce her heart, predicting the rejection of Jesus.
2. The Flight into Egypt (Matthew 2:13–21): Joseph and Mary flee to protect Jesus from Herod’s plan to kill him.
3. The Loss of Jesus in the Temple (Luke 2:41–51): Mary and Joseph search for three days before finding the child Jesus.
4. Mary Meets Jesus on the Way to Calvary: Mary witnesses her son carrying his cross.
5. The Crucifixion and Death of Jesus: Mary stands at the foot of the cross, sharing in his ultimate sacrifice.
6. Jesus is Taken Down from the Cross: Mary receives the body of her son.
7. The Burial of Jesus: Mary watches as Jesus is placed in the tomb. 

Devotion and Imagery

• Feast Day: The feast of Our Lady of Sorrows is held on September 15th, immediately following the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.
• Iconography: Mary is often depicted with a sorrowful expression, with one or seven swords piercing her heart.
• Chaplet: The "Chaplet of the Seven Sorrows" is a set of prayers, often consisting of seven sets of seven Hail Marys, that encourage meditation on these events. 

These sorrows represent a deep, empathetic connection to the suffering of Jesus and are used in prayer to seek strength for personal hardships

• We can look at the baby Mary with the joy-filled eyes and hearts of her parents and Son as she was an infant and began to grow, thoughts that even many with strong Marian devotions seldom contemplate.
• God the Father had had Mary in his sights since the beginning of time. St. Paul tells us that he has “chosen us in [Christ] before the foundation of the world to be holy and immaculate in his sight” (Eph 1:4), and how could he not be thinking of Mary as the icon of this divine election? We know that at the very instant of the fall, her advent was prophesied as the one in whom God would place an enmity for the serpent. Today, she who had been immaculately conceived was born full of grace.
• She was born according to a template. St. Paul tells us in today’s first reading that “those [God] foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son.” Mary was most certainly conformed to the image of the Holy One who would become the blessed Fruit of her womb and he, according to his humanity, would be conformed, mysteriously, to her earthly image. And this was a “shaping together” (literally con-formation) that would be manifested mutually throughout life, as her fiat would anticipate his, as her desire to help a young married couple would become his first miracle, as her pierced heart would emulate his heart pierced with a lance, as his glory would become reflected in her forever.
• It’s important for us whenever we celebrate a Marian feast to make explicit Mary’s Christocentric conformation, not just to avoid Protestant misinterpretations that we give Mary the homage that is only due to God, but also to help us deepen our own appreciation not only for our spiritual mother’s vocation and mission but for our own. Normally for us the celebration of a birthday is always an occasion to think with gratitude to God and to our parents for the gift of human life — and that is a very good thing to do! — but Mary’s birthday is a celebration of something more. As we see in today’s Gospel and know from throughout her life, she was born with a purpose, to be the Mother of God according to his humanity. She was born to conform her life to him. As we think about her birth, her early days, her upbringing and her life, it’s natural for us to think of our own, and it’s key for us to grasp that we, too, have been born with a similar purpose, to be conformed to Jesus in this life and, God-willing, forever. Sometimes in our Marian piety we can focus so much on her inimitable privileges — like her Immaculate Conception, the virginal conception and birth of Jesus, her raising the Son of God, her sharing in his passion, and her sharing already in her body in his resurrection and heavenly life — that we can miss the emulable qualities of her life.
• Today the great birthday present she’d like for us to give her would be to allow her to help us conform ourselves, like she was, to the image of her Son, to conform ourselves to his Word and let ourselves develop in accordance with it as she did; to conform ourselves to his holiness as she did; to conform ourselves to his proclamation of the Gospel as she did; to conform ourselves to his salvific suffering as she did; and to conform ourselves as she did to the newness of life he has given us by his triumph over sin and death. The great way we conform ourselves to Mary so as to conform ourselves to her Son is through consecration, in which we entrust ourselves to her to mother us, to form us, to help us pattern our existence on the blessed Fruit of her womb. Today is a beautiful day on which to renew our Marian consecration or, if we have never formally entrusted ourselves to her, to do so. The prayer of St. Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort that was recited by St. John Paul II each day and from which he took his motto is the one I use: Totus tuus ego sum et tota mea tua sunt. Accipio te in mea omnia. Praebe mihi cor tuum, O Maria! “I am all yours, O Mary, and all I have is yours. I receive you into everything I am and have. Give me your heart!” Mary in Fatima asked for us to be consecrated to her Immaculate Heart and to consecrate the world, especially Russia, to that heart that treasures God within, always says fiat to his will and seeks to conform her whole life to his word.
• The greatest way we conform ourselves to Mary through consecration — so that she can assist us to conform ourselves to her Son — is by entering with her into her Son’s consecration in the Mass. In the Mass we conceive within ourselves first the word of God so that just like Mary did, it may impregnate us and grow within us to such an extent that we are umbilically united with this word until it becomes so big within us that we have to give it to the light. Then the same Jesus whom she bore in her womb for nine months will enter into us so that he can help us to conform ourselves to himself from the inside. The purpose of Mary’s birth and life was not merely to be the Mother of God but to help facilitate our becoming like her through the conformation to her Son that is meant to happen in holy communion. Our Amen is meant to imitate her fiat at the annunciation. Let us ask her to pray for us today that we may respond to the graces for which she is interceding for us now with her Son so to conform ourselves to Him in this world that we may be conformed to Him, like Mary, forever.​     
  ​
• Marian Consecration is a spiritual act of entrusting oneself entirely to Mary to be formed, guided, and secured by her in order to belong more fully to Jesus Christ. It is described as the "surest, easiest, shortest, and most perfect" way to achieve total unity with Christ, effectively allowing Mary to fulfill her maternal role of transforming the believer into an image of her Son. 
  
  

The Essence of Consecration Total Surrender: Consecration involves giving Mary all that you are—soul, body, and spiritual merits—so she may use them for God's glory. Centered on Christ: Despite focusing on Mary, this act is entirely Christocentric, meaning its ultimate goal is to lead the person to a deeper union with Jesus, modeled by her own perfect submission to God's will.
​

• Imitating Virtues: It empowers believers to imitate Mary’s virtues, such as her purity, humility, and love for God. 








• Conforming to the Image of Christ



• The "Divine Stamp": Devotion to Mary, especially through her Immaculate Heart, acts as a "stamp" that reproduces the image of God within the soul, facilitating the interior transformation into Christ.
• Motherly Formation: Just as Mary formed Christ in her womb, through consecration, she forms Him in the hearts of believers.
• Living the Fiat: It allows a person to live out their baptismal promises by adopting Mary's "fiat" (her "yes" to God) as their own

Paul charges Titus, “You must teach what is in accord with sound doctrine” (Titus 2:1). Such a mandate makes it obvious that sound doctrine is important. But why is it important? Does it really make a difference what we believe?

Sound doctrine is important because our faith is based on a specific message. The overall teaching of the church contains many elements, but the primary message is explicitly defined: “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures [and] . . . he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). This is the unambiguous good news, and it is “of first importance.” Change that message, and the basis of faith shifts from Christ to something else. Our eternal destiny depends upon hearing “the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation” (Ephesians 1:13; see also 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14).

Sound doctrine is important because the gospel is a sacred trust, and we dare not tamper with God’s communication to the world. Our duty is to deliver the message, not to change it. Jude conveys an urgency in guarding the trust: “I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints” (Jude 1:3; see also Philippians 1:27). To “contend” carries the idea of strenuously fighting for something, to give it everything you’ve got. The Bible includes a warning neither to add to nor subtract from God’s Word (Revelation 22:18-19). Rather than alter the apostles’ doctrine, we receive what has been passed down to us and keep it “as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 1:13).

Sound doctrine is important because what we believe affects what we do. Behavior is an extension of theology, and there is a direct correlation between what we think and how we act. For example, two people stand on top of a bridge; one believes he can fly, and the other believes he cannot fly. Their next actions will be quite dissimilar. In the same way, a man who believes that there is no such thing as right and wrong will naturally behave differently from a man who believes in well-defined moral standards. In one of the Bible’s lists of sins, things like rebellion, murder, lying, and slave trading are mentioned. The list concludes with “whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine” (1 Timothy 1:9-10). In other words, true teaching promotes righteousness; sin flourishes where “the sound doctrine” is opposed.

Sound doctrine is important because we must ascertain truth in a world of falsehood. “Many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1). There are tares among the wheat and wolves among the flock (Matthew 13:25; Acts 20:29). The best way to distinguish truth from falsehood is to know what the truth is.

Sound doctrine is important because the end of sound doctrine is life. “Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers” (1 Timothy 4:16). Conversely, the end of unsound doctrine is destruction. “Certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord” (Jude 1:4). Changing God’s message of grace is a “godless” thing to do, and the condemnation for such a deed is severe. Preaching another gospel (“which is really no gospel at all”) carries an anathema: “let him be eternally condemned!” (see Galatians 1:6-9).

Sound doctrine is important because it encourages believers. A love of God’s Word brings “great peace” (Psalm 119:165), and those “who proclaim peace . . . who proclaim salvation” are truly “beautiful” (Isaiah 52:7). A pastor “must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it” (Titus 1:9).

The word of wisdom is “Do not remove the ancient landmark which your fathers have set” (Proverbs 22:28, NKJV). If we can apply this to sound doctrine, the lesson is that we must preserve it intact. May we never stray from “the simplicity that is in Christ” (2 Corinthians 11:3).
​
Malachi 3:2, where the phrase refiner’s fire is used, has been a popular verse in Western society for centuries due to its use in Handel’s famous oratorio Messiah. The verse reads, “But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap.” Let’s take a look at the prophet’s similes.

Malachi says that, when the Lord returns, no one will be able to stand before Him. The Lord’s holiness and judgment will be as a refiner’s blazing fire and as a fuller’s bleaching agent. The idea of “standing” before the Lord is associated with “withstanding” or “standing up to”; sinful human flesh will not have the strength, the right, or the desire to resist the Lord in His glory (cf. Psalm 76:7; Revelation 6:17).

The two similes help clarify why no one will be able to stand in the Day of the Lord. First, Malachi 3:2 says the Messiah will be like a refiner’s fire, an allusion to the process of purifying metal. A refiner uses a fire to heat metal to a molten state; then he skims off the dross that floats to the top. The refiner’s fire is, of course, maintained at an extremely high temperature, and such a high degree of heat is the prophet’s picture of the testing people will face on Judgment Day. All judgment has been entrusted to the Son (John 5:22). Upon Christ’s return, the intense flame of God’s judgment will purify the earth, removing the dross of sin.

Second, the Messiah will be like a launderer’s soap. This type of soap was caustic and quite effective in producing bright white clothing. The HCSB translates it as “cleansing lye.” When Christ returns, He will cleanse the world of all impurity. Every stain of sin will be scrubbed away. The account of Jesus’ transfiguration contains a reference to His purity, using language similar to Malachi’s: “He was transfigured before them. His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them” (Mark 9:2–3).

The goal of Jesus will be to judge wickedness and purify His people: “He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the LORD will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness” (Malachi 3:3). Like the refiner’s fire, He will burn away the impurities of the priests. Like launderer’s soap, He will wash away their uncleanness (Isaiah 1:25; Jeremiah 6:29–30; Ezekiel 22:17–22; Zechariah 3:5). The priests in the millennial kingdom will then be able to offer sacrifices from a pure heart. The sacrifices in those days will be similar to those when the temple was first built: “The offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the LORD, as in days gone by, as in former years” (Malachi 3:4).

The refiner’s fire and launderer’s soap indicate the holiness and burning judgment of the Messiah when He returns to reign in Jerusalem at His second coming. His purifying brightness and absolute holiness will affect those who serve Him, creating a cleansed temple and purified priesthood. “See, the Sovereign LORD comes with power, and his arm rules for him. See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him” (Isaiah 40:10).
​
The apostle Paul wrote a warning for the church: “The time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear” (2 Timothy 4:3).

The Greek word translated “itching” literally means “to itch, rub, scratch, or tickle.” To want one’s ears “tickled” is to desire massages rather than messages—sermons that charm rather than challenge, entertain rather than edify, and please rather than preach. The people Paul warns about will have, as one commentator put it, “ears which have to be continually titillated with novelties.”

“Itching ears” is a figure of speech that refers to people’s desires, felt needs, or wants. It is these desires that impel a person to believe whatever he wants to believe rather than the actual truth itself. When people have “itching ears,” they decide for themselves what is right or wrong, and they seek out others to support their notions. “Itching ears” are concerned with what feels good or comfortable, not with the truth—after all, truth is often uncomfortable. Paul’s warning is that the church would one day contain those who only opened their ears to those who would scratch their “itch.”

Those with “itching ears” only want teachers who will assure them that all is well, teachers who say, “Peace, peace . . . when there is no peace” (Jeremiah 6:14). Where there is a demand for something, the suppliers are not far away. Paul says that not only will there be great demand for watered-down, personalized messages, but there will be “a great number of teachers” willing to provide such pap and steer people away from “sound doctrine.”

Evidence today of people having “itching ears” includes the popularity of messages that people are not required to change, as if repentance were outmoded; that people are basically good; that God is too loving to judge anyone; that the cross, with all its blood, is not really necessary; and that God wants His children to be healthy, wealthy, and content in this world. As people turn their backs on the truth about sin and condemnation, they disregard their need for repentance and forgiveness. And a craving for “new” and “fresher” ideas grows—even though there is “nothing new under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:9–10)—accompanied by a longing to feel good about who they are and where they’re going. Messages that tickle ears can fill a lot of churches, sell a lot of books, and buy a lot of time on cable tv.

Some of the early followers of Jesus complained about some of the Lord’s words: “Many of his disciples said, ʻThis is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?’ . . . From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him” (John 6:60, 66). Walking away from hard truth is easy to do.

In today’s postmodern church, we see many walking away from the hard truth. Some churches that once preached sound doctrine now teach as acceptable the very evils the Bible condemns. Some pastors are afraid to preach on certain passages of the Bible. “Christian feminists” deny God as a heavenly Father, calling Him a “she.” “Gay Christians” are not only welcomed without repentance into church fellowship but into the pulpit, as well.

The church’s remedy for those who have “itching ears” is found in the same passage of 2 Timothy: “Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction” (2 Timothy 4:2). It is a solemn charge, made “in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom” (verse 1). And it contains all the elements needed to combat the temptation to tickle ears: preach, correct, rebuke, and encourage. The content of preaching must be the written Word of God, and it must be preached when convenient and when inconvenient. This takes “great patience and careful instruction,” but sound doctrine is worth it.

The church’s quest to manage the comfort level of its audience must never take priority over preaching the Word. The fear of offending people’s sensibilities can never supersede the fear of offending God. Rather, the church should follow the example of the apostles: “We have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God” (2 Corinthians 4:2).

The church today, more than ever, needs to re-examine the teachings it endorses. We need to ask ourselves the following questions:

• Are our teachings truly from God or simply itches we want to scratch?
• Are we standing on solid biblical grounds, or have we allowed the world to influence our thinking?
• Have we guarded ourselves from the schemes of Satan (Ephesians 6:11)?
• Are we keeping ourselves “blameless for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 5:23)?

The truth is, God is not concerned with scratching our itches but in transforming us into the image of His Son (Romans 12:2; 2 Corinthians 4:4).

• ​ The phrase earthly treasures originates from Matthew 6:19, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal” (ESV). That command is linked to the one in the next verse, “But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.”

Jesus contrasts earthly treasures with their heavenly counterpart, clearly stating that the latter is more important. Heavenly treasures are eternal, while earthly treasures are temporary and can be destroyed.

The term earthly treasures refers to material wealth and possessions. Treasures encompass anything of significant value, and in the context of Matthew 6:19, it includes riches and assets on earth. Houses, cars, and even clothes fall under earthly treasures. In ancient times, the wealthy prized items like clothing, gold, silver, raiment, etc. Modern definitions of wealth may vary slightly from the ancient priorities, but there is an overlap.

Jesus’ teaching on earthly treasures is part of the Sermon on the Mount. This series of teachings continues to captivate both Christians and non-Christians today, just as it did the initial listeners (Matthew 7:28–29). At the beginning of Matthew 6, Jesus demonstrates how to properly carry out righteous practices like giving, fasting and prayer. He then turns His attention to the subject of money.

The warning against storing earthly treasures seems clear enough, but it raises numerous questions. Is it wrong to save and invest? Is Jesus saying we shouldn’t build wealth? What about financial instruments like a 401(k) or IRA?

Other parts of Scripture suggest the wisdom of proper financial management and savings (Proverbs 13:11, 22; Genesis 41:25–36; Matthew 25:14–30). Prudence and responsible planning are good Christian values. We should exercise caution when using Matthew 6:19 to endorse poverty theology or even Christian minimalism.

Jesus is concerned about our priorities and warns against hoarding—that is, amassing earthly treasures for the sake of it. Many people hoard wealth out of fear of losing it, for social status, or to gain approval. The question is not whether we should manage our money wisely but, rather, why do we save? We should also note the fleeting nature of money and possessions. As the modern saying goes, “You can't take it with you.”

Instead of hoarding money and endlessly acquiring earthly possessions, our focus should be on what God considers most important. After all, our heart is where our treasure lies (Matthew 6:21). Righteousness, wisdom, justice, peace, love, and good deeds have more eternal value than appearing on the Forbes list. We store up heavenly treasures by channeling our resources toward godly concerns. For example, affluent Christians can invest in missionary trips or charity work instead of purchasing unnecessary cars or boats or summer homes.

The principle in Matthew 6:19 can also apply to how much time and energy we allocate to spiritual matters vis-à-vis making money. Being a workaholic is not a Christian trait and can hinder spiritual growth. We should allocate proper time to activities such as Bible reading, prayer, and fellowship of the brethren.

Several biblical passages support Jesus’ teachings on earthly treasures. In his instruction to Timothy, Paul writes,

Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way, they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life. (1 Timothy 6:17–19).

The writer of Hebrews also exhorts us to live a life free from the love of money (Hebrews 13:5). Paul refers to this love as “a root of all kinds of evil” (1 Timothy 6:10), while Solomon regards it as vanity (Ecclesiastes 5:10).

To Jesus, our perspective on earthly treasures matters. He told parables about the rich fool (Luke 12:16–21), the talents (Matthew 25:14–30), and the unjust steward (Luke 16:1–13), all of which deal with the fleeting nature of money, the dangers of materialism, and the importance of responsible stewardship. We are to serve God, not money (Matthew 6:24).
The phrase “boast in the Lord” is found in 1 Corinthians 1:31, where Paul, quoting Jeremiah 9:24, says, “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.” It may seem strange to think of boasting as good; after all, the word boast means “to puff oneself up in speech,” and pride is condemned in Scripture (e.g., Proverbs 11:2). Paul is obviously not talking about sinful boasting. The Bible never condones braggadocio.

Some preachers have twisted the meaning of the phrase “boast in the Lord” to support a misleading message. The phrase is commonly heard today in the prosperity gospeland Word of Faith movements. Often, it is quoted from Psalm 34:2 in the KJV, “My soul shall make her boast in the LORD,” and it is used in the context of boasting about worldly possessions or of speaking a miracle into existence. The idea is that, if you have a material need, then you should “boast” that you already have that need met. Such boasting is a proof of faith (so they say), and that faith will glorify God as your “word of confession” speaks a blessing into existence. This is most decidedly not what David and Paul meant.

Paul’s statement about boasting in the Lord has nothing to do with worldly possessions or with altering reality. The context concerns God’s ability to glorify Himself even in our weakness. When called to salvation, “not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption” (1 Corinthians 1:26-30). Whatever good may come from our ministry, we have no reason to boast because, humanly speaking, we are “weak,” “foolish,” “lowly,” and “despised.” All the glory goes to God and God alone (see Isaiah 42:8).

True boasting in the Lord is actually boasting of the Lord—boasting of His great attributes, boasting of what He has done for us, of what He is still doing and of what He has promised to do. As Jeremiah 9:23-24 says, “Thus says the LORD: ‘Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight,’ declares the LORD.”

Perhaps the greatest of all Messianic prophecies in the Tanakh (the Hebrew Scriptures / the Old Testament) concerning the advent of the Jewish Messiah is found in the 53rd chapter of the prophet Isaiah. This section of the Prophets, also known as the “Suffering Servant,” has been long understood by the historical Rabbis of Judaism to speak of the Redeemer who will one day come to Zion. Here is a sampling of what Judaism has traditionally believed about the identity of the “Suffering Servant" of Isaiah 53:

The Babylonian Talmud says: “The Messiah, what is his name? The Rabbis say, The Leper Scholar, as it is said, ‘surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him a leper, smitten of God and afflicted...’” (Sanhedrin 98b).

Midrash Ruth Rabbah says: “Another explanation (of Ruth 2:14): He is speaking of king Messiah; ‘Come hither,’ draw near to the throne; ‘and eat of the bread,’ that is, the bread of the kingdom; ‘and dip thy morsel in the vinegar,’ this refers to his chastisements, as it is said, ‘But he was wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities.’”

The Targum Jonathan says: “Behold my servant Messiah shall prosper; he shall be high and increase and be exceedingly strong."

The Zohar says: “‘He was wounded for our transgressions,’ etc....There is in the Garden of Eden a palace called the Palace of the Sons of Sickness; this palace the Messiah then enters, and summons every sickness, every pain, and every chastisement of Israel; they all come and rest upon him. And were it not that he had thus lightened them off Israel and taken them upon himself, there had been no man able to bear Israel’s chastisements for the transgression of the law: and this is that which is written, ‘Surely our sicknesses he hath carried.’”

The great (Rambam) Rabbi Moses Maimonides says: “What is the manner of Messiah’s advent....there shall rise up one of whom none have known before, and signs and wonders which they shall see performed by him will be the proofs of his true origin; for the Almighty, where he declares to us his mind upon this matter, says, `Behold a man whose name is the Branch, and he shall branch forth out of his place’ (Zechariah 6:12). And Isaiah speaks similarly of the time when he shall appear, without father or mother or family being known, He came up as a sucker before him, and as a root out of dry earth, etc....in the words of Isaiah, when describing the manner in which kings will harken to him, At him kings will shut their mouth; for that which had not been told them have they seen, and that which they had not heard they have perceived.”

Unfortunately, modern Rabbis of Judaism believe that the “Suffering Servant” of Isaiah 53 refers perhaps to Israel, or to Isaiah himself, or even Moses or another of the Jewish prophets. But Isaiah is clear - he speaks of the Messiah, as many ancient rabbis concluded.

The second verse of Isaiah 53 confirms this clarity. The figure grows up as “a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground.” The shoot springing up is beyond reasonable doubt a reference to the Messiah, and, in fact, it is a common Messianic reference in Isaiah and elsewhere. The Davidic dynasty was to be cut down in judgment like a felled tree, but it was promised to Israel that a new sprout would shoot up from the stump. King Messiah was to be that sprout.

Beyond doubt, the “Suffering Servant” of Isaiah 53 refers to Messiah. He is the one highly exalted before whom kings shut their mouths. Messiah is the shoot who sprung up from the fallen Davidic dynasty. He became the King of Kings. He provided the ultimate atonement.

Isaiah 53 must be understood as referring to the coming Davidic King, the Messiah. King Messiah was prophesied to suffer and die to pay for our sins and then rise again. He would serve as a priest to the nations of the world and apply the blood of atonement to cleanse those who believe. There is One alone to whom this can refer, Jesus Christ!

Those who confess him are his children, his promised offspring, and the spoils of his victory. According to the testimony of the Jewish Apostles, Jesus died for our sins, rose again, ascended to the right hand of God, and He now serves as our great High Priest who cleanses us of sin (Hebrew 2:17; 8:1). Jesus, the Jewish Messiah, is the one Isaiah foresaw.

Rabbi Moshe Kohen Ibn Crispin said, “This rabbi described those who interpret Isaiah 53 as referring to Israel as those ‘having forsaken the knowledge of our Teachers, and inclined after the stubbornness of their own hearts, and of their own opinion, I am pleased to interpret it, in accordance with the teaching of our Rabbis, of the King Messiah.’” This prophecy was delivered by Isaiah at the divine command for the purpose of making known to us something about the nature of the future Messiah, who is to come and deliver Israel, and his life from the day when he arrives at discretion until his advent as a redeemer, in order that if anyone should arise claiming to be himself the Messiah, we may reflect, and look to see whether we can observe in him any resemblance to the traits described here; if there is any such resemblance, then we may believe that he is the Messiah our righteousness; but if not, we cannot do so.

​Jesus proclaimed Himself to be the “Alpha and Omega” in Revelation 1:8; 21:6; and 22:13. Alpha and omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. Among the Jewish rabbis, it was common to use the first and the last letters of the Hebrew alphabet to denote the whole of anything, from beginning to end. Jesus as the beginning and end of all things is a reference to no one but the true God. This statement of eternality could apply only to God. It is seen especially in Revelation 22:13, where Jesus proclaims that He is “the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”

One of the meanings of Jesus being the “Alpha and Omega” is that He was at the beginning of all things and will be at the close. It is equivalent to saying He always existed and always will exist. It was Christ, as second Person of the Trinity, who brought about the creation: “Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made” (John 1:3), and His Second Coming will be the beginning of the end of creation as we know it (2 Peter 3:10). As God incarnate, He has no beginning, nor will He have any end with respect to time, being from everlasting to everlasting.

A second meaning of Jesus as the “Alpha and Omega” is that the phrase identifies Him as the God of the Old Testament. Isaiah ascribes this aspect of Jesus’ nature as part of the triune God in several places. “I, the Lord, am the first, and with the last I am He” (41:4). “I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God” (Isaiah 44:6). “I am he; I am the first, I also am the last” (Isaiah 48:12). These are clear indications of the eternal nature of the Godhead.

Christ, as the Alpha and Omega, is the first and last in so many ways. He is the “author and finisher” of our faith (Hebrews 12:2), signifying that He begins it and carries it through to completion. He is the totality, the sum and substance of the Scriptures, both of the Law and of the Gospel (John 1:1, 14). He is the fulfilling end of the Law (Matthew 5:17), and He is the beginning subject matter of the gospel of grace through faith, not of works (Ephesians 2:8-9). He is found in the first verse of Genesis and in the last verse of Revelation. He is the first and last, the all in all of salvation, from the justification before God to the final sanctification of His people.

Jesus is the Alpha and Omega, the first and last, the beginning and the end. Only God incarnate could make such a statement. Only Jesus Christ is God incarnate.

​Jesus, in response to the Pharisees’ question “Who do you think you are?” said, “‘Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad.’ ‘You are not yet fifty years old,’ the Jews said to him, ‘and you have seen Abraham!’ ‘I tell you the truth,’ Jesus answered, ‘before Abraham was born, I am!’ At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds” (John 8:56–59). The violent response of the Jews to Jesus’ “I AM” statement indicates they clearly understood what He was declaring—that He was the eternal God incarnate. Jesus was equating Himself with the "I AM" title God gave Himself in Exodus 3:14.

If Jesus had merely wanted to say He existed before Abraham’s time, He would have said, “Before Abraham, I was.” The Greek words translated “was,” in the case of Abraham, and “am,” in the case of Jesus, are quite different. The words chosen by the Spirit make it clear that Abraham was “brought into being,” but Jesus existed eternally (see John 1:1). There is no doubt that the Jews understood what He was saying because they took up stones to kill Him for making Himself equal with God (John 5:18). Such a statement, if not true, was blasphemy and the punishment prescribed by the Mosaic Law was death (Leviticus 24:11–14). But Jesus committed no blasphemy; He was and is God, the second Person of the Godhead, equal to the Father in every way.

Jesus used the same phrase “I AM” in seven declarations about Himself. In all seven, He combines I AM with tremendous metaphors which express His saving relationship toward the world. All appear in the book of John. They are I AM the Bread of Life (John 6:35, 41, 48, 51); I AM the Light of the World (John 8:12); I AM the Door of the Sheep (John 10:7, 9); I AM the Good Shepherd (John 10:11,14); I AM the Resurrection and the Life(John 11:25); I AM the Way, the Truth and the Life (John 14:6); and I AM the True Vine (John 15:1, 5).

​In John 14:17, Jesus says, “Even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you” (ESV). Because the ESV capitalizes Spirit, modern readers can easily infer that the spirit in question is the Holy Spirit. To understand why Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit as the “Spirit of truth,” let us review the context of John 14.

John 14 is part of the Upper Room Discourse (John 13—17), a collection of teachings delivered by Jesus to His disciples on the night before His crucifixion. In these final moments, the disciples were greatly distressed about the impending departure of their beloved friend, Jesus (John 14:1). For this reason, Jesus took an extended moment to calm their troubled hearts and reassure them that “another Helper” was on the way (John 14:16, ESV).

The Greek term translated as “Helper” (John 14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:7) is paráklētos. The form of this word is passive and means “one who is called alongside.” At the Son’s request, the Father will send another Helper to encourage and exhort the disciples.

John’s use of the term another implies that the disciples already had a helper—the one who would soon depart from the earth. Although the Gospel writers never explicitly refer to Jesus as a paráklētos, the term is applied to Him in 1 John 2:1. Thus, in the context of John 14:16, Jesus promises to send His disciples a helper of the same type, and that helper would continue the ministry that Jesus began.

In John 14:17, the identity of the helper is now revealed: He is the Spirit of truth (cf. John 15:26; 16:13). The Spirit of truth is God the Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Trinity. The Father will send the Spirit to come alongside the disciples. He is called the Spirit of truth because He bears witness to the truth of Jesus Christ (see John 14:6).

In contrast to the work of the Holy Spirit is the work of the devil, a being who does not hold “to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44). Because the unbelieving world remains ensnared by satanic falsehoods, they cannot receive the Spirit of truth (cf. 1 Corinthians 2:14). Tragically, unbelievers prefer to walk by sight and not by faith, failing to understand that sight guarantees nothing.

At the moment of His baptism, Jesus received the Holy Spirit: John bore witness: “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him” (John 1:32, ESV). So, in a sense, the Spirit of truth was already withthe disciples. Following the departure of Jesus, however, the disciples will know the Spirit more intimately because He would be in them (cf. Romans 8:9–11 and Ephesians 1:13–14).

Before the disciples began their ministry, Jesus instructed them to remain in Jerusalem for the promised Holy Spirit: “And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, ‘you heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now’” (Acts 1:4‭–‬5, ESV). Once the Holy Spirit came upon them, they were fully equipped to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ (verse 8).

‬ Believers should be thankful that the Spirit of truth is with us, in us, and upon us. For, without His guidance and light, we could not distinguish truth from error.


God appeared to Moses in the burning bush and told him to go to Egypt to lead the Israelites out of slavery. In response, Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?” (Exodus 3:13).

God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you’” (Exodus 3:14).

The phrase translated “I am who I am” in Hebrew is ehyeh asher ehyeh. The word ehyehis the first person common singular of the verb to be. It would be used in any number of normal situations: “I am watching the sheep,” “I am walking on the road,” or “I am his father.” However, when used as a stand-alone description, I AM is the ultimate statement of self-sufficiency, self-existence, and immediate presence. God’s existence is not contingent upon anyone else. His plans are not contingent upon any circumstances. He promises that He will be what He will be; that is, He will be the eternally constant God. He stands, ever-present and unchangeable, completely sufficient in Himself to do what He wills to do and to accomplish what He wills to accomplish.

When God identified Himself as I AM WHO I AM, He stated that, no matter when or where, He is there. It is similar to the New Testament expression in Revelation 1:8, “‘I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God, ‘who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.’” This is true of Him for all time, but it would have been especially appropriate for a message in Moses’ day to a people in slavery and who could see no way out. I AM was promising to free them, and they could count on Him!

Moses and Aaron delivered the message to Pharaoh: “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Let my people go, so that they may hold a festival to me in the wilderness.’” Pharaoh replied, “Who is the LORD, that I should obey him and let Israel go? I do not know the LORD and I will not let Israel go” (Exodus 5:1–2).

Pharaoh stood in opposition to the LORD. Pharaoh was not willing to concede that there was a power higher than himself. He was not willing to yield his plans to the One who was all-powerful and all-sufficient. In essence, Pharaoh was saying “I am who I am, and therefore I will not yield to another.” This seems to be the besetting sin of humanity. God is “The Great I AM,” but we continually want to be our own “I AM.” We make plans and determine that we will fulfill them no matter what. Even evidence to the contrary does not readily convince us of our weakness and contingency.


As part of the Olivet Discourse, Jesus illustrates events of the end times with a series of parables. One is the parable of the ten virgins (Matthew 25:1–13). The plot of Jesus’ parable runs this way:


• ten virgin bridesmaids await the coming of the bridegroom and the start of the wedding festivities
• five of the bridesmaids foolishly fail to bring extra oil for their lamps
• five of the bridesmaids wisely bring extra oil for their lamps
• all ten of the bridesmaids fall asleep as they wait
• they are roused at midnight when a cry goes out, “Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!” (Matthew 25:6)
• the foolish virgins ask their companions for oil, since their lamps are going out
• the wise virgins, who have no oil to spare, advise the unprepared to go buy oil somewhere
• while the five foolish virgins are away, the bridegroom comes
• the wise virgins enter the wedding banquet, and the door is shut
• the foolish virgins return but find the door shut against them
• they knock but are refused admittance


In introducing the parable of the ten virgins, Jesus said, “The kingdom of heaven will be like” this (Matthew 25:1). He states His point of the parable in Matthew 25:13: “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.”

The cultural setting of the parable is a first-century Jewish wedding. D. A. Carson explains the custom: “Normally the bridegroom with some close friends left his home to go to the bride’s home, where there were various ceremonies, followed by a procession through the streets—after nightfall—to his home. The ten virgins may be bridesmaids who have been assisting the bride; and they expect to meet the groom as he comes from the bride’s house. . . . Everyone in the procession was expected to carry his or her own torch. Those without a torch would be assumed to be party crashers or even brigands. The festivities, which might last several days, would formally get under way at the groom’s house” (Expositor’s Bible Commentary, vol. 8, Zondervan Publishing House, 1984, p. 513). The “torch” or “lamp” was either a stick with a rag soaked in oil on the end of it or a lamp with a small oil reservoir and wick. Either way, maintaining the flame would require the occasional addition of oil.

Some interpret this parable as a picture of the rapture of the church. We believe a better interpretation is that the parable of the ten virgins pictures Christ’s second coming at the end of the tribulation. Our view is that all the parables in this series relate to Israel, not the church. Israel during the end times is the focus of Matthew 24, and Matthew 25 continues that theme. So, in our view, the bridegroom in the parable is Jesus Christ, and the waiting bridesmaids are Israel. Will Israel be ready to receive the Lord as her Messiah? Jesus’ answer in the parable is that some will be ready to enter the kingdom, and some will not.

The underlying message of the parable is that Christ will return at an unknown hour and that His people must be ready. This theme is emphasized in Jesus’ words that close the parable: “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour” (Matthew 25:13). Earlier in His discourse, Jesus made the same point:

But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. (Matthew 24:36)

Keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. (Matthew 24:42)

The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. (Matthew 24:50)


Similar calls to vigilance are found elsewhere in Scripture (e.g., 2 Peter 3:10).

To be ready for Christ’s return, a person must have faith in Christ. Whether that person is in the church age or the time of the tribulation, faith in Christ is what saves. We must be born again. To use a metaphor from Jesus’ parable, we must have the oil. The Holy Spirit must indwell us, producing the light of life. Without the Holy Spirit, we are unprepared. It won’t matter how vigorously we knock or how loudly we proclaim, “Lord, Lord!” Only those who, through the Spirit, are prepared for the coming of the Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven.

In the Gospel of John, Jesus makes seven statements beginning with the words I am. Each of these “I am” proclamations furthers our understanding of Jesus’ ministry in the world. They also link Jesus to the Old Testament revelation of God.

In the Old Testament, God revealed His name to Moses: “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you’” (Exodus 3:14). Thus, in Judaism, “I AM” is unquestionably understood as a name for God. Whenever Jesus made an “I am” statement in which He claimed attributes of deity, He was identifying Himself as God.

Here are the seven metaphorical “I am” statements found in John’s gospel:

“I am the bread of life” (John 6:35, 41, 48, 51). In this chapter, Jesus establishes a pattern that continues through John’s gospel—Jesus makes a statement about who He is, and He backs it up with something He does. In this case, Jesus states that He is the bread of life just after He had fed the 5,000 in the wilderness. At the same time, He contrasts what He can do with what Moses had done for their ancestors: “Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died. But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which anyone may eat and not die” (verses 49–50).

“I am the light of the world” (John 8:12; 9:5). This second of Jesus’ “I am” statements in John’s gospel comes right before He heals a man born blind. Jesus not only says He is the light; He proves it. Jesus’ words and actions echo Genesis 1:3, “And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.”

“I am the door” (John 10:7 and 9, ESV). This “I am” statement stresses that no one can enter the kingdom of heaven by any other means than Christ Himself. Jesus’ words in this passage are couched in the imagery of a sheepfold. He is the one and only way to enter the fold. “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber” (verse 1, ESV).

“I am the good shepherd” (John 10:11, 14). With this “I am” statement, Jesus portrays His great love and care. He is the One who willingly protects His flock even to the point of death (verses 11 and 15). When Jesus called Himself the good shepherd, He unmistakably took for Himself one of God’s titles in the Old Testament: “The Lord is my shepherd” (Psalm 23:1).

“I am the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25). Jesus made this “I am” statement immediately before raising Lazarus from the dead. Again, we see that Jesus’ teaching was not just empty talk; when He made a claim, He substantiated it with action. He holds “the keys of death and the grave” (Revelation 1:18, NLT). In raising Lazarus from the dead, Jesus showed how He can fulfill Yahweh’s promise to ancient Israel: “[God’s] dead shall live; their bodies shall rise” (Isaiah 26:19, ESV). Apart from Jesus, there is neither resurrection nor eternal life.

“I am the way and the truth and the life” (John 14:6). This powerful “I am” statement of Christ’s is packed with meaning. Jesus is not merely one way among many ways to God; He is the only way. Scripture said that “The very essence of [God’s] words is truth” (Psalm 119:160, NLT), and here is Jesus proclaiming that He is the truth—confirming His identity as the Word of God (see John 1:1, 14). And Jesus alone is the source of life; He is the Creator and Sustainer of all life and the Giver of eternal life.

“I am the true vine” (John 15:1, 5). The final metaphorical “I am” statement in the Gospel of John emphasizes the sustaining power of Christ. We are the branches, and He is the vine. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit unless it is joined in vital union with the vine, only those who are joined to Christ and receive their power from Him produce fruit in the Christian life.

There are two more “I am” statements of Jesus in the Gospel of John. These are not metaphors; rather, they are declarations of God’s name, as applied by Jesus to Himself. The first instance comes as Jesus responds to a complaint by the Pharisees. “I tell you the truth,” Jesus says, “before Abraham was born, I am!” (John 8:58, NLT). The verbs Jesus uses are in stark contrast with each other: Abraham was, but I am. There is no doubt that the Jews understood Jesus’ claim to be the eternal God incarnate, because they took up stones to kill Him (verse 59).

The second instance of Jesus applying to Himself the name I AM comes in the Garden of Gethsemane. When the mob came to arrest Jesus, He asked them whom they sought. They said, “Jesus of Nazareth,” and Jesus replied, “I am he” (John 18:4–5). Then something strange happened: “When Jesus said, ‘I am he,’ they drew back and fell to the ground” (verse 6). Perhaps explaining the mob’s reaction is the fact that the word he has been provided by our English translators. Jesus simply said, “I am.” Applying God’s covenant name to Himself, Jesus demonstrated His power over His foes and showed that His surrender to them was entirely voluntary (see John 10:17–18; 19:11).

The Latin verb incarnare meant “to make flesh.” When we say that Jesus Christ is God “Incarnate,” we mean that the Son of God took on a fleshly, bodily form (John 1:14). However, when this happened in the womb of Mary, Jesus’ earthly mother, He did not stop being deity. Although Jesus became fully human (Hebrews 2:17), He retained His status as God (John 1:1, 14). How Jesus is able to be both man and God simultaneously is one of the great mysteries of Christianity but is nevertheless a test of orthodoxy (1 John 4:2; 2 John 1:7). Jesus has two distinct natures, divine and human. “Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me” (John 14:11).

The Bible clearly teaches the deity of Christ by presenting His fulfillment of numerous Old Testament prophecies (Isaiah 7:14; Psalm 2:7), His eternal existence (John 1:1–3; John 8:58), His miraculous virgin birth (Luke 1:26–31), His miracles (Matthew 9:24–25), His authority to forgive sin (Matthew 9:6), His acceptance of worship (Matthew 14:33), His ability to predict the future (Matthew 24:1–2), and His resurrection from the dead (Luke 24:36–39). The writer of Hebrews tells us Jesus is superior to angels (Hebrews 1:4–5) and angels are to worship Him (Hebrews 1:6).

The Bible also teaches the Incarnation—Jesus became fully human by taking on human flesh. Jesus was conceived in the womb and was born (Luke 2:7), He experienced normal aging (Luke 2:40), He had natural physical needs (John 19:28) and human emotions (Matthew 26:38), He learned (Luke 2:52), He died a physical death (Luke 23:46), and He was resurrected with a physical body (Luke 24:39). Jesus was human in every way except for sin; He lived a completely sinless life (Hebrews 4:15).

When Christ took on the form of a human, His nature did not change, but His position did. Jesus, in His original nature of God in spirit form, humbled Himself by laying aside His glory and privileges (Philippians 2:6–8). God can never stop being God because He is immutable (Hebrews 13:8) and infinite (Revelation 1:8). If Jesus stopped being fully God for even a split second, all life would die (see Acts 17:28). The doctrine of the Incarnation says that Jesus, while remaining fully God, became fully man.

​The Bible speaks often of the heart. The word heart can mean different things depending upon the context. Most often, the heart refers to the soul of a human being that controls the will and emotions. The heart is the “inner man” (2 Corinthians 4:16). The prophet Ezekiel makes several references to a “new heart” (e.g., Ezekiel 18:31; 36:26). An oft-quoted verse is Ezekiel 11:19 where God says, “I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh.” So what does this mean?

In Ezekiel 11, God is addressing His people, the Israelites, promising to one day restore them to the land and to a right relationship with Himself. God promises to gather the Hebrews from the nations where they had been scattered (Ezekiel 11:17) and give them a new, undivided heart (verse 19). The result of their receiving a new heart will be obedience to God’s commands: “Then they will follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. They will be my people, and I will be their God” (verse 20). This prophecy will be fulfilled in the millennium, when Jesus the Messiah rules from Zion and Israel has been restored to faith (Romans 11:26).

Someone whom God has given a new heart behaves differently. Saul is an example of this in 1 Samuel 10:1 and 9. God had chosen Saul to be the first king of Israel. Saul was a nobody, but God chose him anyway and sent the prophet Samuel to anoint him king. “Then Samuel took a flask of olive oil and poured it on Saul’s head and kissed him, saying, ‘Has not the Lord anointed you ruler over his inheritance?’” Samuel made several predictions to prove to Saul that God had sent him, and verse 9 says, “As Saul turned and started to leave, God gave him a new heart, and all Samuel’s signs were fulfilled that day.” The new heart God gave Saul transformed him from an average nobody to the king of Israel. Not only was his status changed, but his entire outlook was transformed by the power of God.

The human heart was created to mirror God’s own heart (Genesis 1:27; James 3:9). We were designed to love Him, love righteousness, and walk in harmony with God and others (Micah 6:8). But part of God’s design of the human heart is free will. That free will carries with it the opportunity to abuse it, as did Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:11). God desires that we choose to love and serve Him. When we stubbornly refuse to follow God, our hearts, which were designed to communicate with God, are hardened. God compares rebellious hearts to stone (Zechariah 7:12). A heart of stone finds it impossible to repent, to love God, or to please Him (Romans 8:8). The hearts of sinful humanity are so hardened that we cannot even seek God on our own (Romans 3:11), and that’s why Jesus said no one can come to Him unless the Father first draws him (John 6:44). We desperately need new hearts, for we are unable on our own to soften our hard hearts. A change of heart toward God requires a supernatural transformation. Jesus called it being “born again” (John 3:3).

When we are born again, God performs a heart transplant, as it were. He gives us a new heart. The power of the Holy Spirit changes our hearts from sin-focused to God-focused. We do not become perfect (1 John 1:8); we still have our sinful flesh and the freedom to choose whether or not to obey it. However, when Jesus died for us on the cross, He broke the power of sin that controls us (Romans 6:10). Receiving Him as our Savior gives us access to God and His power—a power to transform our hearts from sin-hardened to Christ-softened. When we were separated from God with hardened hearts, we found it impossible to please Him. We tended toward selfishness, rebellion, and sin. With new hearts we are declared righteous before God (2 Corinthians 5:21). The Holy Spirit gives us a desire to please God that was foreign to us in our hardened state. Second Corinthians 3:18says that we “are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” God’s desire for every human being is that we become like His Son, Jesus (Romans 8:29). We can become like Jesus only when we allow God to rid us of our old, hardened hearts and give us new hearts.

Psalm 119 is a long acrostic poem dedicated singularly to honoring and proclaiming the value of God’s Word. In verse 105, the psalmist declares to the Lord, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (ESV). Just as a lamp brightens a path for our feet to walk, God’s Word provides the illumination and guidance we need to walk in this world.

The word translated “lamp” in this passage is ner in the original Hebrew. It refers to a small clay lantern with a solitary wick. The psalmist describes the Word of God as a lamp carried on his journey to distinguish the way and keep him from stumbling off course and going astray. The light of God’s Word allows us to see the right direction. It is God’s guidance for our travels through life on earth.

Proverbs 6:23 offers a companion thought: “For this command is a lamp, this teaching is a light, and correction and instruction are the way to life.” The guidance referred to by the biblical writers is not the advice of career counselors or pop magazines but rock-solid truth for navigating difficult moral choices in a dark and fallen world.

Ideas like moral relativism, situational ethics, and subjectivism make staying on the right path all the more challenging and perplexing. Worldly voices claim, “There are many paths to God,” “There’s no such thing as absolute truth,” and “Just do what feels right to you.” If we aren’t careful about the choices we make, if we listen to these voices rather than rely on God’s illuminating truth to guide us on the right roads, we will quickly encounter grief and ruin.

Only God’s Word provides the direction we need. Second Peter 1:19 describes it as a reliable lamp shining in a dark place: “We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.”

The apostle Paul told his young protégé, Timothy, “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16–17, NLT). If we study God’s Word frequently and diligently, if we give it our full attention, it will provide us with the direction, correction, and wisdom we need to succeed in life and do the Lord’s work.

Obeying God’s Word brings blessings and rewards: “Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers. But they delight in the law of the LORD, meditating on it day and night. They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do” (Psalm 1:1–3, NLT; see also Exodus 15:26; Psalm 128:1; James 1:22–25). On his deathbed, King David told his son Solomon, “Keep the charge of the LORD your God, walking in his ways and keeping his statutes, his commandments, his rules, and his testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn” (1 Kings 2:3, ESV).

God’s Word has extraordinary power, says Hebrews 4:12: “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” The Word of God is alive because He is a living God (Hebrews 3:12; 2 Corinthians 6:16). His words are full of energy, life, power, and productivity—they cause things to happen (Psalm 33:9). If we allow it to, if we don’t ignore it, God’s Word will take an active presence in our lives. We can trust the Word of God to accomplish whatever purpose God intends for it and to prosper wherever He sends it (Isaiah 55:11). For this reason, we ought to study it (2 Timothy 2:15), meditate on it (Psalm 119:97), hold firmly to it (Philippians 2:16), and hide it in our hearts (Psalm 119:11).

Christians can say to God, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” because the Word of God is the living energy that actively provides illumination, insight, direction, and guidance for our pilgrimage through a dark and sinful world.

Apostasy, from the Greek word apostasia, means “a total desertion of, or departure from, one’s faith, principles, or party”; in theology, “a total abandonment of the Christian faith” (The Century Dictionary, vol. I, p. 265). It is a turning away from God, a rejection of core doctrine, and a separation from the people of God. The apostles addressed apostasy in the early church, and the battle against apostasy has continued through the years. Today, sadly, some still choose to totally abandon their Christian faith.


Apostasy often shows up in the Old Testament. Every time Israel fell into idolatry, it was an example of apostasy (see Judges 2:11–13). In the New Testament, onetime followers of Jesus turned their backs on Him (John 6:66). Demas, “because he loved this world,” deserted Paul (2 Timothy 4:10). The Bible often warns against apostasy (e.g., 1 Timothy 4:1; Hebrews 3:12; 10:35–38; and 2 Peter 2:15).

Christians should understand how to recognize apostasy and apostate teachers, and they should consider apostate teaching to be spiritually dangerous.





Recognizing Apostasy

Apostasy comes in two forms. One is a falling away from key biblical doctrines into heretical teachings that claim to be the “real” Christian doctrine. The second is a complete renunciation of the Christian faith, which results in a full abandonment of Christ.

The second form of apostasy often begins with the first. A heretical belief takes root and grows until it pollutes all aspects of a person’s faith, and that can lead to a complete abandonment of Christianity.

In 2010, Daniel Dennett and Linda LaScola published a study called “Preachers Who Are Not Believers.” Dennett and LaScola’s work chronicled five different preachers who over time were presented with and accepted heretical teachings and now have completely departed from the faith (Evolutionary Psychology, Vol. 8(1), 2010). These pastors ended up being either pantheists or clandestine atheists. One of the most disturbing findings of the study is that these preachers maintained their pastoral positions. They led their churches, but their congregations were unaware of the true spiritual state of the preacher in the pulpit.

A. W. Tozer wrote, “So skilled is error at imitating truth, that the two are constantly being mistaken for each another. It takes a sharp eye these days to know which brother is Cain and which is Abel” (That Incredible Christian, Bailey, A., ed., Moody, 2008, ch. 14, p. 53). The discerning believer—and we all must be discerning—can spot doctrines that depart from the truth.

A crucial doctrine that cannot be compromised concerns the person and work of Jesus Christ: “Who is the liar? It is whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a person is the antichrist—denying the Father and the Son” (1 John 2:22). In other words, Jesus Christ and His work of redemption are of utmost importance; anyone who denies Jesus’ deity or humanity or who downplays Jesus’ sacrificial death is teaching falsehood.

Apostasy can be recognized as a departure from Jesus’ clear teaching in the Gospels: “Anyone who goes too far and does not remain in the teaching of Christ, does not have God; the one who remains in the teaching has both the Father and the Son” (2 John 1:9, NASB).

The elements of the gospel are another litmus test in identifying apostasy. Paul defines the gospel as the good news concerning Jesus’ death for our sins and His bodily resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:1–4). As nice as they sound, the statements “God loves you,” “God wants us to feed the hungry,” and “God wants you to be wealthy” are not the complete message of the gospel. Paul warns against those who “pervert the gospel of Christ” through the addition of law-keeping as a requirement (Galatians 1:7). No one, not even the greatest preacher, has the right to change the message of the gospel. “If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse!” (Galatians 1:9).



​
Recognizing Apostates

Jude was the half-brother of Jesus and a leader in the early church. In his New Testament letter, he outlines how to recognize apostasy and strongly urges those in the body of Christ to “contend earnestly for the faith” (Jude 1:3, NKJV). The Greek verb translated “contend earnestly” is the source of our word agonize. It is in the present infinitive form, which means that the struggle will be continuous. So, we should expect that false teachers will put up a constant fight against the truth, and we should take it seriously. Every Christian is called to this fight, not just church leaders, so all believers should sharpen their discernment skills to recognize and combat apostasy in their midst.

Jude highlights the reason we must contend for the faith: “For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ” (Jude 1:4, ESV). In this one verse, Jude reveals three traits of apostate teachers:

1. Apostates are subtle in their approach. They have “secretly slipped in” to infiltrate the church. The Greek word literally means “slipped in sideways; came in stealthily; sneaked in.” Compare this with Paul’s description of false apostles as “deceitful” men who “masquerade as servants of righteousness” (2 Corinthians 11:13–15). It is rare that apostasy begins in an overt and easily detectable manner; instead, it starts as a small, seemingly insignificant alteration of the truth.

2. Apostates are ungodly in their actions. They commit immorality and justify it by claiming to be under the grace of God. Jude points out that this is a perversion of grace; no Christian has a license to sin. In addition to their immorality, the apostates are guilty of rebellion (verse 8), grumbling and faultfinding (verse 16), selfishness, arrogance, and flattery (verse 16), and divisiveness and worldliness (verse 19).

3. Apostates are heretical in their theology. They “deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.” Either in what they say or what they do, the apostates reject Christ. They might deny His deity, His humanity, or His eternal sonship. They might oppose the teaching that Jesus is the Messiah or the only Savior. They might downplay the effectiveness of Jesus’ sacrifice or deny the need for it.


A person who falls away from the truth of God’s Word and His righteousness will eventually show his or her true colors. Apostates are adept at covering up the truth and showing a false front, but they cannot maintain the ruse forever. The apostle John says about apostates, “These people left our churches, but they never really belonged with us; otherwise they would have stayed with us. When they left, it proved that they did not belong with us” (1 John 2:19, NLT). 




Consequences of Apostasy

Every New Testament book except Philemon contains warnings about false teaching. God does not want His people to be fooled. He wants them to be “filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:11).

Ideas have consequences. Satan did not come to the first couple in the garden with a visible weapon; instead, he came to them with an idea. That idea, embraced by Adam and Eve, led to an action that condemned them and the rest of humankind. We have the command to guard against false ideas: “See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ” (Colossians 2:8).

Apostates face condemnation, according to Jude 1:4. “They will bring sudden destruction on themselves,” according to 2 Peter 2:1. The great tragedy is that “many will follow their depraved conduct” (2 Peter 2:2). The apostate teacher dooms his followers. Jesus called false teachers “blind guides” and warned that “if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit” (Matthew 15:14). Christian philosopher Søren Kierkegaard put it this way: “For it has never yet been known to fail that one fool, when he goes astray, takes several others with him” (Philosophical Fragments, trans. by Swenson, D., Princeton University Press, ch. 1, § A, “A Project of Thought,” 1936).

In AD 325, the Council of Nicea convened primarily to take up the issue of the heresy of Arius. Much to Arius’s dismay, the end result was his excommunication and a statement in the Nicene Creed that affirms Christ’s divinity: “We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, maker of all things visible and invisible; and in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the only-begotten of his Father, of the substance of the Father, God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten not made, being of one substance with the Father.”

Arius may have died centuries ago, but his spiritual children are still with us in the form of groups that deny Christ’s true essence and person. Until Christ returns, tares will be present among the wheat (Matthew 13:24–30). In fact, Scripture says apostasy will worsen as Christ’s return approaches: “Many will turn away from the faith” (Matthew 24:10; cf. 2 Timothy 3:1–2, 5).

Now more than ever, every believer should pray for discernment and “contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to God’s holy people” (Jude 1:3).

Romans has the theme of faith (Romans 1:16–17). Paul addresses the process by which faith is produced in the heart in Romans 10:17: “Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.”

The first eight chapters of Romans contends with the ideas of positional salvation through faith (Romans 1:18—5:21), the process of growing in holiness through faith (Romans 6:1—8:17), and the future glorification Christians will receive because of faith (Romans 8:18–39). Chapters 9—11 of Romans works from the implied question, “Has God then failed to fulfill His promises to Israel?”

It is within this context that Paul gives the reason for the Israelites’ lack of salvation; namely, they lack faith (Romans 9:32; 10:4). The Israelites are saved through faith in Christ, just like the Gentiles. Eternal salvation does not distinguish between Gentile or Jew but is received through belief in the person and work of Jesus Christ (Romans 10:12–13; 1 Corinthians 15:1–8; Galatians 3:23–29).

In the lead-up to the statement that faith comes by hearing, Romans 10:14–16 explains the requirements for a series of actions to take place. In order for one to “call on the name of the Lord,” he or she must believe. In order to believe, one must hear (or receive the report). In order for one to hear, another has to give the report. And that other won’t give the report unless he or she is sent.

Paul continues in Romans 10:17 to summarize the argument thus far: “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ” (NASB).

“Faith” is translated from the Greek word pistis, which means “belief, trust, or confidence in someone or something.” It is key to the book of Romans and is used 40 times in the book—three of those occurrences appearing in chapter 10. The verb form of the word is also used 21 times within the book and most often translated as “believe.”

If faith comes by hearing, then what does Paul mean by “hearing”? In this context, it is not simply the physical receiving of sounds by the ear as most English speakers would understand the term. “Hearing” seems to designate something more—the receiving or acceptance of a report. Note the use of the word, translated “message” in Romans 10:16, as Paul quotes Isaiah 53:1: “Lord, who has believed our message?” In Isaiah’s day, the Lord had provided Israel with a message, but the prophet laments that few actually received it. The “hearing” was not attached to simple sounds but to a message or report given. In Romans 10, Paul makes the point that the good news has been given and the people of Israel have heard (Romans 10:18).

The nature of the gospel is a report: a report of God saving people from the wrath they deserve. In order to believe the report, one must receive the report! Faith comes by hearing. It is not a guarantee that the report will result in faith, as Paul makes clear in Romans 10:16. For just as the Israelites refused to believe the message of Isaiah, every human today can refuse to believe the message of the gospel.

The nature of “hearing” also does not require the physical act of hearing with the ear. The report simply needs to be received. For instance, someone could read the gospel through GotQuestions.org and receive it by faith, without an audible word being spoken. As long as the message can be received fully, the medium does not affect the outcome. The content of the message must be “the word about Christ.” As Paul states in 1 Corinthians 15:3–5, the message is “that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve” (NASB). Faith that leads to eternal salvation comes after “hearing”; that is, after receiving this message concerning Christ.





​

Daniel 9 


The coming of the Messiah


ONE FOR ISRAEL




      More than any other book of the Hebrew Scriptures, the writings of the prophet Daniel confront us with evidence of the time of Messiah’s coming—evidence that many people would rather not see. But it is there and cannot be ignored.

That Daniel was indeed a prophet is well substantiated. He accurately prophesied the rise of the Medo-Persian, Greek and Roman empires even at a time when the Babylonian Empire, which preceded them all, was at its height. He accurately predicted the fortunes, conflicts, wars and conspiracies of the two kingdoms of Syria and Egypt between the fracturing of the Greek Empire and the conquest by Rome. He prophesied the role of the Maccabees during this period. It is Daniel’s detailed accuracy in his prophecies that has caused many critics to try to give a late date to the book of Daniel, although no evidence has been discovered that would negate the book’s composition at the time that it claims to have been written. At the very latest, the book was completed around 530 B.C.E.

The purpose of this article is to discuss in some detail verses 24-27 of Daniel nine. However, it will be wise to survey the entire chapter in order to see what engendered the prophecy of when Messiah would come.




The Background—Daniel 9:1-2


The date for Daniel’s prophesy is “the first year of Darius,” which means that it occurred in the year 539 B. C. E., about 66 or 67 years after the Jews initially went into exile to Babylonia.

It was on this occasion, Daniel stated, that he was studying the Scriptures; and from these Scriptures he came to understand that the number of years for the completion of the desolations of Jerusalem was almost over, since the duration was to be 70 years. Daniel mentioned that he was studying “books,” and we can see for one that he had been studying the writings of Jeremiah; the lives of Jeremiah and Daniel did overlap to some extent. On two occasions (Jeremiah 25:10-14, 29:10-14) Jeremiah predicted that the captivity and desolation of Jerusalem would last 70 years. What other books Daniel may have been studying we cannot know with certainty. But there are some strong possibilities that he also studied the book of Isaiah, since Isaiah actually named Cyrus as the one who would permit the Jews to return (Isaiah 44:28-45:1). Furthermore, there are other writings in Moses and the Prophets that spelled out some specific conditions for the establishment of the messianic kingdom, and Daniel may have looked at some of these as well (Leviticus 26:40-43, 1 Kings 8:46-53, Jeremiah 3:12-18, Hosea 5:15-6:3). These passages emphasize that Israel as a nation must repent and confess sin prior to the establishment of any kingdom of the Messiah.

Reckoning the 70 years from the year 605 (when the Jews went into exile) would bring the end of the 70 years to 536 B.C.E. Daniel realized that the captivity had only about three years to go.

But Daniel not only expected the captivity to end after 70 years, he also expected a final termination of any possibility of future desolations for Jerusalem. He had acted as if the messianic kingdom were about to occur: since the Word of God was to be established on the basis of prayer, he prayed; and realizing that the prerequisite was the confession of national sin, he confessed the sins of Israel.



Daniel’s Prayer—Daniel 9:3-19

Daniel’s detailed prayer can be divided into two portions. The first (verses 3-14) is the confession of sin. Daniel acknowledged both sin and guilt, which had been incurred in two ways—first by disobedience to the Law of Moses, and secondly by disobedience to the prophets who came after Moses. Daniel neither denied the sin of his nation nor his own sin, and by the use of the pronoun “we,” Daniel fully identified with all Jewish people in their sins. He did not see sin as merely a bad habit, but as something ingrained in the people that had brought on divine judgment. This disobedience to both the Law and the Prophets caused Israel “confusion of face,” an idiom meaning a sense of shame. It also resulted in the need for forgiveness. Here Daniel confessed that to God belong forgiveness and mercy, and that forgiveness was needed. Daniel concluded the first part of his prayer by describing the punishment for sin and guilt. That punishment, captivity in Babylon, confirmed the words of the prophets who had predicted it and confirmed the Law of Moses, which taught that divine judgment would come as a result of disobedience.

The second part of the prayer (verses 15-19) is a plea for mercy. Daniel made his plea on the basis of righteousness—not Israel’s, but God’s righteousness. He also pleaded for mercy on the basis of God’s grace, for Israel did not merit mercy; but the grace of God was (and is) able to extend it anyway. Furthermore, the righteousness of God required him to fulfill his promises, and therefore he should do so at the end of the 70-year period. The conclusion of Daniel’s prayer is very dramatic: “O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord, hearken and do; defer not, for thine own sake, O my God; because thy city and thy people are called by thy name.”



The Arrival of Gabriel—Daniel 9:20-23

Then, while Daniel was presenting his supplications, he was interrupted. He apparently had intended to say more, when Gabriel arrived. The interruption came by the touch of the angel’s hand, “about the time of the evening oblation.” This refers to the daily, regular evening sacrifice that was offered while the temple stood. Although it had not been practiced for seven decades, Daniel showed his longing for the return from captivity and for the rebuilding of the temple by remembering the sacrifice.

Gabriel told Daniel that the purpose of his visit was (1) to correct Daniel’s misunderstanding concerning when the messianic kingdom would be set up and (2) to present


God’s revelation, which contained a timetable for Messiah’s coming.





The Decree of the 70 Sevens—Daniel 9:24


Gabriel’s prophecy to Daniel began with the words,



“Seventy sevens

are decreed upon thy people

and

upon thy holy city…”




Many English versions have translated the phrase to read “seventy weeks.” But this translation is not totally accurate and has caused some confusion about the meaning of the passage. Most Jews know the Hebrew for “weeks” because of the observance of the Feast of Weeks, and that Hebrew word is shavuot. However, the word that appears in the Hebrew text is shavuim, which means “sevens.” The word refers to a “seven” of anything, and the context determines the content of the seven.

Here it is obvious Daniel had been thinking in terms of years—specifically the 70 years of captivity. Daniel had assumed that the captivity would end after 70 years and that the kingdom would be established after 70 years. But here Gabriel was using a play upon words in the Hebrew text, pointing out that insofar as Messiah’s kingdom was concerned, it was not “70 years,” but “70 sevens of years,” a total of 490 years (70 times seven).
This period of 490 years had been “decreed” over the Jewish people and over the holy city of Jerusalem. The Hebrew word translated “decreed” literally means “to cut off” or “to determine.” In chapters 2, 7 and 8, God revealed to Daniel the course of future world history in which gentiles would have a dominant role over the Jewish people. This lengthy period, which began with the Babylonian Empire to continue until the establishment of Messiah’s kingdom, is for that reason often referred to as the “Times of the Gentiles.” Now the prophet was told that a total of 490 years was to be “cut out” of the Times of the Gentiles, and a 490-year period had been “determined” or “decreed” for the accomplishment of the final restoration of Israel and the establishment of Messiah’s kingdom.

The focus of the program of the 70 sevens was “thy people and…thy holy city.” The “people” were Daniel’s people, the Jewish people, and the city was Daniel’s city, Jerusalem. Though he had spent the vast majority of his life in the city of Babylon, Jerusalem was still Daniel’s city. For Jews, whether they are in the land or outside the land, their city is always Jerusalem and not any other.




The Purpose of the 70 Sevens—Daniel 9:24


Daniel was next told by Gabriel that the 70 sevens are to accomplish six purposes. The first is to finish transgression. The Hebrew word translated “to finish” means “to restrain firmly,” “to restrain completely” or “to bring to completion.” The Hebrew word translated “transgression” is a very strong word for sin and more literally means “to rebel.” The Hebrew text has this word with the definite article, so literally it means “the transgression,” or “the rebellion.” The point is that some specific act of rebellion is finally going to be completely restrained and brought to an end. This act of rebellion or transgression is to come under complete control so that it will no longer flourish. Israel’s apostasy is now to be firmly restrained, in keeping with a similar prediction in Isaiah 59:20.


The second purpose of the 70 sevens is to make an end of sins. 

The Hebrew word translated “to make an end” literally means “to seal up” or “to shut up in prison.” It means to be securely kept, locked up, not allowed to roam at random. The Hebrew word translated as “sins” literally means “to miss the mark.” It refers to sins of daily life, rather than to one specific sin. Even these sins are to be put to an end and taken away. This, too, is quite in keeping with predictions by the prophets that proclaim that in the messianic kingdom, sinning would cease from Israel (Isaiah 27:9, Ezekiel 36:25-27, 37:23, Jeremiah 31:31-34).


The third purpose is to make reconciliation for iniquity.

The Hebrew word translated “to make reconciliation” is “kaphar,” which has the same root meaning as the word “kippur,” as in Yom Kippur. The word “kaphar” literally means “to make atonement.” The third purpose, then, is to make atonement in some way for iniquity. In fact, it is by means of this atonement that the first two purposes will also be accomplished, that of finishing the transgression and making an end of sins. The word translated “iniquity” refers to inward sin. This has sometimes been referred to as the sin nature, or perhaps a more common term among Jewish people would be yetzer hara,” the evil inclination.”


The fourth purpose of the 70 sevens is to bring in everlasting righteousness. 

More literally this could be translated “to bring in an age of righteousness,” since the Hebrew “olam” is better translated as “age” rather than as “everlasting.” This age of righteousness is to be the messianic kingdom spoken of in the Prophets (Isaiah 1:26, 11:2-5, 32:17; Jeremiah 23:5-6, 33:15-18). It is this very age that Daniel had been expecting to see established after the 70 years of captivity, but now he is told that will only be after the 490-year period.

The fifth purpose is to seal up vision and prophecy. Here Daniel used a word which means “to shut up.” So “to seal up” means to cause a cessation or to completely fulfill. Thus, vision and prophecy are to be completely fulfilled.” Vision” is a reference to oral prophecy, while “prophecy” refers to written prophecy. Both oral and written prophecy will cease with the final fulfillment of all revelations.

The final purpose of the 70 sevens is to anoint the most holy. A better translation here would be “to anoint a most holy place.” This is a reference to the Jewish temple which is to be rebuilt when Messiah comes. It refers to the same temple that Daniel’s contemporary, Ezekiel, described in great detail (Ezekiel 40-48).




The Start of the 70 Sevens—Daniel 9:25

Daniel was clearly told when the 70 sevens would begin their countdown. Gabriel said, “Know therefore and discern, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem.…” The 70 sevens would begin with a decree involving the rebuilding of the city of Jerusalem. Not everything in Persian chronology is as clear as we would like to have it, and there are still some gaps in our knowledge of history. But from what biblical and historical records we do have, there are four possible answers to the question of which decree the passage refers to.

One is the decree of Cyrus, issued somewhere between 538-536 B.C.E., which concerned the rebuilding of the Temple (2 Chronicles 36:22-23, Ezra 1:1-4,6:1-5) and of the city of Jerusalem (Isaiah 44:28,45:13). Another option is the decree of Darius Hystaspes (Ezra 6:6-12), issued in the year 521 B.C.E.; it was a reaffirmation of the decree of Cyrus. A third possibility is the decree of Artaxerxes to Ezra (Ezra 7:11-26) issued in 458 B.C.E., which contained permission to proceed with the temple service. The last option is the decree of Artaxerxes to Nehemiah (Nehemiah 2:1-8), issued in the year 444 B.C.E. This decree specifically concerned the rebuilding of the walls around Jerusalem. Of these four possibilities, only the first and fourth are valid in fulfilling the wording Gabriel gave to Daniel. It goes beyond the purpose of this article to deal with the various arguments of either option, but one thing is certain: by the year 444 B.C.E., the countdown of the 70 sevens had begun.



The First 69 Sevens—Daniel 9:25

The 70 sevens are divided into three separate units—seven sevens, 62 sevens and one seven. During the first time period (49 years) Jerusalem would be “built again, with street and moat, even in troublous times.”

The second block of time (62 sevens, a total of 434 years) immediately followed the first for a total of 69 sevens, or 483 years

It is at this point that we are told what the ending point is of the 69 sevens:

“unto Messiah the Prince.” 

As clearly as Daniel could have stated it, he taught that 483 years after the decree to rebuild Jerusalem had been issued, Messiah would be here on earth.

The obvious conclusion is this: If Messiah was not on earth 483 years after a decree was issued to rebuild Jerusalem, then Daniel was a false prophet and his book has no business being in the Hebrew Scriptures. But if Daniel was correct and his prophecy was fulfilled, then who was the Messiah of whom he spoke?
The Events Between the 69th Seven and the 70th Seven—Daniel 9:26

Whereas the second subdivision of the 70 sevens was to immediately follow the first, the third subdivision was not immediately to follow the second. Daniel pointed out (in verse 26) that three things would occur after this second subdivision and before the third one.

Stepping back in time and looking ahead from Daniel’s perspective in verse 26, we see first that “the Messiah shall be cut off and shall have nothing.” The Hebrew word translated “cut off” is the common word used in the Mosaic Law and simply means “to be killed.” The implication of the term is that the Messiah would not only be killed, but he would die a penal death by execution. The Hebrew expression translated “and shall have nothing” has two meanings. It may mean “nothingness,” emphasizing Messiah’s state at death. It can also be translated “but not for himself,” and the meaning would then be that he died for others rather than for himself, a substitutionary death. The latter meaning would be much more consistent with what the Prophets had to say about the reason for Messiah’s death (e.g. Isaiah 53:1-12). The first three purposes of the 70 sevens—to finish transgression, to make an end of sins, to make reconciliation for iniquity—have to be accomplished by an atonement. The Law of Moses decreed that atonement is made by blood (Leviticus 17:11). It appears that Messiah’s death “not for himself” but for others would be the means by which Israel’s transgression, sins and iniquity would be atoned for. The point of this phrase is that between the end of the second subdivision (the 69th seven) and before the start of the 70th seven, Messiah would be killed and would die a penal, substitutionary death.

Secondly, during this interim period it would also happen that “the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood.…” The city and the temple that were to be rebuilt because of the decree by which the 70 sevens began would now be destroyed. So sometime after the Messiah was cut off, Jerusalem and the temple would suffer another destruction. Our knowledge of history during this period is extremely clear: the people responsible for this deed were the Romans, and Jerusalem and the temple were destroyed in year 70 C. E. Based upon this verse, it is also clear that the Messiah should have both come and died prior to the year 70 C.E. If such an event did not take place, then Daniel was a false prophet. If such an event did occur, then the question must be answered, who was that Messiah who was killed before 70 C.E.?

The third thing to take note of would be, “and even unto the end shall be war; desolations are determined.” For the remainder of the interval between the 69th seven and the 70th seven, the land would be characterized by war, and its resulting condition would be desolation. All this would set the stage for the final, or 70th, seven.




The 70th Seven—Daniel 9:27

From where we stand in time today, the last seven years of Daniel’s prophecy are still prophetic, still future, but it is with their conclusion that all six purposes of verse 24 will reach their fulfillment. The verse’s main points are as follows: First, the 70th seven will begin only with the signing of a seven-year covenant or treaty between Israel and a major gentile political leader. Secondly, in the middle of that period, that is, after 3 1/2 years, this gentile leader will break his treaty with Israel and cause a cessation of the sacrificial system. The implication here is that by this time a temple in Jerusalem will have been rebuilt again and the sacrificial system of Moses re-instituted, but then will be forcefully ceased. Thirdly, the result of the breaking of this covenant is that the temple will now be abominated. The ” abomination” refers to an image or an idol.

As it was in the days of Antiochus Epiphanes, so it will be again in the future when a gentile ruler will abominate the temple by means of idolatry. Fourthly, the abomination is to be followed by wrath and desolation, persecution and warfare, for the remaining half of the 70th seven (the final 3 1/2 years). This is similar to the trials and tribulations the rabbis spoke of as preparation for the establishment of the messianic kingdom. These terrible days were referred to as “the footsteps of the Messiah.” But once those days have run their course, the last three things predicted in verse 24 will occur: After this period the age of righteousness will be brought in, in which the most holy place will be anointed and every vision and prophecy be fulfilled. At this point the messianic kingdom for which the prophet Daniel yearned will be set up.

Obviously, the messianic kingdom requires the Messiah to rule as king.

This means the Messiah will come after the 70th seven. Yet earlier Daniel stated that the Messiah would come and be killed after the 69th seven. This would appear to be a contradiction unless Daniel was speaking of two comings of the Messiah. The first time was to be after the 69th seven, when he would die a penal, substitutionary death for the sins of Israel and accomplish the first three purposes listed in verse 24.

The second time was to be after the 70th seven (still future), when he will establish the messianic kingdom and accomplish the last three things of verse 24. There is also an important implication here that should not be missed. The Messiah would be killed after his first coming. Yet he would be alive at his second coming.



The implication is that the

Messiah

would be resurrected

from the

dead after he was killed.


This dramatic prophecy features certain things in very clear and unmistakable terms. First, the Messiah was to be on earth 483 years after the decree to rebuild Jerusalem. Secondly, after his appearance on earth he was to be killed, not for his own sins, but rather for those of others; and the death he would die was to be the death of the penalty of the law. Thirdly, the death of the Messiah had to come sometime before Jerusalem and the temple were destroyed again, which occurred in the year 70 C. E. Fourthly, some time after the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple, and following a long period of warfare, the 70th seven will commence, and once that has run its course, Messiah’s kingdom and age of righteousness will be established. For that to occur, the implication is that the Messiah who was killed would return again.

But who is this Messiah? One man fulfills all that is required in this passage. Jesus of Nazareth was born into the Jewish world and proclaimed his messiahship 483 years after the decree to rebuild and restore Jerusalem was issued. In the year 30 C. E., Jesus was executed by crucifixion. Daniel indicated that he would be cut off, not for himself, but rather for others. Isaiah 53 also prophesied the death of the Messiah, pointing out that he would die a substitutionary death on behalf of his people Israel. The teaching of the New Covenant is that Jesus died a penal death by taking upon himself the penalty of the Law as a substitute for his people. In keeping with Daniel 9:24, he died for the purpose of making an atonement for sins. Three days after his death, he was resurrected. Finally, the New Covenant proclaims the fact that he will someday return to set up his kingdom and the age of righteousness.

If Daniel was right, then Messiah came and died prior to the year 70 C.E. If Daniel was right, then there are no other options for who the Messiah is, but Jesus of Nazareth. If Daniel was right, this Jesus is destined to return and to set up the messianic kingdom.

​

​Joshua 22:5

​

ESVOnly be very careful to observe the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, to love the Lord your God, and to walk in all his ways and to keep his commandments and to cling to him and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul."


​Exodus 19:6

and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel."



The First Crossing (Joshua 3-4)

• A Miraculous Event: Led by Joshua (whose name means "The Lord is Salvation" or Yeshua), the Israelites crossed the Jordan at flood stage on dry ground, signifying God’s power and presence.
• The Ark as Leader: The Ark of the Covenant, representing God's presence, went before the people, parting the waters just as the Red Sea had parted for Moses.
• A New Beginning: The crossing marked the end of wandering and the start of inheriting the Promised Land. [1, 2, 3, 4]

The Second Coming of the Messiah

• The Second Joshua: The name Jesus is the Greek transliteration of Joshua (Yeshua), and he is viewed as the second Joshua who leads his people, not just to an earthly Canaan, but to a heavenly Promised Land.
• Similar Routes: Some interpretations of prophecy suggest that the Messiah's return to Earth (often associated with entering through the Mount of Olives) mirrors the route taken by Joshua and the Israelites in approaching the land from the east.
• Final Rest and Victory: Just as the crossing of the Jordan led to the, “conquest of Canaan and rest from enemies”, the Second Coming is viewed as the final, “triumphant entrance” into the ultimate kingdom. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

Key Connections

• "Jordan" as a Symbol: The river is often interpreted as a boundary between the "old life" of the wilderness and the "new life" of promise.
• A Supernatural Intervention: In both cases, it is the Lord who opens the way.
• Spiritual Warfare: The crossing of the Jordan initiated a period of warfare against the inhabitants of the land, paralleling the spiritual or ultimate battle at the Second Coming

Getting to a Place of Spiritual Crossing

How do we break the “wilderness cycle” and get to the place of crossing? If we are really being honest with ourselves, many times we are co-authors of our own predicaments, and not just mere participants.


Life is unpredictable and Jesus himself tells us that in this life we will have trouble (John 16:33). However, it can’t hurt to check our hearts for the following attitudes. Especially if we are in a wilderness place in our lives and needing to finally cross over our own “Jordan River”. 


Matter of the Heart

All throughout Scripture, we are commanded to love the Lord our God. And we are to worship Him only, to meditate on His Word day and night.


We are instructed to set our hearts upon Him. Because His Word is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. 


Sadly, lack of spiritual discipline, personal time of prayer, reading the Word and hearing the Word every week leaves us open to our own faulty thinking and understanding. We forsake the fellowship of believers and give in to philosophies and ways of being that are not of God, but lead us away from Him (Romans 1:20-22).


The breakdown of spirituality begins with the breakdown of spiritual discipline. Life is busy and sometimes disappointing things happen that discourage us from seeking God. But we should seek Him always, even through grief and pain. 


“The Lord is close to the broken hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” (Psalm 34:18)


Matter of the Attitude

The best way to understand complaining is to think of lamenting without faith. Israel cried out in Exodus 14:11 with the words, “”Is it because there were no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you dealt with us in this way, bringing us out of Egypt?” 


It is perfectly normal to complain and voice grievances to the Lord – most of the psalms are just that! But there is hope! In Psalm 42:5, David cries out to God in his depression and grief. Yet he places hope in God who promises to restore him.


We all have been at points in our lives that instead of trusting God, we lose faith and sight of His promises. We become angry, assuming that our suffering is for nothing.


But just as God was and still is faithful to Israel today, He is faithful to us. 



A Matter of Humility

Repentance is foundational in experiencing a turnaround in our lives. The longer we continue to be unrepentant and remain stuck in our ways, the deeper our sin. The more we lack spiritual discipline and rely on our own understanding, the more our unrepentant nature will ensnare us.


No matter where we are in life, Christ is always ready to meet us there. He is knocking on the door of our hearts to let Him in. And we are never too far gone to accept his mercy and grace. Jesus gives us this hope because while we were yet sinners, He died for us (Romans 5:8).


Let Us Cross Over!

Matthew 3:6 and Mark 1:15 describe John the Baptist baptizing the people from Jerusalem, Judea and the surrounding area.


This submersion in water was a physical marker of the people’s confession and repentance. They did not leave the river the same way they entered it. 


Jesus also allowed himself to be baptized in the Jordan river, not because he needed to be, but because it was the way “to fulfill all righteousness” in signifying His release into His teaching and healing ministry. 


As the presence of God came through the Jordan River in Joshua 4:18, in the form of the ark of the covenant into a new life in the promised land, Jesus God incarnate also passed through the Jordan River into a new stage in his life. 


The Jordan river represents an opportunity we all have before us. With confessing our sins to God and one another, and in physical baptism, we can be renewed and refreshed. We can have that breakthrough and moment of clarity that we may have been seeking in our lives. 


Jesus gives hope of salvation and healing in Him, as prophet Isaiah said: 


“But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5)



Always Faithful 

Remember that even in the wilderness God has always been faithful to us. During the 40-year long trek in the desert, Israel was never without provision and their sandals never broke. 


“You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings, and brought you to Myself.” (Exodus 19:4)




Israel at Mount Sinai


…3Then Moses went up to God, and the LORD called to him from the mountain, “This is what you are to tell the house of Jacob and explain to the sons of Israel: 4‘You have seen for yourselves what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself. 5Now if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, you will be My treasured possession out of all the nations—for the whole earth is Mine.…



You have seen for yourselves what I did to Egypt



Deuteronomy 29:2-3
Moses summoned all Israel and proclaimed to them, “You have seen with your own eyes everything the LORD did in Egypt to Pharaoh, to all his officials, and to all his land. / You saw with your own eyes the great trials, and those miraculous signs and wonders.

Deuteronomy 7:18-19
But do not be afraid of them. Be sure to remember what the LORD your God did to Pharaoh and all Egypt: / the great trials that you saw, the signs and wonders, and the mighty hand and outstretched arm by which the LORD your God brought you out. The LORD your God will do the same to all the peoples you now fear.

Exodus 14:31
When Israel saw the great power that the LORD had exercised over the Egyptians, the people feared the LORD and believed in Him and in His servant Moses.
and how I carried you on eagles’ wings

Deuteronomy 32:11-12
As an eagle stirs up its nest and hovers over its young, He spread His wings to catch them and carried them on His pinions. / The LORD alone led him, and no foreign god was with him.

Isaiah 63:9
In all their distress, He too was afflicted, and the Angel of His Presence saved them. In His love and compassion He redeemed them; He lifted them up and carried them all the days of old.

Isaiah 46:3-4
“Listen to Me, O house of Jacob, all the remnant of the house of Israel, who have been sustained from the womb, carried along since birth. / Even to your old age, I will be the same, and I will bear you up when you turn gray. I have made you, and I will carry you; I will sustain you and deliver you.

Exodus 6:7
I will take you as My own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians.

Exodus 29:45-46
Then I will dwell among the Israelites and be their God. / And they will know that I am the LORD their God, who brought them out of the land of Egypt so that I might dwell among them. I am the LORD their God.

Exodus 15:13-17
With loving devotion You will lead the people You have redeemed; with Your strength You will guide them to Your holy dwelling. / The nations will hear and tremble; anguish will grip the dwellers of Philistia. / Then the chiefs of Edom will be dismayed; trembling will seize the leaders of Moab; those who dwell in Canaan will melt away, …

Isaiah 63:9
In all their distress, He too was afflicted, and the Angel of His Presence saved them. In His love and compassion He redeemed them; He lifted them up and carried them all the days of old.

Hosea 11:1
When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called My son.

Psalm 91:4
He will cover you with His feathers; under His wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and rampart.

Deuteronomy 1:31
and in the wilderness, where the LORD your God carried you, as a man carries his son, all the way by which you traveled until you reached this place.”

Jeremiah 31:32
It will not be like the covenant I made with their fathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt—a covenant they broke, though I was a husband to them,” declares the LORD.

Psalm 77:19-20
Your path led through the sea, Your way through the mighty waters, but Your footprints were not to be found. / You led Your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

Psalm 105:39-41
He spread a cloud as a covering and a fire to light up the night. / They asked, and He brought quail and satisfied them with the bread of heaven. / He opened a rock, and water gushed out; it flowed like a river in the desert.

Exodus 7:1
And the LORD said unto Moses, See, I have made thee a god to Pharaoh: and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet.

Exodus 8:1
And the LORD spake unto Moses, Go unto Pharaoh, and say unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Let my people go, that they may serve me.

Exodus 9:1
Then the LORD said unto Moses, Go in unto Pharaoh, and tell him, Thus saith the LORD God of the Hebrews, Let my people go, that they may serve me.

Deuteronomy 32:11,12
As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings: …

Isaiah 40:31
But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

Isaiah 63:9
In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old.


​


Exodus 19:6 mean?


God is relaying a message for Israel through Moses (Exodus 19:3). The Lord's incredible miracles (Exodus 3:19–20; 14:21–28; 16:14–16) prove His love for the people (Exodus 19:4). Based on that love, God intends to establish a unique covenant with the nation of Israel. Their part of the covenant is obedience, and in return God will treat them with special care (Exodus 19:5). Most of the rest of the book of Exodus contains details about what God wants Israel to do. Moses will provide stark warnings about obedience versus disobedience later (Deuteronomy 30:15–18).

God’s Word affirms that the Jews are God’s chosen people: “You are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession” (Deuteronomy 7:6). From eternity past God knew that He would need to be born into the human race in order to save us from the spiritually dead condition that we were in (Ephesians 1—2; Genesis 3). God had planned from the beginning to be born into a very small nation or race of people called the Jews. The Old Testament tells the story of how God set about creating, distinguishing, and preserving that race.

The ultimate goal of God’s choice of the Jews as His chosen people was to produce the Messiah, Jesus Christ, who would be the Savior of the world. Jesus had to come from some nation or people, and God chose Israel. God first promised the Savior/Messiah after Adam and Eve sinned (Genesis 3). Later, God specified that the Messiah would come from the line of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Genesis 12). Later still, He narrowed the Messiah’s ancestry to the line of David (2 Samuel 7). Throughout their history, the people of Israel were aware of their “chosen” status before God (see 1 Kings 3:8; 8:53; Psalm 105:43; Isaiah 43:4; 65:9; and Amos 3:2). The fact that God has an eternal future for Israel is evident in that five sixths of the Bible bears directly or indirectly upon them—Jesus being the central figure who brought the Jews and Gentiles together (Ephesians 2:14).

The fact that the Jews are God’s chosen people means that they have been held to a high standard. From those who are given much, much is required (Luke 12:48), or as God said through one prophet, “You only have I chosen of all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your sins” (Amos 3:2).

Israel’s responsibilities have included keeping and preserving the Law (Joshua 22:5); being “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Exodus 19:6); and bringing “renown and praise and honor” to the Lord (Jeremiah 13:11). Their high calling is straight from the God who chose them out of all the nations of the earth.


One of the ways in which God assures His people of His love for them is to describe Himself as their husband. For example, the prophet says to Judah, “Your Maker is your husband—the Lord Almighty is his name—the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; he is called the God of all the earth” (Isaiah 54:5; cf. Jeremiah 3:14; 31:32).

Israel often proved to be an unfaithful spouse, committing spiritual adultery by worshiping false gods and forsaking the Lord. In fact, it was due to idolatry that God spoke this word:

“I gave faithless Israel her certificate of divorce and sent her away because of all her adulteries. . . . Because Israel’s immorality mattered so little to her, she defiled the land and committed adultery with stone and wood. In spite of all this, her unfaithful sister Judah did not return to me with all her heart, but only in pretense” (Jeremiah 3:8–10).

In this passage, God warns Judah against making the same mistakes that Israel, their neighbors to the north, had made. In their idolatry, Israel had polluted the land and broken their covenant with God. Due to the enormity of their sin, God punished Israel, and He illustrates that punishment like this: He “divorced” Israel and sent them away—a reference to the Assyrian invasion, which resulted in Israel’s removal from their homeland (see 2 Kings 17:5–7). Even given the example of Israel’s “divorce,” Judah remained unfaithful, as if daring God to mete out a similar punishment on them.

Having just cause, God, the faithful Husband, “divorced” Israel, His unfaithful wife. To make matters worse, God had asked, “If a man divorces his wife and she leaves him and marries another man, should he return to her again?” (Jeremiah 3:1). The answer, according to the Mosaic Law, was “no”; a man who had divorced his wife could not later remarry her (Deuteronomy 24:1–4). According to God’s metaphor, Israel seems to be in a hopeless situation: she has been divorced by God, and, according to the law, she can never be accepted back.


But then comes a surprising twist:

God’s mercy intervenes:


“‘Return, faithless Israel,’ declares the Lord,
‘I will frown on you no longer,
for I am faithful,’ declares the Lord,
‘I will not be angry forever’”


(Jeremiah 3:12).



In the same passage in which God sets up a scenario of hopelessness for Israel, He invites His people to “return” to Him and promises that His anger will end. Could it be that God’s love is stronger than His people’s rebellion? The Lord doubles down on His invitation:

“‘Return, faithless people,’ declares the Lord, ‘for I am your husband. I will choose you . . . and bring you to Zion” (Jeremiah 3:14).

God promises to do what the Mosaic Law could never do: restore the broken “marriage.” It was unthinkable that a human husband would take back his unfaithful wife, but God is greater than that; He can and will forgive His wayward people when they repent of their sin and seek Him again (Jeremiah 3:13).

God used the shocking illustration of a “divorce” of Israel to stress their guilt before Him. But God never cut Israel off unilaterally for all time. He only asked that they return to Him and experience His goodness. In fact, after God says that He “divorced” Israel, He commands them three times to “return” (Jeremiah 3:1, 14, 22).

The apostle Paul explains, “Did God reject his people? By no means! . . . God did not reject his people, whom he foreknew. . . . At the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace. And if by grace, then it cannot be based on works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace. . . . Again I ask: Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! . . . And if they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again” (Romans 11:1–6, 11, 23).

Another illustration of God’s amazing goodness is found in the story of the prophet Hosea. God actually commanded Hosea to marry a prostitute (Hosea 1:2). She did not remain faithful to Hosea. Then, while his wife was living in immorality, the Lord commanded Hosea to find her and buy her back. God’s purpose was to show the greatness of His grace: “Love her as the Lord loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods” (Hosea 3:1).

Hosea’s grace toward his unfaithful wife is a model of God’s grace toward His unfaithful people. Israel had been chosen and loved by God, yet they were unfaithful to Him by way of idolatry. In Jeremiah 3, God gives them a “bill of divorcement,” but then He pleads with them to come back. In Hosea, God pursues and redeems His estranged “wife” and seeks to continue His relationship with her. Both stories provide an unforgettable picture of God’s strong, unending love for His covenant people.

How can a divorced wife return and be restored? The law forbade it, but “mercy triumphs over judgment” (James 2:13), and God still has a plan for Israel. God’s grace in the New Covenant provided restoration for all who would believe in Christ.

Once, the incredulous disciples asked Jesus, “Who can be saved?” Jesus assured them that salvation is based on God’s power and grace, not man’s efforts: “What is impossible with man is possible with God” (Luke 18:27).]

Isaiah 49 speaks of a time of blessing for Israel. There is some difficulty in interpreting this passage because at times it seems that Israel is being addressed, and at other times it seems that a single person is being addressed. This person will help bring blessing back to Israel, so he must therefore be distinguished in some way from Israel.

In Isaiah 49:3, God addresses Israel: “You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will display my splendor.” However, by verse 6, the one addressed is an individual called the Servant of the Lord, and He will also restore Israel:



“It is too small a thing for you to be my servant
to restore the tribes of Jacob
and bring back those of Israel I have kept.
I will also make you a light for the Gentiles,
that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.”


From the context it is clear that “a light for the Gentiles” in Isaiah 49:6 is parallel to “my salvation . . . to the ends to the ends of the earth.” The light is spiritual light, corresponding to God’s “splendor” in verse 3. The ends of the earth are the Gentile nations—the people who live everywhere other than Israel.

The question is, how does Israel do this? How do they act as a light to the Gentiles?

Certainly, if Israel had been loyal to the Lord, other nations would have taken notice and perhaps been drawn to the Lord (see Deuteronomy 4:6). But that did not happen. So Isaiah speaks of a new situation. The Servant who is identified with Israel but also distinguished from Israel be the light instead. This is somewhat mysterious. However, this makes sense if the king of Israel is the one in view. The king is the representative of Israel, yet he is distinguished from Israel. He can do things for Israel but can also do things as Israel. But Isaiah does not reveal this king’s identity.

In the New Testament, the identity of the Servant, the King, and the Messiah is revealed in reference to the Isaiah passage:

“Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said, ‘Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel’” (Luke 2:25–32, ESV).

According to Simeon under the influence of the Holy Spirit, it is Jesus, the King of Israel, who is the glory of Israel and a light to the Gentiles.

Matthew 4:12–16 also applies to Jesus a similar idea from another passage in Isaiah:

“Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali—to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah:

“‘Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned’” (Isaiah 9:1–2).

Galilee, both in the time of Isaiah and in the time of Christ, had a large Gentile population. By preaching there, Jesus was bringing light to the Gentiles.

Furthermore, Paul applies Isaiah 49:6 to himself and Barnabas as representatives of the King and preachers of the gospel. On the first missionary journey, they were rejected by the Jewish population in Pisidian Antioch: “On the following Sabbath, nearly the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy, and they blasphemously contradicted what Paul was saying.

“Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: ‘It was necessary to speak the word of God to you first. But since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles. For this is what the Lord has commanded us:

“I have made you a light for the Gentiles, to bring salvation to the ends of the earth.”’

“When the Gentiles heard this, they rejoiced and glorified the word of the Lord, and all who were appointed for eternal life believed. And the word of the Lord spread throughout that region” (Acts 13:44–49, BSB).

Thus, Paul and Barnabas, as Israelites and authorized representatives of the King of Israel, were also a fulfillment of Isaiah 49:6.

In summary, Israel is a light to the nations because Jesus, as the King of Israel, provided salvation for the nations (Gentiles) and then authorized His representatives to spread the good news throughout the world (see Matthew 28:18–20 and Acts 1:8).

​




 Jeremiah 25 


 Seventy Years of Captivity


1This is the word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah in the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, which was the first year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. 2So the prophet Jeremiah spoke to all the people of Judah and all the residents of Jerusalem as follows:

3“From the thirteenth year of Josiah son of Amon king of Judah until this very day—twenty-three years—the word of the LORD has come to me, and I have spoken to you again and again,a but you have not listened. 4And the LORD has sent all His servants the prophets to you again and again,b but you have not listened or inclined your ear to hear.

5The prophets told you, ‘Turn now, each of you, from your evil ways and deeds, and you can dwell in the land that the LORD has given to you and your fathers forever and ever. 6Do not follow other gods to serve and worship them, and do not provoke Me to anger with the works of your hands. Then I will do you no harm.’
7‘But to your own harm, you have not listened to Me,’ declares the LORD, ‘so you have provoked Me to anger with the works of your hands.’

8Therefore this is what the LORD of Hosts says: ‘Because you have not obeyed My words, 9behold, I will summon all the families of the north, declares the LORD, and I will send for My servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, whom I will bring against this land, against its residents, and against all the surrounding nations. So I will devote them to destructionc and make them an object of horror and contempt, an everlasting desolation.
10Moreover, I will banish from them the sounds of joy and gladness, the voices of the bride and bridegroom, the sound of the millstones, and the light of the lamp. 11And this whole land will become a desolate wasteland, and these nations will serve the king of Babylon for seventy years.

12But when seventy years are complete, I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation, the land of the Chaldeans,d for their guilt, declares the LORD, and I will make it an everlasting desolation.
13I will bring upon that land all the words I have pronounced against it, all that is written in this book, which Jeremiah has prophesied against all the nations. 14For many nations and great kings will enslave them, and I will repay them according to their deeds and according to the work of their hands.’”




The Cup of God’s Wrath

15This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, said to me: “Take from My hand this cup of the wine of wrath, and make all the nations to whom I send you drink from it. 16And they will drink and stagger and go out of their minds, because of the sword that I will send among them.”

17So I took the cup from the LORD’s hand and made all the nations drink from it, each one to whom the LORD had sent me, 18to make them a ruin, an object of horror and contempt and cursing, as they are to this day—Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, its kings and officials; 19Pharaoh king of Egypt, his officials, his leaders, and all his people; 20all the mixed tribes; all the kings of Uz; all the kings of the Philistines: Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron, and the remnant of Ashdod; 21Edom, Moab, and the Ammonites; 22all the kings of Tyre and Sidon; the kings of the coastlands across the sea; 23Dedan, Tema, Buz, and all who cut the corners of their hair; 24all the kings of Arabia, and all the kings of the mixed tribes who dwell in the desert; 25all the kings of Zimri, Elam, and Media; 26all the kings of the north, both near and far, one after another—all the kingdoms on the face of the earth. And after all of them, the king of Sheshache will drink it too.

27“Then you are to tell them that this is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: ‘Drink, get drunk, and vomit. Fall down and never get up again, because of the sword I will send among you.’

28If they refuse to take the cup from your hand and drink it, you are to tell them that this is what the LORD of Hosts says: ‘You most certainly must drink it! 29For behold, I am beginning to bring disaster on the city that bears My Name, so how could you possibly go unpunished? You will not go unpunished, for I am calling down a sword upon all the inhabitants of the earth, declares the LORD of Hosts.’





30So you are to prophesy all these words against them and say to them:


‘The LORD will roar from on high;
He will raise His voice from His holy habitation.
He will roar loudly over His pasture;
like those who tread the grapes,
He will call out with a shout
against all the inhabitants of the earth.
31The tumult will resound to the ends of the earth
because the LORD brings a charge against the nations.
He brings judgment on all mankind
and puts the wicked to the sword,’”
declares the LORD.


32This is what the LORD of Hosts says:
“Behold! Disaster is spreading
from nation to nation;
a mighty storm is rising
from the ends of the earth.”

33Those slain by the LORD on that day will be spread from one end of the earth to the other.

They will not be mourned, gathered, or buried. They will be like dung lying on the ground.



The Cry of the Shepherds

34Wail, you shepherds, and cry out;
roll in the dust, you leaders of the flock.
For the days of your slaughter have come;
you will fall and be shattered like fine pottery.
35Flight will evade the shepherds,
and escape will elude the leaders of the flock.
36Hear the cry of the shepherds,
the wailing of the leaders of the flock,
for the LORD is destroying their pasture.
37The peaceful meadows have been silenced
because of the LORD’s burning anger.
38He has left His den like a lion,
for their land has been made a desolation
by the swordg of the oppressor,
and because of the fierce anger of the LORD.



Speaking of the nation of Israel, Deuteronomy 7:7-9 tells us, “The LORD did not set His affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. But it was because the LORD loved you and kept the oath He swore to your forefathers that He brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; He is the faithful God, keeping His covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love Him and keep His commands.”

God chose the nation of Israel to be the people through whom Jesus Christ would be born—the Savior from sin and death (John 3:16). God first promised the Messiah after Adam and Eve’s fall into sin (Genesis chapter 3). God later confirmed that the Messiah would come from the line of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Genesis 12:1-3). Jesus Christ is the ultimate reason why God chose Israel to be His special people. God did not need to have a chosen people, but He decided to do it that way. Jesus had to come from some nation of people, and God chose Israel.

However, God’s reason for choosing the nation of Israel was not solely for the purpose of producing the Messiah. God’s desire for Israel was that they would go and teach others about Him. Israel was to be a nation of priests, prophets, and missionaries to the world. God’s intent was for Israel to be a distinct people, a nation who pointed others towards God and His promised provision of a Redeemer, Messiah, and Savior. For the most part, Israel failed in this task. However, God’s ultimate purpose for Israel—that of bringing the Messiah into the world—was fulfilled perfectly in the Person of Jesus Christ.



​

1 Chronicles 17:11-14 (ESV)
​
​
11 When your days are fulfilled to walk with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, one of your own sons, and I will establish his kingdom. 12 He shall build a house for me, and I will establish his throne forever. 13 I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. I will not take my steadfast love from him, as I took it from him who was before you, 14 but I will confirm him in my house and in my kingdom forever, and his throne shall be established forever.’"





Also she had a great and high wall with twelve gates, and twelve angels at the gates, and names written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:




Revelation 21 



(Isaiah 65:17–25)


1Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth,a for the first heaven and earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.


3And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying: 
“Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man, 
and He will dwell with them. 
They will be His people, 
and God Himself will be with them as their God.

4‘He will wipe away every tear from their eyes,’
and there will be no more death 
or mourning or crying or pain, 
for the former things have passed away.”


5And the One seated on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” Then He said, “Write this down, for these words are faithful and true.” 6And He told me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give freely from the spring of the water of life. 7The one who overcomes will inherit all things, and I will be his God, and he will be My son.

8But to the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and sexually immoral and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their place will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur. This is the second death.”





​The New Jerusalem


9Then one of the seven angels with the seven bowls full of the seven final plagues came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.”

10And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the holy city of Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, 11shining with the glory of God. Its radiance was like a most precious jewel, like a jasper, as clear as crystal. 12The city had a great and high wall with twelve gates inscribed with the names of the twelve tribes of Israel, and twelve angels at the gates.13There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south, and three on the west. 14The wall of the city had twelve foundations bearing the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

15The angel who spoke with me had a golden measuring rod to measure the city and its gates and walls. 16The city lies foursquare, with its width the same as its length. And he measured the city with the rod, and all its dimensions were equal—12,000 stadiad in length and width and height. 17And he measured its wall to be 144 cubits,e by the human measure the angel was using.

18The wall was made of jasper, and the city itself of pure gold, as pure as glass.19The foundations of the city walls were adorned with every kind of precious stone: 


The first foundation was jasper, 
the second sapphire, 
the third chalcedony, 
the fourth emerald,
20the fifth sardonyx, 
the sixth carnelian, 
the seventh chrysolite, 
the eighth beryl, 
the ninth topaz, 
the tenth chrysoprase, 
the eleventh jacinth, 
and the twelfth amethyst.


21And the twelve gates were twelve pearls, with each gate consisting of a single pearl. The main street of the city was pure gold, as clear as glass.


22But I saw no temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, because the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its lamp. 24By its light the nations will walk, and into it the kings of the earth will bring their glory.f 25Its gates will never be shut at the end of the day, because there will be no night there.
26And into the city will be brought the glory and honor of the nations. 27But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who practices an abomination or a lie, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.



The lid of the ark of the covenant was termed a “seat” because this sacred place was considered God’s holy throne (see Psalm 99:1). Here, the Lord spoke to Moses from between the winged cherubim (Numbers 7:89). Here, where the sacrificial blood was sprinkled and God’s mercy was dispensed, was the only place in the world where atonement could take place.

The mercy seat on the ark was a symbolic foreshadowing of the ultimate sacrifice for all sin—the blood of Christ shed on the cross for the remission of sins (Hebrews 7:27; 9:12–14; 1 Peter 1:18–19). The apostle Paul, a former Pharisee and one familiar with the Old Testament, knew this concept quite well when he wrote about Christ being our covering for sin in Romans 3:24–25: “And all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith.”

Just as there was only one place for atonement of sins in the Old Testament—the mercy seat of the ark of the covenant—so there is also only one place for atonement in the New Testament—the cross of Jesus Christ (1 John 2:2; 1 Peter 3:18). As Christians, we no longer look to the ark but to the Lord Jesus Himself as the One who covers, cleanses, cancels, and atones for our sins (1 John 4:10).

As the Israelites traveled from Mount Sinai to Canaan, the ark of the covenant was to be carried before them through the wilderness as a constant reminder of God’s holy, living presence (Numbers 10:33–36). The ark played a central role in Israel’s entrance into the Promised Land (Joshua 3:3, 6, 15–16; 4:9; 6:4–16) and the life of God’s people there (Joshua 8:33; Judges 20:26–28).

Eventually, Israel lost sight of the ark’s true significance. In 1 Samuel 4, the nation was battling the Philistines. When the Israelites suffered a loss, rather than deal with the real problem—sin—they fetched the ark and took it into battle. They viewed the ark as little more than a talisman or ceremonial token that would ensure God’s help. As a result, they suffered another defeat, and God allowed the ark to be captured by the Philistines (1 Samuel 4:1–11, 17–22; 5:1–12). But the hand of the Lord was heavy on the Philistines, so they returned the ark (1 Samuel 6:1–3, 10–15, 19; 7:1–2).

Much later, King David had the ark brought to Jerusalem (2 Samuel 6:1–12, 17), and when his son Solomon completed the temple, the ark and all the tabernacle furnishings were placed inside the temple (1 Kings 8:1–12).

The Bible doesn’t say precisely when the ark of the covenant was lost to history. Some speculate it was destroyed or potentially removed during various raids (see 1 Kings 14:25–28; 2 Kings 14:8–14). The last time the location of the ark is mentioned in Scripture is when King Josiah ordered the caretakers of the ark to return it to the Jerusalem temple (2 Chronicles 35:1–6; cf. 2 Kings 23:21–23). The ark is not cited in the list of temple spoils that Nebuchadrezzar took to Babylon when Jerusalem was sacked (2 Kings 25:13–17; Jeremiah 52:17–23).

The origins of Israel’s ark of the covenant are as mysterious and fascinating as its current whereabouts and final destiny. Archeologists and treasure hunters have sought to find it for centuries. In Revelation 11:19, John sees the ark of the covenant as part of the future heavenly temple. However, this is probably not the same ark Moses built; instead, the heavenly ark is more likely a symbolic representation of God’s holy presence.



The first mention of the ark of the testimony is in Exodus 25:10. God gave Moses specific instructions for building a tabernacle as they traveled in the wilderness. The tabernacle would be the place where the glory of God would dwell among His people (Exodus 25:8–9). Among hundreds of other descriptive instructions for this tabernacle, God told Moses to build an ark of the testimony, also called the  ark of the covenant(Exodus 25:21–22). The words testimony and covenant both refer to the conditional agreement made between God and the children of Israel at Mount Sinai. An ark is, literally, a box or chest. So the ark of the testimony is the “box of the agreement.”

The ark of the testimony was a wooden box, covered in gold inside and out. It had four exterior rings through which poles could be attached for carrying. No one but the high priest could touch the ark (Numbers 4:15). To do so would result in instant death, as happened with a man named Uzzah (2 Samuel 6:1–7). God was beginning to teach His people about His holiness and their unworthiness. He demonstrated to them that His commands were not suggestions to be negotiated. He wanted to teach them to obey Him in all things, whether or not they understood the reason for the rules.

The lid of the ark was also made of gold and formed a seat between two cherubim, called the mercy seat. It was there that God would meet with His people (Exodus 25:22). Inside the ark of the testimony, Moses placed the tablets of the Law that God gave him on the mountain. The ark was placed inside the tabernacle in the most holy place, where only the high priest could go once a year (Exodus 26:34). Through it all, God was painting a picture to help us understand what is required for sinful man to come into the presence of a holy God.

The ark of the testimony got its name from the fact that it would be the housing for God’s testimony to His people. His Law was not only verbal, but written, etched in stone (Exodus 34:28; Deuteronomy 5:22), so there could be no excuse for disobedience. Hebrews 9:4 tells us that, later, the Israelites added to the stone tablets within the ark of the testimony a jar of manna (Exodus 16:32–33) and Aaron’s rod that budded (Numbers 17:8–10).

The ark of the testimony represented the presence of God with His people, and His power went with them wherever they took the ark (Joshua 3:6; Numbers 10:33–35). The enemies of Israel, the Philistines, stole the ark once (1 Samuel 5:1), hoping its power would help them. They set it in their idol’s temple and waited for the good luck it would bring. But calamity broke out among the Philistines, until they begged their leaders to send the ark back to Israel (1 Samuel 5:4, 6, 9, 11–12). God demonstrated that He was not a good-luck charm whose power could be had by whoever captured His ark. The power was not in the ark of the testimony itself; the ark only represented the presence of God with His people.

Since the death and resurrection of Jesus (Romans 14:9), God no longer uses an ark of the testimony to dwell with His people. We are under a new testament or covenant. At Pentecost, He sent the Holy Spirit to indwell every believer (Acts 2:1–4, 38–39). We become His temple (1 Corinthians 6:19). When we have been born again by faith in Jesus Christ (John 3:3, 16), we take God with us everywhere we go. It did the Philistines no good to harbor the ark, because the ark had no power in itself if God was not on their side. Likewise, we do not need physical items—crosses, images, holy relics—to carry the power of God with us because He already abides in us. That awareness of His presence, called the fear of the Lord (Psalm 19:9; Proverbs 15:33), helps us make decisions that honor Him.

When the time was right, God’s plan of redemption led to the incarnation of the pre-incarnate and eternal Logos: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. . . . And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:1, 14, ESV). In the incarnation, the Son of God entered human history as the ultimate expression of God’s glory, grace, and truth to redeem sinners from the penalty, power, and presence of sin. To this end, the Son voluntarily sacrificed His life on the cross and took it up again on the third day (John 2:19; 10:18).

The doctrine of election takes center stage within God’s redemptive plan. The elect are those who were sovereignly and graciously chosen by the Father before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4–5). This doctrine does not negate human responsibility; rather, it magnifies the depth of God’s grace to undeserving sinners.

Central to God’s plan of redemption is the call to repentance and faith. Repentance involves an acknowledgement of our sinfulness and turning away from it (Acts 3:19; cf. Psalm 51:17). This is a crucial step in salvation because it places sinners into the hands of a merciful, gracious, and loving God who would never reject anyone who earnestly seeks Him (John 6:37; Hebrews 11:6).

Saving faith is confident reliance and trust in Christ alone to obtain salvation: “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:8–9, ESV). Both repentance and faith are part of God’s plan of redemption and are necessary for humanity to be rescued from the bondage of sin.

As the pages of redemptive history unfold, the ultimate purpose for creation is revealed—total restoration of all things. This is not merely a return to a pre-fall state; it is a cosmic renewal whereby all things are reconciled to God through Christ: “For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross” (Colossians 1:19–20, ESV). This renewal encompasses the physical and spiritual realms, culminating in a new heavens and new earth (Revelation 21:1). The elect are not only recipients of eternal salvation but also co-heirs and participants in the restoration process.

In the consummation of redemptive history, God’s love, sovereignty, and righteousness will be on full display (Revelation 22:3–4). And the redeemed, now perfected, will stand in His presence with fulness of joy (Psalm 16:11; cf. 1 Corinthians 13:12).
​



The concept of entering the New Jerusalem is a profound theme in Christian eschatology, symbolizing the ultimate fulfillment of God's promises and the eternal dwelling place of the redeemed. The New Jerusalem is described in the Book of Revelation as a magnificent city descending from heaven, representing the culmination of God's redemptive plan and the eternal communion between God and His people.




Biblical Description

The primary biblical reference to the New Jerusalem is found in Revelation 21-22. The Apostle John, in his apocalyptic vision, describes the New Jerusalem as a city of unparalleled beauty and divine perfection. Revelation 21:2states, "I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband." This imagery conveys the purity, holiness, and intimate relationship between God and His people.

The city is depicted as having a radiant appearance, with walls of jasper and streets of pure gold, as clear as glass (Revelation 21:18, 21). The foundations of the city walls are adorned with every kind of precious stone, symbolizing the glory and majesty of God's eternal kingdom (Revelation 21:19-20).




Theological Significance

Entering the New Jerusalem signifies the ultimate hope and destiny of believers. It represents the fulfillment of God's covenant promises, where He will dwell among His people, and they will be His own. Revelation 21:3 declares, "And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 'Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man, and He will dwell with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them as their God.'"

The New Jerusalem is also characterized by the absence of suffering, death, and sin. Revelation 21:4 promises, "He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the former things have passed away." This assurance of eternal peace and joy is central to the Christian hope.




Access and Entry

The entry into the New Jerusalem is reserved for those whose names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life (Revelation 21:27). This emphasizes the necessity of faith in Jesus Christ as the means of salvation and entry into the eternal city. The gates of the city are never shut, signifying the perpetual openness and welcome for the redeemed (Revelation 21:25).

The New Jerusalem is also described as having no temple, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple (Revelation 21:22). This highlights the direct and unmediated access to God's presence that believers will enjoy.




Symbolism and Imagery

The New Jerusalem is rich in symbolic imagery, reflecting the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies and the consummation of God's kingdom. The twelve gates, each made of a single pearl, and the twelve foundations inscribed with the names of the twelve apostles, signify the unity and continuity of God's people throughout history (Revelation 21:12-14, 21).

The river of the water of life, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb, and the tree of life bearing twelve kinds of fruit, symbolize the abundance and eternal life that characterize the New Jerusalem (Revelation 22:1-2).




Conclusion

The vision of entering the New Jerusalem offers believers a glimpse of the eternal future promised by God. It serves as a source of hope, encouragement, and motivation to live faithfully in anticipation of the glorious inheritance that awaits the redeemed in the presence of God.






The River of Life


Waters issued out from under the threshold of the house ... EZEKIEL xlvii.1.Unlike most great cities, Jerusalem was not situated on a great river. True, the inconsiderable waters of Siloam -- 'which flow softly' because they were so inconsiderable -- rose from a crevice in the Temple rock, and beneath that rock stretched the valley of the Kedron, dry and bleached in the summer, and a rainy torrent during the rainy seasons; but that was all. So, many of the prophets, who looked forward to the better times to come, laid their finger upon that one defect, and prophesied that it should be cured. Thus we read in a psalm: 'There is a river, the divisions whereof make glad the City of our God.' Faith saw what sense saw not. Again, Isaiah says: 'There' -- that is to say, in the new Jerusalem -- 'the glorious Lord shall be unto us a place of broad rivers and streams.' And so, this prophet casts his anticipations of the abundant outpouring of blessing that shall come when God in very deed dwells among men, into this figure of a river pouring out from beneath the Temple-door, and spreading life and fertility wherever its waters come. I need not remind you how our Lord Himself uses the same figure, and modifies it, by saying that whosoever believeth on Him, 'out of him shall flow rivers of living waters'; or how, in the very last words of the Apocalyptic seer, we hear again the music of the ripples of the great stream, 'the river of the water of life proceeding out of the Throne of God and of the Lamb.' So then, all through Scripture, we may say that we hear the murmur of the stream, and can catch the line of verdure upon its banks. My object now is not only to deal with the words that I have read as a starting-point, but rather to seek to draw out the wonderful significance of this great prophetic parable.


I. I notice, first, the source from which the river conies.

​
I have already anticipated that in pointing out that it flows from the very Temple itself. The Prophet sees it coming out of the house -- that is to say, the Sanctuary. It flows across the outer court of the house, passes the altar, comes out under the threshold, and then pours itself down on to the plain beneath. This is the symbolical dress of the thought that all spiritual blessings, and every conceivable form of human good, take their rise in the fact of God's dwelling with men. From beneath the Temple threshold comes the water of life; and wherever it is true that in any heart -- or in any community -- God dwells, there will be heard the tinkling of its ripples, and freshness and fertility will come from the stream. The dwelling of God with a man, like the dwelling of God in humanity in the Incarnation of His own dear Son, is, as it were, the opening of the fountain that it may pour out into the world. So, if we desire to have the blessings that are possible for us, we must comply with the conditions, and let God dwell in our hearts, and make them His temples; and then from beneath the threshold of that temple, too, will pour out, according to Christ's own promise, rivers of living water which will be first for ourselves to drink of and be blessed by, and then will refresh and gladden others.

Another thought connected with this source of the river of life is that all the blessings which, massed together, are included in that one word 'salvation' -- which is a kind of nebula made up of many unresolved stars -- take their rise from nothing else than the deep heart of God Himself. This river rose in the House of the Lord, and amidst the mysteries of the Divine Presence; it took its rise, one might say, from beneath the Mercy-seat where the brooding Cherubim sat in silence and poured itself into a world that had not asked for it, that did not expect it, that in many of its members did not desire it and would not have it. The river that rose in the secret place of God symbolises for us the great thought which is put into plainer words by the last of the apostles when he says, 'We love Him because He first loved us.' All the blessings of salvation rise from the unmotived, self-impelled, self-fed divine love and purpose. Nothing moves Him to communicate Himself but His own delight in giving Himself to His poor creatures; and it is all of grace that it might be all through faith.

Still further, another thought that may be suggested in connection with the source of this river is, that that which is to bless the world must necessarily take its rise above the world. Ezekiel has sketched, in the last portion of his prophecy, an entirely ideal topography of the Holy Land. He has swept away mountains and valleys, and levelled all out into a great plain, in the midst of which rises the mountain of the Lord's House, far higher than the Temple hill. In reality, opposite it rose the Mount of Olives, and between the two there was the deep gorge of the Valley of the Kedron. The Prophet smooths it all out into one great plain, and high above all towers the Temple-mount, and from it there rushes down on to the low levels the fertilising, life-giving flood.
That imaginary geography tells us this, that what is to bless the world must come from above the world. There needs a waterfall to generate electricity; the power which is to come into humanity and deal with its miseries must have its source high above the objects of its energy and its compassion, and in proportion to the height from which it falls will be the force of its impact and its power to generate the quickening impulse. All merely human efforts at social reform, rivers that do not rise in the Temple, are like the rivers in Mongolia, that run for a few miles and then get sucked up by the hot sands and are lost and nobody sees them any more. Only the perennial stream, that comes out from beneath the Temple threshold, can sustain itself in the desert, to say nothing of transforming the desert into a Garden of Eden. So moral and social and intellectual and political reformers may well go to Ezekiel, and learn that the 'river of the water of life,' which is to heal the barren and refresh the thirsty land, must come from below the Temple threshold.


II. Note the rapid increase of the stream.

The Prophet describes how his companion, the interpreter, measured down the stream a thousand cubits -- about a quarter of a mile -- and the waters were ankle-deep another thousand, making half a mile from the start, and the water was knee-deep. Another thousand -- or three-quarters of a mile -- and the water was waist-deep; another thousand -- about a mile in all -- and the water was unfordable, 'waters to swim in, a river that could not be passed over.' Where did the increase come from? There were no tributaries. We do not hear of any side-stream flowing into the main body. Where did the increase come from? It came from the abundant welling-up in the sanctuary. The fountain was the mother of the river -- that is to say, God's ideal for the world, for the Church, for the individual Christian, is rapid increase in their experience of the depth and the force of the stream of blessings which together make up salvation. So we come to a very sharp testing question. Will anybody tell me that the rate at which Christianity has grown for these nineteen centuries corresponds with Ezekiel's vision -- which is God's ideal? Will any Christian man say, 'My own growth in grace, and increase in the depth and fulness of the flow of the river through my spirit and my life correspond to that ideal'? A mile from the source the river is unfordable. How many miles from the source of our first experience do we stand? How many of us, instead of having 'a river that could not be passed over, waters to swim in,' have but a poor and all but stagnant feeble trickle, as shallow as or shallower than it was at first?

I was speaking a minute ago about Mongolian rivers. Australian rivers are more like some men's lives. A chain of ponds in the dry season -- nay! not even a chain, but a series, with no connecting channel of water between them. That is like a great many Christian people; they have isolated times when they feel the voice of Christ's love, and yield themselves to the powers of the world to come, and then there are long intervals, when they feel neither the one nor the other. But the picture that ought to be realised by each of us is God's ideal, which there is power in the gospel to make real in the case of every one of us, the rapid and continuous increase in the depth and in the scour of 'the river of the water of life,' that flows through our lives. Luther used to say, 'If you want to clean out a dunghill, turn the Elbe into it.' If you desire to have your hearts cleansed of all their foulness, turn the river into it. But it needs to be a progressively deepening river, or there will be no scour in the feeble trickle, and we shall not be a bit the holier or the purer for our potential and imperfect Christianity.
III. Lastly, note the effects of the stream.

These are threefold: fertility, healing, life. Fertility. In the East one condition of fertility is water. Irrigate the desert, and you make it a garden. Break down the aqueduct, and you make the granary of the world into a waste. The traveller as he goes along can tell where there is a stream of water, by the verdure along its banks. You travel along a plateau, and it is all baked and barren. You plunge into a wady, and immediately the ground is clothed with under-growth and shrubs, and the birds of the air sing among the branches. And so, says Ezekiel, wherever the river comes there springs up, as if by magic, fair trees 'on the banks thereof, whose leaf shall not fade, neither shall the fruit thereof be consumed.'

Fertility comes second, the reception of the fertilising agent comes first. It is wasted time to tinker at our characters unless we have begun with getting into our hearts the grace of God, and the new spirit that will be wrought out by diligent effort into all beauty of life and character. Ezekiel seems to be copying the first psalm, or vice versa, the Psalmist is copying Ezekiel. At any rate, there is a verbal similarity between them, in that both dwell upon the unfading leaf of the tree that grows planted by rivers of water. And our text goes further, and speaks about perennial fruitfulness month by month, all the year round. In some tropical countries you will find blossoms, buds in their earliest stage, and ripened fruit all hanging upon one laden branch. Such ought to be the Christian life -- continuously fruitful because dependent upon continual drawing into itself, by means of its roots and suckers, of the water of life by which we are fructified.

There is yet another effect of the waters -- healing. As we said, Ezekiel takes great liberties with the geography of the Holy Land, levelling it all, so his stream makes nothing of the Mount of Olives, but flows due east until it comes to the smitten gorge of the Jordan, and then turns south, down into the dull, leaden waters of the Dead Sea, which it heals. We all know how these are charged with poison. Dip up a glassful anywhere, and you find it full of deleterious matter. They are the symbol of humanity, with the sin that is in solution all through it. No chemist can eliminate it, but there is One who can. 'He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.' The pure river of the water of life will cast out from humanity the malignant components that are there, and will sweeten it all. Ay, all, and yet not all, for very solemnly the Prophet's optimism pauses, and he says that the salt marshes by the side of the sea are not healed. They are by the side of it. The healing is perfectly available for them, but they are not healed. It is possible for men to reject the influences that make for the destruction of sin and the establishment of righteousness. And although the waters are healed, there still remain the obstinate marshes with the white crystals efflorescing on their surface, and bringing salt and barrenness. You can put away the healing and remain tainted with the poison.

And then the last thought is the life-giving influence of the river. Everything lived whithersoever it went. Contrast Christendom with heathendom. Admit all the hollowness and mere nominal Christianity of large tracts of life in so-called Christian countries, and yet why is it that on the one side you find stagnation and death, and on the other side mental and manifold activity and progressiveness? I believe that the difference between 'the people that sit in darkness' and 'the people that walk in the light is that one has the light and the other has not, and activity befits the light as torpor befits the darkness.
But there is a far deeper truth than that in the figure, a truth that I would fain lay upon the hearts of all my hearers, that unless we our own selves have this water of life which comes from the Sanctuary and is brought to us by Jesus Christ, 'we are dead in trespasses and sins.' The only true life is in Christ. 'If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink. He that believeth on Me, as the Scripture hath said, out of his heart shall flow rivers of living water.'


The Holy City, New Jerusalem, is a central eschatological concept found in the Christian Bible, particularly in the Book of Revelation. It represents the ultimate fulfillment of God's promise to dwell among His people and is depicted as a place of divine perfection, glory, and eternal communion with God.




Biblical References:

The primary biblical reference to the New Jerusalem is found in Revelation 21:1-4 : "Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying: 'Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man, and He will live with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the former things have passed away.'"




Description and Characteristics:

The New Jerusalem is described as descending from heaven, signifying its divine origin and purity. It is portrayed as a bride beautifully adorned for her husband, symbolizing the intimate and covenantal relationship between God and His people. The imagery of a bride also emphasizes the holiness and sanctity of the city.

Revelation 21:10-21 provides a detailed description of the city's splendor: "And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, having the glory of God. Her radiance was like a most precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. The city had a great and high wall with twelve gates inscribed with the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south, and three on the west. The wall of the city had twelve foundations bearing the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb."

The city's dimensions are described as vast and perfect, measuring 12,000 stadia in length, width, and height, symbolizing completeness and divine order. The walls are made of jasper, and the city itself is pure gold, as clear as glass. The foundations are adorned with every kind of precious stone, and the twelve gates are twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl.




Theological Significance:

The New Jerusalem represents the culmination of God's redemptive plan and the restoration of creation. It is the place where God's presence is fully realized, and His people experience eternal life, free from sin, suffering, and death. Revelation 21:22-23 states, "But I saw no temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb."

The absence of a temple signifies that God's presence permeates the entire city, and the Lamb, Jesus Christ, is the source of its light. This highlights the intimate fellowship between God and His people, where worship is not confined to a specific location but is a continuous, all-encompassing reality.




Symbolism and Hope:

The New Jerusalem serves as a symbol of hope and encouragement for believers, assuring them of the ultimate victory of God over evil and the promise of eternal life in His presence. It is a vision of the future where God's justice, peace, and righteousness reign supreme. Revelation 22:1-5further describes the life-giving nature of the city: "Then the angel showed me a 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. On either side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit and yielding a fresh crop for each month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be within the city, and His servants will worship Him. They will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night in the city, and they will have no need for the light of a lamp or of the sun, for the Lord God will shine on them. And they will reign forever and ever."

The imagery of the river of life and the tree of life echoes the Garden of Eden, symbolizing the restoration of paradise and the abundance of life in God's presence. The healing of the nations signifies the reconciliation and unity of all peoples under God's sovereign rule.




The city had a great and high wall



Isaiah 60:18
No longer will violence be heard in your land, nor ruin or destruction within your borders. But you will name your walls Salvation and your gates Praise.

Isaiah 26:1
In that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah: We have a strong city; salvation is established as its walls and ramparts.

Psalm 48:12-13
March around Zion, encircle her, count her towers, / consider her ramparts, tour her citadels, that you may tell the next generation.


Ezekiel 48:31-35
the gates of the city will be named after the tribes of Israel. On the north side there will be three gates: the gate of Reuben, the gate of Judah, and the gate of Levi. / On the east side, which will be 4,500 cubits long, there will be three gates: the gate of Joseph, the gate of Benjamin, and the gate of Dan. / On the south side, which will be 4,500 cubits long, there will be three gates: the gate of Simeon, the gate of Issachar, and the gate of Zebulun. …

Isaiah 60:11
Your gates will always stand open; they will never be shut, day or night, so that the wealth of the nations may be brought into you, with their kings being led in procession.

Psalm 87:2
The LORD loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob.


Exodus 28:21
The twelve stones are to correspond to the names of the sons of Israel, each engraved like a seal with the name of one of the twelve tribes.

Revelation 7:4-8
And I heard the number of those who were sealed, 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel: / From the tribe of Judah 12,000 were sealed, from the tribe of Reuben 12,000, from the tribe of Gad 12,000, / from the tribe of Asher 12,000, from the tribe of Naphtali 12,000, from the tribe of Manasseh 12,000, …

Genesis 49:28
These are the tribes of Israel, twelve in all, and this was what their father said to them. He blessed them, and he blessed each one with a suitable blessing.

Genesis 3:24
So He drove out the man and stationed cherubim on the east side of the Garden of Eden, along with a whirling sword of flame to guard the way to the tree of life.

Exodus 23:20-23
Behold, I am sending an angel before you to protect you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared. / Pay attention to him and listen to his voice; do not defy him, for he will not forgive rebellion, since My Name is in him. / But if you will listen carefully to his voice and do everything I say, I will be an enemy to your enemies and a foe to your foes. …

Hebrews 1:14
Are not the angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?

Zechariah 2:5
For I will be a wall of fire around it, declares the LORD, and I will be the glory within it.’”

Hebrews 11:10
For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.

Matthew 19:28
Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, in the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on His glorious throne, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

John 10:7-9
So He said to them again, “Truly, truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. / All who came before Me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. / I am the gate. If anyone enters through Me, he will be saved. He will come in and go out and find pasture.

Revelation 21:17-20
And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty and four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel… 

Ezra 9:9
For we were bondmen; yet our God hath not forsaken us in our bondage, but hath extended mercy unto us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to give us a reviving, to set up the house of our God, and to repair the desolations thereof, and to give us a wall in Judah and in Jerusalem.

Nehemiah 12:27
And at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought the Levites out of all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem, to keep the dedication with gladness, both with thanksgivings, and with singing, with cymbals, psalteries, and with harps.

Revelation 21:21,25
And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass… 

Isaiah 54:12
And I will make thy windows of agates, and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy borders of pleasant stones.

Isaiah 60:18
Violence shall no more be heard in thy land, wasting nor destruction within thy borders; but thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, and thy gates Praise.

Matthew 18:10
Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.

Luke 15:10
Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.

Luke 16:22
And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;

Revelation 7:4-8
And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel… 

Numbers 2:2-32
Every man of the children of Israel shall pitch by his own standard, with the ensign of their father's house: far off about the tabernacle of the congregation shall they pitch… 

Acts 26:7
Unto which promise our twelve tribes, instantly serving God day and night, hope to come. For which hope's sake, king Agrippa, I am accused of the Jews.



But in keeping with God’s promise



Titus 1:2
in the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began.

Hebrews 10:23
Let us hold resolutely to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful.

Numbers 23:19
God is not a man, that He should lie, or a son of man, that He should change His mind. Does He speak and not act? Does He promise and not fulfill?

Philippians 3:20
But our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,

Galatians 5:5
But by faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the hope of righteousness.

Romans 8:25
But if we hope for what we do not yet see, we wait for it patiently.

Revelation 21:1
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.

Isaiah 65:17
For behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind.

Isaiah 66:22
“For just as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, will endure before Me,” declares the LORD, “so your descendants and your name will endure.

Psalm 37:29
The righteous will inherit the land and dwell in it forever.

Isaiah 60:21
Then all your people will be righteous; they will possess the land forever; they are the branch of My planting, the work of My hands, so that I may be glorified.

Isaiah 32:17
The work of righteousness will be peace; the service of righteousness will be quiet confidence forever.

Revelation 21:27
But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who practices an abomination or a lie, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

Revelation 22:1-5
Then the angel showed me a 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 main street of the city. On either side of the river stood a tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit and yielding a fresh crop for each month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. / No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be within the city, and His servants will worship Him. …

Romans 8:21
that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.

Matthew 5:18
For I tell you truly, until heaven and earth pass away, not a single jot, not a stroke of a pen, will disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.

Isaiah 65:17
For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.

Isaiah 66:22
For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain.

Revelation 21:1,27
And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea… 

Holy Communion
Holy Ghost
Holy Ground
Holy Land was the Burial Place of the Patriarchs
Holy Land: A Sabbath of Rest Appointed For
Holy Land: A Type of the Rest That Remains for Saints
Holy Land: Abounded in Minerals
Holy Land: All Inheritances In, Inalienable
Holy Land: Allotment of, Specified
Holy Land: Called: Glorious Land
Holy Land: Called: Good Land
Holy Land: Called: Land of Canaan
Holy Land: Called: Land of Immanuel
Holy Land: Called: Land of Israel
Holy Land: Called: Land of Judah
Holy Land: Called: Land of Promise
Holy Land: Called: Land of the Hebrews
Holy Land: Called: Palestine
Holy Land: Called: Pleasant Land
Holy Land: Called: The Land
Holy Land: Called: The Lord's Land
Holy Land: Conquered by Joshua
Holy Land: Divided by Lot
Holy Land: Divided Into: Four Provinces by the Romans
Holy Land: Divided Into: Twelve Provinces by Solomon
Holy Land: Divided Into: Two Kingdoms in the Time of Rehoboam
Holy Land: Extensive Commerce of, in Solomon's Reign
Holy Land: Extent of As at First Divided
Holy Land: Extent of As Promised
Holy Land: Extent of Under Solomon
Holy Land: Extremely Fruitful
Holy Land: Numerous Population of, in Solomon's Reign
Holy Land: Obedience the Condition of Continuing In
Holy Land: Original Inhabitants of, Expelled for Wickedness
Holy Land: Promised to Abraham
Holy Land: Promised to Given by Covenant to Israel
Holy Land: Promised to Isaac
Holy Land: Promised to Jacob
Holy Land: Prosperity of, in Solomon's Reign
Holy Land: Twelve Men Sent to Spy
Holy of Holies
Holy of Holies was Called The: Holiest of All
Holy of Holies was Called The: Holy Place
Holy of Holies was Called The: Holy Sanctuary
Holy of Holies was Called The: Most Holy Place
Holy of Holies was Called The: Oracle
Holy of Holies was Called The: Sanctuary
Holy of Holies: A Type of Heaven
Holy of Holies: Contained: A Written Copy of the Divine Law
Holy of Holies: Contained: Aaron's Rod
Holy of Holies: Contained: Ark of Testimony
Holy of Holies: Contained: Cherubim
Holy of Holies: Contained: Golden Censer
Holy of Holies: Contained: Mercy-Seat
Holy of Holies: Contained: Pot of Manna
Holy of Holies: Divided from the Outward Tabernacle by a Vail
Holy of Holies: God Appeared In
Holy of Holies: Laid Open to View at Christ's Death
Holy of Holies: Saints Have Boldness to Enter the True
Holy of Holies: The High Priest: Alone to Enter, Once a Year
Holy of Holies: The High Priest: Entered, in Ordinary Priest's Dress
Holy of Holies: The High Priest: Entered, not Without Blood of Atonement
Holy of Holies: The High Priest: Made Atonement For
Holy of Holies: The High Priest: Not to Enter, at all Times
Holy of Holies: The High Priest: Offered Incense In
Holy of Holies: The Priests Allowed to Enter, and Prepare the Holy Things For
Holy One
Holy Place
Holy Spirit
Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost
Holy Spirit: Antediluvians
Holy Spirit: General Scriptures Concerning
Holy Spirit: Inspiration of Azariah
Holy Spirit: Inspiration of Balaam
Holy Spirit: Inspiration of Bezaleel
Holy Spirit: Inspiration of Daniel
Holy Spirit: Inspiration of Elizabeth
Holy Spirit: Inspiration of Ezekiel
Holy Spirit: Inspiration of Gideon
Holy Spirit: Inspiration of Jephthah
Holy Spirit: Inspiration of Joseph
Holy Spirit: Inspiration of Joshua
Holy Spirit: Inspiration of King David
Holy Spirit: Inspiration of Othniel
Holy Spirit: Inspiration of Samson
Holy Spirit: Inspiration of Simeon
Holy Spirit: Inspiration of The Disciples
Holy Spirit: Inspiration of The Seventy Elders
Holy Spirit: Inspiration of Zacharias
Holy Spirit: Inspiration of Zechariah
Holy Spirit: Israelites
Holy Spirit: People of Sodom
Holy Spirit: Samson
Holy Spirit: Saul
Holy Spirit: Sin Against
Holy Spirit: Withdrawn from Incorrigible Sinners
Holy Week
the Comforter, Holy Spirit: The: As Such He is Known by Saints
the Comforter, Holy Spirit: The: As Such He: Abides for Ever With Saints
the Comforter, Holy Spirit: The: As Such He: Communicates Joy to Saints
the Comforter, Holy Spirit: The: As Such He: Dwells With, and in Saints
the Comforter, Holy Spirit: The: As Such He: Edifies the Church
the Comforter, Holy Spirit: The: As Such He: Imparts Hope
the Comforter, Holy Spirit: The: As Such He: Imparts the Love of God
the Comforter, Holy Spirit: The: As Such He: Teaches Saints
the Comforter, Holy Spirit: The: As Such He: Testifies of Christ
the Comforter, Holy Spirit: The: Given by Christ
the Comforter, Holy Spirit: The: Given by the Father
the Comforter, Holy Spirit: The: Given: Through Christ's Intercession
the Comforter, Holy Spirit: The: Proceeds from the Father
the Comforter, Holy Spirit: The: Sent by Christ from the Father
the Comforter, Holy Spirit: The: Sent in the Name of Christ
the Comforter, Holy Spirit: The: The World Cannot Receive
The Holy Spirit: is God: As Appointing and Sending Ministers
The Holy Spirit: is God: As Author of the New Birth
The Holy Spirit: is God: As Called God
The Holy Spirit: is God: As Comforter of the Church
The Holy Spirit: is God: As Convincing of Sin, of Righteousness, and of Judgment
The Holy Spirit: is God: As Creator
The Holy Spirit: is God: As Directing where the Gospel should be Preached
The Holy Spirit: is God: As Dwelling in Saints
The Holy Spirit: is God: As Equal To, and One With the Father
The Holy Spirit: is God: As Eternal
The Holy Spirit: is God: As Inspiring Scripture
The Holy Spirit: is God: As Jehovah
The Holy Spirit: is God: As Jehovah of Hosts
The Holy Spirit: is God: As Jehovah, Most High
The Holy Spirit: is God: As Joined With the Father and the Son in the Baptismal
The Holy Spirit: is God: As Omnipotent
The Holy Spirit: is God: As Omnipresent
The Holy Spirit: is God: As Omniscient
The Holy Spirit: is God: As Raising Christ from the Dead
The Holy Spirit: is God: As Sanctifying the Church
The Holy Spirit: is God: As Sovereign Disposer of all Things
The Holy Spirit: is God: As the Source of Miraculous Power
The Holy Spirit: is God: As the Source of Wisdom
The Holy Spirit: is God: As the Spirit of Glory and of God
The Holy Spirit: is God: As the Witness
The Holy Spirit: is God: Being Invoked As Jehovah
the Personality of Holy Spirit: He Appoints and Commissions Ministers
the Personality of Holy Spirit: He Can be Grieved
the Personality of Holy Spirit: He Can be Resisted
the Personality of Holy Spirit: He Can be Tempted
the Personality of Holy Spirit: He Can be Vexed
the Personality of Holy Spirit: He Comforts
the Personality of Holy Spirit: He Creates and Gives Life
the Personality of Holy Spirit: He Directs Ministers where not to Preach
the Personality of Holy Spirit: He Directs Ministers where to Preach
the Personality of Holy Spirit: He Dwells With Saints
the Personality of Holy Spirit: He Glorifies Christ
the Personality of Holy Spirit: He Guides
the Personality of Holy Spirit: He Has a Power of his Own
the Personality of Holy Spirit: He Helps Our Infirmities
the Personality of Holy Spirit: He Instructs Ministers What to Preach
the Personality of Holy Spirit: He Reproves
the Personality of Holy Spirit: He Sanctifies
the Personality of Holy Spirit: He Searches all Things
the Personality of Holy Spirit: He Spoke In, and By, the Prophets
the Personality of Holy Spirit: He Strives With Sinners
the Personality of Holy Spirit: He Teaches
the Personality of Holy Spirit: He Testifies of Christ
the Personality of Holy Spirit: He Works According to his own Will
the Teacher, Holy Spirit: The: As Such He: Brings the Words of Christ to Remembrance
the Teacher, Holy Spirit: The: As Such He: Directs in the Way of Godliness
the Teacher, Holy Spirit: The: As Such He: Directs the Decisions of the Church
the Teacher, Holy Spirit: The: As Such He: Enables Ministers to Teach
the Teacher, Holy Spirit: The: As Such He: Guides Into all Truth
the Teacher, Holy Spirit: The: As Such He: Reveals the Future
the Teacher, Holy Spirit: The: As Such He: Reveals the Things of Christ
the Teacher, Holy Spirit: The: As Such He: Reveals the Things of God
the Teacher, Holy Spirit: The: As Such He: Teaches Saints to Answer Persecutors
the Teacher, Holy Spirit: The: As the Spirit of Wisdom
the Teacher, Holy Spirit: The: Attend to the Instruction of
the Teacher, Holy Spirit: The: Given in Answer to Prayer
the Teacher, Holy Spirit: The: Given: To Saints
the Teacher, Holy Spirit: The: Necessity For
the Teacher, Holy Spirit: The: Promised
the Teacher, Holy Spirit: The: The Natural Man Will not Receive the Things of


​
​

and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests

and a holy nation.


’ These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel."

​

The Davidic Covenant refers to God’s promises to David through Nathan the prophet and is found in 2 Samuel 7 and later summarized in 1 Chronicles 17:11–14 and 2 Chronicles 6:16. This is an unconditional covenant made between God and David through which God promises David and Israel that the Messiah (Jesus Christ) would come from the lineage of David and the tribe of Judah and would establish a kingdom that would endure forever. The Davidic Covenant is unconditional because God does not place any conditions of obedience upon its fulfillment. The surety of the promises made rests solely on God’s faithfulness and does not depend at all on David or Israel’s obedience.


The Davidic Covenant centers on several key promises that are made to David. First, God reaffirms the promise of the land that He made in the first two covenants with Israel (the Abrahamic and Mosaic Covenants). This promise is seen in 2 Samuel 7:10, “I will provide a place for my people Israel and will plant them so that they can have a home of their own and no longer be disturbed. Wicked people will not oppress them anymore.” God then promises that David’s son will succeed him as king of Israel and that this son (Solomon) would build the temple. This promise is seen in 2 Samuel 7:12–13, " I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, your own flesh and blood, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for my Name.”

But then the promise continues and expands: “I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever” (verse 13), and “Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever” (verse 16). What began as a promise that David’s son Solomon would be blessed and build the temple turns into something different—the promise of an everlasting kingdom. Another Son of David would rule forever and build a lasting House. This is a reference to the Messiah, Jesus Christ, called the Son of David in Matthew 21:9.

The promise that David’s “house,” “kingdom,” and “throne” will be established forever is significant because it shows that the Messiah will come from the lineage of David and that He will establish a kingdom from which He will reign. The covenant is summarized by the words “house,” promising a dynasty in the lineage of David; “kingdom,” referring to a people who are governed by a king; “throne,” emphasizing the authority of the king’s rule; and “forever,” emphasizing the eternal and unconditional nature of this promise to David and Israel.

Other references to the Davidic Covenant are found in Jeremiah 23:5; 30:9; Isaiah 9:7; 11:1; Luke 1:32, 69; Acts 13:34; and Revelation 3:7.



​By its light the nations will walk

Isaiah 60:3
Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.

Isaiah 2:5
Come, O house of Jacob, let us walk in the light of the LORD.

John 8:12
Once again, Jesus spoke to the people and said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life.”

and into it the kings of the earth will bring their glory

Isaiah 60:11
Your gates will always stand open; they will never be shut, day or night, so that the wealth of the nations may be brought into you, with their kings being led in procession.

Psalm 68:29
Because of Your temple at Jerusalem kings will bring You gifts.

Psalm 72:10-11
May the kings of Tarshish and distant shores bring tribute; may the kings of Sheba and Seba offer gifts. / May all kings bow down to him and all nations serve him.

Isaiah 60:5
Then you will look and be radiant, and your heart will tremble and swell with joy, because the riches of the sea will be brought to you, and the wealth of the nations will come to you.

Isaiah 60:16
You will drink the milk of nations and nurse at the breasts of royalty; you will know that I, the LORD, am your Savior and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.

Isaiah 2:2-3
In the last days the mountain of the house of the LORD will be established as the chief of the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and all nations will stream to it. / And many peoples will come and say: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us His ways so that we may walk in His paths.” For the law will go forth from Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

Zechariah 14:16
Then all the survivors from the nations that came against Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship the King, the LORD of Hosts, and to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles.

Psalm 86:9
All the nations You have made will come and bow before You, O Lord, and they will glorify Your name.

Isaiah 49:6
He says: “It is not enough for You to be My Servant, to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the protected ones of Israel. I will also make You a light for the nations, to bring My salvation to the ends of the earth.”

Isaiah 66:12
For this is what the LORD says: “I will extend peace to her like a river, and the wealth of nations like a flowing stream; you will nurse and be carried on her arm, and bounced upon her knees.

Isaiah 66:18
“And I, knowing their deeds and thoughts, am coming to gather all nations and tongues, and they will come and see My glory.

Matthew 2:1-2
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, / asking, “Where is the One who has been born King of the Jews? We saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.”

Matthew 8:11
I say to you that many will come from the east and the west to share the banquet with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.

Revelation 22:2
In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner offruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

Deuteronomy 32:43
Rejoice, O ye nations, with his people: for he will avenge the blood of his servants, and will render vengeance to his adversaries, and will be merciful unto his land, and to his people.

Psalm 22:27
All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the LORD: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee.
walk.

Isaiah 2:5
O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the LORD.
the kings.

​Psalm 72:10,11
The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents: the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts… 

Isaiah 60:3-10,13
And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising… 

Isaiah 66:11,12
That ye may suck, and be satisfied with the breasts of her consolations; that ye may milk out, and be delighted with the abundance of her glory…


​

 John 7 

Jesus Teaches at the Feast



1After this, Jesus traveled throughout Galilee. He did not want to travel in Judea, because the Jews there were trying to kill Him. 2However, the Jewish Feast of Tabernaclesa was near. 3So Jesus’ brothers said to Him, “Leave here and go to Judea, so that Your disciples there may see the works You are doing. 4For no one who wants to be known publicly acts in secret. Since You are doing these things, show Yourself to the world.” 5For even His own brothers did not believe in Him.

6Therefore Jesus told them, “Although your time is always at hand, My time has not yet come. 7The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me, because I testify that its works are evil. 8Go up to the feast on your own. I am notb going up to this feast, because My time has not yet come.”

9Having said this, Jesus remained in Galilee. 10But after His brothers had gone up to the feast, He also went—not publicly, but in secret.

11So the Jews were looking for Him at the feast and asking, “Where is He?”
12Many in the crowds were whispering about Him. Some said, “He is a good man.”
But others replied, “No, He deceives the people.”

13Yet no one would speak publicly about Him for fear of the Jews.

14About halfway through the feast, Jesus went up to the temple courtsc and began to teach. 15The Jews were amazed and asked, “How did this man attain such learning without having studied?”

16“My teaching is not My own,” Jesus replied. “It comes from Him who sent Me. 17If anyone desires to do His will, he will know whether My teaching is from God or whether I speak on My own. 18He who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory, but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is a man of truth; in Him there is no falsehood. 19Has not Moses given you the law? Yet not one of you keeps it. Why are you trying to kill Me?”

20“You have a demon,” the crowd replied. “Who is trying to kill You?”

21Jesus answered them, “I did one miracle, and you are all amazed. 22But because Moses gave you circumcision, you circumcise a boy on the Sabbath (not that it is from Moses, but from the patriarchs.) 23If a boy can be circumcised on the Sabbath so that the law of Moses will not be broken, why are you angry with Me for making the whole man well on the Sabbath? 24Stop judging by outward appearances, and start judging justly.”





Is Jesus the Christ?

25Then some of the people of Jerusalem began to say, “Isn’t this the man they are trying to kill? 26Yet here He is, speaking publicly, and they are not saying anything to Him. Have the rulers truly recognized that this is the Christ? 27But we know where this man is from. When the Christ comes, no one will know where He is from.”
28Then Jesus, still teaching in the temple courts, cried out, “You know Me, and you know where I am from. I have not come of My own accord, but He who sent Me is true. You do not know Him, 29but I know Him, because I am from Him and He sent Me.”

30So they tried to seize Him, but no one laid a hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come. 31Many in the crowd, however, believed in Him and said, “When the Christ comes, will He perform more signs than this man?”

32When the Pharisees heard the crowd whispering these things about Jesus, they and the chief priests sent officers to arrest Him. 33So Jesus said, “I am with you only a little while longer, and then I am going to the One who sent Me. 34You will look for Me, but you will not find Me; and where I am, you cannot come.”
35At this, the Jews said to one another, “Where does He intend to go that we will not find Him? Will He go where the Jews are dispersed among the Greeks,d and teach the Greeks? 36What does He mean by saying, ‘You will look for Me, but you will not find Me,’ and, ‘Where I am, you cannot come’?”





Living Water


37On the last and greatest day of the feast, Jesus stood up and called out in a loud voice, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. 38Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said: ‘Streams of living water will flow from within him.’ ” 39He was speaking about the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were later to receive. For the Spirit had not yet been given,e because Jesus had not yet been glorified.





Division over Jesus

40On hearing these words, some of the people said, “This is truly the Prophet.”
41Others declared, “This is the Christ.”

But still others asked, “How can the Christ come from Galilee? 42Doesn’t the Scripture say that the Christ will come from the line of David and from Bethlehem, the village where David lived?f”
43So there was division in the crowd because of Jesus. 44Some of them wanted to seize Him, but no one laid a hand on Him.




The Unbelief of the Jewish Leaders

45Then the officers returned to the chief priests and Pharisees, who asked them, “Why didn’t you bring Him in?”
46“Never has anyone spoken like this man!” the officers answered.

47“Have you also been deceived?” replied the Pharisees. 48“Have any of the rulers or Pharisees believed in Him? 49But this crowd that does not know the law, they are under a curse.”

50Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus earlier and who himself was one of them, asked, 51“Does our law convict a man without first hearing from him to determine what he has done?”

52“Aren’t you also from Galilee?” they replied. “Look into it, and you will see that no prophet comes out of Galilee.”


53Then each went to his own home.






2 a That is, Sukkot, the autumn feast of pilgrimage to Jerusalem; also translated as the Feast of Booths  or the Feast of Shelters  and originally called the Feast of Ingathering 


 (see Exodus 23:16 and Exodus 34:22).


​
8 b NE, WH, BYZ, and TR I am not yet 

14 c Literally the temple ; also in verse 28


35 d Literally 

Will He go to the Diaspora among

the Greeks ;

the Jewish people living outside the land of Israel since the Babylonian exile were referred to as the Diaspora .

39 e Literally the Spirit was not yet ; BYZ and TR the Holy Spirit was not yet 

42 f See Micah 5:2.

52 g Early manuscripts do not include John 7:53 through John 8:11.




​Mary was chosen by God and received his grace, which is defined as unmerited favor rather than her own inherent righteousness. While often termed "full of grace" (or "highly favored"), she is viewed as a recipient of God’s grace who needed a savior, chosen to bring the Messiah into the world. 



 Mary's "Gift of Grace"

• "Highly Favored" vs. "Full of Grace": The Greek phrase kecharitomene in Luke 1:28 indicates Mary was the recipient of a special, completed action of grace by God. While often debated, this indicates she was profoundly blessed.
• A Need for a Savior: GotQuestions.org highlights that Mary required God’s grace for her own salvation, just as all human beings do.
• Purpose of Grace: She was chosen because of her lineage and righteousness, enabling her to fulfill the prophecy of bringing the Messiah into the world.
• Her Role: Mary was a faithful, obedient servant, as shown by her request at the wedding of Cana, where she trusted Jesus to act

The Virgin Mary is revered in Catholic theology as the "Mother of Divine Grace" because she bore Jesus Christ, the source of all grace. As a consequence of this unique grace-filled existence (the Immaculate Conception) and her role in redemption, she was assumed body and soul into heaven, where she serves as a loving intercessor. 




Key Aspects of Mary, Grace, and Heaven:


Mother of Divine Grace: Mary is called Mother of Divine Grace because she brought the "Author of Grace" (Jesus) into the world. She is seen as the Mother of sanctifying grace and the Mother of all believers in the order of grace.

"Full of Grace": Mary was prepared by God to be a perfect dwelling place for His Son, possessing unparalleled purity and faith from the beginning of her existence.

Assumption into Heaven: The dogma of the Assumption states that at the end of her earthly life, Mary was taken up, body and soul, into heaven. This event is celebrated as a "feast of hope" and a victory of God's grace.

• 
  
• Intercession and Motherhood: From heaven, Mary acts as a "Merciful Queen" and mother, bringing prayers to her Son and providing tender assistance to humanity. 

​
Titles and Roles in Heaven:


Gate of Heaven: Mary is considered the "Gate of Heaven" because she brings believers closer to Jesus, holding Him for others just as she did in Bethlehem.


Queen of Heaven: Recognized in Revelation 12 as the "woman clothed with the sun," she is viewed as the exalted Queen, assisting in the spiritual life of believers.​

The Bible calls believers to live lives of purity and self-control. In 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5 , it is written, "For it is God’s will that you should be holy: You must abstain from sexual immorality; each of you must know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in lustful passion like the Gentiles who do not know God." This passage encourages individuals to manage their feelings and attractions in a way that honors God and respects the dignity of others.

When considering a crush, it is important to evaluate the intentions behind the feelings. The Bible encourages relationships that are rooted in mutual respect and a shared commitment to faith. In 2 Corinthians 6:14 , believers are advised, "Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership can righteousness have with wickedness? Or what fellowship does light have with darkness?" This verse highlights the importance of forming relationships with those who share similar values and beliefs.

James 1:5 states, "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him." In dealing with feelings of attraction, believers are encouraged to seek God's wisdom and guidance. Prayer and reflection can provide clarity and help individuals discern the appropriate course of action regarding their feelings.

While the Bible does not directly address the modern concept of a crush, it offers timeless principles on love, purity, and relationships. By aligning one's feelings and actions with biblical teachings, individuals can navigate their attractions in a way that honors God and respects others.

break, bruise, oppress, or trample, frequently used in the context of divine judgment, oppression of the poor, or prophetic suffering. Key passages include Psalm 68:21 (God crushing enemies), Isaiah 53:5 (the Messiah crushed for iniquities), and Lamentations 3:34.

• Divine Judgment and Power: God crushes the heads of enemies (Psalm 68:21) or uses nations like iron to crush others (Daniel 2:40).
• Oppression of the Weak: God condemns those who "crush" His people and grind the faces of the poor (Isaiah 3:15,).
• Sacrificial Suffering: Isaiah 53:5/53:10 describes the Messiah being "crushed" by the Lord for the iniquities of others, leading to redemption.
• Brokenness and Contrition: The term refers to being physically broken, but also carries a figurative sense of being crushed in spirit or contrition. 
• Genesis 3:15: The prophecy of the seed of the woman crushing the serpent's head.
• Psalm 110:6: "He will judge the nations, heaping up the dead; He will crush the leaders far and wide".
• Isaiah 53:5: "But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities...".
• Job 9:17: "He, who crusheth me with a tempest, and multiplieth my wounds without cause".
• Matthew 21:44: Jesus warns that those who fall on the stone will be "broken to pieces," a prophecy of judgment. 
  

(Genesis 7:1–24; Jude 1:17–23)


1Beloved, this is now my second letter to you. Both of them are reminders to stir you to wholesome thinking 2by recalling what was foretold by the holy prophets and commanded by our Lord and Savior through your apostles.

3Most importantly, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires.a 4“Where is the promise of His coming?” they will ask. “Ever since our fathers fell asleep, everything continues as it has from the beginning of creation.”

5But they deliberately overlook the fact that long ago by God’s word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water, 6through whichb the world of that time perished in the flood. 7And by that same word, the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.




The Day of the Lord

(Zephaniah 1:7–18; Malachi 4:1–6; 1 Thessalonians 5:1–11)


8Beloved, do not let this one thing escape your notice: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.c 9The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise as some understand slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance.

10But the Day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar, the elements will be destroyedd by fire, and the earth and its works will be laid bare.

11Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to conduct yourselves in holiness and godliness 12as you anticipate and hasten the coming of the day of God, when the heavens will be destroyed by fire and the elements will melt in the heat. 13But in keeping with God’s promise, we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.



Final Exhortations

14Therefore, beloved, as you anticipate these things, make every effort to be found at peace—spotless and blameless in His sight.

15Consider also that our Lord’s patience brings salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom God gave him. 16He writes this way in all his letters,g speaking in them about such matters. Some parts of his letters are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort,h as they do the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction.

17Therefore, beloved, since you already know these things, be on your guard so that you will not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure standing. 18But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. 
Amen.i





Zechariah 14 


The Destroyers of Jerusalem Destroyed


1Behold, a day of the LORD is coming when your plunder will be divided in your presence. 2For I will gather all the nations for battle against Jerusalem, and the city will be captured, the houses looted, and the women ravished. Half of the city will go into exile, but the rest of the people will not be removed from the city.

3Then the LORD will go out to fight against those nations, as He fights in the day of battle. 4On that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half the mountain moving to the north and half to the south.5You will flee by My mountain valley, for it will extend to Azal. You will flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the LORD my God will come, and all the holy ones with Him.

6On that day there will be no light, no cold or frost. 7It will be a unique day known only to the LORD, without day or night; but when evening comes, there will be light.

8And on that day living water will flow out from Jerusalem, half of it toward the Eastern Seab and the other half toward the Western Sea,c in summer and winter alike. 9On that day the LORD will become King over all the earth—the LORD alone, and His name alone.

10All the land from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem will be turned into a plain, but Jerusalem will be raised up and will remain in her place, from the Benjamin Gate to the site of the First Gate to the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the royal winepresses. 11People will live there, and never again will there be an utter destruction. So Jerusalem will dwell securely.

12And this will be the plague with which the LORD strikes all the peoples who have warred against Jerusalem: Their flesh will rot while they stand on their feet, their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongues will rot in their mouths.

13On that day a great panic from the LORD will come upon them, so that each will seize the hand of another, and the hand of one will rise against the other. 14Judah will also fight at Jerusalem, and the wealth of all the surrounding nations will be collected—gold, silver, and apparel in great abundance. 15And a similar plague will strike the horses and mules, camels and donkeys, and all the animals in those camps.





(Leviticus 23:33–44; Nehemiah 8:13–18)


16Then all the survivors from the nations that came against Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship the King, the LORD of Hosts, and to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles.d 17And should any of the families of the earth not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of Hosts, then the rain will not fall on them. 18And if the people of Egypt will not go up and enter in, then the rain will not fall on them; this will be the plague with which the LORD strikes the nations who do not go up to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. 19This will be the punishment of Egypt and of all the nations that do not go up to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles.
20On that day, HOLY TO THE LORDe will be inscribed on the bells of the horses, and the cooking pots in the house of the LORD will be like the sprinkling bowls before the altar. 21Indeed, every pot in Jerusalem and Judah will be holy to the LORD of Hosts, and all who sacrifice will come and take some pots and cook in them. And on that day there will no longer be a Canaanitef in the house of the LORD of Hosts.

Pentecost is reminiscent of the Last Supper; in both instances the disciples are together in a house for what proves to be an important event. At the Last Supper the disciples witness the end of the Messiah’s earthly ministry as He asks them to remember Him after His death until He returns. At Pentecost, the disciples witness the birth of the New Testament church in the coming of the Holy Spirit to indwell all believers. Thus the scene of the disciples in a room at Pentecost links the commencement of the Holy Spirit’s work in the church with the conclusion of Christ’s earthly ministry in the upper room before the crucifixion.

The description of fire and wind mentioned in the Pentecost account resounds throughout the Old and the New Testament. The sound of the wind at Pentecost was “rushing” and “mighty.” Scriptural references to the power of wind (always understood to be under God’s control) abound. Exodus 10:13; Psalm 18:42 and Isaiah 11:15 in the Old Testament and Matthew 14:23–32 in the New Testament are only a few examples. More significant than wind as power is wind as life in the Old Testament (Job 12:10) and as spirit in the New (John 3:8). Just as the first Adam received the breath of physical life (Genesis 2:7), so the last Adam, Jesus, brings the breath of spiritual life. The idea of spiritual life as generated by the Holy Spirit is certainly implicit in the sound of the wind at Pentecost.

Fire is often associated in the Old Testament with the presence of God (Exodus 3:2; 13:21–22; 24:17; Isaiah 10:17) and with His holiness (Psalm 97:3; Malachi 3:2). Likewise, in the New Testament, fire is associated with the presence of God (Hebrews 12:29) and the purification He can bring about in human life (Revelation 3:18). God’s presence and holiness are implied in the Pentecostal tongues of fire. Indeed, fire is identified with Christ Himself (Revelation 1:14; 19:12); this association naturally underlies the Pentecost gift of the Holy Spirit, who would teach the disciples the things of Christ (John 16:14).

Another aspect of the Day of Pentecost is the miraculous speaking in foreign tongues which enabled people from various language groups to understand the message of the apostles


​
Zechariah 13:1
“On that day a fountain will be opened to the house of David and the people of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and impurity.

Isaiah 25:9
And in that day it will be said, “Surely this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He has saved us. This is the LORD for whom we have waited. Let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation.”

Isaiah 12:1
In that day you will say: “O LORD, I will praise You. Although You were angry with me, Your anger has turned away, and You have comforted me.

living water will flow out from Jerusalem

Ezekiel 47:1-2
Then the man brought me back to the entrance of the temple, and I saw water flowing from under the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced east). The water was coming down from under the south side of the temple, south of the altar. / Next he brought me out through the north gate and led me around the outside to the outer gate facing east, and there I saw the water trickling out from the south side.

John 7:38-39
Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said: ‘Streams of living water will flow from within him.’” / He was speaking about the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were later to receive. For the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet been glorified.

Revelation 22:1-2
Then the angel showed me a 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 main street of the city. On either side of the river stood a tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit and yielding a fresh crop for each month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.

half of it toward the Eastern Sea

Ezekiel 47:8-9
And he said to me, “This water flows out to the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah. When it empties into the Dead Sea, the water there becomes fresh. / Wherever the river flows, there will be swarms of living creatures and a great number of fish, because it flows there and makes the waters fresh; so wherever the river flows, everything will flourish.

Joel 3:18
And in that day the mountains will drip with sweet wine, and the hills will flow with milk. All the streams of Judah will run with water, and a spring will flow from the house of the LORD to water the Valley of Acacias.

Genesis 2:10-14
Now a river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and from there it branched into four headwaters: / The name of the first river is the Pishon; it winds through the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. / And the gold of that land is pure, and bdellium and onyx are found there. …

and the other half toward the Western Sea,

Deuteronomy 11:24
Every place where the sole of your foot treads will be yours. Your territory will extend from the wilderness to Lebanon, and from the Euphrates River to the Western Sea.

Joshua 1:4
Your territory shall extend from the wilderness and Lebanon to the great River Euphrates—all the land of the Hittites—and west as far as the Great Sea.

Numbers 34:6
Your western border will be the coastline of the Great Sea; this will be your boundary on the west.

in summer and winter alike.

Genesis 8:22
As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night shall never cease.”

Psalm 74:17
You set all the boundaries of the earth; You made the summer and winter.

Psalm 104:19
He made the moon to mark the seasons; the sun knows when to set.

Revelation 21:6
And He told me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give freely from the spring of the water of life.

Ezekiel 47:1-12
Afterward he brought me again unto the door of the house; and, behold, waters issued out from under the threshold of the house eastward: for the forefront of the house stood toward the east, and the waters came down from under from the right side of the house, at the south sideof the altar… 

Joel 3:18
And it shall come to pass in that day, that the mountains shall drop down new wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the rivers of Judah shall flow with waters, and a fountain shall come forth of the house of the LORD, and shall water the valley of Shittim.

Luke 24:47
And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.

Joel 2:20
But I will remove far off from you the northern army, and will drive him into a land barren and desolate, with his face toward the east sea, and his hinder part toward the utmost sea, and his stink shall come up, and his ill savour shall come up, because he hath done great things.

Isaiah 35:7
And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water: in the habitation of dragons, where each lay, shall be grass with reeds and rushes.

Isaiah 41:17,18
When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue faileth for thirst, I the LORD will hear them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them… 

Isaiah 49:10
They shall not hunger nor thirst; neither shall the heat nor sun smite them: for he that hath mercy on them shall lead them, even by the springs of water shall he guide them.


Salvation by grace through faith is at the heart of the Christian religion. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8–9). The statement has three parts— salvation, grace, and faith—and they are equally important. The three together constitute a basic tenet of Christianity.

The word salvation is defined as “the act of being delivered, redeemed, or rescued.” The Bible tells us that, since the fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, each person is born in sin inherited from Adam: “Sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned” (Romans 5:12). Sin is what causes all of us to die. Sin separates us from God, and sin destines each person to eternal separation from Him in hell. What each of us needs is to be delivered from that fate. In other words, we need salvation from sin and its penalty.

How are we saved from sin? Most religions throughout history have taught that salvation is achieved by good works. Others teach that acts of contrition (saying we are sorry) along with living a moral life is the way to atone for our sin. Sorrow over sin is certainly valuable and necessary, but that alone will not save us from sin. We may repent of our sins, also valuable and necessary, and determine to never sin again, but salvation is not the result of good intentions. The road to hell, as the saying goes, is paved with good intentions. We may fill our lives with good works, but even one sin makes us a sinner in practice, and we are already sinners by nature. No matter how well-intentioned or “good” we may be, the fact is that we simply do not have the power or the goodness to overcome the sin nature we have inherited from Adam. We need something more powerful, and this is where grace comes in.

The grace of God is His undeserved favor bestowed on those He has called to salvation through His love (Ephesians 2:4–5). It is His grace that saves us from sin. We are “justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:24). Being justified, we are vindicated and determined to be sinless in the eyes of God. Our sin no longer separates us from Him and no longer sentences us to hell. Grace is not earned by any effort on our part; otherwise, it could not be called grace. Grace is free. If our good works earned salvation, then God would be obligated to pay us our due. But no one can earn heaven, and God’s blessings are not His obligation; they flow from His goodness and love. No matter how diligently we pursue works to earn God’s favor, we will fail. Our sin trips us up every time. “By the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight” (Romans 3:20, NKJV).

The means God has chosen to bestow His grace upon us is through faith. “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see” (Hebrews 11:1). Salvation is obtained by faith in God’s Son, Jesus Christ, in what He has done—specifically, His death on the cross and His resurrection. But even faith is not something we generate on our own. Faith, as well as grace, is the gift of God (Ephesians 2:8). He bestows saving faith and saving grace upon us in order to redeem us from sin and deliver us from its consequences. So God saves us by His grace through the faith He gives us. Both grace and faith are gifts. “Salvation belongs to the LORD” (Psalm 3:8, ESV).

By grace, we receive the faith that enables us to believe that He has sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross and provide the salvation we cannot achieve on our own. Jesus, as God in flesh, is the “author and perfecter of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2). Just like the author of a book creates it from scratch, Jesus Christ wrote the story of our redemption from beginning to end. “For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves” (Ephesians 1:4–6). The Lord died for our sins and rose for our justification, and He forgives, freely and fully, those who accept His gift of grace in Christ—and that acceptance comes through faith. This is the meaning of salvation by grace through faith.
​
​

Jeremiah 8:15
We hoped for peace, but no good has come, for a time of healing, but there was only terror.

Jeremiah 14:19
Have You rejected Judah completely? Do You despise Zion? Why have You stricken us so that we are beyond healing? We hoped for peace, but no good has come, and for the time of healing, but there was only terror.

Psalm 27:13
Still I am certain to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.
evil came;

Job 3:25
For the thing I feared has overtaken me, and what I dreaded has befallen me.

Proverbs 1:27
when your dread comes like a storm, and your destruction like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish overwhelm you.

1 Thessalonians 5:3
While people are saying, “Peace and security,” destruction will come upon them suddenly, like labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.

Isaiah 59:9
Therefore justice is far from us, and righteousness does not reach us. We hope for light, but there is darkness; for brightness, but we walk in gloom.

Jeremiah 13:16
Give glory to the LORD your God before He brings darkness, before your feet stumble on the dusky mountains. You wait for light, but He turns it into deep gloom and thick darkness.

Amos 5:18
Woe to you who long for the Day of the LORD! What will the Day of the LORD be for you? It will be darkness and not light.


Psalm 105:28
He sent darkness, and it became dark—yet they defied His words.

Exodus 10:21-23
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, so that darkness may spread over the land of Egypt—a palpable darkness.” / So Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and total darkness covered all the land of Egypt for three days. / No one could see anyone else, and for three days no one left his place. Yet all the Israelites had light in their dwellings.

Isaiah 5:30
In that day they will roar over it, like the roaring of the sea. If one looks over the land, he will see darkness and distress; even the light will be obscured by clouds.

Psalm 22:1-2
For the choirmaster. To the tune of “The Doe of the Dawn.” A Psalm of David. My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? Why are You so far from saving me, so far from my words of groaning? / I cry out by day, O my God, but You do not answer, and by night, but I have no rest.

Lamentations 3:17-20
My soul has been deprived of peace; I have forgotten what prosperity is. / So I say, “My strength has perished, along with my hope from the LORD.” / Remember my affliction and wandering, the wormwood and the gall. …

Micah 1:12
For the dwellers of Maroth pined for good, but calamity came down from the LORD, even to the gate of Jerusalem.

Habakkuk 1:2-4
How long, O LORD, must I call for help but You do not hear, or cry out to You, “Violence!” but You do not save? / Why do You make me see iniquity? Why do You tolerate wrongdoing? Destruction and violence are before me. Strife is ongoing, and conflict abounds. / Therefore the law is paralyzed, and justice never goes forth. For the wicked hem in the righteous, so that justice is perverted.

Job 3:25,26
For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me… 

Job 29:18
Then I said, I shall die in my nest, and I shall multiply my days as the sand.

Jeremiah 8:15
We looked for peace, but no good came; and for a time of health, and behold trouble!

Job 18:6,18
The light shall be dark in his tabernacle, and his candle shall be put out with him… 

Job 23:17
Because I was not cut off before the darkness, neither hath he covered the darkness from my face.

Psalm 97:11
Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart.

​

Jude 1:9 refers to an event that is found nowhere else in Scripture. Michael the archangel had to struggle or dispute with Satan about the body of Moses. What that entailed and why it happened are not described. Was it an argument over possession of the body, the burial of the body, or something else?


A different angelic struggle is found in the book of Daniel. An angelic being rouses Daniel from a deep sleep (Daniel 10:7–11). The heavenly messenger tells Daniel that he was “resisted” by an entity called “the prince of the Persian kingdom” and that after twenty-one days, the archangel Michael came to the first angel’s assistance (Daniel 10:13), allowing the angel to bring Daniel the message God wanted him to hear. So, we learn from Daniel that angels and demons fight spiritual battles and that the demons resist God’s holy angels and try to prevent them from doing God’s bidding.

Jude tells us that Michael the archangel contested Satan himself. Michael had been sent by God to deal in some way with the body of Moses. For the circumstances regarding Moses’ death, see Deuteronomy 34:1–8.

Various theories have been put forth as to what this struggle over Moses’ body was about. One is that Satan, ever the accuser of God’s people (Revelation 12:10), may have resisted the raising of Moses to eternal life on the grounds of Moses’ sin at Meribah (Deuteronomy 32:51) and his murder of the Egyptian (Exodus 2:12).

Some have supposed that Jude’s reference is to the same event recorded in Zechariah 3:1–2: “Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right side to accuse him. The Lord said to Satan, ‘The Lord rebuke you, Satan!’” But the only similarity between the two passages is the expression, “The Lord rebuke you.” Also, the name Michael does not occur in the passage in Zechariah, and there is no mention of the body of Moses.

Some surmise that Jude is quoting a non-canonical book that contained this account and that Jude means to confirm that the account is true. Origen (c. 185–254), an early Christian scholar and theologian, mentions a book called the Assumption of Moses as extant in his time, containing this very account of the contest between Michael and the devil. That book, now lost, is what Origen supposed was the source of the account in Jude.

The only material question, then, is whether the story of Michael’s dispute with the devil is “true.” Jude seems to refer to the confrontation as factual. He speaks of it the same way he would have spoken of the death of Moses or his smiting the rock. And, of course, no one can prove that it is not true. There are many allusions to angels in the Bible. The archangel Michael is real, and the devil is mentioned frequently in Scripture. There are numerous biblical affirmations of the existence of both bad and good angels, and some of their work on earth is detailed. Concerning the dispute over Moses’ body, the nature and purpose of the incident is wholly unknown, making conjecture useless.

Jude 1:9 provides an example of how Christians are to deal with Satan and his demons. Michael’s refusing to pronounce a curse upon Satan should be a lesson to Christians in how to relate to demonic forces. Believers are to seek the Lord’s intervening power against the forces of darkness. If a being as powerful as Michael deferred to the Lord in dealing with Satan, who are we to attempt to reproach, insult, or command demons in our own strength?

This theme is addressed in various passages, warning against the distortion of moral values and the consequences of such actions.





Biblical References

One of the most direct references to this concept is found in the book of Isaiah. The prophet Isaiah warns against those who pervert moral standards: "Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who turn darkness to light and light to darkness, who replace bitter with sweet and sweet with bitter" (Isaiah 5:20). This verse highlights the danger of moral inversion, where individuals or societies redefine what is inherently wrong as right, and vice versa.

In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul addresses similar concerns. In his letter to the Romans, he speaks of those who, "although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these things but also approve of those who practice them" (Romans 1:32). Here, Paul emphasizes the culpability of not only engaging in sinful behavior but also endorsing or approving it.




Moral and Spiritual Implications

The act of calling the bad good is often linked to a rejection of divine truth and an embrace of human wisdom over God's commandments. This inversion of values is seen as a symptom of a deeper spiritual malaise, where individuals or societies have turned away from God. The Bible consistently portrays this as a grave error with serious consequences, both in this life and in the hereafter.

The book of Proverbs also addresses the folly of such moral confusion: "He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous are both alike an abomination to the LORD" (Proverbs 17:15). This verse underscores the importance of maintaining clear moral distinctions and the divine disapproval of those who blur these lines.







Historical and Cultural Context

Throughout biblical history, the Israelites faced numerous challenges in maintaining their covenantal relationship with God, often succumbing to the surrounding cultures' practices and values. The prophets frequently called the people back to a true understanding of good and evil, urging them to adhere to God's laws rather than the shifting moral standards of their neighbors.

In the New Testament era, the early church also confronted various heresies and false teachings that threatened to distort the gospel message. The apostles and early church leaders were vigilant in preserving the truth of the gospel and warning against those who would lead believers astray by redefining sin and righteousness.




Contemporary Relevance

The theme of calling the bad good remains relevant in contemporary discussions about morality and ethics. In a world where moral relativism is prevalent, the biblical warnings serve as a reminder of the importance of adhering to absolute moral truths as revealed in Scripture. Believers are called to discernment, ensuring that their values align with God's standards rather than the ever-changing norms of society.

The Bible encourages believers to be "salt and light" in the world (Matthew 5:13-16), upholding truth and righteousness in their personal lives and communities. This involves a commitment to recognizing and resisting the temptation to redefine sin and righteousness according to personal or cultural preferences.




Matthew 7:18

A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.



Corinthians 15:33

Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.

​



​

​

​


​Matthew 21:44
He who falls on this stone will be severely hurt; but he on whom it falls will be utterly crushed." 

Mark 3:9
So He gave directions to His disciples to keep a small boat in constant attendance on Him because of the throng--to prevent their crushing 

Luke 8:45
And Jesus said, Who is it that touched me? And when all denied, Peter said, and they that were with him, Master, the multitudes press thee and crush 'thee'.

Luke 20:18
Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, but it will crush whomever it falls on to dust."

Romans 16:20
And the God of peace will quickly crushSatan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. 

Genesis 3:15
And there will be war between you and the woman and between your seed and her seed: by him will your head be crushed and by you his foot will be wounded. 

Exodus 15:6
Thy right hand, O Jehovah, Is become honourable in power; Thy right hand, O Jehovah, Doth crush an enemy.

Exodus 22:21
And a sojourner thou dost not oppress, nor crush him, for sojourners ye have been in the land of Egypt.

Numbers 24:8
God brings him out of Egypt. He has as it were the strength of the wild ox. He shall eat up the nations his adversaries, shall break their bones in pieces, and pierce them with his arrows.

Numbers 24:17
I see him, but not now. I see him, but not near. A star will come out of Jacob. A scepter will rise out of Israel, and shall strike through the corners of Moab, and break down all the sons of Sheth.


Deuteronomy 33:11
Bless, Jehovah, his substance! And let the work of his hands please thee; Crush the loins of his adversaries, And of them that hate him, that they may never rise again!

Joshua 10:10
and Jehovah doth crush them before Israel, and it smiteth them -- a great smiting -- at Gibeon, and pursueth them the way of the ascent of Beth-Horon, and smiteth them unto Azekah, and unto Makkedah.

Judges 10:8
And they oppressed and crushed the children of Israel that year; eighteen years oppressed they all the children of Israel that were beyond the Jordan in the land of the Amorites, which is in Gilead.

2 Samuel 22:30
For by you, I run against a troop. By my God, I leap over a wall.

2 Samuel 22:43
Then I beat them as small as the dust of the earth. I crushed them as the mire of the streets, and spread them abroad.

Esther 9:24
because Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite, adversary of all the Jews, had devised concerning the Jews to destroy them, and had caused to fall Pur -- that 'is' the lot -- to crush them and to destroy them;

Job 6:9
even that it would please God to crushme; that he would let loose his hand, and cut me off!

Job 19:2
"How long will you torment me, and crush me with words?

Job 39:15
and forgets that the foot may crushthem, or that the wild animal may trample them.

Job 40:12
Look at everyone who is proud, and humble him. Crush the wicked in their place.

Psalms 2:9
Thou dost rule them with a sceptre of iron, As a vessel of a potter Thou dost crush them.'

Psalms 18:29
For by you, I advance through a troop. By my God, I leap over a wall.

Psalms 68:21
The heads of the haters of God will be crushed; even the head of him who still goes on in his evil ways. 

Psalms 68:23
That you may crush them, dipping your foot in blood, that the tongues of your dogs may have their portion from your enemies."

Psalms 72:4
May he be a judge of the poor among the people, may he give salvation to the children of those who are in need; by him let the violent be crushed. 

Psalms 74:8
They said in their heart, "We will crushthem completely." They have burned up all the places in the land where God was worshiped.

Psalms 74:14
The heads of the great snake were crushed by you; you gave them as food to the fishes of the sea.

Psalms 89:10
Rahab was crushed by you like one wounded to death; with your strong arm you put to flight all your haters.

Psalms 89:23
I will have those who are against him broken before his face, and his haters will be crushed under my blows.

Psalms 94:5
Your people are crushed by them, O Lord, your heritage is troubled, 

Psalms 110:5
The Lord is at your right hand. He will crush kings in the day of his wrath. 

Psalms 110:6
He will judge among the nations. He will heap up dead bodies. He will crush the ruler of the whole earth. 

Proverbs 22:22
Don't exploit the poor, because he is poor; and don't crush the needy in court;

Proverbs 27:22
Even if a foolish man is crushed with a hammer in a vessel among crushed grain, still his foolish ways will not go from him.

Isaiah 3:15
What do you mean that you crush my people, and grind the face of the poor?" says the Lord, Yahweh of Armies.

Isaiah 28:28
Is bread corn crushed? Nay, he will not ever be threshing it; and though the roller of his wagon and its sharp edges move noisily, he doth not crush it.

Isaiah 41:15
See, I will make you like a new grain-crushing instrument with teeth, crushing the mountains small, and making the hills like dry stems.

Isaiah 53:10
Yet it pleased Jehovah to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his'seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of Jehovah shall prosper in his hand. 

Jeremiah 17:18
Let them be disappointed who persecute me, but let not me be disappointed; let them be dismayed, but don't let me be dismayed; bring on them the day of evil, and destroy them with double destruction.

Jeremiah 50:17
Israel is a hunted sheep; the lions have driven him away: first, the king of Assyria devoured him; and now at last Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has broken his bones.

Lamentations 1:15
The Lord has set at nothing all my mighty men in the midst of me; He has called a solemn assembly against me to crush my young men: The Lord has trodden as in a winepress the virgin daughter of Judah. 

Lamentations 3:34
To crush under foot all the prisoners of the earth,

Daniel 2:40
The fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron, because iron breaks in pieces and subdues all things; and as iron that crushes all these, shall it break in pieces and crush.

Daniel 2:44
In the days of those kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed, nor shall its sovereignty be left to another people; but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.

Daniel 7:23
This is what he said: The fourth beast is a fourth kingdom which will come on earth, different from all the kingdoms, and it will overcome all the earth, crushing it down and smashing it.

Amos 2:13
Behold, I will crush you in your place, as a cart crushes that is full of grain.

Amos 4:1
Listen to this word, you cows of Bashan, who are on the mountain of Samaria, who oppress the poor, who crush the needy, who tell their husbands, "Bring us drinks!"

Micah 6:15
You will sow, but won't reap. You will tread the olives, but won't anoint yourself with oil; and crush grapes, but won't drink the wine.

Habakkuk 3:13
You went forth for the salvation of your people, for the salvation of your anointed. You crushed the head of the land of wickedness. You stripped them head to foot. Selah.

Zechariah 11:6
For I will no more pity the inhabitants of the land," says Yahweh; "but, behold, I will deliver the men everyone into his neighbor's hand, and into the hand of his king. They will strike the land, and out of their hand I will not deliver them."

The 153 fish recorded in


John 21



​
occur during a post-resurrection appearance of Jesus to his disciples on the Sea of Galilee, a scene closely associated with the Passover season. After an unsuccessful night of fishing, Jesus instructs the disciples to cast their net on the right side of the boat, resulting in a catch of 153 "large fish" without the net breaking





 153 Fish



Symbol of Universality (Jerome): St. Jerome (4th Century) believed Greek zoologists cataloged 153 species of fish, signifying that the Gospel would catch all kinds of people from all nations, representing a complete church.


Triangular Number (Augustine): St. Augustine noted that 153 is a triangular number—the sum of all integers from 1 to 17 (\(1+2+3...+17=153\)). He interpreted 17 as representing the 10 Commandments (Law) + 7 gifts of the Holy Spirit (Grace), symbolizing the complete sum of the saved.





Gematria


Some scholars suggest that in Hebrew,


the phrase


"Sons of God" (בני האלהים)

equals 153,


highlighting the


gathering of God's children.





Fulness and Abundance

The number serves as an exclamation point to a miracle, demonstrating divine abundance, restoration, and confirmation of Jesus' resurrection power, particularly in healing Peter's denial. [1, 2, 






Passover

New Creation



The narrative is often linked to the Passover season, symbolizing a "new creation" in the resurrected Messiah.



New Bread and Fish

 Just as Jesus provided physical sustenance on the shore during this time, it symbolizes a transition from old, fruitless efforts (the night of no fish) to the new life and mission offered by the resurrected Christ.




Ezekiel's River


It recalls the prophecy of Ezekiel 47:9-10, where a river from the Temple flows into the Dead Sea, making it fresh and teeming with many types of fish, suggesting the Gospel bringing life to the Gentiles.




despite the large number


of "great" fish,


the net was not broken


(John 21:11),




symbolizing a united, intact


Church.

John 20:30-31






“Now Jesus


did many other signs … that are



not

written in this book




But these


are written that you may



(come to)




believe that




Jesus is the Messiah,


the




Son of God…”








Matthew 6:25
For this reason I charge you not to be over-anxious about your lives, inquiring what you are to eat or what you are to drink, nor yet about your bodies, inquiring what clothes you are to put on. Is not the life more precious than its food, and the body than its clothing?

Matthew 10:31
Away then with fear; you are more precious than a multitude of sparrows.

Matthew 26:7
There came unto him a woman having an alabaster box of very precious ointment, and poured it on his head, as he sat at meat.

Luke 12:7
But the very hairs on your heads are all counted. Away with fear: you are more precious than a multitude of sparrows.'

Luke 12:24
Observe the ravens. They neither sow nor reap, and have neither store-chamber nor barn. And yet God feeds them. How far more precious are you than the birds!

John 10:29
What my Father has given me is more precious than all besides; and no one is able to wrest anything from my Father's hand.

John 12:3
Mary, therefore, took a pound of ointment of pure nard, very precious, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the ointment.

Acts 20:24
but I make account of none of these, neither do I count my life precious to myself, so that I finish my course with joy, and the ministration that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify fully the good news of the grace of God.

1 Corinthians 3:12
Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;

2 Corinthians 9:15
Thanks be to God for His unspeakably precious gift!

2 Timothy 1:14
That precious treasure which is in your charge, guard through the Holy Spirit who has His home in our hearts.

James 5:7
Be patient therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. Behold, the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient over it, until it receives the early and late rain.

1 Peter 1:7
that the proof of your faith, which is more precious than gold that perishes even though it is tested by fire, may be found to result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ-

1 Peter 1:19
but with precious blood, as of a faultless and pure lamb, the blood of Christ;

1 Peter 2:4
coming to him, a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God, precious.

1 Peter 2:6
Because it is contained in Scripture, "Behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, chosen, and precious: He who believes in him will not be disappointed."

1 Peter 2:7
Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner,

1 Peter 3:4
but in the hidden person of the heart, in the incorruptible adornment of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God very precious.

2 Peter 1:1
Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have obtained a like precious faith with us in the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ:

2 Peter 1:4
by which he has granted to us his precious and exceedingly great promises; that through these you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world by lust.

Revelation 15:6
and there came out from the temple the seven angels that had the seven plagues, arrayed with 'precious' stone, pure 'and' bright, and girt about their breasts with golden girdles.

Revelation 17:4
The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of the sexual immorality of the earth.

Revelation 18:12
merchandise of gold, silver, precious stones, pearls, fine linen, purple, silk, scarlet, all expensive wood, every vessel of ivory, every vessel made of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble;

Revelation 18:16
saying,'Woe, woe, the great city, she who was dressed in fine linen, purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls!

Revelation 21:11
having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, as if it was a jasper stone, clear as crystal;

Revelation 21:19
The foundations of the city's wall were adorned with all kinds of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, chalcedony; the fourth, emerald;

Genesis 24:53
The servant brought forth jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and clothing, and gave them to Rebekah. He also gave precious things to her brother and her mother.

Genesis 30:20
Leah said, "God has endowed me with a good dowry. Now my husband will live with me, because I have borne him six sons." She named him Zebulun.

Exodus 28:17
You shall set in it settings of stones, four rows of stones: a row of ruby, topaz, and beryl shall be the first row;

Exodus 39:10
They set in it four rows of stones. A row of ruby, topaz, and beryl was the first row;

Deuteronomy 33:13
Of Joseph he said, "His land is blessed by Yahweh, for the precious things of the heavens, for the dew, for the deep that couches beneath,

Deuteronomy 33:14
for the precious things of the fruits of the sun, for the precious things of the growth of the moons,

Deuteronomy 33:15
for the chief things of the ancient mountains, for the precious things of the everlasting hills,

Deuteronomy 33:16
for the precious things of the earth and its fullness, the good will of him who lived in the bush. Let the blessing come on the head of Joseph, On the crown of the head of him who was separate from his brothers.

1 Samuel 3:1
The child Samuel ministered to Yahweh before Eli. The word of Yahweh was precious in those days; there was no frequent vision.

1 Samuel 18:30
And the princes of the Philistines come out, and it cometh to pass from the time of their coming out, David hath acted more wisely than any of the servants of Saul, and his name is very precious.

1 Samuel 26:21
Then said Saul, "I have sinned. Return, my son David; for I will no more do you harm, because my life was precious in your eyes this day. Behold, I have played the fool, and have erred exceedingly."

1 Samuel 26:24
And behold, as thy life was precious this day in my eyes, so let my life be precious in the eyes of the LORD, and let him deliver me out of all tribulation.

2 Samuel 12:30
He took the crown of their king from off his head; and its weight was a talent of gold, and in it were precious stones; and it was set on David's head. He brought forth the spoil of the city, exceeding much.

1 Kings 5:17
And the king commandeth, and they bring great stones, precious stone, to lay the foundation of the house, hewn stones;

1 Kings 7:9
All these 'are' of precious stone, according to the measures of hewn work, sawn with a saw, within and without, even from the foundation unto the coping, and at the outside, unto the great court.

1 Kings 7:10
And the foundation 'is' of precious stone, great stones, stones of ten cubits, and stones of eight cubits;

1 Kings 7:11
and above 'are' precious stone, according to the measures of hewn work, and cedar;

1 Kings 10:2
She came to Jerusalem with a very great train, with camels that bore spices, and very much gold, and precious stones; and when she was come to Solomon, she talked with him of all that was in her heart.

1 Kings 10:10
She gave the king one hundred twenty talents of gold, and of spices very great store, and precious stones. There came no more such abundance of spices as these which the queen of Sheba gave to king Solomon.

1 Kings 10:11
The navy also of Hiram, that brought gold from Ophir, brought in from Ophir great plenty of almug trees and precious stones.

1 Kings 10:21
And all king Solomon's drinking vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon were of precious gold: none were of silver, which was not of the least account in the days of Solomon.

2 Kings 1:13
Again he sent the captain of a third fifty with his fifty. The third captain of fifty went up, and came and fell on his knees before Elijah, and begged him, and said to him, "Man of God, please let my life, and the life of these fifty your servants, be precious in your sight.

2 Kings 1:14
Behold, fire came down from the sky, and consumed the two former captains of fifty with their fifties. But now let my life be precious in your sight."

2 Kings 20:13
Hezekiah listened to them, and showed them all the house of his precious things, the silver, and the gold, and the spices, and the precious oil, and the house of his armor, and all that was found in his treasures: there was nothing in his house, nor in all his dominion, that Hezekiah didn't show them.

1 Chronicles 20:2
David took the crown of their king from off his head, and found it to weigh a talent of gold, and there were precious stones in it; and it was set on David's head: and he brought forth the spoil of the city, exceeding much.

1 Chronicles 29:2
Now I have prepared with all my might for the house of my God the gold for the things of gold, and the silver for the things of silver, and the brass for the things of to be set, stones for inlaid work, and of various colors, and all manner of precious stones, and marble stones in abundance.

1 Chronicles 29:8
They with whom precious stones were found gave them to the treasure of the house of Yahweh, under the hand of Jehiel the Gershonite.

2 Chronicles 3:6
He garnished the house with precious stones for beauty: and the gold was gold of Parvaim.

2 Chronicles 9:1
When the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon, she came to prove Solomon with hard questions at Jerusalem, with a very great train, and camels that bore spices, and gold in abundance, and precious stones: and when she was come to Solomon, she talked with him of all that was in her heart.

2 Chronicles 9:9
She gave the king one hundred and twenty talents of gold, and spices in great abundance, and precious stones: neither was there any such spice as the queen of Sheba gave to king Solomon.

2 Chronicles 9:10
The servants also of Huram, and the servants of Solomon, who brought gold from Ophir, brought algum trees and precious stones.

2 Chronicles 20:25
When Jehoshaphat and his people came to take the spoil of them, they found among them in abundance both riches and dead bodies, and precious jewels, which they stripped off for themselves, more than they could carry away: and they were three days in taking the spoil, it was so much.

2 Chronicles 21:3
Their father gave them great gifts, of silver, and of gold, and of precious things, with fortified cities in Judah: but the kingdom gave he to Jehoram, because he was the firstborn.

2 Chronicles 32:23
Many brought gifts to Yahweh to Jerusalem, and precious things to Hezekiah king of Judah; so that he was exalted in the sight of all nations from thenceforth.

2 Chronicles 32:27
Hezekiah had exceeding much riches and honor: and he provided him treasuries for silver, and for gold, and for precious stones, and for spices, and for shields, and for all manner of goodly vessels;

2 Chronicles 36:10
And at the turn of the year king Nebuchadnezzar sent and had him brought to Babylon, with the precious vessels of the house of Jehovah; and he made Zedekiah his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem.

2 Chronicles 36:19
And they burned the house of God, and broke down the wall of Jerusalem, and burned all the palaces thereof with fire, and all the precious vessels thereof were given up to destruction.

Ezra 1:6
All those who were around them strengthened their hands with vessels of silver, with gold, with goods, and with animals, and with precious things, besides all that was willingly offered.

Ezra 8:27
and twenty bowls of gold, of one thousand darics; and two vessels of fine bright brass, precious as gold.

Esther 1:6
There were hangings of white, green, and blue material, fastened with cords of fine linen and purple to silver rings and marble pillars. The couches were of gold and silver, on a pavement of red, white, yellow, and black marble.

Job 22:24
And put the precious ore with the dust, and the gold of Ophir among the stones of the torrents,

Job 22:25
The Almighty will be your treasure, and precious silver to you.

Job 28:10
He cuts out channels among the rocks. His eye sees every precious thing.

Job 28:16
It can't be valued with the gold of Ophir, with the precious onyx, or the sapphire.

I smiled on them when they had no confidence. They didn't reject the light of my face.

Job 31:26
If I see the light when it shineth, And the precious moon walking,

Psalms 19:10
They are more precious than gold, yea, than much fine gold; and sweeter than honey and the dropping of the honeycomb.

Psalms 22:20
Deliver my soul from the sword, my precious life from the power of the dog.

Psalms 35:17
Lord, how long will you look on? Rescue my soul from their destruction, my precious life from the lions.

Psalms 36:7
How precious is your loving kindness, God! The children of men take refuge under the shadow of your wings.

Psalms 39:11
When you rebuke and correct man for iniquity, You consume his wealth like a moth. Surely every man is but a breath." Selah.

Psalms 45:9
Daughters of kings 'are' among thy precious ones, A queen hath stood at thy right hand, In pure gold of Ophir.

Psalms 49:8
(For the redemption of their soul is precious, and it ceaseth for ever:)

Psalms 72:14
He will redeem their soul from oppression and violence. Their blood will be precious in his sight.

Psalms 116:15
Precious in the sight of Yahweh is the death of his saints.

Psalms 119:72
The law of your mouth is better to me than thousands of pieces of gold and silver.

Psalms 126:6
He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.

Psalms 133:2
It is like the precious oil on the head, that ran down on the beard, even Aaron's beard; that came down on the edge of his robes;

Psalms 139:17
How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them!

Proverbs 1:13
We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil:

She is more precious than rubies. None of the things you can desire are to be compared to her.

Proverbs 6:26
For a prostitute reduces you to a piece of bread. The adulteress hunts for your precious life.

Proverbs 8:11
For wisdom is better than jewels, and all things which may be desired are nothing in comparison with her.

Proverbs 12:27
The slothful man roasteth not that which he took in hunting: but the substance of a diligent man is precious.

Proverbs 17:8
A bribe is a precious stone in the eyes of him who gives it; wherever he turns, he prospers.

Proverbs 20:15
There is gold, and a multitude of rubies: but the lips of knowledge are a precious jewel.

Proverbs 21:20
There is precious treasure and oil in the dwelling of the wise; but a foolish man swallows it up.

Proverbs 24:4
And by knowledge shall the chambers be filled with all precious and pleasant riches.

Proverbs 31:10
Who may make discovery of a woman of virtue? For her price is much higher than jewels.

Ecclesiastes 7:1
A good name is better than precious ointment; and the day of death than the day of one's birth.

Ecclesiastes 10:1
Dead flies cause a perfumer's perfume To send forth a stink; The precious by reason of wisdom -- By reason of honour -- a little folly!

Song of Songs 4:13
Your shoots are an orchard of pomegranates, with precious fruits: henna with spikenard plants,

Song of Songs 4:16
Awake, north wind; and come, you south! Blow on my garden, that its spices may flow out. Let my beloved come into his garden, and taste his precious fruits.

Song of Songs 7:13
The mandrakes give forth fragrance. At our doors are all kinds of precious fruits, new and old, which I have stored up for you, my beloved.






The great white throne judgment


is described in

 Revelation 20:11-15 

and is


the final judgment


Prior to the lost being cast into


The lake of fire





We know from Revelation 20:7-15 


that this judgment

will take place after the millennium and after


Satan is thrown into the

lake of fire

where the beast and the false prophet are


(Revelation 19:19-20; 20:7-10).






The Lamb’s Book of Life,



as synonymous with the Book of Life, is the heavenly register containing the names of those redeemed by Jesus Christ, guaranteeing them eternal life.

It is prominently mentioned in Revelation, specifically identifying those saved from God’s judgment

(Rev 20:15)




The Lamb's Book of Life


Definition: It is a record of people who have trusted Christ for salvation, often referred to as the Book of Life that belongs to the "Lamb"—Jesus Christ.



Purpose: It identifies those who will enter the New Jerusalem and avoid the Second Death (eternal punishment).



The name highlights

that


salvation is only through

the

sacrificial death of



Jesus,


the "Passover Lamb".



Names were

written in this book

from the


foundation of the world,


based on God’s foreknowledge





The books that are opened


(Revelation 20:12)



contain records of everyone’s deeds,

whether

they are good or evil,


because

God knows everything

that has ever been said, done, or

even thought, and


He will reward or punish each

one accordingly




(Psalm 28:4; 62:12; Romans 2:6; Revelation 2:23; 18:6; 22:12).



Also at this time, another book is opened, called the “book of life” (Revelation 20:12). It is this book that determines whether a person will inherit eternal life with God or receive everlasting punishment in the lake of fire. Although Christians are held accountable for their actions, they are forgiven in Christ and their names were written in the “book of life from the creation of the world” (Revelation 17:8). We also know from Scripture that it is at this judgment when the dead will be “judged according to what they had done” (Revelation 20:12) and that “anyone’s name” that is not “found written in the book of life” will be “thrown into the lake of fire” (Revelation 20:15).

The fact that there is going to be a final judgment for all people, both believers and unbelievers, is clearly confirmed in many passages of Scripture. Every person will one day stand before Christ and be judged for his or her deeds. While it is very clear that the great white throne judgment is the final judgment, Christians disagree on how it relates to the other judgments mentioned in the Bible, specifically, who will be judged at the great white throne judgment.

Some Christians believe that the Scriptures reveal three different judgments to come. The first is the judgment of the sheep and the goats or a judgment of the nations (Matthew 25:31-36). This takes place after the tribulation period but prior to the millennium; its purpose is to determine who will enter the millennial kingdom. The second is a judgment of believers’ works, often referred to as the “judgment seat [bema] of Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:10). At this judgment, Christians will receive degrees of reward for their works or service to God. The third is the great white throne judgment at the end of the millennium (Revelation 20:11-15). This is the judgment of unbelievers in which they are judged according to their works and sentenced to everlasting punishment in the lake of fire.

Other Christians believe that all three of these judgments speak of the same final judgment, not of three separate judgments. In other words, the great white throne judgment in Revelation 20:11-15 will be the time that believers and unbelievers alike are judged. Those whose names are found in the book of life will be judged for their deeds in order to determine the rewards they will receive or lose. Those whose names are not in the book of life will be judged according to their deeds to determine the degree of punishment they will receive in the lake of fire. Those who hold this view believe that Matthew 25:31-46 is another description of what takes place at the great white throne judgment. They point to the fact that the result of this judgment is the same as what is seen after the great white throne judgment in Revelation 20:11-15. The sheep (believers) enter into eternal life, while the goats (unbelievers) are cast into “eternal punishment” (Matthew 25:46).

Whichever view one holds of the great white throne judgment, it is important to never lose sight of the facts concerning the coming judgment(s). First, Jesus Christ will be the judge, all unbelievers will be judged by Christ, and they will be punished according to the works they have done. The Bible is very clear that unbelievers are storing up wrath against themselves (Romans 2:5) and that God will "repay each person according to what they have done" (Romans 2:6). Believers will also be judged by Christ, but since Christ's righteousness has been imputed to us and our names are written in the book of life, we will be rewarded, not punished, according to our deeds. Romans 14:10-12 says that we will all stand before the judgment seat of Christ and that each one of us will give an account to God.




All four gospels present an

account of


Jesus


being anointed by

a woman with a


costly jar of perfume


(Matthew 26:6–13; Mark 14:3–9; Luke 7:36–50; John 12:1–8).




Matthew and Mark relate the same event but do not give the woman’s name; Luke tells of a different woman, also anonymous, on an earlier occasion; and, in yet another event, the woman in John is identified as Mary of Bethany (John 11:2), sister to Martha and Lazarus. To understand the significance of Jesus being anointed on these three occasions, we’ll look at each account separately and then compare and contrast them in conclusion.


The anointing of Jesus in Matthew takes place two days before Passover in the town of Bethany at Simon the leper’s home: “Now when Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, a woman came up to him with an alabaster flask of very expensive ointment, and she poured it on his head as he reclined at table” (Matthew 26:6–7, ESV).

Matthew focuses on the anointing of Jesus as a teaching episode for the disciples, who react with anger because of the woman’s wasteful extravagance. But Jesus defends her, saying, “She has done a beautiful thing to me” (Matthew 26:10). Christ explains that the anointing is to prepare His body for burial and that the woman’s act of love will forever be remembered wherever the good news is preached.

Mark tells the same story in similar terms, with an anonymous woman with an alabaster box interrupting a meal in Simon the leper’s home to anoint the head of Jesus with expensive perfume. Again, the woman’s critics describe her gift as excessive, complaining that it could have been sold for more than a year’s wages (Mark 14:5). But Jesus receives the woman’s gift as a selfless act of love and devotion—an appropriate way to honor the Messiah. Jesus reveals that He will not be with them much longer, which references His impending death and burial.

Both Matthew and Mark’s accounts emphasize the prophetic significance of the anointing of Jesus, alluding to His death and burial. There may also be an implication of Jesus’ kingship, since, in the Old Testament, the anointing of the head was often associated with the dedication of kings (1 Samuel 9:15—10:1; 16:12–13; 1 Kings 1:38–40).

In Luke’s account of a similar, yet different, instance, Jesus uses the occasion of being anointed to tell a parable about forgiveness (Luke 7:39–50). About a year before His death, Jesus was dining in the home of Simon the Pharisee, who had arrogantly neglected to extend the customary respect and hospitality to his guest, while a sinful woman anoints Jesus’ feet, lavishing her love and gratefulness upon Jesus.

In John’s gospel, Lazarus’ sister Mary is the woman who anoints Jesus with a high-priced perfume at a dinner in Bethany. The story is similar to those in the other gospels, although this anointing takes place six days before Passover, and Judas is named as the disciple who objects to the “waste.” On this occasion, “Mary took a twelve-ounce jar of expensive perfume made from essence of nard, and she anointed Jesus’ feet with it, wiping his feet with her hair”(John 12:3, NLT). Jesus defends Mary from Judas’s criticism by pointing out the unique opportunity Mary had: “You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me” (John 12:8).

Mary’s anointing again points to Christ’s identity as Messiah-King, but it also points to His humble position as Servant-King. When Mary anoints Jesus’ feet and then wipes them with her hair, she foreshadows Jesus’ actions at the upcoming Last Supper when the Lord washes the disciples’ feet and teaches them how to love one another through sacrificial, humble service (John 13:1–20).

In each account, a woman pours out a precious and costly perfume in an extravagant act of worship. The three women who anointed Jesus recognized Christ’s unequaled value and expressed their gratitude with unreserved love and devotion. Two anointings of Jesus happen during the week of Passover and are linked with His imminent death and burial. The earlier anointing, in Luke’s account, is in the middle of Jesus’ ministry in Galilee and draws a different lesson on forgiveness and love.

In each case, the woman’s actions signal more than she knows. But, although she may not fully comprehend the messianic significance of her anointing, each woman had come to appreciate Christ’s worth more than anyone else at the table.

Jesus Christ is God’s anointed Messiah. The word Messiah means “anointed one” and derives directly from the Hebrew word for “anointed.” Christ comes from the Greek word Christos, also meaning “anointed one.” Thus, Christ is the Greek equivalent to Messiah. When Jesus receives the Holy Spirit at His baptism, He is “anointed” by God in preparation for His life’s work (Luke 3:22; cf. Acts 10:38; Luke 4:18). On three separate occasions, Jesus is anointed with fragrant ointment in His work as the Savior, the King of heaven who was in preparation to die to save His people.

The Bible speaks of an alabaster box in two separate incidents involving women who brought ointment in the box to anoint Jesus. The Greek word translated “alabaster box” in the KJV, as well as “flask,” “jar” and “vial” in other translations, is alabastron, which can also mean “perfume vase.”

The fact that all four gospels include a similar but not identical account (with three of the passages mentioning an alabaster box of ointment) has given rise to a certain amount of confusion about these incidents. Matthew 26:6–13 and Mark 14:3–9 describe the same event, which occurred two days before Passover (Matthew 26:2 and Mark 14:1) and involved an unnamed woman who entered the home of Simon the leper. Both passages mention an alabaster box, and both say that the unnamed woman anointed Jesus’ head.

John 12:1–8 seems to speak of a different, yet similar event, which took place six days before Passover (John 12:1) in the home of Martha. Here, an alabaster box is not mentioned, but the name of the woman who anointed Jesus is: Mary, Martha’s sister. The incident in Matthew and Mark and the incident in John all took place in Bethany, but on different days. Also, Mary is said to have anointed Jesus’ feet, but no anointing of His head is mentioned. Jesus defends Mary’s action against the criticism of Judas, saying, “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial” (John 12:7).

A third anointing of Jesus (the first, chronologically), described in Luke 7:36–50, took place in the house of Simon the Pharisee rather than the house of Simon the leper. This event occurred in Galilee, not Bethany, about a year before the crucifixion (Luke 7:1, 11). Luke mentions an alabaster box (verse 37). The woman on this occasion was forgiven of many sins, but her name is not given. Like Mary, the sinful woman anointed Jesus’ feet with the perfume. She comes to Jesus weeping and showing loving worship to the One who forgave her of her sins.

The similarities these three incidents share have caused some confusion, but the differences are significant enough to warrant viewing them as separate events. In two of the incidents, the gospel writers mention the presence of an alabaster box.

Alabaster was a stone commonly found in Israel. It was a hard stone resembling white marble and is referred to as one of the precious stones used in the decoration of Solomon’s temple (1 Chronicles 29:2). In the Song of Songs, the beloved man is described as having legs like “alabaster columns” (ESV) or “pillars of marble” (NIV, KJV). So the container the women used to carry their perfumed oil was made of a white, marble-like substance. Ointment, oils, and perfumes used to be put in vessels made of alabaster to keep them pure and unspoiled. The boxes were often sealed or made fast with wax to prevent the perfume from escaping. Alabaster was a beautiful substance and strong enough to keep the oil or perfume completely contained until the time of its use.

Matthew 27 records many events surrounding the betrayal, trials, crucifixion, death, and burial of Jesus, and it includes the mention of a centurion’s saying that “truly this was the Son of God!” (Matthew 27:54, ESV). This centurion would probably have presided over the deaths of numerous criminals, and none of those individual’s deaths were marked by the things that accompanied the death of Jesus.

Jesus was not accused of a typical crime; rather, He stood trial before Pilate for being King of the Jews (Matthew 27:11). Even after hearing the accusations and asking Jesus about them, Pilate determined that Jesus hadn’t done any evil (Matthew 27:23). But the clamor for Jesus to be crucified was so great that Pilate handed Jesus over for crucifixion (Matthew 27:26). From there the soldiers took Jesus and oversaw His being beaten, stripped, tortured with a crown of thorns, and mocked (Matthew 27:27–31). It is probable that this group of soldiers included the centurion who later said, “Truly this was the Son of God!” At first, all were participating in the mockery of Jesus, but as the events played out, some—including this centurion—recognized that Jesus was not a criminal and was, in fact, the Son of God.

In all this, Jesus continued to show meekness and did not speak in His own defense or argue. When Jesus was crucified, the charge written above His head was that He was the King of the Jews (Matthew 27:37). The mockeries continued as the onlookers recalled that He had referenced tearing down the temple and rebuilding it in three days—prophesying that He would die and be resurrected (Matthew 27:40a). They recalled that He had claimed to be the Son of God (Matthew 27:40b), and yet they mocked Him as if His claims were not true. The chief priests, scribes, and elders mocked Him, saying that, if He simply would come down from the cross, they would believe in Him (Matthew 27:42). Even the robbers crucified next to Him were insulting Him (Matthew 27:44). It was remarkable how many celebrated Jesus’ crucifixion, and surely the centurion took note of that. The centurion could see that this was no ordinary crucifixion and the man being crucified was no ordinary man. Soon the centurion would recognize that “truly this was the Son of God.”

At midday (the sixth hour of the day or noon), darkness came over the whole land for three hours (Matthew 27:45). At the ninth hour (3:00 in the afternoon), Jesus cried out to the Father, quoting Psalm 22:1, which was a further affirmation of Jesus’ identity (Matthew 27:46). He cried out again and gave up His spirit (Matthew 27:50). The centurion at the foot of the cross was no stranger to death. When he had observed crucifixions in the past, he had witnessed no great events or cataclysms. Jesus was different. The moment Jesus died, there was a great earthquake—so great that rocks were splitting and tombs were opening up (Matthew 27:51–53). When the centurion saw these things, he—along with others who were there—were filled with fear and recognized that “truly this was the Son of God.”

The eyewitnesses recognized that this was no ordinary death and this was no ordinary man. The things Jesus said were true, and He was who He claimed to be. It is remarkable that the centurion recognized Jesus’ true identity and that he did so when Jesus died. Some refused to recognize Jesus was the Son of God even after He was raised from the dead. This centurion and those who were working with him recognized because of what Jesus said and what they saw that “truly this was the Son of God.”
​
In Revelation 21:1, John sees something spectacular: “Then I saw ‘a new heaven and a new earth,’ for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away.” This new earth and new heaven are sometimes referred to as the “eternal state.” As seen in Revelation chapters 21—22, the new earth will be the eternal dwelling place of believers in Jesus Christ. Scripture gives us a few details of the new heaven and new earth.

The current heaven and earth have long been subject to God’s curse because of mankind’s sin. All creation “has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth” (Romans 8:22) as it awaits the fulfillment of God’s plan and “the children of God to be revealed” (verse 19). Heaven and earth will pass away (Mark 13:31), and they will be replaced by the new heaven and the new earth. At that time, the Lord, seated on His throne, says, “I am making everything new!” (Revelation 21:5). In the new creation, sin will be totally eradicated, and “there shall be no more curse” (Revelation 22:3, NKJV).

The new heaven and new earth are also mentioned in Isaiah 65:17; 66:22; and 2 Peter 3:13. Peter says that the new heaven and new earth will be “where righteousness dwells.” Isaiah says that “the former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind.” Things will be completely new, and the old order of things, with the accompanying sorrow and tragedy, will be gone.

The new earth will be free from sin, evil, sickness, suffering, and death. It will be earth as God originally intended it to be, prior to the curse of sin. It will be Eden restored.

A major feature of the new earth will be the New Jerusalem. John calls it “the Holy City . . . coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband” (Revelation 21:2). This glorious city, with its streets of gold and pearly gates, is situated on a new, glorious earth. The tree of life will be there (Revelation 22:2). This city represents the final state of redeemed mankind, forever in fellowship with God: “God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them.



They will be

his people, and God himself

will be with

them and be their God. . . .


His servants will serve him. They

will see his face”


(Revelation 21:3; 22:3–4).



In the

new heaven and new earth,


Scripture says,

there are seven things notable

for their

absence—seven things that are


“no more”:


• no more sea (Revelation 21:1)

• no more death (Revelation 21:4)

• no more mourning (Revelation 21:4)

• no more weeping (Revelation 21:4)

• no more pain (Revelation 21:4)

• no more curse (Revelation 22:3)

• no more night (Revelation 22:5)



The creation of the new heaven and

new earth

brings the promise that God


“will wipe every tear from their eyes”


​ (Revelation 21:4).




after the millennial kingdom, 


after the final rebellion, 


after the

final judgment of Satan,

and after the 


great white throne judgment.




The brief description of

the

new heaven and new earth is the


last glimpse


into eternity that the Bible gives.

Amethyst: in Exodus 28:19; Exodus 39:12,


English Versions of the Bible translation

of Hebrew


'achlamah; in Revelation 21:20,


English Versions of the Bible translation of Greek


​
amethustos.



Amethustos (amethustos): in Revelation 21:20:



the 12th


foundation of the New Jerusalem; 


Vulgate (Jerome's Latin Bible, 390-405 A.D.) translates amethystus; English Versions of the Bible "amethyst." Four varieties of amethystus were recognized by Pliny as precious; all of them were transparent, and of purple tint or of tints derived from purple. According to the Septuagint, amethustos was the 3rd stone, 3rd row, of the breastplate, and the stone occupying this position is given in our Hebrew text as 'achlamah. Amethustos is mentioned under the name amethuson by Theophrastus; he describes it as a transparent stone resembling wine in color and as used by the gem engravers of his day. Amethystus and amethuson were doubtless identical with the amethyst of the present day, a purple variety of quartz (silica). Beads and other ornaments of amethyst found in old Egyptian tombs show that the stone was regarded as precious in very ancient times.



After Jesus explained to


His disciples


what would take place at the 



end of the age


during the tribulation, and at His second coming,



He gives several illustrations of what the


end of the age

and


His coming will be like.


In one of those illustrations,



Jesus says that the coming of the


Son of Man will be


“as it was in the days of


Noah”



(Matthew 24:37).




Jonah 2:1-2
From inside the fish, Jonah prayed to the LORD his God, / saying: “In my distress I called to the LORD, and He answered me. From the belly of Sheol I called for help, and You heard my voice.

Jonah 2:10
And the LORD commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.


Psalm 104:25-26
Here is the sea, vast and wide, teeming with creatures beyond number, living things both great and small. / There the ships pass, and Leviathan, which You formed to frolic there.


and Jonah spent three days and three nights in the belly of the fish.


Matthew 12:40
For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

Matthew 16:4
A wicked and adulterous generation demands a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah.” Then He left them and went away.

Luke 11:30
For as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so the Son of Man will be a sign to this generation.

Mark 8:12
Jesus sighed deeply in His spirit and said, “Why does this generation demand a sign? Truly I tell you, no sign will be given to this generation.”

John 2:19-21
Jesus answered, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up again.” / “This temple took forty-six years to build,” the Jews replied, “and You are going to raise it up in three days?” / But Jesus was speaking about the temple of His body.

Romans 6:4
We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may walk in newness of life.

1 Corinthians 15:4
that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,

Acts 2:24
But God raised Him from the dead, releasing Him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep Him in its grip.

Acts 13:30
But God raised Him from the dead,

1 Peter 3:18-20
For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit, / in whom He also went and preached to the spirits in prison / who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In the ark a few people, only eight souls, were saved through water.

Psalm 139:9-10
If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle by the farthest sea, / even there Your hand will guide me; Your right hand will hold me fast.

Psalm 18:4-6
The cords of death encompassed me; the torrents of chaos overwhelmed me. / The cords of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted me. / In my distress I called upon the LORD; I cried to my God for help. From His temple He heard my voice, and my cry for His help reached His ears.

Psalm 42:7
Deep calls to deep in the roar of Your waterfalls; all Your breakers and waves have rolled over me.

Jonah 4:6
And the LORD God prepared a gourd, and made it to come up over Jonah, that it might be a shadow over his head, to deliver him from his grief. So Jonah was exceeding glad of the gourd.

Genesis 1:21
And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

Psalm 104:25,26
So is this great and wide sea, wherein are things creeping innumerable, both small and great beasts…

Matthew 12:40
For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

Matthew 16:4
A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them, and departed.

Luke 11:30
For as Jonas was a sign unto the Ninevites, so shall also the Son of man be to this generation.




 Joshua


famously led the priests to

carry the Ark

across

the Jordan River


and

around Jericho, representing

God’s presence


leading the conquest. 





David’s Movement of the Ark


David organized 30,000 men to move the Ark from the house of Abinadab. It was initially placed on a new cart, then later carried by Levites after the incident with Uzzah.




Joshua’s Role


In Joshua 3:6-11,


Joshua commands 






Priests to carry the Ark,


which stops


the



 Jordan



River, allowing





Israel to cross



Joshua 3:3-8: Joshua instructs priests to carry the Ark

.Joshua 6:6-7: Joshua has priests bear the Ark around Jericho.

2 Samuel 6: David brings the Ark to Jerusalem. 


​

Before Jesus compares His coming to the

days of Noah,


He illustrates His coming with a parable of the fig tree. By observing the growth of the fig tree one can determine that summer is near (Matthew 24:32). In the same way, by observing the signs (the things Jesus mentioned in the earlier part of the chapter), one can recognize that His coming is near (Matthew 24:33). The generation of people who are alive when these things begin to happen will see them completed (Matthew 24:34), as they will happen swiftly. And, while Jesus’ words are totally reliable (Matthew 24:35), He said at that time that no one knows exactly when the events will take place except for His Father (Matthew 24:36).

Against the backdrop of the fig tree illustration, Jesus says that the coming of the Son of Man will be “as the days of Noah were” (Matthew 24:37, NKJV). This is an important statement for several reasons. First, Jesus identifies Himself as the “Son of Man,” the one in Daniel 7:13–14 who is given an eternal kingdom. With that identification Jesus is claiming to be the rightful King over all. When the King—the Son of Man—comes, it will be as in the days of Noah. In those days, the people were going about their lives, eating, drinking, and marrying, until the flood came swiftly (Matthew 24:38). They were ignorant about what was coming until it came upon them and took them away (Matthew 24:39). In the same way, when Christ returns to earth as the Son of Man—the King—He will bring judgment with Him. Even though the signs of His coming will be obvious to anyone who is paying attention, apparently few will be looking.

It is worth noting that, while there are some similarities between the event Jesus describes in Matthew 24 and the event we call the “rapture” (1 Thessalonians 4:13–17), these are two different events. The events of Matthew 24 result in Christ coming to earth with people being taken in judgment, while the rapture event has Christ only coming to the clouds and taking up people to be in heaven. The rapture event takes place before the tribulation period described in Matthew 24 (as the rapture in 1 Thessalonians 4 precedes the day of the Lord in 1 Thessalonians 5), and the coming of Jesus in Matthew 24 occurs after the tribulation period (Matthew 24:29–31).

Even though Jesus’ coming would not be during the lifetime of the people He was addressing in Matthew 24, He prepares them for what would take place so they would be on the alert because of the certainty of the events and the uncertainty (from their perspective) of the timing (Matthew 24:42). Jesus provides His listeners an outline of the future so they will know that God’s plans will come to fruition and that He has given His disciples a stewardship with which to be faithful. We also need a sense of urgency. Even if these prophesied events don’t begin to happen in our lifetime, we have only a limited time to use for Him. We should strive to make the most of the time He has given us (Ephesians 5:16). The coming of the Son of Man will be as it was in the days of Noah.

Jesus’ words can often be challenging, and many scholars face interpretive difficulties with the part of the Olivet Discourse where Jesus says, “Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left” (Matthew 24:40–41). The same teaching is found in Luke 17, with the added illustration that “two people will be in one bed; one will be taken and the other left” (verse 34).

Jesus made the statement that “one will be taken and the other left” in His response to the disciples’ questions over the signs of His coming and the end of the age (Matthew 24:3). Prior to this statement, Jesus told His disciples that “about that day or hour no one knows” (verse 36). Then He pointed to a historical parallel: “As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man” (verses 37–39). So, the context is one of judgment. The time is Jesus’ second coming.

Some have tried to press this passage into teaching the rapture of the church. While it’s true that the rapture will also result in some who are “taken away” and others left behind, it is better to understand Matthew 24 as speaking about the second coming, not the rapture. Jesus’ reference of Noah’s flood suggests that those who are taken away are taken in judgment. The taken will be destroyed, just as the ungodly of Noah’s day were swept away by the flood. Furthermore, they won’t even know what hit them. They will be continuing with life as normal when judgment suddenly befalls them. Jesus’ second coming and the accompanying judgment will be sudden and surprising for the unprepared.

So, our view is that those who are “taken” in Matthew 24:40 are destined for judgment, while those who remain are righteous individuals who will survive and enter the messianic kingdom. This happens at the end of the tribulation, when Jesus arrives with the armies of heaven (see Revelation 19:11–16). Regardless of one’s stance on who will be taken and who will be left, one thing is certain: the return of Jesus will be momentous, resulting in a clear separation between the righteous and the wicked. This world is temporary, and all people will face the Righteous Judge some day, and all need to be ready for that judgment.

When Jesus was on the cross, He quoted from Psalm 22, saying, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46). This was a psalm of David and a messianic prophecy pointing to the terrible suffering that Christ would endure. The entire psalm contains remarkable predictions concerning the coming Messiah: the insults (Psalm 22:7), the out-of-joint bones (verse 14), the thirst (verse 15), the piercing of His hands and feet (verse 16), and the gambling over His clothes (verse 18). So, one of the reasons Jesus called God “my God” was to point people to Psalm 22. In fact, the psalm’s first line, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” could be considered the title of the poem. Jesus’ naming the title from the cross would have the effect of reminding people that the prophecy was being fulfilled.

As He was hanging on the cross, Christ experienced the outpouring of divine wrath upon the sin that He bore. “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us” (2 Corinthians 5:21). “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree’” (Galatians 3:13, ESV). This was the price He paid to redeem His church—all who would ever believe in Him—and He paid it in full. His cry, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” undoubtedly reflected the feelings of abandonment and desolation at work in His heart.

There are other times when Jesus refers to God as His God. For example, after His resurrection Jesus tells Mary Magdalene to deliver this message to His disciples: “I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God” (John 20:17). The wording has the effect of emphasizing the brotherhood we share with the Son of God incarnate. In His humanity, the Son can truly call us “brothers.” The fact that Jesus called the Father “my God” also puts to rest any notion that God had rejected Jesus. The Lord had been tried as a common criminal, but the Father had promised to “give him a portion among the great” (Isaiah 53:12). The resurrection proved that the promise would be fulfilled. God had never forsaken Jesus. Jesus could still call Him “my Father” and “my God.” The relationship between the Father and the Son continues unbroken eternally.

In Revelation 3, Jesus refers to the Father as “my God” in verses 2 and 12. It has to do with Jesus’ relationship as a human to His heavenly Father. Even though the Son is eternal and equal to the Father in nature and substance, He is still a different person from the Father. It was the Son who was made incarnate. As He took on human flesh and a human nature, the Son of God humbled Himself and identified with us in every way —including our need to submit to the Father and rely on the Spirit. Jesus said, “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing” (John 5:19). In His humanity, Jesus submitted His will to the Father’s (Luke 22:42), and “learned obedience from what he suffered” (Hebrews 5:8).

Jesus could truly call the Father “my God” because He was “made in every respect like us, his brothers and sisters, so that he could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before God. Then he could offer a sacrifice that would take away the sins of the people” (Hebrews 2:17, NLT). Jesus, the Son of God in human flesh, was “made like us.” From that perspective, God the Father is the God of Jesus. Jesus’ calling God “my God” doesn’t imply inferiority to the Father, only a difference in roles.

​During the Last Supper when Jesus and His disciples were eating a Passover meal the night of His betrayal, Jesus took bread, “and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, ‘Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me’” (1 Corinthians 11:24, NKJV). Jesus’ comparison of His body to bread is also recorded in the Synoptic Gospels:

“And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, ‘Take, eat; this is My body’” (Matthew 26:26, NKJV).

“And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them and said, ‘Take, eat; this is My body’” (Mark 14:22, NKJV).

“And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of me.’” (Luke 22:19, NKJV).

John’s Gospel includes a similar metaphor. In addressing the crowds seeking Him after being fed the previous day, Jesus said, “I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world” (John 6:51; see also verses 53–58).

Note that, of all the above passages, the only one that refers to Jesus saying, “This is My body which is broken for you” is 1 Corinthians 11:24. Further, most translations do not include the reference to Jesus’ body being “broken.” Only the KJV, NKJV, Majority Standard Bible, World English Bible, and a few others have that wording. Other translations of 1 Corinthians 11:24 have Jesus saying, “This is my body, which is for you” (NIV, NASB, CSB, NET) or “This is my body, which is given for you” (NLT, CEV). The difference hinges on which manuscripts were used in translation. The oldest ones do not contain the word translated “broken” in the KJV.

In 1 Corinthians 11:24, Jesus broke the bread. According to the oldest, and many say the most reliable, manuscripts, He did not say His body was broken. Most scholars today believe the wording “this is My body which is broken for you” is the work of a scribe who inserted the word broken to match the breaking of the bread.

Of course, there is a sense in which Jesus’ body was “broken”: in the violence of His death, His body was wounded and bruised, and His flesh and skin were torn. Yet Scripture is careful to say that none of Jesus’ bones were broken (John 19:33–36). As the true Passover lamb, His bones had to remain unbroken (see Exodus 12:46 and Numbers 9:12).

Jesus identified Himself as “the living bread that came down from heaven” (John 6:51). As physical bread must be “broken” or torn apart to be shared with others, so Jesus’ body had to be “broken” or wounded on the cross to benefit the world. As physical bread serves to maintain bodily health, so Jesus’ body provides spiritual health for the believer.

Jesus’ statement, “This is my body” is taken literally in Roman Catholicism, resulting in their doctrine of transubstantiation (the bread becomes the actual body of Christ). We believe that doctrine to be in error. One reason is, when Jesus called the bread His body, He was physically present with His disciples, His body unbroken. How could He literally offer His broken body to His disciples the night before He died?

Additionally, the context of the Passover meal is thoroughly symbolic. Almost every element of the meal stood for something else. Jesus took two of those elements and infused them with a new symbolic meaning as He was the fulfillment of everything that Passover stood for. From then on, whenever Jewish believers observed a Passover meal, they would think of the new meaning that Jesus had given to the bread and the final cup. And Gentile believers, who had never been partakers of a Passover meal, would observe the “Lord’s Supper.”

Further evidence that Jesus was speaking symbolically is found in John 6:53–58. There, Jesus says to a multitude, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them. Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.”

When Jesus spoke of eating His flesh in John 6, He had already given the crowd an indication that He was has speaking figuratively. Earlier, in verses 32–33, Jesus had called Himself bread, comparing Himself with the manna in the wilderness. When the people asked to be given that bread, Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty” (John 6:35). As if to clear up any misunderstanding, Jesus then distinguishes the physical from the spiritual: “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life” (John 6:63, ESV).

Whether or not Jesus spoke of His “broken” body at the Last Supper, the bread symbolized His body soon to be sacrificed on the cross. According to John 6:35, one can “eat” Jesus’ broken body by “coming” to Him, and “drink” His blood by believing in Him. Jesus also emphasizes faith (which the eating symbolizes) in John 6:36, 40, and 47.

Again, the whole context of the Last Supper is symbolic. We do not partake of Jesus by physically eating His body. “The flesh counts for nothing” (John 6:63). Rather, we partake of Jesus by coming to Him in faith, trusting that His broken body (and shed blood) is the only acceptable sacrifice for our sins. The bread commemorates His body given for us, and when we partake of it, we affirm our faith and fellowship in Christ.
​
Creation displays remarkable consistency according to the God-ordained laws that govern it, such as the sun rising in the east and setting in the west. Yet, according to Jesus, the truth of His teaching is more certain than night following day: “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away” (Matthew 24:35, ESV). The contrast Jesus makes between the eventual destruction of the earth and the permanent nature of His words highlights the unchanging nature of the truth He speaks.

Jesus makes this powerful statement in the Olivet Discourse, so named because He was sitting on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem when He spoke it (Matthew 24:3). In the segment of the discourse where He teaches on the signs of the end of the age (Matthew 24:3–35), Jesus explained that when a fig tree starts to grow leaves it’s a sign that summer is near. Likewise, when heaven and earth pass away, indicating that judgment is near, followers of Jesus can take comfort in the fact that Jesus’ words will never perish (Matthew 24:32–35).

Jesus’ statement about the inevitable destruction of the heavens and the earth reflects the Bible’s teaching on this topic in both the Old and New Testaments. Understanding creation’s fate sheds light on the contrast Jesus makes in Matthew 24:35. For instance, Isaiah reports that, in the end times, the earth will be destroyed: “The earth is utterly broken, the earth is split apart, the earth is violently shaken. The earth staggers like a drunken man; it sways like a hut; its transgression lies heavy upon it, and it falls, and will not rise again” (Isaiah 24:19–20). Although the present world, which God cursed because of sin (Genesis 3:17–19), will come to an end, Isaiah reveals that a new, uncursed world will arise: “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind” (Isaiah 65:17; cf. 66:22).

In the New Testament, Peter’s description is even more detailed than Isaiah’s: “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed” (2 Peter 3:10, ESV). He adds that creation will experience renewal: “But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells” (2 Peter 3:13, ESV). Furthermore, in the book of Revelation, echoing Isaiah and Peter, John writes, “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more” (Revelation 21:1, ESV).

The heavens and the earth aren’t eternal, but the words of Jesus are. When He says His words will never pass away, Jesus builds on His teaching about the words of God in the Sermon on the Mount: ““For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.” (Matthew 5:18). Jesus’ statement in Matthew 24:35 about the eternal nature of His words reveals that they are of the same nature as the Father’s words, inscribed in Scripture—they stand forever (e.g., Psalm 119:160).

Isaiah 40:8 foreshadows the contrast Jesus makes in Matthew 24:35: “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever” (ESV). One day the sun, moon, and stars will cease to exist, and the earth, sea, and sky will perish. Yet Jesus’ words will not pass away. They are eternally fixed, reflecting the unchanging character of God (Malachi 3:6; Hebrews 13:8). As the psalmist says, “Of old you laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you will remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You will change them like a robe, and they will pass away, but you are the same, and your years have no end” (Psalm 102:25–27, ESV).

Matthew 24 is part of the Olivet Discourse, a prophetic section of Scripture in which Jesus provides an overview of future events as they relate to Israel. In the discourse, Jesus answers three questions the disciples had just asked in Matthew 24:3: 1) When will the destruction of the temple happen? 2) What will be the sign of Your coming? And 3) What will be the sign of the end of the age? “Those days” that Jesus mentions in verses 19, 22, and 29 refer to the seven-year end-times tribulation, specifically the second half of that period, often called the “Great Tribulation” based on Matthew 24:21 (ESV).

Jesus’ first mention of “those days” comes in Matthew 24:19. Here is the context of that statement:

So when you see standing in the holy place “the abomination that causes desolation,” a spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand—then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let no one on the housetop go down to take anything out of the house. Let no one in the field go back to get their cloak. How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again. If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened. (Matthew 24:15–24)


In the context of the Olivet Discourse, Jesus sketches a rough timeline of events preceding and following “those days”:

Before Those Days

Leading up to “those days,” or the Great Tribulation, many false messiahs “will deceive many” (Matthew 24:5). There will be “wars and rumors of wars” (Matthew 24:6) and “famines and earthquakes in various places” (Matthew 24:7). Followers of Christ will face deadly persecution, many will turn apostate, and wickedness will increase. Tragically, “the love of most will grow cold” (Matthew 24:12).

Based on some of the events that occur during the Great Tribulation, the temple in Jerusalem must also be rebuilt in the time leading up to “those days.”

During Those Days

Jesus points to a singular event that will usher in the Great Tribulation: “The abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, [will be] standing in the holy place” (Matthew 24:15, ESV). The prophet Daniel spoke of this abomination of desolation three times (Daniel 9:27; 11:31; 12:11). The NLT’s wording is “the sacrilegious object that causes desecration.”

The person who causes this desecration is the Antichrist, who will consolidate his political power midway through the tribulation period. Daniel says that his “armed forces will rise up to desecrate the temple fortress and will abolish the daily sacrifice” (Daniel 11:31). John predicts the duration of the Antichrist’s rule, saying he will “utter proud words and blasphemies and . . . exercise [his] authority for forty-two months” (Revelation 13:5). Paul calls him “the man of lawlessness” and prophesies that “he will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God” (2 Thessalonians 2:4).

Under the Antichrist’s dictatorial rule, “those days” will include intense persecution of the Jews. This is why Jesus says, when those times begin, anyone in Judea should “flee to the mountains” (Matthew 24:16). The Antichrist will also demand to be worshiped and seek to kill anyone who refuses to follow him (Revelation 13).

Throughout the seven-year tribulation, God sends judgment on the rebellious world. Revelation 6–16 detail the plagues that will befall the ungodly. Jesus summarized the second half of the tribulation as a time of “great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again. If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive” (Matthew 24:21–22). “Those days” will be terrible in the extreme (see the bowl judgments of Revelation 16).

After Those Days

Jesus said that “immediately after the distress of those days, ‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’ Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven” (Matthew 24:29–30; cf. Isaiah 13:10; 34:4). This describes the end of the tribulation. Celestial signs will appear, and Christ Himself will return to earth. John further describes the scene:

I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. . . . He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.” He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. (Revelation 19:12–15; cf. Psalm 2:9)


When Jesus returns, He will establish Himself as king in Jerusalem, sitting on the throne of David (see Luke 1:32–33). He will separate the righteous from the unrighteous (Matthew 25:31–46) and rule the earth in peace and justice for 1,000 years (see Isaiah 35; Ezekiel 36; Revelation 20:1–6). During the millennial reign of Christ, the Abrahamic, David, and Land covenants will be fulfilled as Israel is re-gathered from the nations (Matthew 24:31), converted (Zechariah 12:10–14), and restored to their land.

“Those days” in Matthew 24:19—those awful days of judgment and destruction—will be followed by a time of obedience (Jeremiah 31:33), holiness (Isaiah 35:8), truth (Isaiah 65:16), and the knowledge of God (Isaiah 11:9; Habakkuk 2:14). God will restore His people, and His plan for them is one of prosperity and hope (see Jeremiah 29:11).



This quote of Jesus in regards to the end times is found in Matthew 24:34; Mark 13:30; and Luke 21:32. Jesus said, “Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.” The things that Jesus had been speaking of—the rise of the Antichrist, the desolation of the Holy Place, and the darkening of the sun—did not happen during the lifespan of people alive in Jesus’ day. Obviously, Jesus meant something different when He spoke of “this generation.”


The key to understanding what Jesus meant by “this generation will not pass away until all these things take place” is the context; that is, we must understand the verses that are surrounding Matthew 24:34, especially the verses prior to it. In Matthew 24:4–31, Jesus is clearly giving a prophecy; He is speaking of future events. Jesus had already told those living during His earthly ministry that the kingdom had been taken from them (Matthew 21:43). Therefore, it is imperative that Matthew 24–25 be seen as dealing with a future time. The generation that Jesus speaks of “not passing” until He returns is a future generation, namely, the people living when the predicted events occur. The word generation refers to the people alive in the future when the events of Matthew 24–25 take place.

Jesus’ point in His statement, “this generation will not pass away until all these things take place,” is that the events of the end times will happen quickly. Once the signs of the end begin to be observed, the end is well on the way—the second coming and the judgment will occur within that last generation. Jesus reinforced this meaning with a parable in Matthew 24:32–33: “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door.” A sure sign of summer is the leafing of the fig tree; a sure sign of the end of the world is that “all these things” (of Matthew 24) are taking place. Those who are on the earth then will have only a short time left.

Another interpretation is that Jesus’ prophecy in Matthew 24 has a “double fulfillment.” In this view, “this generation” is the people Jesus was speaking to at that moment—some of what He predicted was going to occur during their lifetimes. So, when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem in AD 70, Jesus’ prophecy was fulfilled in part; the fall of Jerusalem provided a foretaste of worse things to come. However, many aspects of Jesus’ prophecy did not occur in AD 70; for example, the celestial signs of Matthew 24:29–31. The main problem with the “dual-fulfillment” interpretation is that it does not harmonize with Jesus’ statement that “all” these things will take place in “this generation.” Therefore, it is better to understand “this generation” as referring to the generation alive when the end times events are actually occurring.

Essentially, Jesus is saying that, once the events of the end times begin, they will happen quickly. The age of grace has continued for a very long time. But when the time for judgment finally arrives, things will be wrapped up posthaste. This concept of God’s drawing things to a rapid close is echoed in many other passages of Scripture (Matthew 24:22; Mark 13:20; Revelation 3:11; 22:7, 12, 20).



The Olivet Discourse is the name given to the orderly and extended teaching given by Jesus Christ on the Mount of Olives. His subject is the end times. This discourse is recorded in Matthew 24:1 – 25:46. Parallel passages are found in Mark 13:1-37 and Luke 21:5-36. The record in Matthew is the most extensive, so reference here will be to Matthew’s Gospel.


It is important to recognize that Jesus’ teaching in this discourse is in reference to Israel and not the Church. Christ was speaking of God’s future program for Israel. Other passages to consider when studying the Olivet Discourse are Daniel 9:24-27 and Revelation 6:1–19:21, which refer to the future seven-year period called the tribulation. God’s program for the Church concludes with the rapture, which is not taught in the Olivet Discourse. The rapture of the Church is found in John 14:1-4; 1 Corinthians 15:51-52; and 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18.

In Matthew 23, Jesus had spoken to the Pharisees concerning judgment. This can be seen in the "woe" statements in that chapter. In 24:1, Jesus was leaving the temple when the disciples called His attention to the magnificent buildings on the temple mount. Jesus then tells the disciples that “not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down” (verse 2). This prophecy was literally fulfilled in A.D. 70 when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem. The temple was burned. The gold in the temple melted in the fire and ran down into the cracks between the stones. As people later searched for the gold, they toppled every stone from its place. This destruction of Jerusalem was but a foreshadowing of what is yet to come.

Jesus’ prophecy of doom got the disciples curious, and probably more than a little concerned. When they were alone with Jesus on the Mount of Olives, they asked Him, “Tell us, when will all this happen? What sign will signal your return and the end of the world?” (Matthew 24:3, NLT). What follows in Matthew 24–25 refers to the future, seven-year tribulation period and the second coming of Christ at the end of the tribulation. During that time, God will complete His chastisement and purification of Israel and judge the whole world (Daniel 9:24-27; Revelation 6–19).

Daniel 9:27 indicates that the tribulation will be divided into two equal parts. Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 24:4-8 refers to the first half. The “birth pangs” (verse 8) refer to the sufferings that Israel will experience during the first 3 1/2 years. The signs with reference to the end of the age are the coming of false messiahs (verse 5), the threat of wars and widespread conflict (verses 6-7), and various natural catastrophes (verse 7).

Revelation 6 is a parallel passage. The apostle John writes of the seal judgments. Revelation 6:2 speaks of a rider on a white horse, which refers to a false messiah called elsewhere the Antichrist and the Beast. Revelation 6:4 says that peace is taken from the earth. Revelation 6:6-8 speaks of famine and death. Jesus said these things are only the “beginning of birth pangs” (Matthew 24:8). Worse is yet to come.

In Revelation 13, the second half of the tribulation begins when the Beast, or Antichrist, sets up his rule for 42 months (cf. Daniel 9:27; Matthew 24:15).

In the Olivet Discourse, the second half of the tribulation is described in Matthew 24:9-14. Persecution of the Jews and death (verse 9) will be the result of the Beast’s rise to power. The Antichrist will also persecute anyone who refuses to follow him (Revelation 13:1-18). The salvation promised in Matthew 24:13 is deliverance from the Beast’s persecution. The one who endures until Christ returns will be saved from the Beast. Jesus says that “this gospel of the kingdom” will be preached worldwide before the end comes. In other words, the good news (gospel) will be available during the tribulation; the message will be that Christ will soon return in judgment to set up His earthly kingdom (Revelation 20:4-6). This message will cause many people to realize their sinful state and receive the Savior during the tribulation.

Matthew 24:15-26 gives further details concerning the tribulation. Jesus refers to an “abomination” and desolation of a future temple in Matthew 24:15-22; this is more clearly spoken of in Luke 21:20-24. The Beast will take authority and set up an image of himself in the future temple (Daniel 9:27; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4; Revelation 13:1-18). When this happens, Jesus says, head for the hills. Those in Jerusalem are advised to flee for their lives when they see that the Beast has taken his seat of authority (Matthew 24:16-20). The Antichrist will rule from Jerusalem for 42 months (3 1/2 years), the latter half of the tribulation, called the “great tribulation” in verse 21.

Jesus warns that the great tribulation will be the worst time ever seen on earth (verse 21). In fact, if those days were not cut short by the return of Christ, no one would survive (compare the bowl judgments in Revelation 16).

Jesus again gives a warning of false prophets in the last days (Matthew 24:23-28). At the end of the tribulation, there will be astronomical upheaval (verse 29), and the nations of the world will see the Christ “coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory” (verses 29-30). Those who were saved during the tribulation will be gathered out of the world by the angels (verse 31).

Jesus emphasizes the facts that there will be signs leading up to the day of judgment (Matthew 24:32-34) and that His Word is sure (verse 35). Jesus says that no one knows the timing of these events and that those upon whom judgment is coming will be caught unawares (verses 36-44).

Jesus ends the Olivet Discourse with four parables. The first one concerns a wicked servant whose master punishes him upon his return home (Matthew 24:45-51). The next, the Parable of the Ten Virgins, encourages readiness and watchfulness (25:1-13). The third parable, relating the story of three servants and their use (or misuse) of finances, teaches faithfulness in view of the fact that God’s servants must give an account of themselves one day (25:14-30). Jesus ends His discourse by telling the Parable of the Sheep and Goats, which pictures the dividing of the saved from the unsaved at the end of the tribulation before the commencement of Christ’s millennial reign (25:31-46).

Within days of the Olivet Discourse, Jesus was betrayed into the hands of unbelievers and crucified for sinners. The Holy One of God will one day return in glory to judge the world, but first He had to provide the way of salvation for all who would trust in Him.


At the end of Matthew 23, as Jesus excoriates the scribes and Pharisees for their behavior, He says, “Look, your house is left to you desolate” (verse 38). Jesus spoke this prophecy regarding the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem.

There is a twofold meaning of the temple being left desolate or abandoned. First, Jesus—who is God in human form—was departing from the temple for the last time, leaving it deserted of the divine Presence. God was forsaking their beautiful house of worship, leaving it spiritually empty and ripe for destruction. In Matthew 23:39, Jesus promises the Jews that they will see Him no more “until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’” At that time, Israel will be saved, and the Jews will be converted to faith in their true Messiah (see Romans 11:25–27).

The second meaning of “your house is left to you desolate” refers to the physical destruction of the temple, which would be desolated in just forty years when the Romans invaded Jerusalem in AD 70. Shortly after Jesus’ pronouncement that “your house if left to you desolate,” His disciples pointed to the buildings of the temple, noting how wonderful the architecture and adornments were. They must have been shocked to hear Jesus describe the future state of the temple: “These things which you see—the days will come in which not one stone shall be left upon another that shall not be thrown down” (Luke 21:6). Such was the sad desolation in store for Jerusalem, the temple, and the people who rejected their Messiah.

About a week prior to Jesus’ statement that “your house is left to you desolate,” He had cleansed the temple. At that time, Jesus had said, “It is written, ‘My house is a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves’” (Luke 19:46). The difference between My house and your house is striking. The temple belonged to God, but evil men had profaned it, requiring Jesus’ cleansing. Then, as Jesus exited for the last time, He called it “your house”—that is, it was no longer God’s, but theirs. They had wrested control of God’s house and objected to the Lord’s right to oversee it. In return, God forsook it, leaving it open to devastation.

Jesus got no satisfaction out of this sad prediction regarding the great temple. In fact, He lamented its destruction and especially the fate of the people: “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing” (Matthew 23:37). Luke describes how Jesus wept over the terrible fate that awaited the city and its inhabitants (Luke 19:41).

Historical records, including those of Josephus, describe in detail the Roman invasion, affirming that Jesus’ prophecy, “your house is left to you desolate,” came true.


This statement is the conclusion to the Parable of the Wedding Feast. Jesus spoke this parable to show what the kingdom of heaven will be like when the end of the age comes. In the parable, the king sends his servants out to gather the wedding guests to the wedding feast. But those invited refused to come, some because they were too busy with their own worldly pursuits and some because they were positively hostile toward the king. So the king commands his servants to go out and invite anyone they find, and many come and fill the wedding hall. But the king sees one man without wedding clothes, and he sends him away. Jesus concludes by saying that many are called/invited to the kingdom, but only those who have been “chosen” and have received Christ will come. Those who try to come without the covering of the blood of Christ for their sins are inadequately clothed and will be sent into “outer darkness,” (v. 13) i.e., hell.


Many people hear the call of God coming through His revelation of Himself through creation, the conscience, and the preaching of the Word. But only the “few” will respond because they are the ones who are truly hearing. Jesus said many times, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear” (Matthew 11:15; Mark 4:9; Luke 8:8, 14:35). The point is that everyone has ears, but only a few are listening and responding. Not everyone who hears the gospel receives it but only the “few” who have ears to hear. The “many” hear, but there is no interest or there is outright antagonism toward God. Many are called or invited into the kingdom, but none are able to come on their own. God must draw the hearts of those who come; otherwise they will not (John 6:44).

Second Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come.” God creates life, grants repentance and gives faith. Man is totally unable by himself to do these things which are necessary to enter the kingdom of heaven. Ephesians 1:4-6: “For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.” Salvation is by God’s will and pleasure for His glory. John 6:37-39, 44-45: “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day…No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the Prophets: ‘They will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me.”

So, all of God’s “chosen” will be saved without exception; they will hear and respond because they have spiritual ears to hear the truth. God’s power makes this certain. Romans 8:28-30: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew (loved) he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.”

How do we know if we are among the few that have ears to hear? By responding to the call. Assurance of this certain call, this chosen call, is from the Holy Spirit. Consider Philippians 1:6, which says, “Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” “Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose” (Philippians 2:12-13.) If we listen with our spiritual ears and respond to the invitation, there will be fear and trembling in our souls as we recognize that it was God’s work in us that caused our salvation.


 Eventually, the whole of the dough is leavened. What does it mean?

First, it’s important to define “kingdom of heaven.” By this, Jesus is referring to His domain as the Messiah. In the current age, the kingdom of heaven is spiritual, existing within the hearts of believers (Luke 17:21). Later, the kingdom will be manifest physically, when the Lord Jesus establishes His throne on this earth (Revelation 11:15).

In the Parable of the Leaven, we learn several things about the working of the kingdom in our present age. Each of these lessons stems from the nature of yeast.

First, the kingdom of God may have small beginnings, but it will increase. Yeast is microscopic in size, and only a little is kneaded into the dough. Yet, given time, the yeast will spread through all the dough. In the same way, Jesus’ domain started with twelve men in an obscure corner of Galilee, but it has spread throughout the world. The gospel makes progress.

Second, the kingdom of God exerts its influence from within, not from without. Yeast makes dough rise from within. God first changes the heart of a person, and that internal change has external manifestations. The gospel influence in a culture works the same way: Christians within a culture act as agents of change, slowly transforming that culture from within.

Third, the effect of the kingdom of God will be comprehensive. Just as yeast works until the dough has completely risen, the ultimate benefit of the kingdom of God will be worldwide (Psalm 72:19; Daniel 2:35). “The earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea” (Habakkuk 2:14).

Fourth, although the kingdom of God works invisibly, its effect is evident to all. Yeast does its job slowly, secretly and silently, but no one can deny its effect on bread. The same is true of the work of grace in our hearts.

The nature of yeast is to grow and to change whatever it contacts. When we accept Christ, His grace grows in our hearts and changes us from the inside out. As the gospel transforms lives, it exerts a pervasive influence in the world at large. As we “reflect the glory of the Lord, . . . the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image” (2 Corinthians 3:18, NLT).

It has been said that a parable is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning. The Lord Jesus frequently used parables as a means of illustrating profound, divine truths. Stories such as these are easily remembered, the characters bold, and the symbolism rich in meaning. Parables were a common form of teaching in Judaism. Before a certain point in His ministry, Jesus had employed many graphic analogies using common things that would be familiar to everyone (salt, bread, sheep, etc.) and their meaning was fairly clear in the context of His teaching. Parables required more explanation, and at one point in His ministry, Jesus began to teach using parables exclusively.

The question is why Jesus would let most people wonder about the meaning of His parables. The first instance of this is in His telling the parable of the seed and the soils. Before He interpreted this parable, He drew His disciples away from the crowd. They said to Him, “Why do You speak to the people in parables?” (Matthew 13:10). Jesus answered them, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. This is why I speak to them in parables” (Matthew 13:11–13). In the case of Jesus’ story-telling, a prophecy of Isaiah was being fulfilled:

Though seeing, they do not see;
though hearing, they do not hear or understand. . . .
You will be ever hearing but never understanding;
you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.
For this people’s heart has become calloused;
they hardly hear with their ears,
and they have closed their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
hear with their ears,
understand with their hearts
and turn, and I would heal them. (Matthew 13:13–15, quoting Isaiah 6:9–10)

Jesus tells the Parable of the Dragnet, or the Parable of the Various Kinds of Fish, in Matthew 13:47-50. Jesus prefaces the parable by saying it illustrates an aspect of the kingdom of heaven. The story concerns fishermen using a dragnet, a weighted net dragged along the bottom of a body of water to collect an assortment of fish.

In the parable, the dragnet is cast into the sea and pulled onto shore full of all kinds of fish. Then the fishermen sat down to the business of sorting the fish into the “good” and the “bad.” The fish worth keeping were gathered into containers, but the rest were tossed away.

Jesus then interprets the parable for His disciples: “This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (verses 49-50).

This parable is similar to the Parable of the Wheat and the Tares (Matthew 13:36-43). Both parables concern an end-times sorting, aided by angels, when believers will be separated from unbelievers once and for all.

Just as the net was cast into the sea drawing many fish, the gospel message is spread into the world, drawing many people to it. Just as the net gathered all types of fish, regardless of their value, so the gospel attracts many people who neither repent nor desire to follow Christ. Just as the fish could not be sorted until the net was pulled ashore, so false believers masquerading as true Christians will not be made known until the end of the age.

These “bad fish,” or false believers, can be likened to the rocky soil and thorny soil in Matthew 13:5-7 and to the tares in verse 40. They claim to have a relationship with Jesus, saying “Lord, Lord” (Matthew 7:22), and Jesus’ reply will be “I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!” (verse 23).

The sobering main point of the parable can be stated thus: “A day of reckoning will come in which God will separate the true believers from mere pretenders, and those found to be false will be cast into hell.”

Jesus continues speaking to His disciples: “But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear. For truly I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it” (Matthew 13:10–17).

From this point on in Jesus’ ministry, when He spoke in parables, He explained them only to His disciples. But those who had continually rejected His message were left in their spiritual blindness to wonder as to His meaning. He made a clear distinction between those who had been given “ears to hear” and those who persisted in unbelief—ever hearing, but never actually perceiving and “always learning but never able to acknowledge the truth” (2 Timothy 3:7). The disciples had been given the gift of spiritual discernment by which things of the spirit were made clear to them. Because they accepted truth from Jesus, they were given more and more truth. The same is true today of believers who have been given the gift of the Holy Spirit who guides us into all truth (John 16:13). He has opened our eyes to the light of truth and our ears to the sweet words of eternal life.

Our Lord Jesus understood that truth is not sweet music to all ears. Simply put, there are those who have neither interest in nor regard for the deep things of God. So why, then, did He speak in parables? To those with a genuine hunger for God, the parable is both an effective and memorable vehicle for the conveyance of divine truths. Our Lord’s parables contain great volumes of truth in very few words—and His parables, rich in imagery, are not easily forgotten. So, then, the parable is a blessing to those with willing ears. But to those with dull hearts and ears that are slow to hear, the parable is also an instrument of both judgment and mercy.

In the Gospels, Jesus speaks of those who have “ears to hear” at the end of a difficult saying or parable (e.g., Matthew 11:15; Mark 4:9, 23). Who is “he who has ears to hear”? Better yet, who is “he who has ears”? Ears are a feature shared by all of humanity—to not have ears would be an unnatural occurrence. Therefore, when Jesus addresses those who have ears, He refers to all who have been given His words—no matter their age, ethnicity, language, or status.

But there is a difference between having ears and having “ears to hear.” Jesus’ parable of the sower and the seed contrasts types of hearers: those who let the Word of God pass straight through their ears and those who truly listen and seek understanding (Mark 4:13–20). Some hear the Word, yet they do not allow it to take root because the seduction of worldly pleasures and comfort overcomes them. Others end up rejecting the Word because of persecution or trials. Others hear the Word and open themselves to understand and accept it so that it transforms them. Those who have “ears to hear” allow the Word to bear fruit to the glory of God. It is up to the hearer to decide whether to take the Word seriously and pursue understanding; only a few are willing—the rest have ears, but they do not have “ears to hear” (Matthew 7:13–14, 24–27).

Whenever Jesus says, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear,” He is calling for people to pay careful heed. It’s another way of saying, “Listen up! Pay close attention!” Speaking in parables was one way in which Jesus sought to gain the attention of the crowds—people love stories, and the parables depicted events and characters with which they could readily relate. But unless they were willing to tune out other distractions and come to Jesus to understand the meaning of His preaching, His words would be only empty stories. They needed more than ears, however keen they were; they needed ears to hear.

When asked by His disciples why He was speaking to the crowds in parables, Jesus refers to Isaiah 6, which speaks of people who have eyes and ears, yet who have hardened their hearts and chosen to ignore the Word of the Lord (Matthew 13:10–15; cf. Isaiah 6:8–10). Part of the judgment on those who refuse to believe is that they will eventually lose their opportunity to believe: “Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them” (Matthew 13:12; cf. Romans 1:18–32).

A similar phrase is found in Revelation in each of the seven letters to the churches: “Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches” (Revelation 2:7, 11, 17, 29; 3:6, 13, 22). And in Revelation 13:9, immediately following a description of the Antichrist, we read, “Whoever has ears, let them hear.” The readers of Revelation are called upon to pay close attention and seek God’s wisdom concerning what’s written.

Who is “he who has ears”? The simple answer: all people who have been or are being given the words of God. Like the parables’ original audience, we must also “Listen up! Pay close attention!” Jesus’ simple request is that we use our God-given faculties (eyes to see, ears to hear) to tune in to His words (John 10:27 –28; Mark 4:24; Revelation 3:20). “For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open” (Mark 4:22). Seeking God’s truth takes energy and focus; it takes a willingness to be challenged and changed. While the way of God’s truth is not the most convenient or fun path to take, we can be assured that it is the best one (John 1:4; 10:9; 14:6). And so He bids us, “Come” (Matthew 11:28).

Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and you will delight in the richest of fare. Give ear and come to me; listen, that you may live. I will make an everlasting covenant with you, my faithful love promised to David. (Isaiah 55:1–3)

As Jesus traveled around performing miracles, His disciples worshiped Him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God” (Matthew 14:33). However, the Jewish religious leaders grew more hostile and antagonistic toward Jesus. In Matthew 15, the scribes and Pharisees track Jesus down to confront Him for not keeping their religious rituals regarding ceremonial cleanliness (verses 1–2). In response, Jesus challenges their traditions and accuses them of being hypocrites (verses 3–9).

Jesus directly addresses the scribes and Pharisees with an eighth-century BC prophecy of Isaiah concerning Judah’s hypocrisy: “You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you: ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules’” (Matthew 15:7–9). Jesus emphatically states that Isaiah was talking about them when he prophesied, “The Lord says: ‘These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is based on merely human rules they have been taught’” (Isaiah 29:13).

The word translated as “hypocrite” in Matthew 15:8 has its origin in a classic Greek term meaning “one who wears a mask.” It referenced an actor or pretender on the stage of a Greek drama. A hypocrite professes beliefs and opinions he does not hold to conceal his real feelings and motives. A hypocrite wears an outward mask to cover up what’s inside his heart. He says one thing with his lips, but his heart reveals a different truth.

Jesus (and God through Isaiah) said, “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me,” because He recognized the false piety and spiritual acting of these Jewish religious leaders. They claimed with their mouths and lips to love, honor, and worship God, but their hearts rebelled against Him. Their rebellion was evident in their rejection of Jesus Christ and their insistence that others follow their self-made rules.

Religious rituals and traditions are external trappings—an outward show. In Matthew 6:2–4, Jesus presented an example of how we might honor God with our lips yet, at the same time, have hearts that are far from Him: “When you give to someone in need, don’t do as the hypocrites do—blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets to call attention to their acts of charity! I tell you the truth, they have received all the reward they will ever get. But when you give to someone in need, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. Give your gifts in private, and your Father, who sees everything, will reward you” (NLT).

In religious circles today, people still perform pious rituals and honor the Lord only with their lips. They do it to please people or gain status (see Galatians 1:10–14; Matthew 6:1, 5, 16; 23:5–7). But God desires authentic worship that is more than external observance or lip service; it is a total and heartfelt commitment to loving, obeying, and pleasing God (Psalm 51:16–17; Matthew 22:37; Romans 2:29; 6:17; 14:17–18; Ephesians 6:6; 1 Thessalonians 2:4).

In Romans 2:25–29, Paul taught that a true worshipper “is one whose heart is right with God” (verse 29, NLT). Obeying “the letter of the law” (verse 29, NLT) in practices such as circumcision is merely an outward ceremony. What counts in God’s eyes is having “a change of heart produced by the Spirit. And a person with a changed heart seeks praise from God, not from people” (verse 29, NLT).

We please God when we obey His Word and not human traditions. We honor Him when our words and actions reflect what we truly believe in our hearts (Romans 10:9–10; Colossians 3:16). Jesus said that religious pretenders “honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.” May we be true worshippers who honor, love, and obey the Lord with our whole hearts, souls, minds, and strength. May we express our devotion to God in words that truthfully reflect our inner convictions.

Jesus used many short, metaphorical stories called parables to teach open and receptive listeners deep truths about spiritual realities. Christ’s true disciples were indeed receptive but had many misconceptions and preconceived ideas about the Messiah and His kingdom. Thus, in Matthew 13:1–52, Jesus presents a series of seven parables to clarify their understanding of the kingdom of heaven. The Parable of the Hidden Treasure reveals much about the nature and value of heaven. Jesus taught, “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field” (Matthew 13:44).

Although brief, this parable illuminates several significant realities. One initial detail is that the kingdom of heaven is hidden from plain sight. God’s kingdom exists within the realm of the spirit and cannot be perceived with physical senses such as sight and hearing. Many will miss out on the kingdom of heaven because it is obscured to them through the callousness of their hearts and spiritual blindness (see Matthew 13:11–17, 14; 2 Corinthians 3:14; 4:4). But people whose eyes have been opened by God’s Spirit will discern spiritual truth and find the heavenly treasure hidden, as it were, in a field (see 1 Corinthians 2:12–15).

A second feature the parable illustrates is the surprising or accidental nature by which the value of the treasure is discovered. We are so caught up in our lives, going our own way, that, apart from God taking the initiative to reveal the worth of His kingdom to us, we would remain cluelessly lost (see Isaiah 53:6; Matthew 18:12–14; Romans 5:6–8; Ephesians 2:8;1 John 4:10, 19). However, once our eyes are opened to the kingdom’s incomparable worth, we are filled with profound and inexpressible joy (Psalm 4:7; 132:16; Isaiah 12:3; 1 Peter 1:8).

The value of our heavenly treasure is priceless; it is worth everything we have. In the quest of the rich young ruler to gain the kingdom of heaven, Jesus advised, “There is still one thing you haven’t done. Sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me” (Luke 18:22, NLT). Unfortunately, the young man did not see the value of what Jesus offered, and he turned away from the Savior (verse 23).

The apostle Paul writes of his change of perspective after finding the metaphorical treasure hidden in a field: “I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him” (Philippians 3:7–9, NLT).

While our heavenly treasure is worth it all, there is still a price to pay—there is a cost to discipleship. Kingdom seekers must accept all the sacrifices and responsibilities that come with possessing this treasure. Jesus taught His disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?” (Matthew 16:24–26, NLT).

For as long as we live on this earth, we will endure persecution, hardship, and loss as believers. The priceless treasure we find hidden in a field is now held in “fragile clay jars” to make “it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves. We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies. Yes, we live . . . in the face of death, but this has resulted in eternal life” (2 Corinthians 4:7–12, NLT).

In Matthew 12:42, Jesus says, “The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, and now something greater than Solomon is here.” Jesus directed these words at the unbelieving Jewish authorities who rejected Him and demanded a sign (verse 38). Jesus had already performed many signs, and their asking for another revealed their unbelieving hearts. To drive home that point, Jesus contrasted the unbelief of His generation with the faith of previous generations.

Jesus stated that Nineveh would condemn the unbelievers of His generation on judgment day because they repented at Jonah’s preaching—and Jesus is greater than Jonah (Matthew 12:41). He then said the same about the Queen of the South, traditionally identified as the Queen of Sheba (cf. 1 Kings 10:1–13). The queen honored Solomon, traveling great distances to hear his wisdom—and Jesus is greater than Solomon. Far from honoring Jesus, the Jews actively opposed Him and heaped dishonor upon Him.

Jesus is greater than Solomon in every way. As the Messiah who was predicted in the Old Testament (Genesis 49:10; 2 Samuel 7:12–13, 16), Jesus governs a larger, more prosperous kingdom. Solomon’s kingdom was rich in earthly treasures, but Jesus’ kingdom has infinite value. Solomon’s kingdom had physical boundaries, but Jesus’ kingdom will extend over the whole world. Solomon was wise, but Jesus embodies “all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:3). Solomon had authority, but Jesus is the King of kings and Lord of lords (Revelation 19:16).

The Jewish leaders had the Scriptures, and those writings clearly pointed to Jesus (see John 5:39). The Jewish leaders’ rejection of Jesus came from rebellion and religious pride, which Jesus condemned. As the one who is greater than Solomon, Jesus offered something far superior to the greatest gift of any earthly king. Tragically, by rejecting Jesus, the Jews turned away from Wisdom incarnate (see 1 Corinthians 1:30). The Queen of the South would rightfully condemn that generation. They were without excuse, having rejected something greater than what she risked so much to obtain. The generation of Jesus’ time encountered God in the flesh, yet they turned away.

The Jewish leaders should have been the first to recognize and celebrate their Messiah. Their rejection of Him was grievous and tragic beyond measure. The two examples Jesus gives of those who will condemn the unbelieving Jews on judgment day were Gentiles. The Ninevites and the Queen of Sheba had the proper response to God’s message. Foreigners were coming to God more readily than God’s own people. To reject Jesus is to reject God (Luke 10:16).

Just as the Jews in Jesus’ day, we have privileges that people in the past did not have. The gospel has spread wide, sparking transformation and changing lives everywhere. We have access to storehouses of truth and the testimonies of countless believers. We, like the people of old, have no excuse to reject Jesus.


For sure, words are powerful things. God’s words were so powerful that they actually created everything (Genesis 1). But even the words of us humans can do powerful things. Solomon wrote in Proverbs 18:21 that “death and life are in the power of the tongue.” The power of life and death can be seen in jury trials, where witnesses and jury members can speak words that might literally determine whether a defendant lives or dies. Less extreme, but no less real, are the power of encouraging words to give hope and joy and the power of discouraging words to spark dismay and depression.

Jesus said, “I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken” (Matthew 12:36). The KJV translates “every empty word” as “every idle word”; the ESV says, “every careless word.” The Greek phrase is rema argos, meaning “careless or inactive or unprofitable words.” In context, Jesus is contrasting the “good things” within a good person with the “evil things” in the heart of an evil person. We are admonished to make the best use of our words, because words express what is in our hearts: “The mouth speaks what the heart is full of” (Matthew 12:34).

In Matthew 12:37, the significance of words is that they will be used to gauge a person’s spiritual condition in the judgment: “For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.” Jesus was speaking to a group of Pharisees who had just accused Jesus of being demon-possessed (verse 24). Jesus calls them a “brood of vipers” and asks them, “How can you who are evil say anything good?” (verse 34). Just as vipers have a mouthful of poison, so the Pharisees had evil words concerning the Savior.

Then Jesus warns the Pharisees of the coming judgment, at which they will be held accountable for their words (Matthew 12:37). There is no better judge of a person’s heart than the words he allows to come forth from his mouth. Just like good trees produce good fruit and bad trees produce bad fruit, so does the mouth reveal the heart’s condition (verse 33).

But it’s not just evil words for which people must give account. Jesus said every “careless” or “idle” word can also be used as a judgment against the speaker. Even the slightest sin, the smallest deviation from God’s perfection, will condemn a person in God’s eyes. The Pharisees’ sin was great—they had blasphemed the Lord of glory with their words—but even seemingly insignificant words, sometimes excused as “slips of the tongue,” are considered sinful if they do not bring glory to God. According to verse 38, Jesus had the last word on this subject, for the scribes and Pharisees changed the subject immediately.

Other passages give additional insight. Ephesians 4:29 sets the standard: “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” James 3:8 advises us on how hard it is to control the tongue: “No human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.” Then in James 4:11–12, “Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against a brother or sister or judges them speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbor?”

Given the weighty consequences of our words—even our “careless” ones—we must learn to yield our body’s members, including our tongues, to the control of the Holy Spirit—the only One who can tame the tongue. “Set a guard over my mouth, LORD; keep watch over the door of my lips” (Psalm 141:3).

In Matthew 12:32, Jesus solemnly declares, “Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come” (ESV). To grasp what it means to speak against the Holy Spirit, we must delve into the context in which Jesus made this statement.

Earlier in Matthew 12, Jesus performed a miraculous healing by casting out a demon from a man who was blind and mute (Matthew 12:22). The crowd was amazed and began to wonder if Jesus could be the Son of David, the promised Messiah. However, the Pharisees, in their hardened unbelief, accused Jesus of casting out demons by the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons (Matthew 12:24). Their claim was that Jesus was in league with the devil.

This accusation prompted Jesus to deliver a stern rebuke. He explained that a kingdom divided against itself cannot stand, and if Satan drives out Satan, his kingdom is divided. Jesus further clarified that His power to cast out demons came from the Spirit of God, signifying the arrival of God’s kingdom (Matthew 12:25–28). In this context, Jesus warned about the unforgivable sin of speaking against the Holy Spirit.

The parallel passage in Mark 3:28–30 is helpful. In this passage, Jesus states that all sins and blasphemies can be forgiven, except for blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, which leads to eternal damnation. The Pharisees’ accusation that an unclean spirit possessed Jesus exemplifies this sin. By attributing the works of the Holy Spirit to Satan, the Pharisees committed an act of deliberate and persistent rejection of the Holy Spirit’s testimony about Jesus.

Speaking against the Holy Spirit, in the manner seen in Matthew 12:32, refers to a conscious and resolute opposition to the truth of God’s work through the Holy Spirit. The Pharisees witnessed Jesus’ miracles firsthand, yet they stubbornly attributed His power to demonic forces. They knew the truth, and they rejected it with finality. This sin is unforgivable because it represents a hardened heart that persistently refuses to acknowledge God’s power and grace. It is a total and final rejection of the Holy Spirit’s work, leaving no room for repentance and forgiveness.

The severity of speaking against the Holy Spirit is underscored by its eternal consequence. Jesus stresses that this sin will not be forgiven in this age or the age to come; that is, in the current dispensation or in the coming dispensation—the church age. Unlike other sins that can be repented of and forgiven, blasphemy against the Holy Spirit flows from the deepest depravity of the heart and leads to eternal separation from God.

The specific act of the Pharisees’ blasphemy cannot be directly replicated today, but the principle remains profoundly relevant. To speak against the Holy Spirit can be understood broadly as a persistent rejection of the Spirit’s conviction and the offer of salvation through Jesus Christ. In John 16:8, Jesus explains that the Holy Spirit will convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment. Suppressing this conviction and rejecting the gospel message leads to a state of spiritual hardening, eventually making repentance impossible. This enduring principle continues to guide our understanding of the unforgivable sin.

“A bruised reed He will not break, And smoking flax He will not quench” (Matthew 12:20, NKJV). As the NIV renders it, “A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.” Matthew here is quoting a prophecy from Isaiah 42 that pointed to the actions and demeanor of the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ. In the prophecy, the “bruised reed” and the “smoldering wick” refer to the spiritually, physically, or morally weak. A reed that is bruised may be damaged, but it is not irreparable. The “smoking flax” may be about to lose its fire altogether, but it can still be reignited.

The “smoking flax” is a reference to the wick of a lamp. The lamps of ancient times were made of clay and filled with olive oil; the wick for such a lamp was a few strands of flax fiber or twisted cotton thread. The flaxen wick was a quick burner and hard to keep lit. The Greek word translated “flax” in Matthew 12:20 is linon, related to our English word linen. The ESV and other versions translate the word as “wick,” and the NLT translates it as “candle.”

To better understand the statement that Jesus would not quench the smoking flax in Matthew 12:20, it is helpful to go back to the original prophecy.

Starting in Isaiah 39:5–7, the prophet Isaiah tells King Hezekiah that Judah is going to be taken captive by the Babylonians: “The time will surely come when everything in your palace, and all that your predecessors have stored up until this day, will be carried off to Babylon. Nothing will be left, says the Lord. And some of your descendants, your own flesh and blood who will be born to you, will be taken away, and they will become eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.”

This dire news undoubtedly brought fear into the hearts of the people of Judah. But, following that pronouncement, God provides His assurance that the people of Israel would receive His help. Ultimately, this help was going to come by way of the Messiah. Isaiah 40 and 41 contain some great messianic prophecies. God makes the point that, although He was bringing judgment against Israel for her sins, He still loved His people and had a plan for their redemption.

In Isaiah 42:1–4, we find another prophecy:
“Here is my servant, whom I uphold,
my chosen one in whom I delight;
I will put my Spirit on him,
and he will bring justice to the nations.
He will not shout or cry out,
or raise his voice in the streets.
A bruised reed he will not break,
and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.
In faithfulness he will bring forth justice;
he will not falter or be discouraged
till he establishes justice on earth.
In his teaching the islands will put their hope.”

Matthew points to the fulfillment of this passage. God had promised to bring comfort and help to Israel, and He did it through His only begotten Son, Jesus. Though God certainly had a plan for Israel in regard to their captivity in Babylon, the redemption that Isaiah spoke of was primarily spiritual rather than physical. All of Israel was under the curse of sin, and Jesus came to redeem them from sin (see Luke 5:31–32).

In Matthew 12, Jesus heals a man with a shriveled hand and later heals all who were ill among the multitude that followed Him. Those whom He healed were the “bruised reed” and the “smoking flax” of verse 20. The prophecy was that Jesus would not extinguish the struggling flame of those who needed Him. In His grace and mercy, He would not snuff out the dying embers of faith He encountered; rather, He was intent on fanning those flames to burn brightly for Him.

A smoking, smoldering wick is in a precarious position. It is weak; the embers are about to lose whatever heat and light they had and be darkened forever. There are many people in a similar state—they have been wounded emotionally, spiritually, or physically. They are weak and about to lose all hope. But then God steps in. The prophecy that Jesus fulfilled is that the smoking flax He would not quench. It’s a prophecy that speaks of Christ’s compassionate care for the frail, demoralized, and exploited.

The sinful woman who anointed Jesus’ feet in Luke 7 was a “smoking flax,” and Jesus defended her presence and forgave her sin. The widow of Nain was a “smoking flax” as she walked in the funeral procession for her only son, but Jesus restored her son’s life and turned her grief into joy. The man with the demon-possessed boy was a “smoking flax” when he cried out, “I believe; help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24, ESV), and Jesus gave him the faith he requested and released his son from bondage. The paralyzed man lying helplessly by the Pool of Bethesda was a “smoking flax” in John 5, and Jesus changed his life forever. Over and over in the gospels, we see Jesus caring for the “smoking flax” of the world.

Those who have been saved by faith in Christ will share Jesus’ heart in seeking out the weak and trembling and imparting the love of God to them. Just as Jesus did not quench the smoking flax, believers will fan the flames of flickering faith in those who struggle. In doing so, believers can likewise “in faithfulness . . . bring forth justice” as Isaiah prophesied so long ago.


Isaiah 53 includes a lengthy prophecy about the Messiah including the statement that “He took our infirmities” (Isaiah 53:4, BSB) or “he himself bore our sicknesses” (CSB). Matthew alludes to this verse when speaking of Jesus Christ’s healing ministry: “When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:
‘He Himself took our infirmities
And bore our sicknesses’” (Matthew 8:16–17, NKJV).

After Jesus explained the righteousness needed for people to enter His kingdom (Matthew 5—7), He began healing people. He healed a leper (Matthew 8:1–4). He healed the servant of a centurion (Matthew 8:5–13). He healed Peter’s mother-in-law (Matthew 8:14–15). He healed many who were demon-possessed (Matthew 8:16). Matthew explains that in healing these infirmities Jesus fulfilled Isaiah’s prophecy that “He Himself took our infirmities and carried away our diseases” (Matthew 8:17, LSB).

There were many evidences that Jesus was the Messiah. John the Baptist testified to His identity when he baptized Jesus (Matthew 3:15). At Jesus’ baptism the Holy Spirit showed that He was upon Jesus (Matthew 3:16). Also at Jesus’ baptism, the Father audibly proclaimed that Jesus was His Son and in Him the Father was well pleased (Matthew 3:17). While Jesus Himself claimed to be God (e.g., John 8:56–58), He also acknowledged that a matter should be affirmed by two or three witnesses. He offered even more than that to affirm His deity and His role as Messiah: John the Baptist, the Father, and Scripture (John 5:33–39). But Jesus also pointed people to His works as testimony of Him. He even explained that the works He did were a greater testimony than that of John (John 5:36). Those works included fulfilling Isaiah’s prophecy that He Himself took our infirmities.

The works Jesus did were signs pointing people to His identity as the prophesied Messiah who would take away sins. The apostle John explains that there were many more signs that Jesus performed than were recorded in John’s Gospel. The signs that John recorded were written down so that people would believe in Jesus—that He is the Christ, the son of the God—and that believing they might have life in His name (John 20:30–31).

Isaiah and Matthew recognized that the Messiah would bear the sicknesses and griefs of the people. The Messiah would come to heal and to give life. Jesus came fulfilling those promises, even to the extent of giving His own life to pay for the sins of all humanity. As Paul would later explain, we have been saved by grace through faith in Jesus (Ephesians 2:8–9). God’s gracious gift was Jesus, and by Jesus’ death He graciously paid for sin. That grace is applied to us by faith (belief). Not only did Jesus carry away our physical griefs and sicknesses—and we will see the results of that someday in glory—but He also carried away our spiritual griefs and sicknesses. The greatest sickness of all—sin—is gone. Christ has redeemed us from sin and removed our condemnation. “He Himself took our infirmities and carried away our diseases.”


“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God” (Matthew 5:8). Jesus spoke this during His famous Sermon the Mount. So what did He mean by “pure in heart?”


The Greek word for “pure” in Matthew 5:8 is katharos. It means to be “clean, blameless, unstained from guilt.” Interestingly, the word can refer specifically to that which is purified by fire or by pruning. John the Baptist told people that Jesus would baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire (Matthew 3:11). Malachi speaks of the Messiah as being like a “refiner’s fire” (Malachi 3:2). Jesus refers to believers as being the branches and to Himself as being the vine (John 15:1-17). For a vine to produce fruit, it must be pruned. Those who are truly “pure,” then, are those who have been declared innocent because of the work of Jesus and who are being sanctified by His refining fire and His pruning.

The Greek word for “heart” in Matthew 5:8 is kardeeah. This can be applied to the physical heart. But it also refers to the spiritual center of life. It is where thoughts, desires, sense of purpose, will, understanding, and character reside. So, to be pure in heart means to be blameless in who we actually are.

Being pure in heart involves having a singleness of heart toward God. A pure heart has no hypocrisy, no guile, no hidden motives. The pure heart is marked by transparency and an uncompromising desire to please God in all things. It is more than an external purity of behavior; it is an internal purity of soul.

The only way we can be truly pure in heart is to give our lives to Jesus and ask Him to do the cleansing work. Psalm 51:10 says, “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” God is the one who makes our hearts pure – by the sacrifice of His Son and through His sanctifying work in our lives (see also 1 John 3:1-3).

The closing chapters of the book of Isaiah are filled with rich promises for the future. In chapter 55, the prophet focuses on God’s invitation to experience redemption. It’s as if Isaiah is saying, “Listen up! God’s deliverance is about to be revealed.” And then, in chapter 56, Isaiah makes it abundantly clear that the invitation will extend far beyond just the chosen people of Israel. When the Messiah comes, people from every nation on the earth will be welcome to taste the goodness of God’s salvation. Even to those who were currently excluded, God said, “These I will bring to my holy mountain and give them joy in my house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations” (Isaiah 56:7).

The temple was called the “house of God” (Ezra 5:2) because God chose that place to be His “dwelling” where He would meet with His people (see Psalm 132:13–14). Prayer, an important part of worship, was closely associated with the temple (see 1 Kings 8:29, 38; Luke 1:10; 2:37; 18:10; Acts 3:1). In Isaiah 56 God looks forward to a coming day of blessing: “My salvation is close at hand and my righteousness will soon be revealed” (verse 1). God wants those excluded from His house to know that, in that blessed day, they would be welcome to enter His temple, which would be a house of prayer for all people, of all nations and backgrounds (verse 7).

In Mark 11:17, when Jesus drove out the buyers and sellers in the temple, He repeated these words from the book of Isaiah: “Is it not written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’? But you have made it ‘a den of robbers’” (see also Matthew 21:13; Luke 19:46). The house of God—the place where He dwells—is a holy place reserved for prayer and worship, but the moneychangers had repurposed it for their own selfish gain, bringing the wrath of Christ upon them.

After Christ resurrected and ascended into heaven, the church—all believers in Jesus Christ—are now called the house of God: “But Christ is faithful as the Son over God’s house. And we are his house, if indeed we hold firmly to our confidence and the hope in which we glory” (Hebrews 3:6; see also 1 Corinthians 3:9, 16–17; 1 Timothy 3:15). Christians, “like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ,” says 1 Peter 2:5. God no longer lives in tents or buildings made by human hands but in the lives of all those who receive Jesus Christ as Savior. We are God’s house of prayer.

When Jesus was born, the visit of the magi from the East was a bellwether of the “all nations” invited to God’s house of prayer (see Matthew 2:1–11). In the church age, people of all nations, tribes, and languages are invited into the house of God (Matthew 24:14; 28:19; Revelation 7:9). When the church began on the day of Pentecost, people from at least fifteen different parts of the world were present (Acts 2:9–10). Throughout the book of Acts, the gospel comes to Samaritans (Acts 8), Ethiopians (Acts 8), Romans (Acts 10), and Greeks (Acts 11, 16).

The Lord’s invitation to salvation opens up the way for people of every nation to have a personal relationship with God the Father and Creator of the world. Prayer is a significant part of that relationship. Prayer is communication with God—an activity of our fellowship with Him. Prayer is worship. God’s house is a “house of prayer” because now we can approach the Lord’s presence through a one-on-one speaking relationship with God: “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).

In Matthew 11:28, Jesus extends an invitation: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened,” echoing God’s call, “Come, all you who are thirsty” (Isaiah 55:1). We, the needy, are invited to come to the One who can meet our needs. The ancient temple in Jerusalem is gone, but we approach God now in prayer, in all the reverence and awe His holiness demands. We are made acceptable to God through the sacrifice of His Son: “Therefore he [Christ] is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them” (Hebrews 7:25).

Prayer is intimately connected with God’s presence. Wherever we worship God and recognize His presence, whether in church, in a small group, or alone in our prayer closet, we ought to see ourselves as operating in God’s house of prayer. All who have accepted Christ’s invitation and entered into a relationship with Him are people of prayer. Since prayer and fellowship with God is worship, the house of God is a place of prayer and worship. God delights in fellowship with His children.

When Jesus came to earth and sacrificed His life on the cross, He opened the way of salvation to people of every nation. And now all who accept Christ’s invitation to come are welcome in God’s house of prayer: “Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit” (Ephesians 2:19–22). If you are part of the family of God, not only are you His household, but you are also His house of prayer.


In Matthew 4:4, Jesus replies to the tempter with the words, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” This statement highlights the importance of spiritual nourishment. While bread is essential for physical sustenance, God’s Word nourishes the soul. It provides truth, wisdom, and guidance vital for our spiritual well-being.

In Deuteronomy 8:3, Moses tells the Israelites, “He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.” Jesus quotes this passage in Matthew 4:4 to emphasize our need and God’s provision and faithfulness. God provided manna to sustain the Israelites physically, and His words will sustain believers spiritually.

The phrase mouth of God refers to His living and active spoken word. In Genesis 1, God created the world through His words: “God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light” (Genesis 1:3). His words hold authority and are life-giving. Jesus’ reference to the “mouth of God” in Matthew 4:4 reminds us that the same God who spoke the world into existence is the one who sustains our souls.

The phrase mouth of God signifies divine revelation. Old Testament prophets spoke what they heard directly from God’s mouth. In Jeremiah 1:9, God says, “I have put my words in your mouth.” God used Old Testament prophets and New Testament apostles to communicate His will (Ephesians 2:20; 2 Peter 1:21). Divine revelation produces genuine spiritual life.

Furthermore, the phrase mouth of God emphasizes the necessity and sufficiency of Scripture. In 2 Timothy 3:16, the apostle Paul writes, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.” The fact that Scripture is “God-breathed” implies that Scripture proceeds from God’s mouth. It possesses the authority and power to confront temptation and protect believers from “the evil one” (Matthew 6:13).

The mouth of God speaks what is powerful and effective. Isaiah 55:10–11 declares, “The rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” God’s words will always accomplish His purposes. Trusting in God’s Word is the antidote to doubt and uncertainty.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. . . . The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:1, 14). Jesus is the living Word, and His speech and actions perfectly align with the Father’s will (John 4:34). Jesus’ ministry was characterized by speaking whatever He heard from the Father’s mouth: “I don’t speak on my own authority. The Father who sent me has commanded me what to say and how to say it. . . . I say whatever the Father tells me to say” (John 12:49–50, NLT; cf. John 7:16–17; 8:26).

The mouth of God is the source of life, revelation, and spiritual guidance. God’s words are creative, life-giving, and transformative. Relying on God’s Word provides strength and comfort during troublesome times. Satan’s lies are no match for the truth that comes from the mouth of God.

Matthew recounts that an angel of God warned Joseph to take Mary and Jesus and go to Egypt to escape King Herod, who would seek out Jesus to murder Him (Matthew 2:13–15). Joseph, Mary, and Jesus left immediately (Matthew 2:14) and remained in Egypt until Herod died, after which time they returned to Israel. Matthew completes this narrative by informing the reader that this fulfilled the statement “out of Egypt I called My son” (Matthew 2:15).

The statement first appeared in Hosea 11:1, where Hosea records these words of God: “When Israel was a youth I loved Him, and out of Egypt I called My son” (NASB). It is clear in Hosea’s context that God is talking about the people of Israel. The illustrative status of Israel as God’s son is first affirmed when God called Moses and prepared him to lead Israel out of Egypt. God explained to Moses that “Israel is My son, My firstborn” (Exodus 4:22). Because of the unique relationship that God had with Israel, the people would recognize that God was their Father, even generations beyond Abraham and Jacob (Isaiah 63:16; 64:8). God affirms the relationship long past the time of the patriarchs (Jeremiah 31:9). God had a covenant relationship with the people of Israel that started with the Abrahamic Covenant (Genesis 12, 15—17) and would extend into eternity. When Israel was in captivity and bondage in Egypt, God would call His son—the nation of Israel—out of Egypt. Hosea 11:1 accurately sums it up, then, with “out of Egypt I called My son.”

There is an important nuance of biblical prophecy that helps us understand how a historical happening with Israel (“out of Egypt I called My son”) can be fulfilled with Jesus. Often, we think of Bible prophecy as the prediction of an event and then that event taking place—and that certainly is the case in many instances of Bible prophecy. But there is another aspect of prophecy. New Testament writers (like Matthew and John, for example) show that an Old Testament prophecy can sometimes simply be an event that prefigures something similar and more significant that would happen in the future. Rather than simply make a prediction about a future event, sometimes Bible prophecy records an event that points to a similar but much later event.

In this case, when Matthew quotes “out of Egypt I called My son” (Matthew 2:15), he is suggesting that the exodus of Israel is the earlier event that prefigured or pointed to a later event that would be even more significant: the “exodus” of Jesus from Egypt. As Jesus was God’s only begotten (or uniquely begotten) son (John 3:16), it was again true that “out of Egypt I called My son.” But this time, the calling out of Egypt was the completion or the filling up of the previous event—a purpose of the earlier event was to illustrate something important in the future, and that later event of importance had now taken place with Jesus. If historical events were shaped to point forward to Jesus, it is evident that this Jesus is the central figure in biblical history.

There is another important aspect of this prophecy that should be encouraging to us. Just as Israel has a unique relationship with God as their Father, so we also can call Him “Abba, Father” (abba is a Hebrew word for “father”), as Paul explains in Romans 8:15. When we believe in Jesus, we are adopted as children, and we also have an intimate relationship with God. The Creator of the universe has ordered history in such a way as to make it evident that He desires a relationship with the people He created—loving and caring for us enough to overcome our frailty and failure. “Out of Egypt I called My son” is not an irrelevant historical happening. It is a key historical sign (Israel out of Egypt) pointing to the arrival of the Messiah who would deliver people from sin.

Matthew’s genealogy traces the ancestors of Joseph, the legal father of Jesus. The structure of the genealogy descends from father to son, beginning with Abraham. Additionally, Matthew divides the genealogy into three groups of fourteen generations, separated by important historic points (Matthew 1:17). Matthew abridged the genealogy by omitting some names that appear in earlier records. Some speculate that the abridged arrangement was intended to aid in memorization. Genealogical abridgement has lots of biblical precedent.

The wording of Matthew 1:17 has caused some to suggest that David’s name is included in both the first and second grouping of generations. Notice, "So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations, from David until the captivity in Babylon are fourteen generations..." The writer does not express his intent to reveal 42 generations from Abraham to Jesus, but rather three segments of Jewish history, each comprised of 14 generations. It is plausible that David’s name being mentioned twice (v 17) indicates his inclusion in both the first and second groupings. If so, then the first begins with Abraham and ends with David, 14 generations; the second begins with David and ends with Josiah, 14 generations; and the third begins with Jeconiah and ends with Jesus, 14 generations.

In the listing of Jesus’ forefathers, there is a name missing. Excluded from the list is Jehoiakim (a.k.a. Eliakim), who was Josiah’s son and Jeconiah’s father (1 Chronicles 3:15-16). The reason for his exclusion may be that he was a puppet king, given his rule by the Pharaoh of Egypt. The first phase of the captivity of Judah by Babylon began at the end of Jehoiakim’s reign, prior to his son Jeconiah coming into power. Thus, the 3 groupings of 14 generations would include: 1. Abraham to David; 2. Solomon to Jehoiakim (he is not mentioned, but was among the first to be carried off into Babylon); 3. Jeconiah to Jesus.

There may be other possible explanations for the existence of only 41 names in the genealogy of Matthew 1, even though verse 17 speaks of three groupings of 14. Regardless, these two suffice to demonstrate that there is not a contradiction. Many commentators believe that the divisions of 14 generations is simply a literary structure by Matthew not intended to set forth a strict biological lineage. God did not arrange Israel’s history so nicely that there were exactly 14 biological generations between these three crucial moments in salvation history. One suggestion is that in 1 Chronicles 1–2 there are 14 generations listed between Abraham and David and from that Matthew structured the rest of the genealogy according to the number 14.

The purpose of a genealogy is to document the proof of ancestry from the origin of the line to the person under discussion. Every individual need not be included, but only those necessary to establish descending relationship. The author may legitimately abridge a genealogy to establish a point or to make it simpler. Matthew is correct in the factual material for his purpose, which is to document the ancestry of Jesus Christ, the Messiah, from Abraham.

The Gospel of Matthew was written to prove that Jesus is Israel’s promised Messiah. Matthew quoted the Old Testament prophets more than any other gospel writer. His purpose was to demonstrate that the prophets’ words were fulfilled in Jesus Christ. In Matthew’s narrative of the birth of Jesus Christ, we find this quotation from Jeremiah: “A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be comforted, because they are no more” (Matthew 2:18, ESV).

Matthew 2:16–18 recounts King Herod’s massacre of infant boys in Bethlehem and surrounding towns. Ramah was an Judean town about five miles north of Jerusalem. Jeremiah’s specific prophecy, given about six centuries before the birth of Jesus, concerns the captivity of Judah and the killing of innocent Jewish children during the Babylonian conquest (Jeremiah 31:15). But Matthew, seeing the striking parallel, applied it to the slaughter of babies by Herod the Great as another fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy.

In Matthew 2, wise men from the East arrive in Jerusalem with news of a newborn “king of the Jews” in Bethlehem (Matthew 2:2, 5). Fearing a threat to his kingship, the ruthless and powerful King Herod orders all male children two years old or under be put to death in the region.

In Scripture, Bethlehem is first mentioned in connection with the death of Rachel, who was Jacob’s favored wife (Genesis 35:16–20). Rachel died giving birth to their son, whom she called Ben-Oni, meaning “son of my sorrow.” Jacob changed the boy’s name to Benjamin, “son of my right hand.” Both names prophetically point to Jesus Christ, who was “a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief” (Isaiah 53:3, NLT), and who is now exalted to God’s “own right hand as Prince and Savior” (Acts 5:31, NLT; Hebrews 1:3). Jacob marked Rachel’s grave by setting a pillar near Bethlehem.

“Rachel weeping for her children” represents the countless Jewish mothers grieving the loss of their children. Israel’s time of captivity in Babylon was undoubtedly one of the most sorrowful times in the nation’s history. Thus, Matthew links this Old Testament passage to the time of Jesus’ birth as further evidence that Jesus is the long-awaited Messiah in whom Israel can place its hope. In Jeremiah’s prophecy, the Lord promised the nation of Israel, “There is hope for your future” (Jeremiah 31:17). That promise was also fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Jacob and Jeremiah associated Bethlehem with death and mourning, but Messiah’s birth transformed it into a symbol of hope and life.

Matthew strategically included statements such as “a voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation” to show that the details of Jesus Christ’s birth, life, ministry, death, and resurrection were all in total harmony with the Old Testament. God made His Son’s identity clear. Israel’s Savior was destined to identify with His people’s historical suffering and exile as well as their exodus from slavery (Matthew 2:15). Jesus is explicitly and inseparably tied with the history of His people—not only with the Jews but all believers whose spiritual history and life before salvation involve mourning, exile, and slavery to sin.

“A voice was heard in Ramah” is just one of several hundred biblical prophecies fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Matthew’s skillful allusion to some of those prophecies supplied sufficient evidence that Jesus is indeed Israel’s promised Messiah.


Matthew 2:23 says about Jesus, “He went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets, that he would be called a Nazarene.” Where is this prophecy in the Old Testament?


Matthew is obviously not quoting a prophecy directly, as there is no Old Testament passage with the wording he uses. Three major options exist for interpreting this verse. First, it may be that Matthew is associating the word Nazarene with the Hebrew word netser (“branch or sprout”). The “Branch” was a common term for the Messiah, such as in Isaiah 11:1: “A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.” Hebrew was written with only consonants, and netser would have appeared as NZR—the same main consonants as Nazareth. In fact, in Aramaic, the common language of Jesus’ day, the word for “Nazareth” and the Hebrew word for “branch” sounded very much alike. Matthew’s point could be that Jesus was “sprouting up” from an obscure village in Galilee; Jesus was the Branch predicted by the prophets, and the name of the town He grew up in happens to sound just like the prophets’ word for “branch.”

A second option is that Matthew is citing a prophecy not found in the Old Testament but in another source. If so, Matthew referred to a prophecy known to his original audience yet unknown to us today. However, this is unlikely and an argument from silence.

A third option is that Matthew uses the word Nazarene in reference to a person who is “despised and rejected.” In the first century, Nazareth was a small town about 55 miles north of Jerusalem, and it had a negative reputation among the Jews. Galilee was generally looked down upon by Judeans, and Nazareth of Galilee was especially despised (see John 1:46). If this was Matthew’s emphasis, the prophecies Matthew had in mind could include these two passages concerning the Messiah:

“But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by everyone, despised by the people. All who see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads” (Psalm 22:6–7). It’s true that Nazarenes were “scorned by everyone,” and so one could see this messianic prophecy as an allusion to Jesus’ hometown of Nazareth.

“He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem” (Isaiah 53:3). Again, in Jesus’ day, Nazarenes were “despised and rejected,” and so Isaiah’s prophecy could be viewed as an indirect reference to Jesus’ background as the supposed son of a carpenter from Nazareth.

If Psalm 22:6–7 and Isaiah 53:3 are the prophecies that Matthew had in mind, then the meaning of “He shall be called a Nazarene” is something akin to “He shall be despised and mocked by His own people.” Jesus not only identified with humanity by coming to our world; He also identified with the lowly of this world. His upbringing in an obscure and despised town served as an important part of His mission. Jesus identified Himself as “Jesus of Nazareth” during His encounter with Saul on the road to Damascus (Acts 22:7–8). After his conversion, Paul mentioned Jesus of Nazareth (Acts 26:9). One of the names of the early Christians was “Nazarenes” (Acts 24:5), and the term Nasara, meaning “Nazarene,” is still used today by Muslims to identify a Christian.

The phrase “fishers of men” was spoken by Jesus when He was calling two of His disciples, Simon Peter and Andrew, to follow Him. “As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. ‘Come, follow me,’ Jesus said, ‘and I will make you fishers of men.’ At once they left their nets and followed him” (Mark 1:16–18; see also Matthew 4:19).

The idea behind fishing is to know the fish you are looking for and attract it so you can make the catch. To catch a fish we must know what equipment to use, the habitat and depth of the water we are fishing in, as well as the kind of bait the fish will go after. After we understand everything we need for real fishing, then how do we relate that to being fishers of men?

God asks us to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:18–20). Just as we need equipment to be fishermen, we need equipment to be fishers of men. Putting on the armor of God is one way to be ready at all times with everything we need (Ephesians 6:10–18). Especially important are the shield of faith with which we ward off the opposition from demonic forces who don’t want to see men saved by the gospel of Christ (v. 16) and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God (v. 17). Without these two pieces of spiritual equipment, we will find fishing for men’s souls impossible.

Not only must we have the armor of God as our equipment, but we must also know the fish we are trying to catch. Knowing the lost condition of the people around us will help us to understand that, no matter how good we are at fishing, we will never “catch” the fish on our own. No reasoned argument will convert the soul of a darkened mind, because “the god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (2 Corinthians 4:4). But God can and frequently does penetrate the darkness with the glorious gospel, and He uses us to do it. He knows which “fish” are His; therefore, we are to seek His wisdom and His guidance on all our fishing expeditions. Prayer is essential.

Lastly we must offer the only effective net—the gospel of Jesus Christ. To those who are perishing, the message of the cross is foolishness, but to us, it is the power of God (1 Corinthians 1:18). The gospel message has the power to change lives, shine light into darkness, and deliver evil men from hell. There is power in no other message and no other “net” can catch the fish of God. “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile” (Romans 1:16). This was Jesus’ message to Peter and Andrew—follow Me, learn of Me, know and understand My mission and My message. Only then will you be able to be fishers of men.

Six times in Matthew 5 Jesus introduces statements with, “But I say to you” (ESV). In each of these statements in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus claims to have a higher authority than the scribes. The Lord, as the original giver of the law, was expounding on the law and bringing out its full meaning.

Jesus first says, “But I say to you” after quoting the Mosaic Law’s prohibition of murder (Matthew 5:21). Jesus then contrasts the well-known saying that “you shall not commit murder” (Exodus 20:13) with an explanation that a person didn’t have to physically commit murder to be guilty of murder. A person is guilty of murder in his heart even if he were only angry with his brother (Matthew 5:22). Unrighteous anger makes one guilty and worthy of hell. Other teachers of the law taught that, as long as you didn’t literally commit murder, you were okay; Jesus said, no, you’re not off the hook that easily, because God sees the heart.

Jesus then recounts the Mosaic requirement to not commit adultery (Matthew 5:27; cf. Exodus 20:14). He adds, “But I say to you” that, if a man looks at a woman in lust, that man is guilty of adultery in his heart (Matthew 5:28). Jesus then reminds His listeners of the law permitting divorce (Matthew 5:31) and then pivots: “But I say to you” that, if a person divorces his wife for any reason other than immorality, he causes her to commit adultery and commits adultery himself if he remarries someone else (Matthew 5:32).

Jesus cites the law prohibiting making false vows (Matthew 5:33; cf. Leviticus 19:12). He then adds, “But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all” (Matthew 5:34, ESV). Jesus notes the punitive standard of an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth (Matthew 5:38; cf. Exodus 21:24) and adds, “But I say to you,” that one should not resist an evil person but be generous to him (Matthew 5:39). Finally, Jesus reminds His listeners of their responsibility to love their neighbors (Matthew 5:43) and challenges them to go further: “But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44).

In each of these cases, Jesus is challenging His listeners’ perception of how a person becomes righteous. Many thought that they could simply be externally obedient to the Mosaic Law, and, if they did that, they would be righteous in God’s sight. Earlier, Jesus had instructed the crowds that they needed to repent or change their mind about how they could become righteous and how they could enter the kingdom, and they needed to do it quickly because the kingdom was near (Matthew 4:17). External obedience doesn’t equate to righteousness. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus explained that they needed to have an internal righteousness—a kind of righteousness neither they nor the Pharisees had (Matthew 5:20). As Jesus would later explain, righteousness, eternal life, and entrance into the kingdom come through belief in Him (John 3:16; 6:47) and not from obedience to the law.

Jesus’ “but I say to you” statements contrast the people’s understanding of the legal requirements for righteousness by obedience to the law and the people’s actual need for righteousness by belief in Jesus. Before Jesus offers them the solution (Himself as the water of life, the bread of life, etc.), He shows them their need. While many people did believe in Him for eternal life, the leadership of the nation refused to change their minds about how they could have righteousness, choosing to depend on their own efforts rather than putting their trust in their Messiah. In so doing, they missed the kingdom (see Matthew 21:31, 43).

In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus warns against harboring lust in your heart, regarding it as morally equivalent to committing adultery, even if no physical act occurs. Jesus emphasizes that sin begins in the heart and mind (see Matthew 15:18–20; Mark 7:20–23), not just in outward actions: “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’  But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matthew 5:27–28).

Through this teaching, Jesus shows that God’s standard of righteousness is not limited to external behavior, such as obeying the Ten Commandments and Old Testament law (see Exodus 20:14; Deuteronomy 5:18). Righteousness before God comes from a relationship with Jesus Christ, one that encompasses the believer’s whole existence, including inner attitudes and desires. Even our secret innermost sins are not hidden from God. He sees them all (Psalm 90:8; 139:1–4; Luke 8:17; Hebrews 4:13).

Sin prevents people from having a relationship with God and, thus, leads to His judgment. For this reason, Jesus cautions His followers to guard their hearts and take drastic measures to avoid sin: “So if your eye—even your good eye—causes you to lust, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your hand—even your stronger hand—causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell” (Matthew 5:29–30, NLT).

This illustration of gouging out one’s eye or cutting off one’s hand employs hyperbole, a technique that applies exaggeration to make an important point. Jesus is underlining the eternal stakes. Looking with lust in your heart is serious—it leads to hellfire. And it’s better to lose a body part than to have your entire body perish in hell. Followers of Christ must be vigilant in avoiding sin. They must do whatever it takes to remain pure, not just in their actions but in their hearts.

The Greek verb in Matthew 5:28 translated as “lust after” (KJV) or “lustful intent” (ESV) is epithymēsai. It refers to setting one’s heart upon something forbidden. Paul describes lust in your heart as “deceitful desires” (Ephesians 4:22), “harmful desires” (1 Timothy 6:9), and “evil desires” (Romans 6:12). The consequences of not guarding your heart can be fatal. Peter warns that God “is especially hard on those who follow their own twisted sexual desire” (2 Peter 2:10, NLT). These desires wage war against our souls (see James 4:1; 1 Peter 2:11). James describes the dangerous progression of temptation: lusting in the heart drags us into sinful actions and ultimately gives birth to death (see James 1:14–15).

Christ’s warning is universal. Even the one who has not physically acted out in lust has already committed adultery in his or her heart. Lustful thoughts carry the same moral weight as marital infidelity. Jesus calls His followers to pursue purity in both thought and deed. Believers who entertain sinful thoughts and fantasies must recognize their guilt. They must become spiritually accountable to God for their thoughts and intentions.

True righteousness before God requires purity of heart and conduct. Christ’s teaching highlights the need for a transformed heart, which can be achieved only through spiritual renewal and reliance on God. Only because of what Jesus Christ accomplished for us on the cross can we come into right standing with God (2 Corinthians 5:21; Ephesians 2:8–9). When we fall short of the mark with sinful thoughts and actions, we must humble ourselves and acknowledge our offenses to God (see Psalm 32:5).

Thankfully, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). As we confess and turn from sin, we receive His mercy (Proverbs 28:13). He washes us clean and pure from guilt and sin, creating within us a clean heart wholly devoted to Him (see Psalm 51:1–17). God transforms us by renewing our minds (Romans 12:2).

The most effective defense against lust in your heart is to fill your mind with God-pleasing meditations (Psalm 19:14), setting your thoughts on spiritual, heavenly things (Romans 8:5–6; Philippians 4:8; Colossians 3:2). When you give God the proper place on the throne of your heart and mind, Satan is defeated (James 4:7).

In Jesus’ longest recorded teaching, the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5—7), the Lord talks about the dangers of adultery. Rather than limiting the sin to a physical act of unfaithfulness, He expands its meaning to include a person’s inner desires and intentions. Jesus explains, “But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matthew 5:28). To look “on a woman to lust after her” (KJV) means to desire her sexually. The lustful man is harboring sinful thoughts that violate God’s righteous standard of purity.

Jesus began His teaching on adultery by quoting the familiar commandment: “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery’” (Matthew 5:27). Jesus was quoting the seventh of the Ten Commandments that God gave to Moses (Exodus 20:14). What He said next challenged those who believed they had obeyed simply by avoiding the physical act.

The word translated “lustfully” in the NIV is the Greek word epithymēsai, a form of a verb that means “to long for” or “to focus on something with intense desire.” Paul used another form of the same word in a more general context: “For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh” (Galatians 5:17, emphasis added).

The Greek word for “desire” can at times describe a holy or righteous longing (e.g., Matthew 13:17; Luke 22:15), but in Matthew 5:28 Jesus clearly uses it to describe an unrighteous sexual desire. His point is that such a longing, even if never acted upon physically, is a violation of God’s standard of purity. To look on a woman to lust after her is therefore condemned as sin.

Scripture records instances when lust led to devastating consequences. One well-known example is David’s sin with Bathsheba. When David saw her bathing, he lusted after her, sent for her, and had sexual relations with her (2 Samuel 11:2–4). At the time, both were married—David to his wives and Bathsheba to Uriah. To cover up his sin, David arranged for Uriah to die in battle. Tragically, this entire sequence began with David’s looking at Bathsheba to lust after her.

There are other examples, too. Amnon lusted after his sister Tamar and was tragically successful in his evil effort to have his way with her (2 Samuel 13:1–14). Samson “saw a young Philistine woman” and demanded her as a wife, “for,” he said, “she is pleasing to my eyes” (Judges 14:1, 3).

After Jesus forbade looking at a woman lustfully in Matthew 5:28, He offered an exaggerated remedy for the lust of the flesh: “If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell” (Matthew 5:29). With this statement, Jesus stressed the seriousness of sin and the need for taking action against lust. Half-hearted efforts will fail to overcome it.

Ultimately, sexual lust is offensive to God because it dishonors a person made in His image (cf. Genesis 1:26–27). It reduces people to objects, existing solely for the physical gratification of the one who looks. Such lust lies outside of God’s design for the covenant of marriage, where physical intimacy is meant to be holy and honoring to both individuals involved (Genesis 2:24–25).

When a Christian is tempted to look at someone with lust, he would be wise to follow Job’s example: “I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a young woman” (Job 31:1).

In His groundbreaking Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught a radically new way of living and thinking based on kingdom values. His teaching often sharply contrasted with the customary interpretations of Old Testament law. One example has to do with taking oaths and making vows: “Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’ But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil” (Matthew 5:33–37, ESV).

To “swear falsely” means to knowingly tell an untruth while making a promise, oath, or vow; or to swear an oath and then not keep it, especially when invoking God as a witness to your words. Swearing falsely is equivalent to committing perjury or lying under oath. In biblical times, people would often swear oaths to attest to their truthfulness or to demonstrate their commitment to a particular action.

The Old Testament law warned against making false oaths: “A man who makes a vow to the Lord or makes a pledge under oath must never break it. He must do exactly what he said he would do” (Numbers 30:2, NLT; see also Leviticus 19:12; Deuteronomy 23:23). By Jesus’ day, the Pharisees had grossly stretched and obscured this command against swearing falsely, creating a system of legal loopholes that allowed them to evade God’s requirement to speak the truth. Rather than using God’s holy name, they would swear by heaven, earth, Jerusalem, or some part of their body. Jesus overturned this dishonest mentality in Matthew 5:33–37, urging His followers not merely to avoid swearing falsely, but to be so honest that oaths become unnecessary. He insisted that a straightforward “yes” or “no” should be trustworthy and sufficient.

James echoes Christ’s teaching: “Above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear—not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. All you need to say is a simple ‘Yes’ or ‘No.’ Otherwise you will be condemned” (James 5:12).

Warren Wiersbe writes, “Jesus taught that our conversation should be so honest, and our character so true, that we would not need ‘crutches’ to get people to believe us. Words depend on character, and oaths cannot compensate for a poor character” (The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 1, Victor Books, 1996, p. 24).

The Bible emphasizes integrity and truthfulness in all speech (see Zechariah 8:16; Psalm 15:1–5; Proverbs 12:22; 23:23; 1 Timothy 1:10). Paul writes, “Do not lie to each other” (Colossians 3:9) and “speak truthfully to your neighbor” (Ephesians 4:25).

God takes pleasure in truth and honesty, which are marks of an upright character, and He expects His children to reflect these qualities. Jesus calls us to a higher standard: honesty in every word and action, so that there is no need to make elaborate promises or oaths.

Today, “swearing falsely” still refers to lying under oath, breaking promises, or making insincere commitments, whether in a legal, personal, or spiritual context. The principle Jesus taught in His Sermon on the Mount stands today: Christ’s followers are to be people of their word, with integrity and truthfulness guiding all their communication.

Matthew 5:48 is part of the challenging Sermon on the Mount: “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” This sounds like an impossible standard Jesus is placing before us. How can we be as perfect as God? What did Jesus mean?

Some people might view the command to be perfect as a proof text for sinless perfection. However, several passages of Scripture acknowledge the ongoing struggle with sin in a Christian’s life (Galatians 5:17; Romans 7:15–20; 1 John 1:8–10; Philippians 3:12). Jesus’ words cannot be used to defend the doctrine of sinless perfection, as Scripture consistently conveys a different message. We will never be perfect, in the sense of “sinless,” in this life.

Let us consider the overall context before delving into what it means to “be perfect.” Jesus begins His sermon by pronouncing blessings on unlikely recipients (Matthew 5:3–12). He then declares that His followers are the salt of the earth and the light of the world, emphasizing the importance of good deeds (verses 13–16). Next, He turns His attention to the law, making it clear that His standard surpasses mere observance of the law’s letter (verses 17–47). Our thoughts and motives matter, too. That’s why Jesus equates lust with adultery and hatred with murder. He also emphasizes love for enemies, non-resistance, the permanence of marriage, and the avoidance of oath-taking.

In Matthew 5:48 Jesus continues setting the standard higher than we are wont to set it. The literal interpretation is likely what Jesus intended. We are called to be absolutely perfect, matching the perfection of our heavenly Father. Every aspect of our being should align with God’s ways, including our deepest thoughts. The Greek word used, teleios, conveys a sense of maturity, completeness, or attaining a goal. In this context, the goal is to meet God’s standard, not simply settle for human morality. A follower of Christ cannot take an attitude of “I’m good enough.”

This realization should frustrate any honest person, for who can achieve moral perfection? Who hasn’t experienced coveting, lust, or hatred? The idea that we can be perfect like God seems hyperbolic. Moreover, the Bible clearly states that we are not perfect. We are all sinners and have fallen short of God’s standard (Romans 3:9–20; 1 John 1:8; Ecclesiastes 7:20; Psalm 14:2–3). How, then, do we reconcile the command to be perfect like God with the truth that we’re not?

The answer lies in the gospel. Jesus is the only One who has lived a perfect life, and it is through Him that we meet God’s standard. Rather than earning righteousness, we are declared righteous because of Christ. As Paul states,

We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God freely and graciously declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. (Romans 3:22-24, NLT)

There are two paths in life to choose from: the broad and the narrow (Matthew 7:13–14). The wide path is easy but leads to destruction, and the narrow path is difficult but leads to eternal life. Jesus said, “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it” (Matthew 7:13–14, NKJV).

The Greek word translated as “difficult” in Matthew 7:14 means “distressed, afflicted, or marked by tribulation.” The ESV translates it as “hard” and the NASB as “constricted.” The narrow path that leads to life is difficult for several reasons:

• following Jesus means our fleshly desires will be crucified (Galatians 2:20)
• it’s more difficult to live by faith than to live by sight (Romans 1:17)
• patience is required to endure trials and tribulations (James 1:2–3)
• to resist conformity to the world invites persecution (John 3:19–20; Romans 12:1–2)


The “many” choose the broad path that leads to destruction because they prefer comfort and pleasure, even if it’s temporary. They are unwilling to pay the cost of discipleship. Jesus said, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me” (Matthew 16:24). Denying oneself and carrying a cross is not something most people are interested in.

Eternal life begins right now, with the experience of knowing God. Jesus prayed, “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent” (John 17:3, NKJV). Abundant, eternal life is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone: “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10, NKJV). But that choice to accept the life Jesus offers sets one on a difficult path.

Several passages reinforce Jesus’ teaching about the difficult path that leads to life:

Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able. (Luke 13:24, NKJV)
We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God. (Acts 14:22, NKJV)
All who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. (2 Timothy 3:12, NKJV)


Our Lord Jesus took the “difficult” way Himself. But His path ended in glory: He “endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2, NKJV). All who follow Him in faith will tread the same path and reach the same destination.

Poet Christina Rossetti understood the Christian life, and she described it in her 1862 poem “Up-hill.” The conversation in this poem highlights both the fear of the difficulty of the climb and the hope of rest at the summit:


Does the road wind up-hill all the way?
Yes, to the very end.
Will the day’s journey take the whole long day?
From morn to night, my friend.
But is there for the night a resting-place?
A roof for when the slow dark hours begin.
May not the darkness hide it from my face?
You cannot miss that inn.
Shall I meet other wayfarers at night?
Those who have gone before.
Then must I knock, or call when just in sight?
They will not keep you standing at that door.
Shall I find comfort, travel-sore and weak?
Of labour you shall find the sum.
Will there be beds for me and all who seek?
Yea, beds for all who come.


Second Corinthians 5:21 further demonstrates the substitutionary atonement of Jesus: “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

Because we are made perfect through Christ, we should live accordingly. Our lives should exhibit God’s righteousness and holiness due to our identity as His people. Christ’s standard becomes a way of life as we obey His teachings. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, we find the strength to love our enemies, uphold our relationships, overcome lust and hatred, and follow the other commands in Scripture.

In obeying the command to be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect, we cannot lean on our own righteousness, which falls far short. We must rely on Christ and the working of the Holy Spirit within us. “‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty” (Zechariah 4:6).

The narrow gate, also called the narrow door, is referred to by the Lord Jesus in Matthew 7:13-14 and Luke 13:23-24. Jesus compares the narrow gate to the “broad road” which leads to destruction (hell) and says that “many” will be on that road. By contrast, Jesus says that “small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” What exactly is meant by this? Just how many are the “many” and how few are the “few”?

First, we need to understand that Jesus is the Door through which all must enter eternal life. There is no other way because He alone is “the way, the truth and the life” (John 14:6). The way to eternal life is restricted to just one avenue—Christ. In this sense, the way is narrow because it is the only way, and relatively few people will go through the narrow gate. Many more will attempt to find an alternative route to God. They will try to get there through manmade rules and regulations, through false religion, or through self-effort. These who are “many” will follow the broad road that leads to eternal destruction, while the sheep hear the voice of the Good Shepherd and follow Him along the narrow way to eternal life (John 10:7-11).

While there will be relatively few who go through the narrow gate compared to the many on the broad road, there will still be multitudes who will follow the Good Shepherd. The apostle John saw this multitude in his vision in the book of Revelation: “After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!’” (Revelation 7:9-10).

Entering the narrow gate is not easy. Jesus made this clear when He instructed His followers to “strive” to do so. The Greek word translated “strive” is agonizomai, from which we get the English word agonize. The implication here is that those who seek to enter the narrow gate must do so by struggle and strain, like a running athlete straining toward the finish line, all muscles taut and giving his all in the effort. But we must be clear here. No amount of effort saves us; salvation is by the grace of God through the gift of faith (Ephesians 2:8-9). No one will ever earn heaven by striving for it. But entering the narrow gate is still difficult because of the opposition of human pride, our natural love of sin, and the opposition of Satan and the world in his control, all of which battle against us in the pursuit of eternity.

The exhortation to strive to enter is a command to repent and enter the gate and not to just stand and look at it, think about it, complain that it’s too small or too difficult or unjustly narrow. We are not to ask why others are not entering; we are not to make excuses or delay. We are not to be concerned with the number who will or will not enter. We are to strive forward and enter! Then we are to exhort others to strive to enter before it’s too late.

In Matthew 3:12, John the Baptist gives a powerful description of Jesus’ role in judgment: “His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat in to the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire” (ESV). The phrase unquenchable fire highlights the severity and finality of divine judgment. To better understand the meaning of this phrase, we must examine both the Old and New Testaments.

First, it is important to understand the agricultural metaphor used by John the Baptist. The winnowing process involves using a fork-like tool to toss harvested wheat into the air, allowing the wind to separate the worthless chaff from the valuable wheat. In this metaphor, the wheat represents the righteous, who are safely gathered. The chaff, on the other hand, represents the wicked, who are destined for “unquenchable fire.” Being unquenchable, this fire continues to burn and cannot be extinguished, indicating everlasting torment.

The concept of an “unquenchable fire” is rooted in Old Testament imagery. For instance, Isaiah 66:24 mentions a fire that “shall not be quenched” (ESV), referring to the fate of the wicked. Likewise, Jeremiah 17:27 warns of an unquenchable fire that will consume the people in Jerusalem if they do not keep the Sabbath holy. Both Isaiah 66:24 and Jeremiah 17:27 understand the “unquenchable fire” as God’s wrath and judgment that is relentless and all-consuming. John the Baptist uses the same imagery in Matthew 3:12 to stress the seriousness of the coming judgment, when Jesus will separate the righteous from the unrighteous.

The idea of unquenchable fire is also found in other New Testament passages. In Mark 9:48, Jesus warns that it is better to enter heaven without any limbs than to be thrown into hell, “where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched” (ESV). Mark 9:48 reinforces the idea that the “unquenchable fire” represents the eternal punishment awaiting the unrighteous. This is the unfortunate reality for everyone who chooses to remain in sin rather than submit to Christ in faith.

The book of Revelation also provides a vivid description of final judgment, where those whose names are not written in the book of life are thrown into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:15). This lake of fire is the “unquenchable fire” that John the Baptist mentions in Matthew 3:12. The fire refers to an eternal state of punishment for the wicked. There will be no reformation or restoration of the wicked; the fire of their punishment burns eternally.

The mention of “unquenchable fire,” then, is a call to repentance, which is the essence of John the Baptist’s ministry. The urgency of this message is clear: the time to repent is now, before judgment comes. Sinners must awaken to the truth of eternal punishment, turning from sin and to God. As 2 Peter 3:9 states, “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance” (ESV). God’s patience, however, should not be taken for granted, since the “unquenchable fire” remains an impending reality for those who do not heed His call to repent.

The “unquenchable fire” is also a reminder of God’s holiness and justice, which demands that sin be dealt with in an appropriate manner. The fire of God is how ultimate justice is served, reflecting the Lord’s righteous indignation against sin and His commitment to eradicating it. In Hebrews 12:29, God is described as a “consuming fire,” emphasizing the purity of His nature, which cannot coexist with sin. For believers, this truth compels us to live in a manner worthy of the gospel, always mindful of God’s righteous judgment.

John the Baptist came preaching repentance and baptizing in the wilderness of Judea, and he was sent as a herald to announce the arrival of Jesus, the Son of God (Matthew 3:1-12). He announced, “I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire” (Matthew 3:11).

After Jesus had risen from the dead, He instructed His apostles to “…wait for the Promise of the Father which you have heard from Me; for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now” (Acts 1:4-5). This promise was first fulfilled on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4), and the baptism of the Spirit joins every believer to the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:13). But what about the baptism with fire?

Some interpret the baptism of fire as referring to the day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit was sent from heaven. “And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them” (Acts 2:2-3). It is important to note that these were tongues as of fire, not literal fire.

Some believe that the baptism with fire refers to the Holy Spirit’s office as the energizer of the believer’s service, and the purifier of evil within, because of the exhortation “Do not quench the Spirit” found in 1Thessalonians 5:19. The command to the believer is to not put out the Spirit’s fire by suppressing His ministry.

A third and more likely interpretation is that the baptism of fire refers to judgment. In all four Gospel passages mentioned above, Mark and John speak of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, but only Matthew and Luke mention the baptism with fire. The immediate context of Matthew and Luke is judgment (Matthew 3:7-12; Luke 3:7-17). The context of Mark and John is not (Mark 1:1-8; John 1:29-34). We know that the Lord Jesus is coming in flaming fire to judge those who do not know God (2 Thessalonians 1:3-10; John 5:21-23; Revelation 20:11-15), but praise be to God that He will save all that will come and put their trust in Him (John 3:16)!

About a week before His arrest and crucifixion, Jesus went into the temple and cleared it out of “all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves” (Matthew 21:12). Jesus then spoke to the startled crowds: “It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves” (verse 13, KJV). The same incident is recorded in Mark 11 and Luke 19. John 2 records similar actions of Jesus at the beginning of His ministry.

In speaking of a “house of prayer” and a “den of thieves” (the NIV has “den of robbers”), Jesus cited two passages from the Tanakh. In Isaiah 56:7 God says, “These [faithful foreigners] I will bring to my holy mountain and give them joy in my house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.” Twice in this verse, God’s temple is called “a house of prayer.” God’s design was for His house in Jerusalem to be a gathering place for worshipers from all nations, a place where prayers would rise like incense from the hearts of the faithful to the presence of the living God.

The phrase den of thieves comes from Jeremiah 7:11, where God says, “Has this house, which bears my Name, become a den of robbers to you? But I have been watching! declares the LORD.” The prophet Jeremiah was rebuking the temple leaders for their abuses. Even as they continued going through the motions of their religion, they were oppressing the needy and violently taking what was not theirs. God saw through their pretense, however, and promised to deal with the thieves in His sanctified house.

Jesus takes these two verses from the Old Testament and applies them to His day. One verse was full of purity and promise: God’s temple would be an inviting house of prayer. The other verse was full of conviction and warning: people had perverted God’s right purposes for their own gain. In the courts of the temple, people were being taken financial advantage of, being cheated through exorbitant exchange rates and being compelled to buy “temple-approved” animals for sacrifice, on the pretext that their own animals were unworthy. Jesus denounced such greedy goings-on and physically put a stop to the corruption. In His righteous indignation, He quoted Isaiah and Jeremiah to show that He had biblical warrant for His actions. What should have been a sanctuary for the righteous had become a refuge for the wicked, and the Son of God was not going to put up with it. God’s design for the temple was that it be a house of prayer, a place to meet with God and worship Him. But when Jesus stepped into its courts, He found not prayer but avarice, extortion, and oppression.

It’s always good to remember the Lord’s purpose for what He makes. Whether it’s the temple, the church, marriage, the family, or life itself, we should follow God’s design and seek to honor Him. Any twisting or perverting of God’s design for selfish purposes will draw the Lord’s righteous anger.

Jesus cleansed the temple of the money-changers and sellers of merchandise because of His disgust at what they had made of God’s house of prayer and His zeal to purify it from the abuse of ungodly men. Judea was under the rule of the Romans, and the money in current use was Roman coin. However, the Jewish law required that every man should pay a tribute to the service of the sanctuary of “half a shekel” (Exodus 30:11–16), a Jewish coin. It became, therefore, a matter of convenience to have a place where the Roman coin could be exchanged for the Jewish half shekel. The money-changers provided this convenience but would demand a small sum for the exchange. Because so many thousands of people came up to the great feasts, changing money was a very profitable business and one that resulted in fraud and oppression of the poor.

Also, according to the Law, two doves or pigeons were required to be offered in sacrifice (Leviticus 14:22; Luke 2:24). Yet it was difficult to bring them from the distant parts of Judea, so a lucrative business selling the birds sprang up, with the sellers gouging the faithful by charging exorbitant prices. There were other merchants selling cattle and sheep for the temple sacrifices as well. Because of these sellers who preyed on the poor and because of His passion for the purity of His Father’s house, Jesus was filled with righteous indignation. As He overturned the tables of the money-changers, He condemned them for having turned God’s house of prayer into “a den of thieves” (Matthew 21:13). As He did so, His disciples remembered Psalm 69:9, “Zeal for your house consumes me, and the insults of those who insult you fall on me.”

Jesus’ first cleansing of the temple is described in John 2:11–12 as having occurred just after Jesus’ first miracle, the turning of water into wine at the wedding in Cana. John makes it clear that it was “after this” that He went to Capernaum, where He “stayed for a few days.” Then in the next verse (verse 13), John tells us that the “Passover of the Jews was at hand” (NKJV). These verses trace Jesus’ movements over a short period of time from Cana in Galilee to Capernaum and eventually to Jerusalem for the Passover. This is the first of the two times Jesus cleansed the temple. The Synoptic Gospels do not record the temple cleansing mentioned in John 2, instead only recording the temple cleansing that occurred during Passion Week.

The second cleansing of the temple occurred just after Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem the last week of His life. This second cleansing is recorded in Matthew, Mark, and Luke but not in John. There are differences in the two events, aside from their being nearly three years apart. In the first cleansing, temple officials confronted Jesus immediately (John 2:18), whereas in the second cleansing, the chief priests and scribes confronted Him the following day (Matthew 21:17–23). In the first event, Jesus made a whip of cords with which to drive out the sellers, but there is no mention of a whip in the second cleansing. So there are two recorded occasions when Jesus cleansed the temple—the first time at the beginning of His public ministry, and the second time just after His triumphal entry into Jerusalem shortly before He was crucified.

In the wilderness of Judea, John the Baptist began his ministry of preparing Israel to receive her Messiah, Jesus Christ. Enormous crowds went to hear John (Matthew 3:5) as he traveled through the region “preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (Luke 3:3). Many people received John’s message, confessed their sins, and were baptized (Matthew 3:6; Mark 1:5). These baptisms stirred up such a commotion that the Pharisees and Sadducees went out to investigate. Aware of their insincerity of heart, John said, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance” (Matthew 3:7–8).

John spoke severely, challenging these religious leaders’ spiritual pride and hypocrisy head-on. They needed to know that God’s judgment for sin was coming. Baptism is an outward symbol of true heart change. John’s baptism was a “baptism of repentance.” Repentance is the act of changing one’s mind that results in a change of actions. Sincere repentance involves turning away from sin both in thought and action. When the crowds came to John for baptism, they were showing their repentance and identifying with a new life. The Pharisees and Sadducees were detached observers at John’s baptism. They claimed to have repented of their sins—sins they eagerly pointed out in others—yet they lived as sinners, all the while denying their own guilt.

The religious leaders of John’s day had refused to submit themselves to God. They thought they were good enough by way of association with Abraham through their Jewish heritage (see Matthew 3:9; John 8:39). But their religious rituals and spiritual “pedigree” were not enough to please God. The only way for sinners to enter a relationship with God is through genuine repentance and faith. These religious leaders should have been setting an example and taking the lead. Instead, they lived in self-righteous, hypocritical denial of their spiritual condition.

John the Baptist warned, “The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire” (Matthew 3:10). The tree represents Israel. If Israel did not repent, it would be cut down and destroyed (see Luke 13:6–10). Only those who genuinely repented and began to produce good fruit would be prepared for the coming of Jesus Christ.

Luke’s gospel gives further insight into what it means to produce fruit in keeping with repentance. John told the people, “Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God. Don’t just say to each other, ‘We’re safe, for we are descendants of Abraham.’ That means nothing, for I tell you, God can create children of Abraham from these very stones’” (Luke 3:8, NLT). John’s baptism of repentance was meant to be the start of a brand new, continuous life of producing fruit in keeping with righteousness. Our family tree won’t earn us a place in heaven or give us an automatic claim to God’s promises. John told the Sadducees and Pharisees who took pride in their lineage to take a more humble view: just as God had made Adam from the dust of the ground, God could raise up children of Abraham from the stones of the wilderness.

At John’s preaching, the people began to ask, “What should we do?” (Luke 3:10). In other words, “What is the fruit in keeping with repentance?” “John answered, ‘Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same’” (Luke 3:11). He told the tax collectors in the crowd, “Don’t collect any more than you are required to” (verse 13). He told the soldiers, “Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely—be content with your pay” (verse 14). Such actions were the “fruit” of repentance in that they showed the genuineness of the change of heart.

When the apostle Paul began his preaching ministry, he, too, spoke of good deeds as proof of genuine repentance: “I preached first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout all Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that all must repent of their sins and turn to God—and prove they have changed by the good things they do” (Acts 26:20, NLT).

The believer’s spiritual life and growth are often compared to a fruit-bearing tree in Scripture. Just as fruit production is proof of life and health in a tree, so are good actions the evidence of spiritual life in Jesus Christ and the presence of God’s Spirit dwelling within a person. Jesus said, “A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions” (Matthew 7:17–20, NLT).

Fruit in keeping with repentance represents the good deeds and changed behaviors that naturally flow from a truly repentant and transformed heart. In James 2:14–26, James teaches extensively on the subject, explaining that “faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless” (verse 17, NLT). James concludes, “Just as the body is dead without breath, so also faith is dead without good works (verse 26, NLT).

Paul prays for the Philippians to be “filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:11). He gives examples of good spiritual fruit: “The Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Galatians 5:22–23, NLT; see also Ephesians 5:9; Colossians 1:10; James 3:17).

The believer’s ability to produce fruit in keeping with repentance depends wholly on our intimate fellowship with Jesus Christ, who said, “Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:4–5, NLT). The root will naturally produce fruit. Fruit in keeping with repentance is the evidence (as well as a result) of a changed mind, transformed life, and ongoing communion with Jesus.

In Matthew 3, John the Baptist begins preparing the way for the Messiah’s coming. He focuses first on the Jewish people, calling them to repent of their sins and rededicate their hearts to God through the outward demonstration of water baptism. John aims his stern message of judgment squarely at Israel’s religious leaders (the Pharisees and Sadducees), who had traded personal dedication for empty ritualism: “You brood of vipers! . . . Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire” (Matthew 3:7–10, ESV).

John confronts the hypocrisy of Israel’s spiritual leaders, who thought they were automatically saved from God’s wrath merely by inheriting a religious pedigree. John tells them that being Abraham’s descendants was not enough. Their hearts must be transformed and turned away from sin to receive spiritual life in the Messiah’s kingdom. True repentance involves a changed mind that produces a lifestyle of changed actions. These actions are the fruits of repentance. Repentance is not merely being sorry but being sorry enough to stop sinning and dedicate one’s whole life to God.

Using the imagery of fruit trees, John the Baptist regards the religious leaders as devoid of good fruit. A fruit tree’s appropriate “action” is to bear good fruit. Because their hearts and minds were unchanged, these hypocritical leaders could not bear the fruit of righteousness and repentance. They could not prove the genuineness of their faith with righteous actions and good deeds. Instead, their faith was dead (see James 2:14–26). They preached one thing but lived another.

Jesus would later declare a similar judgment on false prophets and teachers. He said both genuine and hypocritical followers can be identified “by their fruit, that is, by how they act” (Matthew 7:16, NLT). “So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits” (Matthew 7:17–20, ESV).

Both John and Jesus compared religious hypocrites to dead trees. Therefore, the ax of God’s judgment was “poised, ready to sever the roots of the trees. Yes, every tree that does not produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into the fire.” (Matthew 3:10, NLT). There is no hope for a tree that does not bear good fruit. John’s warning to the Pharisees and Sadducees was severe. Their eternal destinies were at stake. Because of their spiritual insincerity, they were in danger of being cut down and thrown into the fire. If they did not repent, God’s fiery judgment would come for them. Jesus would expound on that judgment later (see Matthew 23:31–38; Matthew 24:1—25:46).

“Every tree” means there are no exceptions. Every sinner, from the most powerful leader to the lowest slave, must repent. If he does not bear fruit, he will be “cut down” and destroyed by fire. John’s message is clear: those who reject God’s call to repentance will face judgment and eternal punishment.

John continued his warning, saying that Messiah is “ready to separate the chaff [hypocrites] from the wheat [true believers] with his winnowing fork. Then he will clean up the threshing area, gathering the wheat into his barn but burning the chaff with never-ending fire” (Matthew 3:12, NLT). Again, Jesus issued a similar warning later in Matthew 13:30, 37–43.

People of every era should carefully consider John’s warning that every tree that does not bear fruit is cut down. We cannot rest on our family credentials or religious heritage. Attending church or even holding a leadership position does not ensure our salvation. We can confess our sins and claim to be born again, but it means nothing unless a changed way of life accompanies our repentance.

Our salvation is secure when we abide in Jesus, who said, “I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit. . . . Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. . . . For apart from me you can do nothing. Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned. . . . When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples” (John 15:1–8, NLT).


For several reasons, it is significant that John the Baptist was preaching, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 3:2, ESV).

Malachi 3:1 is a prophecy that a messenger would come who would prepare the way for Israel’s Messiah. When the Messiah came, that would signal the arrival of the King, with the Day of the Lord to follow and, when that was complete, the beginning of the Messianic Kingdom. John was that messenger, and his mission was to prepare the people to receive their Messiah. John’s call for the people to repent indicated that they needed to change their minds. From Jesus’ own preaching of that same message (e.g., Matthew 4:17), we find that the people thought they were righteous and would have access to the kingdom of God because of their relationship to Abraham and Moses and because of their outward obedience to the laws God had given Israel through Moses. In the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5—7), Jesus makes it clear that the people needed to change their minds about how a person becomes part of His kingdom. Their self-perceived righteousness was not enough—their heritage and works were not what God required. Instead, God required that the people have a true, internal righteousness that they didn’t yet possess. Not only did they need a king, but they needed a savior; unfortunately, many of them did not realize that need.

In order to make the need clear, John and Jesus proclaimed that the people needed to “repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand,” or “has come near” (CSB). God has an eternal kingdom that currently resides in heaven. But passages like 2 Samuel 7 and Revelation 19—20 prophesy that God’s kingdom will one day come to earth in a physical form. Because this will be a heavenly kingdom changing location to earth, John and Jesus (as recorded in Matthew) usually refer to it as “the kingdom of heaven” (or, literally, “the kingdom of the heavens”).

The kingdom was “at hand” or “near” in Jesus’ day because the King had come. But the people weren’t ready yet for the kingdom because they hadn’t yet understood their need for the righteousness that the King would provide. Because of that lack of understanding and the arrival of the King, John’s and Jesus’ message was vitally important—the people truly needed to repent (change their minds about how they could enter the kingdom). While many individuals did change their minds about how they could be righteous, the leaders and the nation as a whole did not (Matthew 12—13), and they rejected Jesus as their King. As a result, Jesus delayed the kingdom and died to pay for the forgiveness of sins so that those who believe in Jesus can be part of His kingdom forever.

In Revelation 19—20 Jesus returns to earth as the King, and He sits on a throne ruling over Israel for one thousand years. After that thousand years, He fulfills His role as Judge, and after judgment is fulfilled, His kingdom continues in a new earth for eternity. Because of what the Bible tells us about the future, we know that we also need to “repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” We need to change our minds about how we become righteous and rely on God’s grace and Jesus’ saving work on the cross, not on our own works and efforts. For those who have believed in Him, we have already been transferred to His kingdom (Colossians 1:13), but because His kingdom isn’t here yet—because the King isn’t here yet—we need to set our mind on the things above where He is, rather than on the temporary things of earth (Colossians 3:1–4).

When Jesus called Matthew to become a disciple (Matthew 9:9–13), the Pharisees were scandalized. Matthew, a tax collector, had been part of the corrupt Roman system that cheated and oppressed its citizens. The Jews passionately hated tax collectors, classifying them among the worst of sinners. When the Pharisees saw Jesus having dinner with a group of tax collectors and other “sinners” at Matthew’s house, they asked, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” (Matthew 9:11, ESV). Jesus responded unapologetically: “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners” (Matthew 9:12–13, ESV).

Jesus was quoting from Hosea 6:6, in which God rebuked Israel for focusing on the letter of the law while ignoring its spirit. God desires faithfulness, love, and mercy from His people more than their procedural observance of the law. The word sacrifice in Matthew 9:13 and Hosea 6:6 represents all the obligations and rituals that religious people perform. Jesus charged the Pharisees with being just like the ancient Israelites. They were faultless in their adherence to religious tradition and ritual sacrifice but had no compassion for needy sinners. They were overlooking the larger point of the law.

Later, in Matthew 12:1–8, Jesus cites Hosea 6:6 again. The Pharisees had scolded Jesus because His hungry disciples plucked some heads of grain to eat as they passed through the fields. The disciples had done nothing wrong (see Deuteronomy 23:25), but because they had picked grain on the Sabbath, the Pharisees accused them of “harvesting” and thus breaking the law of the Sabbath (Exodus 20:8; Jeremiah 17:22). These men had turned the Scriptures into an oppressive list of rules and regulations instead of understanding what the law meant and why it had been given. Jesus reminds them of what Hosea said: “If you had known what these words mean, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent” (Matthew 12:7). Jesus, the Master Teacher, had given the Pharisees “homework” in Matthew 9; they had not completed the assignment and so had not learned their lesson in Matthew 12.

God intended the Sabbath as a day for worship and rest, not as a legalistic burden. The Old Testament laws, including the Sabbath laws, were all given to lead Israel into a loving, devoted relationship with God. The disciples had not broken God’s law. But they had transgressed the hypocritical regulations laid down by the Pharisees. Jesus is the authority and can override any human tradition: “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath” (Matthew 12:8).

God’s righteousness flows from our fellowship with Him in Jesus Christ and involves demonstrating mercy to outcasts and sinners. The Lord won’t tolerate cold-heartedness from His people. James informs, “Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress” (James 1:27, NLT).

Some Christians tend to be judgmental toward others and take pride in their own perceived goodness instead of remembering and replicating the mercy Christ offers. But Jesus taught us to forgive as we have been forgiven and show the same kind of mercy that was shown to us by God (Matthew 6:12; 18:33). Jesus spent time in the company of sinners and welcomed those who repented and followed Him, and so must we.

The self-righteousness of the Pharisees prevented them from seeing their spiritually sickened condition and their need for God and His mercy. Without an intimate relationship with the Lord, all the sacrifices in this world won’t change our hearts so that we are moved with compassion for the lost, broken, and dying people around us. But if we have been transformed through God’s forgiveness and healing and filled with His love and mercy for people in need, our righteous deeds—our sacrifices—are no longer empty gestures but authentic spiritual offerings (Matthew 6:1–18). Our lives become “a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him” (Romans 12:1, NLT).

When God says, “I desire mercy and not sacrifice,” He is calling us to an inner circumcision of the heart that “is not merely obeying the letter of the law; rather, it is a change of heart produced by the Spirit” (Romans 2:29, NLT). If God does not have our hearts, He does not have us at all.

On one occasion, the disciples of John the Baptist approached Jesus with a question: “Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” (Matthew 9:14, ESV). The Lord responded with this short parable: “No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse” (Matthew 9:16).

At first, Christ’s mention of a sewing technique may seem out of place and unrelated to the original question. Even more perplexing, Jesus follows the comment about an unshrunk cloth on an old garment with this statement: “Neither do people pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved” (Matthew 9:17).

The significance of both the “unshrunk cloth on an old garment” and the “new wine into old wineskins” lies in the incompatibility of the pairings. With His metaphor, Christ says that His teachings are radically different and cannot be simply superimposed on the old ways of religious ritual and observance. The Old Covenant and the New Covenant are incompatible.

In ancient times, most garments were made of natural fibers such as wool or linen. An unshrunk cloth is a new piece of fabric that has not been pre-washed and, therefore, is prone to shrinkage after exposure to water, heat, and drying. Sewing such a patch onto an old, well-worn garment creates an inherent problem: once the new cloth shrinks, it strains and pulls at the older material, creating a tear.

The “old garment” symbolizes the old established religious system of Judaism, particularly the Mosaic Law and the traditions upheld by the Pharisees. The “unshrunk cloth” represents the teachings and the transformative grace brought by Jesus. John’s disciples were Jews who still adhered to the rules of Judaism and lived by the obligations of the Old Covenant, including ceremonial rituals such as fasting (see Leviticus 16:29–31; 23:32; Luke 18:12).

Christ was ushering in an altogether new era, inaugurating a new covenant relationship between God and His people. The message of salvation in Jesus was too fresh and vital to be slapped over the old system of Judaism. The gospel was never intended to be a mere patch on the existing framework but a revolutionary shift requiring complete renewal of faith, heart, and practice. Attempting to embrace Christ’s teachings while clinging to outdated traditions would only create friction and spiritual disaster.

The new life in Christ cannot be contained within the old, empty forms of religion (see Matthew 15:8–9; 23:23–28). The Jewish followers of John would need to broaden their understanding of God’s mercy and grace to include Christ’s sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins, not just for Israel but for the entire world (Matthew 26:28; John 1:29; Hebrews 9:23–26; 10:14; 1 Corinthians 11:25). They would need to understand that salvation is God’s gift through faith (John 3:16–18; Ephesians 2:5, 8–9), that temple sacrifices were no longer needed (Hebrews 7:26–27; 10:1–18), and that all believers were united through the Holy Spirit into God’s temple (1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19). This new reality was difficult for the Jews to grasp—including those who became Christians after the death and resurrection of Jesus (see Acts 10:1—11:18).

The metaphor of the unshrunk cloth on an old garment warns against superficial attempts to remedy a profound spiritual problem. True transformation cannot happen through adherence to the religious rules of our past. John’s disciples fasted to demonstrate their devotion to God, which was appropriate under the old, legalistic system but was no longer necessary under the new covenant of grace (Romans 3:20–24; 5:20; John 1:16–17; Galatians 2:16; 5:4). Jesus brought the good news of the gospel—the New Covenant—which is the message of salvation by grace through faith, and not works, obtained for us by the blood of Christ (Jeremiah 31:31–34; Luke 22:20; Hebrews 10:29).

The principle of not sewing an unshrunk cloth onto an old garment remains relevant for Bible readers today. It challenges us to avoid rigid adherence to outdated traditions when confronted with the transformative power of Christ’s grace and truth. Instead of trying to patch up our “old garment” with an “unshrunk cloth,” we should wholly embrace our new identity in Jesus Christ: “The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” (2 Corinthians 5:17, NLT).

As Jesus prepared to send out the twelve apostles to minister His message, He spoke to them about the cost of discipleship and the depth of commitment required to truly follow Him: “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” (Matthew 10:37–39, ESV).

During Jesus’ time on earth, the cross was not merely a Christian symbol as it is today. It was a brutal method of execution used by the Romans to punish and humiliate criminals publicly. Carrying a cross wasn’t like wearing a Christian t-shirt or gold trinket. It meant bearing the weight of one’s own death sentence. It was a visible display of submission to authority. When Jesus told His followers to take up their cross and follow Him, He was asking them to willingly accept the hardships, shame, persecution, and sacrifice that would come with being His disciples.

At the core of Christ’s teaching was the principle of self-denial. Taking up one’s cross signifies a willingness to surrender personal ambitions, comforts, and even relationships, if necessary, in favor of prioritizing the kingdom of God. Every sincere follower of Jesus must move beyond superficial faith and embrace a wholehearted, life-transforming commitment to Christ. This act of self-denial is not a passive acceptance of suffering but an active, ongoing choice to lay down one’s life for Christ’s sake. It means aligning our will with God’s will, even when it is difficult and costs us everything.

In Matthew 10:38, Jesus said, “Whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.” Here, the original Greek word for “worthy” is axios, meaning “worthy or deserving of being treated or recognized in a particular way.” He was clarifying the standard or “worthiness” of someone who could be recognized as His disciple, stressing the depth of devotion required. Worthiness in this context does not imply inherent value or moral superiority but a readiness to surrender one’s all to Him. It contains a relational dynamic, since being “worthy” of Jesus means being willing to identify one’s life with His example and mission.

Jesus states that someone “worthy of me” (or deserving to be considered His disciple) will love Jesus more than anyone else—more than father, mother, son, or daughter (see Matthew 10:34–37; cf. Micah 7:6). Our loyalty to Jesus must supersede all other relationships in life. We may never have to choose between a family member and Jesus, but in our hearts, we love Him and remain faithful to Him above all others (see Deuteronomy 6:4–5; Matthew 22:37). In Jesus’ day (and in some cultures and parts of the world still today), becoming Christ’s disciple would indeed result in being disowned by relatives and rejected by friends and loved ones.

The other standard to be worthy of Jesus is to confess Him and obey Him despite shame, suffering, and sacrifice. In a world focused on comfort, status, and self-preservation, the idea of willingly embracing sacrifice is counterintuitive. Yet, discipleship in God’s paradoxical kingdom demands a reorientation of values; eternal significance takes precedence over temporary concerns.

If we want to be worthy of Jesus, deserving to be treated as His disciples, we will trust in His plans and follow His path even when these conflict with our personal desires. We will understand that trials and difficulties are not obstacles to faith but opportunities to grow closer to God (see James 1:2–12). We will embrace humility and prioritize service, reflecting the sacrificial love of Christ in our relationships and actions (see Philippians 2:5–11). As a testament to our devotion to Christ, we will stand firm in our faith, even in the face of rejection or persecution.

Matthew 10:38 reminds us of the extreme cost of true discipleship. When we embrace Christ’s call to carry our cross, we accept that being His follower involves sacrifice, perseverance, and unwavering commitment. Ultimately, being worthy of Jesus is not about perfection or performance but having a heart entirely devoted to Him and His mission.

Jesus referred to the prophet’s reward at the end of His instructions to the Twelve as He sent them off to preach the gospel to “the lost sheep of Israel” (Matthew 10:6). His instructions included warnings that they would be arrested and flogged (verses 17–18) and hated and persecuted (verses 22–23). There would be those, however, who would receive them as prophets, and those godly people would receive a prophet’s reward.

A “prophet” in this context is not necessarily one who foretells the future. In the New Testament, a prophet is often simply one who is divinely commissioned to speak God’s Word. To receive such a prophet means not only to embrace his doctrine but to entertain and welcome him, treating him with kindness and respect because he is a prophet (Matthew 10:41). In other words, the prophet is to be received because he is a faithful minister of the gospel and because he preaches and teaches truth. Those who treat a prophet in this way are entitled to the same prophet’s reward as the prophet himself.

What exactly is the prophet’s reward? The Bible doesn’t tell us, but it may be a reward from the prophet himself in that he interprets the Scriptures, preaches the true gospel, and leads the hearer into a fuller understanding of the truth. Those who receive the prophet receive from him a clearer sense of the truths of Scripture and a deeper understanding of spiritual things. This is a great blessing, indeed, both for the prophet, whose joy lies in teaching and preaching, and for the hearer, who is edified by that teaching. Each one shares in the prophet’s reward—one in the giving and the other in the receiving.

The prophet’s reward may also refer to that which the prophets themselves receive—the reward of the kingdom prepared for believers from the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:11–14). Those who preach the gospel and those who receive it with joy are promised the inheritance as their reward, as both serve the Lord Jesus Christ (Colossians 3:23–24).

Jesus also warned the disciples that not everyone would receive them or their message. In fact, some would “exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man” (Luke 6:22). But the disciples were to “rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven” (verse 23; cf. 2 Timothy 4:8).

How can we be sure that we will receive the prophet’s reward? We do as Jesus instructed. We receive a prophet “in the name of a prophet.” We receive faithful teachers and preachers of the Word of God with open hearts and teachable spirits. In addition, we reject those who speak their own words and those who misinterpret the Scriptures. Paul warned the Corinthians against accepting “a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached,” a different spirit, or a different gospel (2 Corinthians 11:4). Only those who teach according to the Bible can be called true prophets of God, and those who assist and follow them will receive the same prophet’s reward.

In Matthew 11:25–30, Jesus Christ invites the faithful but weary remnant of believers—those who have come to the end of themselves, worn out, and burdened amid a faithless generation—to come to Him and find rest. He begins by giving thanks to His heavenly Father, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children” (Matthew 11:25). He then praises God for hiding certain truths “from those who think themselves wise and clever, and for revealing them to the childlike” (Matthew 11:25, NLT).

This passage reveals that, through His infinite wisdom and grace, God exercises discretion in determining who will receive revelation of the truth and who will not. The “wise and learned” are those who have intellectual ability, abundant knowledge, and human wisdom, but lack humility and openness of heart. Jesus was speaking about the religious leaders of Israel who considered themselves intellectually superior. They were too proud to come to Jesus, to trust in Him and find rest.

The Bible says that God “in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never know him through human wisdom,” so He used “foolish preaching to save those who believe” (1 Corinthians 1:21, NLT). God chooses to reveal spiritual truth to those who are humble and dependent on Him, rather than those who rely solely on their own knowledge or status.

These “things” that are “hidden” according to Matthew 11:25 concern the kingdom of God as clarified through Jesus’ actions and teachings. They are revealed only to His followers who, like little children, embody meekness, humility, and spiritual neediness. When the disciples asked Jesus why He spoke to them in parables, Jesus explained, “You are permitted to understand the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but others are not” (Matthew 13:11, NLT).


Jesus told the Parable of the Wedding Feast in Matthew 22:1-14. This parable is similar in some ways to the Parable of the Great Banquet (Luke 14:15-24), but the occasion is different, and it has some important distinctions. To better understand the context of this story, it is important to know some basic facts about weddings in Jesus’ day.


In Jewish society, the parents of the betrothed generally drew up the marriage contract. The bride and groom would meet, perhaps for the first time, when this contract was signed. The couple was considered married at this point, but they would separate until the actual time of the ceremony. The bride would remain with her parents, and the groom would leave to prepare their home. This could take quite a while. When the home was all was ready, the groom would return for his bride without notice. The marriage ceremony would then take place, and the wedding banquet would follow.

The wedding banquet was one of the most joyous occasions in Jewish life and could last for up to a week. In His parable, Jesus compares heaven to a wedding banquet that a king had prepared for his son (Matthew 22:2). Many people had been invited, but when the time for the banquet came and the table was set, those invited refused to come (verses 4-5). In fact, the king’s servants who brought the joyful message were mistreated and even killed (verse 6).

The king, enraged at the response of those who had been invited, sent his army to avenge the death of his servants (verse 7). He then sent invitations to anyone his servants could find, with the result that the wedding hall was filled (verses 8-10).

During the feast the king noticed a man “who was not wearing wedding clothes” (verse 11). When asked how he came to be there without the furnished attire, the man had no answer and was promptly ejected from the feast “outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (verses 12-13). Jesus then ends the parable with this statement: “For many are invited, but few are chosen” (verse 14).

The king is God the Father, and the son who is being honored at the banquet is Jesus Christ, who “came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him” (John 1:11). Israel held the invitation to the kingdom, but when the time actually came for the kingdom to appear (see Matthew 3:1), they refused to believe it. Many prophets, including John the Baptist, had been murdered (Matthew 14:10). The king’s reprisal against the murderers can be interpreted as a prophecy of Jerusalem’s destruction in A.D. 70 at the hands of the Romans (cf. Luke 21:5). More broadly, the king’s vengeance speaks of the desolation mentioned in the book of Revelation. God is patient, but He will not tolerate wickedness forever (Obadiah 1:15). His judgment will come upon those who reject His offer of salvation. Considering what that salvation cost Jesus, is not this judgment well deserved (see Hebrews 10:29-31)?

Note that it is not because the invited guests could not come to the wedding feast, but that they would not come (see Luke 13:34). Everyone had an excuse. How tragic, and how indicative of human nature, to be offered the blessings of God and to refuse them because of the draw of mundane things!

The wedding invitation is extended to anyone and everyone, total strangers, both good and bad. This refers to the gospel being taken to the Gentiles. This portion of the parable is a foreshadowing of the Jews’ rejection of the gospel in Acts 13. Paul and Barnabas were in Pisidian Antioch, where the Jewish leaders strongly opposed them. The apostle’s words echo the king’s estimation that those invited to the wedding “did not deserve to come”: “We had to speak the word of God to you first. Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles” (Acts 13:46). The gospel message, Jesus taught, would be made available to everyone.

The matter of the wedding garment is instructive. It would be a gross insult to the king to refuse to wear the garment provided to the guests. The man who was caught wearing his old clothing learned what an offense it was as he was removed from the celebration.

This was Jesus’ way of teaching the inadequacy of self-righteousness. From the very beginning, God has provided a “covering” for our sin. To insist on covering ourselves is to be clad in “filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6). Adam and Eve tried to cover their shame, but they found their fig leaves to be woefully scant. God took away their handmade clothes and replaced them with skins of (sacrificed) animals (Genesis 3:7, 21). In the book of Revelation, we see those in heaven wearing “white robes” (Revelation 7:9), and we learn that the whiteness of the robes is due to their being washed in the blood of the Lamb (verse 14). We trust in God’s righteousness, not our own (Philippians 3:9).

Just as the king provided wedding garments for his guests, God provides salvation for mankind. Our wedding garment is the righteousness of Christ, and unless we have it, we will miss the wedding feast. When the religions of the world are stripped down to their basic tenets, we either find man working his way toward God, or we find the cross of Christ. The cross is the only way to salvation (John 14:6).

For his crime against the king, the improperly attired guest is thrown out into the darkness. For their crimes against God, there will be many who will be consigned to “outer darkness”—existence without God for eternity. Christ concludes the parable with the sad fact that “many are invited, but few are chosen.” In other words, many people hear the call of God, but only a few heed it.

To summarize the point of the Parable of the Wedding Feast, God sent His Son into the world, and the very people who should have celebrated His coming rejected Him, bringing judgment upon themselves. As a result, the kingdom of heaven was opened up to anyone who will set aside his own righteousness and by faith accept the righteousness God provides in Christ. Those who spurn the gift of salvation and cling instead to their own “good” works will spend eternity in hell.

The self-righteous Pharisees who heard this parable did not miss Jesus’ point. In the very next verse, “the Pharisees went out and laid plans to trap him in his words” (Matthew 22:15). The Parable of the Wedding Feast is also a warning to us, to make sure we are relying on God’s provision of salvation, not on our own good works or religious service.

Jesus Christ often taught using parables, and just like His disciples, modern readers sometimes need help decoding the comparisons they make. In the Parable of the Wedding Feast, Jesus compared the kingdom of God to a wedding feast for a king’s son. A pivotal scene in the story focuses on the improper attire of a guest and his subsequent punishment. The interpretation of the parable that aligns best with Jesus’ articulation of its main point, which other Scripture supports, is that the wedding garment represents the righteousness of Christ.

The Parable of the Wedding Feast consists of two scenes, and together they provide important context for understanding the meaning of the wedding garment. In the first scene, the king sent his servants to summon selected guests to the banquet, but they ignored the invitation as some returned to work and others mistreated and killed the servants. This part of the parable represents Israel’s collective rejection of Jesus as the Messiah. Consequently, the king punished the killers and destroyed their city. Then, depicting the inclusion of the Gentiles into God’s plan for the ages, the king expanded the banquet invitation to anyone his servants could find, resulting in “both bad and good” guests attending the banquet (Matthew 22:1–10, ESV).

The second scene of the parable describes a guest wearing improper clothing: “But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment” (Matthew 22:11). When the king asked him about his clothes, the man was speechless, indicating he didn’t have an excuse. In response, the king instructed his servants to tie the man up and “cast him into the outer darkness,” where “there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 22:12–13).

There are three primary reasons why the best interpretation of the wedding garment is that it represents the righteousness of Jesus. The first comes from the lesson of the parable, found in Jesus’ words at the conclusion: “For many are called, but few are chosen” (Matthew 22:14). The word translated as “chosen” comes from the Greek word eklektos, meaning “select ones,” and refers to sinners Jesus has saved. The word eklektos is translated as “elect” later in Matthew (Matthew 24:22, 24, 31) and as “chosen” or “elect” elsewhere in the New Testament (Romans 8:33; 16:13; Luke 18:7; 1 Peter 2:9). Thus, Jesus implies the man’s improper attire signifies that he wasn’t among the chosen few.

Second, since the king in the parable represents God, and its lesson, according to Jesus, distinguishes between those who are invited to the banquet and those who are chosen, the best interpretation of the invitation is that it symbolizes the gospel proclamation. Since a parable is an elaborate simile, it’s helpful to apply the analogy of faith—using Scripture to interpret Scripture—to fully understand the comparison. Accordingly, other New Testament passages teach that sinners are reconciled with God through the gospel, which proclaims that those who respond in faith have the righteousness of Jesus imputed (i.e., transferred) to them. Paul further explains that, at conversion, God transfers a person’s sin to Jesus and Jesus’ righteousness to that person (2 Corinthians 5:21). Further supporting the interpretation that the wedding garment symbolizes Jesus’ righteousness is the association of righteousness and clothing in other passages. For example, Revelation 19:7–8 says, “Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure—for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints” (also see Isaiah 61:10; Zechariah 3:3–4; Revelation 7:14).

The third reason why the wedding garment symbolizes Jesus’ righteousness is the description of the improperly dressed man being cast “into the outer darkness” where “there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 22:13). Jesus teaches elsewhere that these descriptions refer to the eternal destination of those who have rejected Him and the consequences they will suffer because of their unrighteousness (Matthew 8:12; 13:42, 50; 24:51; 25:30).

On one occasion, a rich young man came to Jesus asking, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” (Matthew 19:16, NLT). Jesus’ response ultimately emphasized the need for a righteousness greater than our own and a willingness to surrender all worldly attachments for the sake of following the Lord.

This conversation led Peter, ever forthright, to note, “We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?” (Matthew 19:27). In reply, Jesus offered these encouraging yet challenging words: “I assure you that when the world is made new and the Son of Man sits upon his glorious throne, you who have been my followers will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or property, for my sake, will receive a hundred times as much in return and will inherit eternal life” (Matthew 19:28–29, NLT).

In Matthew’s Gospel, the concept of inheriting eternal life is closely related to entering the kingdom of heaven (see Matthew 25:31–46; Luke 10:25–37). While this inheritance is sometimes described as future, eternal life is also a present reality for those who have been born of God’s Spirit (see John 3:3–5). In John’s Gospel, Jesus said, “Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent” (John 17:3). Believers receive a portion of their eternal inheritance at the moment of salvation, when the Holy Spirit comes to dwell within as “a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance” (Ephesians 1:13–14; see also 2 Corinthians 1:22; 5:5; Romans 8:23; Ephesians 4:30). That inheritance will be fully realized in heaven (see Colossians 3:23–24; 2 Peter 3:10–13; Titus 3:7).

Eternal life is not merely an endless existence in a distant heaven, but a new life of fellowship and union with Christ, blessed with the presence, peace, and love of God (see John 4:14; 10:10; 15:5; Psalm 16:11). To inherit eternal life is to enter a relationship with God that transforms every aspect of our being (2 Corinthians 5:17). We receive forgiveness and freedom from sin (Romans 5:21; 6:22; Hebrews 9:15), renewal (Romans 8:10–11), and a new way of life following and serving God (John 12:25–26; Romans 6:8–11).

Jesus’ choice of the word inherit is significant. Inheritance implies receiving something not earned by merit but granted by virtue of relationship, typically within a family. We cannot purchase eternal life or earn it through good works. We can only receive it as a gracious gift from God through a faith-filled relationship with Christ (see John 10:28; Romans 5:15–17; 6:23; Ephesians 2:8–9).

To inherit eternal life is not merely an abstract promise of an afterlife. In the Jewish tradition, inheritance was tangible and generational—a bestowal of land, name, and status. Jesus tapped into this understanding, indicating that those who belong to Him, who become part of the family of God, are presented with a new kind of inheritance: eternal life and the fullness of dwelling with the Father forever (see John 1:12–13; 1 John 3:1–2). Peter called it “an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade” (1 Peter 1:4). As God’s children, we become “heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory” (Romans 8:17).

The inheritance of eternal life is not restricted to a privileged few but is open to everyone who has given up worldly attachments for the sake of following Christ. Jesus’ words in Matthew 19:29 challenge us to examine our loyalties and priorities: are we willing to set aside anything that would hinder us from following Christ? Are we prepared to risk everything, if necessary, for the sake of the gospel? Would we leave behind possessions, relationships, and security to maintain our allegiance to Christ?

To inherit eternal life is to receive a gift beyond measure—a new life, begun in faith and completed in glory. Nothing we surrender for the Lord’s sake is ever lost, but is returned in multiplied, immeasurable ways. No relationship forsaken or sacrifice made for the cause of the gospel will go unrewarded in God’s kingdom (Ephesians 6:8). We receive back “a rich and satisfying life” (John 10:10, NLT) with a spiritual family, the richness of relationships, the joy of purpose, the peace of God’s presence, the abundance of His grace, the inexpressible gift of His salvation, and a multitude of other blessings (see Matthew 5:3–12; 2 Corinthians 9:15; Ephesians 1:3–14; James 1:17).

The believer’s ultimate reward is beyond this present age. We don’t know exactly what it will be like yet, except that it will be better than anything we can imagine (see Romans 8:18; 1 Corinthians 2:9; 2 Corinthians 5:1; Philippians 3:20–21; Revelation 21:1–4; 22:3–5). The future inheritance is the culmination of our Christian hope. This new life begins now in communion with God through a relationship with Jesus and finds its perfect realization in the life to come. As God’s children, we will never die (John 11:25–26). The stinging fear of death is removed (Hosea 13:14; 1 Corinthians 15:26, 54–57; Revelation 21:4), for we will inherit eternal life, resurrection glory, and unending fellowship with God.


In Matthew 16, Jesus tells Peter that “flesh and blood has not revealed this to you” (verse 17, ESV). The statement comes in the context of an important conversation that begins with Jesus asking an important question. Here is the lead-up to the statement:

Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 16:13–17, ESV).


Peter gives the correct answer to Jesus’ question “Who do you say that I am?” in contrast to what some other people were saying. Jesus is the Christ (or the Messiah), the Son of the living God. Jesus commends Peter: “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven.”

In the Old Testament, flesh and blood frequently refers to biological offspring or relatives (compare Genesis15:4; 29:14; 37:27; Judges 9:2; 2 Samuel 5:1.) Eventually, flesh and blood came to be another term for “humanity” or “human being,” as all human beings have flesh and blood and are the biological offspring and relatives of other human beings. We see this usage in Hebrews 2:14. Speaking of Jesus, the writer says, “Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity.”

Flesh and blood, or humanity, is often contrasted with spiritual entities who do not have a body made of flesh and blood. “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 6:12). Here, the rulers and authorities are not human, but spiritual. Flesh and blood beings are distinct from spiritual beings.

In Matthew 16:17 Jesus contrasts “flesh and blood” with “my Father in heaven.” In essence, when Jesus says, “Flesh and blood did not reveal this to you,” He points out that Peter’s understanding of the truth did not come from human nature. Peter did not figure it out on his own, nor did any other human being explain it to him. The only way that Peter knew the truth about Jesus is that God Himself revealed it to Peter.

The need for divine revelation is clearly demonstrated in a debate between Christian apologist John Lennox and evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins. In his conclusion, Lennox summed up: “I would remind you that the world Richard Dawkins wishes to bring us to is no paradise except for the few. It denies the existence of good and evil. It even denies justice. But ladies and gentlemen, our hearts cry out for justice. And centuries ago, the apostle Paul spoke to the philosophers of Athens and pointed out that there would be a day on which God would judge the world by the man that he had appointed, Jesus Christ, and that he’d given assurance to all people by raising him from the dead. And the resurrection of Jesus Christ, a miracle, something supernatural, for me constitutes the central evidence upon which I base my faith, not only that atheism is a delusion, but that justice is real and our sense of morality does not mock us. Because if there is no resurrection, if there is nothing after death, in the end the terrorists and the fanatics have got away with it.”

Dawkins replied: “Yes, well that concluding bit rather gives the game away, doesn’t it? All that stuff about science and physics, and the complications of physics and things, what it really comes down to is the resurrection of Jesus. There is a fundamental incompatibility between the sophisticated scientist which we hear part of the time from John Lennox. . . . That’s all very grand and wonderful, and then suddenly we come down to the resurrection of Jesus. It’s so petty, it’s so trivial, it’s so local, it’s so earth-bound, it’s so unworthy of the universe” (The God Delusion Debate, University of Alabama, 10/3/07).

For one like John Lennox, or like Peter, who has been enlightened by the Spirit of God, the resurrection is the basis of everything. For others, like Richard Dawkins, it is “petty” and “trivial.”

Ultimately, every spiritual truth can only be understood because of God’s revelation. He may use human beings to explain it—just as He used human authors to write His Word and He uses His followers to share the gospel. But if a person really understands truth, it is only because God has enabled his understanding. First Corinthians 2:14 says, “But a natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned” (NASB).

The truth does not come from flesh and blood; it comes from the Father in heaven. This is why two people can hear the same passage of Scripture or listen to a biblically based sermon, and to one person it is like fresh air and a hearty meal for the soul while to the other person it seems to be utter nonsense. Unless God enlightens the heart, the human being can never make sense of it—even if he understands the words, the significance of the message is lost.

To be spiritually blind is not to see Christ, and not to see Christ is not to see God (Colossians 1:15-16; 2 Corinthians 4:6). Spiritual blindness is a grievous condition experienced by those who do not believe in God, Jesus Christ, and His Word (Romans 2:8; 2 Thessalonians 2:12). Those who reject Christ are the lost (John 6:68-69). Being spiritually blind, they are perishing (2 Corinthians 4:3-4; Revelation 3:17). They choose not to accept the teachings of Christ and His authority in their lives (Matthew 28:18). They are blind to the manifestations of God as revealed throughout His Word and Jesus Christ (John 1:1; Acts 28:26-27). They are described as those who “do not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:14).

Peter spoke of such people as “scoffers [who] will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires” (2 Peter 3:3; see also Proverbs 21:24; Jude 1:18). Those who reject Christ and His Word are spiritually blind and cannot understand the truth of the Scriptures. The truth sounds foolish to them (Isaiah 37:23; 1 Corinthians 1:18). The Bible describes those denying God as fools (Psalm 14:1; Matthew 7:26). Because of their blindness and rejection of God and His Word, they are in a perilous, unsaved condition (John 12:48; Hebrews 2:2-4).

The spiritually blind are simply unable to understand God’s Word (Matthew 13:13; Deuteronomy 29:4). Jesus said, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. You know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you” (John 14:15-17). Paul echoed this when he told the believers in Rome, “Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to Him” (Romans 8:8-9). Those outside of Christ are not of God because their lives are steeped in the things of the world with all its passions, their eyes blind to the Spirit of God. The Apostle John said, “If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him” but that person’s love “is from the world” (1 John 2:15-16).

The cause of spiritual blindness is made quite clear in the Scriptures: “In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (2 Corinthians 4:4). Paul refers to Satan as the “god of this world.” Extraordinarily evil (John 8:44), Satan destroys the flesh (1 Corinthians 5:5), masquerades as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14), and is the cause of all temptations (Luke 4:2; Hebrews 4:15; 1 Corinthians 7:5). He revels in scheming against and trapping the unbelievers (2 Corinthians 2:11; Ephesians 6:11; 2 Timothy 2:26). Satan’s goal is to devour the weak who fall prey to temptation, fear, loneliness, worry, depression, and persecution (1 Peter 5:8-9).

Without God and left to ourselves, we easily succumb to the devil’s schemes. We can become so mired in the affairs of this world and its moral darkness that, in the end, God turns us over to spiritual blindness and eternal condemnation (John 12:40; Romans 1:24-32).

As believers, we have the Spirit of God reigning in our lives to ward off the debilitating effects of Satan’s power and the world’s influence (1 John 4:13). John tells us, “Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in Him, and he in God” (1 John 4:15). Satan wars within and without us. His weapons are deceitful and crafty schemes to make us doubt and stumble (2 Corinthians 2:11; Ephesians 4:14). Yet God has provided us with powerful weapons to ward off his flaming arrows (Ephesians 6:10-18). As believers we can overcome the evil one and remain in the Light and never become spiritually blind. For, in truth, Jesus has given us His wonderful promise: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12).

The greatest person in the kingdom will of course be Jesus. After that, ranking the greatest is full of surprises. Matthew 18:1–5 records, “At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, ‘Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’ [Jesus] called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said: ‘Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me’” (see also Mark 9:35–37; Luke 9:46–48).

This incident occurred after the Transfiguration and after Jesus’ second prediction of His death. Jesus had also just spoken about paying temple taxes, essentially claiming exemption as the Son of God yet miraculously providing for both Peter’s tax and His own so as not to cause offense. Too, Jesus had healed a demon-possessed boy whom His disciples were unable to heal (Matthew 17:14–21). Jesus’ power was evident, and the disciples recognized Him as Messiah and King. Evidently, they were interested in what their roles would be in Jesus’ kingdom. Rather than provide qualifications for the greatest or talk about a hierarchical structure, Jesus said those who became like children—humble—were the greatest (Matthew 18:4).

Interestingly, after Jesus talks about the greatest being like a child, John tells Jesus that he had tried to stop others who were casting out demons in Jesus’ name (Mark 9:38; Luke 9:49). Apparently, the lesson had not quite sunken in, or perhaps John was convicted by Jesus’ words and chose to confess his mistake. Jesus explained that what mattered was not who was doing the works but the Name in which the works were being done. It is God who deserves the glory, not an elite group of His followers. We also see in Matthew 20 and Mark 10 a request from John and James to sit with Jesus in His kingdom. Jesus replied by asking them if they were able to suffer as He was going to suffer. He then said, “To sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father” (Matthew 20:23). Being great in God’s kingdom is not about prestige or privilege. Rather, it involves responsibility and sacrifice. Jesus told His disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done” (Matthew 16:24–27). To be great is to serve self-sacrificially. Being great in God’s kingdom is about giving oneself for the sake of God’s glory and for the benefit of others.

Luke 22 tells about another dispute among the disciples about who was the greatest, this time during the Last Supper. Jesus said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves. For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves” (Luke 22:25–27). This is the same night Jesus performed the service of the lowest of servants by washing His disciples’ feet. John 13 tells us Jesus did this because of His love for the disciples and also fully knowing His own relationship with the Father. Again, we see that the greatest is not the one with power or prestige, but the one who is secure in the Father’s love and willing to serve.

Consistent in Jesus’ teaching is that His kingdom is not like the kingdoms of this world. Humans tend to be concerned with social status, political clout, and pecking order. We tend to rank people according to how things look to us in this world, but Jesus warned that using earthly criteria will never give us an accurate picture of rank in God’s kingdom. Human judgment will give way to God’s some day: “Many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first” (Matthew 19:30).

“The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one” (1 Corinthians 2:15, ESV). Earlier in the chapter, Paul contrasts the world’s wisdom with the wisdom of God, revealing that true wisdom comes from the Spirit: “Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God” (1 Corinthians 2:12, ESV). The spiritual man, therefore, is equipped with divine wisdom, enabling him to judge all things accurately. He can see beyond appearances and understand the true nature of reality.

When Paul says, “The spiritual man judges all things,” he does not suggest that the spiritual person is judgmental or critical in the worldly sense. Rather, this judgment is the ability to discern spiritual truths and to distinguish between what is of God and what is not. Hebrews 5:14 speaks of mature believers who have their “powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil” (ESV). The spiritual man possesses the maturity and spiritual insight to evaluate situations, teachings, and behaviors according to the standards of God’s Word.

The fact that the spiritual man “judges all things” also implies that the opinions or judgments of others do not sway him. In the same verse, Paul notes that the spiritual person “is himself to be judged by no one” (1 Corinthians 2:15, ESV). So, the spiritual man exercises discernment with the Spirit as his guide, and human approval or condemnation is irrelevant.

There is a responsibility that comes with spiritual discernment. The spiritual man, as he judges all things, lives according to the wisdom and insight the Spirit gives. The judgments he makes align with God’s will. Paul’s prayer for believers is that their “love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that [they] may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ” (Philippians 1:9–10, ESV). The spiritual man judges all things for the sake of living a life that reflects the holiness and righteousness of God.

The larger context of 1 Corinthians 2—3 contrasts the spiritual man with the natural man. Paul explains that there are four kinds of people: the natural man (1 Corinthians 2:14), the spiritual man (1 Corinthians 2:15), infants in Christ (1 Corinthians 3:1), and the fleshly person (1 Corinthians 3:3).

The natural man will not receive or accept the things of God, because he considers them to be foolishness (1 Corinthians 2:14). While the natural man can have a factual understanding of the words he hears, he can’t judge them accurately because those judgments are spiritual in nature.

In contrast, the spiritual man judges all things (1 Corinthians 2:15). That is, he is able to discern or evaluate properly the things of God because they are spiritually perceived. The ingredient the natural man is missing—and the spiritual man has—is the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16). The mature believer in Christ is the spiritual man, made alive and possessing a new way of thinking. The spiritual man judges all things because he now has the mind of Christ. The natural man perceives the things of God to be foolishness and refuses to have the thinking of Christ.

Infants in Christ (1 Corinthians 3:1) are those who are newly born again. They have just come to know Christ and are only now beginning to learn about the things of God. Consequently, they might look like a fleshly person at times, not utilizing the mind of Christ in their own thinking. While the infant has been newly born and has a new spirit, he has not yet learned to judge all things or to use the thinking of Christ that now belongs to him.

The fleshly person (1 Corinthians 3:3) often acts like an infant, only without the built-in excuse. Infants are expected to behave like infants because that is what they are. The fleshly person, or carnal person, has not grown as he should have. He should have moved on past infancy and grown to maturity, but his growth has been stunted.

Paul chastises the Corinthians because they are thinking and behaving like fleshly people (1 Corinthians 3:3) when they should be thinking like the spiritual man who judges or discerns all things. Their immaturity was inexcusable and showed up in their thinking and behavior. They were going beyond what was written in Scripture, becoming arrogant and judging wrongly (1 Corinthians 4:6). They were judging so poorly that they were actually approving immorality (1 Corinthians 5:1–2).

The spiritual man judges all things, and he is misunderstood by the natural man. Those without the Spirit cannot appreciate or fully comprehend the spiritual man’s motives, worldview, or character. The spiritual man has the mind or the thinking of Christ, and that is a mystery to those who do not know Christ.

When we believe in Jesus, we are born again and can now think as God has designed us to think. We should move past the immaturities of infancy and press on to maturity. We ought to think and act like spiritual people because that is what we are. As Paul put it elsewhere, we should walk in a manner worthy of our calling (Ephesians 4:1). We should no longer walk like fleshly people, focusing on the desires of our flesh. As we walk in the Spirit, we grow in our ability to judge everything according to God’s truth.

The Parable of the Sheep and Goats is part of the Olivet Discourse. It is found in Matthew 25:31-46. A parable is a short, simple story of comparison. Jesus used parables to teach spiritual truths by means of earthly situations.

Jesus begins the parable by saying it concerns His return in glory to set up His kingdom (Matthew 25:31). Therefore, the setting of this event is at the beginning of the millennium, after the tribulation. All those on earth at that time will be brought before the Lord, and He will separate them “as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left” (verses 32–33). The sheep are those who were saved during the tribulation; the goats are the unsaved who survived the tribulation.

The sheep on Jesus’ right hand are blessed by God the Father and given an inheritance. The reason is stated: “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me” (verses 35-36). The righteous will not understand: when did they see Jesus in such a pitiful condition and help Him? “The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me’” (verses 39-40).

The goats on Jesus’ left hand are cursed with eternal hell-fire, “prepared for the devil and his angels” (verse 41). The reason is given: they had opportunity to minister to the Lord, but they did nothing (verses 42-43). The damned ask, “Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?” (verse 44). Jesus replies, “I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me” (verse 45).

Jesus then ends the discourse with a contrast: “They will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life” (verse 46).

In the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats, we are looking at man redeemed and saved, and man condemned and lost. A casual reading seems to suggest that salvation is the result of good works. The “sheep” acted charitably, giving food, drink, and clothing to the needy. The “goats” showed no charity. This seems to result in salvation for the sheep and damnation for the goats.

However, Scripture does not contradict itself, and the Bible clearly and repeatedly teaches that salvation is by faith through the grace of God and not by our good works (see John 1:12; Acts 15:11; Romans 3:22-24; Romans 4:4-8; Romans 7:24-25; Romans 8:12; Galatians 3:6-9; and Ephesians 2:8-10). In fact, Jesus Himself makes it clear in the parable that the salvation of the “sheep” is not based on their works—their inheritance was theirs “since the creation of the world” (Matthew 25:34), long before they could ever do any good works!

The good works mentioned in the parable are not the cause of salvation but the effect of salvation. As Christians we become like Christ (see Romans 8:29; 2 Corinthians 3:18; and Colossians 2:6-7). Galatians 5:22 tells us that the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control. Good works in a Christian’s life are the direct overflow of these traits, and are only acceptable to God because of the relationship that exists between servant and Master, the saved and their Savior, the sheep and their Shepherd (see Ephesians 2:10).

In Matthew 23:13–15, Jesus pronounced a series of stern warnings against Pharisaism, a danger to today’s spiritual leaders just as it was in ancient times. Jesus condemned the Jewish religious teachers of His day, saying, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation” (Matthew 23:13–14, NKJV).

The Pharisees and scribes were religious hypocrites who did not practice what they preached. They were proud show-offs who enjoyed the praise and recognition of people more than honoring, obeying, and pleasing the Lord. Rather than managing their spiritual responsibilities with integrity, they abused, oppressed, and neglected God’s people.

The scribes and Pharisees were well-versed in Old Testament Scripture and Jewish law. They knew that caring for widows was of extreme importance to God and the duty of His people, especially spiritual leaders (Exodus 22:22–23; Psalm 68:5; 82:3–4; Proverbs 15:25; Isaiah 1:17; Jeremiah 22:3). The Lord warned in Deuteronomy 27:19, “Cursed is anyone who denies justice to foreigners, orphans, or widows” (NLT).

The scribes and Pharisees should have been protecting widows and showing them compassion. Instead, they were men “who devour widows’ houses” (Matthew 23:14; Mark 12:40). Jesus told His disciples, “Beware of these teachers of religious law! For they like to parade around in flowing robes and love to receive respectful greetings as they walk in the marketplaces. And how they love the seats of honor in the synagogues and the head table at banquets. Yet they shamelessly cheat widows out of their property and then pretend to be pious by making long prayers in public. Because of this, they will be severely punished” (Luke 20:46–47, NLT).

The phrase devour widows’ houses means “greedily cheat widows out of their property.” In ancient times widows held little or no power in the courts. It was not uncommon for a husband to appoint in his will a Jewish legal expert—a scribe or Pharisee—to be the executor of his widow’s estate. Essentially, this gave the executor authority to oversee the widow’s finances and assets. It would not be hard for a corrupt lawyer to find legal ways to trick a widow out of her house and other property—and this is precisely what the religious leaders were doing. It could be that’s why the poor widow Jesus noticed in Mark 12:42 only had “two very small copper coins” to give.

Jesus denounced the scribes and Pharisees for exploiting the needy so that they could grow fatter and richer. These religious hypocrites were so spiritually callous that, after greedily pilfering from the needy, they would put on a public show of prayerful piety.

In the parable of the faithful steward, Jesus said, “When someone has been given much, much will be required in return; and when someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required” (Luke 12:48, NLT). Many of Israel’s leaders—those who had been entrusted with much—used their positions to gain personal power and wealth. They did this by oppressing and taking advantage of the people they were supposed to guard and protect.

The scribes and the Pharisees who devoured widows’ houses were like the wicked servant in Matthew 24:48–51 who had access to all the master’s household and used it to indulge his greedy appetite and abuse his fellow servants. Jesus said, “The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 24:50–51; see also Luke 12:45–48).

As Christians, we need to pay careful attention to Christ’s warning not to devour widows’ houses. This charge goes out to anyone guilty of exploiting the most vulnerable people in society. Such a crime should not exist among God’s people, especially those who hold leadership positions in the church.

God calls us to be servant leaders who protect others and even lay down our lives for those He entrusts to our care (John 10:11). A true Christian leader will look after widows in their distress (James 1:27), honoring and caring for “any widow who has no one else to care for her” (1 Timothy 5:3).

The core message of the Parable of the Sheep and Goats is that God’s people will love others. Good works will result from our relationship to the Shepherd. Followers of Christ will treat others with kindness, serving them as if they were serving Christ Himself. The unregenerate live in the opposite manner. While “goats” can indeed perform acts of kindness and charity, their hearts are not right with God, and their actions are not for the right purpose – to honor and worship God.

These hidden things include Jesus’ authority and identity as Savior and Son of God. The apostle Paul wrote extensively about the mysterious and hidden things of God, which are understood only by true believers: “No, the wisdom we speak of is the mystery of God—his plan that was previously hidden, even though he made it for our ultimate glory before the world began. But the rulers of this world have not understood it; if they had, they would not have crucified our glorious Lord … But it was to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit. For his Spirit searches out everything and shows us God’s deep secrets” (1 Corinthians 2:7–10, NLT; see also Romans 16:25–26; Colossians 2:2–3; Ephesians 3:3–6; 1 Timothy 3:16).

God hides the secret mysteries of His kingdom from those who resist the truth. To the proud, His truth is foolishness (1 Corinthians 1:18–31). Paul explained that the gospel message “is hidden behind a veil … from people who are perishing. Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God” (2 Corinthians 4:3–4, NLT). Without humble dependence and childlike trust in the Lord, no one can see and understand God’s ways (Matthew 18:3–4; 1 Corinthians 2:14; James 4:6; Romans 11:33–34).

Kingdom seekers are those with “ears to hear,” “eyes to see,” and “hearts to understand” (Matthew 13:1–23). They come to Jesus with humble, childlike faith (Matthew 18:1–4; 19:13–15). Coming to Jesus in this way means no longer relying on oneself but trusting in Him. Jesus invites His faithful ones to trust in Him and find rest. In His revolutionary beatitudes—with their inverted view of the world’s value system—Jesus declares, “God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs” (Matthew 5:3, NLT).

God the Father reveals His truth to people who recognize their own spiritual poverty. But for those who have closed their ears and hearts to the truth—the worldly wise, proud, and hard of heart—God takes an active role in hiding from them the secrets of His kingdom (see Matthew 13:14–16). They are the faithless ones who are too wise in their own eyes to lower themselves to the level of a meek and needy child.


The proper posture of believers, both now and in Jesus’ day, is modeled in Proverbs 3:5–7:

​
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear the LORD and turn away from evil” (NLT).

​


The Parable of the Prodigal Son

​is found in Luke 15:11–32.


The character of the forgiving father, who remains constant throughout the story, is a picture of God. In telling the story, Jesus identifies Himself with God in His loving attitude toward the lost, symbolized by the younger son (the tax collectors and sinners of Luke 15:1). The elder brother represents the self-righteous (the Pharisees and teachers of the law of Luke 15:2).


The major theme of this parable is not so much the conversion of the sinner, as in the previous two parables of Luke 15, but rather the restoration of a believer into fellowship with the Father. In the first two parables, the owner went out to look for what was lost (Luke 15:1–10), whereas in this story the father waits and watches eagerly for his son’s return. We see a progression through the three parables from the relationship of one in a hundred (Luke 15:1–7), to one in ten (Luke 15:8–10), to one in one (Luke 15:11–32), demonstrating God’s love for each individual and His personal attentiveness toward all humanity. We see in this story the graciousness of the father overshadowing the sinfulness of the son, as it is the memory of the father’s goodness that brings the prodigal son to repentance (Romans 2:4).

Jesus sets the scene for the Parable of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15:11: “There was a man who had two sons.”




The Younger Son

In Luke 15:12, the younger son asks his father for his share of his estate, which would have been half of what his older brother would receive (see Deuteronomy 21:17). In other words, the younger son asked for 1/3 of the estate. Though it was perfectly within his rights to ask, it was not a loving thing to do, as it implied that he wished his father dead. Instead of rebuking his son, the father patiently grants him his request. This is a picture of God letting a sinner go his own way (Deuteronomy 30:19).

Like the prodigal son, we all possess a foolish ambition to be independent, which is at the root of the sinner persisting in his sin (Genesis 3:6; Romans 1:28). A sinful state is a departure and distance from God (Romans 1:21). A sinful state is also a place of constant discontent. In Luke 12:15 Jesus says, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” The younger son in the parable learned the hard way that covetousness leads to a life of dissatisfaction and disappointment. He also learned that the most valuable things in life are the things we cannot buy or replace.

In Luke 15:13 the younger son travels to a distant country. It is evident from his previous actions that he had already made that journey in his heart, and the physical departure was a display of his willful disobedience to all the goodness his father had offered (Proverbs 27:19; Matthew 6:21; 12:34). In the foreign land, the prodigal squanders all his inheritance on selfish, shallow fulfillment, losing everything. His financial disaster is followed by a natural disaster in the form of a famine, which he failed to plan for. At this point he hires himself out to a Gentile and finds himself feeding pigs, a detestable job to the Jewish people (Leviticus 11:7). Needless to say, the prodigal must have been incredibly desperate to willingly take such a loathsome position. He was paid so little and grew so hungry that he longed to eat the pig’s food. To top it off, he could find no mercy among the people he had chosen as his own: “No one gave him anything” (verse 16). Apparently, once his wealth was gone, so were his friends. Even the unclean animals were better off than he was at that point.

The prodigal son toiling in the pig pen is a picture of the lost sinner or a rebellious Christian who has returned to a life of sin (2 Peter 2:19–21). The results of sin are never pretty (James 1:14–15).

The prodigal son begins to reflect on his miserable condition, and “he came to his senses” (Luke 15:17). He realizes that even his father’s servants have it better. His painful circumstances help him to see his father in a new light. Hope begins to dawn in his heart (Psalm 147:11; Isaiah 40:30–31; 1 Timothy 4:10).

The prodigal’s realization is reflective of the sinner’s discovery that, apart from God, there is no hope (Ephesians 2:12; 2 Timothy 2:25–26). When a sinner “comes to his senses,” repentance follows, along with a longing to return to fellowship with God.

The son devises a plan of action, and it shows that his repentance was genuine. He will admit his sin (Luke 15:18), and he will give up his rights as a son and take on the position of a servant (verse 19). He realizes he has no right to a blessing from his father, and he has nothing to offer his father except a life of service. Returning home, the prodigal son is prepared to fall at his father’s feet and beg for mercy.

In the same way, a repentant sinner coming to God is keenly aware of his own spiritual poverty. Laying aside all pride and feelings of entitlement, he brings nothing of value with him. The sinner’s only thought is to cast himself at the mercy of God and beg for a position of servitude (1 John 1:9; Romans 6:6–18; 12:1).




The Father

The father in the Parable of the Prodigal Son was waiting for his son to return. In fact, “while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him” (Luke 15:20). He runs to his wayward son, embraces him, and kisses him. In Jesus’ day, it was not customary for a grown man to run, yet the father runs to greet his son, breaking convention in his love and desire for restoration (verse 20). The returning son begins his prepared speech (verse 21), but his father cuts him off and begins issuing commands to honor his son—the best robe, the best ring, the best feast! The father does not question his son or lecture him; instead, he joyfully forgives him and receives him back into fellowship.

What a picture of God’s love, condescension, and grace! God’s heart is full of compassion for His children; He stands ready to welcome the returning sinner back home with joyous celebration.

The prodigal son was satisfied to return home as a slave, but to his surprise and delight he is restored back into the full privilege of being his father’s son. The weary, gaunt, filthy sinner who trudged home was transformed into the guest of honor in a rich man’s home. That is what God’s grace does for a penitent sinner (Psalm 40:2; 103:4). Not only are we forgiven in Christ, but we receive the Spirit of “adoption to sonship” (Romans 8:15). We are His children, heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17).

The father’s command to bring the best robe for the returned son is a sign of dignity and honor, proof of the prodigal’s acceptance back into the family. The ring for the son’s hand is a sign of authority and sonship. The sandals for his feet are a sign of his not being a servant, as servants did not wear shoes. The father orders the fattened calf to be prepared, and a party is held in honor of the returned son. Fatted calves in those times were saved for special occasions. This was not just any party; it was a rare and complete celebration.

All these things represent what we receive in Christ upon salvation: the robe of the Redeemer’s righteousness (Isaiah 61:10), the privilege of partaking of the Spirit of adoption (Ephesians 1:5), and feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace, prepared to walk in the ways of holiness (Ephesians 6:15). The actions of the father in the parable show us that “the Lord does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him” (Psalm 103:10–13). Instead of condemnation, there is rejoicing for a son who “was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found” (Luke 15:32; cf. Romans 8:1; John 5:24). Those words--dead and alive, lost and found—are terms that also apply to one’s state before and after conversion to Christ (Ephesians 2:1–5). The feast is a picture of what occurs in heaven over one repentant sinner (Luke 15:7, 10).




The Older Son

The final, tragic character in the Parable of the Prodigal Son is the older son. As the older son comes in from the field, he hears music and dancing. He finds out from one of the servants that his younger brother has come home and that what he hears is the sound of jubilation over his brother’s safe return. The older brother becomes angry and refuses to go into the house. His father goes to his older son and pleads with him to come in. “But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’” (Luke 15:29–30). The father answers gently: “My son, . . . you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad” (verses 31–32).

The older son’s words and actions reveal several things about him: 1) His relationship with his father was based on works and merit. He points out to his father that he has always been obedient as he’s been “slaving away”; thus, he deserves a party—he has earned it. 2) He despises his younger brother as undeserving of the father’s favor. 3) He does not understand grace and has no room for forgiveness. In fact, the demonstration of grace toward his brother makes him angry. His brother does not deserve a party. 4) He has disowned the prodigal as a brother, referring to him as “this son of yours” (verse 30). 5) He thinks his father is stingy and unfair: “You never gave me even a young goat” (verse 29).

The father’s words are corrective in several ways: 1) His older son should know that their relationship is not based on performance: “My son, . . . you are always with me, and everything I have is yours” (Luke 15:31). 2) His older son should accept his brother as part of the family. The father refers to the prodigal as “this brother of yours” (verse 32). 3) His older son could have enjoyed a party any time he wanted, but he never utilized the blessings at his disposal. 4) Grace is necessary and appropriate: “We had to celebrate” (verse 32).

The Pharisees and the teachers of the law, mentioned in Luke 15:1, are portrayed as the older brother in the parable. Outwardly, they lived blameless lives, but inwardly their attitudes were abominable (Matthew 23:25–28). They saw their relationship with God as based on their performance, and they considered themselves deserving of God’s favor—unlike the undeserving sinners around them. They did not understand grace and were, in fact, angered by it. They had no room for forgiveness. They saw no kinship between sinners and themselves. They viewed God as rather stingy in His blessings. And they considered that, if God were to accept tax collectors and sinners into His family, then God would be unfair.

The older brother’s focus was on himself and his own service; as a result, he had no joy in his brother’s arrival home. He was so consumed with justice and equity (as he saw them) that he failed to see the value of his brother’s repentance and return. The older brother had allowed bitterness to take root in his heart to the point that he was unable to show compassion toward his brother. The bitterness spilled over into other relationships, too, and he was unable to forgive the perceived sin of his father against him. Rather than enjoy fellowship with his father, brother, and community, the older brother stayed outside the house and nursed his anger. How sad to choose misery and isolation over restoration and reconciliation!

The older brother—and the religious leaders of Jesus’ day—failed to realize that “anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness. Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble. But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness; he does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded him” (1 John 2:9–11).

The Parable of the Prodigal Son is one of Scripture’s most beautiful pictures of God’s grace. We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). We are all prodigals in that we have run from God, selfishly squandered our resources, and, to some degree, wallowed in sin. But God is ready to forgive. He will save the contrite, not by works but by His grace, through faith (Ephesians 2:9; Romans 9:16; Psalm 51:5). That is the core message of the Parable of the Prodigal Son.

In 1 John 1:1,


John begins his letter

by


Proclaiming the



Word of Life



“‭‭That which was from the Beginning,


Which we have Heard,


Which we


Have Seen with our Eyes,


Which We have Looked at


And our hands have


Touched--


This We Proclaim Concerning


The Word of Life.”




The “Word of LIFE” is




JESUS CHRIST



and can also refer to




The Gospel,




The Message of



Salvation and Reconciliation Made Possible


by



The Son of God



(Philippians 2:16).




‬‬ The Greek term for “Word” is logos, recognized


by Greeks as the


Medium through which



God Created the World


and


Communicated with His Creation



The Jews understood “the word” in the Old Testament

as the means

through which God created the cosmos

(Psalm 33:6).


Given these understandings, John aptly introduces


Jesus as the Logos 


in both his Gospel

and

his first letter, emphasizing



Jesus as




The One


Through Whom



The World Was


Made


And Life Blossomed


(John 1:3–4).




Eternal life also comes through Jesus, confirming His role


as the



Word of Life



As John 3:16 indicates,


“‭‭For this is how God Loved the World:



He


Gave his One and Only Son,


so


that everyone Who


Believes in Him


will


Not Perish but have


Eternal Life”



Jesus, in John 14:6,


Identifies Himself as



“The Way, the TRUTH and the Life.”



‬‬ Thus, ONLY


The Word of Life imparts TRUE Life;


Seeking Eternal Life

Apart from Him Proves Futile


 Jesus is not just the Giver


of Life;




HE IS LIFE



 Believing


In the Person and


Redemptive Work of the Word of Life


Grants Eternal Life



Today, Christians are often considered intolerant for proclaiming



Jesus as the only way to God


In light of many options,

why should we hold on

to the exclusivity of Christ?



Even professed Christians struggle with this. However, it is not intolerant for


God to Possess the KEY to


His Presence


He Controls

Access to His home in Heaven,


Just as we

Possess access to ours on Earth


The crucial question is whether Jesus is who Scripture presents Him to be. If yes, denying His exclusivity would be unloving, especially when we profess Him as Savior. The only loving response to those who are spiritually hungry is to point them to where the Bread is.

Following Jesus’ miracle of the feeding of five thousand, the Lord gave a discourse on His being the Bread of lifethat came down from heaven (John 6:35). Many turned away from Jesus at that time (verse 66). “Then Jesus turned to the Twelve and asked, ‘Are you also going to leave?’ Simon Peter replied, ‘Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words that give eternal life’” (verses 67–68, NLT). The Bread of life is the Word of life, and the disciples recognized this truth.

Jesus is the Word of life, the Logos that gave life at creation and gives life in the new creation.
​

The Bible speaks often of the heart. The word heart can mean different things depending upon the context. Most often, the heart refers to the soul of a human being that controls the will and emotions. The heart is the “inner man” (2 Corinthians 4:16). The prophet Ezekiel makes several references to a “new heart” (e.g., Ezekiel 18:31; 36:26). An oft-quoted verse is Ezekiel 11:19 where God says, “I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh.” So what does this mean?



In Ezekiel 11,


God is

addressing His people, the Israelites, promising

to one day


restore

them to the land and to a


right relationship with Himself.


God promises to gather

the Hebrews from the nations where they had been scattered


(Ezekiel 11:17)


and give them a new, undivided heart (verse 19).


The result of

their receiving a new heart will be obedience

to God’s commands:



“Then they will follow


my decrees


and be careful to keep my laws.


They will be my people, and I will be their God”


(verse 20).



This prophecy will be fulfilled in the millennium, when



Jesus the Messiah Rules from Zion


and


Israel has been Restored to Faith


(Romans 11:26).


Someone whom God has GIVEN


ANEW HEART


Behaves differently



 Saul is an example of this in 1 Samuel 10:1 and 9.

God had chosen Saul to be the first king of Israel.



Saul was a nobody,

but

God chose him anyway

and sent

the prophet Samuel to anoint him king


“Then Samuel took a flask of olive oil and


Poured it on

Saul’s head and kissed him, saying,


‘Has Not the Lord


Anointed You


Ruler over his Inheritance?’”


Samuel made several predictions to prove to Saul that God had sent him, and verse 9 says,


“As Saul turned and started to leave, God gave him a new heart,

and

all Samuel’s Signs were fulfilled that day.”


The New Heart God gave Saul 


Transformed him from an average nobody to


the king of Israel.


Not only was his status changed, but his


Entire Outlook was Transformed


by the


Power of God


The Human Heart was Created to


Mirror God’s Own Heart


(Genesis 1:27; James 3:9)


We were designed to love Him, love righteousness, and walk in harmony with God and others (Micah 6:8). But part of God’s design of the human heart is free will. That free will carries with it the opportunity to abuse it, as did Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:11). God desires that we choose to love and serve Him. When we stubbornly refuse to follow God, our hearts, which were designed to communicate with God, are hardened. God compares rebellious hearts to stone (Zechariah 7:12). A heart of stone finds it impossible to repent, to love God, or to please Him (Romans 8:8). The hearts of sinful humanity are so hardened that we cannot even seek God on our own (Romans 3:11), and that’s why Jesus said no one can come to Him unless the Father first draws him (John 6:44). We desperately need new hearts, for we are unable on our own to soften our hard hearts. A change of heart toward God requires a supernatural transformation. Jesus called it being “born again” (John 3:3).

When we are born again, God performs a heart transplant, as it were. He gives us a new heart. The power of the Holy Spirit changes our hearts from sin-focused to God-focused. We do not become perfect (1 John 1:8); we still have our sinful flesh and the freedom to choose whether or not to obey it. However, when Jesus died for us on the cross, He broke the power of sin that controls us (Romans 6:10). Receiving Him as our Savior gives us access to God and His power—a power to transform our hearts from sin-hardened to Christ-softened. When we were separated from God with hardened hearts, we found it impossible to please Him. We tended toward selfishness, rebellion, and sin. With new hearts we are declared righteous before God (2 Corinthians 5:21). The Holy Spirit gives us a desire to please God that was foreign to us in our hardened state. Second Corinthians 3:18says that we “are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” God’s desire for every human being is that we become like His Son, Jesus (Romans 8:29). We can become like Jesus only when we allow God to rid us of our old, hardened hearts and give us new hearts.


Many proverbs warn that the sin of pride is a dangerous offense. Proverbs 16:18declares, “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.” Verse 18 links to verse 19: “Better to live humbly with the poor than to share plunder with the proud.” The meaning of the passage is clear-cut: pride leads to humiliation. It is better to be humble and poor than proud and rich.

A similar proverb expands the message: “Haughtiness goes before destruction; humility precedes honor” (Proverbs 18:12 NLT). While pride sets us on an ill-fated course, the opposite of pride—humility—leads to honor. To choose pride is to set oneself up for a fall; the pedestal we make for ourselves proves a precarious foundation.

Pride in the context of these verses refers to an arrogant attitude that manifests itself as independence from God and contrasts strikingly with humility. Such arrogance is hazardous to our well-being and success in life because it keeps us from fearing the Lord. By contrast, “Humility is the fear of the LORD; its wages are riches and honor and life” (Proverbs 22:4).

To fear the Lord and thus avoid the pride that goes before a fall is to respect, reverence, and submit to Him in every area of life. When we fear the Lord, we acknowledge our desperate need for God because He is infinitely wiser than we are: “Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil” (Proverbs 3:7).

Terms like destruction, fall, disaster, ruin, and downfall in these passages can be understood as a punishment or discipline meted out to the proud in order to humble them and correct their waywardness. The word falltranslates from a verb meaning “stumble” or “stagger.” Pride, unchecked, leads to destruction; the purpose of Scripture’s warnings is to put the proud sinner back on a path that leads to honor and life. For this reason, the maxims repeatedly inform, “When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom” (Proverbs 11:2). And again, “Pride ends in humiliation, while humility brings honor” (Proverbs 29:23, NLT).

The Edomites serve as a classic example of the adage “pride goes before a fall.” Because of arrogance of heart, Edom fell never to rise again: “The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rocks and make your home on the heights, you who say to yourself, ‘Who can bring me down to the ground?’ Though you soar like the eagle and make your nest among the stars, from there I will bring you down declares the LORD” (Obadiah 1:3–4; see also verses 15–16). Many biblical prophets echo this theme: “The proud one shall stumble and fall, with none to raise him up” (Jeremiah 50:32, ESV; see also Isaiah 28:3; Ezekiel 31:10–12; Zephaniah 3:11; Zechariah 10:11).

Perhaps the most dramatic and consequential illustration of pride going before a fall is what happened in the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve’s fall stands behind every proud fall of humankind since. Adam and Eve disobeyed God and proudly chose their own way. The fall that resulted was catastrophic.

The proud person pursues his or her own way, but the humble one obeys God’s Word. Delighting in the Lord and humbly following His commands makes us sure-footed so that we will not slip or stagger: “The LORD makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him” (Psalm 37:23; see also Psalm 18:36; 37:31). Humility and fear of the Lord establish us securely on God’s path, where our feet won’t stumble, nor will we fall (Proverbs 3:26; Psalm 17:5; 119:133).

The Bible describes humility as meekness, lowliness, and absence of self. The Greek word translated “humility” in Colossians 3:12 and elsewhere literally means “lowliness of mind,” so we see that humility is a heart attitude, not merely an outward demeanor. One may put on an outward show of humility but still have a heart full of pride and arrogance. Jesus said that those who are “poor in spirit” would have the kingdom of heaven

(Matthew 5:3).

Being poor in spirit means that only those who admit to an absolute bankruptcy of spiritual worth will inherit eternal life. Therefore, humility is a prerequisite for the Christian. 

When we come to Christ as sinners, we must come in humility. We acknowledge that we are paupers and beggars who come with nothing to offer Him but our sin and our need for salvation. We recognize our lack of merit and our complete inability to save ourselves. Then when He offers the grace and mercy of God, we accept it in humble gratitude and commit our lives to Him and to others. We “die to self” so that we can live as new creations in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). We never forget that He has exchanged our worthlessness for His infinite worth, and our sin for His righteousness. The life we now live, we live by faith in the Son of God who loved us and gave Himself for us (Galatians 2:20). That is true humility. 

Biblical humility is not only necessary to enter the kingdom, it is also necessary to be great in the kingdom (Matthew 20:26-27). Here Jesus is our model. Just as He did not come to be served, but to serve, so must we commit ourselves to serving others, considering their interests above our own (Philippians 2:3). This attitude precludes selfish ambition, conceit, and the strife that comes with self-justification and self-defense. Jesus was not ashamed to humble Himself as a servant (John 13:1-16), even to death on the cross (Philippians 2:8). In His humility, He was always obedient to the Father and so should the humble Christian be willing to put aside all selfishness and submit in obedience to God and His Word. True humility produces godliness, contentment, and security. 

God has promised to give grace to the humble, while He opposes the proud (Proverbs 3:34; 1 Peter 5:5). Therefore, we must confess and put away pride. If we exalt ourselves, we place ourselves in opposition to God who will, in His grace and for our own good, humble us. But if we humble ourselves, God gives us more grace and exalts us (Luke 14:11). Along with Jesus, Paul is also to be our example of humility. In spite of the great gifts and understanding he had received, Paul saw himself as the “least of the apostles” and the “chief of sinners” (1 Timothy 1:15; 1 Corinthians 15:9). Like Paul, the truly humble will glory in the grace of God and in the cross, not in self-righteousness (Philippians 3:3-9).

Paul’s Epistle to the Romans is important in that it explains the mercies of God and what we are expected to do in light of those mercies. In Romans 1—3:20 Paul explains that all people fall short of God’s standards, are unrighteous, and need His grace. In Romans 3:21—4:25, Paul explains how God expressed His grace in His good news (or gospel) of righteousness. Romans 5—8 describes the results of that grace applied in salvation through Jesus Christ and what that means for those who have believed in Him. It is in that section that Paul asserts that where sin abounded grace abounded more (Romans 5:20). Romans 9—11 illustrates God’s faithfulness in fulfilling His salvation promises by using the example of Israel and explaining how one day the entire people of Israel will be delivered. Romans 12—16underscores the responsibilities believers have to walk in the mercies that God has shown.

As Paul is explaining in Romans 5—8 the results of salvation by grace through faith, in order to show the magnificence of God’s grace, Paul first illustrates the human need for grace. We have been justified (declared righteous by God), and now we have peace with God (Romans 5:1). Before that we were helpless (Romans 5:6), and we were enemies of God (Romans 5:10). We were in bondage under sin because we were born from Adam, whose sin left a stain on all those who would follow in his line (Romans 5:12–19). As if sin wasn’t grievous enough, sin was amplified by law or ethics and rules of behavior in general (Romans 5:20) and was later amplified even further by the Law of Moses, which became a tutor to show people their need for Christ (Galatians 3:17–24). But in His grace God did not leave us in this hopeless and helpless position. While we were still helpless, Christ died for us (Romans 5:6), expressing the ultimate gift of grace and providing for our justification by faith in Him. The result is peace with God.

No longer are we enemies of God or children of wrath as we once were (Ephesians 2:1–3), because where sin abounded grace abounded more (Romans 5:20). Even when human law and the Law of Moses brought increased opportunity for sin (Romans 7:7–8), God’s grace still covered all of it through the shed blood of Jesus on the cross, because while we were yet sinners Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). Paul explains this later as the essence of the gospel—that Christ died for our sin (1 Corinthians 15:1–3). Because where sin abounded grace abounded more (Romans 5:20), we can have justification and new life through Jesus Christ by believing in Him.

Because of God’s grace expressed through the blood of Jesus poured out as a substitute for us, we are no longer in bondage to sin and are now free to live in Christ (Romans 6:6–8). This is why Paul could exclaim that he was not ashamed of the gospel—it is how God has provided for the salvation of all who believe in Jesus Christ, no matter their past (Romans 1:16–17). Where sin abounded, grace abounded more (Romans 5:20), and because of God’s abounding grace, we can now be filled with joy, peace, and hope (Romans 15:13).

In Romans 5:17, the apostle Paul makes a stunning claim: “For if by one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ” (NKJV). This verse contrasts the curse that came through Adam’s sin with the superabundant blessings that come through Christ. Paul declares that Christ not only reversed the effects of Adam’s sin, but He accomplished something far more significant—the dispensing of abundant grace. As a result, believers receive God’s gracious gifts and will reign in life.

Romans 5:12–21 is theologically dense. In this section, Paul contrasts Adam and Christ. Sin and death entered the world through Adam (Romans 5:12), but Christ’s sacrificial obedience brought justification, righteousness, and eternal life (Romans 5:16).

Paul uses an a fortiori argument to emphasize the supremacy of Christ’s work. The phrase much more appears in Romans 5:15, 17, and 20. The logic is this: if Adam’s sin had such a profound effect in cursing humanity, how much more will Christ’s redemptive work overflow to bless us?

Romans 5:17 not only focuses on the objective reversal of Adam’s sin but on the subjective experience of believers who “receive” what Christ accomplished. It is here that Paul introduces the concepts of the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness. Receiving these gifts means we will “reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!” We will triumph over sin.

The abundance of grace we have received through faith in Christ is overflowing and superabundant. It is enough grace to match and exceed Adam’s sin. In Romans 5:20, Paul writes, “The law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more” (NKJV). Grace is God’s unmerited favor. In the context of Romans 5:17, it refers to God’s gracious initiative in salvation. God does not reluctantly forgive; He floods our hearts with “grace upon grace” (John 1:16, ESV).

God’s “gift of righteousness” (Romans 5:17) clarifies what grace includes. In Pauline theology, righteousness is often forensic. In other words, God declares sinners to be righteous through faith in Christ’s atoning work (cf. Romans 3:24–26). His decree makes us positionally righteous, even before we are practically (or experientially) righteous. Righteousness is not something that is earned; it is a gift of grace.

The abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness reveal the supernatural origin of our redeemed lives. We do not “reign in life” (Romans 5:17) because of our virtue or strength, but because we have received God’s overflowing grace. We have been declared righteous in God’s sight.

Paul does not stop at justification. He looks forward and writes that we “will reign in life.” Believers are under the dominion of grace and participate in Christ’s victory and authority (cf. Romans 6:14; Ephesians 2:6). When Christ returns for His “glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing” (Ephesians 5:27, NKJV), we shall reign with Him in heavenly glory (cf. Revelation 22:5).

Reigning in life is not about exercising worldly power or accumulating wealth but about experiencing newness of life, emancipation from sin’s control, and fellowship with the risen Savior.

Romans 5:17 is a breathtaking summary of the gospel. Adam’s sin brought death, but Christ’s obedience brought grace, righteousness, and life. Salvation is God’s sovereign and gracious initiative. He forgives our sins and exalts us to reign in life—here, now, and forevermore.



Receiving


God’s Grace and Righteousness

is an


Ongoing Experience of


​being


Conformed to the Image of Christ


(Romans 8:29).



We are clothed

not in

our failures but in



Christ’s Perfect Righteousness

The alabaster jar of pure nard is a significant element in the New Testament, symbolizing devotion, sacrifice, and the recognition of Jesus' divine authority. This event is recorded in the Gospels, notably in Matthew 26:6-13, Mark 14:3-9, and John 12:1-8. The act of anointing Jesus with this costly perfume is a profound moment that underscores themes of worship, preparation for burial, and the acknowledgment of Jesus as the Messiah.




Historical and Cultural Context

Alabaster, a fine-grained, translucent form of gypsum or calcite, was commonly used in the ancient Near East to create containers for precious ointments and perfumes. Its ability to preserve the fragrance made it an ideal material for storing valuable substances like nard. Nard, also known as spikenard, is an aromatic oil derived from the root of the Nardostachys jatamansi plant, native to the Himalayan region. It was highly prized in antiquity for its fragrance and medicinal properties, making it extremely expensive.




Biblical Accounts

In the Gospel of Matthew , the event is described as follows: "While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of Simon the leper, a woman came to Him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on His head as He was reclining at the table" (Matthew 26:6-7). This act of anointing is met with indignation by the disciples, who question the waste of such a costly item. Jesus, however, defends the woman, saying, "She has done a beautiful deed to Me. The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have Me. By pouring this perfume on Me, she has prepared My body for burial" (Matthew 26:10-12).

Mark's Gospel provides a similar account, emphasizing the woman's act as one of great love and devotion. Jesus declares, "Truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is preached in all the world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her" (Mark 14:9).

In John's Gospel, the woman is identified as Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus. The account highlights the personal nature of the act: "Then Mary took about a pint of expensive perfume, made of pure nard, and she anointed Jesus’ feet and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume" (John 12:3). Judas Iscariot, who would later betray Jesus, objects to the perceived waste, but Jesus again affirms the significance of the anointing.




Theological Significance

The alabaster jar of pure nard represents the outpouring of love and devotion to Jesus, recognizing His impending sacrifice and burial. The woman's act is a prophetic gesture, acknowledging Jesus' role as the suffering Messiah. Her willingness to use such an expensive item reflects the depth of her faith and understanding of Jesus' mission.

The narrative also serves as a critique of misplaced priorities, as seen in the disciples' and Judas' reactions. Jesus' response highlights the importance of spiritual insight over material concerns, emphasizing the eternal significance of acts of worship and devotion.




Symbolism and Legacy

The alabaster jar of pure nard has become a symbol of selfless devotion and the recognition of Jesus' divine authority. It challenges believers to consider the value of their own offerings to God and the motivations behind their acts of worship. The account continues to inspire Christians to prioritize their relationship with Christ above all else, reminding them of the eternal impact of their faith-driven actions.


​

After the Israelites


sinned

against God by worshipping




the golden calf,



the Lord was ready to send them

to the

Promised Land on their own without Him


(Exodus 33:3).



But Moses interceded for the people (Exodus 33:12–17). During his private meeting with Yahweh, Moses asked God for assurances, one being, “Please, let me see Your glory” (Exodus 33:18, CSB).


God answered, saying,


“I will cause all my goodness

to pass

in front of you,

and I will

proclaim my name, the LORD,

in your presence.


I will have mercy on

whom I

will have mercy, and I will

have compassion

on whom

I will have compassion”


(Exodus 33:19).



Ever the faithful mediator, Moses asked God not to destroy the Israelites but to stay with His people to lead them to the Promised Land. God agreed to live among them and come down to them in glory in His tabernacle. The Lord promised Moses, “I will indeed do what you have asked, for I look favorably on you, and I know you by name” (Exodus 33:17, NLT).

Moses, who had already received glimpses of God’s glory at the burning bush (Exodus 3:1–22), on the mountaintop (Exodus 24:15–18), and at the tent of meeting (Exodus 33:12–23), asked to see more. He wanted a greater revelation of God’s glory. The Lord’s answer was part yes and part no. God was willing to show all of His divine goodness to Moses. He was pleased to call out His sacred name, Yahweh, before Moses. And He was ready to reveal His sovereign mercy and compassion to Moses. God would show as much of Himself as Moses was able to bear, but there were limits. If Moses were to see a complete revelation of God’s glory, it would be so overwhelming that it would destroy him (Exodus 33:20).

By not fully answering Moses’ request, God was in actuality exhibiting mercy and compassion toward Moses. When He said to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy” in Exodus 33:19, the Lord meant that He shows mercy freely to anyone He chooses. The New Living Translation renders the meaning of the verse more explicitly: “I will show mercy to anyone I choose, and I will show compassion to anyone I choose.”

Demonstrating mercy is one way God reveals His glory. The word mercy in Exodus 33:19 means “kindness, compassion, and forgiveness.” When God said, “I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy,” He meant that He would show kindness, compassion, and forgiveness to anyone He chooses.

God’s mercy—His wondrous compassion—leads Him to forgive sinners and withhold the punishment that is justly deserved. After the Lord graciously led the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt, through the Red Sea, and toward the Promised Land, they responded by revolting against God. Yet, because of the favor obtained through their mediator, Moses, God was pleased to lavish His mercy on them.


God’s justice and mercy are seemingly incompatible


After all, justice involves the dispensing of deserved punishment for wrongdoing, and mercy is all about pardon and compassion for an offender. However, these two attributes of God do in fact form a unity within His character.



The Bible

contains many references to


God’s mercy



Over 290 verses in the Old Testament and 70 in the New Testament contain direct statements of



the mercy of God toward


His people



God was merciful

to the Ninevites who repented

at the

preaching of Jonah, who described God

as

“a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and

abounding in love,


a God who relents from sending calamity”


(Jonah 4:2).


David said God is “gracious and merciful; Slow to anger and great in loving-kindness. The LORD is good to all, and His mercies are over all His works” (Psalm 145:8–9, NASB).

But the Bible also speaks of God’s justice and His wrath over sin. In fact, God’s perfect justice is a defining characteristic: “There is no God apart from me, a righteous [just] God and a Savior; there is none but me” (Isaiah 45:21). “He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he” (Deuteronomy 32:4).

In the New Testament, Paul details why God’s judgment is coming: “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming” (Colossians 3:5–6).

So the Bible showcases the fact that God is merciful, but it also reveals that He is just and will one day dispense justice on the sin of the world.

In every other religion in the world that holds to the idea of a supreme deity, that deity’s mercy is always exercised at the expense of justice. For example, in Islam, Allah may grant mercy to an individual, but it’s done by dismissing the penalties of whatever law has been broken. In other words, the offender’s punishment that was properly due him is brushed aside so that mercy can be extended. Islam’s Allah and every other deity in the non-Christian religions set aside the requirements of moral law in order to be merciful. Mercy is seen as at odds with justice. In a sense, in those religions, crime can indeed pay.

If any human judge acted in such a fashion, most people would lodge a major complaint. It is a judge’s responsibility to see that the law is followed and that justice is provided. A judge who ignores the law is betraying his office.

Christianity is unique in that God’s mercy is shown through His justice. There is no setting aside of justice to make room for mercy. The Christian doctrine of penal substitution states that sin and injustice were punished at the cross of Christ and it’s only because the penalty of sin was satisfied through Christ’s sacrifice that God extends His mercy to undeserving sinners who look to Him for salvation.

As Christ died for sinners, He also demonstrated God’s righteousness; His death on the cross showcased God’s justice. This is exactly what the apostle Paul says: “All are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished—he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus (Romans 3:24–26, emphasis added).

In other words, all the sin from Adam to the time of Christ was under the forbearance and mercy of God. God in His mercy chose not to punish sin, which would require an eternity in hell for all sinners, although He would have been perfectly just in doing so. Adam and Eve were not immediately destroyed when they ate the forbidden fruit. Instead, God planned a Redeemer (Genesis 3:15). In His love God sent His own Son (John 3:16). Christ paid for every single sin ever committed; thus, God was just in punishing sin, and He can also justify sinners who receive Christ by faith (Romans 3:26). God’s justice and His mercy were demonstrated by Christ’s death on the cross. At the cross, God’s justice was meted out in full (upon Christ), and God’s mercy was extended in full (to all who believe). So God’s perfect mercy was exercised through His perfect justice.

The end result is that everyone who trusts in the Lord Jesus is saved from God’s wrath and instead experiences His grace and mercy (Romans 8:1). As Paul says, “Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!” (Romans 5:9).​

Exodus 33:19 is quoted in the New Testament by the apostle Paul in reference to the sovereignty of God: “For God said to Moses, ‘I will show mercy to anyone I choose, and I will show compassion to anyone I choose’” (Romans 9:15, NLT). Paul meant that God’s freedom is absolute. It is essential to understand that, before God, humans have no rights or privileges. We have no claim of our own to God’s mercy. That is why the concept and outworking of mercy are so crucial for sinners.

“I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy” means God’s freedom to demonstrate mercy is not limited by anything but His own divine choice. God does not show mercy because humans deserve it. The Lord’s favor cannot be earned by status, social class, or works of righteousness—otherwise, it would not be mercy.

The Lord said He had mercy on Israel because He was pleased with their mediator, the prophet Moses: “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you” (Exodus 33:17). God chose to extend the grace, favor, and love that He had for Moses to the children of Israel. The people were spared, by divine choice, through the merits of Moses, their mediator. This act was a foreshadowing of our basis of salvation in Christ.

Humans cannot be saved based on their own efforts (Ephesians 2:8–9). The Bible says we are too sinful to merit salvation (Isaiah 64:6; Romans 3:10, 23; Psalm 143:2). Our salvation hinges on the pleasure God takes in our Mediator—the person of Jesus Christ, God’s Son and our Savior (Hebrews 9:15; Galatians 2:16). Since God is pleased with Jesus (Matthew 3:17; 17:5), He is pleased with anyone who trusts in Him for salvation. Jesus is our Mediator, accomplishing for us what Moses did for Israel, only in perfection.

One of God’s promises concerning the eternal state is that the nations of the world will have healing. The question comes up, though, as to why exactly healing is needed. Isn’t the New Jerusalem a place of perfection already?

The promise of the healing of the nations is found in Revelation 22, after the creation of the new heaven and new earth (Revelation 21:1). John writes, “Then the angel showed me 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. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever” (Revelation 22:1–5).

The healing of the nations is linked to the tree of life, as God reestablishes Eden. It is the leaves of this tree that are said to be “for the healing of the nations” (Revelation 22:2). It is possible that the tree of life in the New Jerusalem is literal and that its leaves and various fruits will somehow enrich our existence in the eternal state. All the nations represented there will be “healed” of their divisions and strife in their equal access to the tree of life.

It is also possible that the tree of life in the New Jerusalem is symbolic and that its “healing” signifies the eternal life that all will enjoy there. The different fruits it bears could represent the unlimited variety of our existence in heaven. The clear flowing river that waters the tree could picture the spiritual life of God’s redeemed—the “living water” Jesus promised in John 4:13–14.

The healing the tree of life’s leaves provide is not the healing of the wounds of battle—warfare will have ended. The healing is not needed for combating sickness—there will be no more sickness, death, or pain (Revelation 21:4). No, the “healing” is a reference to the perpetual blessing of the new heaven and earth; never again will the world be plagued by physical disorders or spiritual malaise or corruption. There will be no more warfare, no strife, no conflicting factions. God will heal all that ails His creation, and there will be no more curse (Revelation 22:3).

In the eternal state, everything will be blessed, and the tree of life represents that blessedness. There will be perfect sinlessness, perfect government, perfect service to God, perfect communion, and perfect glory. It is impossible for us to imagine being totally separated from sin and living in a glorified state before God. But the Lord assures us that “these words are trustworthy and true” (Revelation 22:6).

The coupling of grace and truth is found in numerous places in the Bible, including Colossians 1:6 and 2 John 1:3 in the New Testament, and 2 Samuel 15:20 and Psalm 86:15 in the Old Testament. Then there is John 1:14, 17, which says, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. . . . For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”

There is a strong possibility that John is referencing the Hebrew terms hesed (“mercy” or “lovingkindness”) and emet (“truth” or “faithfulness”), found together in Exodus 34:6: “Then the Lord passed by in front of him and proclaimed, ‘The Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth.’” Note that the attributes of God in the Old Testament are applied to Christ in the New. At the beginning of his gospel, John is making a subtle statement regarding the divinity of Jesus. The rest of John’s gospel will expound on that truth.

It is important for grace and truth to work in tandem. An emphasis on grace alone can dissipate into a shallow and sentimental foundation where justice or truth is discarded. However, a focus only on truth can devolve into a cold, hardened dogma. Jesus’ character demonstrates the perfect balance of both grace and truth. He is “full” of both.

Grace and truth meld together in the gospel message to form a key distinction of Christianity over other religions. In all other religions, grace and truth are never balanced. Instead, the deity being worshiped either dispenses justice at the expense of grace or dispenses grace at the expense of justice and truth. Christianity is unique in that God delivers grace through His justice and truth.

The truth is, everyone has fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23) and deserves God’s justice. However, God’s justice is satisfied, and His truth upheld, through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. That act delivers God’s grace to those who will accept it by faith.

In this way, Christianity stands alone as an ontological faith—one that is fully dependent on a person—Jesus Christ—who perfectly balances and embodies both grace and truth in His very being.


Open and honest communication is characteristic of faithful and loving relationships. Solomon addressed the subject in Proverbs 27:5–6: “Open rebuke is better than secret love. Faithful are the wounds of a friend; But the kisses of an enemy are deceitful” (KJV 1900).

Nineteen proverbs identify one thing as “better than” another. In Proverbs 27:5, open rebuke is better than secret love. Open rebuke speaks of straightforward, direct correction of another person’s wrongs without reserve or secretiveness. Such a rebuke may sting at first, but a healthy reprimand can be a genuine expression of love: “For the Lord corrects those he loves, just as a father corrects a child in whom he delights” (Proverbs 3:12, NLT; cf. Hebrews 12:6; see also Revelation 3:19).

Throughout the book of Proverbs, open rebuke is presented as a good and valuable form of instruction. Those who respond correctly to it are “on the pathway to life” (Proverbs 10:17, NLT). They are considered “wise” and “understanding” (Proverbs 9:8; 15:5; 17:10). But those who scorn and reject rebuke are on a path to poverty, disgrace, destruction, and death (Proverbs 1:23–26; 15:10).

Open rebuke is better than secret love because “in the end, people appreciate honest criticism far more than flattery” (Proverbs 28:23, NLT). For this reason, the psalmist prayed, “Let the godly strike me! It will be a kindness! If they correct me, it is soothing medicine. Don’t let me refuse it” (Psalm 141:5, NLT). We can trust a rebuke from a godly person because we know the motivation is heartfelt concern for our welfare. “Rebuke the wise and they will love you,” declares Proverbs 9:8.

Secret love refers to love that is unknowable, invisible, closed off, ignored, or withdrawn. Such love has given up and doesn’t even bother to tell a friend his faults. Even unpleasant, disciplinary interaction is preferable to no communication or an apathetic attitude that doesn’t care enough to express concern for our well-being. It takes courage and genuine love to speak plainly to a friend who needs correcting. A true friend shows love through time and attention, even if that attention sometimes takes the form of a rebuke.

Secret love lacks the courage to speak out or act and instead allows a friend to go on sinning. But God’s love calls us to intervene compassionately (Job 6:14; Proverbs 3:27; 17:17; Romans 12:9–10; Galatians 6:2; Philippians 2:3–4). James explained, “My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins” (James 5:19–20).

Jesus also made it clear that, among believers in Christ, open rebuke is better than secret love: “If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over” (Matthew 18:15). The apostle Paul reiterated the principle: “Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself” (Galatians 6:1, NLT).

Open rebuke is better than secret love highlights the need for honest communication and meaningful interaction with the people God has placed in our lives. Few things will destroy a relationship faster than apathy and being ignored.

The Lord’s discipline is an oft-ignored fact of life for believers. The Bible teaches that, as our loving Heavenly Father, God disciplines us. His discipline is not doubtful; it is assured:

“My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline,
and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,
because the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son” (Hebrews 12:5–6, quoting Proverbs 3:11–12).


God’s “discipline” (“chastisement” in the NKJV) and “rebuke” come to “everyone.” His correction is, in fact, a sign of His love for His children, and we are to “not lose heart” when we experience it.

Human fathers have a responsibility to train their children (see Ephesians 6:4), and part of that training is to administer discipline. Just as human fathers wisely discipline their children, so does God: “Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all” (Hebrews 12:7–8). As we undergo God’s discipline, we can rejoice in at least one fact: God is treating us as true children of His (see Deuteronomy 8:5)!

Discipline is not the same as condemnation. God disciplines His children, but He does not condemn them. Romans 8:1 makes this clear: “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (cf. Romans 8:33–34). Discipline has to do with training and growth; condemnation has to do with punishment and guilt.

When does God discipline us? Discipline is training, and that training involves both positive and negative aspects. Part of discipline is simply guiding someone to follow certain rules or to observe certain behaviors. Another part of discipline involves reproof to correct disobedience. Both aspects of discipline can be tough. The trials Job endured were not a punishment for sin (see Job 1:8), but they were training in righteousness (see Job 42:3, 6), and Job emerged from his trial a better man.

God’s discipline begins when we are born again into His family. We immediately begin to learn and understand the Word of God and adjust our lives accordingly. This is a blessing in our lives:



“Blessed is the one you discipline, Lord,

the one you teach from your law;

you grant them relief from days of trouble”


(Psalm 94:12–13).



This type of discipline is more preventative than corrective.

Troubled days are coming, and the Lord would spare us.



God’s discipline also comes when we sin. In such cases, the chastisement is meant to be corrective. David, in one of his penitential psalms, expresses his desire that God moderate the severity of the punishment:



“Lord, do not rebuke me in

your anger


or discipline me in your wrath.


Your arrows have

pierced me, and your hand has come

down on me.

Because of your wrath there is no health in my body;


there is no

soundness in my bones because of my sin.


My guilt has overwhelmed me

like a

burden too heavy to bear”


(Psalm 38:1–4).



In this psalm, David admits his guilt and thus acknowledges that God’s punishment is just; at the same time, the sharp and crushing nature of the discipline seems more than he can bear, and he asks for help.

Charles Spurgeon’s note on Psalm 38 includes a paraphrase of David’s appeal: “Rebuked I must be, for I am an erring child and thou a careful Father, but throw not too much anger into the tones of thy voice; deal gently although I have sinned grievously. The anger of others I can bear, but not thine. . . . Chasten me if thou wilt, it is a Father’s prerogative, and to endure it obediently is a child's duty; but, O turn not the rod into a sword, smite not so as to kill. True, my sins might well inflame thee, but let thy mercy and long-suffering quench the glowing coals of thy wrath. O let me not be treated as an enemy or dealt with as a rebel. Bring to remembrance thy covenant, thy fatherhood, and my feebleness, and spare thy servant” (Treasury of David, Volume II, Funk & Wagnalls, 1885, p. 220).

How does God discipline us? God can and does use various methods of discipline. He may use trouble at work, hardship at home, or travail in the ministry; Paul had many difficulties in life (2 Corinthians 11:23–29). God may allow us to experience loss, as David did (2 Samuel 12:13–18). God may send physical ailments or even death, as the church of Corinth learned (1 Corinthians 11:17–22, 30–32). Often, God will simply allow the natural consequences of our sin to run their course. We are forgiven, but we are corrected “so that we will not be finally condemned with the world” (1 Corinthians 11:32).

Why does God discipline us? He is a good Father who wants what’s best for His children. Humanly speaking, no child will reach his or her full potential without training and discipline. The virtuoso violinist would never have reached the concert hall without discipline. The record-setting athlete would never have excelled in any sport without discipline. Following that principle, here are some reasons that we experience God’s discipline:




• God disciplines His children because He loves them.

• God disciplines His children to make them more mature.

• God disciplines His children to increase their capacity for virtue.

• God disciplines His children to keep them on the right path.

• God disciplines His children to grow their faith.

• God disciplines His children to purify them from sin.



The result of God’s discipline is holiness and maturity: “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” (James 1:2–4). The Lord continues to work with us, as a potter does the clay, and His discipline is for our good and His glory.

We can judge with righteous judgment—we can judge rightly—by submitting to God in faith and seeking to understand His Word. This is one possible application of Jesus’ words in John 7:24: “Do not judge by the outward appearance, but judge with righteous judgment” (NASB). While this statement is pithy and quotable, it is not simply an isolated proverb. It is a line of dialogue from a historical narrative. Jesus said these words to a specific group of people at a specific time, so the context of John 7:24deserves be explored before a modern application is made.

In John 7, Jesus goes to Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles. In John 7:14, Jesus begins to teach in the temple. A curious crowd gathers, mixed in their appraisal of Jesus and His seemingly audacious claims. Jesus explains that those who are “willing to do [God’s] will” are going to understand the source and authority of Jesus’ teaching, because His teaching is from God (John 7:16–18). It becomes clear that the reason the crowd does not understand Him is that they do not know God (John 8:42–43). They have the Mosaic Law yet are themselves lawbreakers (John 7:19). This is demonstrated by their desire to kill Jesus. If they truly understood the Scriptures that Moses penned, they would believe in Jesus, because those same Scriptures point to Christ (John 5:46).

The crowd does not respond favorably to Jesus’ statement that their accuser was Moses (John 5:45). Apparently, some still believed Jesus was a lawbreaker based on His healing on the Sabbath in John 5:1–15. Jesus, once again, corrects their misunderstanding of the Sabbath. He explains the relative priority of the Sabbath, using an example from their own tradition (John 7:22–23). As Lord of the Sabbath, Jesus has the right to correct their legalistic misunderstanding and reset the priority on human beings rather than on rule-keeping (Matthew 12:3–8). The Mosaic Law was not meant to be used as a legalistic and slavish instrument for self-righteousness, but to promote God’s righteousness in every area of life and draw His people closer to Him.

Following up on His scathing assessment of their hypocrisy regarding the Sabbath law, Jesus commands the crowds to “judge with righteous judgment” not by outward appearance (John 7:24, NKJV). They were not judging based on God’s righteousness but on their own worldly assessment. Their judgments were based on the way things appear on the outside, and that judgment is incorrect. To judge rightly, Jesus’ audience needed to know God and place their faith in Him (John 7:17). If they did, they would know who Jesus is, and their evaluation of the situation would be completely different. Their rejection of Jesus, as mentioned later in chapter 8, demonstrates that they do not really know God. D. A. Carson writes regarding Jesus’ exhortation in John 7:24, “This appeal has many formal Old Testament parallels. . . . Jesus’ appeal is more personal, eschatological and redemptive. They have misconstrued his character by a fundamentally flawed set of deductions from Old Testament law, an approach that turns out to be superficial, far too committed to ‘mere appearances’. If their approach to God’s will were one of faith . . . they would soon discern that Jesus is not a Sabbath-breaker, but the one who fulfills both Sabbath and circumcision” (The Gospel According to John, William B. Eerdman’s Publishing Co., 1991, p. 316).

How do we apply the exhortation to “judge with righteous judgment” in modern times? At the very least, Jesus’ words should humble us, as we recognize that we are capable of distorting and misapplying God’s commands due to our own pride and self-righteousness. We are supposed to be discerning, but our judgments should be based on God’s revealed truth and our relationship to Him. When we judge a situation, do we allow our own pride to dictate our understanding, or do we in humility present our judgments to God and seek His direction? Faith in God is required to truly know Him and understand His ways (Hebrews 11:6).

Jesus’ command to judge with righteous judgment also invites us to reflect on our own legalism and treatment of others. Do we ever dismiss others based on our own standards? When we quote God in order to evaluate someone else’s life or behavior, do we ever miss the true intention of what God has told us? We should evaluate our man-made traditions and values. If we had been present, would we have been part of the crowd that condemned Jesus for failing to follow their own self-invented rules?

When we fail to demonstrate love and mercy, but instead condemn others for failing to follow standards we have invented, we are missing the entire point of God’s instructions (Matthew 9:13). Carson ends his assessment of John 7:24 with a timely application: “In an age when Matthew 7:1 (‘Do not judge, or you too will be judged’) has displaced John 3:16 as the only verse in the Bible the man in the street is likely to know, it is perhaps worth adding that Matthew 7:1 forbids judgmentalism, not moral discernment. By contrast, John 7:24 demands moral and theological discernment in the context of obedient faith (7:17), while excoriating self-righteous legalism and offering no sanction for censorious heresy-hunting” (ibid., p. 317).

Christians often talk about the need to “speak the truth in love,” a command found in Ephesians 4:15. Many times what they mean is the need to share difficult truths in a gentle, kind, inoffensive manner. From a practical standpoint, we know that difficult things are best heard when our defenses are not up. In a loving, non-threatening environment, hard truths are more readily received. So it is biblical to share hard truths with others “in love,” in the manner that the phrase is commonly used. Looking at the context of Ephesians 4:15, however, gives us deeper insight on what it means to “speak the truth in love.”

In the verses prior to the command to speak the truth in love, Paul writes about unity in the body of Christ. He urges the Ephesians, and all Christians by extension, to “live a life worthy of the calling you have received” (Ephesians 4:1). He describes this life as one in which we are humble, gentle, patient, bearing with one another in love, and making efforts toward unity. Paul reminds his readers that we all serve the same Lord and are part of the same body. He talks about Christ giving apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers “to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:12–13). Having reached maturity, we will not be spiritual infants, easily deceived, and tossed to and fro “by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming” (Ephesians 4:14).

In this context—of church unity and spiritual maturity—Paul writes, “Speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ” (Ephesians 4:15). Rather than be spiritually immature and easily deceived, we are to speak the truth to one another, with love, so that we can all grow in maturity. We are to train one another in truth—the foundational gospel truths, truths about who God is and what He has called us to do, hard truths of correction, etc.—and our motivation to do so is love.

The “love” referred to in this verse is agape love, a self-sacrificial love that works for the benefit of the loved one. We speak truth in order to build up. Several verses later Paul writes, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen” (Ephesians 4:29). Our words should be beneficial to the hearers of those words. We should speak truth in love.

Paul also counsels “to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of you minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body” (Ephesians 4:22–25). As members of the same body, we should not deceive one another. We cannot defraud each other through lies. Nor should we attempt to hide things about ourselves out of shame or in an effort to manage our images. Rather, as those who are part of the same body intended for the same purpose and united by the same love, we should be characterized by honesty. Those who love must speak the truth: “Love . . . rejoices with the truth” (1 Corinthians 13:6). Dishonesty is unloving and abusive.

Speaking the truth in love is not as much about having a gentle demeanor as it is about the way truth and love go hand-in-hand. Because we love one another, we must speak the truth. Because we know the truth, we must be people characterized by love (John 13:34–35; 15:1–17). Jesus “came from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). As His followers who are being conformed to His image (Romans 8:29), we should also be characterized by grace and truth.

Importantly, we are also called to love those who do not know Christ. The best way we can show love is to share with them the truth of the gospel. Apart from Christ, people are dead in their sins and destined for an eternity in hell (John 3:16–18; Romans 6:23). But in Christ they can receive new life and eternal salvation (Romans 10:9–15; 2 Corinthians 5:17). This is a message we must share. Peter wrote, “In your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15). We share the gospel because we love the people for whom Christ died. We speak God’s truth because of His love and in a way that clearly and unapologetically communicates both truth and love (1 John 4:10–12).

Both Matthew 18 and Luke 15 record Jesus’ parable about a shepherd who leaves 99 sheep in the fold to go in search of one that had wandered away. Jesus gave this illustration in response to the Pharisees who were incensed that Jesus “welcomes sinners and eats with them” (Luke 15:2). The religious leaders in Jesus’ day had structured their system to exalt the self-righteous and exclude anyone who did not live up to their often arbitrary standards (Matthew 23:28). They had added so many rules and regulations to God’s law that no one could keep them all, including the ones who drafted them. When Jesus came along, His methodology confused them. He seemed to be from God, yet He rebuked the outwardly righteous and welcomed the wicked. How could this man know God?

So Jesus told them a story, as He did many times in order to explain spiritual truths: “What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish” (Matthew 18:12–14). The people of Jesus’ day understood the relationship between shepherds and sheep, but the significance of a shepherd going in search of one lost sheep is sometimes lost on us. It seems strange that a shepherd would leave his flock to search for one missing sheep.

We might consider the shepherd leaving the 99 to find the 1 this way: a father and his five children are asleep in their home when the smoke detectors go off. The father awakens to find his house filled with smoke and the sound of flames and crackling timber coming nearer. Panicked, he races to his children’s bedrooms and begins to rouse them. Calling to some and carrying others, he stumbles down the stairs and out the front door. He deposits the sleepy children on the grass a safe distance away and then turns. Gasping for air, he squints through the smoke to count kids: “Tim, Sally, Angel, Jojo—where’s Lilly!” He is missing his youngest, three-year-old Lilly. Four children are safe, one is not. What will this father do?

God is a Father. He counts His kids. He rejoices that some are safely in Christ, prepared for eternity and nestled near His heart. But some are missing. Where’s Karen? Where’s Abdul? Where’s Jose? The Father sent Jesus on a rescue mission “to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10). God does not abandon the 99. They are already safely in His kingdom, attended by His angels, and guided by His Holy Spirit (Romans 8:14; Hebrews 13:5). But His heart aches for those not yet in the fold.

So the Good Shepherd pursues the lost sheep, woos them, calls to them, and allows circumstances into their lives designed to make them look up. It is often in the bleakest of circumstances that we finally surrender our demands to have our own way. We finally submit to our Shepherd, who carries us back to the fold (Luke 15:5). In John 10, Jesus again refers to Himself as the Good Shepherd, saying, “I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd” (verses 16–17). Then in verses 27–29 He says, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.” The 99 are still important to Him, but He knows the flock is not complete without the lost sheep. And a good shepherd always goes after the lost sheep.

In Luke’s gospel, two other parables follow the one about the one lost sheep, and both of them reinforce Jesus’ main point, which is the value of individuals. The parable of the lost coin (Luke 15:8–10) and the parable of the lost son, also known as the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11–32), continue the theme of God as a pursuer of lost people. We were all lost at one time, and the Lord came after us. If He had not taken the initiative, no one could be saved (John 6:44). So, when our Good Shepherd wants to pursue another lost lamb, the 99 who are in the fold can joyfully support the rescue.

By referring to Himself as the True Shepherd, Jesus was invoking imagery that would have been familiar to His hearers. He used the symbols of sheep and their shepherd several times, referring to Himself as not only the “True” Shepherd, but the Good Shepherd (John 10:11), and the Door of the sheep (John 10:7). The three declarations in John 10 present a complete picture of the Lord who is our Shepherd (Psalm 23).

In order to understand what Jesus intended to convey with sheep/shepherd imagery, we must understand the Middle Eastern shepherd of biblical times. His job was a dirty and dangerous one. Many times all the shepherd had to fight off lions and other wild animals was a staff with a crook. He willingly put his life on the line for his flock. At night, he would put the flock in a makeshift pen that had only one way in and out. The shepherd would open to door to the pen, call the sheep by name, and they would come in and settle safely for the night.

Sheep are skittish animals and “spook” easily. Because they knew the shepherd’s voice, they would calm down and follow him and nobody but him. Several flocks can mix together, and when the flocks’ true shepherd speaks, they separate and follow him. If a thief comes, the sheep will not follow him because they do not know his voice. At night the shepherd lies down at the gate to the pen, to give his life if necessary to protect his flock. And the thief can only climb in over the fence because the shepherd is guarding the gate. Jesus is the True Shepherd to the sheep (true believers) who are His. We know Him, we recognize His voice, and we follow only Him (John 10:27–28).

What Jesus is saying here ties right into John 14:6: “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except by me.” Jesus is not only the Good Shepherd who gives His life willingly for His sheep (John 10:11), but He is the also the “gate” or “door” of the sheep (John 10:9). In this metaphor Jesus presents Himself as the One who gives salvation, the One who offers access to heaven. So, Jesus is the True Shepherd who guards His sheep, the Good Shepherd who gives His life for them, and the Doorway to heaven for the sheep who know Him and are known by Him.

Jesus also says there were many who came before Him pretending to be good shepherds. But, He says, they are thieves and robbers who come in among the flock. He is alluding to the false shepherds of Israel, the Pharisees who did not love the people, nor were they willing to sacrifice for them. These self-appointed and self-righteous false shepherds led the sheep of Israel astray from the true knowledge of the Messiah, clinging to a works-based religion that could not lead to salvation (Ezekiel 34:1–31). These leaders were not the true shepherds of Israel but were like thieves that plundered the flock for their own gain. Sadly, such false shepherds still abound today, more interested in fleecing the flock for their own personal gain, than in feeding and protecting the sheep as true under-shepherds to the True Shepherd, the Lord Jesus Christ.
​

The Parables of the Lost Sheep and the Lost Coin (Luke 15:3–10) are the first two in a series of three. The third is the “lost son” or the “prodigal son.” Just as in other cases, Jesus taught these parables in a set of three to emphasize His point. To properly understand the message of these parables, we must recognize exactly what a parable is, and why it is used. 



What is a parable?

At a basic level, a parable is a short story designed to convey a concept to be understood and/or a principle to be put into practice. This, however, tells us more about the intent of a parable than what it actually is. The word “parable” in Greek literally means, “to set beside,” as in the English word “comparison” or “similitude.” In the Jewish culture, things were explained not in terms of statistics or definitions as they are in English-speaking cultures. In the Jewish culture of biblical times, things were explained in word pictures.



Why did Jesus use parables?

Word pictures do not draw attention to technicalities (like the Jewish law) but to attitudes, concepts, and characteristics. Jesus was speaking a language that all Jews could understand, but with an emphasis on attitudes rather than the outward appearances that the Pharisees focused on (John 7:24). Parables also have an emotional impact that makes them more meaningful and memorable to those who are soft of heart. At the same time, the parables of Jesus often times remained a mystery to those with a hardened heart because parables require the listeners to be self-critical and put themselves in the appropriate place in the story. The result was that the Pharisees would “be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving” (Isaiah 6:9; Psalm 78:2; Matthew 13:35).

By using parables, the teaching of Jesus remains timeless despite most changes in culture, time, and technology. For example, these two parables convey commonly understood concepts like grace, gentleness, concern, pride and others, all of which we can understand, even though the story is over two thousand years old. In Jewish culture character traits are often described in relation to objects that are universally recognized like the regularity of the sun or the refreshing nature of rain (Hosea 6:3). This also explains why poetry is the most common mode of language used in the Bible. In the case of parables specifically, the elements mentioned in them are usually representations of something else, just as in an allegory. However, an overemphasis on a particular detail in a parable tends to lead to interpretive errors. Repetitions, patterns, or changes will often help us in identifying when we should focus on a particular detail.



Why Jesus taught these parables

Let us look at the particular details of these parables. The situation in which Jesus is speaking can be seen in Luke 15:1–2. “Now the tax collectors and ‘sinners’ were all gathering around to hear him. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, ‘This man welcomes sinners and eats with them’” (NIV). Notice that the Pharisees did not complain that Jesus is teaching sinners. Since the Pharisees thought themselves to be righteous teachers of the law and all others to be wicked, they could not condemn His preaching to “sinners,” but they thought it was inconsistent with the dignity of someone so knowledgeable in the Scriptures to “eat with them.” The presupposition behind the statement of the Pharisees, “this man welcomes sinners,” is what Jesus addresses in all three parables.

To understand the significance of the opening statement in chapter 15, we must consider that the Jewish culture is a shame/honor-driven society that used shame/honor in a way that developed a sort of caste system. Virtually everything that is done in Jewish culture brings either shame or honor. The primary motivation for what and how things are done is based on seeking honor for oneself and avoiding shame. This was the central and all-consuming preoccupation of all Jewish interaction.

In the first parable, Jesus invites His listeners to place themselves into the story with, “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep.” In doing this Jesus is appealing to their intuitive reasoning and life experiences. As the story completes, the Pharisees in their pride refuse to see themselves as shameful “sinners,” but eagerly take the honoring label of being “righteous.” However, by the implication of their own pride, they place themselves in the position of being the less significant group of ninety-nine: “There will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.” There may be a bit of sarcasm in the reference to the Pharisees “who do not need to repent” (see Romans 3:23).

In the “lost coin” parable, the ten silver coins refers to a piece of jewelry with ten silver coins on it worn by brides. This was the equivalent of a wedding ring in modern times.

Upon careful examination of the parables, we can see that Jesus was turning His listeners’ understanding of things upside down. The Pharisees saw themselves as being the beloved of God and the “sinners” as refuse. Jesus uses the Pharisees’ prejudices against them, while encouraging the sinners with one clear message. That message is this: God has a tender, personal concern (“and when he finds it, he puts it on his shoulders,” v. 5). God has a joyous love for individuals who are lost (in sin) and are found (repent). Jesus makes it clear that the Pharisees, who thought they were close to God, were actually distant and those sinners and tax collectors were the ones God was seeking after. We see this same message in 18:9-14. There, Jesus is teaching on attitudes of prayer, but the problem he is addressing is the same as in chapter 15. In 18:14 Jesus provides the conclusion for us: “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”



Patterns of progression in the parables

By identifying things in common in the parables, we can gain context to help us understand the significance of otherwise subtle elements in the story. As the old saying goes, “Proper context covers a multitude of interpretive errors.” 1) The progression of value: in the first parable a sheep is lost, then a silver coin in the next, followed by a son in the third. As mentioned before, part of the power of these parables to reach the audience comes from the shame/honor aspect of their culture. To lose a sheep as a shepherd would be a very shameful thing, a coin from a piece of bridal jewelry lost in her own house would be more shameful, followed by the lost son, which was the worst of all in Jewish culture. 2) The personal progression from seeking after only 1 of 100 sheep, then 1 of 10 coins, then 1 of 2 sons. This shows the scope of God’s personal concern for individuals and would have been of great comfort to the “sinners” Jesus was teaching. 3) A change in tense in each parable regarding the rejoicing at that which was found, from future tense, to present, and then to past tense: “will be more joy” to “there is joy” and finally “had to be.” This may have communicated the certainty of God’s acceptance of those who repent. 4) The progression of earthly references to what the thing was lost in (a subtle reference to sin). The sheep was lost in open fields, the coin was lost in the dirt that was swept up, and son was in the mud of a pigsty before coming to his senses. 5) The relational power of each parable: Poor men and young boys would have related best to the shepherd and the lost sheep. Women would have related best to the lost bridal coin. The last parable dealt with everyone present by dealing with the relationship of a father and son.



Patterns of Consistency in the parables

1) The main character possesses something valuable and does not want to lose it.
2) The main character rejoices in the finding of the lost thing, but does not rejoice alone.
3) The main character (God) expresses care in either the looking or the handling of that which was lost.
4) Each thing that was lost has a personal value, not just a monetary value: shepherds care for their sheep, women cherish their bridal jewelry, and a father loves his son.

Incidentally, this first illustration of the shepherd carrying the sheep on his shoulders was the original figure used to identify Christians before people began identifying Christianity with crosses. In these parables Jesus paints with words a beautiful picture of God’s grace in His desire to see the lost return to Him. Men seek honor and avoid shame; God seeks to glorify Himself through us His sheep, His sons and daughters. Despite having ninety-nine other sheep, despite the sinful rebellion of His lost sheep, God joyfully receives it back, just as He does when we repent and return to Him.

God’s love for mankind, as described in the Bible, is clearly unconditional in that His love is expressed toward the objects of His love despite their disposition toward Him. In other words, God loves without placing any conditions on the loved ones; He loves because it is His nature to love (1 John 4:8). That love moves Him toward benevolent action: “He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous” (Matthew 5:45).

The unconditional nature of God’s love is most clearly seen in the gospel. The gospel message is basically a story of divine rescue. As God considered the plight of His rebellious people, He determined to save them from their sin, and this determination was based on His love (Ephesians 1:4–5). Listen to the apostle Paul’s words from his letter to the Romans:

“You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:6–8).

Reading through the book of Romans, we learn that we are alienated from God due to our sin. We are at enmity with God, and His wrath is being revealed against the ungodly for their unrighteousness (Romans 1:18–20). We reject God, and God gives us over to our sin. We also learn that we have all sinned and fallen short of God’s glory (Romans 3:23) and that none of us seek God; none of us do what is right before His eyes (Romans 3:10–18).

Despite the hostility and enmity we have toward God (for which God would be perfectly just to utterly destroy us), God revealed His love toward us in the giving of His Son, Jesus Christ, as the propitiation (the appeasement of God’s righteous wrath) for our sins. God did not wait for us to better ourselves as a condition of atoning for our sin. Rather, God condescended to become a man and live among His people (John 1:14). God experienced our humanity—everything it means to be a human being—and then offered Himself willingly as a substitutionary atonement for our sin.

This divine rescue, based on unconditional love, resulted in a gracious act of self-sacrifice. As Jesus said, “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). That is precisely what God, in Christ, has done. The unconditional nature of God’s love is made clear in other passages of Scripture:

“But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved” (Ephesians 2:4–5).

"This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins" (1 John 4:9–10).

It is important to note that God’s love is a love that initiates; it is never a response. That is precisely what makes it unconditional. If God’s love were conditional, then we would have to do something to earn or merit it. We would have to somehow appease His wrath or cleanse ourselves of sin before God would be able to love us. But that is not the biblical message. The biblical message—the gospel—is that God, motivated by love, moved unconditionally to save His people from their sin.

Also important is the fact that God’s unconditional love does not mean that everyone will be saved (see Matthew 25:46). Nor does it mean that God will never discipline His children. To ignore God’s merciful love, to reject the Savior who bought us (2 Peter 2:1), is to subject ourselves to God’s wrath for eternity (Romans 1:18), not His love. For a child of God to willfully disobey God is to invite the Father’s correction (Hebrews 12:5–11).

Does God love everyone? Yes, He shows mercy and kindness to all. In that sense His love is unconditional. Does God love Christians in a different way than He loves non-Christians? Yes. Because believers have exercised faith in God’s Son, they are saved. The unconditional, merciful love God has for everyone should bring us to faith, receiving with gratefulness the conditional, covenant love He grants those who receive Jesus as their Savior.

In the wilderness of Judea, John the Baptist began his ministry of preparing Israel to receive her Messiah, Jesus Christ. Enormous crowds went to hear John (Matthew 3:5) as he traveled through the region “preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (Luke 3:3). Many people received John’s message, confessed their sins, and were baptized (Matthew 3:6; Mark 1:5). These baptisms stirred up such a commotion that the Pharisees and Sadducees went out to investigate. Aware of their insincerity of heart, John said, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance” (Matthew 3:7–8).

John spoke severely, challenging these religious leaders’ spiritual pride and hypocrisy head-on. They needed to know that God’s judgment for sin was coming. Baptism is an outward symbol of true heart change. John’s baptism was a “baptism of repentance.” Repentance is the act of changing one’s mind that results in a change of actions. Sincere repentance involves turning away from sin both in thought and action. When the crowds came to John for baptism, they were showing their repentance and identifying with a new life. The Phariseesand Sadducees were detached observers at John’s baptism. They claimed to have repented of their sins—sins they eagerly pointed out in others—yet they lived as sinners, all the while denying their own guilt.

The religious leaders of John’s day had refused to submit themselves to God. They thought they were good enough by way of association with Abraham through their Jewish heritage (see Matthew 3:9; John 8:39). But their religious rituals and spiritual “pedigree” were not enough to please God. The only way for sinners to enter a relationship with God is through genuine repentance and faith. These religious leaders should have been setting an example and taking the lead. Instead, they lived in self-righteous, hypocritical denial of their spiritual condition.

John the Baptist warned, “The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire” (Matthew 3:10). The tree represents Israel. If Israel did not repent, it would be cut down and destroyed (see Luke 13:6–10). Only those who genuinely repented and began to produce good fruit would be prepared for the coming of Jesus Christ.

Luke’s gospel gives further insight into what it means to produce fruit in keeping with repentance. John told the people, “Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God. Don’t just say to each other, ‘We’re safe, for we are descendants of Abraham.’ That means nothing, for I tell you, God can create children of Abraham from these very stones’” (Luke 3:8, NLT). John’s baptism of repentance was meant to be the start of a brand new, continuous life of producing fruit in keeping with righteousness. Our family tree won’t earn us a place in heaven or give us an automatic claim to God’s promises. John told the Sadducees and Pharisees who took pride in their lineage to take a more humble view: just as God had made Adam from the dust of the ground, God could raise up children of Abraham from the stones of the wilderness.

At John’s preaching, the people began to ask, “What should we do?” (Luke 3:10). In other words, “What is the fruit in keeping with repentance?” “John answered, ‘Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same’” (Luke 3:11). He told the tax collectors in the crowd, “Don’t collect any more than you are required to” (verse 13). He told the soldiers, “Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely—be content with your pay” (verse 14). Such actions were the “fruit” of repentance in that they showed the genuineness of the change of heart.

When the apostle Paul began his preaching ministry, he, too, spoke of good deeds as proof of genuine repentance: “I preached first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout all Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that all must repent of their sins and turn to God—and prove they have changed by the good things they do” (Acts 26:20, NLT).

The believer’s spiritual life and growth are often compared to a fruit-bearing tree in Scripture. Just as fruit production is proof of life and health in a tree, so are good actions the evidence of spiritual life in Jesus Christ and the presence of God’s Spirit dwelling within a person. Jesus said, “A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions” (Matthew 7:17–20, NLT).

Fruit in keeping with repentance represents the good deeds and changed behaviors that naturally flow from a truly repentant and transformed heart. In James 2:14–26, James teaches extensively on the subject, explaining that “faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless” (verse 17, NLT). James concludes, “Just as the body is dead without breath, so also faith is dead without good works (verse 26, NLT).

Paul prays for the Philippians to be “filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:11). He gives examples of good spiritual fruit: “The Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Galatians 5:22–23, NLT; see also Ephesians 5:9; Colossians 1:10; James 3:17).

The believer’s ability to produce fruit in keeping with repentance depends wholly on our intimate fellowship with Jesus Christ, who said, “Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:4–5, NLT). The root will naturally produce fruit. Fruit in keeping with repentance is the evidence (as well as a result) of a changed mind, transformed life, and ongoing communion with Jesus.

​



​Yeshua (יֵשׁוּעַ)



is the Hebrew name


for Jesus,


directly translating to



"salvation," "deliverance,"


or



"rescue"



Derived from the root yasha (יָשַׁע), meaning to save,


Yeshua means "Yahweh is salvation" or "He saves,"


functioning as a contraction of the name



Yehoshua (Joshua)



It signifies both the action of delivering and the person delivering



(the Savior)


Joshua is best known as Moses’ second in command ho takes over and leads the Israelites into the Promised Land after Moses’ death. Joshua is considered one of the Bible’s greatest military leaders for leading the seven-year conquest of the Promised Land, and is often held up as a model for leadership and a source of practical application on how to be an effective leader. Let’s look at his life from a biblical perspective.

As a military leader, Joshua would be considered one of the greatest generals in human history, but it would be a mistake to credit Israel’s victory solely to Joshua’s skill as a military general. The first time we see Joshua is in Exodus 17 in the battle against the Amalekites. Exodus 17:13 tells us that Joshua "overwhelmed Amalek and his people," and so we’re tempted to conclude that Joshua’s military expertise saved the day. But in this passage we see something odd occurring. In verse 11 we read, "Whenever Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed, and whenever he lowered his hand, Amalek prevailed." Eventually, Moses’ arms grew so weary that a stone had to be brought for him to sit on and Aaron and Hur held his hands up. Hence, we see in this vignette that Joshua prevailed because God gave him the battle.

The same can be said of the military victories in the Promised Land. The Lord had promised sure victory and delivered it in convincing fashion. The only exception is in the battle of Ai (Joshua 7). There are several things to note about this incident. Israel broke faith with God regarding the “devoted things” (Joshua 7:1). God had commanded the Israelites to devote everything to destruction (Joshua 6:17), and Achan had kept some of the loot from the battle of Jericho for himself. Because of this, God judged them by not giving them the victory at Ai. Another thing to note is that there is no explicit command by God to go against Ai. The purpose of putting these two battle stories side by side is to show that when God sets the program and agenda, victory follows, but when man sets the program and agenda, failure ensues. Jericho was the Lord’s battle; Ai was not. God redeemed the situation and eventually gave them the victory, but not until after the object lesson was given.

Further evidence of Joshua’s leadership qualities can be seen in his rock-solid faith in God. When the Israelites were on the edge of the Promised Land in Numbers 13, God commanded Moses to send out twelve people to spy out the land, one from each of the tribes of Israel. Upon their return, ten reported that the land, while bounteous as the Lord had promised, was occupied by strong and fierce warriors dwelling in large, fortified cities. Furthermore, the Nephilim (giants from the Israelites’ perspective) were in the land. Joshua and Caleb were the only two who urged the people to take the land (Numbers 14:6-10). Here we see one thing that sets Joshua (and Caleb) apart from the rest of the Israelites—they believed in the promises of God. They were not intimidated by the size of the warriors or the strength of the cities. Rather, they knew their God and remembered how He had dealt with Egypt, the most powerful nation on the earth at that time. If God could take care of the mighty Egyptian army, He could certainly take care of the various Canaanite tribes. God rewarded Joshua’s and Caleb’s faith by exempting them from the entire generation of Israelites that would perish in the wilderness.

We see Joshua’s faithfulness in the act of obediently consecrating the people before the invasion of the Promised Land and again after the defeat at Ai. But no more clearly is Joshua’s faithfulness on display than at the end of the book that bears his name when he gathers the people together one last time and recounts the deeds of God on their behalf. After that speech, Joshua urges the people to forsake their idols and remain faithful to the covenant that God made with them at Sinai, saying, “And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD” (Joshua 24:15).

So what can we learn from Joshua’s life? Can we draw principles for leadership from his life? Sure. That God gave him the victory in taking the Promised Land does not take away from his military leadership. Furthermore, he was a more-than-capable leader for the Israelites, but his skill in leadership is not the primary lesson we should draw from Joshua’s life. A better lesson would be Joshua’s faithfulness, his stand against the ten spies who brought the disparaging report about the obstacles in taking over the Promised Land, and his zeal in ensuring the covenant faithfulness of the people. But even his faith wasn’t perfect. There is the fact that Joshua sent spies into Jericho even though God had ensured victory, and then there is the overconfidence he exhibited in the battle of Ai.

The primary lesson to draw from Joshua’s life is that God is faithful to His promises. God promised Abraham that his descendants would dwell in the land, and, under Joshua, God brought the people into the land that He had promised to give to them. This act completed the mission of redemption that God started with Moses in bringing Israel out of Egypt. It is also a type that points to the ultimate redemption that Jesus brings to the community of faith. Like Moses, Jesus delivered us from bondage and slavery to sin, and, like Joshua, Jesus will bring us into the eternal Promised Land and everlasting Sabbath rest (Hebrews 4:8-10).

​When someone says, “Jesus is my true north,” he or she is honoring Jesus as the constant in an ever-changing world and the true guide amid shifting morals and fluctuating ideals.

The expression true north is based on a fact that navigators and surveyors must deal with every day: a magnetic compass is not a terribly reliable instrument. A magnetic compass points toward the magnetic north pole, which is not the same as true north, or the geographic (or geodetic) north pole. The difference between magnetic north and true north is currently a matter of several hundred miles—but it changes, due to the fact that the magnetic north pole drifts several miles a year.

The earth produces a magnetic field. The places where the lines of magnetic induction converge are called the magnetic poles. The location of the magnetic north pole changes over time. In contrast, true north is a fixed spot on the globe: the true north pole is found at the conjunction of the lines of longitude, the point at which the earth’s axis exits the globe. Magnetic north varies position from year to year; true north is unchanging.

Because the needle of a magnetic compass points toward the magnetic north pole, not the geographic north pole, it is not entirely accurate. It may give a general idea of where north is, especially in the middle latitudes, but it can be wildly unreliable in the regions closer to the poles, varying by 20 to 60 degrees. The difference between magnetic north and true north is called declination, and it varies according to where one is located on the globe. To compensate for declination and find true north, we must perform some mathematical calculations using an up-to-date chart or calibrate our compasses.

Adding to the confusion is magnetic deviation, caused when nearby metallic objects or electrical equipment influence the compass needle. Deviation is especially a problem inside ships and airplanes and in areas containing a lot of metal ore. Like declination, deviation must be overcome, usually by means of auxiliary magnets, in order to find true north.

When we say that Jesus is our true north, we mean that He is the constant, unchanging source of truth and life. He is “the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). The philosophies, theories, concepts, and schemes of mankind are constantly shifting. “But the word of the Lord endures forever” (1 Peter 1:25; cf. Isaiah 40:8).

When we say that Jesus is our true north, we acknowledge that we live in danger of being “tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming” (Ephesians 4:14). In such a tempestuous world, we need to plot our course by the coordinates provided by the Lord Himself. We can avoid making shipwreck of our lives by “fixing our eyes on Jesus” (Hebrews 12:2).

When we say that Jesus is our true north, we glorify the Lord who defines justice and righteousness. Moral standards that align with His nature will keep us on the correct course, just as a compass that aligns with true north keeps us moving in the right direction. “As for God, his way is perfect: The LORD’s word is flawless; he shields all who take refuge in him” (Psalm 18:30).

When we follow Jesus as our true north, we must disregard the many distractions and influences in the world that would alter our course. Just as the readings of a compass may be corrupted due to nearby objects, so we are prone to be swayed by various attractions in the world. We must constantly calibrate ourselves to the example of our Risen Savior. Our spiritual needles must point to objective truth and not turn after subjective opinions, vacillating values, or erratic rules. We must be like the man who built his house on the rock, not the sand (Matthew 7:24–27).

True north is a precise direction, and, no matter where you start on the globe, true north will lead you to the same location. There is nothing erratic or misleading about true north. It transcends geography, locality, and lesser pulls. For those who are lost, true north is a welcome blessing. And Jesus Christ is an even greater blessing to those who are spiritually lost.

“True North,” a song by Twila Paris, sums up our need for Jesus as our guide:


“We lost our bearings,

Following our own mind

We left conviction behind . . .


How did we ever wander so far

And where do we go from here?


How will we know where it is?


“True North


There’s a strong steady


light


That is guiding us home . . .


“We need an absolute


Compass now more


Than ever before.”

​
​


Jesus saves, but who is Jesus?

Most people understand that Jesus was a man who lived in Israel about 2,000 years ago. Virtually every religion in the world views Jesus as a good teacher and/or a prophet. And while Jesus was truly a good teacher and a prophet, those job descriptions do not capture who Jesus truly is, nor do they explain how or why Jesus saves. Jesus is God in human form (John 1:1, 14). He came to Earth as a true human being (1 John 4:2) in the person of Jesus Christ in order to save us. That brings up the next question: why do we need to be saved?



​Jesus saves, but why do we need to be saved?

The Bible declares that every human being who has ever lived has sinned (Ecclesiastes 7:20; Romans 3:23). To sin is to do anything in thought, word, or deed that contradicts God’s perfect and holy character. Because of our sin, we are separated from God and deserve judgment from God (John 3:18, 36). God is perfectly just, so He cannot allow sin to go unpunished. Since God is the infinite and eternal Creator, all sin is ultimately against Him (Psalm 51:4), and only an infinite and eternal punishment is sufficient. Eternal death—separation from God—is the only just punishment for sin. That is why we need to be saved.



Jesus saves, but how does He save?

Because we have sinned against an infinite God, either a finite person (each one of us) must pay for our sins for an infinite amount of time, or an infinite Person (Jesus) must pay for our sins one time. There is no other option. Jesus saves us by dying in our place. Jesus Christ sacrificed Himself on our behalf, paying the infinite and eternal penalty only He could pay (2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 John 2:2). Jesus took the punishment that we deserve in order to save us from an eternal destiny separated from God. Because of His great love for us, Jesus laid down His life (John 15:13), paying the penalty that we had earned, but could not pay. Three days later, Jesus rose from the dead, demonstrating that His death was indeed sufficient to pay for our sins and that His life conquers death on our behalf (1 Corinthians 15).



Jesus saves, but whom does He save?

Jesus saves all who will receive His gift of salvation by faith. Jesus saves all those who cease trying to save themselves and fully trust in His sacrifice alone as the payment for sin (John 3:16; Acts 16:31). Jesus’ sacrifice was sufficient to pay for the sins of all humanity, but His gift of salvation is only received through faith (John 1:12). We must trust Him.

If you now understand what it means that Jesus saves, and you want to trust in Him as your personal Savior, you can, as an act of faith, communicate the following to God: “God, I know that I am a sinner, and I know that because of my sin I deserve to be eternally separated from you. Even though I do not deserve it, thank you for loving me and providing the sacrifice for my sins through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I believe that Jesus died for my sins, and I trust in Him alone to save me. From this point forward, help me to live my life for you instead of for sin. Help me to live the rest of my life in gratitude for the wonderful salvation you have provided. Thank you, Jesus, for saving me!”

One day, the disciples of John the Baptist asked Jesus, “Why don’t your disciples fast like we do and the Pharisees do?” (Matthew 9:14, NLT). The Lord’s response included this parable: “No one puts new wine into old wineskins. For the old skins would burst from the pressure, spilling the wine and ruining the skins. New wine is stored in new wineskins so that both are preserved” (Matthew 9:17, NLT).

Jesus often taught with parables, using illustrations from everyday life to reveal spiritual truths. He did this so people could hear the truth without rejecting it, even if they couldn’t yet grasp the parables’ deeper meaning (see Mark 4:11–12; Luke 8:9–10). Before He introduced the concept of putting new wine in old wineskins, Jesus made a similar point using another familiar analogy: “Who would patch old clothing with new cloth? For the new patch would shrink and rip away from the old cloth, leaving an even bigger tear than before” (Matthew 9:16, NLT).

The problem with patching an old, pre-shrunk garment with a new, unshrunk cloth is something most of us can relate to even today. New fabrics that have never been washed or run through a dryer tend to shrink. Mending old clothing with an unshrunk piece of material would cause the new patch to pull away from the old in the wash, ruining the garment. The problem with putting new wine in old wineskins is similar.

As wine ages, it ferments, releasing gases that pressurize an airtight container. In Jesus’ day, wineskins were leather pouches used for storing and fermenting wine. A new wineskin’s fresh, supple leather could expand and stretch as the wine fermented. But old leather from a previously used wineskin would have already been stretched to its capacity. Putting new wine into old wineskins would cause the leather to crack, burst, and be ruined.

The parables reveal this truth: if we fail to understand that something new is needed, two valuable items—clothing and wineskins—risk ruin. But what does this have to do with the original question about fasting? What deeper message was Jesus conveying through these illustrations?

Through the parables, Jesus emphasized that He was doing something new—inaugurating a new covenant relationship between God and His people. John’s disciples were Jews. They were still following the rules of Judaism and living under the obligations of the Old Covenant, with its ceremonial rituals and religious regulations, including fasting on certain days (see Leviticus 16:29–31; 23:32; Luke 18:12).

Jesus asked John’s disciples, “Do wedding guests mourn while celebrating with the groom? Of course not. But someday the groom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast” (Matthew 9:15, NLT). Jesus had come to establish a new era. Now was a time for joy in the presence of the bridegroom. The disciples of Jesus would mourn and fast later. But while He was here among them, they would celebrate the forgiveness, fellowship, freedom, and new direction that His coming had ushered in. In other words, Jesus’ parables said, “Out with the old way of thinking and doing things, and in with the new.” If the Jews did not adjust their rigid religious mindset, they would experience a loss much like that of the ruined garments and wineskins.

The problem with putting new wine in old wineskins is that the old skins of the law cannot contain the new wine of the gospel. The Jewish followers of John would have to expand their view of God’s provision of mercy and grace to include Christ’s sacrifice for the forgiveness of sin, not just for Israel but for the whole world (Matthew 26:28; John 1:29; Hebrews 9:23–26; 10:14; 1 Corinthians 11:25). They would need to understand that salvation comes by grace through faith and not works (John 3:16–18; Ephesians 2:5, 8–9); that the need for temple sacrifices had ended (Hebrews 7:26–27; 10:1–18); and that, through the coming of the Holy Spirit, all believers of all races on earth are God’s temple (1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19) and His own beloved children (John 1:12; 1 John 3:1). This new reality was tough for the Jews to accept—including those who became Christians after the death and resurrection of Jesus (see Acts 10:1—11:18).

Though strict and inflexible as an old wineskin, the Old Covenant of the law was solid, familiar and comforting to the Jews who resisted embracing the New Covenant. But Jesus had no intention of putting a patch on the old garment of Judaism. By ushering in a totally new covenant, Jesus didn’t try to fix up or even throw out the law, but rather to fulfill all of it (Matthew 5:17–18). No mere human can keep the law perfectly as God requires (Matthew 5:20, 48; Exodus 32:33; James 2:10). Only Jesus Christ, the spotless Lamb of God could (and did) perfectly fulfill the law’s requirements (John 8:46; Hebrews 4:15; 10:12). So as comforting as having the law was for Jews, it was a heavy burden that no one could bear (Acts 15:10).

The gospel of Jesus—the good news—represents the New Covenant of salvation by grace through faith, not works, obtained for us by the blood of Christ (Jeremiah 31:31–34; Luke 22:20; Hebrews 10:29). John’s disciples were fasting as an act of religious piety. Such actions may have been appropriate under a legalistic, works-based system, but they are no longer needed under the covenant of grace (Romans 3:20–24; 5:20; John 1:16–17; Galatians 2:16; 5:4).

Just as we can’t put new wine in old wineskins or patch up old garments with new, unshrunk cloth, we can’t mix the law with grace. The old, lifeless religious rituals are done, and we have a new life of freedom in Jesus. Our faith is ruined if it’s based on dead works instead of on the saving grace of Jesus Christ (Hebrews 9:11–28).

Blessed be the LORD, the God

of Israel,

​
From everlasting to everlasting.


Amen and Amen”


(Psa 41:13)



As we begin a devotional journey through the Psalms, it helps to step back and take in the whole landscape. Each individual psalm has its inspired author, but we should also remember that the Holy Spirit guided the shaping of the Psalms as a single, carefully arranged book.

One of the clearest signs of this design appears at the end of each of the Psalms’ five major sections, often called Books 1–5. Each section ends with a doxology, not simply to wrap up the individual psalm, but to bring a fitting conclusion to each “book” within the larger collection. Psalm 41:13 is the first of these doxologies. And the pattern continues: each book closes with a similar, often nearly verbatim, burst of praise to God’s name and an “amen!” (see Psalm 72:18–20; 89:52; 106:48; 145:1–21). Even the opening and closing of the Psalter reflect this structure, with Psalms 1–2 serving as an introduction and Psalms 146–150 as a grand finale.

Why does this matter? Because if we only read the Psalms one by one, we may miss the larger story they are telling together. And when we see that bigger picture, we begin to recognize how central God’s promise is to raise up an eternal king from the house of David (2 Sam 7:12–17). It cannot be coincidence that at the most strategic points in the Psalms, the book repeatedly draws our attention to the Messianic King (see Psa 2; 45; 72; 89; 110; 132; 149).

When we read the Psalms this way, the words of Yeshua to His disciples on the road to Emmaus suddenly shine with new clarity: “Now He said to them,

‘These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.’


​Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures”


(Luke 24:44-45). 

​
The term word is used in different ways in the Bible. In the New Testament, there are two Greek words translated "word": rhema and logos. They have slightly different meanings. Rhema usually means “a spoken word.” For example, in Luke 1:38, when the angel told Mary that she would be the mother of God’s Son, Mary replied, "Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word [rhema].”

Logos, however, has a broader, more philosophical meaning. This is the term used in John 1. It usually implies a total message, and is used mostly in reference to God’s message to mankind. For example, Luke 4:32 says that, when Jesus taught the people, "they were amazed at his teaching, because his words [logos] had authority." The people were amazed not merely by the particular words Jesus chose but by His total message.

"The Word" (Logos) in John 1 is referring to Jesus. Jesus is the total Message—everything that God wants to communicate to man. The first chapter of John gives us a glimpse inside the Father/Son relationship before Jesus came to earth in human form. He preexisted with the Father (verse 1), He was involved in the creation of everything (verse 3), and He is the "light of all mankind" (verse 4). The Word (Jesus) is the full embodiment of all that is God (Colossians 1:19; 2:9; John 14:9). But God the Father is Spirit. He is invisible to the human eye. The message of love and redemption that God spoke through the prophets had gone unheeded for centuries (Ezekiel 22:26; Matthew 23:37). People found it easy to disregard the message of an invisible God and continued in their sin and rebellion. So the Message became flesh, took on human form, and came to dwell among us (Matthew 1:23; Romans 8:3; Philippians 2:5–11).

The Greeks used the word logos to refer to one’s “mind,” “reason,” or “wisdom.” John used this Greek concept to communicate the fact that Jesus, the Second Person of the Trinity, is the self-expression of God to the world. In the Old Testament, the word of God brought the universe into existence (Psalm 33:6) and saved the needy (Psalm 107:20). In chapter 1 of his Gospel, John is appealing to both Jew and Gentile to receive the eternal Christ.

Jesus told a parable in Luke 20:9–16 to explain why the Word had to become flesh. “A man planted a vineyard, rented it to some farmers and went away for a long time. At harvest time he sent a servant to the tenants so they would give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the tenants beat him and sent him away empty-handed. He sent another servant, but that one also they beat and treated shamefully and sent away empty-handed. He sent still a third, and they wounded him and threw him out.

“Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my son, whom I love; perhaps they will respect him.’ But when the tenants saw him, they talked the matter over. ‘This is the heir,’ they said. ‘Let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? He will come and kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others.”

In this parable, Jesus was reminding the Jewish leaders that they had rejected the prophets and were now rejecting the Son. The Logos, the Word of God, was now going to be offered to everyone, not just the Jews (John 10:16; Galatians 3:28; Colossians 3:11). Because the Word became flesh, we have a high priest who is able to empathize with our weaknesses, one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet He did not sin (Hebrews 4:15).

In Hebrews 11, we learn about faith from the Bible’s Old Testament heroes. One crucial detail stands out in their lives: they placed their whole confidence in God, entrusting themselves into His hands. The actions and accomplishments of these men and women proved that faith pleases God, and He rewards those who seek Him: “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him” (Hebrews 11:6).

The author of the book of Hebrews points out two critical convictions of believers. First, “anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists.” Those who desire to draw near to God must have a deep-rooted belief that He is real. Such belief is not mere intellectual knowledge but a wholehearted devotion to His presence and participation in every part of one’s life. Without a genuine conviction that God exists, it is impossible to have an intimate relationship with Him. Second, the Lord’s followers must believe “that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” This aspect of faith trusts in the character of God as a good, loving, generous, gracious, and merciful Father (James 1:17; Psalm 84:11; Lamentations 3:22–23). These two certainties are the groundwork of saving faith—a faith that pleases God.

Without faith, it is impossible to please God, because faith is the avenue by which we come to God and trust Him for our salvation. In His infinite goodness, God provides the very thing we need to draw near to Him: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8–9). God gives us the faith required to please Him.

Hebrews 11:1 gives a definition, or at least a good description, of the faith that pleases God: “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” “Confidence” is the translation of a Greek word that means “foundation.” Faith is the foundation that undergirds our hope. It is not a blind grasping in the dark, but an absolute conviction that comes from experiencing God’s love and the faithfulness of His Word. The term translated “assurance” is also translated as “evidence” or “proof.” With our natural eyes, we cannot see the realities of God’s kingdom, but by faith we receive the evidence or proof that they exist.

We’ve established that without faith it is impossible to come to God. It is also impossible to live for God—to follow and serve Him daily and persevere until the end—without faith. The entire Christian life is lived out by faith: “For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: ‘The righteous will live by faith’” (Romans 1:17; see also Habakkuk 2:4; Galatians 3:11; Hebrews 10:38). The apostle Paul affirmed, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).

Scripture refers explicitly to Enoch’s faith as pleasing to God: “It was by faith that Enoch was taken up to heaven without dying—‘he disappeared, because God took him.’ For before he was taken up, he was known as a person who pleased God” (Hebrews 11:5, NLT; cf. Genesis 5:24). How did Enoch please God? Through living by faith. Enoch walked by faith in God. He obeyed the Word that had been revealed up to that point and lived in the light of its truth. Walking by faith means consistently living according to God’s Word (John 14:15). Without faith, it is impossible to believe God’s Word and obey it.

Scripture says that it is impossible to please God through works of the flesh: “Those who are in the flesh cannot please God” (Romans 8:8, ESV). We can’t earn God’s approval through good works. Only based on what Jesus Christ has done for us can we become holy and able to live a life pleasing to God (1 Corinthians 1:30). Christ’s life in us produces the righteousness that pleases God (2 Corinthians 5:21; Philippians 2:13; 3:9).

Without faith, it is impossible to please God; in fact, we cannot even begin to approach the Lord and experience a personal relationship with Him without it. Faith is the atmosphere in which the believer’s life is lived. We are called “believers” because we are continually putting our faith, trust, and confidence in God. By faith the Christian life begins, and by faith it perseveres until the end.

The champions of the Old Testament like Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Moses, Joseph, Rahab, Gideon, and David all lived by faith. As they looked toward their future hope, they relied on God to fulfill His promises (Hebrews 11:13–16). And they obeyed God’s Word even when they did not understand it. This kind of walking by faith—accepting as truth the things we cannot yet touch, feel, or see, and then acting on them in obedience—is the prescription for living a life that pleases God. We may not see ourselves right now as God does—holy and made righteous by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. But when we accept the evidence in God’s Word (Romans 10:17) and reach out in response to experience fellowship with Him, then we begin to live by faith, and that pleases God.

Second Corinthians 5:6–7 says, "So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight" (ESV, emphasis added). Other versions use the word live, rather than walk. The "walk" here is a metaphorical reference to the way a person conducts his or her life. We still use the phrase "all walks of life" to mean a variety of lifestyles or cultures.


The apostle Paul reminds his readers that followers of Christ must not build their lives around things that have no eternal significance. Rather than pursuing the same things the world pursues, a Christian should focus on the unseen realities such as Jesus and heaven. Paul goes on to say, "So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil" (2 Corinthians 5:9–10). Jesus instructed us to store up treasure in heaven (Matthew 6:19–20; Luke 12:33). He promised rewards to everyone who does His will (Matthew 16:27; 1 Peter 1:17; Revelation 22:12) and punishment for those who reject Him (Matthew 25:24–46; John 3:16–18).

Walking by faith means living life in light of eternal consequences. To walk by faith is to fear God more than man; to obey the Bible even when it conflicts with man’s commands; to choose righteousness over sin, no matter what the cost; to trust God in every circumstance; and to believe God rewards those who seek Him, regardless of who says otherwise (Hebrews 11:6).

Rather than loving the things of this world (1 John 2:15–16), Christians should spend their lives glorifying God in everything they do (1 Corinthians 10:31). It requires faith to live this way because we cannot see, hear, or touch anything spiritual. When we base our lives on the truth of God’s Word, rather than on the popular philosophy of our day, we are going against our natural inclinations. Our natural instinct may be to hoard money, but walking by faith says we should give to those in need (Luke 11:41; Ephesians 4:28). Society may say that sexual immorality is acceptable, but those who walk by faith base their standards on God’s unchanging Word, which says any sex outside of marriage is sin (1 Corinthians 6:18; Ephesians 5:3; Galatians 5:19). To walk by faith requires that we tune our hearts to the voice of the Holy Spirit and the truth of His Word (John 10:27; 16:13). We choose to live according to what God reveals to us, rather than trust our own understanding (Proverbs 3:5–6).

Our heavenly Father is all-seeing, all-knowing, and present everywhere. The Bible is filled with figurative language to express these attributes of God in terms that humans can understand. For example, in Psalm 33:18, the phrase the eyes of the Lord articulates the omniscience, omnipresence, and always caring nature of God toward His children: “But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love.” At all times, God is watching over those who faithfully worship, serve, and follow Him.

The Bible offers countless reassurances of the Lord’s protection and concern for those who fear Him. The “fear” in Psalm 33:18 is reverence and devotion. Those who fear the Lord are His loyal followers. The chronicler affirms, “The eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him” (2 Chronicles 16:9, NLT).

The phrasing that “the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear Him” indicates the Lord’s recognition of His own and His imparting favor to them. King David writes, “The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right; his ears are open to their cries for help” (Psalm 34:15, NLT). To Job, Elihu echoes, “He does not take his eyes off the righteous” (Job 36:7). The apostle Peter recites, “For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil” (1 Peter 3:12).

According to Psalm 33:18, those who fear and reverence the Lord put their hope in His unfailing love. Not only does God watch over and protect His loyal followers, but He “delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love” (Psalm 147:11). “For the Lord delights in his people; he crowns the humble with victory,” declares the psalmist (Psalm 149:4, NLT). God takes pleasure in us. He is intensely interested in His children’s lives and works on their behalf to keep them safe. He is a loving, ever-present Shepherd who says to us, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you” (Psalm 32:8, NLT). We can take great comfort in knowing we never have to face one moment of this life alone.

As followers of Jesus, we can put our whole hope and trust in the God of our salvation because He cares deeply for us. While it’s true that God’s all-seeing eye watches over the entire creation (Psalm 33:13–14), His eye is particularly fixed with unique interest on “those who rely on His unfailing love” to rescue them “from death” and keep them “alive in times of famine” (Psalm 33:18–18, NLT). In other words, God protects His faithful ones from every danger and supplies their every need (Psalm 23:1; Matthew 6:33; Philippians 4:19). Jesus said, “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me, for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else. No one can snatch them from the Father’s hand” (John 10:28–29, NLT).

Our God will never fail or abandon us, and nothing can separate us from His love in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:35–39). Jesus will save us completely and “lives forever to intercede with God” on our behalf (Hebrews 7:25, NLT).

We have nothing to fear because God is our helper (Hebrews 13:5–6; Psalm 118:6–7). “God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble” (Psalm 46:1, NLT). “He will not let you stumble; the one who watches over you will not slumber. Indeed, . . . the Lord himself watches over you! The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade. The sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon at night. The Lord keeps you from all harm and watches over your life. The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go, both now and forever” (Psalm 121:3–8, NLT).

The fact that the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear Him means our lives as believers are unshakably secure. We who “live in the shelter of the Most High . . . find rest in the shadow of the Almighty” (Psalm 91:1, NLT). Under the watchful eye of His presence, we are covered by His feathers, sheltered by His wings, protected by His promises, guarded by His angels, and saved for all eternity by His grace (verses 4–16).

In Psalm 103, King David lifts his own heart and leads all future generations of believers in praise to God for His great compassion and mercy. David’s personal experiences and relationship with God form the basis of his declarations about the goodness of God’s character, reminding himself and others to praise the Lord because “he forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases. He redeems me from death and crowns me with love and tender mercies. He fills my life with good things. My youth is renewed like the eagle’s!” (verses 3–5, NLT).

David’s heart soars as he remembers, above all, God’s forgiveness of sins and deliverance from death. He marvels at the Lord’s love, mercy, and all the good things God has poured into his life. David was probably advancing in years, but the profound experience of God’s grace and goodness sustains him, making him feel young, strong, and free like an eagle gliding high among the clouds.




David’s sense that his


youth is renewed

like

an eagle’s strength


resounds in the words of the


prophet Isaiah:


“He gives strength to the weary

and

increases the power of the weak


Even youths grow tired and weary,

and

young men stumble and fall;


but those who hope in the Lord

will renew their strength


They will soar on wings like eagles;
​

they will

run and not grow weary,


they will walk and not be faint”


(Isaiah 40:29–31)


In Scripture, the eagle symbolizes strength, vitality, and speed and is an appropriate metaphor for the transformative power of God’s forgiveness, deliverance, and mercy. Just as the eagle can swiftly attack from above, swooping down and ascending again to the heights, God’s grace can quickly and decisively change our lives, lifting us from a pit of despair. Like David, when we place our hope in the Lord and praise Him for His forgiveness, goodness, and love, our spirit is renewed, and it feels as if we have the strength and vitality of an eagle.

David may have recollected the Lord’s deliverance of Israel from slavery in Egypt. God told Moses on Mount Sinai to say to the people, “You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself” (Exodus 19:4).

In Deuteronomy 32:11, God’s protection and concern are depicted “like an eagle that stirs up its nest and hovers over its young, that spreads its wings to catch them and carries them aloft.” The Old Testament is full of imagery featuring the eagle and its swift movement (Deuteronomy 28:49; 2 Samuel 1:23; Jeremiah 4:13), its powerful, far-reaching flight (Proverbs 23:5; Isaiah 40:31), and its tender care for its young (Exodus 19:4; Deuteronomy 32:11).

When David said, “My youth is renewed like the eagle’s,” he acknowledged that God had sustained him and satisfied his soul with such goodness that, even in old age, he felt young and strong. He was content. His life was overflowing because His God was enough. Similarly, Paul learned the secret of contentment by depending wholly on Christ for his strength (Philippians 4:12–13).

In the period that preceded the monarchy, Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit (Judges 21:25). God raised up Samuel to lead the people (1 Samuel 3:4). All of Israel knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of the Lord (1 Samuel 3:20). Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life, and when he was old he made his sons judges over Israel (1 Samuel 8:1). Israel rejected the sons, refused to obey Samuel, and demanded a king (1 Samuel 8:19–20). When Samuel reported their request to God, the Lord answered, “Listen to them and give them a king” (1 Samuel 8:22).

Saul was the first king. He was of the tribe of Benjamin, which, in the days of the judges, had almost been annihilated. Tall, handsome, and humble, Saul began his reign with a brilliant victory over the Ammonites. Any misgivings about the new monarchy disappeared. But success rapidly went to Saul’s head, and humility gave place to pride. He offered a sacrifice, which was the exclusive function of priests, showing his presumed self-importance. He deliberately disobeyed God, causing God to tell Samuel, “I am grieved that I have made Saul king, because he has turned away from me and has not carried out my instructions” (1 Samuel 15:11). Saul reigned unsuccessfully from 1049 BC to 1009 BC, then, wounded in battle, he “took his own sword and fell on it” (1 Samuel 31:4).

David, although anointed as king when just a boy, did not ascend to the throne until after Saul’s death (2 Samuel 2:4). David was short of stature, ruddy, of beautiful countenance, handsome, and of immense physical strength and great personal attractiveness. He was a man of war, prudent in speech, brave, musical, and religious. God promised that David’s family should reign forever. “A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse [David’s father] and from his roots a Branch [Jesus] will bear fruit” (Isaiah 11:1). After Saul’s death, David was made king over Judah, and seven years later he was made king over all Israel. He was 30 years old when he became king and reigned from 1009 BC to 969 BC.

Solomon became king in 971 BC, possibly two years before his father David died, and reigned until 931 BC. Solomon was born of Bathsheba, and, though not directly in line for the succession, he was chosen by David and approved by God to be David’s successor (1 Chronicles 23:1). Solomon inherited the throne of the most powerful kingdom then existing. It was an era of peace and prosperity with vast business enterprises and literary attainments. God told Solomon to ask what he would, and it would be given to him. Solomon asked for wisdom to govern his people. That pleased God, who richly rewarded him with wealth, wisdom, power, and the important task of building the temple (1 Chronicles 28:2–6).

After the death of Solomon, the kingdom was divided. Ten tribes formed the Northern Kingdom, called Israel; Judah and Benjamin formed the Southern Kingdom, called Judah. The date of the division of the kingdom is approximately 931 BC. The following is a list of the kings of Israel and Judah. The dates of their reigns are approximate, due to overlapping reigns, associated sovereignty, intervals of anarchy, and the Jewish practice of counting parts of years as full years. Portions of some reigns were concurrent. All the kings of Israel practiced idolatry; the worst served Baal. Many of the kings of Judah served idols; few served the Lord faithfully. Some bad kings were partly good; some good kings partly bad. The kings, the approximate dates of their reigns, and descriptions of their overall obedience to God are listed below:




KINGS OF ISRAEL: 


Jeroboam I, rebellious, 931—910 BC
Nadab, bad, 910—909 BC
Baasha, wicked, 909—886 BC
Elah, evil, 886—885 BC
Zimri, sinful, 885 BC
Tibni, iniquitous, 885—880 BC
Omri (overlap), extra bad, 885—874 BC
Ahab, the worst to that point, 874—853 BC
Ahaziah, disobedient, 853—852 BC
Joram/Jehoram, mostly rotten, 852—841 BC
Jehu, not good but better than the rest, 841—814 BC
Jehoahaz, noncompliant, 814—798 BC
Joash, wayward, 798—782 BC
Jeroboam II (overlap), badly behaved, 793—753 BC
Zechariah, abysmal, 753 BC
Shallum, full of vice, 752 BC
Menahem, horrible, 752—742 BC
Pekahiah, idolatrous, 742—740 BC
Pekah (overlap), awful, 752—732 BC
Hoshea, appalling, 732—722 BC



KINGS OF JUDAH:

Rehoboam, mostly bad, 931—913 BC
Abijah, mostly perverted, 913—911 BC
Asa, good, 911—870 BC
Jehoshaphat (overlap), righteous, 873—848 BC
Jehoram/Joram (overlap), terrible, 853—841 BC
Ahaziah, bad, 841 BC
Athaliah (queen), devilish, 841—835 BC
Joash/Jehoash, mostly virtuous, 835—796 BC
Amaziah, mostly wholesome, 796—767 BC
Uzziah/Azariah (overlap), mostly respectable, 790—739 BC
Jotham (overlap), worthy, 750—731 BC
Ahaz, heinous, 735—715 BC
Hezekiah, the best, 715—686 BC
Manasseh, depraved until he repented at the end, 695—642 BC
Amon, treacherous, 642—640 BC
Josiah, great, 640—609 BC
Jehoahaz, dreadful, 609 BC
Jehoiakim, degenerate, 609—597 BC
Jehoiachin, frightful, 597 BC
Zedekiah, foolish, 597—586 BC


Throughout their history in the Promised Land, the children of Israel struggled with conflict among the tribes. The disunity went back all the way to the patriarch Jacob, who presided over a house divided. The sons of Leah and the sons of Rachel had their share of contention even in Jacob’s lifetime (Genesis 37:1-11).

The enmity among the half-brothers continued in the time of the judges. Benjamin (one of Rachel’s tribes) took up arms against the other tribes (Judges 20). Israel’s first king, Saul, was of the tribe of Benjamin. When David was crowned king—David was from the tribe of Judah (one of Leah’s tribes)—the Benjamites rebelled (2 Samuel 2–3). After a long war (2 Samuel 3:1), David succeeded in uniting all twelve tribes (5:1-5).

The frailty of the union was exposed, however, when David’s son Absalom promoted himself as the new king and drew many Israelites away from their allegiance to David (2 Samuel 15). Significantly, Absalom set up his throne in Hebron, the site of the former capital (v. 10). A later revolt was led by a man named Sheba against David and the tribe of Judah (20:1-2).

The reign of David’s son Solomon saw more unrest when one of the king’s servants, Jeroboam, rebelled. Jeroboam was on the king’s errand when he met the prophet Ahijah, who told him that God was going to give him authority over ten of the twelve tribes of Israel. God’s reason for the division of the kingdom was definitive: “Because they have forsaken me . . . and have not walked in my ways.” However, God promised that David’s dynasty would continue, albeit over a much smaller kingdom, for the sake of God’s covenant with David and for the sake of Jerusalem, God’s chosen city. When Solomon learned of the prophecy, he sought to kill Jeroboam, who fled to Egypt for sanctuary (1 Kings 11:26-40).

After Solomon’s death, his son Rehoboam was set to become the next king. Jeroboam returned from Egypt and led a group of people to confront Rehoboam with a demand for a lighter tax burden. When Rehoboam refused the demand, ten of the tribes rejected Rehoboam and David’s dynasty (1 Kings 12:16), and Ahijah’s prophecy was fulfilled. Only Judah and Benjamin remained loyal to King Rehoboam. The northern tribes crowned Jeroboam as their king. Rehoboam made plans to mount an assault on the rebel tribes, but the Lord prevented him from taking that action (vv. 21-24). Meanwhile, Jeroboam further consolidated his power by instituting a form of calf worship unique to his kingdom and declaring that pilgrimages to Jerusalem were unnecessary. Thus, the people of the northern tribes would have no contact with the tribes of Judah and Benjamin.

“So Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day” (1 Kings 12:19). The northern kingdom is called “Israel” (or sometimes “Ephraim”) in Scripture, and the southern kingdom is called “Judah.” From the divine viewpoint, the division was a judgment on not keeping God’s commands, specifically the commands prohibiting idolatry. From a human viewpoint, the division was the result of tribal discord and political unrest. The principle is that sin brings division (1 Corinthians 1:13, 11:18; James 4:1).

The good news is that God, in His mercy, has promised a reuniting of the northern and southern kingdoms. “He will raise a banner for the nations / and gather the exiles of Israel; / he will assemble the scattered people of Judah / from the four quarters of the earth. / Ephraim’s jealousy will vanish, / and Judah’s enemies will be destroyed; / Ephraim will not be jealous of Judah, / nor Judah hostile toward Ephraim” (Isaiah 11:12-13). When the Prince of Peace—Jesus Christ—reigns in His millennial kingdom, all hostility, jealousy, and conflict among the tribes will be put to rest.

A comforting promise in Scripture is that God will never leave those who are His. Hebrews 13:5 says, in part, “He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you’” (NKJV). In a world that is constantly changing and where people are constantly leaving, whether in a family, relationship, or in death, God’s promise of never leaving is encouraging.

The promise “I will never leave you nor forsake you” was first given to Israel and Joshua before entering the Promised Land (Deuteronomy 31:6). Encouragingly, Moses reminded Joshua that, as the succeeding leader, “the Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged” (Deuteronomy 31:8). Joshua’s task of taking the Promised Land seemed impossible, but with the Lord the task was possible, for He would not forsake Joshua.

Many other verses in the Old Testament include similar statements from God to individuals with the promise to never leave them. These individuals include

• Jacob (Genesis 28:15)
• Joshua (Deuteronomy 31:8; Joshua 1:5, 9)
• Solomon (1 Chronicles 28:20)
• The poor and needy (Isaiah 41:17)

In the New Testament, quoting from Deuteronomy 31:6, the author of Hebrews restates the promise of God’s eternal presence with believers (Hebrews 13:5). The promise is preceded by a command: “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have.” Instead of trusting in riches or material goods, which will ultimately fail, believers should place their hope in God, who promises, “I will never leave you and I will never abandon you” (NET). Riches and other resources can depart in a moment, but the Lord is with His children forever. One’s faith and trust, therefore, should be in Him alone.

Never will I leave you. At salvation, Christians are permanently indwelt with the Holy Spirit, who is God Himself (Acts 5:3–4). Christ affirmed that the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, would be with His followers always (John 14:16). Also, Jesus told His disciples that He would be with them “to the very end of the age”—a promise that has to include present-day believers (Matthew 28:20). The God who promised to never leave Joshua is the same Lord who says He will never leave believers today.

Never will I forsake you. Some versions translate Hebrews 13:5 as God’s promise not to “abandon” (CSB) or “desert” (CEV) us. Within the meaning of the Greek word enkatalipō is the idea of being completely abandoned or left alone (Strong’s Concordance 1459). Believers have the wonderful promise that God will never forsake them. Jesus felt utterly forsaken by the Father when He took the sins of the world upon Himself on the cross, and now those who trust in Him will not be abandoned in their sinful state (Matthew 27:46). He became a “curse” to free people from their slavery to sin in order that those who place faith in His death and resurrection would receive forgiveness and eternal life (see 2 Corinthians 5:21; Galatians 3:13–14). A 1999 worship song written by Billy James Foote, called “You Are My King (Amazing Love),” describes this concept well: “I’m forgiven because you were forsaken” (from Hymnary.org, accessed 11/12/20).

God’s eternal promise that He will never leave or forsake believers is not only comforting, but also provides courage to followers of Christ. Because God will never leave or forsake His children, they can live unafraid. Hebrews 13:6 follows God’s promise with the statement, “Hence we can confidently say, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can anyone do to me?’” (ISV). Essentially, this is a quote from Psalm 118:6–7, which portrays God as the Helper who protects His chosen people. Like Joshua being encouraged to complete his appointed task, Christians can also be emboldened and strengthened by the promise that the Lord will never leave or forsake them.

Psalm 1 seems to present a choice that every person must make. There is a fork in the road of life: one route is the way of the righteous, which leads to blessings; the other is the “path of sinners,” and it ends in destruction. A prerequisite for experiencing a blessed life is described in the opening verses:

Blessed is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners,
Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
And in His law he meditates day and night (Psalm 1:1–2, NKJV).

The blessed man does not walk “in the counsel of the ungodly.” In the original Hebrew, the word translated “counsel” is a noun meaning “something that provides direction or advice as to a decision or course of action.” The “ungodly” are wicked people, sinners, and those characterized by godlessness.

To walk not in the counsel of the ungodly means to reject any advice from the wicked. It includes avoiding any guiding influence that might shape or direct one’s way of life toward godlessness. Walking involves progress; thus, the verse instructs, “Don’t walk in the counsel, don’t stand in the path, don’t sit in the seat” of the ungodly. The apparent progression presents a picture of someone walking next to sin, then stopping to stand and take it all in, and then finally sitting right down in sin’s seat “to enjoy the fleeting pleasures” of it (Hebrews 11:25).

Not walking, standing, or sitting with the ungodly implies steering clear of sin by avoiding participation in every aspect of the sinner’s way of life. The apostle Paul warned, “Do not be misled: ‘Bad company corrupts good character’” (1 Corinthians 15:33). “Do not make friends with a hot-tempered person, do not associate with one easily angered, or you may learn their ways and get yourself ensnared,” cautions Proverbs 22:24–25.

A Christian cannot expect to make forward progress if he seeks counsel from sinners or makes plans with unbelievers: “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?” (2 Corinthians 6:14).

The person who chooses the righteous way of life avoids thinking like the ungodly, behaving like the wicked, and associating with the godless. Instead, he will “walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm” (Proverbs 13:20).

A believer who “walks not in the counsel of the ungodly” will apply biblical truth to his daily life, letting God’s Word be a lamp to guide his feet and a light for his path (Psalm 119:105). His “delight is in the law of the Lord,” and he “meditates on his law day and night,” says Psalm 1:2. Such a person will grow in faith and spiritual maturity (Romans 10:17).

God blesses the route of the righteous because they “fear the Lord and delight in obeying His commands” (Psalm 112:1). Rather than taking pleasure in sin and the things of the world, they “live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people” (Philippians 2:15, NLT).

Loving God and obeying His Word will result in abundant blessings (Joshua 1:8; Luke 11:28; John 14:21). As we read the Scriptures daily, study them, memorize them, and meditate on them night and day, our thinking changes. We no longer love the world or the things in it (1 John 2:15–17). We no longer walk in the counsel of the ungodly. We “don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world”; instead, God transforms us by changing how we think. Then we can experience God’s good, pleasing, and perfect will (Romans 12:2, NLT).

People who walk in the counsel of the ungodly listen to worldly advice, make plans with the wicked, and willfully participate in the sinner’s way of life. Romans 8:5–7 describes these people as those “who live according to the flesh” and “have their minds set on what the flesh desires.” By contrast, “those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so.”

God calls His children to choose the way of righteousness—to be set apart, holy. He calls us out of darkness to walk in His light (1 Peter 1:15–16; 2:9). That is the path to the blessings of life and peace.

The way in which Jesus fulfilled the Jewish feasts is a fascinating study. In the Hebrew Scriptures, the Jewish prophet Amos records that God declared He would do nothing without first revealing it to His servants, the prophets (Amos 3:7). From the Old Covenant to the New, Genesis to Revelation, God provides picture after picture of His entire plan for mankind and one of the most startling prophetic pictures is outlined for us in the Jewish feasts of Leviticus 23.

The Hebrew word for “feasts” (moadim) literally means "appointed times." God has carefully planned and orchestrated the timing and sequence of each of these seven feasts to reveal to us a special story. The seven annual feasts of Israel were spread over seven months of the Jewish calendar, at set times appointed by God. They are still celebrated by observant Jews today. But for both Jews and non-Jews who have placed their faith in Jesus, the Jewish Messiah, these special days demonstrate the work of redemption through God’s Son.

The first four of the seven feasts occur during the springtime (Passover, Unleavened Bread, First Fruits, and Weeks), and they all have already been fulfilled by Christ in the New Testament. The final three holidays (Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and Tabernacles) occur during the fall, all within a short fifteen-day period.

Many Bible scholars and commentators believe that these fall feasts have not yet been fulfilled by Jesus. However, the “blessed hope” (Titus 2:13) for all believers in Jesus Christ is that they most assuredly will be fulfilled. As the four spring feasts were fulfilled literally and right on the actual feast day in connection with Christ’s first coming, these three fall feasts, it is believed by many, will likewise be fulfilled literally in connection to the Lord’s second coming.

In a nutshell, here is the prophetic significance of each of the seven Levitical feasts of Israel:

1) Passover (Leviticus 23:5) – Pointed to the Messiah as our Passover lamb (1 Corinthians 5:7) whose blood would be shed for our sins. Jesus was crucified during the time that the Passover was observed (Mark 14:12). Christ is a “lamb without blemish or defect” (1 Peter 1:19) because His life was completely free from sin (Hebrews 4:15). As the first Passover marked the Hebrews’ release from Egyptian slavery, so the death of Christ marks our release from the slavery of sin (Romans 8:2).

2) Unleavened Bread (Leviticus 23:6) – Pointed to the Messiah’s sinless life (as leaven is a picture of sin in the Bible), making Him the perfect sacrifice for our sins. Jesus’ body was in the grave during the first days of this feast, like a kernel of wheat planted and waiting to burst forth as the bread of life.

3) First Fruits (Leviticus 23:10) – Pointed to the Messiah’s resurrection as the first fruits of the righteous. Jesus was resurrected on this very day, which is one of the reasons that Paul refers to him in 1 Corinthians 15:20 as the "first fruits from the dead."

4) Weeks or Pentecost (Leviticus 23:16) – Occurred fifty days after the beginning of the Feast of Unleavened Bread and pointed to the great harvest of souls and the gift of the Holy Spirit for both Jew and Gentile, who would be brought into the kingdom of God during the Church Age (see Acts 2). The Church was actually established on this day when God poured out His Holy Spirit and 3,000 Jews responded to Peter’s great sermon and his first proclamation of the gospel.

5) Trumpets (Leviticus 23:24) – The first of the fall feasts. Many believe this day points to the Rapture of the Church when the Messiah Jesus will appear in the heavens as He comes for His bride, the Church. The Rapture is always associated in Scripture with the blowing of a loud trumpet (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 and 1 Corinthians 15:52).

6) Day of Atonement (Leviticus 23:27) – Many believe this prophetically points to the day of the Second Coming of Jesus when He will return to earth. That will be the Day of Atonement for the Jewish remnant when they "look upon Him whom they have pierced," repent of their sins, and receive Him as their Messiah (Zechariah 12:10 and Romans 11:1-6, 25-36).

7) Tabernacles or Booths (Leviticus 23:34) – Many scholars believe that this feast day points to the Lord’s promise that He will once again “tabernacle” with His people when He returns to reign over all the world (Micah 4:1-7).

Should Christians celebrate these Levitical feast days of Israel today? Whether or not a Christian celebrates the Jewish feast days would be a matter of conscience for the individual Christian. Colossians 2:16-17 tells us, “Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.” Christians are not bound to observe the Jewish feasts the way an Old Testament Jew was, but we should not criticize another believer who does or does not observe these special days and feasts (Romans 14:5).

While it is not required for Christians to celebrate the Jewish feast days, it is beneficial to study them. Certainly, it could be beneficial to celebrate these days if it leads one to a greater understanding and appreciation for Christ’s death and resurrection and the future promise of His coming. As Christians, if we choose to celebrate these special days, we should put Christ in the center of the celebration, as the One who came to fulfill the prophetic significance of each of them.

There are three accounts in the Gospels in which Jesus states that a kingdom divided against itself is laid waste or a house divided cannot stand (Luke 11:17; Mark 3:25; Matthew 12:25). All three instances of this statement are spoken in response to the Pharisees’ accusation that Jesus was casting out demons by the power of Satan—a blasphemy that Jesus said would not be forgiven them.

Jesus’ argument to the Pharisees was logical: a kingdom that is at cross-purposes with itself will fall. Any household riven by infighting will tear itself apart. Jesus was obviously casting demons out of people. If Jesus was in league with Satan, or if Satan was somehow working through Jesus, it is unlikely that exorcisms would be a priority, because why would Satan cast himself out? Satan has more practical wisdom than to allow his demonic underlings to group themselves into warring factions.

By saying that a house divided cannot stand, Jesus is illustrating the fact that success relies on congruency. This is something we see in daily life all the time. Whether it is a machine, a sports team, a government party, or one’s own mind, things have to work together if anything is to be accomplished. The Bible says that a double-minded man is unstable in all his ways (James 1:8), and Paul appeals to the churches that there be no divisions among the believers (1 Corinthians 1:10). In fact, churches should be unified in their purpose and judgment, avoiding people who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to sound doctrine (Romans 16:17). Christians are not to quarrel but to be unified around a common understanding of truth. “How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!” (Psalm 133:1).

God commands unity among believers because, once conflict enters the midst of any assembly or entity, productivity and usefulness inevitably grind to a halt and the whole organization is weakened and becomes vulnerable to attack. As Jesus said, “Any kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and a house divided against itself will fall.”

A fruit of the Spirit is peace (Galatians 5:22). Christians are, as followers of the Prince of Peace, peaceful people (Matthew 5:9). We are called to live in harmony with one another (Romans 12:16) and, as far as it depends on us, to be at peace with everyone (Hebrews 12:14). Jesus Christ is building His church (Matthew 16:18). His “house” will stand; “his kingdom will not be destroyed, / his dominion will never end” (Daniel 6:26).

In 1 Peter 5:5, a clear distinction is made between God’s attitude toward two categories of people, the proud and the humble: “Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble’” (ESV). Humility is to characterize our relationship with fellow Christians, as also seen in many other passages of Scripture (e.g., Proverbs 11:2; Matthew 23:12; James 4:6; Luke 14:11). Fortunately, we have the promise that God gives grace to the humble.

The grace God gives to the humble is the blessing of His kindness and favor. Grace is extended to those who maintain an attitude of humility, who recognize the value of others and submit to the will of the Father. Christians are called to emulate the mindset of Jesus, willingly relinquishing His privileges to serve God and humanity (Philippians 2:5–8). This grace of God begins with salvation, as only the humble will acknowledge their need for a Savior. Jesus implied this when He told the Pharisees, “For I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners” (Matthew 9:13, NLT). The Pharisees, relying on their self-righteousness, rejected Christ in pride, while societal outcasts, recognizing their sinfulness, approached Jesus for help (verse 10).

Beyond salvation, God’s grace toward the humble includes the bestowal of honor at the appropriate time, as indicated in 1 Peter 5:6: “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.” Our innate desire for honor and exaltation is God-given, and only He knows the ideal time for our elevation. Seeking renown through our own merit leads to pride, but walking in humility allows God the opportunity to grant us honor—whether in this life, eternity, or both. Many revered Christians in history might not have foreseen how God would exalt them, but He did, sometimes posthumously. Similarly, our anonymous acts of service, unnoticed by others, will receive their due reward. Every Christian can expect to be glorified when Christ returns (1 Corinthians 15:51–53; Philippians 3:20–21) and be rewarded for faithful service (1 Corinthians 3:12–14; Colossians 3:23–24). In Jesus, we witness an example of the exaltation following humility (Philippians 2:7–11).

Many fear humility as they assume it would make them seem weak, insignificant, and even dishonored, but Scripture states otherwise. It is the proud who should exercise caution and repent, lest they face opposition from God Himself. In contrast, the humble become recipients of God’s undeserved grace.

Isaiah 6 describes how the prophet Isaiah, through a vision from the Lord, begins his ministry for God. In the vision, the Lord asks, ““Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” (Isaiah 6:8a). Isaiah’s response was to volunteer for service: “Here am I; send me” (verse 8b, KJV).

After a 52-year reign of relative peace, King Uzziah of Judah died of leprosy in 739 BC (2 Chronicles 26:16–23), the same year Isaiah began his prophetic ministry. In a vision Isaiah saw the Lord, “high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple” (Isaiah 6:1). The Lord had a message to deliver to the nation of Judah, and He expresses His desire for a messenger in verse 8. Isaiah’s exclamation “Here am I; send me” marked the very beginning of his ministry; the priest was now a prophet, and the Lord’s message for Judah eventually became the book of Isaiah.

Before Isaiah could say, “Here am I; send me,” he had a problem that had to be addressed. Isaiah 6:5 describes how Isaiah was made aware of his own unworthiness: “Woe to me! . . . I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.” Standing in the Lord’s presence, Isaiah is made painfully aware of his sin, and he is broken about it in the same way as were Job (Job 42:6) and Peter (Luke 5:8) when they were confronted with the presence of the Lord. God was preparing Isaiah for his cleansing and commission.

After Isaiah acknowledges his sin, a seraph takes a burning piece of coal from the altar, touches Isaiah’s lips with it, and says, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for” (Isaiah 6:7). Some details are important here: Isaiah could not remove his own guilt, the atonement is made possible by the altar—the place of sacrifice—and the purification is specifically applied to the point of Isaiah’s sin—his lips—making Isaiah acceptable as a minister of God’s words.

It is only after Isaiah is cleansed of his sin that he says, “Here am I; send me.” Prior to that point, he saw himself as an unworthy messenger; once he was forgiven, he immediately desired to serve the Lord in whatever way possible. The Lord asks, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?”—He wants willing volunteers in His service—and a grateful and enthusiastic Isaiah doesn’t hesitate in taking the opportunity: “Here am I; send me.” And for the rest of his life, Isaiah serves the God who had forgiven and saved him.

The Greek word agape is often translated “love” in the New Testament. How is “agape love” different from other types of love? The essence of agape love is goodwill, benevolence, and willful delight in the object of love. Unlike our English word love, agape is not used in the New Testament to refer to romantic or sexual love. Nor does it refer to close friendship or brotherly love, for which the Greek word philia is used. Agape love involves faithfulness, commitment, and an act of the will. It is distinguished from the other types of love by its lofty moral nature and strong character. Agape love is beautifully described in 1 Corinthians 13.

Outside of the New Testament, the word agape is used in a variety of contexts, but in the vast majority of instances in the New Testament it carries distinct meaning. Agape is almost always used to describe the love that is of and from God, whose very nature is love itself: “God is love” (1 John 4:8). God does not merely love; He is love. Everything God does flows from His love. Agape is also used to describe our love for God (Luke 10:27), a servant’s faithful respect to his master (Matthew 6:24), and a man’s attachment to things (John 3:19).

The type of love that characterizes God is not a sappy, sentimental feeling such as we often hear portrayed. God loves because that is His nature and the expression of His being. He loves the unlovable and the unlovely, not because we deserve to be loved or because of any excellence we possess, but because it is His nature to love and He must be true to His nature.

Agape love is always shown by what it does. God’s love is displayed most clearly at the cross. “God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved” (Ephesians 2:4–5, ESV). We did not deserve such a sacrifice, “but God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). God’s agape love is unmerited, gracious, and constantly seeking the benefit of the ones He loves. The Bible says we are the undeserving recipients of His lavish agape love (1 John 3:1). God’s demonstration of agape love led to the sacrifice of the Son of God for those He loves.

We are to love others with agape love, whether they are fellow believers (John 13:34) or bitter enemies (Matthew 5:44). Jesus gave the parable of the Good Samaritan as an example of sacrifice for the sake of others, even for those who may care nothing at all for us. Agape love as modeled by Christ is not based on a feeling; rather, it is a determined act of the will, a joyful resolve to put the welfare of others above our own.

Agape love does not come naturally to us. Because of our fallen nature, we are incapable of producing such a love. If we are to love as God loves, that love—that agape—can only come from its Source. This is the love that “has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us” when we became His children (Romans 5:5; cf. Galatians 5:22). “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters” (1 John 3:16). Because of God’s love toward us, we are able to love one another.

In Matthew 16, Jesus tells Peter that “flesh and blood has not revealed this to you” (verse 17, ESV). The statement comes in the context of an important conversation that begins with Jesus asking an important question. Here is the lead-up to the statement:

Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 16:13–17, ESV).

Peter gives the correct answer to Jesus’ question “Who do you say that I am?” in contrast to what some other people were saying. Jesus is the Christ (or the Messiah), the Son of the living God. Jesus commends Peter: “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven.”

In the Old Testament, flesh and blood frequently refers to biological offspring or relatives (compare Genesis15:4; 29:14; 37:27; Judges 9:2; 2 Samuel 5:1.) Eventually, flesh and blood came to be another term for “humanity” or “human being,” as all human beings have flesh and blood and are the biological offspring and relatives of other human beings. We see this usage in Hebrews 2:14. Speaking of Jesus, the writer says, “Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity.”

Flesh and blood, or humanity, is often contrasted with spiritual entities who do not have a body made of flesh and blood. “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 6:12). Here, the rulers and authorities are not human, but spiritual. Flesh and blood beings are distinct from spiritual beings.

In Matthew 16:17 Jesus contrasts “flesh and blood” with “my Father in heaven.” In essence, when Jesus says, “Flesh and blood did not reveal this to you,” He points out that Peter’s understanding of the truth did not come from human nature. Peter did not figure it out on his own, nor did any other human being explain it to him. The only way that Peter knew the truth about Jesus is that God Himself revealed it to Peter.

The need for divine revelation is clearly demonstrated in a debate between Christian apologist John Lennox and evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins. In his conclusion, Lennox summed up: “I would remind you that the world Richard Dawkins wishes to bring us to is no paradise except for the few. It denies the existence of good and evil. It even denies justice. But ladies and gentlemen, our hearts cry out for justice. And centuries ago, the apostle Paul spoke to the philosophers of Athens and pointed out that there would be a day on which God would judge the world by the man that he had appointed, Jesus Christ, and that he’d given assurance to all people by raising him from the dead. And the resurrection of Jesus Christ, a miracle, something supernatural, for me constitutes the central evidence upon which I base my faith, not only that atheism is a delusion, but that justice is real and our sense of morality does not mock us. Because if there is no resurrection, if there is nothing after death, in the end the terrorists and the fanatics have got away with it.”

Dawkins replied: “Yes, well that concluding bit rather gives the game away, doesn’t it? All that stuff about science and physics, and the complications of physics and things, what it really comes down to is the resurrection of Jesus. There is a fundamental incompatibility between the sophisticated scientist which we hear part of the time from John Lennox. . . . That’s all very grand and wonderful, and then suddenly we come down to the resurrection of Jesus. It’s so petty, it’s so trivial, it’s so local, it’s so earth-bound, it’s so unworthy of the universe” (The God Delusion Debate, University of Alabama, 10/3/07).

For one like John Lennox, or like Peter, who has been enlightened by the Spirit of God, the resurrection is the basis of everything. For others, like Richard Dawkins, it is “petty” and “trivial.”

Ultimately, every spiritual truth can only be understood because of God’s revelation. He may use human beings to explain it—just as He used human authors to write His Word and He uses His followers to share the gospel. But if a person really understands truth, it is only because God has enabled his understanding. First Corinthians 2:14 says, “But a natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned” (NASB).

The truth does not come from flesh and blood; it comes from the Father in heaven. This is why two people can hear the same passage of Scripture or listen to a biblically based sermon, and to one person it is like fresh air and a hearty meal for the soul while to the other person it seems to be utter nonsense. Unless God enlightens the heart, the human being can never make sense of it—even if he understands the words, the significance of the message is lost.

A covenant is an agreement between two parties. There are two basic types of covenants: conditional and unconditional. A conditional or bilateral covenant is an agreement that is binding on both parties for its fulfillment. Both parties agree to fulfill certain conditions. If either party fails to meet their responsibilities, the covenant is broken and neither party has to fulfill the expectations of the covenant. An unconditional or unilateral covenant is an agreement between two parties, but only one of the two parties has to do something. Nothing is required of the other party.

The Abrahamic Covenant is an unconditional covenant. The actual covenant is found in Genesis 12:1–3. The ceremony recorded in Genesis 15 indicates the unconditional nature of the covenant. When a covenant was dependent upon both parties keeping commitments, then both parties would pass between the pieces of animals. In Genesis 15, God alone moves between the halves of the animals. Abraham was in a deep sleep. God’s solitary action indicates that the covenant is principally His promise. He binds Himself to the covenant.

Later, God gave Abraham the rite of circumcision as the specific sign of the Abrahamic Covenant (Genesis 17:9–14). All males in Abraham’s line were to be circumcised and thus carry with them a lifelong mark in their flesh that they were part of God’s physical blessing in the world. Any descendant of Abraham who refused circumcision was declaring himself to be outside of God’s covenant; this explains why God was angry with Moses when Moses failed to circumcise his son (Exodus 4:24–26).

God determined to call out a special people for Himself, and through that special people He would bless the whole world. The Lord tells Abram,


“I will make you into a great nation,
and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing.
I will bless those who bless you,
and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you”

(Genesis 12:2–3)


Based on this promise, God later changed Abram’s name from Abram (“high father”) to Abraham (“father of a multitude”) in Genesis 17:5. As we’ve seen, the Abrahamic Covenant is unconditional. It should also be taken literally. There is no need to spiritualize the promise to Abraham. God’s promises to Abraham’s descendants will be fulfilled literally.

The Abrahamic Covenant included the promise of land (Genesis 12:1). It was a specific land, an actual property, with dimensions specified in Genesis 15:18–21. In Genesis 13:15, God gives Abraham all the land that he can see, and the gift is declared to be “forever.” God was not going to renege on His promise. The territory given as part of the Abrahamic Covenant is expanded in Deuteronomy 30:1–10, often called the Palestinian Covenant.

Centuries after Abraham died, the children of Israel took possession of the land under Joshua’s leadership (Joshua 21:43). At no point in history, though, has Israel controlled all of the land God had specified. There remains, therefore, a final fulfillment of the Abrahamic Covenant that will see Israel occupying their God-given homeland to the fullest extent. The fulfillment will be more than a matter of geography; it will also be a time of holiness and restoration (see Ezekiel 20:40–44 and 36:1—37:28).

The Abrahamic Covenant also promised many descendants (Genesis 12:2). God promised that the number of Abraham’s children would rival that of “the dust of the earth” (Genesis 15:16). Nations and kings would proceed from him (Genesis 17:6). It is significant that the promise was given to an aged, childless couple. But Abraham “did not waver through unbelief” (Romans 4:20), and his wife Sarah “considered him faithful who had made the promise” (Hebrews 11:11). Abraham was justified by his faith (Genesis 15:6), and he and his wife welcomed Isaac, the son of promise, into their home when they were 100 and 90 years old, respectively (Genesis 21:5).

God reiterates the Abrahamic Covenant to Isaac and to his son Jacob, whose name God changes to Israel. The great nation is eventually established in the land where Abraham had dwelled. King David, one of Abraham’s many descendants, is given the Davidic Covenant (2 Samuel 7:12–16), promising a “son of David” who would one day rule over the Jewish nation—and all nations—from Jerusalem. Many other Old Testament prophecies point to the blessed, future fulfillment of that promise (e.g., Isaiah 11; Micah 4; Zechariah 8).

The Abrahamic Covenant also included a promise of blessing and redemption (Genesis 12:3). All the earth would be blessed through Abraham. This promise finds its fulfillment in the New Covenant (Jeremiah 31:31–34; cf. Luke 22:20), which was ratified by Jesus Christ, the son of Abraham and Redeemer who will one day “restore everything” (Acts 3:21).

Five times in Genesis 12, as God is giving the Abrahamic Covenant, He says, “I will.” Clearly, God takes the onus of keeping the covenant upon Himself. The covenant is unconditional. One day, Israel will repent, be forgiven, and be restored to God’s favor (Zechariah 12:10–14; Romans 11:25–27). One day, the nation of Israel will possess the entire territory promised to them. One day, the Messiah will return to set up His throne, and through His righteous rule the whole world will be blessed with an abundance of peace, pleasure, and prosperity.

At the Last Supper, Jesus took a cup and said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you” (Luke 22:20). Moments before, the Lord had broken the bread and given it to His disciples with the words, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me” (verse 19). With these symbolic actions Jesus instituted the ordinance of communion, or the Lord’s Table.

The “new covenant” that Jesus spoke of is in contrast to the Old Covenant, the conditional agreement that God had made with the Israelites through Moses. The Old Covenant established laws and ceremonies that separated the Jews from the other nations, defined sin, and showcased God’s provision of forgiveness through sacrifice. The New Covenant was predicted in Jeremiah 31:31–33.

The Old Covenant required blood sacrifices, but it could not provide a final sacrifice for sin. The Old Covenant required repeated, daily sacrifices of animals as a reminder of the people’s sin. But, as Scripture says, “it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins” (Hebrews 10:4). Under the Old Covenant, the same inadequate sacrifices were constantly repeated. For every sin, the process was replicated, day after day, month after month, year after year. The Old Covenant never provided a full, complete sacrifice for sin. “For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion to look for a second” (Hebrews 8:7, ESV).

Jesus came to establish a “better covenant” (Hebrews 7:22), a “new covenant” that Jesus said was in His blood. Jesus shed His blood on the cross to take away the sins of the world (John 1:29) and ratify the new covenant between God and man. On the night He was betrayed, Jesus took the cup and said to His disciples, “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matthew 26:27–28). By “this cup,” Jesus referred, by metonymy, to the contents of the cup, which was the “fruit of the vine” (Mark 14:25). This was representative of Christ’s blood. Jesus gave His disciples the cup, infusing it with new meaning, and told them drinking it was to be a memorial of His death: it was to be drunk “in remembrance of me” (1 Corinthians 11:25). Now, “whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes” (verse 26).

The New Covenant is based on faith in the shed blood of Christ to take away sin, not on repeated sacrifices or any other kind of work (see Ephesians 2:8–9). Because Jesus is the holy Lamb of God, His one-time sacrifice is sufficient to atone for the sins of all who believe in Him. We “partake” of Jesus by coming to Him in faith (John 1:12), trusting that His shed blood (and broken body) is sufficient to pay for our sins. The elements of bread and wine commemorate His death and the shedding of His blood. When we eat those elements in communion with other believers, we affirm our faith and fellowship in Christ.





Jesus and Nicodemus


(Genesis 22:1–10; Romans 5:6–11)


Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. 

He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs You are doing if God were not with him.”


Jesus replied, “Truly, truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.”


“How can a man be born when he is old?”

Nicodemus asked. “Can he enter his mother’s womb a second time to be born?”



Jesus answered, 



“Truly,


truly, I tell you, no one

can enter

the kingdom of God


unless he is born

of

water and the Spirit


Flesh is born of flesh, but


spirit is born of the Spirit



Do not be amazed that I said,


‘You must be born again.’ 





The wind blows where it wishes.


You hear its sound,


but you do not know where

it comes from


or where it is going


So it is with everyone born of


the Spirit.”



“How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.


You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and you do not understand these things? 

Truly, truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, and yet you people do not accept our testimony.


If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? 

No one has ascended into heaven except the One who descended from heaven—the Son of Man. 

Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 

that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life.

For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. 

For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him. 

Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.

And this is the verdict: The Light has come into the world, but men loved the darkness rather than the Light because their deeds were evil. 

Everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come into the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 


21 But whoever practices the truth comes into the Light, so that it

may be seen clearly

that what he has done has been accomplished in God.”





John’s Testimony about Jesus


22After this, Jesus and His disciples went into the Judean countryside, where He spent some time with them and baptized.

23Now John was also baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because the water was plentiful there, and people kept coming to be baptized. 24(For John had not yet been thrown into prison.)

25Then a dispute arose between John’s disciples and a certain Jew over the issue of ceremonial washing. 26So John’s disciples came to him and said, “Look, Rabbi, the One who was with you beyond the Jordan, the One you testified about—He is baptizing, and everyone is going to Him.”

27John replied, “A man can receive only what is given him from heaven. 28You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Christ, but am sent ahead of Him.’ 29The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom stands and listens for him, and is overjoyed to hear the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. 30He must increase; I must decrease.

31The One who comes from above is above all. The one who is from the earth belongs to the earth and speaks as one from the earth. The One who comes from heaven is above all.h 32He testifies to what He has seen and heard, yet no one accepts His testimony. 33Whoever accepts His testimony has certified that God is truthful. 34For the One whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit.
35The Father loves the Son and has placed all things in His hands. 36Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life. Whoever rejects the Son will not see life. Instead, the wrath of God remains on him.”



Flesh is born of flesh,


Genesis 5:3
When Adam was 130 years old, he had a son in his own likeness, after his own image; and he named him Seth.

Galatians 4:23
His son by the slave woman was born according to the flesh, but his son by the free woman was born through the promise.

Romans 9:8
So it is not the children of the flesh who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as offspring.

but spirit is born of the Spirit

Ezekiel 36:26-27
I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. / And I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes and to carefully observe My ordinances.

Titus 3:5
He saved us, not by the righteous deeds we had done, but according to His mercy, through the washing of new birth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.

1 Peter 1:23
For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.

Romans 8:5-9
Those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh; but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. / The mind of the flesh is death, but the mind of the Spirit is life and peace, / because the mind of the flesh is hostile to God: It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. …
Galatians 5:16-17
So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. / For the flesh craves what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are opposed to each other, so that you do not do what you want.

1 Corinthians 15:50
Now I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.

2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away. Behold, the new has come!

1 John 3:9
Anyone born of God refuses to practice sin, because God’s seed abides in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God.

John 1:12-13
But to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God— / children born not of blood, nor of the desire or will of man, but born of God.

Romans 7:5-6
For when we lived according to the flesh, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in our bodies, bearing fruit for death. / But now, having died to what bound us, we have been released from the law, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.

Galatians 6:8
The one who sows to please his flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; but the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.

Ephesians 2:3
All of us also lived among them at one time, fulfilling the cravings of our flesh and indulging its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature children of wrath.

Genesis 6:3
So the LORD said, “My Spirit will not contend with man forever, for he is mortal; his days shall be 120 years.”

Genesis 5:3
And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth:

Genesis 6:5,12
And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually…

Job 14:4
Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one.

Ezekiel 11:19,20
And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh: …

Ezekiel 36:26,27
A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh…

Romans 8:5,9
For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit…



It seems that every few years, a red heifer (red cow) is born in Israel, and it results in some people thinking that the return of Jesus is near. Why is this? What does a red heifer have to do with the end times? Before we explore that question directly, it is important to understand the significance of a red heifer in the Bible.

To meet the requirements of the Old Testament law, a red heifer was needed to help accomplish the purification of the Israelites from uncleanness—specifically, the ashes of a red heifer were needed (see Numbers 19). Because red heifer ashes were necessary for the purification rites held at the temple, many have regarded the appearance of a red heifer today as heralding the construction of the third temple and the return of Christ.

According to rabbinical tradition, there have been nine red heifers sacrificed since Moses’ time. Since the destruction of the second temple, no red heifers have been slaughtered. The rabbi Maimonides (1135—1204) taught that the tenth red heifer would be sacrificed by the Messiah Himself (Parah Adumah, ch. 3, § 4). The Temple Institute, a group advocating the construction of a third temple, reports that five flawless red heifers from Texas arrived in Israel on September 15, 2022 (https://templeinstitute.org, accessed 9/22/22). Many people view this event as a fulfilment of prophecy, since the acquisition of a red heifer is a major step forward in plans for a new temple.

The Mosaic Law specified that the red heifer was to be “without defect or blemish” and to have never borne a yoke (Numbers 19:2). The sacrifice of the red heifer was unique in the law in that it used a female animal, it was sacrificed away from the entrance to the tabernacle, and it was the only sacrifice in which the color of the animal was specified.

The slaughtering of a red heifer is described in Numbers 19:1–10. Eleazar the priest was to oversee the ritual outside the camp of the Israelites. After the animal was killed, Eleazar was to sprinkle some of its blood toward the front of the tabernacle seven times (verse 4). Then he left camp again and oversaw the burning of the carcass of the red heifer (verse 5). As the red heifer burned, the priest was to add “some cedar wood, hyssop and scarlet wool” to the fire (verse 6).

The ashes of the red heifer were then collected and stored “in a ceremonially clean place outside the camp.” The ashes were used “in the water of cleansing; it is for purification from sin” (Numbers 19:9). The law goes on to detail when and how the ashes of the red heifer were used in purifying those who came in contact with a dead body: “Whoever touches a human corpse will be unclean for seven days. They must purify themselves with the water on the third day and on the seventh day; then they will be clean” (verses 11–12). The purification process involved the ashes of the red heifer in this way: “Put some ashes from the burned purification offering into a jar and pour fresh water over them. Then a man who is ceremonially clean is to take some hyssop, dip it in the water and sprinkle . . . anyone who has touched a human bone or a grave or anyone who has been killed or anyone who has died a natural death” (verses 17–18).

The commands concerning the red heifer were yet another foreshadowing of the sacrifice of Christ for believers’ sin. The Lord Jesus was “without blemish,” just as the red heifer was to be. As the heifer was sacrificed “outside the camp” (Numbers 19:3), Jesus was crucified outside of Jerusalem (Hebrews 13:11–12). And, just as the ashes of the red heifer cleansed people from the contamination of death, so the sacrifice of Christ saves us from the penalty and corruption of death.

The red heifer ritual as established in the Mosaic Law was fairly simple; in the interval since that time, Judaism has added many standards and extra criteria. Talmudic tradition speaks of the type of rope the red heifer was to be bound with, the direction it was to face when being slaughtered, the words spoken by the priest, the wearing of sandals during the ritual, etc. The rabbinical rules listed many things that would disqualify a red heifer from being sacrificed: if she had been ridden or leaned on, if she had a garment placed over her, if a bird had rested on her, and if she had two black or white hairs, among many other conditions not found in the biblical text.

According to the futurist timeline of eschatology, there will indeed be a third temple of God in Jerusalem. Jesus prophesied a desecration of the temple to occur during the tribulation (Matthew 24:15; cf. 2 Thessalonians 2:4); for that to happen, there obviously will need to be a temple. Assuming those who dedicate the end-times temple follow Jewish law, they will need the ashes of a red heifer, mixed with water, for the ceremonial cleansing. If a blemish-free red heifer has truly been found and is in Israel, that could be one more piece falling into place for the fulfillment of biblical prophecy.

Must a red heifer be found before the rapture occurs? No, Jesus could return to receive His own at any moment. The rapture is not contingent on the presence of any particular cow. Must a red heifer be found before the temple is rebuilt? Not necessarily, although temple advocates certainly want one for ceremonial purposes. Are animal sacrifices of any type required today? No, Jesus fulfilled all the requirements of the law, and His sacrifice provides true forgiveness and life eternal.

Scripture explicitly contrasts the red heifer ceremony with the greater sacrifice of Christ: “The ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!” (Hebrews 9:13–14).

The phrase “unequally yoked” comes from 2 Corinthians 6:14 in the King James Version: “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?” The New American Standard Version says, “Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?”

A yoke is a wooden bar that joins two oxen to each other and to the burden they pull. An “unequally yoked” team has one stronger ox and one weaker, or one taller and one shorter. The weaker or shorter ox would walk more slowly than the taller, stronger one, causing the load to go around in circles. When oxen are unequally yoked, they cannot perform the task set before them. Instead of working together, they are at odds with one another.

Paul’s admonition in 2 Corinthians 6:14 is part of a larger discourse to the church at Corinth on the Christian life. He discouraged them from being in an unequal partnership with unbelievers because believers and unbelievers are opposites, just as light and darkness are opposites. They simply have nothing in common, just as Christ has nothing in common with “Belial,” a Hebrew word meaning “worthlessness” (verse 15). Here Paul uses it to refer to Satan. The idea is that the pagan, wicked, unbelieving world is governed by the principles of Satan and that Christians should be separate from that wicked world, just as Christ was separate from all the methods, purposes, and plans of Satan. He had no participation in them; He formed no union with them, and so it should be with the followers of the one in relation to the followers of the other. Attempting to live a Christian life with a non-Christian for our close friend and ally will only cause us to go around in circles.

The “unequal yoke” is often applied to business relationships. For a Christian to enter into a partnership with an unbeliever is to court disaster. Unbelievers have opposite worldviews and morals, and business decisions made daily will reflect the worldview of one partner or the other. For the relationship to work, one or the other must abandon his moral center and move toward that of the other. More often than not, it is the believer who finds himself pressured to leave his Christian principles behind for the sake of profit and the growth of the business.

Of course, the closest alliance one person can have with another is found in marriage, and this is how the passage is usually interpreted. God’s plan is for a man and a woman to become “one flesh” (Genesis 2:24), a relationship so intimate that one literally and figuratively becomes part of the other. Uniting a believer with an unbeliever is essentially uniting opposites, which makes for a very difficult marriage relationship.


There are actually three biblical lists of the “gifts of the Spirit,” also known as spiritual gifts. The three main passages describing the spiritual gifts are Romans 12:6–8; 1 Corinthians 12:4–11; and 1 Corinthians 12:28. We could also include Ephesians 4:11, but that is a list of offices within the church, not spiritual gifts, per se. The spiritual gifts identified in Romans 12 are prophesying, serving, teaching, encouraging, giving, leadership, and mercy. The list in 1 Corinthians 12:4–11 includes the word of wisdom, the word of knowledge, faith, healing, miraculous powers, prophecy, distinguishing between spirits, speaking in tongues and interpretation of tongues. The list in 1 Corinthians 12:28 includes healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues. A brief description of each gift follows:

Prophecy – The Greek word translated “prophecy” in both passages properly means “a speaking forth.” According to Thayer’s Greek Lexicon, the word refers to “discourse emanating from divine inspiration and declaring the purposes of God, whether by reproving and admonishing the wicked, or comforting the afflicted, or revealing things hidden; especially by foretelling future events.” To prophesy is to declare the divine will, to interpret the purposes of God, or to make known in any way the truth of God that is designed to influence people.

Serving – Also referred to as “ministering,” this gift involves providing service of any kind; it is the broad application of practical help to those in need. “Serving“ is a translation of the Greek word diakonian, from which we get the English deacon.

Teaching – This gift involves the analysis and proclamation of the Word of God, explaining the meaning, context and application to the hearer’s life. The gifted teacher is one who has the unique ability to clearly instruct and communicate knowledge, specifically the doctrines of the faith.

Encouraging – Also called “exhortation,” this gift is evident in those who consistently call upon others to heed and follow God’s truth, which may involve correction or building others up by strengthening weak faith or comforting in trials.

Giving – Gifted givers are those who joyfully share what they have with others, whether it is financial, material, or the giving of personal time and attention. The giver is concerned for the needs of others and seeks opportunities to share goods, money, and time with them as needs arise.

Leadership – The gifted leader is one who rules, presides over, or has the management of other people in the church. The word literally means “guide” and carries with it the idea of one who steers a ship. One with the gift of leadership rules with wisdom and grace and exhibits the fruit of the Spirit in his life as he leads by example.

Mercy – Closely linked with the gift of encouragement, the gift of mercy is obvious in those who are compassionate toward others who are in distress, showing sympathy and sensitivity coupled with a desire and the resources to lessen their suffering in a kind and cheerful manner.

Word of wisdom – The fact that this gift is described as the “word” of wisdom indicates that it is one of the speaking gifts. This gift describes someone who can understand and speak forth biblical truth in such a way as to skillfully apply it to life situations with discernment.

Word of knowledge – This is another speaking gift that involves understanding truth with an insight that only comes by revelation from God. Those with the gift of knowledge understand the deep things of God and the mysteries of His Word.

Faith – All believers possess faith in some measure because it is one of the gifts of the Spirit bestowed on all who come to Christ in faith (Galatians 5:22-23). The spiritual gift of faith is exhibited by one with a strong and unshakeable confidence in God, His Word, His promises, and the power of prayer to effect miracles.

Healing – Although God does still heal today, and while there is no biblical reason that God could not empower an individual with the spiritual gift of healing today, God miraculously healing people directly through the spiritual gifting of an individual seems to have primarily been limited to the ministry of the apostles and their close associates in the very early days of the church (2 Corinthians 2:12; Hebrews 2:4).

Miraculous powers – Also known as the working of miracles, this is another temporary sign gift that involved performing supernatural events that could only be attributed to the power of God (Acts 2:22). This gift was exhibited by Paul (Acts 19:11-12), Peter (Acts 3:6), Stephen (Acts 6:8), and Phillip (Acts 8:6-7), among others.

Distinguishing (discerning) of spirits – Certain individuals possess the unique ability to determine the true message of God from that of the deceiver, Satan, whose methods include purveying deceptive and erroneous doctrine. Jesus said many would come in His name and would deceive many (Matthew 24:4-5), but the gift of discerning spirits is given to the church to protect it from such as these.

Speaking in tongues – The gift of tongues is one of the temporary sign gifts given to the early church to enable the gospel to be preached throughout the world to all nations and in all known languages. It involved the divine ability to speak in languages previously unknown to the speaker. This gift authenticated the message of the gospel and those who preached it as coming from God. The phrase “diversity of tongues” (KJV) or “different kinds of tongues” (NIV) effectively eliminates the idea of a “personal prayer language” as a spiritual gift.

Interpretation of tongues – A person with the gift of interpreting tongues could understand what a tongues-speaker was saying even though he did not know the language that was being spoken. The tongues interpreter would then communicate the message of the tongues-speaker to everyone else, so all could understand.

Helps – Closely related to the gift of mercy is the gift of helps. Those with the gift of helps are those who can aid or render assistance to others in the church with compassion and grace. This has a broad range of possibilities for application. Most importantly, this is the unique ability to identify those who are struggling with doubt, fears, and other spiritual battles; to move toward those in spiritual need with a kind word, an understanding and compassionate demeanor; and to speak scriptural truth that is both convicting and loving.

Psalm 119 is an epic poetic composition paying homage to the Word of God. The psalmist marvels at the excellencies and perfections of God’s Word, including its timeless, unlimited, and infinite nature. In Psalm 119:89, he observes, “Forever, O LORD, Your word is settled in heaven” (NKJV), punctuating the fact that God’s Word is eternal.

In Psalm 119:152, the psalmist testifies, “Long ago I learned from your statutes that you established them to last forever.” Fast forward to the time of Jesus, and the Lord Himself bears witness, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away” (Matthew 24:35). The Word of God is eternal—it “endures forever” (1 Peter 1:25).

Besides “Your word is settled in heaven” (NKJV), other possible translations are “Your word . . . stands firm in the heavens” (NIV), “Your word is firmly fixed in the heavens” (ESV), and “Your word is established in heaven forever” (GW). The term settled means “established, to be positioned” and carries the idea of absolute stability. God’s Word is eternal, and it is absolutely and perpetually immutable: “The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever” (Isaiah 40:8).

Human words may fail, but believers can count on God’s Word. Every single word of the Lord is flawlessly accurate and truthful (Proverbs 30:5). His Word was living, active, and relevant in ages past, still is today, and always will be (Isaiah 55:11; Hebrews 4:12).

By His Word, God spoke the heavens and the earth into existence (Genesis 1:1–31; Psalm 33:6; 2 Peter 3:5). God’s Word gave life and sustenance to His people in the past (Deuteronomy 8:3; 30:14–16). Moses told the Israelites that the Lord’s instructions were “not empty words—they are your life! By obeying them you will enjoy a long life in the land you will occupy when you cross the Jordan River” (Deuteronomy 32:47, NLT).

The Word of God still gives life today (Matthew 4:4; John 6:63; Hebrews 1:3; James 1:21). Christians are made alive spiritually and eternally “through the living and enduring Word of God” (1 Peter 1:23).

Your word is settled in heaven also communicates the boundless, unlimited nature of the Word of God. The psalmist reflects, “I have seen a limit to all perfection, but Your command is without limit” (Psalm 119:96, HCSB). God’s Word is not confined but reaches far and wide through space and time, penetrating earthly spheres and accessing heavenly realms. The Bible tells us that God watches over His Word to ensure that His plans are carried out (Jeremiah 1:12). His Word is so settled in heaven and stable on earth that it always accomplishes its goal (Isaiah 55:11).

“The very essence of your words is truth; all your just regulations will stand forever,” informs the psalmist (Psalm 119:160, NLT). God’s Holy Word is settled in heaven because it is truth (John 17:17). As God’s perfect gift to us, it cannot be changed. James explains, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change” (James 1:17, ESV). God has spoken, and God’s Word is eternal, fixed, established, and settled in heaven forever.

Paul had many things about which he could have boasted. His experiences were incredible. He lists some of them in 2 Corinthians 11:22–28 to illustrate that, while he above others might have reason to boast in his own flesh—his experiences and his abilities—he would only boast in Christ. Paul recognizes that we have no real power in ourselves except for Christ in us, and he explains in Philippians 3:4–7 that, even though he has quite a list of impressive achievements, he counts all those as loss for the sake of Christ. They are worthless—even having negative value—in comparison to the joy of knowing Christ.

In 2 Corinthians 12:1 Paul provides an example of how a person should not find his or her identity and confidence in personal achievements because only God’s grace is sufficient. While showing mercy means not giving to someone what he does deserve, showing grace means giving to someone what he doesn’t deserve. God shows grace in giving us life and providing for us and strengthening us for the path ahead. That grace is sufficient—it is all we need.

To illustrate the principle, Paul tells of a man who was caught up to the third heaven and saw and heard indescribable things. This man was remarkably privileged, and it seems apparent in the context that Paul is talking about himself. He adds that, because of the greatness of the revelations he was given, he was also given a thorn in his flesh that would keep him from exalting himself (2 Corinthians 12:7). While Paul tells us very little about the nature of this “thorn” (what he also refers to as a messenger from Satan), he makes clear that its purpose was to help ensure his humility. Paul begged God that this thorn might go away, and God repeatedly said no to Paul’s request. God’s response to Paul is found in 2 Corinthians 12:9—“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

God was reminding Paul that the strength behind Paul’s ministry was not Paul’s experiences or abilities, nor was it the absence of difficulty. On the contrary, Paul’s ability to be faithful in ministry and survive incredibly difficult times was due to God’s grace. God’s grace is sufficient. When we are weak, God’s strength is even more evident. Paul could rejoice and boast in God because Paul knew the power that God exerted in Paul’s life through God’s grace. Paul could then boast in God’s strength, recognizing that, even when we are weak, God is strong. He provides the strength for us to withstand whatever challenges are before us.

Paul illustrates this same idea in Philippians 4:11–13. He explains that he has learned how to be content in any circumstance no matter how severe. When things are going well or when things are going badly, Paul knows that contentment doesn’t come from circumstances—contentment comes from recognizing that we can do whatever God intends for us to do through Christ who strengthens us. God is so gracious to provide strength when it is needed so that we can find our identity, our confidence, and our contentment in Him. This is what God meant when He said that His grace is sufficient—it is all we need.

In Hebrews 6:16–20, the biblical writer intends to instill steadfast hope in his readers to keep them from drifting about aimlessly through the Christian life. He does so by identifying three wholly reliable sources of hope as an anchor for the soul: God’s Word, God’s character, and God’s Son.

The Lord not only gives us the promise of salvation and eternal life (John 3:16), but He reinforces it by binding Himself with an oath “so that those who received the promise could be perfectly sure that he would never change his mind” (Hebrews 6:17, NLT). God’s Word and nature are rock solid. He is trustworthy, and “it is impossible for God to lie” (Hebrews 6:18). The dependability of God’s promise and His character bolster our faith so that we can “take hold of the hope set before us” and “be greatly encouraged” (verse 18).

“We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek” (Hebrews 6:19–20). God’s Son, our Savior Jesus Christ, is a powerful and dependable anchor for our souls.

Our hope-inspired encouragement is based on the finished work of Christ. As our high priest, Jesus “has entered that greater, more perfect Tabernacle in heaven. . . . With his own blood—not the blood of goats and calves—he entered the Most Holy Place once for all time and secured our redemption forever” (Hebrews 9:11–12, NLT). Through his life, death, and resurrection, Jesus Christ has won the ultimate victory over sin and death for us (Colossians 2:14–15; Romans 6:9; 1 John 5:4). Because of Him, we have the promise of eternal life (1 John 2:25).

The anchor has been a symbol of hope among Christians since the days of the early church. (A Dictionary of Christian Antiquities, Vol. I, W. Smith & S. Cheetham, ed., London: John Murray, 1875, p. 81). The anchor metaphor emphasizes the stability and safety of Christ as our hope. The writer describes this hope as an anchor that is “firm and secure” (NIV), “sure and steadfast” (ESV), “strong and trustworthy” (NLT). A ship’s anchor allows the vessel to remain fixed and unmoving regardless of the conditions at sea. Our faith in Jesus Christ keeps us from becoming “like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind” (James 1:6).

Just as an anchor stops a ship from drifting with the winds and currents, keeping our eyes on the hope of heaven (2 Corinthians 4:16–18) and the “pioneer and perfector of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2), who is Jesus Christ, will prevent our souls from wavering and wandering in times of pressure and turmoil. God has “caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials” (1 Peter 1:3–6, ESV).

As believers, we have “a living hope” and “hope as an anchor” that holds secure because it is tethered to the steadfast Word of God and the unchanging, reliable character of God. He is faithful, and His promises are true (Joshua 21:45; Psalm 33:4; Hebrews 10:23). One commentator imagines the anchor’s rope extending “from heaven’s heights back down to earth, where faithful people can ‘seize the hope set before us.’ Like rock climbers scaling an imposing height, Christians steady themselves by trusting God’s promises, holding on for dear life to this cord of hope” (Long, T., Hebrews, John Knox Press, 1997, p. 78). With Jesus Christ as our anchor, no power of darkness and no earthly opposition can harm us (Romans 8:31–34).

We live with hope because we possess the Holy Spirit inside us as a guarantee of our redemption and full adoption as sons and daughters of God (Romans 8:23–25; Ephesians 1:11–14). When this “earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling . . . so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. Now the one who has fashioned us for this very purpose is God, who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come” (2 Corinthians 5:1–5).

The hope set before us as an anchor of our soul is that Jesus Christ has already gone before us into the holy of holies where God dwells in glory. God’s Word promises that we will be with Him there one day. That future reality is already secured by the finished work of Jesus, our High Priest. He is also our Great Shepherd who “through the blood of the eternal covenant” equips us “with everything good for doing his will” while we are on earth (Hebrews 13:20–21; see also Ephesians 2:8–10). This hope as an anchor holds us steady in this life and secure in the future because it is firmly attached to the eternal throne of God.

In 2 Corinthians 4:1–6, the apostle Paul defends his apostolic ministry, in which he openly preaches God’s truth and the good news of Jesus Christ. Paul states that his methods are straightforward and honest (verse 2) and that if his message is hidden or veiled, it is because “the god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (2 Corinthians 4:4). This passage describes the spiritually darkened condition of those who reject the gospel and remain in unbelief.

The “god of this age” refers to Satan or the devil (see Ephesians 2:2; 6:12). Jesus called Satan “the prince of this world” (see John 12:31; 14:30). In this context, Paul uses the title to indicate Satan’s influence over the present age we live in, which is characterized by sin and rebellion against God. As the god of this age, Satan exerts significant control over the world’s ideologies, philosophies, and false religions. He exercises his dark powers to persuade and pervert the thinking of those who reject the gospel. Satan blinds the minds of unbelievers, preventing them from seeing the light of truth that shines on Jesus Christ as the image of God.

The phrase has blinded in 2 Corinthians 4:4 is translated from a Greek verb (etyphlōsen), which means “made unable or unwilling to understand; conceived as having rendered a person unable to see.” Paul speaks of blindness that is spiritual in nature. Spiritually blind individuals are unable to perceive and comprehend spiritual truths. Paul explains that Satan has blinded the minds of unbelievers, obstructing them from seeing the “light of the gospel.” This blindness is not merely a lack of understanding but a deliberate obstacle created by Satan to keep people from recognizing their need for a Savior and accepting the truths of Christianity.

Through difficult experience, Paul was acutely aware of the limited number of Jews who understood and believed the truth about salvation in Jesus Christ. Paul likely had legalistic “Judaizers” in mind when he wrote 2 Corinthians 4:4. These early church infiltrators insisted that, for Gentiles to be saved, they must follow the Mosaic Law and Jewish rituals. The spiritual blindness of these teachers kept them from correctly understanding God’s grace and accepting Christ’s gift of salvation: “But the people’s minds were hardened, and to this day whenever the old covenant is being read, the same veil covers their minds so they cannot understand the truth. And this veil can be removed only by believing in Christ. Yes, even today when they read Moses’ writings, their hearts are covered with that veil, and they do not understand” (2 Corinthians 3:14–15, NLT; see also Romans 11:25).

Even though the god of this age blinds the minds of unbelievers, his power is limited. Ultimately, God is in control. In His sovereign wisdom, God allows Satan to operate in this world and take unbelievers “captive to do his will” (2 Timothy 2:26) and live “under the control of the evil one” (1 John 5:19).

Satan blinds people’s minds to keep them from seeing the light of truth and the glory of God: “Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against him. They have no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity” (Ephesians 4:17–19, NLT). This spiritual condition, however, is not irreversible, as God can penetrate the darkest blindness with a flash of light and dawning of truth at any time, as demonstrated in Paul’s own conversion experience (see Acts 9:1–19; Galatians 1:13–17).

Paul goes on to testify, “For God, who said, ‘Let there be light in the darkness,’ has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6, NLT). The god of this age may blind the minds of unbelievers. Still, Jesus Christ is the light of the world (John 1:9). Those who follow Him “won’t have to walk in darkness, because [they] will have the light that leads to life” (John 8:12, NLT; see also Psalm 36:9; John 1:4). With the light of Christ living in us, we too become “the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14–16) to “guide the nations” (Isaiah 42:6, NLT; see also 1 John 2:8) and “bring salvation to the ends of the earth” (Acts 13:47).

A false prophet is a person who spreads false teachings or messages while claiming to speak the Word of God. In the Bible, false prophets also spoke on behalf of false gods. False prophets functioned in their prophetic role illegitimately or for the purpose of deception. The Bible denounces false prophets for leading people astray.

In the Old Testament, the actual term false prophet does not occur, but references to false prophets are evident and abundant. In the book of Jeremiah, we encounter a clear description of false prophets: “Then the LORD said to me, ‘The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I have not sent them or appointed them or spoken to them. They are prophesying to you false visions, divinations, idolatries and the delusions of their own minds’” (Jeremiah 14:14; see also 23:21–33; Zechariah 10:2).

The primary difference between men like Jeremiah—a true prophet of God—and false prophets was their source of information. Rather than speak the Word of the Lord, false prophets delivered messages that originated in their own hearts and minds: “This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘Do not listen to what the prophets are prophesying to you; they fill you with false hopes. They speak visions from their own minds, not from the mouth of the LORD’” (Jeremiah 23:16; see also 14:14; 23:25–32; Ezekiel 13:1–7). God distances Himself from all false prophets: “I did not send these prophets, yet they have run with their message; I did not speak to them, yet they have prophesied” (Jeremiah 23:21).

Another difference between true prophets and false prophets in the Bible is motivation. True prophets are motivated by loyalty to God above all else, whereas false prophets are motivated by self-interest and a desire to be popular among the people (1 Kings 22:13–14). While Jeremiah foretold the grim truth of coming desolation upon Jerusalem (Jeremiah 4), the false prophets promised peace (Jeremiah 6:14; 8:11). Naturally, the people of Judah preferred the pleasant messages of the false prophets: “Don’t tell us what is right. Tell us nice things. Tell us lies” (Isaiah 30:10, NLT).

Often false prophets were hired for payment or spoke their messages for financial gain: “Her leaders judge for a bribe, her priests teach for a price, and her prophets tell fortunes for money. Yet they look for the LORD’s support and say, ‘Is not the LORD among us? No disaster will come upon us’” (Micah 3:11; see also Nehemiah 6:12–13; Jeremiah 6:13–14; Ezekiel 13:19; 2 Peter 2:1–3).

Israel could not always discern the difference between a true and false prophet. In 1 Kings 22, King Jehoshaphat of Judah sought counsel from the Lord before he and King Ahab of Israel embarked on their mission to retake the city of Ramoth in Gilead. Jehoshaphat heard the predictions of victory from Ahab’s 400 counselors but suspected that these men were false prophets who did not have the mind of the Lord. Jehoshaphat’s suspicions were correct: they were Ahab’s “yes men,” false prophets who had no concern for relating the true Word of God. They merely said what the king wanted to hear and collected their salary from the royal treasury.

Jehoshaphat asked if there was another prophet who could give a second opinion. Ahab called for the prophet Micaiah, albeit reluctantly: “I hate him,” Ahab complained, “because he never prophesies anything good about me, but always bad” (1 Kings 22:8). True to form, Micaiah prophesied that Ahab would be killed in the battle and Israel would be “scattered on the hills like sheep without a shepherd” (verse 17). Micaiah, whose words came to pass, proved to be the true prophet of God. None of the false prophets in Ahab’s court could keep the king alive.

The punishment specified for false prophets in the Old Testament was severe: “If any prophet dares to speak a message in My name that I have not commanded him to speak, or to speak in the name of other gods, that prophet must be put to death” (Deuteronomy 18:20).

In the New Testament, Jesus taught about false prophets in His Sermon on the Mount: “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit” (Matthew 7:15–18).

Jesus went on to explain the grave consequences of being a false prophet: “Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” (Matthew 7:19–23).

The Bible describes false prophets as adulterous (Jeremiah 23:14), treacherous (Zephaniah 3:4), drunkards (Isaiah 28:7), wicked (Jeremiah 23:11), liars (Jeremiah 14:14; 23:14), and associated with divination and witchcraft (Jeremiah 14:14; Ezekiel 22:28; Acts 13:6). Scripture teaches believers to be diligent in faith and devotion to Christ’s teachings so that they will be able to spot false prophets and false teachers quickly (2 Peter 1:10; 1:19—2:1; 1 John 4:1). Thankfully, the Bible outlines foolproof tests for recognizing a false prophet.


The key is to know what a true prophet is like:


• A true prophet’s words will be fulfilled (Deuteronomy 18:21–22; Jeremiah 28:8–9).

• A true prophet’s teachings are consistent with Scripture (2 Peter 1:20–21; Revelation 22:18–19).

• A true prophet’s teachings will encourage righteous behavior and provide spiritual benefit (Deuteronomy 13:1–4; Jeremiah 23:13–14, 32; Ezekiel 13:17–23; 14:4–8; Lamentations 2:14).

• A true prophet’s life will reflect a divine call (Isaiah 28:7; Jeremiah 23:10–11, 14; 29:9; Zephaniah 3:4; Matthew 7:15–20).

• A true prophet will acknowledge Jesus Christ as divine (1 John 4:1–6).


In Isaiah 41, God begins to outline His redemption plan for the remnant of Israel. The Jewish people would encounter many hardships and challenges on their long journey home. Without a doubt, they would experience fear during the enormous undertaking of rebuilding in the days ahead. Three times in this chapter, the Lord speaks to that fear with words of comfort and assurance:


“So do not fear, for I am with you;


do not be

dismayed, for I am your God.


I will strengthen you and help you;


I will uphold you

with my righteous right hand”


(Isaiah 41:10; see also Isaiah 41:13–14).


When God says, “I am with you,” He seeks to calm our fears with the reassurance of His powerful presence even in the worst times. Despite all that Israel had suffered during its years in captivity, despite every threat from powerful enemies, despite its weaknesses and consequences of defeat, God wanted His people to know that He was still with them, just as He is with us through every unforeseen twist of fate and personal trial in life.

God’s words to Joshua echo to all His faithful servants, “Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you”

​(Deuteronomy 31:6, ESV; see also Deuteronomy 31:8; Joshua 1:9; Haggai 1:13).


As David declared, we too can be sure:



“God is our refuge and strength,


always ready

to help in times of trouble


So we will not fear when earthquakes

come


and the mountains crumble into the sea


The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is here

among us;


the God of Israel is our fortress”



(Psalm 46:1–2, 7, NLT)


When God says, “I am with you,” He stills our trembling hearts with the promise of His care. He told His servant of old, “I will personally go with you, Moses, and I will give you rest—everything will be fine for you” (Exodus 33:14, NLT). The Lord is our Shepherd of Psalm 23: He cares for our needs, gives us rest, renews our strength, and guides us along the right path. Even when we walk through the darkest valley, we don’t have to fear because God is close beside us. Our enemies will not harm us, and God promises to bless us with His goodness and love every day and for all eternity.

When God says, “I am with you,” He quiets our anxious thoughts with the assurance of His strength. We know that, if God is with us, nothing can stand against us (see Proverbs 21:30; Romans 8:31). With God on our side, we will not be overcome “because the one who is in [us] is greater than the one who is in the world” (1 John 4:4). We don’t have to rely on our own strength. In our human weakness, God’s strength is made perfect (2 Corinthians 12:9–10; 3:4; Judges 7:4–7). The Lord’s plans and purposes cannot be thwarted (Mark 10:27; Job 42:2; Genesis 18:14).

When God says, “I am with you,” He comforts us with His guarantee of help. The Bible says the Lord will not let us stumble; He watches over us, never sleeping or slumbering (Psalm 121:3–4). Whenever we are in trouble, He is ready and willing to help us (Psalm 46:1; 124:1–8). The God who made heaven and earth is the One we can count on when we need rescuing (Psalm 124:1–8). We can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?” (Hebrews 13:6, NLT).

When God says, “I am with you,” He dispels our worries by extending His guiding, protecting, supportive hand. The psalmist affirmed, “Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand” (Psalm 73:23). God’s hand symbolizes His power, sovereignty, and authority in the world (Psalm 95:4; 45:16; 118:15–16; 1 Chronicles 29:12). We are safe in God’s hands.

When God says, “I am with you,” He promises never to fail or abandon us. His presence will be with us forever. Jesus reaffirmed this pledge with His parting words before ascending into heaven: “And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20, NLT).

Incarnation is a term used by theologians to indicate that Jesus, the Son of God, took on human flesh. This is similar to the hypostatic union. The difference is that the hypostatic union explains how Jesus’ two natures are joined, and the Incarnation more specifically affirms His humanity.

The word incarnation means “the act of being made flesh.” It comes from the Latin version of John 1:14, which in English reads, “The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.” Because of the near-exclusive use of the Latin Vulgate in the church through the Middle Ages, the Latin term became standard.

Biblical support for Jesus’ humanity is extensive. The Gospels report Jesus’ human needs including sleep (Luke 8:23), food (Matthew 4:2; 21:18), and physical protection (Matthew 2:13-15; John 10:39). Other indications of His humanity are that He perspired (Luke 22:43-44) and bled (John 19:34). Jesus also expressed emotions including joy (John 15:11), sorrow (Matthew 26:37), and anger (Mark 3:5). During His life, Jesus referred to Himself as a man (John 8:40), and after His resurrection His humanity was still recognized (Acts 2:22).

But the purpose of the Incarnation was not to taste food or to feel sorrow. The Son of God came in the flesh in order to be the Savior of mankind. First, it was necessary to be born “under the law” (Galatians 4:4). All of us have failed to fulfill God’s Law. Christ came in the flesh, under the Law, to fulfill the Law on our behalf (Matthew 5:17; Galatians 4:5).

Second, it was necessary for the Savior to shed His blood for the forgiveness of sins (Hebrews 9:22). A blood sacrifice, of course, requires a body of flesh and blood. And this was God’s plan for the Incarnation: “When Christ came into the world, he said: ‘Sacrifice and offering [under the Old Covenant] you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me’” (Hebrews 10:5). Without the Incarnation, Christ could not really die, and the cross is meaningless.

God did an incredible work in sending His only begotten Son into the world and providing us with a salvation we do not deserve. Praise the Lord for that moment in which “the Word became flesh.” We are now redeemed “with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect” (1 Peter 1:19).

Jesus was both human and divine. Please read about the divinity of Jesus here.



​

​



​The Ark of the Covenant



Aas constructed from acacia wood (shittim wood) overlaid with gold, chosen for its extreme durability, strength, and resistance to decay in desert environments. As a dense hardwood, it was ideal for a portable structure used for generations. It symbolizes humanity's strength and God's "fiery law of love". 

The golden calf (Exodus 32) represents idolatry, impatience, and the rejection of divine law, while the "man of lawlessness" (2 Thessalonians 2) refers to a future, satanically empowered figure of rebellion who sets himself up as God. Both symbolize humanity’s tendency to create self-serving deities or leaders, replacing the divine with power, greed, or immoral worship

​Though God makes a distinction between those who sin in ignorance and those who sin willfully (Numbers 15:27-31), repentance is always necessary to receive forgiveness (Mark 1:15; Acts 2:38; Acts 26:18). Repentance is literally a change in one’s attitude about God and accompanies saving faith in Christ (Acts 3:19; 20:21; 26:20). Without it there can be no forgiveness. Jesus said, “No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish” (Luke 13:3; cf. 17:3-4; 2 Peter 3:9).

To sin willfully is to be proud and presumptuous in one’s defiance of God (Psalm 19:13; Hebrews 10:26). Willful sins bring God’s judgment, sooner or later, but sins of ignorance are not excusable, either: “So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed” (Ephesians 4:17-19; see also Acts 3:17-19; Acts 17:30-31). Forgiveness is available to all, but we leave it to God’s sovereign grace to cause the transgressor to truly repent in order to be pardoned (Ephesians 2:4).

Those who reject Jesus and His gospel in ignorance must accept Him in repentance in order to receive forgiveness of their sins. Jesus made this abundantly clear: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). It doesn’t matter whether someone misses the way because of ignorance or because of willful rebellion—he has still missed the way.

People are not as ignorant as they may claim, however. No one can be utterly ignorant of God, and no one has an excuse to live in disobedience. The apostle Paul said, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse” (Romans 1:18-20).

Though we may at times sin in ignorance, we can always be assured of God’s forgiveness. The apostle Paul is a classic example of this truth: “Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief” (1 Timothy 1:13). Yet for those who willfully and habitually sin, Peter makes it clear that “if they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and are overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them” (2 Peter 2:20-21).

John gives us clarity on the matter of forgiveness: “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:8-9).

There is a difference between the kind of pride that God hates (Proverbs 8:13) and the kind of pride we can feel about a job well done (Galatians 6:4) or the kind of pride we express over the accomplishment of loved ones (2 Corinthians 7:4). The kind of pride that stems from self-righteousness or conceit is sin, however, and God hates it because it is a hindrance to seeking Him.

Psalm 10:4 explains that the proud are so consumed with themselves that their thoughts are far from God: “In his pride the wicked does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God.” This kind of haughty pride is the opposite of the spirit of humility that God seeks: “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3). The “poor in spirit” are those who recognize their utter spiritual bankruptcy and their inability to come to God aside from His divine grace. The proud, on the other hand, are so blinded by their pride that they think they have no need of God or, worse, that God should accept them as they are because they deserve His acceptance.

Throughout Scripture we are told about the consequences of pride. Proverbs 16:18-19 tells us that “pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall. Better to be lowly in spirit and among the oppressed than to share plunder with the proud.” Satan was cast out of heaven because of pride (Isaiah 14:12-15). He had the selfish audacity to attempt to replace God Himself as the rightful ruler of the universe. But Satan will be cast down to hell in the final judgment of God. For those who rise up in defiance against God, there is nothing ahead but disaster (Isaiah 14:22).

Pride has kept many people from accepting Jesus Christ as Savior. Admitting sin and acknowledging that in our own strength we can do nothing to inherit eternal life is a constant stumbling block for prideful people. We are not to boast about ourselves; if we want to boast, then we are to proclaim the glories of God. What we say about ourselves means nothing in God’s work. It is what God says about us that makes the difference (2 Corinthians 10:18).

Why is pride so sinful? Pride is giving ourselves the credit for something that God has accomplished. Pride is taking the glory that belongs to God alone and keeping it for ourselves. Pride is essentially self-worship. Anything we accomplish in this world would not have been possible were it not for God enabling and sustaining us. “What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?” (1 Corinthians 4:7). That is why we give God the glory—He alone deserves it.

​Hebrews 6:18 builds upon preceding verses by affirming, “So God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us” (NLT). The broader context of this discussion revolves around God’s promises, exemplified through Abraham. Verse 13 underscores how God solidified His promise to Abraham by taking an oath with His name, and He did this to “make the unchanging nature of His purpose very clear.” We can trust in His promises because of His steadfastness. It is impossible for God to lie.

God’s truthfulness is tied to His holiness, a trait characterizing His absolute moral perfection. His holiness also embodies integrity, defined as “unwavering adherence to moral principles.” However, God does not conform to any moral standard; He is the ultimate standard. Due to God’s absolute goodness and complete separation from all forms of evil (including lying), we know His Word is truthful (see John 17:17).

The entire letter to the Hebrews aims to admonish, challenge, and uplift persecuted believers, particularly Jewish converts who might have been tempted to apostatize. Hebrews 6:18 serves as a source of encouragement, as it is God’s unwavering truthfulness and immutability that offer hope. That hope is called “an anchor for the soul, firm and secure” (verse 19). If God were to deceive us about His actions through Jesus, we would have no hope, no anchor. Hence, our confidence in God rests upon His unchanging nature.

Faith is only as valid as its object. As Timothy Keller stressed, “It is not the strength of your faith but the object of your faith that actually saves you. Strong faith in a weak branch is fatally inferior to weak faith in a strong branch” (The Reason for God, Penguin Books, 2009, p. 244). We can have faith in God because it is impossible for Him to lie.

Consider two aircraft, one in good mechanical condition, and the other with a faulty engine. A person will reach his or her destination in the reliable aircraft regardless of the amount of faith he or she has. Even weak faith in the reliable plane is enough to reach the destination safely. Conversely, even strong faith in the faulty craft will not compensate for the plane’s broken condition. It’s not the faith that gets us to our destination, but the vehiclewe are in. So it is with our salvation. It’s not the strength of our faith that saves us but the strength of our Savior. He is the Truth (John 14:6), and it is impossible for Him to lie.

Several other passages affirm God’s immutability and truthfulness. An example is Numbers 23:19, “God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?" The apostle James also asserts that God “does not change like shifting shadows” (James 1:17).

Because it is impossible for God to lie, we can have confidence in the gospel message. We know that, when God declares us forgiven and righteous, He can be trusted. We are welcomed into His kingdom and reconciled to Him because His word is absolute. This confidence permeates our lifestyle, motivating us to live for God. It also produces hope within us and resilience in the face of adversity. In moments of doubt, it is a valuable practice to reflect on God’s unchanging attributes, as revealed in Scripture.



Hebrews 9:2
A tabernacle was prepared. In its first room were the lampstand, the table, and the consecrated bread. This was called the Holy Place.


Daniel 7:25
He will speak out against the Most High and oppress the saints of the Most High, intending to change the appointed times and laws; and the saints will be given into his hand for a time, and times, and half a time.


Revelation 13:18
Here is a call for wisdom: Let the one who has insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and that number is 666.

Daniel 12:10
Many will be purified, made spotless, and refined, but the wicked will continue to act wickedly. None of the wicked will understand, but the wise will understand.

2 Thessalonians 2:3-4
Let no one deceive you in any way, for it will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness—the son of destruction—is revealed. / He will oppose and exalt himself above every so-called god or object of worship. So he will seat himself in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.







Acacia Wood and the Ark

Humanity & Divinity: 


The wood represents the humanity of Jesus Christ, while the gold represents his divinity.

Holy Purpose: The wood symbolizes the strength of character needed to carry God's law.


Usage in the Tabernacle: Beyond the Ark, acacia wood was used for the altar, the table of showbread, and the poles and support pillars of the Tabernacle.


Physical Properties: It is known as a close-grained, durable, and, in some contexts, thorny wood

Biblical Construction: According to Exodus 25:10-11, the Ark was made of acacia wood, plated inside and out with pure gold.


Significance of the Wood: Acacia (shittim) was likely chosen because it was one of the few strong, durable trees available in the Sinai wilderness. It is highly resistant to rot, insects, and decay, ensuring the Ark remained durable for centuries
.



The


​ “seven spirits of God”


are mentioned several

times in

the book of Revelation:



 Revelation 1:4–5, “John, To the seven churches in the province of Asia: Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne, and from Jesus Christ . . .”

 Revelation 3:1, “To the angel of the church in Sardis write: These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God . . .”

Revelation 4:5, “From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. In front of the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God.”

Revelation 5:6, “Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing at the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. The Lamb had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.”


The identity of “the seven spirits” is not explicit in these passages, but arriving at the proper interpretation is fairly straightforward. The “seven spirits” cannot be seven angelic beings such as seraphim or cherubim because of the context of Revelation 1:4. John says that “grace and peace” are coming to the churches from three sources: “him who is, and who was, and who is to come” (verse 4), “the seven spirits before the throne” (verse 4), and “Jesus Christ” (verse 5). This is a depiction of the Trinity: grace and peace are given by the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, the three co-equal Persons of the Godhead.

In Revelation 3:1 Jesus “holds” the seven spirits of God. In John 15:26, Jesus “sends” the Holy Spirit from the Father. Both passages suggest the superordinate role of the Son and the subordinate role of the Spirit.

In Revelation 4:5 the seven spirits of God are symbolized as seven burning lamps that are before God’s throne. This picture agrees with Zechariah’s vision in which he sees the Holy Spirit symbolized as “a solid gold lampstand . . . with a bowl at the top and seven lamps on it” (Zechariah 4:2).

In Revelation 5:6 the seven spirits are the “seven eyes” of the Lamb, and they are “sent out into all the earth.” The seven eyes speak of the Spirit’s (and the Lamb’s) omniscience, and the fact that He is sent into all the earth speaks of His omnipresence.

Once we identify the “seven spirits” as the Holy Spirit, the question remains, why are there “seven” of Him? The Bible, and especially the book of Revelation, uses the number seven to refer to perfection and completion. John’s vision includes a picture of the perfect and complete Holy Spirit.

Isaiah 11:2 also references the Holy Spirit using a seven-fold description: “The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him—the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD.” The prophecy is that the Messiah would be empowered not by seven individual spirits but by the One Spirit, described seven ways:


​
1) The Spirit of the LORD

2) The Spirit of wisdom

3) The Spirit of understanding

4) The Spirit of counsel

5) The Spirit of power

6) The Spirit of knowledge

7) The Spirit of the fear of the Lord

​

The “seven spirits of God”

in the

book of Revelation are thus a reference

to the Holy Spirit

in the perfection of His manifold ministry.

​
​The kingdom of God is referenced often in the gospels (e.g., Mark 1:15; 10:15; 15:43; Luke 17:20) and other places in the New Testament (e.g., Acts 28:31; Romans 14:17; 1 Corinthians 15:50). The kingdom of God is synonymous with the kingdom of heaven. The concept of the kingdom of God takes on various shades of meaning in different passages of Scripture.

Broadly speaking, the kingdom of God is the rule of an eternal, sovereign God over all the universe. Several passages of Scripture show that God is the undeniable Monarch of all creation: “The LORD has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all” (Psalm 103:19). And, as King Nebuchadnezzar declared, “His kingdom is an eternal kingdom” (Daniel 4:3). Every authority that exists has been established by God (Romans 13:1). So, in one sense, the kingdom of God incorporates everything that is.

More narrowly, the kingdom of God is a spiritual rule over the hearts and lives of those who willingly submit to God’s authority. Those who defy God’s authority and refuse to submit to Him are not part of the kingdom of God; in contrast, those who acknowledge the lordship of Christ and gladly surrender to God’s rule in their hearts are part of the kingdom of God. In this sense, the kingdom of God is spiritual—Jesus said His kingdom was not of this world (John 18:36), and He preached that repentance is necessary to be a part of the kingdom of God (Matthew 4:17). That the kingdom of God can be equated with the sphere of salvation is evident in John 3:5–7, where Jesus says the kingdom of God must be entered into by being born again. See also 1 Corinthians 6:9.

There is another sense in which the kingdom of God is used in Scripture: the literal rule of Christ on the earth during the millennium. Daniel said that “the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed” (Daniel 2:44; cf. 7:13–14), and many of the other prophets predicted the same thing (e.g., Obadiah 1:21; Habakkuk 2:14; Micah 4:2; Zechariah 14:9). Some theologians refer to the future, open manifestation of the kingdom of God as the “kingdom of glory” and the present, hidden manifestation of the kingdom of God as the “kingdom of grace.” But both manifestations are connected; Christ has set up His spiritual reign in the church on earth, and He will one day set up His physical reign in Jerusalem.

The kingdom of God has several aspects. The Lord is the Sovereign of the universe, and so in that sense His kingdom is universal (1 Timothy 6:15). At the same time, the kingdom of God involves repentance and the new birth, as God rules in the hearts of His children in this world in preparation for the next. The work begun on earth will find its consummation in heaven (see Philippians 1:6).

The apostle Peter stressed the extreme value and enduring nature of our redemption through Jesus Christ, stating that we “were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” (1 Peter 1:18–19, NKJV).

In the original Greek, the word translated as “you were redeemed” (elytrōthēte) in 1 Peter 1:18 means that believers were “liberated or released by the payment of a price or ransom.” The Jews in Peter’s audience would understand the concept of redemption through the lens of their deliverance from Egypt. Redemption is seen in the Passover and the Jewish system of substitutionary sacrifices (see Exodus 12:1–51; cf. 1 Corinthians 5:7). The Gentiles might comprehend redemption as the payment for a slave to be set free. The New Living Translation illuminates these ideas: “For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And it was not paid with mere gold or silver, which lose their value. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God” (1 Peter 1:18–19, NLT).

Jesus Himself said, “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28, NLT; see also 1 Corinthians 6:20; Galatians 3:13; 1 Timothy 2:6). The death of Jesus Christ on the cross paid the ransom price for our spiritual deliverance from our old, empty way of life. Before salvation, we were slaves to sin (2 Peter 2:19; Titus 3:3), but Christ satisfied our debt to set us free (John 8:31–36; Romans 8:1–2; Colossians 1:13–14).

Jesus paid for our freedom, not with “corruptible things” (NKJV) or “perishable things” (ESV, NIV)—that is, nothing subject to decay. In New Testament times, silver and gold were coins used as currency to buy and sell. They were considered decaying commodities or “corruptible things” because they had no eternal value. Money and currency only have worth in this life on earth.

A little later, Peter states that our salvation is “not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God” (1 Peter 1:23). The cost of our redemption and salvation through the blood of Jesus Christ cannot be valued in terms of money or precious metals. These corruptible things will one day burn up, but we who are born again by the Spirit of God will live forever (John 1:13; 1 Corinthians 9:25; 1 Corinthians 15:53–54; cf. Revelation 20:14–15; Matthew 13:42–43, 50).

Though valuable, earthly possessions and worldly treasures are ultimately transient and cannot attain the eternal salvation of our souls. Instead, our redemption is secured only by the precious blood of Jesus Christ (Psalm 49:7–9, 15). As the perfect sacrifice for sin (Hebrews 9:12–14), Jesus’ substitutionary death on the cross is of infinite worth and permanence.

The central message to believers in 1 Peter 1 is to stay strong and stay the course because “we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay” (Peter 1:4, NLT). We must cultivate holiness and not squander our time living recklessly. We may have to endure hardship and suffering just as Jesus did (1 Peter 2:22–24). But God raised Jesus to glory (1 Peter 1:21), and He will likewise raise us, too (1 Corinthians 6:14). We have been redeemed with an incorruptible ransom. Jesus paid with His precious, eternal-life-giving blood. Thanks to His death and resurrection, we can confidently anticipate the eternal hope of heaven.

No amount of silver and gold can free a lost sinner (see Acts 8:20). We can never be redeemed with corruptible things such as these. But because of God’s great love for us and His immeasurable grace, we have been given the most precious gift of all—the enduring and incorruptible sacrifice of Jesus Christ, His Son (John 3:16; Romans 5:8; 2 Corinthians 9:15).

Wisdom literature often employs metaphorical language to instruct the reader about delicate subjects like married love and sexual relations. The idea that “stolen water is sweet” (Proverbs 9:17) refers to forbidden sexual indulgence.

Using personification, Solomon contrasts wisdom with folly. Both wisdom and folly are like women who invite passing guests into their homes for a feast. The person who accepts wisdom’s invitation makes the critical choice that leads to life: “Come, eat of my bread and drink of the wine I have mixed. Lay aside immaturity, and live, and walk in the way of insight” (Proverbs 9:5–6; cf. John 6:51–56). However, the person who accepts folly’s invitation chooses a path that leads to death (Proverbs 9:18; cf. Romans 8:6).

Earlier, in Proverbs 5:1–23, Solomon warns the young man against adultery. He compares water to physical intimacy: “Drink water from your own cistern, running water from your own well. Should your springs overflow in the streets, your streams of water in the public squares? Let them be yours alone, never to be shared with strangers. May your fountain be blessed, and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth” (Proverbs 5:15–18).

Water was an apt and meaningful illustration in the desert-like conditions of ancient Jerusalem. Keeping a clean and fresh water supply was crucial to sustaining life. Rainwater was collected and stored in hollowed out rocks or underground cisterns lined with plaster-like limestone to prevent them from leaking. Due to the scarcity of rainfall, these cisterns had to be carefully maintained and guarded. Drinking from one’s own private water supply was much preferred over transporting water from a public well or stream.

God builds a wall around marital intimacy, ordaining marriage and the marriage bed as a private and exclusive “fountain” or “spring” for the enjoyment of sexual pleasure. No one but a man and woman joined in marriage are to drink water from this fountain or share in its joy (Exodus 20:14; Leviticus 18:20). In Proverbs 9:17, Solomon uses the idea of “stolen water” as an allusion to illicit, forbidden, extramarital sex.

Stolen water is taken from someone else’s fountain. It is sexual pleasure outside the bounds of what is lawful and proper. Water from one’s own fountain is pure, clean, and refreshing, but stolen water, no matter how sweet it may seem at the time, is polluted by sin. So, what is it about stolen water that makes it so sweet?

For some, the thrill of getting away with something unlawful—the dangerous and secret aspect of an affair, for example—excites and appeals to their baser instincts. The sinful nature craves what it cannot have (Galatians 5:17; Romans 7:14–23). The more prohibited something is, the more tempting and desirable it becomes. In the New Living Translation, Proverbs 9:17 suggests, “Stolen water is refreshing; food eaten in secret tastes the best!” Both “stolen water” and “food eaten in secret” imply forbidden and covert activities.

Nevertheless, in Proverbs 20:17, Solomon warns, “Stolen bread tastes sweet, but it turns to gravel in the mouth” (NLT). The pleasantness of sinful pleasure is short-lived and misleading (Ecclesiastes 2:10–11; Hebrews 11:25; 1 Timothy 5:6). What was initially sweet on the tongue quickly turns to bitterness and death once swallowed (Isaiah 5:20). Folly’s invitation may look and sound attractive. The bread and water she offers may taste sweet, but, eventually, death awaits those who walk through her door (Proverbs 9:18).

God designed physical intimacy not just for the reproduction of human life but for the refreshment and pleasure of couples joined in the covenant bond of marriage (Genesis 1:28; 2:18, 23–24; Matthew 19:4–6; 1 Corinthians 7:32–34; Song of Solomon 4:16—5:1, 19). Sex is God’s gift to strengthen a married couple’s emotional bond. According to Solomon, sexual intimacy within the appropriate bounds of marriage is like a delicious mouthful of pure spring water. But committing adultery is like ingesting polluted water. Stolen water may seem sweet, but it’s like slurping deadly poison from a sewer. Sex outside of marriage may be exciting and enjoyable initially, but it eventually defiles and destroys everyone who partakes of it (Proverbs 6:20–35).




Jesus Heals on the Sabbath

(Matthew 12:9–14; Luke 6:6–11)


1Once again Jesus entered the synagogue, and a man with a withered hand was there. 2In order to accuse Jesus, they were watching to see if He would heal on the Sabbath.

3Then Jesus said to the man with the withered hand, “Stand up among us.” 4And He asked them, “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it?”

But they were silent.

5Jesus looked around at them with anger and sorrow at their hardness of heart. Then He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” So he stretched it out, and it was restored.
6At this, the Pharisees went out and began plotting with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus.




Jesus Heals the Multitudes

(Matthew 4:23–25; Luke 6:17–19)

7So Jesus withdrew with His disciples to the sea, accompanied by a large crowd from Galilee, Judea, 8Jerusalem, Idumea, the region beyond the Jordan, and the vicinity of Tyre and Sidon. The large crowd came to Him when they heard what great things He was doing.


Jesus asked His disciples to have a boat ready for Him so that the crowd would not crush Him. 

For He had healed so many that all who had diseases were pressing forward to touch Him. 

And when the unclean spirits saw Him, they fell down before Him and cried out,


“You are the Son of God!” 


But He warned them sternly not to make Him known.




The Twelve Apostles

(Matthew 10:1–4; Luke 6:12–16)

13Then Jesus went up on the mountain and called for those He wanted, and they came to Him. 

He appointed twelve of them, whom He designated as apostles,ato accompany Him, to be sent out to preach, 15and to have authorityb to drive out demons.

16These are the twelve He appointed:c Simon (whom He named Peter), 17James son of Zebedee and his brother John (whom He named Boanerges, meaning “Sons of Thunder”), 18Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot,d 19and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus.e





A House Divided

(Matthew 12:22–30; Luke 11:14–23)

20Then Jesus went home,f and once again a crowd gathered, so that He and His disciples could not even eat. 21When His family heard about this, they went out to take custody of Him, saying, “He is out of His mind.”
22And the scribes who had come down from Jerusalem were saying, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,g” and, “By the prince of the demons He drives out demons.”

23So Jesus called them together and began to speak to them in parables: “How can Satan drive out Satan? 24If a kingdom is divided against itself, it cannot stand. 25If a house is divided against itself, it cannot stand. 26And if Satan is divided and rises against himself, he cannot stand; his end has come. 27Indeed, no one can enter a strong man’s house to steal his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he can plunder his house.




The Unpardonable Sin

(Matthew 12:31–32)

28Truly I tell you, the sons of men will be forgiven all sins and blasphemies, as many as they utter. But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of eternal sin.”

30Jesus made this statement because they were saying, “He has an unclean spirit.”

​
Sacrilege is irreverence toward a sacred person, place, or thing. Sacrilege occurs when someone purposefully misuses a consecrated object, desecrates a hallowed place, or speaks in an irreverent manner of something related to God or religion. The word has Latin roots: sacer (“sacred”) and legere (“to steal”). At first the term sacrilege likely referred to acts of grave robbers who desecrated tombs but has come to refer to any “stealing” of sacredness from a religious place, object, or person.

King Belshazzar of Babylon committed sacrilege at a banquet when “he gave orders to bring in the gold and silver goblets that . . . had [been] taken from the temple in Jerusalem, so that the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines might drink from them. So they brought in the gold goblets that had been taken from the temple of God in Jerusalem, and . . . as they drank the wine, they praised the gods of gold and silver, of bronze, iron, wood and stone” (Daniel 5:3–4). This was one of the last acts of Belshazzar, for he was killed that very night (verse 30).

Nadab and Abihu, two sons of Aaron, committed sacrilege when “they offered unauthorized fire before the Lord, contrary to his command” (Leviticus 10:1). The misuse of their holy office resulted in tragedy: “Fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord” (verse 2). Obviously, God considers sacrilege to be a serious offense.

The tabernacle (and, later, the temple) in the Old Testament was the place where God would meet with His people. The building and everything contained therein—such as the ark of the covenant—was sprinkled with the blood of a holy sacrifice and therefore set apart for God. Only the priests, who were also consecrated to the Lord for service, were allowed to enter the tabernacle. God struck dead anyone who violated the tabernacle or profaned the sacred articles (Numbers 16:1–40; 2 Samuel 6:6–7). The Holy of Holies was separated from the rest of the tabernacle by a thick veil and could only be entered once a year when the high priest offered a blood sacrifice for the sins of the people. One lesson the tabernacle taught was that God is holy and we are not—and we dare not commit sacrilege against Him.

Jesus warned the Pharisees against their sacrilegious practice of loose oath-taking. In their oaths, the Pharisees tried to make distinctions between the temple and the gold in the temple treasury (the latter being more holy in their eyes) and between the altar and the gift on the altar (the latter being more holy in their eyes). Jesus taught that the temple and everything associated with it was ultimately consecrated to God, so any oath made on any part of the temple was binding before God (Matthew 23:16–22).

One of the most common forms of sacrilege today is the profaning of God’s holy name and the name of our Lord Jesus. This is in direct violation of Exodus 20:7, “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name” (cf. Psalm 139:20). The New Testament prohibits “unwholesome talk” (Ephesians 4:29), which certainly includes using God’s name as a swear word.

Though some churches today have saints and “holy” elements, there is no biblical reason to lift up one person, place, or item as more “sacred” than another. All believers, not just a select few, “are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 2:5). The Old Testament temple is gone, and now we are “God’s building” (1 Corinthians 3:9). Paul asks believers, “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?” (verse 16). If someone today spray paints blasphemies on the side of a church building, it is indeed an act of sacrilege, but not because the wood and stone of the building are holy. It is the intent of the blasphemer to disrespect God, and he aims his action at an accessible, tangible representation of God, in his mind. That intent is what makes the vandalism sacrilege, and God sees the heart.

Even religious systems can promote sacrilege, if they “steal” the sanctity of God and apply it to people or things. Churches that canonize biblical characters or historical figures, pray to saints, command the adoration of iconsor relics, or foster reverence toward physical objects are guilty of sacrilege. People whom God has used should be shown respect and learned from, but they are still sinners saved by grace. Physical objects may have historical significance or meaning as religious symbols, but they should never be knelt before, prayed to, or sought out as a means of procuring grace.
​
To better understand the causes and solutions for a hardened heart, it’s important to understand the broad biblical meaning of the word “heart.” The Bible considers the heart to be the hub of human personality, producing the things we would ordinarily ascribe to the “mind.” For example, Scripture informs us that grief (John 14:1); desires (Matthew 5:28); joy (Ephesians 5:19); understanding (Isaiah 6:10; Matthew 13:15); thoughts and reasoning (Genesis 6:5; Hebrews 4:12; Mark 2:8); and, most importantly, faith and belief (Hebrews 3:12; Romans 10:10; Mark 11:23) are all products of the heart. Also, Jesus tells us that the heart is a repository for good and evil and that what comes out of our mouth – good or bad – begins in the heart (Luke 6:43–45).

Considering this, it’s easy to see how a hardened heart can dull a person’s ability to perceive and understand. Anyone’s heart can harden, even faithful Christians’. In fact, in Mark 8:17–19 we see Jesus’ own disciples suffering from this malady. The disciples were concerned with their meager bread supply, and it was clear that each of them had forgotten how Jesus had just fed thousands with only a few loaves. Questioning them as to the hardness of their hearts, Christ spells out for us the characteristics of this spiritual heart condition as an inability to see, understand, hear, and remember. Regarding this last criterion, too often we forget how God has blessed us and what He has done for us. Similar to the disciples in this instance or the Israelites wandering in the wilderness, when a new calamity arises in our lives, our hearts often fill with fear and concern. Sadly, this simply reveals to God the little faith we have in His promise to take care of us (Matthew 6:32–33; Philippians 4:19). We need to remember not only the many times God has graciously provided for us in our time of need, but also what He has told us: “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (Deuteronomy 31:6; Hebrews 13:5).

Sin causes hearts to grow hard, especially continual and unrepentant sin. Now we know that “if we confess our sins, [Jesus] is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins” (1 John 1:9). However, if we don’t confess our sins, they have a cumulative and desensitizing effect on the conscience, making it difficult to even distinguish right from wrong. And this sinful and hardened heart is tantamount to the “seared conscience” Paul speaks of in 1 Timothy 4:1–2. Scripture makes it clear that if we relentlessly continue to engage in sin, there will come a time when God will give us over to our “debased mind” and let us have it our way. The apostle Paul writes about God’s wrath of abandonment in his letter to the Romans where we see that godless and wicked “men who suppress the truth” are eventually given over to the sinful desires of their hardened hearts (Romans 1:18–24).

Pride will also cause our hearts to harden. The “pride of your heart has deceived you . . . you who say to yourself, ‘who can bring me down to the ground’ . . . I will bring you down declares the LORD” (Obadiah verses 3-4). Also, the root of Pharaoh’s hard-heartedness was his pride and arrogance. Even in the face of tremendous proofs and witnessing God’s powerful hand at work, Pharaoh’s hardened heart caused him to deny the sovereignty of the one, true God. And when King Nebuchadnezzar’s “heart became arrogant and hardened with pride, he was deposed from his royal throne and stripped of his glory . . . until he acknowledged that the Most High God is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and sets over them anyone He wishes” (Daniel 5:20–21). Accordingly, when we’re inclined to do it our way, thinking we can “go it on our own,” it would be wise to recall what King Solomon taught us in Proverbs 14:12 and 16:25: “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.”

So, what then is the antidote for a heart condition such as this? First and foremost, we have to recognize the effect that this spiritual disease has on us. And God will help us to see our heart’s condition when we ask Him: “Search me O God, and know my heart…see if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:23–24). God can heal any heart once we recognize our disobedience and repent of our sins. But true repentance is more than simply a resolute feeling of steadfast determination. Repentance manifests itself in a changed life.

After repenting of our sins, hard hearts begin to be cured when we study God’s Word. “How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart. . . . I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you” (Psalm 119:9–11). The Bible is our manual for living as it is “God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16). If we are to live life to the fullest as God intended, we need to study and obey God’s written Word, which not only keeps a heart soft and pure but allows us to be “blessed” in whatever we do (Joshua 1:8; James 1:25).

Hearts can also become hardened when we suffer setbacks and disappointments in life. No one is immune to trials here on earth. Yet, just as steel is forged by a blacksmith’s hammer, so, too, can our faith be strengthened by the trials we encounter in the valleys of life.




As Paul encouraged the Romans:



“But we also rejoice in our sufferings because


we know that suffering produces

perseverance;

perseverance, character; and character,

hope.


And hope does not disappoint us, because


God has poured out


His love into our hearts

by the


Holy Spirit,

whom He has given us”
​


(Romans 5:3–5).



The term “cheap grace” can be traced back to a book written by German theologian, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, called The Cost of Discipleship, published in 1937. In that book, Bonhoeffer defined “cheap grace” as “the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline. Communion without confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ.” Notice what is emphasized in Bonhoeffer’s definition of cheap grace and what is de-emphasized. The emphasis is on the benefits of Christianity without the costs involved; hence, the adjective cheap to describe it.

A similar debate regarding cheap grace erupted in the 1980s and 1990s in the Lordship Salvation controversy. The controversy began when pastor and theologian John MacArthur objected to a teaching that was becoming popular in evangelical circles called “carnal Christianity.” The reference is to a statement that the apostle Paul made in his first letter to the church at Corinth: “But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ” (1 Corinthians 3:1). The phrase “of the flesh” is the Greek word sarkinos, meaning “flesh.” The word carnalcomes from the Latin word for “flesh.” In the New Testament, flesh can simply mean “skin, flesh, body.” However, Paul often uses it to speak of our sinful nature—that unredeemed part of man with whom the new man in Christ must battle daily (Romans 7; 1 Corinthians 3:1-3; 2 Corinthians 10:2; Galatians 5:16-19).

The idea of carnal Christianity essentially teaches that as long as one makes a profession of faith in Christ, he or she is saved (Romans 10:9), even if there is no immediate obedience to the commands of Jesus and the apostles to live a life of holiness. It is the idea that we can have Jesus as Savior, but not necessarily as Lord. People who advocate for carnal Christianity, or “free grace” as it’s often called, do not deny the necessity of good works (i.e., holy living) for sanctification, but they distinguish the call for salvation from the call to sanctification (or discipleship).

There are many Scripture passages that free grace advocates use to support their position. It is not necessary to cite them all, but two of the most popular and forceful passages are John 3:16 and Romans 10:9.

• For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

• Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9)

Clearly, these passages, and others, teach that the one who believes in Jesus Christ “has eternal life” and “will be saved.” There is no disputing this. However, what people like John MacArthur and others were objecting to is not that salvation and eternal life are free gifts of God’s grace, but rather the teaching that the call to salvation does not also include a call to repentance and holy living. In other words, they were objecting that the doctrine of free grace was becoming a doctrine of cheap grace. What the proponents of Lordship Salvation assert is that salvation is a call to discipleship, that one cannot have Jesus as Savior without also acknowledging Him as Lord.

The New Testament uses the word for “Lord” (kurios) 748 times, and 667 of those times it is used in reference to God or Jesus (e.g., “Jesus Christ our Lord,” Romans 1:4). In contrast, the New Testament uses the word for “savior” (soter) only 24 times. It seems clear that the emphasis in the New Testament is on Jesus Christ as Lord, not as Savior. Now in saying that, it is not meant to downplay or denigrate the saving work of Jesus Christ on the cross. What a glorious and gracious provision God has made for His people in providing Jesus Christ as our atoning sacrifice who thereby guarantees salvation and eternal life for those who believe in Him. Jesus Christ is most certainly our Savior, but this cannot be separated from the fact that Jesus Christ is Lord, and as Lord, He commands and we obey. 

Jesus, in His Great Commission to the 11 remaining disciples, commanded them to go into all the world and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them and teaching them to observe all that He had commanded them (Matthew 28:19-20). Evangelism and discipleship go hand in hand. A disciple is one who observes (keeps, obeys) all that Jesus has commanded. There is no two-stage process in Christianity—first, be saved; then become a disciple. This arbitrary distinction is foreign to the New Testament and therefore foreign to Christianity. 

To play off the title of Bonhoeffer’s book, let’s look at what Jesus said to His disciples about discipleship in Luke 14:25-33. In that passage, Jesus says to the crowds that no one can be His disciple unless they first hate their family (v. 26). Furthermore, the one who cannot bear his own cross cannot be His disciple (v. 27). Two conditions are given by Jesus in order to be His disciple. The first is to be willing to renounce family in order to follow Jesus. The second is to be willing to die, both literally and metaphorically (“die to self”) in order to follow Jesus. Jesus then gives two examples of “counting the cost.” The first is an example of a man who desires to build a tower without first counting the cost of building the tower. After realizing he cannot complete it, he gives up in shame and embarrassment. The second is that of a king preparing to go to battle and making sure he can defend against the superior foe. The point Jesus is making is that discipleship has a cost.

Furthermore, discipleship requires repentance and obedience. At the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, the message He preached was a message of repentance (Matthew 4:17). The message of the apostles after Jesus’ resurrection and ascension was also one of repentance (Acts 2:38). Along with repentance comes obedience. Jesus told a crowd of listeners that salvation and obedience go hand in hand: “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?” (Luke 6:46). Jesus then goes on to differentiate the one who builds his house on the sand from the one who builds his house on the rock, that is, the man who not only hears the words of Jesus, but does them, too.

Cheap grace seeks to hide the cost of discipleship from people. It seeks to claim that as long as we make a profession of faith, we are saved. God’s grace covers all our sins. Again, that is a wonderful truth! The apostle Paul says as much when he writes, “Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 5:20-21). Yet, right after writing that, Paul follows it with this: “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?” (Romans 6:1-2). Salvation by grace alone through faith alone is so much more than simply mouthing the words “Jesus is Lord.” We are not saved by a profession of faith. We are not saved by praying the Sinner’s Prayer. We are not saved by signing a card or walking an aisle. We are saved by a living and active faith (James 2:14-26), a faith that manifests itself in repentance, obedience and love of God and our neighbor. Salvation is not a transaction; it’s a transformation. Paul says it best when he says we are “new creations” in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). There is nothing “cheap” about grace!

​
Matthew 12:31-32
Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. / Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the one to come.

Luke 12:10
And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.

Hebrews 10:29
How much more severely do you think one deserves to be punished who has trampled on the Son of God, profaned the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and insulted the Spirit of grace?

Hebrews 6:4-6
It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, / who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age— / and then have fallen away—to be restored to repentance, because they themselves are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting Him to open shame.

Hebrews 10:26-27
If we deliberately go on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no further sacrifice for sins remains, / but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume all adversaries.

Hebrews 12:17
For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected. He could find no ground for repentance, though he sought the blessing with tears.


he is guilty of eternal sin.”


Matthew 25:46
And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

Hebrews 6:2
instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.

Jude 1:7
In like manner, Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them, who indulged in sexual immorality and pursued strange flesh, are on display as an example of those who sustain the punishment of eternal fire.

1 John 5:16
If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he should ask God, who will give life to those who commit this kind of sin. There is a sin that leads to death; I am not saying he should ask regarding that sin.

Matthew 12:24-28
But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “Only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, does this man drive out demons.” / Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand. / If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand? …

Luke 11:14-20
One day Jesus was driving out a demon that was mute. And when the demon was gone, the man who had been mute spoke. The crowds were amazed, / but some of them said, “It is by Beelzebul, the prince of the demons, that He drives out demons.” / And others tested Him by demanding a sign from heaven. …

Isaiah 63:10
But they rebelled and grieved His Holy Spirit. So He turned and became their enemy, and He Himself fought against them.

Numbers 15:30-31
But the person who sins defiantly, whether a native or foreigner, blasphemes the LORD. That person shall be cut off from among his people. / He shall certainly be cut off, because he has despised the word of the LORD and broken His commandment; his guilt remains on him.”

1 Samuel 2:25
If a man sins against another man, God can intercede for him; but if a man sins against the LORD, who can intercede for him?” But they would not listen to their father, since the LORD intended to put them to death.

Acts 7:51
You stiff-necked people with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit, just as your fathers did.

Mark 12:40
Which devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayers: these shall receive greater damnation.

Matthew 25:46
And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

2 Thessalonians 1:9
Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;

​
Paul’s treatment of self-righteousness is no less scathing than Jesus’ was. He began his great argument in Romans for the grace of God by condemning the Jews’ self-righteous trust in circumcision (Romans 2:17–24). He follows that up in chapter 10, saying that the Jews tried to gain acceptance with God based on their own righteousness, demonstrating ignorance of the true righteousness of God (Romans 10:3). His conclusion is that Christ is the end of the law for righteousness, not man (verse 4).

Paul’s letter to the Galatian church also addressed this issue. These believers were being told that they had to do certain things to be acceptable to God, specifically, to be circumcised. Paul goes so far as to say that this is another gospel and calls those who advocate it “accursed” (Galatians 1:8–9). More tellingly, he tells his readers that, if righteousness could come from their own actions, then Jesus died “for no purpose” (Galatians 2:21), and that righteousness could come “by the law” (Galatians 3:21). Paul’s conclusion about the Galatian believers was that they had been foolish in their attempt to be perfected by the flesh (Galatians 3:1–3).

It would be an understatement to say that every believer is plagued by this attitude. It is in our sin nature to try to do something to merit our salvation. The costly freedom of grace, bought for us by the blood of Jesus with no contribution from us, is difficult for our prideful hearts to understand or appreciate. It is far easier to compare ourselves with one another than it is to recognize that we cannot measure up to the standards of a holy God. However, in Christ we can know true righteousness. In Christ, we can know the forgiveness of sin that comes to us through grace. Because He stood in our place, we benefit from both His sinless life and His sin-bearing death (2 Corinthians 5:21). Because of His sacrifice, we can face our sin and bring it to the cross, rather than try somehow to be good enough for God. Only in the cross can we see the grace that covers all our sin and defeat the constant tendency toward self-righteousness in our hearts.
​
In Romans 1, Paul addresses the Gentile believers at Rome and begins by explaining his mission, which was to preach the gospel to everyone. He concludes his explanation by saying, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: ‘The righteous will live by faith’” (Romans 1:16–17; cf. Habakkuk 2:4).

The word translated “ashamed” means “disgraced” or “personally humiliated.” A person “ashamed” in this way is like someone singled out for misplacing his confidence—he trusted in something, and that something let him down. The word can refer to being dishonored because of forming the wrong alliances. So, when Paul says that he is not ashamed of the gospel, he is saying his confidence in the gospel is not misplaced. There is no disgrace in declaring it. Paul had given his life to proclaiming the truths that Jesus Himself had revealed to him (Acts 9:3–6; 2 Corinthians 12:2–4). He explained to the Romans why he did not believe that he had wrongly identified with Jesus and why proclaiming Jesus’ message was his life’s work.

The application can extend to us as well. Just as Paul placed his confidence in the gospel of Christ, so can we. We can proclaim with boldness the truths that God has revealed in His Word, with no fear that our confidence is misplaced. “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame” (Romans 10:11; cf. Isaiah 28:16). We can rest in the knowledge that the Holy Spirit who inspired the writing of Scripture never changes (2 Peter 1:21; Malachi 3:6; Hebrews 13:8). What was true thousands of years ago is still true. The offer of salvation that was presented to people of the first century is still open to us (Acts 2:39; John 17:20).

To live unashamed of the gospel means we proclaim it, but it also means we apply it to our lives and show we believe it. Paul’s life choices supported his message. He did not preach one thing and live another. We are “ashamed of the gospel” when we allow sin in our lives to go unchecked (Matthew 3:8). When we indulge in worldliness and carnal desires or blatantly disobey scriptural standards, we indicate that we lack confidence in our own message (1 Corinthians 3:3; 1 Peter 2:11). When we “walk in the counsel of the ungodly, stand in the path of sinners, and sit in the seat of scoffers” (Psalm 1:1), we are being ashamed of the gospel. We are not allowing its truth to penetrate our lives so that others see its changing power. To live unashamed of the gospel means that we, like Paul, allow it to dominate our lives to the extent that everyone within our sphere of influence can see that we have “been with Jesus” (Acts 4:13).

It is easier for heaven and earth to disappear than for the least stroke of a pen to drop out of the Law.


And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever,

​

Matthew 19:21

Jesus told him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me.”



Greed is a strong and selfish desire to have more of something, most often money or power. There are many warnings in the Bible about giving in to greed and longing for riches. Jesus warned, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions” (Luke 12:15). “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal… You cannot serve both God and money” (Matthew 6:19, 24b). Did Jesus pursue the acquisition of money? No. On the contrary, He became poor for our sake (2 Corinthians 8:9) and had “no place to lay his head” (Matthew 8:20). Neither did Jesus pursue power. Rather, He instructed, "Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many" (Mark 10:43–45).

Greed and a desire for riches are traps that bring ruin and destruction. “The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil,” and Christians are warned, “Do not put your trust in wealth” (see 1 Timothy 6:9-10, 17-18). Covetousness, or having an excessive or greedy desire for more, is idolatry. Ephesians 5:5 says, “For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person – such a man is an idolater – has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.” The principle to remember is contained in Hebrews 13:5: “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’”

It is the love of money, and not money itself, that is the problem. The love of money is a sin because it gets in the way of worshiping God. Jesus said it was very hard for rich people to enter the Kingdom of God. When the rich young ruler asked Jesus what he should do to inherit eternal life, Jesus told him to sell all his possessions and give the money to the poor. “When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth” (see Matthew 19:16-22). By instructing him to give up his money, Jesus pointed out the young man’s main problem: greed or a love of money. The man could not follow Christ because he was following money. His love of this world interfered with his love for God. 

Greed refuses to be satisfied. More often than not, the more we get, the more we want. Material possessions will not protect us—in this life or eternally. Jesus’ parable of the rich fool in Luke 12:13–21 illustrates this point well. Again, money or wealth is not a problem. The problem is our attitude toward it. When we place our confidence in wealth or are consumed by an insatiable desire for more, we are failing to give God the glory and worship He deserves. We are to serve God, not waste our time trying to become rich (Proverbs 23:4). Our heart’s desire should be to store up riches in heaven and not worry about what we will eat or drink or wear. “But seek first [God’s] kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (see Matthew 6:25-34).




​
The Parable of the Shrewd Manager


1Jesus also said to His disciples, “There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. 2So he called him in to ask, ‘What is this I hear about you? Turn in an account of your management, for you cannot be manager any longer.’

3The manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do, now that my master is taking away my position? I am too weak to dig and too ashamed to beg. 4I know what I will do so that after my removal from management, people will welcome me into their homes.’

5And he called in each one of his master’s debtors. ‘How much do you owe my master?’ he asked the first.
6‘A hundred measures of olive oil,’a he answered. 

‘Take your bill,’ said the manager, ‘sit down quickly, and write fifty.’

7Then he asked another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ 
‘A hundred measures of wheat,’ he replied. 
‘Take your bill and write eighty,’ he told him.

8The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the sons of this age are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the sons of light. 9I tell you, use worldly wealth to make friends for yourselves so that when it is gone, they will welcome you into eternal dwellings.

10Whoever is faithful with very little will also be faithful with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. 11So if you have not been faithful with worldly wealth, who will entrust you with true riches? 12And if you have not been faithful with the belongings of another, who will give you belongings of your own?

13No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”





The Law and the Prophets

14The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all of this and were scoffing at Jesus. 15So He said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is prized among men is detestable before God.

16The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John. Since that time, the gospel of the kingdom of God is being preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it.c 17But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for a single stroke of a pen to drop out of the Law.

18Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery, and he who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.




The Rich Man and Lazarus
​
(John 5:39–47)


19Now there was a rich man dressed in purple and fine linen, who lived each day in joyous splendor. 20And a beggar named Lazarus lay at his gate, covered with sores 21and longing to be fed with the crumbs that fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.

22One day the beggar died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. And the rich man also died and was buried. 23In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham from afar, with Lazarus by his side.

24So he cried out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue. For I am in agony in this fire.’

25But Abraham answered, ‘Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things. But now he is comforted here, while you are in agony. 26And besides all this, a great chasm has been fixed between us and you, so that even those who wish cannot cross from here to you, nor can anyone cross from there to us.’

27‘Then I beg you, father,’ he said, ‘send Lazarus to my father’s house, 28for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also end up in this place of torment.’

29But Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let your brothers listen to them.’
30‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone is sent to them from the dead, they will repent.’
31Then Abraham said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.’”




Matthew 12:13
Then Jesus said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” So he stretched it out, and it was restored to full use, just like the other.

Mark 2:11
“I tell you, get up, pick up your mat, and go home.”

John 5:8
Then Jesus told him, “Get up, pick up your mat, and walk.”

“Stand up among us.”

Luke 6:8
But Jesus knew their thoughts and said to the man with the withered hand, “Get up and stand among us.” So he got up and stood there.

Matthew 9:6
But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins...” Then He said to the paralytic, “Get up, pick up your mat, and go home.”

Mark 5:41
Taking her by the hand, Jesus said, “Talitha koum!” which means, “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”

Matthew 12:10-13
and a man with a withered hand was there. In order to accuse Jesus, they asked Him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?” / He replied, “If one of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will he not take hold of it and lift it out? / How much more valuable is a man than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” …

Matthew 9:4
But Jesus knew what they were thinking and said, “Why do you harbor evil in your hearts?

Luke 5:22-24
Knowing what they were thinking, Jesus replied, “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts? / Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? / But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on the earth to forgive sins…” He said to the paralytic, “I tell you, get up, pick up your mat, and go home.”

John 9:6-7
When Jesus had said this, He spit on the ground, made some mud, and applied it to the man’s eyes. / Then He told him, “Go, wash in the Pool of Siloam” (which means “Sent”). So the man went and washed, and came back seeing.

Matthew 4:23
Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.

Luke 13:14
But the synagogue leader was indignant that Jesus had healed on the Sabbath. “There are six days for work,” he told the crowd. “So come and be healed on those days and not on the Sabbath.”

John 7:23
If a boy can be circumcised on the Sabbath so that the law of Moses will not be broken, why are you angry with Me for making the whole man well on the Sabbath?

Matthew 12:9
Moving on from there, Jesus entered their synagogue,

Luke 14:3-4
So Jesus asked the experts in the law and the Pharisees, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?” / But they remained silent. Then Jesus took hold of the man, healed him, and sent him on his way.

John 3:2
He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs You are doing if God were not with him.”

Isaiah 42:4
He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law.

Daniel 6:10
Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.

Luke 6:8
But he knew their thoughts, and said to the man which had the withered hand, Rise up, and stand forth in the midst. And he arose and stood forth.



Why does Jesus ask the man to do the impossible—to stretch out a withered hand—and what does this require of us?



The "Fellowship of the Withered Hand"

What does it mean to be part of a community that recognizes its own spiritual and physical inadequacies, and to find strength in vulnerability?



Internal Hardness


Are our own hearts hardened like the Pharisees, valuing reputation or rules over the suffering of others?



The olive tree is mentioned frequently in the Bible, from as early as the time of the flood when the dove from the ark brought an olive branch back to Noah, to Revelation 11:4, where the two witnesses are represented as two olive trees. As one of the most highly valued and useful trees known to the ancient Jews, the olive tree is significant for several reasons in the Bible. Its importance in Israel is expressed in the parable of Jotham in Judges 9:8–9: “One day the trees went out to anoint a king for themselves. They said to the olive tree, ‘Be our king.’ But the olive tree answered, ‘Should I give up my oil, by which both gods and humans are honored, to hold sway over the trees?’”

Rather common in the Holy Land, the olive tree is a multi-branched evergreen with a knotted trunk, smooth, ash-colored bark, and oblong, leathery leaves that are silvery green. Mature, cultivated olive trees grow to 20 or more feet in height and produce small flowers of yellow or white around the first of May. When the blooms begin to fall, olives, the fruit of the tree, start to form. At first, the fruit is green but turns to a deep, blue-black or dark green color when the olives are fully ripened and harvested in early fall.

In the ancient Near East, olive trees were an essential source of food (Nehemiah 9:25), lamp oil (Exodus 27:20), medicine (Isaiah 1:6; Luke 10:34), anointing oil (1 Samuel 10:1; 2 Kings 9:3), sacrificial oil (Leviticus 2:4; Genesis 28:18), and wood for furniture (1 Kings 6:23, 31–33).

An extremely slow-growing plant, the olive tree requires years of patient labor to reach full fruitfulness. Being well-suited to grow in the Mediterranean climate, the olive tree played a significant role in the region’s economy. The outer, fleshy part of the oval-shaped fruit is what yields the highly valuable commodity of olive oil. Still today, olive oil is considered good for health.

The olive tree and olive branch have been symbols of peace and reconciliation ever since the account of Noah’s flood. When the dove brought Noah “a plucked olive leaf in its beak,” the olive branch represented new life sprouting on the earth (Genesis 8:11). The olive tree was alive and growing. The promise of the dove’s olive branch was a new beginning for humanity, peace and reconciliation with God, renewal, and revival. The slow and hearty growth of the olive tree also implies establishment and peace. Some of the oldest olive trees in the world still grow today in the Garden of Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives.

The flowering olive tree is a symbol of beauty and abundance in the Bible. The tree’s fruitfulness and ability to thrive suggests the model of a righteous person (Psalm 52:8; Hosea 14:6), whose children are described as “vigorous young olive trees” (Psalm 128:3, NLT). Olive oil was also used in the anointing and coronation of kings, making it an emblem of sovereignty.

Olive tree oil is symbolic of the anointing of the Holy Spirit, as it was used as the carrier for a mixture of spices that made up the holy anointing oil. In Zechariah 4, the prophet has a vision of two olive trees standing on either side of a solid gold lampstand. The olive trees supply the oil that fuels the lamps. The two olive trees represent Zerubbabel and Joshua, the governor and high priest. The Lord encourages them not to trust in financial or military resources, but in the power of God’s Holy Spirit working through them (verse 6). As in other Old Testament analogies, God’s Holy Spirit is represented by the oil of the olive tree.

The process by which olives are beaten and crushed to produce olive oil contains spiritual significance as well. Jesus Christ was beaten and crushed on the cross so that His Holy Spirit would be poured out on the church after His ascension to heaven. In essence, Jesus Christ is God’s olive tree, and the Holy Spirit, His olive oil. It is not mere coincidence that Christ’s agonized prayer, just before His arrest, occured in Gethsemane, a place of many olive trees and whose name means “olive press.”

God uses the imagery of an olive tree in Jeremiah 11:16–17 to remind His people of the covenant relationship He has with them. God’s people (the nation of Israel) are depicted as an olive tree and God as the farmer. He planted them as a beautiful olive tree but warned He would cut them down if they disobeyed His laws and worshiped false gods. The apostle Paul makes use of this imagery to teach a lesson to Gentile believers in Romans 11:17–24. Paul chooses the cultivated olive tree to portray Israel and the wild olive tree to represent Gentile believers. The cultivated olive tree is pruned and nurtured so that it bears much fruit. The fruitless, ineffective branches are trimmed and discarded, but the root remains intact. God has preserved the holy root of Israel and pruned off the worthless branches.

The Gentiles, represented by the wild olive tree in Romans 11, have been grafted into the cultivated olive root. As a wild olive tree, their root was weak. Their branches were incapable of bearing fruit until they were grafted into the nourishing, life-sustaining root of the cultivated olive tree. Gentile believers now share in Israel’s blessings, but Paul warns, “Do not boast that you are better than those branches. But if you do boast—you do not sustain the root, but the root sustains you” (CSB). Paul wants Gentile believers to understand that they have not replaced Israel. God has done a beautiful thing for the Gentiles, but Israel is still God’s chosen nation and the source of the riches of salvation that the Gentiles now enjoy.




Jesus Christ, Israel’s Messiah,


is the root of Jesse,


or the root

of the cultivated olive tree.


From Him,


Israel and the Church draw


their life.







The Sin and Punishment of Judah


“The sin of Judah is written with an iron stylus, 
engraved with a diamond point 
on the tablets of their hearts 
and on the horns of their altars.

Even their children remember their altars and Asherah poles 
by the green trees and on the high hills.

O My mountain in the countryside, 
I will give over your wealth 
and all your treasures as plunder, 
because of the sin of your high places, 
within all your borders.

4And you yourself will relinquish 
the inheritance that I gave you. 
I will enslave you to your enemies 
in a land that you do not know, 
for you have kindled My anger; 
it will burn forever.”
5This is what the LORD says: 
“Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind, 
who makes mere flesh his strength
and turns his heart from the LORD.
6He will be like a shrub in the desert; 
he will not see when prosperity comes. 
He will dwell in the parched places of the desert, 
in a salt land where no one lives.
7But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, 
whose confidence is in Him.
8He is like a tree planted by the waters 
that sends out its roots toward the stream. 
It does not fear when the heat comes, 
and its leaves are always green. 
It does not worry in a year of drought, 
nor does it cease to produce fruit.
9The heart is deceitful above all things 
and beyond cure. 
Who can understand it?
10I, the LORD, search the heart; 
I examine the mindb
to reward a man according to his way, 
by what his deeds deserve.
11Like a partridge hatching eggs it did not lay 
is the man who makes a fortune unjustly. 
In the middle of his days his riches will desert him, 
and in the end he will be the fool.”
Jeremiah’s Prayer for Deliverance
12A glorious throne, exalted from the beginning, 
is the place of our sanctuary.
13O LORD, the hope of Israel, 
all who abandon You will be put to shame. 
All who turn away will be written in the dust, 
for they have abandoned the LORD, 
the fountain of living water.
14Heal me, O LORD, and I will be healed; 
save me, and I will be saved, 
for You are my praise.
15Behold, they keep saying to me, 
“Where is the word of the LORD? 
Let it come now!”
16But I have not run away from being Your shepherd; 
I have not desired the day of despair. 
You know that the utterance of my lips 
was spoken in Your presence.
17Do not become a terror to me; 
You are my refuge in the day of disaster.
18Let my persecutors be put to shame, 
but do not let me be put to shame. 
Let them be terrified, 
but do not let me be terrified. 
Bring upon them the day of disaster 
and shatter them with double destruction.




Restoring the Sabbath

(Nehemiah 13:15–22)

19This is what the LORD said to me: “Go and stand at the gate of the people, through which the kings of Judah go in and out; and stand at all the other gates of Jerusalem.

20Say to them, ‘Hear the word of the LORD, O kings of Judah, all people of Judah and Jerusalem who enter through these gates. 21This is what the LORD says: Take heed for yourselves; do not carry a load or bring it through the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. 22You must not carry a load out of your houses or do any work on the Sabbath day, but you must keep the Sabbath day holy, just as I commanded your forefathers. 23Yet they would not listen or incline their ear, but they stiffened their necks and would not listen or receive My discipline.

24If, however, you listen carefully to Me, says the LORD, and bring no load through the gates of this city on the Sabbath day, and keep the Sabbath day holy, and do no work on it, 25then kings and princes will enter through the gates of this city. They will sit on the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses with their officials, along with the men of Judah and the residents of Jerusalem, and this city will be inhabited forever. 26And people will come from the cities of Judah and the places around Jerusalem, from the land of Benjamin, and from the foothills,cthe hill country, and the Negev, bringing burnt offerings and sacrifices, grain offerings and frankincense, and thank offerings to the house of the LORD.

27But if you do not listen to Me to keep the Sabbath day holy by not carrying a load while entering the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day, then I will kindle an unquenchable fire in its gates to consume the citadels of Jerusalem.’”




Teachings about Divorce

(Mark 10:1–12)

1When Jesus had finished saying these things, He left Galilee and went into the region of Judea beyond the Jordan. 2Large crowds followed Him, and He healed them there.

3Then some Pharisees came and tested Him by asking, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any reason?”

4Jesus answered, “Have you not read that from the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’a 5and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’b? 6So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.”

7“Why then,” they asked, “did Moses order a man to give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?c”
8Jesus replied, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because of your hardness of heart. But it was not this way from the beginning. 9Now I tell you that whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.

10His disciples said to Him, “If this is the case between a man and his wife, it is better not to marry.”

11“Not everyone can accept this word,” He replied, “but only those to whom it has been given. 12For there are eunuchs who were born that way; others were made that way by men; and still others live like eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it.”




Jesus Blesses the Children

(Mark 10:13–16; Luke 18:15–17)

13Then little children were brought to Jesus for Him to place His hands on them and pray for them. And the disciples rebuked those who brought them. 14But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them! For the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” 15And after He had placed His hands on them, He went on from there.




The Rich Young Man

(Mark 10:17–31; Luke 18:18–30)

16Just then a man came up to Jesus and inquired, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to obtain eternal life?”
17“Why do you ask Me about what is good?”e Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.”

18“Which ones?” the man asked. 
Jesus answered, “‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not bear false witness, 19honor your father and mother, and love your neighbor as yourself.’

20“All these I have kept,” said the young man. “What do I still lack?”
21Jesus told him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me.”

22When the young man heard this, he went away in sorrow, because he had great wealth.
23Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

25When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?”
26Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
27“Look,” Peter replied, “we have left everything to follow You. What then will there be for us?”

28Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, in the renewal of all things,g when the Son of Man sits on His glorious throne, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wifeh or children or fields for the sake of My name will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life. 30But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.


​
Mark 10:24
And the disciples were amazed at His words. But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God!

Luke 18:24
Seeing the man’s sadness, Jesus said, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!

it is easier for a camel

Mark 10:25
It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

Luke 18:25
Indeed, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

to pass through the eye of a needle

Mark 10:27
Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.”

Luke 18:27
But Jesus said, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.”

than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

Mark 10:23
Then Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!”

James 2:5
Listen, my beloved brothers: Has not God chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom He promised those who love Him?

1 Timothy 6:17-19
Instruct those who are rich in the present age not to be conceited and not to put their hope in the uncertainty of wealth, but in God, who richly provides all things for us to enjoy. / Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, and to be generous and ready to share, / treasuring up for themselves a firm foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.

Proverbs 11:28
He who trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will thrive like foliage.

1 Timothy 6:9-10
Those who want to be rich, however, fall into temptation and become ensnared by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. / For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. By craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.

James 5:1-3
Come now, you who are rich, weep and wail over the misery to come upon you. / Your riches have rotted and moths have eaten your clothes. / Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and consume your flesh like fire. You have hoarded treasure in the last days.

Luke 6:24
But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort.

Proverbs 28:20
A faithful man will abound with blessings, but one eager to be rich will not go unpunished.

1 John 2:15-17
Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. / For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not from the Father but from the world. / The world is passing away, along with its desires; but whoever does the will of God remains forever.

Revelation 3:17-18
You say, ‘I am rich; I have grown wealthy and need nothing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked. / I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, white garments so that you may be clothed and your shameful nakedness not exposed, and salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see.

Matthew 19:26
But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.

Matthew 23:24
Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.
​
Jeremiah 13:23
Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil.

Matthew 19:21

Jesus told him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me.”





Nebuchadnezzar’s Troubling Dream

1In the second year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams that troubled his spirit, and sleep escaped him. 2So the king gave orders to summon the magicians, enchanters, sorcerers, and astrologersa to explain his dreams. When they came and stood before the king, 3he said to them, “I have had a dream, and my spirit is anxious to understand it.”

4Then the astrologers answered the king in Aramaic,b “O king, may you live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will give the interpretation.”

5The king replied to the astrologers, “My word is final: If you do not tell me the dream and its interpretation, you will be cut into pieces and your houses will be reduced to rubble. 6But if you tell me the dream and its interpretation, you will receive from me gifts and rewards and great honor. So tell me the dream and its interpretation.”

7They answered a second time, “Let the king tell the dream to his servants, and we will give the interpretation.”
8The king replied, “I know for sure that you are stalling for time because you see that my word is final. 9If you do not tell me the dream, there is only one decree for you. You have conspired to speak before me false and fraudulent words, hoping the situation will change. Therefore tell me the dream, and I will know that you can give me its interpretation.”

10The astrologers answered the king, “No one on earth can do what the king requests! No king, however great and powerful, has ever asked anything like this of any magician, enchanter, or astrologer. 11What the king requests is so difficult that no one can tell it to him except the gods, whose dwelling is not with mortals.”
12This response made the king so angry and furious that he gave orders to destroy all the wise men of Babylon. 13So the decree went out that the wise men were to be executed, and men went to look for Daniel and his friends to execute them.




The Dream Revealed to Daniel

14When Arioch, the commander of the king’s guard, went out to execute the wise men of Babylon, Daniel responded with discretion and tact. 15“Why is the decree from the king so harsh?” he asked. 

Then Arioch explained the situation to Daniel. 16So Daniel went in and asked the king to give him some time, so that he could give him the interpretation.

17Then Daniel returned to his house and explained the matter to his friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, 18urging them to plead for mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that Daniel and his friends would not be killed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.

19During the night, the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision, and he blessed the God of heaven 20and declared: 


“Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, 

for wisdom and power belong to Him.
​

21He changes the times and seasons; 
He removes kings and establishes them. 
He gives wisdom to the wise 
and knowledge to the discerning.
22He reveals the deep and hidden things; 
He knows what lies in darkness, 
and light dwells with Him.
23To You, O God of my fathers, 
I give thanks and praise, 
because You have given me 
wisdom and power. 
And now You have made known to me 
what we have requested, 
for You have made known to us 
the dream of the king.”






Daniel Interprets the Dream


24Therefore Daniel went to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon, and said to him, “Do not execute the wise men of Babylon! Bring me before the king, and I will give him the interpretation.”

25Arioch hastily brought Daniel before the king and said to him, “I have found a man among the exiles from Judah who will tell the king the interpretation.”

26The king responded to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, “Are you able to tell me what I saw in the dream, as well as its interpretation?”

27Daniel answered the king, “No wise man, enchanter, medium, or magician can explain to the king the mystery of which he inquires. 28But there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in the latter days. Your dream and the visions that came into your mind as you lay on your bed were these:

29As you lay on your bed, O king, your thoughts turned to the future, and the Revealer of Mysteries made known to you what will happen. 30And to me this mystery has been revealed, not because I have more wisdom than any man alive, but in order that the interpretation might be made known to the king, and that you may understand the thoughts of your mind.

31As you, O king, were watching, a great statuec appeared. A great and dazzling statue stood before you, and its form was awesome. 32The head of the statue was pure gold, its chest and arms were silver, its belly and thighs were bronze,33its legs were iron, and its feet were part iron and part clay.

34As you watched, a stone was cut out,d but not by human hands. It struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay, and crushed them. 35Then the iron, clay, bronze, silver, and gold were shattered and became like chaff on the threshing floor in summer. The wind carried them away, and not a trace of them could be found. But the stone that had struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.
36This was the dream; now we will tell the king its interpretation.

37You, O king, are the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given sovereignty, power, strength, and glory. 38Wherever the sons of men or beasts of the field or birds of the air dwell, He has given them into your hand and has made you ruler over them all. You are that head of gold.


But after you, there will arise another kingdom, inferior to yours. 

Next, a third kingdom, one of bronze, will rule the whole earth.


40Finally, there will be a fourth kingdom as strong as iron; for iron shatters and crushes all things, and like iron that crushes all things, it will shatter and crush all the others. 41And just as you saw that the feet and toes were made partly of fired clay and partly of iron, so this will be a divided kingdom, yet some of the strength of iron will be in it—just as you saw the iron mixed with clay. 42And as the toes of the feet were partly iron and partly clay, so this kingdom will be partly strong and partly brittle. 43As you saw the iron mixed with clay, so the peoplese will mix with one another but will not hold together any more than iron mixes with clay.
44In the days of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will shatter all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, but will itself stand forever. 45And just as you saw a stone being cut out of the mountain without human hands, and it shattered the iron, bronze, clay, silver, and gold, so the great God has told the king what will happen in the future. 
The dream is true, and its interpretation is trustworthy.”





Nebuchadnezzar Promotes Daniel


46At this, King Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face, paid homage to Daniel, and ordered that an offering and incense be presented to him. 47The king said to Daniel, “Your God is truly the God of gods and Lord of kings, the Revealer of Mysteries, since you were able to reveal this mystery.”

48Then the king promoted Daniel and gave him many generous gifts. He made him ruler over the entire province of Babylon and chief administrator over all the wise men of Babylon. 49And at Daniel’s request, the king appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to manage the province of Babylon, while Daniel remained in the king’s court.

The condemnation you are like whitewashed tombs was part of Jesus’ indictment of the scribes and Pharisees in Matthew 23. It is one of seven woes Jesus pronounced on the religious leaders as He confronted them about their hypocrisy.

Whitewashed tombs means exactly what it sounds like: tombs or mausoleums that have been covered with white paint, so they “look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean” (Matthew 23:27). This speaks to the spiritual condition of the scribes and Pharisees. Outwardly, they were holy and clean, but inside they were spiritually dead.

The comparison to whitewashed tombs would have been quite offensive because the Mosaic Law states, “Whoever touches the dead body of any person shall be unclean seven days” (Numbers 19:11, ESV). For a group of people who prided themselves on ceremonial cleanliness and following the law, the accusation that they were full of dead bodies would be insufferable. That was precisely Jesus’ point, though. They may have been ceremonially clean, but, inside, they were the highest level of unclean—full of the death and decay they tried so hard to avoid.

Such a harsh statement from Jesus reveals His anger at the hypocrisy in the religious leaders, who only cared about appearances. They took care of what people could see—and took pride in it—but they neglected what God could see. They “painted the outside,” leaving the inside full of greed and self-indulgence (Matthew 23:25). In their eyes, if they followed the law to the letter, they were holy, and the condition of their hearts wouldn’t matter. Jesus needed to confront the superficiality of these dangerous leaders who did not practice what they preached. The whitewashed tombs were leading themselves and others to death and separation from God (Matthew 23:15).

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus explained that the law was less about what to do and not do and more about changing the heart. One analogy is that the law is like a mirror, revealing the flaws in man and how much they need God, like a mirror showing the food stuck between one’s teeth. The law can reveal uncleanness, but it cannot be used to make a person righteous; only God can do that. The Pharisees were taking the mirror off the wall and trying to use it to pick their teeth. It simply does not work.

Whitewashed tombs work as a good contrast to Jesus Himself, the Son of Man, who came to bring life (John 10:10). He offered rest and grace instead of the impossible burden and condemnation of the Pharisees (Matthew 11:28–30). The superficial cleanness of whitewashed tombs cannot compare to the deep-cleaning blood of Christ (1 John 1:7). “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace” (Ephesians 1:7).
​
In Genesis 3 God metes out various judgments against those who brought sin into His perfect world. Adam, Eve, and the serpent all hear of the consequences of their rebellion. To the serpent God says, in part, “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel” (Genesis 3:15, KJV).

Even in this judgment, there is mercy. God’s curse on the serpent, in particular, was laced with words of hope. The woman mentioned in Genesis 3:15 is Eve. The serpent, addressed directly, is the animal that Satan used to deceive the woman. Some of the curse was directed at the animal (verse 14); at the same time, the curse of God falls upon Satan, who had taken the serpent’s form or body in Eden (cf. the dragon in Revelation 12:9).

As part of the curse, enmity—mutual hatred and ill will—will exist between the woman and the serpent. Later, the same enmity will continue between the woman’s seed or offspring (mankind in general, since Eve is the “mother of all living,” Genesis 3:20) and the serpent’s seed. Their offspring will remain enemies throughout all generations. The serpent’s (metaphorical) offspring are demonic forces and also those people who follow the devil and accomplish his will. Jesus called the Pharisees a “brood of vipers” in Matthew 12:34 and said they belonged to their “father, the devil” in John 8:44. In short, God says that Satan will always be the enemy of mankind. It follows that people who side with Satan will be at perpetual war with God’s elect and that we are engaged in a very real battle between good and evil (Ephesians 6:12).

Genesis 3:15 is a remarkable verse, often called the protoevangelium (literally, “first gospel”), because it is the Bible’s first prediction of a Savior.


The second half of the verse gives two messianic prophecies concerning that Savior:

The first messianic prophecy in Genesis 3:15 is that “he will crush your head.”

That is, the seed of the woman will crush the serpent’s head. The Amplified Bible makes it clear that “the woman’s seed” is more than mankind in general; it is an individual representing all mankind:



“And I will put enmity (open hostility)

Between you and the woman,

And between your seed (offspring) and her Seed;

He shall [fatally] bruise your head.”



The second messianic prophecy in Genesis 3:15 is that “you will strike his heel.” That is, the serpent will bite the heel of “the woman’s seed.” The heel-bite is set in contrast to the head-crush, as the Amplified Bible brings out: “And you shall [only] bruise His heel.”

This passage points to the promise of Jesus’ birth, His redemption, and His victory over Satan. The woman’s offspring is Jesus. Being virgin-born, He is literally the offspring of a woman (Matthew 1:25; Galatians 4:4; cf. Isaiah 7:14). Being the Son of Man, He is the perfect representative of humankind. The devil’s offspring were the evil men and demonic forces who, like a snake, lay in wait for the Savior and struck at Him. Their venomous conspiracy condemned Jesus to be crucified.

But the serpent’s strike did not spell the end of the Offspring of the woman. Jesus rose the third day, breaking the power of death and winning the ultimate victory. With the cross, Jesus “crushed” the devil’s head, defeating him forever. So, in Genesis 3:15, the crushing of the serpent’s head was a picture of Jesus’ triumph over sin and Satan at the cross (cf. John 12:31). The striking of the Messiah’s heel was a picture of the wounding and death of Jesus on the cross. Satan bruised Jesus’ “heel,” but Jesus showed complete dominance over Satan by bruising his “head.”

Satan, although still active in this world, is a defeated foe. His doom is sure: “And the devil . . . was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur” (Revelation 20:10). Until that time, there remains enmity between Satan and God’s children.

The protoevangelium shows us that God always had the plan of salvation in mind and informed us of His plan as soon as sin entered the world. Satan formulated a plan involving the serpent in Eden, but God was way ahead of him, having already ordained the Serpent-crusher. Jesus Christ perfectly fulfilled God’s mission: “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work” (1 John 3:8).

In Romans 10:4, the apostle Paul writes, “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes” (ESV). The Greek word translated as “end” means “aim or purpose.” Christ is the aim and purpose of the law not because He abolished it but because He fulfilled it: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them” (Matthew 5:17, ESV). By fulfilling the law, Christ guarantees the imputation of His righteousness to everyone who believes.

Apart from Christ, no one is righteous (Romans 3:10). The prophet Isaiah bluntly says, “We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away” (Isaiah 64:6, ESV). Unfortunately, Israel had deluded itself into believing that righteousness could be obtained through the law. Paul argues, however, that the law cannot make us righteous. He says, “Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. For by the works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin” (Romans 3:19–20, ESV). The law effectively reveals our sinfulness, but it cannot justify or make us right before God.

Elsewhere, Paul says, “Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith” (Galatians 3:23–24, ESV). The law, then, was a promise of things to come. Nay, it was a promise of the One to come. Christ, in perfect obedience to the Father’s will (John 8:29), fulfilled the righteous requirement of the law and became the end of the law. Those who trust in Christ have received His righteousness; not because we have earned it, but because of His grace: “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith” (Romans 3:23–25, ESV). Salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.

Israel should have known that the law pointed to Christ: “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me” (John 5:39, ESV). However, they were “ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness” (Romans 10:3, ESV). Here, we have a biblical definition of sin. It is failure to submit to God’s righteousness. This is a spiritual and moral failure rather than an intellectual one (see John 3:19–21). To overcome this failure, God “gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16, ESV). In Christ, we graciously receive His righteousness, a righteousness that could not be obtained through our own law-keeping (2 Corinthians 5:21). In this way, Christ is the end of the law.

In John 14:17, Jesus says, “Even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you” (ESV). Because the ESV capitalizes Spirit, modern readers can easily infer that the spirit in question is the Holy Spirit. To understand why Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit as the “Spirit of truth,” let us review the context of John 14.

John 14 is part of the Upper Room Discourse (John 13—17), a collection of teachings delivered by Jesus to His disciples on the night before His crucifixion. In these final moments, the disciples were greatly distressed about the impending departure of their beloved friend, Jesus (John 14:1). For this reason, Jesus took an extended moment to calm their troubled hearts and reassure them that “another Helper” was on the way (John 14:16, ESV).

The Greek term translated as “Helper” (John 14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:7) is paráklētos. The form of this word is passive and means “one who is called alongside.” At the Son’s request, the Father will send another Helper to encourage and exhort the disciples.

John’s use of the term another implies that the disciples already had a helper—the one who would soon depart from the earth. Although the Gospel writers never explicitly refer to Jesus as a paráklētos, the term is applied to Him in 1 John 2:1. Thus, in the context of John 14:16, Jesus promises to send His disciples a helper of the same type, and that helper would continue the ministry that Jesus began.

In John 14:17, the identity of the helper is now revealed: He is the Spirit of truth (cf. John 15:26; 16:13). The Spirit of truth is God the Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Trinity. The Father will send the Spirit to come alongside the disciples. He is called the Spirit of truth because He bears witness to the truth of Jesus Christ (see John 14:6).

In contrast to the work of the Holy Spirit is the work of the devil, a being who does not hold “to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44). Because the unbelieving world remains ensnared by satanic falsehoods, they cannot receive the Spirit of truth (cf. 1 Corinthians 2:14). Tragically, unbelievers prefer to walk by sight and not by faith, failing to understand that sight guarantees nothing.

At the moment of His baptism, Jesus received the Holy Spirit: John bore witness: “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him” (John 1:32, ESV). So, in a sense, the Spirit of truth was already withthe disciples. Following the departure of Jesus, however, the disciples will know the Spirit more intimately because He would be in them (cf. Romans 8:9–11 and Ephesians 1:13–14).

Before the disciples began their ministry, Jesus instructed them to remain in Jerusalem for the promised Holy Spirit: “And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, ‘you heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now’” (Acts 1:4‭–‬5, ESV). Once the Holy Spirit came upon them, they were fully equipped to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ (verse 8).

‬ Believers should be thankful that the Spirit of truth is with us, in us, and upon us. For, without His guidance and light, we could not distinguish truth from error.

Jesus’ words in Matthew 16:18 are the focus of an ongoing debate over who or what “the rock” is that Jesus mentions. The immediate context contains a question that Jesus put to His disciples: “Who do you say I am?” (verse 15). Peter answers, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God” (verse 16), to which Jesus replies, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it” (verses 17–18).

Since ancient times, builders have used cornerstones in their construction projects. A cornerstone was the principal stone, usually placed at the corner of an edifice, to guide the workers in their course. The cornerstone was usually one of the largest, the most solid, and the most carefully constructed of any in the edifice. The Bible describes Jesus as the cornerstone that His church would be built upon. He is foundational. Once the cornerstone was set, it became the basis for determining every measurement in the remaining construction; everything was aligned to it. As the cornerstone of the building of the church, Jesus is our standard of measure and alignment.

The book of Isaiah has many references to the Messiah to come. In several places the Messiah is referred to as “the cornerstone,” such as in this prophecy: “So this is what the sovereign Lord says: ‘See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who trusts will never be dismayed. I will make justice the measuring line and righteousness the plumb line’” (Isaiah 28:16–17). In context, God speaks to the scoffers and boasters of Judah, and He promises to send the cornerstone—His precious Son—who will provide the firm foundation for their lives, if they would but trust in Him.

In the New Testament, the cornerstone metaphor is continued. The apostle Paul desires for the Ephesian Christians to know Christ better: “Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord” (Ephesians 2:19– 21). Furthermore, in 1 Peter 2:6, what Isaiah said centuries before is affirmed in exactly the same words.

Peter says that Jesus, as our cornerstone, is “chosen by God and precious to him” (1 Peter 2:4). The Cornerstone is also reliable, and “the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame” (verse 6).

Unfortunately, not everyone aligns with the cornerstone. Some accept Christ; some reject Him. Jesus is the “stone the builders rejected” (Mark 12:10; cf. Psalm 118:22). When news of the Messiah’s arrival came to the magi in the East, they determined to bring Him gold, frankincense, and myrrh. But when that same news came to King Herod in Jerusalem, his response was to attempt to kill Him. From the very beginning, Jesus was “a stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall” (1 Peter 2:8).

How can people reject God’s chosen, precious cornerstone? Simply put, they want to build something different from what God is building. Just as the people building the tower of Babel rebelled against God and pursued their own project, those who reject Christ disregard God’s plan in favor of their own. Judgment is promised to all those who reject Christ: “Anyone who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; anyone on whom it falls will be crushed” (Matthew 21:44).

In Isaiah 42:8 God states, “I am the LORD, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another, Nor My praise to graven images” (NASB). God’s glory is His honor, splendor, and dignity, and He will not share it with anyone. In telling Israel of how He was sparing them from destruction and giving them new prophecies, God says, “For my own sake, for my own sake, I do this. How can I let myself be defamed? I will not yield my glory to another” (Isaiah 48:11).

God will not give His glory to another because all glory, honor, and praise belong to Him alone. He will not allow His works to be attributed to a false god, which is “nothing at all in the world” (1 Corinthians 8:4). Also, God will not allow humans to take credit for what He does, as if it were our own skill, wisdom, and power that deserve the praise.

God will not give His glory to another because it is immoral for someone to take credit for something he or she did not do. Whether it’s cheating on a test, plagiarizing a book, “stealing valor” by posing as a military veteran, or attempting to take credit for what God has done, it’s wrong. Most people understand that siphoning off the reputation of others or accepting accolades due to someone else is dishonest and dishonorable. For a human being to attempt to take credit for God’s actions is the height of hubris.

King Herod made the mistake of trying to appropriate God’s glory: “Herod, wearing his royal robes, sat on his throne and delivered a public address to the people. They shouted, ‘This is the voice of a god, not of a man.’ Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died” (Acts 12:21–23). In grasping for glory that belongs only to God, Herod was much like Lucifer, who said, just before his fall, “I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High” (Isaiah 14:14).

God will not give His glory to another. He is “the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light. . . . To him be honor and might forever. Amen” (1 Timothy 6:15–16). The Lord our God is worthy “to receive glory and honor and power” (Revelation 4:11). His glory is such that even heaven’s mightiest angels cannot look fully upon Him (Isaiah 6:1–4). There is no boasting in His presence (1 Corinthians 1:28–29).

God will not give His glory to another, which makes Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer all the more astounding, because in it Jesus prayed, “And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began” (John 17:5). Three things of note here: 1) Jesus prays that the Father would give Him glory; 2) Jesus lays claim to a previous glory that was His before the time of creation; and 3) Jesus asserts that His glory was that of the Father’s. In other words, Jesus asks that the Father would give His glory to another, namely Himself; more than that, Jesus proclaims that He has already shared in that divine glory as the pre-existent Son of God.

What are we to make of Jesus’ prayer, in light of Scripture’s unambiguous decree that God will not give His glory to another? Either Jesus is blaspheming, or He is indeed who He claimed: the eternal Son of God who is worthy to “sit on his glorious throne” (Matthew 25:31). We believe that Jesus is “in very nature God” (Philippians 2:6) and that “in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form” (Colossians 2:9). He is worthy to be praised.
​
Job 28:12–19 informs us that wisdom is priceless “beyond rubies.” It cannot be purchased “with the finest gold,” silver, or any precious stones. What, then, did Solomon mean when he said, “Buy the truth and do not sell it—wisdom, instruction and insight as well” (Proverbs 23:23)?

Rather than suggesting that truth, wisdom, instruction, or insight can be bought like a commodity, Solomon urges wisdom seekers to value truth highly and never give it up. Wisdom is the ability to correctly apply truth, knowledge, experience, insight, or common sense. In the original Hebrew, the word translated as “buy” here means “to get something, often through one’s efforts or as compensation.” The “buying” of truth involves effort and sacrifice. The wise person will do whatever it takes to gain truth, wisdom, instruction, and insight, which are far better than gold and silver (see Proverbs 16:16). Once a person takes hold of truth, he should never let it go.

The word rendered “sell” in Proverbs 23:23 comes from a Hebrew verb meaning “to exchange or deliver something for money or its equivalent.” Solomon advises the wise person to get truth and keep it. Don’t exchange truth for anything or sell it later. Truth will hold its value, and the person who has it is truly rich. The apostle Paul warns that godless people have foolishly “exchanged the truth about God for a lie” and pursued idolatry (Romans 1:18–25). Instead of buying the truth, they sell themselves out to the lie of a darkened, shameful, sin-filled life.

Solomon’s encouragement to hold tightly to truth and wisdom echoes in Proverbs 4:7: “The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding.” Truth, discernment, understanding, knowledge, insight—these are all priceless possessions that must be sought out and secured through determined exertion (Proverbs 18:15). The things of God are beyond compare, as Jesus taught in the Parable of the Hidden Treasure: “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field” (Matthew 13:44). Jesus also compared the kingdom of heaven to “a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it” (Matthew 13:45–46).

John Bunyan, in his allegory The Pilgrim’s Progress, illustrates Proverbs 23:23 in the scene of Vanity Fair. The pilgrims Christian and Faithful are passing through Vanity Town, a place that kept a year-round fair. The vendors there “sold all sorts of vanity” (Signet Classics, 1981, p. 84). The two pilgrims stood out from the crowd by adamantly refusing to do any sort of business; in fact, they “cared not so much as to look upon [the merchandise]” (ibid., p. 86). Things quickly came to a head: “One chanced mockingly, beholding the carriage of the men, to say unto them, What will ye buy? But they, looking gravely upon him, answered, ‘We buy the truth.’ [Prov. 23:23] At that there was an occasion taken to despise the men the more; some mocking, some taunting, some speaking reproachfully, and some calling upon others to smite them. At last things came to a hubbub and great stir in the fair, insomuch that all order was confounded” (ibid., p. 86). In a world full of baubles, we, like Bunyan’s brave men, must commit to buying only the truth.

God is the essence of truth (Numbers 23:19; Psalm 33:4; Isaiah 65:16; Jeremiah 10:10; John 3:33), and He wants His people to reflect His truth in their lives (Psalm 15:1–5; Ephesians 4:25). The Lord delights in His children who buy the truth and do not sell it (Proverbs 12:22). To His faithful followers, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31–32).

Jesus Christ is the embodiment and complete revelation of God’s truth: “And we know that the Son of God has come, and he has given us understanding so that we can know the true God. And now we live in fellowship with the true God because we live in fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ. He is the only true God, and he is eternal life” (1 John 5:20, NLT). Jesus told His disciple Thomas, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). When we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we “come to a knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:3–4)—we “buy the truth and not sell it”—we lay hold of the truth and never let it go.

The gospel of our salvation is “the message of truth” (Ephesians 1:13; Galatians 2:5; Colossians 1:5). When we receive Jesus Christ, we also gain “the Spirit of truth” who guides us “into all truth” (John 16:13; see also 1 John 5:6). Jesus explained, “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you” (John 14:16–17; see also John 15:26).

Truth is a rarity, but that’s only part of what makes it so valuable. Truth aligns with what is real; it reflects God’s character; it guides us through life. Once we possess the truth, no amount of wheedling, cajoling, rationalizing, mocking, or threatening should ever cause us to part with it.

Jesus had just finished explaining to the disciples the meaning of the Parable of the Wheat and the Tares, and these two short parables are a continuance of His discussion of the “kingdom of heaven.” He expressed truths about the kingdom in three pairs of parables in Matthew 13: the seed and the sower (vv. 3-23) and the weeds in the field (vv. 24-30); the mustard seed (vv. 31-32) and the leaven (v. 33); and the hidden treasure (v. 44) and the pearl of great price (vv. 45-46). 

The similarities of these two short parables make it clear they teach the same lesson—the kingdom of heaven is of inestimable value. Both parables involve a man who sold all he had to possess the kingdom. The treasure and the pearl represent Jesus Christ and the salvation He offers. And while we cannot pay for salvation by selling all our worldly goods, once we have found the prize, we are willing to give up everything to possess it. But what is attained in exchange is so much more valuable that it is comparable to trading an ounce of trash for a ton of diamonds (Philippians 3:7-9). 

In both parables, the treasures are hidden, indicating that spiritual truth is missed by many and cannot be found by intelligence or power or worldly wisdom. Matthew 13:11-17 and 1 Corinthians 2:7-8, 14 make it clear that the mysteries of the kingdom are hidden from some who are unable to hear, see, and comprehend these truths. The disobedient reap the natural consequences of their unbelief—spiritual blindness. Those whose eyes are opened by the Spirit do discern spiritual truth, and they, like the men in the parable, understand its great value. 

Notice that the merchant stopped seeking pearls when he found the pearl of great price. Eternal life, the incorruptible inheritance, and the love of God through Christ constitute the pearl which, once found, makes further searching unnecessary. Christ fulfills our greatest needs, satisfies our longings, makes us whole and clean before God, calms and quiets our hearts, and gives us hope for the future. The “great price,” of course, is that which was paid by Christ for our redemption. He emptied Himself of His glory, came to earth in the form of a lowly man and shed His precious blood on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins.

As part of the Olivet Discourse, Jesus illustrates events of the end times with a series of parables. One is the parable of the ten virgins (Matthew 25:1–13). The plot of Jesus’ parable runs this way:


• ten virgin bridesmaids await the coming of the bridegroom and the start of the wedding festivities
• five of the bridesmaids foolishly fail to bring extra oil for their lamps
• five of the bridesmaids wisely bring extra oil for their lamps
• all ten of the bridesmaids fall asleep as they wait
• they are roused at midnight when a cry goes out, “Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!”

(Matthew 25:6)

• the foolish virgins ask their companions for oil, since their lamps are going out
• the wise virgins, who have no oil to spare, advise the unprepared to go buy oil somewhere
• while the five foolish virgins are away, the bridegroom comes
• the wise virgins enter the wedding banquet, and the door is shut
• the foolish virgins return but find the door shut against them
• they knock but are refused admittance


In introducing the parable of the ten virgins, Jesus said,

“The kingdom of heaven will be like” this (Matthew 25:1). He states His point of the parable in Matthew 25:13: “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.”

The cultural setting of the parable is a first-century Jewish wedding. D. A. Carson explains the custom: “Normally the bridegroom with some close friends left his home to go to the bride’s home, where there were various ceremonies, followed by a procession through the streets—after nightfall—to his home. The ten virgins may be bridesmaids who have been assisting the bride; and they expect to meet the groom as he comes from the bride’s house. . . . Everyone in the procession was expected to carry his or her own torch. Those without a torch would be assumed to be party crashers or even brigands. The festivities, which might last several days, would formally get under way at the groom’s house” (Expositor’s Bible Commentary, vol. 8, Zondervan Publishing House, 1984, p. 513). The “torch” or “lamp” was either a stick with a rag soaked in oil on the end of it or a lamp with a small oil reservoir and wick.

Either way, maintaining the flame would require the occasional addition of oil.

Some interpret this parable as a picture of the rapture of the church. We believe a better interpretation is that the parable of the ten virgins pictures Christ’s second coming at the end of the tribulation. Our view is that all the parables in this series relate to Israel, not the church. Israel during the end times is the focus of Matthew 24, and Matthew 25 continues that theme. So, in our view, the bridegroom in the parable is Jesus Christ, and the waiting bridesmaids are Israel. Will Israel be ready to receive the Lord as her Messiah? Jesus’ answer in the parable is that some will be ready to enter the kingdom, and some will not.

The underlying message of the parable is that Christ will return at an unknown hour and that His people must be ready. This theme is emphasized in Jesus’ words that close the parable: “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour” (Matthew 25:13).

Earlier in His discourse, Jesus made the same point:

But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.

(Matthew 24:36)

Keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.

(Matthew 24:42)

The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of.

(Matthew 24:50)


Similar calls to vigilance are found elsewhere in Scripture (e.g., 2 Peter 3:10).


To be ready for Christ’s return, a person must have faith in Christ. Whether that person is in the church age or the time of the tribulation, faith in Christ is what saves. We must be born again. To use a metaphor from Jesus’ parable, we must have the oil. The Holy Spirit must indwell us, producing the light of life. Without the Holy Spirit, we are unprepared. It won’t matter how vigorously we knock or how loudly we proclaim, “Lord, Lord!” Only those who, through the Spirit, are prepared for the coming of the Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus gave Peter a three-fold command to “feed my sheep” in John 21:15-17. Each time Jesus said, “Feed my sheep,” it was in response to Peter’s three-fold declaration of love for Jesus. The setting was one of the last of Jesus’ post-resurrection appearances to His disciples on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. Jesus prepared a breakfast of fish and bread for them, and then commissioned Peter with the task of feeding His sheep and tending His lambs.

The three commands, although often translated the same way, are subtly different. The first time Jesus says it, the Greek means literally “pasture (tend) the lambs” (v. 15). The Greek word for “pasture” is in the present tense, denoting a continual action of tending, feeding and caring for animals. Believers are referred to as sheep throughout Scripture. “For he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care” (Psalm 95:7). Jesus is both our Good Shepherd (John 10:11) and the Door of the sheepfold (John 10:9). By describing His people as lambs, He is emphasizing their nature as immature and vulnerable and in need of tending and care.

The second time, the literal meaning is “tend My sheep” (v. 16). In this exchange, Jesus was emphasizing tending the sheep in a supervisory capacity, not only feeding but ruling over them. This expresses the full scope of pastoral oversight, both in Peter’s future and in all those who would follow him in pastoral ministry. Peter follows Jesus’ example and repeats this same Greek word poimaino in his first pastoral letter to the elders of the churches of Asia Minor: “Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, serving as overseers” (1 Peter 5:2).

The third time, the literal translation is “pasture (tend) the sheep” (v. 17). Here Jesus combines the different Greek words to make clear the job of the shepherd of the flock of God. They are to tend, care for, and provide spiritual food for God’s people, from the youngest lambs to the full-grown sheep, in continual action to nourish and care for their souls, bringing them into the fullness of spiritual maturity. The totality of the task set before Peter, and all shepherds, is made clear by Jesus’ three-fold command and the words He chooses.

What is this food with which shepherds are to feed the flock of God? It can be no other than the Word of God. Peter declares that Christians are to desire the pure spiritual milk of the Word so that by it, we can mature in our salvation (1 Peter 2:2). As early as the book of Deuteronomy, we see the Lord describing His Word as food for His people who live not by bread alone, but by every Word that proceeds from His mouth (Deuteronomy 8:3). Jesus reiterates this thought in His temptation in the wilderness (Matthew 4:4). The importance of the Word of God as food for our souls cannot be over-emphasized.

Clearly, the job of the shepherds of God’s people is to provide them with the pure milk of the Word of God so they can move on to the meat and solid food of the spiritually mature (Hebrews 5:12-14). Pastoral ministry should be primarily one of pastors feeding their people the Word of God. Only then can pastors declare, as Peter did, their love for the Lord Jesus.

Psalm 119 is a long acrostic poem dedicated singularly to honoring and proclaiming the value of God’s Word. In verse 105, the psalmist declares to the Lord, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (ESV). Just as a lamp brightens a path for our feet to walk, God’s Word provides the illumination and guidance we need to walk in this world.

The word translated “lamp” in this passage is ner in the original Hebrew. It refers to a small clay lantern with a solitary wick. The psalmist describes the Word of God as a lamp carried on his journey to distinguish the way and keep him from stumbling off course and going astray. The light of God’s Word allows us to see the right direction. It is God’s guidance for our travels through life on earth.

Proverbs 6:23 offers a companion thought: “For this command is a lamp, this teaching is a light, and correction and instruction are the way to life.” The guidance referred to by the biblical writers is not the advice of career counselors or pop magazines but rock-solid truth for navigating difficult moral choices in a dark and fallen world.

Ideas like moral relativism, situational ethics, and subjectivism make staying on the right path all the more challenging and perplexing. Worldly voices claim, “There are many paths to God,” “There’s no such thing as absolute truth,” and “Just do what feels right to you.” If we aren’t careful about the choices we make, if we listen to these voices rather than rely on God’s illuminating truth to guide us on the right roads, we will quickly encounter grief and ruin.

Only God’s Word provides the direction we need. Second Peter 1:19 describes it as a reliable lamp shining in a dark place: “We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.”

The apostle Paul told his young protégé, Timothy, “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16–17, NLT). If we study God’s Word frequently and diligently, if we give it our full attention, it will provide us with the direction, correction, and wisdom we need to succeed in life and do the Lord’s work.

Obeying God’s Word brings blessings and rewards: “Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers. But they delight in the law of the LORD, meditating on it day and night. They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do” (Psalm 1:1–3, NLT; see also Exodus 15:26; Psalm 128:1; James 1:22–25). On his deathbed, King David told his son Solomon, “Keep the charge of the LORD your God, walking in his ways and keeping his statutes, his commandments, his rules, and his testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn” (1 Kings 2:3, ESV).

God’s Word has extraordinary power, says Hebrews 4:12: “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” The Word of God is alive because He is a living God (Hebrews 3:12; 2 Corinthians 6:16). His words are full of energy, life, power, and productivity—they cause things to happen (Psalm 33:9). If we allow it to, if we don’t ignore it, God’s Word will take an active presence in our lives. We can trust the Word of God to accomplish whatever purpose God intends for it and to prosper wherever He sends it (Isaiah 55:11). For this reason, we ought to study it (2 Timothy 2:15), meditate on it (Psalm 119:97), hold firmly to it (Philippians 2:16), and hide it in our hearts (Psalm 119:11).

Christians can say to God, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” because the Word of God is the living energy that actively provides illumination, insight, direction, and guidance for our pilgrimage through a dark and sinful world.

The Parable of the Sower (also known as the Parable of the Four Soils) is found in Matthew 13:3-9; Mark 4:2-9; and Luke 8:4-8. After presenting this parable to the multitude, Jesus interprets it for His disciples in Matthew 13:18-23; Mark 4:13-20; and Luke 8:11-15. 

The Parable of the Sower concerns a sower who scatters seed, which falls on four different types of ground. The hard ground “by the way side” prevents the seed from sprouting at all, and the seed becomes nothing more than bird food. The stony ground provides enough soil for the seeds to germinate and begin to grow, but because there is “no deepness of earth,” the plants do not take root and are soon withered in the sun. The thorny ground allows the seed to grow, but the competing thorns choke the life out of the beneficial plants. The good ground receives the seed and produces much fruit.

Jesus’ explanation of the Parable of the Sower highlights four different responses to the gospel. The seed is “the word of the kingdom.” The hard ground represents someone who is hardened by sin; he hears but does not understand the Word, and Satan plucks the message away, keeping the heart dull and preventing the Word from making an impression. The stony ground pictures a man who professes delight with the Word; however, his heart is not changed, and when trouble arises, his so-called faith quickly disappears. The thorny ground depicts one who seems to receive the Word, but whose heart is full of riches, pleasures, and lusts; the things of this world take his time and attention away from the Word, and he ends up having no time for it. The good ground portrays the one who hears, understands, and receives the Word—and then allows the Word to accomplish its result in his life. The man represented by the “good ground” is the only one of the four who is truly saved, because salvation’s proof is fruit (Matthew 3:7-8; 7:15-20).

To summarize the point of the Parable of the Sower: “A man’s reception of God’s Word is determined by the condition of his heart.” A secondary lesson would be “Salvation is more than a superficial, albeit joyful, hearing of the gospel. Someone who is truly saved will go on to prove it.” May our faith and our lives exemplify the "good soil" in the Parable of the Sower.

In the wilderness of Judea, John the Baptist began his ministry of preparing Israel to receive her Messiah, Jesus Christ. Enormous crowds went to hear John (Matthew 3:5) as he traveled through the region “preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (Luke 3:3). Many people received John’s message, confessed their sins, and were baptized (Matthew 3:6; Mark 1:5). These baptisms stirred up such a commotion that the Pharisees and Sadducees went out to investigate. Aware of their insincerity of heart, John said, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance” (Matthew 3:7–8).

John spoke severely, challenging these religious leaders’ spiritual pride and hypocrisy head-on. They needed to know that God’s judgment for sin was coming. Baptism is an outward symbol of true heart change. John’s baptism was a “baptism of repentance.” Repentance is the act of changing one’s mind that results in a change of actions. Sincere repentance involves turning away from sin both in thought and action. When the crowds came to John for baptism, they were showing their repentance and identifying with a new life. The Phariseesand Sadducees were detached observers at John’s baptism. They claimed to have repented of their sins—sins they eagerly pointed out in others—yet they lived as sinners, all the while denying their own guilt.

The religious leaders of John’s day had refused to submit themselves to God. They thought they were good enough by way of association with Abraham through their Jewish heritage (see Matthew 3:9; John 8:39). But their religious rituals and spiritual “pedigree” were not enough to please God. The only way for sinners to enter a relationship with God is through genuine repentance and faith. These religious leaders should have been setting an example and taking the lead. Instead, they lived in self-righteous, hypocritical denial of their spiritual condition.

John the Baptist warned, “The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire” (Matthew 3:10). The tree represents Israel. If Israel did not repent, it would be cut down and destroyed (see Luke 13:6–10). Only those who genuinely repented and began to produce good fruit would be prepared for the coming of Jesus Christ.

Luke’s gospel gives further insight into what it means to produce fruit in keeping with repentance. John told the people, “Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God. Don’t just say to each other, ‘We’re safe, for we are descendants of Abraham.’ That means nothing, for I tell you, God can create children of Abraham from these very stones’” (Luke 3:8, NLT). John’s baptism of repentance was meant to be the start of a brand new, continuous life of producing fruit in keeping with righteousness. Our family tree won’t earn us a place in heaven or give us an automatic claim to God’s promises. John told the Sadducees and Pharisees who took pride in their lineage to take a more humble view: just as God had made Adam from the dust of the ground, God could raise up children of Abraham from the stones of the wilderness.

At John’s preaching, the people began to ask, “What should we do?” (Luke 3:10). In other words, “What is the fruit in keeping with repentance?” “John answered, ‘Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same’” (Luke 3:11). He told the tax collectors in the crowd, “Don’t collect any more than you are required to” (verse 13). He told the soldiers, “Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely—be content with your pay” (verse 14). Such actions were the “fruit” of repentance in that they showed the genuineness of the change of heart.

When the apostle Paul began his preaching ministry, he, too, spoke of good deeds as proof of genuine repentance: “I preached first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout all Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that all must repent of their sins and turn to God—and prove they have changed by the good things they do” (Acts 26:20, NLT).

The believer’s spiritual life and growth are often compared to a fruit-bearing tree in Scripture. Just as fruit production is proof of life and health in a tree, so are good actions the evidence of spiritual life in Jesus Christ and the presence of God’s Spirit dwelling within a person. Jesus said, “A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions” (Matthew 7:17–20, NLT).

Fruit in keeping with repentance represents the good deeds and changed behaviors that naturally flow from a truly repentant and transformed heart. In James 2:14–26, James teaches extensively on the subject, explaining that “faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless” (verse 17, NLT). James concludes, “Just as the body is dead without breath, so also faith is dead without good works (verse 26, NLT).

Paul prays for the Philippians to be “filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:11). He gives examples of good spiritual fruit: “The Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Galatians 5:22–23, NLT; see also Ephesians 5:9; Colossians 1:10; James 3:17).

The believer’s ability to produce fruit in keeping with repentance depends wholly on our intimate fellowship with Jesus Christ, who said, “Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:4–5, NLT). The root will naturally produce fruit. Fruit in keeping with repentance is the evidence (as well as a result) of a changed mind, transformed life, and ongoing communion with Jesus.

The "trodden winepress of the fury of God" is a biblical metaphor (Isaiah 63:1-6, Revelation 14:19-20) symbolizing Jesus Christ's final, violent judgment against evil and wicked nations. It represents a "day of vengeance," where blood—rather than grape juice—splatters His garments, signifying complete victory and just retribution, often associated with the Battle of Armageddon. 

Jesus cleansed the temple of the money-changers and sellers of merchandise because of His disgust at what they had made of God’s house of prayer and His zeal to purify it from the abuse of ungodly men. Judea was under the rule of the Romans, and the money in current use was Roman coin. However, the Jewish law required that every man should pay a tribute to the service of the sanctuary of “half a shekel” (Exodus 30:11–16), a Jewish coin. It became, therefore, a matter of convenience to have a place where the Roman coin could be exchanged for the Jewish half shekel. The money-changers provided this convenience but would demand a small sum for the exchange. Because so many thousands of people came up to the great feasts, changing money was a very profitable business and one that resulted in fraud and oppression of the poor.

Also, according to the Law, two doves or pigeons were required to be offered in sacrifice (Leviticus 14:22; Luke 2:24). Yet it was difficult to bring them from the distant parts of Judea, so a lucrative business selling the birds sprang up, with the sellers gouging the faithful by charging exorbitant prices. There were other merchants selling cattle and sheep for the temple sacrifices as well. Because of these sellers who preyed on the poor and because of His passion for the purity of His Father’s house, Jesus was filled with righteous indignation. As He overturned the tables of the money-changers, He condemned them for having turned God’s house of prayer into “a den of thieves” (Matthew 21:13). As He did so, His disciples remembered Psalm 69:9, “Zeal for your house consumes me, and the insults of those who insult you fall on me.”

Jesus’ first cleansing of the temple is described in John 2:11–12 as having occurred just after Jesus’ first miracle, the turning of water into wine at the wedding in Cana. John makes it clear that it was “after this” that He went to Capernaum, where He “stayed for a few days.” Then in the next verse (verse 13), John tells us that the “Passover of the Jews was at hand” (NKJV). These verses trace Jesus’ movements over a short period of time from Cana in Galilee to Capernaum and eventually to Jerusalem for the Passover. This is the first of the two times Jesus cleansed the temple. The Synoptic Gospels do not record the temple cleansing mentioned in John 2, instead only recording the temple cleansing that occurred during Passion Week.

The second cleansing of the temple occurred just after Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem the last week of His life. This second cleansing is recorded in Matthew, Mark, and Luke but not in John. There are differences in the two events, aside from their being nearly three years apart. In the first cleansing, temple officials confronted Jesus immediately (John 2:18), whereas in the second cleansing, the chief priests and scribes confronted Him the following day (Matthew 21:17–23). In the first event, Jesus made a whip of cords with which to drive out the sellers, but there is no mention of a whip in the second cleansing. So there are two recorded occasions when Jesus cleansed the temple—the first time at the beginning of His public ministry, and the second time just after His triumphal entry into Jerusalem shortly before He was crucified.





​

​Trodden Winepress



Context

It arises from Isaiah 63:3, where the Lord says, "I have trodden the winepress alone," indicating He alone handles judgment without human assistance.


Imagery

It depicts a grizzly scene where grapes representing the wicked are trampled, and blood flows, sometimes described as reaching to a horse's bridle to symbolize the scale of judgment.



Judgment & Vengeance

It is a final act of justice against those who opposed God and harmed His people.



​Sovereignty

 It shows God’s absolute power and control, acting alone to make things right.



Retribution

The image signifies God's wrath, which is righteous anger against sin.


Often linked to Bozrah (Isaiah 63) or generally

Armageddon (Revelation)



It is the antithesis of salvation, often contrasted with Christ's shed blood as a sacrifice. Some traditions also connect the "mystic winepress" of Christ to the sacramental wine of the Eucharist. ​Spikenard was an expensive perfume mentioned in the Song of Solomon (1:12; 4:13–14) and in the gospels’ accounts of women anointing Jesus (Mark 14:3; John 12:3). The word spikenard is found in the King James Version; other translations simply say “pure nard.”

Spikenard had a strong, distinctive aroma, similar to an essential oil, that clings to skin and hair and continues to give off its heady perfume. It was also thought to have medicinal properties. According to Eastman’s Bible Dictionary, spikenard “is the root of an Indian plant, the Nardostachys jatamansi, of the family of Valeriance, growing on the Himalaya mountains. It is distinguished by its having many hairy spikes shooting out from one root.” The ointment prepared from the root was highly valued. Spikenard symbolized the very best in ancient cultures the way that “Tiffany diamond” or the “gold standard” does to us.

Spikenard had a unique fragrance, and the presence of its aroma was an indication that the very best had been offered. In the Song of Solomon, spikenard is mentioned in reference to the love between bride and groom. In Song of Solomon 1:12, the bride says, “While the king was at his table, my perfume spread its fragrance.” Those words imply that, despite all other fragrances in the room, only his bride’s would matter to the groom. The presence of spikenard represented their passion for each other and their desire to have only the best define their love.

When Mary of Bethany broke her alabaster jar of spikenard (John 12:3) and bathed the feet of Jesus with the oil, she, too, wanted only the best to define her love for Him. It has been speculated that this jar may have been Mary’s dowry or her inheritance. In other words, this jar of spikenard ointment may have been all she had of value, and she poured it out on Him. Her extravagant gift is a picture of the kind of offering expected of each of us. Only the best was worthy of her Lord, and she was willing to give everything as an act of worship. The same should be true of us (see Numbers 18:29).

When Judas rebuked Mary for wasting such a precious ointment (John 12:4–5), Jesus silenced him: “Leave her alone. . . . It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial” (John 12:7). Only Jesus truly understood what He was saying. He knew that in a few days He would be arrested, tried, and crucified. It may well have been that, as He felt the whip lacerate His flesh, as He felt the nails pierce His hands and feet, He could also inhale the fragrance of that gift of spikenard and remember why He was doing this. Mary’s gift may have strengthened and encouraged Him, even throughout His horrific ordeal, as its strong scent still clung to His skin. Mary had not known it at the time she offered her valuable gift, but she was the first to anoint the Son of God as He became no longer simply their teacher but the ultimate sacrifice for the sins of the world (John 1:29; 2 Corinthians 5:12).
​
“But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit” (2 Corinthians 3:18, NASB).

With those few words—“from glory to glory”—Paul sums up our entire Christian life, from redemption and sanctification on earth, to our glorious eternal welcome into heaven. There is a great deal of content packed into those few words. It’s all so important that Paul labors at great length, from 2 Corinthians 2:14 through the end of chapter 5, to open his readers’ eyes to a great truth. Let’s see why that truth matters so much.

The same Greek word for “glory” is used twice in the phrase from glory to glory, yet each usage refers to something different. The first “glory” is that of the Old Covenant—the Law of Moses—while the second is that of the New Covenant, the gospel of Jesus Christ. Both have astonishing splendor.

The Old Covenant was given to Moses directly from God, written by God’s own finger (Exodus 31:18). That root of our Christian faith is glorious indeed; it’s the glory we’re coming “from.” Yet the New Covenant, the glory we’re going “to,” far surpasses that of the Old.

The transformation is from the glory of the Law. Like the stone it was written on, the Law was inflexible and absolute, applying to all Israelites without much regard for individual circumstances (Hebrews 10:28). Though holy, good, and righteous in itself (Romans 7:12), the Law was, for us sinners, the letter that kills us (2 Corinthians 3:6). The Law was an external force to control behavior. In addition, stone, despite its strength, is earthly and will eventually wear away. The Law was merely a temporary guardian (Galatians 3:23–25) until something better came along.

The transformation is to the glory of the New Covenant, which far surpasses the Old in every way. It forgives us of our sin and gives us sinners life (John 6:63). It is written on believers’ hearts by the Holy Spirit (Jeremiah 31:33; 2 Corinthians 3:3), so our obedience to God springs up from within us by God-given desires rather than by threats of legal punishment. In place of a cold set of writings as a guide for pleasing God, we now have Father, Son and Holy Spirit making their home with us, fellowshipping in loving intimacy, teaching us everything we must know and do (John 14:23; 16:13). That position in Christ is as permanent, eternal, and spiritual as God Himself, rather than temporary and earthly.

Paul is intent on directing Christians to focus on the spiritual glory of the New Covenant rather than the physical glory of the Old, as many Jews in his day refused to do. He compared the two types of glory by recalling how Moses absorbed and reflected God’s glory for a time after being in his presence (2 Corinthians 3:7–11, 13; cf. Exodus 34:29–35). Though Moses’ glow had a spiritual cause, there was nothing spiritual about the effect—any person, regardless of his relationship with God, could see the glow on Moses’ face, which he covered with a veil.

Not so the glory of the New Covenant. That can be seen only with a believer’s spiritual eyes—what Paul is doing his best to open, so that we discern the gospel’s glory. So he writes, “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6).

But, as we move from glory to glory, there’s something even more important about the glory of the New Covenant that Christians must understand: its supernatural power to transform us. And that brings us to God’s ultimate purpose and destination for every believer, to transform us into the image of His own beloved Son (2 Corinthians 3:18; Romans 8:28–30; Philippians 3:20–21).

Before he finishes with the topic of being transformed from glory to glory, Paul presents yet one more astonishing claim: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

This is the invitation the Lord makes to all Christians, to have our lives radically transformed here and now, by opening our eyes to see the glorious journey He is taking us on “from glory to glory.”

The phrase earthly treasures originates from Matthew 6:19, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal” (ESV). That command is linked to the one in the next verse, “But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.”

Jesus contrasts earthly treasures with their heavenly counterpart, clearly stating that the latter is more important. Heavenly treasures are eternal, while earthly treasures are temporary and can be destroyed.

The term earthly treasures refers to material wealth and possessions. Treasures encompass anything of significant value, and in the context of Matthew 6:19, it includes riches and assets on earth. Houses, cars, and even clothes fall under earthly treasures. In ancient times, the wealthy prized items like clothing, gold, silver, raiment, etc. Modern definitions of wealth may vary slightly from the ancient priorities, but there is an overlap.

Jesus’ teaching on earthly treasures is part of the Sermon on the Mount. This series of teachings continues to captivate both Christians and non-Christians today, just as it did the initial listeners (Matthew 7:28–29). At the beginning of Matthew 6, Jesus demonstrates how to properly carry out righteous practices like giving, fasting and prayer. He then turns His attention to the subject of money.

The warning against storing earthly treasures seems clear enough, but it raises numerous questions. Is it wrong to save and invest? Is Jesus saying we shouldn’t build wealth? What about financial instruments like a 401(k) or IRA?

Other parts of Scripture suggest the wisdom of proper financial management and savings (Proverbs 13:11, 22; Genesis 41:25–36; Matthew 25:14–30). Prudence and responsible planning are good Christian values. We should exercise caution when using Matthew 6:19 to endorse poverty theology or even Christian minimalism.

Jesus is concerned about our priorities and warns against hoarding—that is, amassing earthly treasures for the sake of it. Many people hoard wealth out of fear of losing it, for social status, or to gain approval. The question is not whether we should manage our money wisely but, rather, why do we save? We should also note the fleeting nature of money and possessions. As the modern saying goes, “You can't take it with you.”

Instead of hoarding money and endlessly acquiring earthly possessions, our focus should be on what God considers most important. After all, our heart is where our treasure lies (Matthew 6:21). Righteousness, wisdom, justice, peace, love, and good deeds have more eternal value than appearing on the Forbes list. We store up heavenly treasures by channeling our resources toward godly concerns. For example, affluent Christians can invest in missionary trips or charity work instead of purchasing unnecessary cars or boats or summer homes.

The principle in Matthew 6:19 can also apply to how much time and energy we allocate to spiritual matters vis-à-vis making money. Being a workaholic is not a Christian trait and can hinder spiritual growth. We should allocate proper time to activities such as Bible reading, prayer, and fellowship of the brethren.

Several biblical passages support Jesus’ teachings on earthly treasures. In his instruction to Timothy, Paul writes,

Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way, they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life. (1 Timothy 6:17–19).

The writer of Hebrews also exhorts us to live a life free from the love of money (Hebrews 13:5). Paul refers to this love as “a root of all kinds of evil” (1 Timothy 6:10), while Solomon regards it as vanity (Ecclesiastes 5:10).

To Jesus, our perspective on earthly treasures matters. He told parables about the rich fool (Luke 12:16–21), the talents (Matthew 25:14–30), and the unjust steward (Luke 16:1–13), all of which deal with the fleeting nature of money, the dangers of materialism, and the importance of responsible stewardship. We are to serve God, not money (Matthew 6:24).






The Leaven of the Pharisees


(Matthew 16:5–12; Mark 8:14–21)


1In the meantime, a crowd of many thousands had gathered, so that they were trampling one another. Jesus began to speak first to His disciples: “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. 2There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, and nothing hidden that will not be made known. 3What you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the housetops.





Fear God Alone

(Matthew 10:26–31)


4I tell you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. 5But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear the One who, after you have been killed, has authority to throw you into hell.a Yes, I tell you, fear Him!

6Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies?b Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. 7And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.






Confessing Christ


(Matthew 10:32–33)


8I tell you, everyone who confesses Me before men, the Son of Man will also confess him before the angels of God. 9But whoever denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God. 10And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.

11When you are brought before synagogues, rulers, and authorities, do not worry about how to defend yourselves or what to say. 12For at that time the Holy Spirit will teach you what you should say.”




The Parable of the Rich Fool

13Someone in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”
14But Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed Me judge or executor between you?”15And He said to them, “Watch out! Guard yourselves against every form of greed, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”

16Then He told them a parable: “The ground of a certain rich man produced an abundance. 17So he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, since I have nowhere to store my crops?’ 18Then he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and will build bigger ones, and there I will store up all my grain and my goods.19Then I will say to myself, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take it easy. Eat, drink, and be merry!”’

20But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be required of you. Then who will own what you have accumulated?’

21This is how it will be for anyone who stores up treasure for himself but is not rich toward God.”




Do Not Worry

(Matthew 6:25–34)

22Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you will wear. 23For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. 24Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storehouse or barn; yet God feeds them. How much more valuable you are than the birds!

25Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

So if you cannot do such a small thing, why do you worry about the rest?

27Consider how the lilies grow: They do not labor or spin.d Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his glory was adorned like one of these. 28If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith!

29And do not be concerned about what you will eat or drink. Do not worry about it.30For the Gentiles of the world strive after all these things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31But seek Hise kingdom, and these things will be added unto you.





Treasures in Heaven

(Matthew 6:19–21)

32Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom.33Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide yourselves with purses that will not wear out, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. 34For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.





Readiness at Any Hour

(Matthew 24:36–51; Mark 13:32–37)

35Be dressed for service and keep your lamps burning. 36Then you will be like servants waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks, they can open the door for him at once. 37Blessed are those servants whom the master finds on watch when he returns. Truly I tell you, he will dress himself to serve and will have them recline at the table, and he himself will come and wait on them. 38Even if he comes in the second or third watch of the night and finds them alert, those servants will be blessed.

39But understand this: If the homeowner had known at what hour the thief was coming,g he would not have let his house be broken into. 40You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour you do not expect.”

41“Lord,” said Peter, “are You addressing this parable to us, or to everyone else as well?”

42And the Lord answered, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the master puts in charge of his servants to give them their portion at the proper time? 43Blessed is that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns.44Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions.

45But suppose that servant says in his heart, ‘My master will be a long time in coming,’ and he begins to beat the menservants and maidservants, and to eat and drink and get drunk. 46The master of that servant will come on a day he does not expect and at an hour he does not anticipate. Then he will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers.

47That servant who knows his master’s will but does not get ready or follow his instructions will be beaten with many blows. 48But the one who unknowingly does things worthy of punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and from him who has been entrusted with much, even more will be demanded.





Not Peace but Division

(Micah 7:1–6; Matthew 10:34–39)

49I have come to ignite a fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!50But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is accomplished!

51Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but division. 52From now on, five in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three. 53They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.




Interpreting the Present Time

(Matthew 16:1–4; Mark 8:11–13)

54Then Jesus said to the crowds, “As soon as you see a cloud rising in the west, you say, ‘A shower is coming,’ and that is what happens. 55And when the south wind blows, you say, ‘It will be hot,’ and it is. 56You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and sky. Why don’t you know how to interpret the present times




Reconciling with an Adversary

(Matthew 5:21–26)

57And why don’t you judge for yourselves what is right? 58Make every effort to reconcile with your adversary while you are on your way to the magistrate. Otherwise, he may drag you off to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and the officer may throw you into prison. 59I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the very last penny.i”
​
In Christian theology, the word holy has two meanings. The holiness of God refers to the unparalleled majesty of His incomparable being and His blameless, faultless, unblemished moral purity (Isaiah 6:1–5; Revelation 4:1–8). Holy also refers to something or someone that has been separated from the common or set aside for God’s use. As an example, Belshazzar profaned the holy temple vessels—those set aside for use by God’s priests—by drinking toasts to his idols (Daniel 5:2–4). Belshazzar’s abuse of these holy artifacts made him guilty of sacrilege.

Unlike His created beings, God is eternal, preeminent, omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent. He was, is, and will be before all things. He is ageless, tireless, and faultless. He is beyond full human comprehension. Indeed, our language lacks the superlatives necessary to justly describe Him. Drawn to Him for His unequaled goodness and majesty, the psalmist wrote, “As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God” (Psalm 42:1, ESV). Nothing or no one satisfies like God, for He is altogether lovely to behold. Earthly treasures will pass away, but the Lord is our great reward and inheritance (Joshua 13:33).

And yet the holiness of God presents something of a dilemma in the hearts and minds of mortal man. We are drawn to Him, for it is He who has made us (Genesis 1:27; Psalm 100:3), but as inherently flawed creatures, we also cower in the all-revealing light of His majestic glory. Just as the Israelites trembled in fear when God appeared to Moses on the mountain in Sinai, we prefer keeping God safely at arm’s length (Exodus 20:18–21). These ambivalent feelings of attraction and dread brought about by the holiness of God are illustrated in the following passage:

“In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said:
‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
the whole earth is full of his glory!’
And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: ‘Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!’” (Isaiah 6:1–5, ESV).

In the numinous presence of the Lord, the prophet Isaiah stood in awestruck wonder, yet the holiness of God caused him to recoil in reverential fear. Similarly, the prophet Daniel and the apostle John demonstrated the same emotional mixture of attraction and dread when ushered into the presence of their majestic Creator (Daniel 8:17; Revelation 1:17).

John wrote, “And I saw what appeared to be a sea of glass mingled with fire—and also those who had conquered the beast and its image and the number of its name, standing beside the sea of glass with harps of God in their hands. And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying,



‘Great and amazing are your deeds,

O Lord God the Almighty!

Just and true are your ways,

O King of the nations!

Who will not fear, O Lord,

and glorify your name?

For you alone are holy.

All nations will come

and worship you,

for your righteous acts have been revealed’”


(Revelation 15:2–4, ESV).



To the redeemed in heaven, the holiness of God is no longer a mystery. In a unified voice of praise, the citizens of heaven declare in Revelation 15 that• God is the author of great and mighty deeds



• God is just and true in His ways

• God is the King of all nations

• God is deserving of our reverential fear and innermost respect

• God is to be glorified

• God alone is holy

• God will not be denied worldwide worship and adoration

• God’s ultimate righteousness will be made manifest



While the holiness of God is much too broad a topic for a single article, below are some key verses that will aid the reader’s understanding:

“You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain” (Exodus 20:7, ESV).

“And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. Pray then like this:



‘Our Father in heaven,

hallowed

be your name’”


(Matthew 6:7–9, ESV).


“For thus says the One who is high and lifted up,
who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy:
‘I dwell in the high and holy place,
and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit,
to revive the spirit of the lowly,
and to revive the heart of the contrite’”


(Isaiah 57:15, ESV).


“There is none holy like the Lord:
for there is none besides you;
there is no rock like our God.
Talk no more so very proudly,
let not arrogance come from your mouth;
for the Lord is a God of knowledge,
and by him actions are weighed”


(1 Samuel 2:2–3, ESV).


“Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy” (1 Peter 1:13–16, ESV).


“I will also praise you with the harp

for your faithfulness, O my God;

I will sing praises to you with the lyre,

O Holy One of Israel.

My lips will shout for joy,

when I sing praises to you;

my soul also, which you have redeemed”


(Psalm 71:22–23, ESV).



The holiness of God should stir our hearts to continual praise and adoration. We delight in Him, for in Him is our ultimate purpose and reason for being (Jeremiah 29:11). No one living apart from God is truly whole. To those who believe, He gives Himself. God is more than a means of achieving a transitory desire or worldly goal, for He is our greatest good. God is an end in Himself.

Though God is worthy of our highest respect and reverential fear, He is neither distant nor aloof (James 2:23). He desires intimacy with us. Despite the sins we have committed, the frequent folly of our thinking, the bouts of pride that stain our character, and the shameful lapses in our faith, God welcomes us with open arms through the redemptive work of His Son, Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:21; Ephesians 2:8–9). It is remarkable that we may approach God as a friend, but we are never to consider Him as our equal.

God’s desire for intimacy with us is not a point to be overlooked. Those who have placed their faith in Christ Jesus as Savior He lovingly adopts as sons and daughters (Ephesians 1:5) and encourages them to call Him “Father” (Romans 8:15; Galatians 4:6). That a holy and blameless God could cherish such dirty-faced orphans, “children of wrath” (Ephesians 2:3), is nearly unimaginable, yet through the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ, the vile and profane are transformed into beloved children and the cherished objects of His most tender affections (1 John 1:7).

We will not achieve holiness or sinless perfection on this side of eternity, but our lives should reflect the immaculate purity of God. The Lord Jesus called us to be “the salt of the earth” (Matthew 5:13). Salt is a preservative, and in these days of moral degradation, may we not be conformed to the behavior and thinking of this decaying planet; rather, may we be ambassadors of Christ and agents of transformation and renewal (2 Corinthians 5:20; Romans 12:2). By imitating the holiness of God, we bring honor to Him and comfort to others.

God is holy. In Him, there is not even the faintest trace of evil. He is impeccably pure, wholly without fault, and uncompromisingly just. God cannot lie. He cannot make wrong decisions. He is blameless, timeless, and sinless. By contrast, we are flawed beings tainted by sin (Isaiah 53:6; 1 John 1:8). By all rights, a holy and righteous God must judge sinners, and the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23); thankfully, we can escape the wrath of God by placing our trust in Christ Jesus as Savior (Hebrews 2:3). Were it not for the gospel of Jesus Christ, the holiness of God would be mankind’s greatest fear, for no sinner can stand in the presence of His blinding glory. But, through a simple act of faith, those who believe in Jesus as Savior have been pardoned (Matthew 9:6). To the lost the holiness of God is a dreadful matter, but to the redeemed the holiness of God is our greatest good.

Jesus said to seek first the kingdom of God in His Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 6:33). The verse’s meaning is as direct as it sounds. We are to seek the things of God as a priority over the things of the world. Primarily, it means we are to seek the salvation that is inherent in the kingdom of God because it is of greater value than all the world’s riches. Does this mean that we should neglect the reasonable and daily duties that help sustain our lives? Certainly not. But for the Christian, there should be a difference in attitude toward them. If we are taking care of God’s business as a priority—seeking His salvation, living in obedience to Him, and sharing the good news of the kingdom with others—then He will take care of our business as He promised—and if that’s the arrangement, where is worrying?

But how do we know if we’re truly seeking God’s kingdom first? There are questions we can ask ourselves. “Where do I primarily spend my energies? Is all my time and money spent on goods and activities that will certainly perish, or in the service of God—the results of which live on for eternity?” Believers who have learned to truly put God first may then rest in this holy dynamic: “…and all these things will be given to you as well.”

God has promised to provide for His own, supplying every need (Philippians 4:19), but His idea of what we need is often different from ours, and His timing will only occasionally meet our expectations. For example, we may see our need as riches or advancement, but perhaps God knows that what truly we need is a time of poverty, loss or solitude. When this happens, we are in good company. God loved both Job and Elijah, but He allowed Satan to absolutely pound Job (all under His watchful eye), and He let that evil woman, Jezebel, break the spirit of His own prophet Elijah (Job 1–2; 1 Kings 18–19). In both cases, God followed these trials with restoration and sustenance.

These “negative” aspects of the kingdom run counter to a heresy that is gaining ground around the world, the so-called "prosperity" gospel. A growing number of false teachers are gathering followers under the message “God wants you to be rich!” But that philosophy is not the counsel of the Bible—and it is certainly not the counsel of Matthew 6:33, which is not a formula for gaining wealth. It is a description of how God works. Jesus taught that our focus should be shifted away from this world—its status and its lying allurements—and placed upon the things of God’s kingdom.

In Matthew 24:24, Jesus warns, “For false christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect—if that were possible.” Similarly, 2 Thessalonians 2:9 says, “The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders.”

When God sent Moses to deliver the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, He performed miraculous signs through Moses to prove that Moses was indeed His messenger. However, Exodus 7:22 states, “But the Egyptian magicians did the same things by their secret arts, and Pharaoh’s heart became hard; he would not listen to Moses…” (see also Exodus 7:11 and 8:7). God later demonstrated His superiority by performing miracles the magicians, or more accurately, the demons who were empowering the magicians, were not able to replicate (Exodus 8:18; 9:11). But the fact remains that Pharaoh’s magicians were able to perform miracles. So, if miracles can be from either God or the demonic world, how are we to discern the difference?

The Bible does not give specific instructions on how to recognize counterfeit miracles. The Bible does, however, give specific instructions on how to recognize counterfeit messengers. “You will recognize them by their fruits” (Matthew 7:16, 20). First John 4:2-6 elaborates, “This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist … They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood.”

These two passages present two methods for recognizing a false teacher. First, examine his/her fruit. Does he/she display the Christlikeness that is a qualification for a messenger from God (1 Timothy 3:1-13)? Second, examine his/her teaching. Is what he/she teaches in agreement with God’s Word (2 Timothy 2:15; 3:16-17; 4:2; Hebrews 4:12)? If the teacher fails either of these tests, he/she is not from God. It does not matter how many miracles are present. If a person does not walk the truth or teach the truth, we can discount any miracles he/she performs. Miracles performed by a false teacher are not from God.

In the New Testament, miracles were performed almost exclusively by the apostles and their close associates. The miracles served to validate the gospel message and the ministry of the apostles (Acts 2:43; 5:12; 2 Corinthians 12:12; Hebrews 2:4). While we should never doubt God’s ability to perform miracles, the biblical purpose of miracles should give us a degree of skepticism concerning reports of modern-day miracles. While it is not biblical to say that God never performs miracles, the Bible is clear that we are to seek after truth, not miracles (Matthew 12:39).

It is an interesting conundrum that miracles in the Bible validated the messenger, and yet today, miracles are not necessarily an indicator for a true messenger of God. The difference is God’s Word. Today we have the complete canon of Scripture, and it is an infallible guide. We have a more sure Word (2 Peter 1:19) we can use to discern whether a messenger and a message is from God. Miracles can be counterfeited. That is why God points us to His Word. Signs and wonders can lead us astray. God’s Word will always light the true path (Psalm 119:105).
​
To be spiritually blind is not to see Christ, and not to see Christ is not to see God (Colossians 1:15-16; 2 Corinthians 4:6). Spiritual blindness is a grievous condition experienced by those who do not believe in God, Jesus Christ, and His Word (Romans 2:8; 2 Thessalonians 2:12). Those who reject Christ are the lost (John 6:68-69). Being spiritually blind, they are perishing (2 Corinthians 4:3-4; Revelation 3:17). They choose not to accept the teachings of Christ and His authority in their lives (Matthew 28:18). They are blind to the manifestations of God as revealed throughout His Word and Jesus Christ (John 1:1; Acts 28:26-27). They are described as those who “do not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:14).

Peter spoke of such people as “scoffers [who] will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires” (2 Peter 3:3; see also Proverbs 21:24; Jude 1:18). Those who reject Christ and His Word are spiritually blind and cannot understand the truth of the Scriptures. The truth sounds foolish to them (Isaiah 37:23; 1 Corinthians 1:18). The Bible describes those denying God as fools (Psalm 14:1; Matthew 7:26). Because of their blindness and rejection of God and His Word, they are in a perilous, unsaved condition (John 12:48; Hebrews 2:2-4).

The spiritually blind are simply unable to understand God’s Word (Matthew 13:13; Deuteronomy 29:4). Jesus said, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. You know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you” (John 14:15-17). Paul echoed this when he told the believers in Rome, “Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to Him” (Romans 8:8-9). Those outside of Christ are not of God because their lives are steeped in the things of the world with all its passions, their eyes blind to the Spirit of God. The Apostle John said, “If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him” but that person’s love “is from the world” (1 John 2:15-16).

The cause of spiritual blindness is made quite clear in the Scriptures: “In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (2 Corinthians 4:4). Paul refers to Satan as the “god of this world.” Extraordinarily evil (John 8:44), Satan destroys the flesh (1 Corinthians 5:5), masquerades as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14), and is the cause of all temptations (Luke 4:2; Hebrews 4:15; 1 Corinthians 7:5). He revels in scheming against and trapping the unbelievers (2 Corinthians 2:11; Ephesians 6:11; 2 Timothy 2:26). Satan’s goal is to devour the weak who fall prey to temptation, fear, loneliness, worry, depression, and persecution (1 Peter 5:8-9).

Without God and left to ourselves, we easily succumb to the devil’s schemes. We can become so mired in the affairs of this world and its moral darkness that, in the end, God turns us over to spiritual blindness and eternal condemnation (John 12:40; Romans 1:24-32). 

As believers, we have the Spirit of God reigning in our lives to ward off the debilitating effects of Satan’s power and the world’s influence (1 John 4:13). John tells us, “Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in Him, and he in God” (1 John 4:15). Satan wars within and without us. His weapons are deceitful and crafty schemes to make us doubt and stumble (2 Corinthians 2:11; Ephesians 4:14). Yet God has provided us with powerful weapons to ward off his flaming arrows (Ephesians 6:10-18). As believers we can overcome the evil one and remain in the Light and never become spiritually blind. For, in truth, Jesus has given us His wonderful promise: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12).

In 1 John 1:1, John begins his letter by proclaiming the Word of life: “‭‭That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life.” The “Word of life” refers to Jesus, and can also refer to the gospel, the message of salvation and reconciliation made possible by the Son of God (Philippians 2:16).

‬‬ The Greek term for “word” is logos, recognized by Greeks as the medium through which God created the world and communicated with His creation. The Jews understood “the word” in the Old Testament as the means through which God created the cosmos (Psalm 33:6). Given these understandings, John aptly introduces Jesus as the Logos in both his Gospel and his first letter, emphasizing Jesus as the One through whom the world was made and life blossomed (John 1:3–4).

Eternal life also comes through Jesus, confirming His role as the Word of life. As John 3:16 indicates, “‭‭For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life” (NLT). Jesus, in John 14:6, identifies Himself as “the way, the truth and the life.”

‬‬ Thus, only the Word of Life imparts true life; seeking eternal life apart from Him proves futile. Jesus is not just the Giver of life; He is life. Believing in the person and redemptive work of the Word of life grants eternal life.

Today, Christians are often considered intolerant for proclaiming Jesus as the only way to God. In light of many options, why should we hold on to the exclusivity of Christ? Even professed Christians struggle with this. However, it is not intolerant for God to possess the key to His presence. He controls access to His home in heaven, just as we possess access to ours on earth.

The crucial question is whether Jesus is who Scripture presents Him to be. If yes, denying His exclusivity would be unloving, especially when we profess Him as Savior. The only loving response to those who are spiritually hungry is to point them to where the Bread is.

Following Jesus’ miracle of the feeding of five thousand, the Lord gave a discourse on His being the Bread of lifethat came down from heaven (John 6:35). Many turned away from Jesus at that time (verse 66). “Then Jesus turned to the Twelve and asked, ‘Are you also going to leave?’ Simon Peter replied, ‘Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words that give eternal life’” (verses 67–68, NLT). The Bread of life is the Word of life, and the disciples recognized this truth.

Jesus is the Word of life, the Logos that gave life at creation and gives life in the new creation.

It has been said that a parable is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning. The Lord Jesus frequently used parables as a means of illustrating profound, divine truths. Stories such as these are easily remembered, the characters bold, and the symbolism rich in meaning. Parables were a common form of teaching in Judaism. Before a certain point in His ministry, Jesus had employed many graphic analogies using common things that would be familiar to everyone (salt, bread, sheep, etc.) and their meaning was fairly clear in the context of His teaching. Parables required more explanation, and at one point in His ministry, Jesus began to teach using parables exclusively.

The question is why Jesus would let most people wonder about the meaning of His parables. The first instance of this is in His telling the parable of the seed and the soils. Before He interpreted this parable, He drew His disciples away from the crowd. They said to Him, “Why do You speak to the people in parables?” (Matthew 13:10). Jesus answered them, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. This is why I speak to them in parables” (Matthew 13:11–13). In the case of Jesus’ story-telling, a prophecy of Isaiah was being fulfilled:



Though seeing, they do not see;

though hearing, they do not hear or understand. . . .

You will be ever hearing but never understanding;

you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.

For this people’s heart has become calloused;

they hardly hear with their ears,

and they have closed their eyes.

Otherwise they might see with their eyes,

understand with their hearts

and turn, and I would heal them.


(Matthew 13:13–15, quoting Isaiah 6:9–10)


Jesus continues speaking to His disciples: “But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear. For truly I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it” (Matthew 13:10–17).

From this point on in Jesus’ ministry, when He spoke in parables, He explained them only to His disciples. But those who had continually rejected His message were left in their spiritual blindness to wonder as to His meaning. He made a clear distinction between those who had been given “ears to hear” and those who persisted in unbelief—ever hearing, but never actually perceiving and “always learning but never able to acknowledge the truth” (2 Timothy 3:7). The disciples had been given the gift of spiritual discernment by which things of the spirit were made clear to them. Because they accepted truth from Jesus, they were given more and more truth. The same is true today of believers who have been given the gift of the Holy Spirit who guides us into all truth (John 16:13). He has opened our eyes to the light of truth and our ears to the sweet words of eternal life.

Our Lord Jesus understood that truth is not sweet music to all ears. Simply put, there are those who have neither interest in nor regard for the deep things of God. So why, then, did He speak in parables? To those with a genuine hunger for God, the parable is both an effective and memorable vehicle for the conveyance of divine truths. Our Lord’s parables contain great volumes of truth in very few words—and His parables, rich in imagery, are not easily forgotten. So, then, the parable is a blessing to those with willing ears. But to those with dull hearts and ears that are slow to hear, the parable is also an instrument of both judgment and mercy.

In 1 Corinthians 6:2, Paul asks the church, “Do you not know that the saints will judge the world?” (ESV). This may have come as a surprise to the Corinthians reading Paul’s letter, and it may come as a surprise to us, but the truth is that the saints will judge the world. In fact, in the next verse, the saints will even “judge angels” (1 Corinthians 6:3)!

Before we look at the context and meaning of Paul’s rhetorical question, let’s understand the meaning of two key words. “Saints,” or hagioi in the Greek, are those who are holy or sacred or set apart. In 1 Corinthians 6:2 the word refers to Christians. Believers are called “saints” (cf. 1 Corinthians 1:2). The Greek word for “will judge” in this passage is krinousin, which can also be translated as “will decree” or “will govern.” The word is used in the Bible to refer to everything from self-examination to official court proceedings to God’s ultimate judgment.

In the context of 1 Corinthians 6:2, Paul is making a point about the behavior of some Corinthian Christians who were taking legal action against fellow Christians—believers were suing other believers in secular courts (verse 6). Paul is dismayed and seeks to correct their behavior: “When one of you has a dispute with another believer, how dare you file a lawsuit and ask a secular court to decide the matter instead of taking it to other believers! . . . If you have legal disputes about such matters, why go to outside judges who are not respected by the church? I am saying this to shame you. Isn’t there anyone in all the church who is wise enough to decide these issues?” (1 Corinthians 6:1, 4–5, NLT). The church should be able to handle such matters internally.

Paul gives a good reason why believers should be able to handle mundane, earthly matters on their own: they are one day going to judge the world! Since Christians will participate in some way in the future judgment of the world, why should they take their current earthly disputes before the world to judge?

Paul does not explain in what way the saints will judge the world, but a similar truth is hinted at in some other passages. For example, Jesus tells His disciples that, in the kingdom, they will “sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel” (Luke 22:30; see also Matthew 19:28). Jesus promises all believers that “to the one who is victorious . . . I will give authority over the nations—that one ‘will rule them with an iron scepter and will dash them to pieces like pottery’—just as I have received authority from my Father” (cf. Revelation 3:21).

Somehow, in some way, the redeemed will participate with God in the future judgment of mankind, and even of angels. Commentator Albert Barnes suggests that “Christians shall be exalted to the right hand of the Judge, and shall encompass his throne; . . . they shall assent to, and approve of his judgment, . . . they shall be elevated to a post of honor and favor, as if they were associated with him in the Judgment. They shall then be regarded as his friends, and express their approbation . . . of the condemnation of the wicked” (Notes on the Bible, 1 Corinthians 6:2).

Believers will indeed judge the world. In view of the weight of the eternal judgment we will participate in, surely we are qualified to determine the comparatively petty, insignificant matters of this world.

Proverbs 16:16 says, “How much better to get wisdom than gold, to get insight rather than silver!” The Bible urges us often to seek wisdom above all things (e.g., Proverbs 4:7). But there are different kinds of wisdom. First Corinthians 3:19 says, “For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight.” And verse 20 says, “The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile.” There is obviously a difference between godly wisdom and worldly wisdom (see James 3:13–17).

Godly wisdom is, of course, from God and honors God. Godly wisdom starts with the fear of God and results in a holy life. Worldly wisdom, on the other hand, is not concerned with honoring God but with pleasing oneself. With worldly wisdom, we may become educated, street-smart, and have “common sense” that enables us to play the world’s game successfully. Godly wisdom enables us to prepare ourselves for eternity. With godly wisdom, we trade earthly values for biblical values (1 John 2:15–16). We recognize we are citizens of another kingdom, and we make choices that reflect that allegiance (Philippians 1:27; 3:20). Having godly wisdom means we strive to see life from God’s perspective and act accordingly.

The book of Proverbs is part of the Bible known as wisdom literature. Proverbs is full of practical instructions for life. Many proverbs contrast the wise with the foolish and warn against repeating foolish actions (e.g., Proverbs 3:35; 14:24; 15:7; 26:11). Everyone makes mistakes, but the wise learn from their mistakes and take steps to avoid repeating them. The foolish may make the same mistake over and over again and never learn their lesson.

Godly wisdom may look very different from worldly wisdom. Jesus highlighted these differences in His Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5—7). For example, He said, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:44–45). Godly wisdom often requires us to do that which is opposite our natural inclinations. Godly wisdom goes against the “conventional wisdom” of the day; it is not focused on self-preservation but on furthering the kingdom of God. We can only live in godly wisdom when we are committed to crucifying our flesh and living in the Spirit (see Galatians 2:20; Ephesians 5:16, 25).

The primary way we gain godly wisdom is by learning God’s Word (Psalm 119:169). “The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple” (Psalm 119:130). No one is born wise; we must acquire wisdom from God if we are to be truly wise: “Your commands are always with me and make me wiser than my enemies. I have more insight than all my teachers, for I meditate on your statutes. I have more understanding than the elders, for I obey your precepts” (Psalm 119:98–100).

Colossians 3:16 says, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God” (ESV). Immersion in God’s Word produces a heart of worship and thanksgiving. That heart of worship becomes fertile soil for seeds of wisdom to grow. Jesus prayed to the Father: “Sanctify them by your truth; your word is truth” (John 17:17). He wants His followers to be set apart from the world, making godly choices and living godly lives (1 Peter 1:15). We can only do that when His Word lives in us.

We can also develop godly wisdom by carefully selecting those who journey through life with us: “Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm” (Proverbs 13:20). Paul instructed the Corinthians to “imitate me as I also imitate Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1, CSB). Those who want godly wisdom will choose for their heroes those who exhibit wisdom in their personal lives.

Scripture tells us to ask for godly wisdom: “But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him” (James 1:5, NASB). God wants us to have His wisdom. He is delighted to give it to us when our hearts are set to receive it. However, James goes on to say, “But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways” (verses 6–8, NASB). God knows the position of our hearts. When we are committed to trusting Him and obeying His Word, He pours out His wisdom on us (see Jeremiah 29:13). But if we want to retain the right to disobey, we are double-minded and may not receive the wisdom we ask for.

Solomon received godly wisdom when he asked the Lord for it (2 Chronicles 1:10–11). He became known for his great wisdom, yet, in his later years, he turned away from following the wisdom he’d been given. He disobeyed the Lord and even began to worship idols (1 Kings 11:1–11). Receiving wisdom did not insure that Solomon would follow the path of wisdom. Sadly, he exchanged his godly wisdom for worldly wisdom, and he suffered for it. The rest of 1 Kings 11 details Solomon’s downfall as the Lord removed His hand of blessing from a man who was once great.


“Indeed, if you call out for insight

and cry

aloud for understanding,

and if you

​look for it as for silver

and search

for it as for hidden treasure,

then you

will understand the fear of the Lord

and find the knowledge of God.

For the Lord gives wisdom;

from his mouth

come knowledge and understanding”


(Proverbs 2:3–6).


The phrase “sign of Jonah” was used by Jesus as a typological metaphor for His future crucifixion, burial, and resurrection. Jesus answered with this expression when asked by the Pharisees for miraculous proof that He was indeed the Messiah. The Pharisees remained unconvinced of Jesus’ claims about Himself, despite His having just cured a demon-possessed man who was both blind and mute. Shortly after the Pharisees accused Jesus of driving out demons by the power of Satan, they said to Him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from you.” He answered, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now something greater than Jonah is here” (Matthew 12:38–41).

To fully appreciate the answer that Jesus gave, we must go to the Old Testament book of Jonah. In its first chapter, we read that God commanded the prophet Jonah to go to the city of Nineveh and warn its people that He was going to destroy it for its wickedness. Jonah disobediently ran from the Lord and headed for the city of Tarshish by boat. The Lord then sent a severe storm that caused the crew of the ship to fear for their lives. Jonah was soon thrown overboard and swallowed by a great fish where he remained for “three days and three nights” (Jonah 1:15–17). After the three-day period, the Lord caused the great fish to vomit Jonah out onto dry land (Jonah 2:10).

It is this three days that Jesus was referring to when He spoke of the sign of Jonah. Jesus had already been producing miracles that were witnessed by many. Jesus had just performed a great sign in the Pharisees’ presence by healing a deaf man who was possessed of a demon. Rather than believe, they accused Jesus of doing this by the power of Satan. Jesus recognized their hardness of heart and refused to give them further proof of His identity. However, He did say that there would be one further sign forthcoming, His resurrection from the dead. This would be their final opportunity to be convinced.

Jesus’ paralleling of the Pharisees with the people of Nineveh is telling. The people of Nineveh repented of their evil ways (Jonah 3:4–10) after hearing Jonah’s call for repentance, while the Pharisees continued in their unbelief despite being eyewitnesses to the miracles of Jesus. Jesus was telling the Pharisees that they were culpable for their unbelief, given the conversion of the people of Nineveh, sinners who had received far less evidence than the Pharisees themselves had witnessed. Interestingly, from the time of Jonah’s preaching, the people of Nineveh had 40 days to repent, and they did, sparing their city from destruction. From the time of Jesus’ preaching, the people of Jerusalem had 40 years, but they did not repent, and Jerusalem was destroyed.

But what are we to make of the phrase “three days and three nights”? Was Jesus saying that He would be dead for three full 24-hour periods before He would rise from the dead? It does not appear so. The phrase “three days and three nights” need not refer to a literal 72-hour period. Rather, according to the Hebrew reckoning of time, the days could refer to three days in part or in whole. Jesus was probably crucified on a Friday (Mark 15:42). According to the standard reckoning, Jesus died at about 3:00 PM (Matthew 27:46) on Friday (day 1). He remained dead for all of Saturday (day 2) and rose from the dead early on Sunday morning (day 3). Attempts to place Jesus’ death on Wednesday to accommodate a literal 72-hour period are probably unnecessary once we take into account the Hebrew method of reckoning of each day as beginning at sundown. So it seems that the expression “three days and three nights” was used as a figure of speech meant to signify any part of three days.

God would often use signs (or miracles) in the Bible to authenticate His chosen messenger. The Lord provided Moses with several miraculous signs in order to prove to others that he was appointed by God (Exodus 4:5–9; 7:8–10;19-20). God sent down fire on Elijah’s altar during Elijah’s contest with the prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18:36–39). He performed this miracle to prove that the God of Israel was the one true God. Jesus Himself would perform many miracles (or “signs”) to demonstrate His power over nature (Matthew 4:23; Mark 6:30–44; Luke 8:22–24; John 6:16–24). The “sign of Jonah” would turn out to be Jesus’ greatest miracle of all. Jesus’ resurrection from the dead would be God’s chief sign that Jesus was Israel’s long-awaited Messiah (Acts 2:23–32) and establish Christ’s claims to deity (Romans 1:3–4).

​

Jesus, in response to the Pharisees’ question “Who do you think you are?” said, “‘Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad.’ ‘You are not yet fifty years old,’ the Jews said to him, ‘and you have seen Abraham!’ ‘I tell you the truth,’ Jesus answered, ‘before Abraham was born, I am!’ At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds” (John 8:56–59). The violent response of the Jews to Jesus’ “I AM” statement indicates they clearly understood what He was declaring—that He was the eternal God incarnate. Jesus was equating Himself with the "I AM" title God gave Himself in Exodus 3:14.

If Jesus had merely wanted to say He existed before Abraham’s time, He would have said, “Before Abraham, I was.” The Greek words translated “was,” in the case of Abraham, and “am,” in the case of Jesus, are quite different. The words chosen by the Spirit make it clear that Abraham was “brought into being,” but Jesus existed eternally (see John 1:1). There is no doubt that the Jews understood what He was saying because they took up stones to kill Him for making Himself equal with God (John 5:18). Such a statement, if not true, was blasphemy and the punishment prescribed by the Mosaic Law was death (Leviticus 24:11–14). But Jesus committed no blasphemy; He was and is God, the second Person of the Godhead, equal to the Father in every way.

Jesus used the same phrase “I AM” in seven declarations about Himself. In all seven, He combines I AM with tremendous metaphors which express His saving relationship toward the world. All appear in the book of John. They are I AM the Bread of Life (John 6:35, 41, 48, 51); I AM the Light of the World (John 8:12); I AM the Door of the Sheep (John 10:7, 9); I AM the Good Shepherd (John 10:11,14); I AM the Resurrection and the Life(John 11:25); I AM the Way, the Truth and the Life (John 14:6); and I AM the True Vine (John 15:1, 5).

Jesus proclaimed Himself to be the “Alpha and Omega” in Revelation 1:8; 21:6; and 22:13. Alpha and omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. Among the Jewish rabbis, it was common to use the first and the last letters of the Hebrew alphabet to denote the whole of anything, from beginning to end. Jesus as the beginning and end of all things is a reference to no one but the true God. This statement of eternality could apply only to God. It is seen especially in Revelation 22:13, where Jesus proclaims that He is “the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”

One of the meanings of Jesus being the “Alpha and Omega” is that He was at the beginning of all things and will be at the close. It is equivalent to saying He always existed and always will exist. It was Christ, as second Person of the Trinity, who brought about the creation: “Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made” (John 1:3), and His Second Coming will be the beginning of the end of creation as we know it (2 Peter 3:10). As God incarnate, He has no beginning, nor will He have any end with respect to time, being from everlasting to everlasting.

A second meaning of Jesus as the “Alpha and Omega” is that the phrase identifies Him as the God of the Old Testament. Isaiah ascribes this aspect of Jesus’ nature as part of the triune God in several places. “I, the Lord, am the first, and with the last I am He” (41:4). “I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God” (Isaiah 44:6). “I am he; I am the first, I also am the last” (Isaiah 48:12). These are clear indications of the eternal nature of the Godhead.

Christ, as the Alpha and Omega, is the first and last in so many ways. He is the “author and finisher” of our faith (Hebrews 12:2), signifying that He begins it and carries it through to completion. He is the totality, the sum and substance of the Scriptures, both of the Law and of the Gospel (John 1:1, 14). He is the fulfilling end of the Law (Matthew 5:17), and He is the beginning subject matter of the gospel of grace through faith, not of works (Ephesians 2:8-9). He is found in the first verse of Genesis and in the last verse of Revelation. He is the first and last, the all in all of salvation, from the justification before God to the final sanctification of His people.

Jesus is the Alpha and Omega, the first and last, the beginning and the end. Only God incarnate could make such a statement. Only Jesus Christ is God incarnate.





The Root of Jesse

​
1Then a shoot will spring up from the stump of Jesse, 
and a Branch from his roots will bear fruit.
2The Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him--
the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, 
the Spirit of counsel and strength, 
the Spirit of knowledge and fear of the LORD.
3And He will delight in the fear of the LORD. 
He will not judge by what His eyes see, 
and He will not decide by what His ears hear,
4but with righteousness He will judge the poor, 
and with equity He will decide for the lowly of the earth. 
He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth 
and slay the wicked with the breath of His lips.
5Righteousness will be the belt around His hips, 
and faithfulness the sash around His waist.
6The wolf will live with the lamb, 
and the leopard will lie down with the goat; 
the calf and young lion and fatling will be together,a
and a little child will lead them.
7The cow will graze with the bear, 
their young will lie down together, 
and the lion will eat straw like the ox.
8The infant will play by the cobra’s den, 
and the toddler will reach into the viper’s nest.
9They will neither harm nor destroy 
on all My holy mountain, 
for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD 
as the sea is full of water.


On that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples. The nations will seek Him,b and His place of rest will be glorious. 11On that day the Lord will extend His hand a second time to recover the remnant of His people from Assyria, from Egypt, from Pathros, from Cush,c from Elam, from Shinar,d from Hamath, and from the islandse of the sea.



He will raise a banner for the nations 
and gather the exiles of Israel; 
He will collect the scattered of Judah 
from the four corners of the earth.

13Then the jealousy of Ephraimf will depart, 
and the adversariesg of Judah will be cut off. 
Ephraim will no longer envy Judah, 
nor will Judah harass Ephraim.

14They will swoop down on the slopes of the Philistines to the west; 
together they will plunder the sons of the east. 

They will lay their hands on Edom and Moab, 
and the Ammonites will be subject to them.
15The LORD will devote to destructionh
the gulfi of the Sea of Egypt; 
with a scorching wind He will sweep His hand 
over the Euphrates.

He will split it into seven streams 
for men to cross with dry sandals.

There will be a highway for the remnant of His people 
who remain from Assyria, 
as there was for Israel 
when they came up from the land of Egypt.
​


First Corinthians 13 is one of the most famous passages in the New Testament. It is often referred to as the “Love Chapter” because it illustrates a biblical understanding of love. It’s in this chapter that Paul speaks of a time when “we shall see face to face” (1 Corinthians 13:12).

In 1 Corinthians 13:1–3, Paul argues that love surpasses all spiritual gifts. Even the greatest spiritual gift is worthless without love.

In 1 Corinthians 13:4–7, Paul describes the characteristics of love. These characteristics emphasize the importance of putting the interests of others above our own (cf. John 15:13; Philippians 2:14).

In 1 Corinthians 13:8–12, Paul speaks to the temporary nature of spiritual gifts and the hope that Christians have for a full, complete, and intimate knowledge of God in the future. This section reminds us that spiritual gifts such as speaking in tongues and prophesying are not eternal. Love, however, is eternal and will never fail (verse 8 and verse 13). Therefore, love is what truly matters.

This section also speaks to the limitations of human understanding. Because of sin and human finitude, we can only know and prophesy in part (1 Corinthians 13:9). Currently, we cannot understand God’s ways (Romans 11:33), nor can we fathom the depths of His love (Ephesians 3:17–19). But when Christ returns, sin will disappear and we will finally see God face to face (1 Corinthians 13:12).

The expression face to face appears in 1 Corinthians 13:12. The full verse reads, “For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.” The event described in this verse is often referred to as the “Beatific Vision” (to see God as He is), promised to Christians when Christ returns: “We know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:2). In our present state, however, we only have an indirect and imperfect knowledge of God’s infinite wisdom, glory, and love. Thus, we cannot see God as He is.

Paul compares our present knowledge of divine things to a dark reflection in a mirror. In New Testament times, a mirror was formed from polished metal, which could only reflect a dim and imperfect image. Yet Paul promises that God will exchange our dim images for a face-to-face encounter with Himself. On that glorious day, the light of God will shine upon us, and we will be free from all darkness. imperfection, and error. We will know Him fully, even as we are fully known by Him. This mutual recognition and understanding is the epitome of a deeply intimate relationship.

The beatific vision has roots in the Old Testament (Genesis 32:20; Exodus 33:11; Deuteronomy 34:10). In Exodus 33:18–23, Moses asks to see God’s glory, but God tells Moses that no one can see His glory and live. However, God allows Moses to see His back, but not Him in His entirety (that is, in His full glory).

In Matthew 5:8, Jesus promises that the pure in heart will see God. Jesus can make this promise because He is the only one who has seen the Father (John 1:18), and whoever has seen Jesus has seen the Father (John 14:9). Jesus is the “radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being” (Hebrews 1:3). And when He returns, we will behold the fullness of God’s glory. On that day, we will see God as He truly is.

This hope for a face-to-face encounter with God gives Christians peace and comfort, even in difficult circumstances. When this life comes to an end, we will see and be seen by the One who loved us enough to die for us (John 3:16; Romans 5:8).




Unity in the Body

(Psalm 133:1–3; 1 Corinthians 1:10–17)


1As a prisoner in the Lord, then, I urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling you have received: 2with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3and with diligence to preserve the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

4There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; 5one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
7Now to each one of us grace has been given according to the measure of the gift of Christ. 8This is why it says:

“When He ascended on high, 
He led captives away, 
and gave gifts to men.”

9What does “He ascended” mean, except that He also descendedc to the lower parts of the earth? 10He who descended is the very One who ascended above all the heavens, in order to fill all things.

11And it was He who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, 12to equip the saints for works of ministry and to build up the body of Christ, 13until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God, as we mature to the full measure of the stature of Christ.

14Then we will no longer be infants, tossed about by the waves and carried around by every wind of teaching and by the clever cunning of men in their deceitful scheming. 15Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into Christ Himself, who is the head. 16From Him the whole body, fitted and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love through the work of each individual part.



New Life in Christ 

(Colossians 3:1–17)

17So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. 18They are darkened in their understanding and alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardness of their hearts. 19Having lost all sense of shame, they have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity, with a craving for more.

20But this is not the way you came to know Christ. 21Surely you heard of Him and were taught in Him—in keeping with the truth that is in Jesus— 22to put off your former way of life, your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires;23to be renewed in the spirit of your minds; 24and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

25Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one another. 26“Be angry, yet do not sin.”d Do not let the sun set upon your anger, 27and do not give the devil a foothold.

28He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing good with his own hands, that he may have something to share with the one in need.

29Let no unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building up the one in need and bringing grace to those who listen.

30And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
31Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, outcry and slander, along with every form of malice. 32Be kind and tenderhearted to one another, forgiving each other just as in Christ God forgave you.





​Create in Me a Clean Heart, O God

(2 Samuel 12:1–12)


For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. When Nathan the prophet came to him after his adultery with Bathsheba. 

1 Have mercy on me,a O God, 
according to Your loving devotion; 
according to Your great compassion, 
blot out my transgressions.
2Wash me clean of my iniquity 
and cleanse me from my sin.
3For I know my transgressions, 
and my sin is always before me.
4Against You, You only, have I sinned 
and done what is evil in Your sight, 
so that You may be proved right when You speak 
and blameless when You judge.b
5Surely I was brought forth in iniquity; 
I was sinful when my mother conceived me.
6Surely You desire truth in the inmost being; 
You teach me wisdom in the inmost place.
7Purify me with hyssop, and I will be clean; 
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
8Let me hear joy and gladness; 
let the bones You have crushed rejoice.
9Hide Your face from my sins 
and blot out all my iniquities.
10Create in me a clean heart, O God, 
and renew a right spirit within me.
11Cast me not away from Your presence; 
take not Your Holy Spirit from me.
12Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, 
and sustain me with a willing spirit.
13Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, 
and sinners will return to You.
14Deliver me from bloodguilt, O God, 
the God of my salvation, 
and my tongue will sing of Your righteousness.
15O Lord, open my lips, 
and my mouth will declare Your praise.
16For You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; 
You take no pleasure in burnt offerings.
17The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; 
a broken and a contrite heart, 
O God, You will not despise.
18In Your good pleasure, cause Zion to prosper; 
build up the walls of Jerusalem.
19Then You will delight in righteous sacrifices, 
in whole burnt offerings; 
then bulls will be offered on Your altar.

​
The Latin verb incarnare meant “to make flesh.” When we say that Jesus Christ is God “Incarnate,” we mean that the Son of God took on a fleshly, bodily form (John 1:14). However, when this happened in the womb of Mary, Jesus’ earthly mother, He did not stop being deity. Although Jesus became fully human (Hebrews 2:17), He retained His status as God (John 1:1, 14). How Jesus is able to be both man and God simultaneously is one of the great mysteries of Christianity but is nevertheless a test of orthodoxy (1 John 4:2; 2 John 1:7). Jesus has two distinct natures, divine and human. “Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me” (John 14:11).

The Bible clearly teaches the deity of Christ by presenting His fulfillment of numerous Old Testament prophecies (Isaiah 7:14; Psalm 2:7), His eternal existence (John 1:1–3; John 8:58), His miraculous virgin birth (Luke 1:26–31), His miracles (Matthew 9:24–25), His authority to forgive sin (Matthew 9:6), His acceptance of worship (Matthew 14:33), His ability to predict the future (Matthew 24:1–2), and His resurrection from the dead (Luke 24:36–39). The writer of Hebrews tells us Jesus is superior to angels (Hebrews 1:4–5) and angels are to worship Him (Hebrews 1:6).

The Bible also teaches the Incarnation—Jesus became fully human by taking on human flesh. Jesus was conceived in the womb and was born (Luke 2:7), He experienced normal aging (Luke 2:40), He had natural physical needs (John 19:28) and human emotions (Matthew 26:38), He learned (Luke 2:52), He died a physical death (Luke 23:46), and He was resurrected with a physical body (Luke 24:39). Jesus was human in every way except for sin; He lived a completely sinless life (Hebrews 4:15).

When Christ took on the form of a human, His nature did not change, but His position did. Jesus, in His original nature of God in spirit form, humbled Himself by laying aside His glory and privileges (Philippians 2:6–8). God can never stop being God because He is immutable (Hebrews 13:8) and infinite (Revelation 1:8). If Jesus stopped being fully God for even a split second, all life would die (see Acts 17:28). The doctrine of the Incarnation says that Jesus, while remaining fully God, became fully man.

Psalm 127:1 says, “Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain.”

This verse reveals the key to success in any endeavor and God’s absolute sovereignty over every person and event. In any activity, we need God’s blessing. All that we accomplish in life will be for naught if the Lord is not in it. We can “build,” and we can “watch,” but it is the Lord who gives success.

The clause unless the Lord builds the house does not imply that the Lord has a hammer and nails and actually performs construction work. Rather, it speaks metaphorically of the Lord’s direct involvement in our lives. The Hebrew word for “house” in Psalm 127:1 appears nearly a thousand times in the Bible. It is used literally to refer to temples, palaces, and homes, and figuratively to refer to households and families—all of which are important structures in a person’s life. The word represents not only a primary dwelling place but also one’s sense of self-identity, security, and place in this world. We cannot reasonably hope to have a fulfilling, truly successful life without our heavenly Father’s help, guidance, and protection over our “house.”

No matter how skilled or diligent the workers are, “the work of the builders is wasted” (NLT) unless the Lord builds the house. He is the master carpenter of our lives. He is the source of wisdom, which is the most valuable building material: “By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures” (Proverbs 24:3–4).

Here’s some of what else the Bible says about God’s sovereignty in building the “house” of our lives: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5–6). “Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails” (Proverbs 19:21).

David revealed that “all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be” (Psalm 139:16). The Lord told Jeremiah, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations” (Jeremiah 1:5). His plan for us is just as certain, written from eternity: “For He chose us in [Christ] before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love He predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will” (Ephesians 1:4–5).

So the Lord has a plan for us, and we have the responsibility to cooperate in that plan. The builders of the “house” in Psalm 127:1 do not stop working, but they do recognize that they need God’s direction and blessing in their work. That is to say, we labor, but we remember that, unless the Lord builds the house, our labor is in vain.

Jesus used a similar metaphor in His Sermon on the Mount, where He warned that “everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash” (Matthew 7:26–27). The foolish man labored on his house, but he foolishly left the Lord out of the process.

The rich fool in Jesus’ parable had attained all types of worldly accomplishments, but at the pinnacle of his success God required of him his life. “Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?” God asks him (Luke 12:20). The rich man in Luke 16 was likewise quite successful, but he dies in verse 22; in the next verse, he is in Hades in torment. “Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain.”

Trying to accomplish anything without God’s blessing, apart from His wisdom, is foolish. It leads to futility in the end and to the lament of Ecclesiastes 1:2: “Everything is meaningless.”

Psalm 127:1, with its condition that the Lord builds the house, contains both a warning and a promise. If you want success, align your personal plans with God’s plan for your life; when that happens, ultimate failure becomes impossible, and ultimate success is guaranteed.







Crossing the Jordan

​

1Early the next morning Joshua got up and left Shittim with all the Israelites. They went as far as the Jordan, where they camped before crossing over.

2After three days the officers went through the camp 3and commanded the people: “When you see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God being carried by the Levitical priests, you are to set out from your positions and follow it. 4But keep a distance of about two thousand cubitsb between yourselves and the ark. Do not go near it, so that you can see the way to go, since you have never traveled this way before.”

5Then Joshua told the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do wonders among you.” 6And he said to the priests, “Take the ark of the covenant and go on ahead of the people.” So they carried the ark of the covenant and went ahead of them.

7Now the LORD said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, so they may know that I am with you just as I was with Moses. 8Command the priests carrying the ark of the covenant: ‘When you reach the edge of the waters, stand in the Jordan.’”

9So Joshua told the Israelites, “Come here and listen to the words of the LORD your God.” 10He continued, “This is how you will know that the living God is among you and that He will surely drive out before you the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites, and Jebusites. 11Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth will go ahead of you into the Jordan.

12Now choose twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one from each tribe. 13When the feet of the priests who carry the ark of the LORD—the Lord of all the earth—touch down in the waters of the Jordan, its flowing waters will be cut off and will stand up in a heap.”

14So when the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carried the ark of the covenant ahead of them.

Now the Jordan overflows its banks throughout the harvest season. But as soon as the priests carrying the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge, 16the flowing water stood still. It backed up as far upstream as Adam, a city in the area of Zarethan, while the water flowing toward the Sea of the Arabah (the Salt Seac) was completely cut off. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho. 17The priests carrying the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan, while all Israel crossed over the dry ground, until the entire nation had crossed the Jordan.

Jesus warned us that “false Christs and false prophets” will come and will attempt to deceive even God’s elect (Matthew 24:23–27; see also 2 Peter 3:3 and Jude 1:17–18). To guard against falsehood and false teachers, it’s important to know the truth and know the characteristics of the counterfeit. Any believer who “correctly handles the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15) and who makes a careful study of the Bible can identify false doctrine.

Jesus said, “A tree is recognized by its fruit” (Matthew 12:33). So, believers are to be fruit inspectors. Knowing the look, texture, and taste of a healthy apple is important. So is knowing the look, texture, and taste—and smell—of a rotten one. Here are three specific tests to apply to any teacher to determine the accuracy of his or her teaching:

1) What does this teacher say about Jesus? In Matthew 16:15-16, Jesus asks, “Who do you say I am?” Peter answers, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God,” and for this answer Peter is called “blessed.” In 2 John 9, we read, “Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son.” In other words, Jesus Christ and His work of redemption is of utmost importance; beware of anyone who denies that Jesus is equal with God, who downplays Jesus’ sacrificial death, or who rejects Jesus’ humanity. First John 2:22 says, “Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a man is the antichrist—he denies the Father and the Son.”

2) Does this teacher preach the gospel? The gospel is defined as the good news concerning Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection, according to the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). As nice as they sound, the statements “God loves you,” “God wants us to feed the hungry,” and “God wants you to be wealthy” are not the complete message of the gospel. As Paul warns in Galatians 1:7, “Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ.” No one, not even a great preacher, has the right to change the message that God gave us. “If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!” (Galatians 1:9).

3) Does this teacher exhibit character qualities that glorify the Lord? Speaking of false teachers, Jude 1:11 says, “They have taken the way of Cain; they have rushed for profit into Balaam’s error; they have been destroyed in Korah’s rebellion.” In other words, a false teacher can be known by his pride (Cain’s rejection of God’s plan), greed (Balaam’s prophesying for money), and rebellion (Korah’s promotion of himself over Moses). Jesus said to beware of such people and that we would know them by their fruits (Matthew 7:15-20). 

For further study, review those books of the Bible that were written specifically to combat false teaching within the church: Galatians, 2 Peter, 1 John, 2 John, and Jude. It is often difficult to spot a false teacher/false prophet. Satan masquerades as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14), and his ministers masquerade as servants of righteousness (2 Corinthians 11:15). Only by being thoroughly familiar with the truth will we be able to recognize a counterfeit.



Ephesians 4:28
Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.

Exodus 20:15
You shall not steal.

Leviticus 19:11
You shall not steal; you shall not deal falsely; you shall not lie to one another.

Proverbs 10:2
Treasures gained by wickedness do not profit, but righteousness delivers from death.

Exodus 22:7
If a man gives to his neighbor money or goods to keep safe, and it is stolen from the man's house, then, if the thief is found, he shall pay double.

Romans 13:9
For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Proverbs 12:22
Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who act faithfully are his delight.

John 10:10
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

1 Timothy 6:10
For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.

Leviticus 6:1-7
The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “If anyone sins and commits a breach of faith against the Lord by deceiving his neighbor in a matter of deposit or security, or through robbery, or if he has oppressed his neighbor or has found something lost and lied about it, swearing falsely—in any of all the things that people do and sin thereby— if he has sinned and has realized his guilt and will restore what he took by robbery or what he got by oppression or the deposit that was committed to him or the lost thing that he found or anything about which he has sworn falsely, he shall restore it in full and shall add a fifth to it, and give it to him to whom it belongs on the day he realizes his guilt."

Mark 10:19
You know the commandments: "Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother."

Jeremiah 7:9-11
Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, make offerings to Baal, and go after other gods that you have not known, and then come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, ‘We are delivered!’—only to go on doing all these abominations? Has this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, I myself have seen it, declares the Lord.

Psalm 62:10
Put no trust in extortion; set no vain hopes on robbery; if riches increase, set not your heart on them.

1 Corinthians 6:9-11
Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

Leviticus 6:2
If anyone sins and commits a breach of faith against the Lord by deceiving his neighbor in a matter of deposit or security, or through robbery, or if he has oppressed his neighbor

Luke 19:8
And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.”

Matthew 19:18
He said to him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness,"

1 Corinthians 6:10
Nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.

Deuteronomy 5:19
And you shall not steal.

Romans 13:7
Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.



​

The Woman and the Dragon

1And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed in the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. 2She was pregnant and crying out in the pain and agony of giving birth.
3Then another sign appeared in heaven: a huge red dragon with seven heads, ten horns, and seven royal crowns on his heads. 4His tail swept a third of the stars from the sky, hurling them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, ready to devour her child as soon as she gave birth.
5And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who will rule all the nations with an iron scepter.a And her child was caught up to God and to His throne. 6And the woman fled into the wilderness, where God had prepared a place for her to be nourished for 1,260 days.



The War in Heaven

7Then a war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. 8But the dragon was not strong enough, and no longer was any place found in heaven for him and his angels. 9And the great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.

And I heard a loud voice in heaven saying: 
“Now have come the salvation and the power 
and the kingdom of our God, 
and the authority of His Christ. 
For the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down--
he who accuses them day and night before our God.

11They have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb 
and by the word of their testimony. 
And they did not love their lives 
so as to shy away from death.

Therefore rejoice, O heavens, 
and you who dwell in them! 
But woe to the earth and the sea; 
with great fury the devil has come down to you, 
knowing he has only a short time.”



The Woman Persecuted

13And when the dragon saw that he had been thrown to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. 14But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle to fly from the presence of the serpent to her place in the wilderness, where she was nourished for a time, and times, and half a time.
15Then from his mouth the serpent spewed water like a river to overtake the woman and sweep her away in the torrent. 16But the earth helped the woman and opened its mouth to swallow up the river that the dragon had poured from his mouth. 17And the dragon was enraged at the woman and went to make war with the rest of her children, who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus. 
And the dragon stood on the shore of the sea.

​
Two passages in the Bible say that “in the last days, scoffers will come.” Second Peter 3:3 and Jude 1:18 both explain what that means. A “scoffer” in this context is one who mocks Christ, ridicules the things of God, and opposes the gospel. Both Peter and Jude were writing warnings against false teachers who were intent on leading others astray. The word scoffer refers to one who denies the truths of Scripture and entices others to go along with his error.

Scoffers have been present since the Garden of Eden. Satan’s first temptation of man was in the form of scoffing at God’s command: “Did God really say—?” (Genesis 3:1). Scoffers dominated Noah’s day (Genesis 6:5–8; Hebrews 11:7), leaving God with little choice but to destroy them all and start over with Noah, the only righteous man on earth. Scoffers refuse to believe the word of the Lord and set themselves up as their own gods (2 Chronicles 36:16). The psalmist warns against the digression that leads from casual association with wicked people to sitting “in the seat of scoffers” (Psalm 1:1, ESV), embracing their worldview—and sharing their fate.

Although scoffers have always been a part of this fallen world, Scripture seems to indicate that, as the Day of the Lord draws nearer, the scoffing will increase. Peter describes these scoffers as “following their own evil desires” (2 Peter 3:3) and questioning the second coming of the Lord Jesus (verse 4). Thousands of years have passed since Jesus ascended into heaven, promising to return for His faithful ones (John 14:1–4; Revelation 22:12). Scoffers point out the lapse of time and mock those who still wait and yearn for His appearing (2 Timothy 4:8; 2 Thessalonians 1:7).

Jude describes the scoffers of the last days as people who follow ungodly desires and create division in the church (Jude 1:18). They may even present themselves as church leaders, but they “do not have the Spirit” (verse 19). Paul goes into more detail about the condition of the world before Jesus returns: “But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people” (2 Timothy 3:1–5). Scoffers will fit right in with such a crowd.

We already see an increase of scoffers in our world today, and several factors may be contributing to that rise. Constant access to media, the internet, and other forms of technology provide an open platform for anyone with an opinion, and scoffing at everything once thought honorable is a favorite pastime. Scoffers are emboldened on social media by others who can instantly approve of their mockery. Many people are educated beyond their intelligence, and this new world without moral boundaries is producing scoffers instead of thinkers. Many try to use scientific training to say that, since the reality of the Creator God cannot be proved by man’s understanding, God must not exist. In rejecting Scripture, mankind has lost its moral compass, leaving us with no way to determine right or wrong, good or bad, truth or lie. In this climate, anyone who claims to know the truth is a prime target for scoffers.

Arrogance leads to scoffing, much as it did before the Tower of Babel (Genesis 11:1–4). When people become puffed up with their own importance, they begin to challenge anything that threatens their high opinion of themselves. Once we have removed the idea of God from consideration, then anything goes. Scoffers have tried to redefine marriage, obliterate gender binarism, and create a fantasy world in which reality becomes whatever we feel it is. Not long ago, such a mindset was the definition of insanity. Now we are told it is the ultimate wisdom. Romans 1:21–22 has never been more relevant: “Although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools.”

The proliferation of scoffers is a sign of the last days. They profess themselves to be wise, but they are really fools (Psalm 14:1). Regardless of the eschatological timeline one prefers, we can all agree that the number of scoffers and deceivers is increasing rapidly, just as Scripture warned us it would (2 John 1:7). It is critically important that every Christian take seriously the commands to study and meditate on God’s Word (2 Timothy 2:15; Joshua 1:8) so that we won’t be led astray by the lofty-sounding ideas presented to us by scoffers (2 Corinthians 10:5).





Key Details on the Antichrist's Revelation


Timing: The Antichrist is revealed only after the "restrainer" (the Holy Spirit working through the Church) is removed, which is linked to the Rapture.


Identification: He is identified as the "man of lawlessness" and "son of perdition" who sits in a rebuilt temple in Jerusalem, claiming to be God.


Actions: He will break a 7-year covenant with Israel at the midpoint of the tribulation(after 3 ½ years) and launch a period of intense persecution, including the genocide of Jews and believers.


The Mark (666): He will require a mark on the right hand or forehead to buy or sell, which will be the primary method for controlling the world economy.


Downfall: His reign is temporary, lasting 42 months (3 ½ years) before being destroyed by Jesus Christ at His return.


The meaning of the term antichrist is simply “against Christ.” As the apostle John records in First and Second John, an antichrist denies the Father and the Son (1 John 2:22), does not acknowledge Jesus (1 John 4:3), and denies that Jesus came in the flesh (2 John 1:7). There have been many “antichrists,” as 1 John 2:18 states. But there is also coming the Antichrist.

Most Bible prophecy/eschatology experts believe the Antichrist will be the ultimate embodiment of what it means to be against Christ. In the end times/last hour, a man will arise to oppose Christ and His followers more than anyone else in history. Likely claiming to be the true Messiah, the Antichrist will seek world domination and will attempt to destroy all followers of Jesus Christ and the nation of Israel.


Other biblical references to the Antichrist include the following:


The imposing, boastful king of Daniel 7 who oppresses the Jews and tries to “change the set times and the laws” (verse 25).

The leader who establishes a 7-year covenant with Israel and then breaks it in Daniel 9.

The king who sets up the abomination of desolation in Mark 13:14 (cf. Daniel 9:27).

The man of lawlessness in 2 Thessalonians 2:1–12.

The rider on a white horse (representing his claim to be a man of peace) in Revelation 6:2.

The first beast—the one from the sea—in Revelation 13. This beast receives power from the dragon (Satan) and speaks “proud words and blasphemies” (verse 5) and wages war against the saints (verse 7).


Thankfully, the Antichrist/beast, along with his false prophet, will be thrown into the lake of fire, where they will spend all eternity in torment (Revelation 19:20; 20:10).

In John 15:5, Jesus uses a vine metaphor to illustrate the spiritual relationship between Himself and believers: “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing” (ESV). When Jesus says, “You are the branches,” He is speaking about our dependence on Him for spiritual nourishment and fruitfulness. This metaphor is rich with implications, emphasizing not only our connection to Christ but also the fruitfulness that comes from being united with Him.

As we reflect on the meaning of Jesus’ statement, “You are the branches,” we must consider our identity and function in relation to Christ. Branches are not independent of the vine. Therefore, we must draw from Christ our spiritual life and fruitfulness. The image is compelling: to be disconnected from Christ yields nothing of eternal value, while connection ensures life and productivity. A related passage is Psalm 1:3, which says the righteous man “is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers” (ESV). The spiritual life of believers flows from being connected to Christ, who is the source of true life (John 14:6).

The word branches in John 15:5 is plural, indicating a multitude of believers who are connected to Christ. This suggests that part of living a spiritual life is being connected with other believers. As branches attached to a single vine, our spiritual health partly depends on those around us. This principle is reinforced in 1 Corinthians 12:2, which says, “Just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ” (ESV). Spiritual productivity is heightened in community. No believer is to try to go it alone.

God’s purpose in having us connected to Christ is to produce fruit. To be a branch on the vine involves active growth and fruit production. The kind of fruit believers are called to produce is listed in Galatians 5:22–23, which says, “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law” (ESV). This is the natural outcome of a life that abides in Jesus. A healthy branch always produces quality fruit. This suggests that the spiritual health of believers can be observed in the quality of their fruit (see Matthew 7:16).

Jesus’ vine metaphor in John 15:5 prompts us to reflect on the meaning of abide. True branches abide in the vine. That is to say, they stay, they continue, they find permanence in the vine. Those abiding in Jesus live in a permanent state of love for and faith in Him. This is not a superficial attachment or loose association; the branches are securely attached, drawing every nutrient they need from the vine.

The vine metaphor is more than a good illustration; it is a call for action. Believers must abide in Jesus. We must be at home in Him and cultivate that sense of permanence that God desires. As branches abiding in Christ, the True Vine, we are enabled to live worthy of our calling and to bring forth much fruit.

Seventeen verses in the New Testament describe Jesus as the “son of David.” But the question arises, how could Jesus be the son of David if David lived approximately 1,000 years before Jesus? The answer is that Christ (the Messiah) was the fulfillment of the prophecy of the seed of David (2 Samuel 7:12–16). Jesus is the promised Messiah, which means He had to be of the lineage of David. Matthew 1 gives the genealogical proof that Jesus, in His humanity, was a direct descendant of Abraham and David through Joseph, Jesus’ legal father. The genealogy in Luke 3 traces Jesus’ lineage through His mother, Mary. Jesus is a descendant of David by adoption through Joseph and by blood through Mary. “As to his earthly life [Christ Jesus] was a descendant of David” (Romans 1:3).

Primarily, the title “Son of David” is more than a statement of physical genealogy. It is a Messianic title. When people referred to Jesus as the Son of David, they meant that He was the long-awaited Deliverer, the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies.

Jesus was addressed as “Lord, thou son of David” several times by people who, by faith, were seeking mercy or healing. The woman whose daughter was being tormented by a demon (Matthew 15:22) and the two blind men by the wayside (Matthew 20:30) all cried out to the Son of David for help. The titles of honor they gave Him declared their faith in Him. Calling Him “Lord” expressed their sense of His deity, dominion, and power, and calling Him “Son of David,” expressed their faith that He was the Messiah.

The Pharisees understood exactly what the people meant when they called Jesus “Son of David.” But, unlike those who cried out in faith, the Pharisees were so blinded by their own pride that they couldn’t see what the blind beggars could see—that here was the Messiah they had supposedly been waiting for all their lives. They hated Jesus because He wouldn’t give them the honor they thought they deserved, so when they heard the people hailing Jesus as the Savior, they became enraged (Matthew 21:15) and plotted to destroy Him (Luke 19:47).

Jesus further confounded the scribes and Pharisees by asking them to explain the meaning of this very title: how could it be that the Messiah is the son of David when David himself refers to Him as “my Lord” (Mark 12:35–37; cf. Psalm 110:1)? The teachers of the Law couldn’t answer the question. Jesus thereby exposed the Jewish leaders’ ineptitude as teachers and their ignorance of what the Old Testament taught as to the true nature of the Messiah, further alienating them from Him.

Jesus’ point in asking the question of Mark 12:35 was that the Messiah is more than the physical son of David. If He is David’s Lord, He must be greater than David. As Jesus says in Revelation 22:16, “I am the Root and the Offspring of David.” That is, He is both the Creator of David and the Descendant of David. Only the Son of God made flesh could say that.
​
​Messiah comes from the Hebrew word mashiach and means “anointed one” or “chosen one.” The Greek equivalent is the word Christos or, in English, Christ. The name “Jesus Christ” is the same as “Jesus the Messiah.” In biblical times, anointing someone with oil was a sign that God was consecrating or setting apart that person for a particular role. Thus, an “anointed one” was someone with a special, God-ordained purpose.

In the Old Testament, people were anointed for the positions of prophet, priest, and king. God told Elijah to anoint Elisha to succeed him as Israel’s prophet (1 Kings 19:16). Aaron was anointed as the first high priest of Israel (Leviticus 8:12). Samuel anointed both Saul and David as kings of Israel (1 Samuel 10:1; 16:13). All of these men held “anointed” positions. But the Old Testament predicted a coming Deliverer, chosen by God to redeem Israel (Isaiah 42:1; 61:1–3). This Deliverer the Jews called the Messiah.

Jesus of Nazareth was and is the prophesied Messiah (Luke 4:17–21; John 4:25–26). Throughout the New Testament, we see proof that Jesus is the Chosen One: “These [miracles] are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:31). We also hear testimonies that Jesus is “the Messiah, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16). The ultimate evidence that Jesus is indeed the promised Messiah, the Anointed One, is His resurrection from the dead. Acts 10:39–43is an eyewitness testimony to His resurrection and the fact that “he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead.”

Jesus fulfills the role of Prophet, Priest, and King, which is further evidence to His being the Messiah. He is a prophet, because He embodied and preached the Word of God (see John 1:1–18; 14:24; and Luke 24:19); a priest, because His death atones for our sins and reconciles us to the Father (see Hebrews 2:17; 4:14); and a king, because after His resurrection God gave all authority to Him (see John 18:36; Ephesians 1:20–23; and Revelation 19:16).

The Jews of Jesus’ day expected the Messiah to redeem Israel by overthrowing the rule of the Romans and establishing an earthly kingdom (see Acts 1:6). It wasn’t until after Jesus’ resurrection that His disciples finally began to understand what the prophecies in the Old Testament really meant the Messiah would do (see Luke 24:25–27). The Messiah was “anointed” first to deliver His people spiritually; that is, to redeem them from sin (John 8:31–36). He accomplished this salvation through His death and resurrection (John 12:32; John 3:16). Later, Jesus the Messiah will deliver His people from their physical enemies, when He sets up His Kingdom on the earth (see Isaiah 9:1–7).

The Bible uses several metaphors involving birth to help explain what it means to have a saving relationship with Jesus. We find terms such as born again (John 3:3), born of God (John 1:13), and born of the Spirit (John 3:6). They all mean the same thing. Birth metaphors are used because we all understand physical birth. When a baby is born, a new person emerges into the world. The new life will grow, and the young person will come to resemble his or her parents. When we are born of the Spirit, a “new person” arrives with a new spiritual life. And as we grow, we come to resemble our Father in heaven (Romans 8:29).

People try to know God through a variety of means: some try religion or following an ethical code; some turn to intellect or logic; others try to find God in nature; and others through emotional experiences, believing that God inhabits whatever feelings they can muster when they think about Him. None of those bring us one step closer to actually communing with the God of the Bible because He cannot be known through our moral codes, our minds, our environment, or our emotions. He is Spirit, and those who would worship must worship “in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24).

Imagine trying to paint a portrait using a hammer and nails or trying to bake a meal using pen and paper. It would not help to try harder or cry over it because both tasks are impossible given the tools mentioned. So it is with the flesh and the Spirit. We cannot commune with a holy, incorporeal Being using sinful, fleshly means. Unless our spirits are reborn with life from God’s Spirit, we simply do not have the capability to fellowship with Him. We must be born of the Spirit.

God has instituted a way for fallen human beings to enter His holy presence, and it is the only way we can come to Him. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). When Jesus offered Himself as a sacrifice for sin (John 10:18) and rose again, He opened a door that had been locked. When He died on the cross, the veil of the temple was torn in two, symbolizing the fact that He has made a way to enter God’s presence. God has opened the door to heaven so that whoever trusts in His Son’s sacrifice can be born again in his or her spirit (Mark 15:38).

When we place our faith in the risen Christ, a divine transaction takes place (2 Corinthians 5:21). God removes from us the sin, guilt, and condemnation we deserved because of our rebellion against Him. He throws our sin as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12). At the moment of repentance and faith, the Holy Spirit breathes new life into us, and our bodies become His temple (1 Corinthians 3:16). Our spirits can now commune with God’s Spirit as He assures us that we belong to Him (Romans 8:16).

We might think of the human spirit like a deflated balloon that hangs lifeless inside our hearts. We are scarcely aware of its existence until God calls our names and an awakening begins. When we respond to God’s call with repentance and faith in what Jesus Christ has done for salvation, we are born of the Spirit. At that point the balloon inflates. The Holy Spirit moves into our spirits and fills us. He begins His transforming work so that we begin to resemble Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:17; Romans 8:29).

There are only two types of people in the world: those who are born of the Spirit and those who are not. In the end, only those two categories matter (John 3:3). Our earthly lives are extended opportunities for us to respond to God’s call and become born of the Spirit (Hebrews 3:15).

In Isaiah 5:8–30, the prophet pronounces “woes” or judgments on Judah for their wicked behavior. Judah had produced the “bad fruit” of unrighteousness, as illustrated in the song of the vineyard (verses 4–7). Their wickedness even led them to proclaim sinful things as good, which is why Isaiah exclaims, “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter” (verse 20). Light and darkness are opposites, which adds to the gravity of the men of Judah calling evil “good.”

A major problem in Judah during Isaiah’s time was widespread drunkenness. People would wake up early in the morning to drink alcohol and continue long into the night (Isaiah 5:11). Instead of respecting “the deeds of the Lord,” they reveled in their sin and drunkenness (verses 11–12). They did not see their sin as wickedness; rather, they called their evil “good.”

A world in rebellion against God will have a skewed perspective and embrace a topsy-turvy morality. There are many people today who still call evil “good” and good “evil,” as they promote behaviors that the Bible specifically calls sinful. The celebration of homosexuality and the defense of abortion on demand are usually accompanied by a mockery of those who value life and promote traditional marriage. Evil is being called “good,” and good is slandered as “evil.”

Apart from God, our value system will always become jumbled. We will begin to confuse sweetness and bitterness, light and darkness, and good and evil. We will label biblical morality as “intolerant” and “oppressive.” We will take offense at the truth that Jesus is the only way to salvation (John 14:6). “Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil” (John 3:20).

Calling good “evil” and evil “good” is a sure sign of spiritual wickedness at work: “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (2 Corinthians 4:4). Paul warns that the intensity of the spiritual battle will increase: “There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people” (2 Timothy 3:1–5).

Cutting through the confusion over right and wrong and enlightening spiritually darkened minds is the Bible: “I gain understanding from your precepts. . . . Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path” (Psalm 119:104–105). In their fallen condition, humans cannot accurately determine what is right and wrong. Only God can give definitive answers on good and evil. The Bible is “God-breathed,” the only certain source in providing guidance to mankind (2 Timothy 3:16).



​
How can we not be tossed to and fro

(Ephesians 4:14)?


In Ephesians 4:11, the apostle Paul presents five types of “office gifts,” or gifted persons, given to the church by God: apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. Their purpose is “to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ” so that individual believers and Christ’s body can all grow spiritually and in the unity of faith (Ephesians 4:12–13). The goal, Paul states, is “that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes,” and that we may “grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ” (Ephesians 4:14–15, ESV).

The phrase tossed to and fro is rendered from a nautical term in Greek meaning “to be waved-pitched; to move abruptly here and there due to the violence of waves.” God has given ministry gifts to His church to form a stabilizing anchor that will keep us from being tossed to and fro like immature, gullible infants, susceptible to every flashy new human teaching and clever trick of the enemy. We can avoid being thrashed about and shipwrecked in our faith like tiny, untethered boats if we stay plugged into the body of Christ, receiving encouragement and strength from fellow saints gifted to equip us and build us up in Jesus Christ.

For growth to happen, we must remain involved in the process by which the whole body is “fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love” (Ephesians 4:16, NLT). Loner Christians cannot minister to others or be ministered to by others. God’s gifts of equipping and building up cannot be exercised in isolation.

Paul taught the Colossians to stay rooted and established in the faith so that no one would deceive them with “well-crafted arguments” (Colossians 2:4, NLT). Mature believers understand that, to follow Christ, they must continually feast on God’s Word as they remain in fellowship with other believers: “Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness. Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ” (Colossians 2:4,6–8, NLT).

Only when we are secure in God’s truth and committed to the body of Christ can we learn to recognize false teachers and steer clear of their dishonest doctrines. James said, “Be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind” (James 1:6, NLT). Jude warned of the false teachers’ cunning: “When these people eat with you in your fellowship meals commemorating the Lord’s love, they are like dangerous reefs that can shipwreck you. They are like shameless shepherds who care only for themselves. They are like clouds blowing over the land without giving any rain. They are like trees in autumn that are doubly dead, for they bear no fruit and have been pulled up by the roots” (Jude 1:12, NLT; see also Acts 20:29–31; Romans 16:17–18; Hebrews 13:9; 2 Corinthians 11:3–4).

Members of Christ’s body grow strong and stable—no longer tossed to and fro—when they stay rooted and grounded in God’s Word and minister to one another through loving, cooperative involvement in the church. We belong to one another and need each other to grow (1 Corinthians 12:12–31). Each one of us serves a purpose in the corporate whole. As the body grows up together, each member grows stronger individually. Warren Wiersbenotes Paul’s emphasis on love in the process (see Ephesians 4:2, 15, 16): “The body grows as the individual members grow, and they grow as they feed on the Word and minister to each other. . . . Love is the circulatory system of the body. It has been discovered that isolated, unloved babies do not grow properly and are especially susceptible to disease, while babies who are loved and handled grow normally and are stronger. So it is with the children of God” (The Bible Exposition Commentary, Vol. 2, Victor Books, 1996, pp. 38–39).
​
Many times in Scripture, God’s people are encouraged to seek the face of God. A familiar verse declares, “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14). If we can’t see God’s face, how do we seek God’s face?

The Hebrew word for “face” in the Old Testament is often translated “presence.” When we seek the face of God, we are seeking His presence. The call to seek God’s face was issued to His people because they had abandoned Him and needed to return to Him.

A person’s face reveals much about his or her character and personality. We see the inward emotions of a person expressed outwardly on the face. We recognize a person by looking at his or her face. In a sense, one’s face represents the whole person. For the writers of the Bible, the human face could represent the entire person.

In Psalm 105:4, God’s faithful ones were called to “seek his face always.” Even if we have not abandoned God, there are times when we neglect to pursue Him. God’s face, His holy character, is often obscured by our human condition and fleshly desires. That is why the Lord urges us to seek His face continually. The Lord desires to be our constant companion in every experience of life. He wants us to know Him through and through. If we draw close to Him, God will draw close to us: “Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world” (James 4:8, NLT).

When we approach God in prayer, we are seeking His face: “Who may ascend the mountain of the LORD? Who may stand in his holy place? The one who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not trust in an idol or swear by a false god. They will receive blessing from the LORD and vindication from God their Savior. Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek your face, God of Jacob” (Psalm 24:3–6).

The true nature of worship is to seek God’s face. The Christian walk is a life devoted to seeking God’s presence and favor. The Lord wants us to humbly and trustingly seek His face in our prayers and in our times in His Word. It requires intimacy to look intently into someone’s face. Pursuing God’s face is equivalent to developing an intimate relationship with Him: “O God, you are my God; I earnestly search for you. My soul thirsts for you; my whole body longs for you in this parched and weary land where there is no water. I have seen you in your sanctuary and gazed upon your power and glory. Your unfailing love is better than life itself; how I praise you!” (Psalm 63:1–3, NLT).

Having God’s face smile on us is an expression of His blessing, love, and favor: “May the LORD smile on you and be gracious to you” (Numbers 6:25, NLT; see also Psalm 80:3, 7, 19). When we draw close to God, we are blessed with His shining favor. We do not pursue Him only to give Him a list of wants and needs because we know God is already aware of what we need (Matthew 6:7–8, 32–33). We trust that He will take care of us.

Seeking God’s face means desiring to know His character and wanting Him—His presence—more than any other thing He can give us.




Serving with Honor

(Ephesians 6:5–9; Colossians 3:22–25)

1All who are under the yoke of slavery should regard their masters as fully worthy of honor, so that God’s name and our teaching will not be discredited. 2Those who have believing masters should not show disrespect because they are brothers, but should serve them all the more, since those receiving their good service are beloved believers. Teach and encourage these principles.



Reject False Doctrines

3If anyone teaches another doctrine and disagrees with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and with godly teaching, 4he is conceited and understands nothing. Instead, he has an unhealthy interest in controversies and disputes about words, out of which come envy, strife, abusive talk, evil suspicions, 5and constant friction between men of depraved mind who are devoid of the truth. These men regard godliness as a means of gain.a



Godliness with Contentment

6Of course, godliness with contentment is great gain. 7For we brought nothing into the world, sob we cannot carry anything out of it. 8But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with these.

9Those who want to be rich, however, fall into temptation and become ensnared by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction.10For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. By craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.




Fight the Good Fight

11But you, O man of God, flee from these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness. 12Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made the good confession before many witnesses.

13I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who made the good confession in His testimony before Pontius Pilate:14Keep this commandment without stain or reproach until the appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15which the blessed and only Sovereign One—the King of kings and Lord of lords—will bring about in His own time. 16He alone is immortal and dwells in unapproachable light. No one has ever seen Him, nor can anyone see Him. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen.



A Charge to the Rich

(Proverbs 23:1–5; James 5:1–6)

17Instruct those who are rich in the present age not to be conceited and not to put their hope in the uncertainty of wealth, but in God, who richly provides all things for us to enjoy. 18Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, and to be generous and ready to share, 19treasuring up for themselves a firm foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.



Guard the Faith

20O Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you. Avoid irreverent, empty chatter and the opposing arguments of so-called “knowledge,” 21which some have professed and thus swerved away from the faith. 
Grace be with you all.c


The Bible describes humility as meekness, lowliness, and absence of self. The Greek word translated “humility” in Colossians 3:12 and elsewhere literally means “lowliness of mind,” so we see that humility is a heart attitude, not merely an outward demeanor. One may put on an outward show of humility but still have a heart full of pride and arrogance. Jesus said that those who are “poor in spirit” would have the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:3). Being poor in spirit means that only those who admit to an absolute bankruptcy of spiritual worth will inherit eternal life. Therefore, humility is a prerequisite for the Christian. 

When we come to Christ as sinners, we must come in humility. We acknowledge that we are paupers and beggars who come with nothing to offer Him but our sin and our need for salvation. We recognize our lack of merit and our complete inability to save ourselves. Then when He offers the grace and mercy of God, we accept it in humble gratitude and commit our lives to Him and to others. We “die to self” so that we can live as new creations in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). We never forget that He has exchanged our worthlessness for His infinite worth, and our sin for His righteousness. The life we now live, we live by faith in the Son of God who loved us and gave Himself for us (Galatians 2:20). That is true humility. 

Biblical humility is not only necessary to enter the kingdom, it is also necessary to be great in the kingdom (Matthew 20:26-27). Here Jesus is our model. Just as He did not come to be served, but to serve, so must we commit ourselves to serving others, considering their interests above our own (Philippians 2:3). This attitude precludes selfish ambition, conceit, and the strife that comes with self-justification and self-defense. Jesus was not ashamed to humble Himself as a servant (John 13:1-16), even to death on the cross (Philippians 2:8). In His humility, He was always obedient to the Father and so should the humble Christian be willing to put aside all selfishness and submit in obedience to God and His Word. True humility produces godliness, contentment, and security. 

God has promised to give grace to the humble, while He opposes the proud (Proverbs 3:34; 1 Peter 5:5). Therefore, we must confess and put away pride. If we exalt ourselves, we place ourselves in opposition to God who will, in His grace and for our own good, humble us. But if we humble ourselves, God gives us more grace and exalts us (Luke 14:11). Along with Jesus, Paul is also to be our example of humility. In spite of the great gifts and understanding he had received, Paul saw himself as the “least of the apostles” and the “chief of sinners” (1 Timothy 1:15; 1 Corinthians 15:9). Like Paul, the truly humble will glory in the grace of God and in the cross, not in self-righteousness (Philippians 3:3-9).

Merriam-Webster’s dictionary defines supreme as “highest in rank or authority” or “highest in degree or quality.” In essence, there is none better. The supreme of something is its ultimate. Jesus is the ultimate in power, glory, authority, and importance. Jesus’ supremacy over all is developed biblically primarily in Hebrews and Colossians.

A main theme of the book of Hebrews is explaining the work of Jesus in the context of the Old Testament system. Jesus was the fulfillment of the Old Testament Jewish traditions and roles. Another main theme of Hebrews is that Jesus does not simply represent a new way of doing things. Rather, He is supreme. He is the actual fulfillment of the old way of doing things and is therefore greater than those ways. Concerning the temple system under the Mosaic Law, the author of Hebrews writes, “But in fact the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, since the new covenant is established on better promises” (Hebrews 8:6). In essence, Jesus is greater than the Old Testament system. He both encompasses and supersedes the old way of doing things. This is evident in the many comparisons of Jesus to Old Testament roles and rituals. For instance, we are told that “but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them” (Hebrews 7:24–25). Jesus, therefore, encompasses the Old Testament priesthood and is supreme over it (see here for more on this).

Hebrews explains that Christ is supreme over more than just roles and systems. Hebrews 1:3a says, “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful word.” Similarly, Colossians 2:9 says, “For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form.” Essentially, Jesus is God.

Colossians 1:15–23 is labeled “The Supremacy of Christ” in some Bibles. In this passage, Paul makes it plain that Jesus is over all things. Christ is called “the image of the invisible God” and “the firstborn over all creation” (Colossians 1:15). The word firstborn may seem confusing. It does not imply that Christ was created (as in the doctrine of the Jehovah’s Witnesses). Instead, the term firstborn refers to a position of authority. To be “firstborn” was to hold an honored position. Paul immediately goes on to explain Jesus’ role in creation: “For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him” (Colossians 1:16). This means that Jesus is not created but is Creator. He is God.

Paul goes on to say, “He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy” (Colossians 1:17–18). Paul highlights multiple areas in which Christ has authority—over creation, over the Church, over death, and finally “in everything.” Christ is both before all things and encompasses all things (“in Him all things hold together”). Therefore, Christ is supreme.

This doctrine is essential to our view of and worship of Christ. The supremacy of Christ affirms that Jesus is fully God. He is not simply a man greater than the rest but is truly above all creation, as only God can be. This truth is essential for our salvation. God is infinite and, therefore, our sin against Him is an infinite offense. In order to atone for this offense, the sacrifice must be infinite. Jesus, as God, is infinite and thus an able sacrifice.

That Jesus is supreme excludes us from saying that He is only one of many ways to God. He is not just a good moral teacher whom we may choose to follow; rather, He is God, and He is over all. Jesus’ supremacy also makes it evident that we cannot atone for our own sins. In fact, “it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins” (Hebrews 10:4). Jesus both fulfilled and replaced that system. Salvation is not based on works (see Ephesians 2:1–10). And, once we are saved, Jesus’ supremacy shows us that we cannot aspire to be like Him of our own strength. Jesus is unlike any other, supreme over all. Christians are called to be like Jesus, but this is through the work of the Holy Spirit (Philippians 2:12–13; Romans 8).

The supremacy of Jesus teaches us that He is not simply a spiritual being above the rest. Paul tells us that through Him all things visible and invisible, in heaven and on earth, i.e., spiritual and physical, were created (see Colossians 1:16). Hebrews 1:4 calls Jesus superior to the angels. This truth negates any tendencies toward angel worship. Jesus created the angels and is above them. We are explicitly told He is greater than they. Therefore, we need only worship Jesus. Similarly, that Jesus created the things of earth means that creation is not worthy of our worship. Jesus is supreme over both the physical and spiritual realms, thus giving both arenas importance while still remaining sovereign over them.

When we understand the supremacy of Christ, we have a more accurate view of Him. We more fully understand the depth of His love; we are more able to receive and to respond to His love. Theologians believe that Colossians was written, in part, to combat heresies rising in Colossae. It seemed fitting to Paul to affirm the supremacy of Christ in order to quash these misled beliefs. He affirmed Christ’s supremacy, His lordship, and His sufficiency for us. Hebrews explains the link between the Old Testament covenant and the new covenant of Jesus. It reveals the old system as a shadow of the ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ. The supremacy of Christ is central to an accurate view of His Person, His work, our status as believers, and the Kingdom.
​
​

Habakkuk 2:4 includes the well-known statement


“the righteous will live by faith.”


What does this mean?


The context helps us to understand God’s intent in this passage. The whole verse reads, “Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him, but the righteous shall live by his faith.” “His soul” is a symbolic reference to Babylonia. This nation had become proud or “puffed up.” As a result, they were unrighteous and facing God’s judgment. In contrast, the righteous (or the “just”) would live by faith in God. By contrast, the righteous are humble in God’s eyes and will never face God’s judgment.

Habakkuk 2:4 is quoted three times in the New Testament. Paul quotes it in Romans 1:17, emphasizing the idea that righteousness by faith is for both Jews and Gentiles: “For in the gospel a righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith, just as it is written, ‘The righteous will live by faith.’”

Then, in Galatians 3:11, we read, “Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for ‘The righteous shall live by faith.’” Here, Paul stresses that we are justified or made right before God by faith. The Law has no ability to justify anyone. As Habakkuk had recorded, people have always been saved by faith, not by works. Habakkuk 2:4 is also quoted in Hebrews 10:38.

In the third century, Rabbi Simla noted that Moses gave 365 prohibitions and 248 positive commands. David reduced them to eleven commands in Psalm 15; Isaiah made them six (33:14-15); Micah bound them into three (6:8); and Habakkuk condensed them all to one, namely—“The righteous shall live by faith” (from P. L. Tan, Encyclopedia of 7700 illustrations. Garland, TX: Bible Communications, #1495).

Christians are saved by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9), and we walk in faith (2 Corinthians 5:7). Only by faith in Christ are we made righteous (Romans 5:19). Paul further expounds on this truth in Galatians 2:16, saying, “We know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.” It is Christ’s righteousness that saves us, and the only way to receive that gift is to trust in Him. “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life” (John 3:36).

When Habakkuk wrote, “The righteous shall live by his faith,” he was echoing a timeless truth first modeled in Abraham’s life (Genesis 15:6). The righteous man will “live” in that he will not face God’s judgment; rather, in return for his faith in God, he has been given eternal life.

The idea of “circumcision of the heart” is found in Romans 2:29. It refers to having a pure heart, separated unto God. Paul writes, “A Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter.” These words conclude a sometimes confusing passage of Scripture regarding circumcision and the Christian. Verses 25-29 provide context:

“For circumcision indeed is of value if you obey the law, but if you break the law, your circumcision becomes uncircumcision. So, if a man who is uncircumcised keeps the precepts of the law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision? Then he who is physically uncircumcised but keeps the law will condemn you who have the written code and circumcision but break the law. For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God.”

Paul is discussing the role of the Old Testament Law as it relates to Christianity. He argues that Jewish circumcision is only an outward sign of being set apart to God. However, if the heart is sinful, then physical circumcision is of no avail. A circumcised body and a sinful heart are at odds with each other. Rather than focus on external rites, Paul focuses on the condition of the heart. Using circumcision as a metaphor, he says that only the Holy Spirit can purify a heart and set us apart to God. Ultimately, circumcision cannot make a person right with God; the Law is not enough. A person’s heart must change. Paul calls this change “circumcision of the heart.”

This concept was not original with the apostle Paul. As a Jew trained in the Law of Moses, he was certainly aware of this discussion from Deuteronomy 30. There, the Lord used the same metaphor to communicate His desire for a holy people: “And the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, so that you will love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live” (Deuteronomy 30:6). Physical circumcision was a sign of Israel’s covenant with God; circumcision of the heart, therefore, would indicate Israel’s being set apart to love God fully, inside and out.

John the Baptist warned the Pharisees against taking pride in their physical heritage and boasting in their circumcision: “Do not think you can say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham” (Matthew 3:9). 

True “children of Abraham” are those who follow Abraham’s example of believing God (Genesis 15:6). Physical circumcision does not make one a child of God; faith does. Believers in Jesus Christ can truly say they are children of “Father Abraham.” “If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Galatians 3:29).

God has always wanted more from His people than just external conformity to a set of rules. He has always wanted them to possess a heart to love, know, and follow Him. That’s why God is not concerned with a circumcision of the flesh. Even in the Old Testament, God’s priority was a spiritual circumcision of the heart: “Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, circumcise your hearts, you men of Judah and people of Jerusalem, or my wrath will break out and burn like fire because of the evil you have done” (Jeremiah 4:4).

Both Testaments focus on the need for repentance and inward change in order to be right with God. In Jesus, the Law has been fulfilled (Matthew 5:17). Through Him, a person can be made right with God and receive eternal life (John 3:16; Ephesians 2:8-9). As Paul said, true circumcision is a matter of the heart, performed by the Spirit of God.

The Scripture has several words translated


"right"

and the usage of the term,


"right hand"


ranges from a direction, to the opposite of wrong, what is just or what

conforms to an established

standard, and to a place of honor or authority


In the case of division or appointment in the Bible,

the right hand or right side came first,

as when Israel (Jacob)

divided the blessings to Joseph’s sons before he died


(Genesis 48:13-14)



In addition, a person of high rank who put someone on his right hand gave him equal honor with himself and recognized him as possessing equal dignity and authority. And this is what the Apostle Paul writes of Jesus Christ in Ephesians. "And what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us, the ones believing according to the working of His mighty strength which He worked in Christ in raising Him from the dead, and He seated Him at His right hand in the heavenlies, far above all principality and authority and power and dominion, and every name being named, not only in this world, but also in the coming age" (Ephesians 1:19-21). Here we see God exalting Jesus above all others by seating Him at the right hand of the Father.

The term "God’s right hand" in prophecy refers to the Messiah to whom is given the power and authority to subdue His enemies (Psalm 110:1; Psalm 118:16). We find a quote in Matthew 22:44 from Psalm 110:1, which is a Messianic Psalm. "The Son of David" is claimed by the LORD Jesus Christ as He is the "greater son of David" or the Messiah. In this passage of Matthew 22, Jesus questions the Pharisees about who they think the "Christ" or the Messiah is. "While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, Saying, What think ye of Christ? Whose son is He? They say unto him, The Son of David. He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make Thine enemies thy footstool? If David then call Him Lord, how is He his son?" (Matthew 22:41-45, KJV). The position of the Messiah is at God’s right hand.

The fact that Jesus Christ is at the "right hand of God" was a sign to the disciples that Jesus had indeed gone to heaven. In John 16:7-15, Jesus told the disciples that He had to go away and He would send the Holy Spirit. So the coming of the Holy Spirit in the upper room on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-13) was proof positive that Jesus was indeed in heaven seated at the right hand of God. This is confirmed in Romans 8:34 where the Apostle Paul writes that Christ is sitting at God’s right hand making intercession for us.

Therefore, what we can say is that "God’s right hand" refers to the Messiah, the LORD Jesus Christ, and He is of equal position, honor, power, and authority with God (John 1:1-5). The fact that Christ is "sitting" refers to the fact that His work of redemption is done and when the fullness of the Gentiles is brought in (Romans 11:25), Christ’s enemies will be made His footstool. When the end of the age comes, all prophecy will be completed, and time will be no more.

Jesus is described as the author and perfecter, or finisher, of our faith in Hebrews 12:2. An author is an originator or creator, as of a theory or plan. The Greek word translated “author” in Hebrews 12:2 can also mean “captain,” “chief leader” or “prince.” Acts 3:15uses the same word: “And killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses” (KJV), while the NIV and ESV use the word “author” instead of “prince.” From this we can deduce that Christ is the originator of our faith in that He begins it, as well as the captain and prince or our faith. This indicates that Jesus controls our faith, steers it as a captain steers a ship, and presides over it and cares for it as a monarch presides over and cares for his people. 

The Greek word translated “perfecter” in Hebrews 12:2 appears only this one time in the New Testament. It means literally “completer” or “finisher” and speaks of bringing something to its conclusion. Putting the two words together, we see that Jesus, as God, both creates and sustains our faith. We know that saving faith is a gift from God, not something we come up with on our own (Ephesians 2:8-9), and that gift comes from Christ, its creator. He is also the sustainer of our faith, meaning that true saving faith cannot be lost, taken away or given away. This is a source of great comfort to believers, especially in times of doubt and spiritual struggles. Christ has created our faith and He will watch over it, care for it, and sustain it. 

It is important for us to understand that God in Christ is not only the creator and sustainer of our saving faith, but He is also the sustainer of our daily walk and the finisher of our spiritual journey. For if God in Christ is not the author of our new life, and if Christ is not the finisher and perfecter of our faith through the Holy Spirit’s indwelling power, then we are neither born again nor are we a true follower of Christ. “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” “In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory” (Philippians 1:6; Ephesians 1:13-14).

Spiritual adultery is unfaithfulness to God. It is having an undue fondness for the things of the world. Spiritual adultery is analogous to the unfaithfulness of one’s spouse: “‘But like a woman faithless to her lover, even so have you been faithless to me, O house of Israel,’ says the LORD” (Jeremiah 3:20; see also Isaiah 1:21; 57:8; Ezekiel 16:30).

The Bible tells us that people who choose to be friends with the world are an “adulterous people” having “enmity against God” (James 4:4–5). The “world” here is the system of evil under Satan’s control (John 12:31; Ephesians 2:2; 1 John 5:19). The world system, with its contrived and deceitful scheme of phony values, worthless pursuits, and unnatural affections, is designed to lure us away from a pure relationship with God. Spiritual adultery, then, is the forsaking of God’s love and the embracing of the world’s values and desires (Romans 8:7–8; 2 Timothy 4:10; 1 John 2:15–17).

Spiritual adultery includes any form of idolatry. In the Old Testament, the children of Israel tried to mix the worship of other gods such as Baal with that of God (Judges 3:7; 1 Kings 16:31–33; Jeremiah 19:5). In doing so, Israel became like an adulterous wife who wanted both a husband and another lover (Jeremiah 9:2; Ezekiel 6:9; 16:32). In the New Testament, James defines spiritual adultery as claiming to love God while cultivating friendship with the world (James 4:4–5). The person who commits spiritual adultery is one who professes to be a Christian yet finds his real love and pleasure in the things that Satan offers. For believers, the love of the world and the love of God are direct opposites. Believers committing spiritual adultery may claim to love the Lord, but, in reality, they are captivated by the pleasures of this world, its influence, comforts, financial security, and so-called freedoms.

The concept of spiritual adultery against God is a major theme throughout the Old Testament (Isaiah 54:5; Jeremiah 3:20; Ezekiel 16:15–19). This theme is illustrated especially well in the book of Hosea. The prophet’s wife, Gomer, symbolizes the infidelity of the children of Israel (Hosea 2:2–5; 3:1–5; 9:1). Hosea’s commitment to Gomer symbolizes God’s faithful, patient love with His erring people.

Jesus said, “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other” (Matthew 6:24). The Bible exhorts us, “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world” (1 John 2:15–16). Believers must echo the words of the old hymn: “The world behind me, the cross before me; no turning back.”

“As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy’” (1 Peter 1:14–16). Spiritual adultery is like trying to straddle the fence with one foot in the world and the other in heaven. We cannot have both. As Jesus warned the church in Laodicea, “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth” (Revelation 3:15–16).

The love of the world is primarily an attitude of one’s heart, and we can cast away worldliness by cultivating a new affection. To avoid spiritual adultery, “set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth” (Colossians 3:2, KJV).

​The first biblical reference to God’s presence in a cloud is found in Exodus 13:21. As the Israelites moved toward the Promised Land, “the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night.” Exodus 40:35 associates the cloud with God’s glory: “And Moses was not able to enter into the tent of the congregation, because the cloud abode thereon, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.” In order for it to fill the tabernacle, the “glory of the Lord” must have had a physical manifestation recognizable to the people. However, there is no indication in Scripture that the clouds were glittery or filled with golden dust. In fact, every time gold or jewels are mentioned in connection with God, they are always of the purest variety. No independent gemologist has ever verified that any element produced in these services is authentic.

The Lord told Moses, “No man may see me and live” (Exodus 33:20). He allowed Moses only a fleeting glimpse of His glory in passing (Exodus 33:22–23). Those who encountered the cloud of God’s glory in the Old Testament were often unable to approach it (see Exodus 40:34–35; 2 Chronicles 7:2; and 1 Kings 8:11). By contrast, those experiencing the modern version of a “glory cloud” greet it with singing, dancing, shouting, and basking in the glitter that engulfs them. This response is inconsistent with biblical accounts. When the glory of God was present in a cloud, the power of His presence was so overwhelming that mortal men could not enter it.

Ezekiel truly experienced the glory of the Lord. He writes, “Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. When I saw it, I fell facedown, and I heard the voice of one speaking” (Ezekiel 1:28; cf. 44:4). When the Lord gave Isaiah a vision of His glory, Isaiah’s response was to cry, “Woe to me! I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty” (Isaiah 6:5). Abject humility akin to horror always followed Old Testament displays of the glory of God (2 Chronicles 5:14; 7:3; Isaiah 6:5). The responses of Ezekiel and Isaiah to the glory of the Lord were nothing similar to the responses of those in modern Charismatic churches.

God has displayed His glory in a thousand ways (Psalm 19:1), the foremost being the Person of His Son. Jesus stated that to see and know Him is to see the glory of God. He told His followers in John 11:40, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” He also said, “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). He has given His children the Holy Spirit, which means we carry the glory of God with us everywhere we go (1 Corinthians 6:19; 2 Corinthians 5:5).

Although the Lord God can manifest any way He chooses to, He does not need a glittery cloud to communicate His presence to those who have received His offer of salvation. We do not seek a sign (Matthew 16:4). We can enjoy His presence every moment of every day as we surrender to Him and choose to walk in the Spirit (Galatians 5:16, 25).




​The Calf


incident at Sinai signifies


​humanity's

faithlessness and disobedience

shortly

after receiving the law,




while the Jordan
​

​ crossing



highlights divine faithfulness,


marking the end


of the


wilderness wandering


and




entry


into the



Promised Land
​





The Golden Calf (Exodus 32)


Cause: While Moses was on Mount Sinai receiving the Law for 40 days, the Israelites became impatient and fearful.


The Act: They demanded Aaron make gods for them, resulting in the creation of a molten calf from their gold jewelry, which they worshipped as the deity that led them out of Egypt.


Consequences: God threatened to destroy them, but Moses interceded. Upon descending, Moses destroyed the calf, punished the people, and around 3,000 men were killed by the Levites.


Symbolism: It represents the temptation to create accessible, tangible idols rather than trusting an invisible God




Crossing the Jordan (Joshua 3-4)

Context: After 40 years of wilderness wandering, the new generation faced the flooded Jordan River to enter Canaan.


The Miracle: Similar to the Red Sea, God instructed the priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant to step into the water. As they did, the river parted, allowing the people to cross on dry ground.


Significance: It was a deliberate demonstration of God's power to inaugurate Joshua’s leadership and fulfill the promise made to Abraham, transitioning the nation from wanderers to inheritors. 

​
Site: The calf was built at Mt. Sinai in the desert, whereas the Jordan crossing occurred at the boundary of the Promised Land.


Leadership: Aaron struggled to lead in Moses' absence, leading to idolatry, while Joshua trusted God implicitly, leading to a miraculous entry into the Promise.


​Contrast: The Golden Calf represents the failure to wait for God, while the Jordan Crossing represents trusting God when faced with an impassable barrier.

​

What does husbands love your wives as your own body mean (Ephesians 5:33)?

​
In Ephesians 5:22–33, the apostle Paul teaches on marriage relationships, emphasizing the deep unity between a husband and wife. He draws a parallel between Christian marriage and the relationship between Christ and the church. Twice, Paul tells husbands, “Love your wives as your own body” (see verses 28 and 33). He explains, “For a man who loves his wife actually shows love for himself. No one hates his own body but feeds and cares for it, just as Christ cares for the church. . . . So again I say, each man must love his wife as he loves himself” (Ephesians 5:28–33, NLT).

Paul’s instruction—“husbands, love your wives as your own body”—derives from the Old Testament idea that in marriage, a man and woman become “one flesh.” He quotes from Genesis 2:24, “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh” (Ephesians 5:31). The biblical concept of marriage regards husband and wife as one person, one body, one flesh. Joined by God in marriage, they become a single entity.

When a husband loves his wife, he is essentially loving himself, as they are considered one in marriage. He does not merely love her “just like he loves himself” or “just as he would want to be loved.” No, he is, in truth, loving himself. Paul describes this kind of love as nourishing, cherishing, tender, and affectionate. Such love strives to “never treat them harshly” (Colossians 3:19).

In this same section of Ephesians 5, Paul instructs wives to respect their husbands and submit to them as they would to the Lord (see Ephesians 5:22–24, 33). What wife would not willingly submit to and respect a husband who loves her so completely and selflessly? Such love creates a mutual dynamic of care and consideration in the marriage relationship.

Paul asserts that, when husbands love their wives as their own bodies, they reflect the model of Jesus Christ and how He loves the church. He writes, “For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. . . . Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself” (Ephesians 5:23–28).

To understand what it means for husbands to love their wives as their own bodies, we can look to the powerful example of Christ and His love for the church, which is His own body (Ephesians 5:30; 1 Corinthians 6:15; 12:27; Romans 12:5). Despite all the imperfections and weaknesses of the church, Jesus tenderly cares for her. Jesus “loved the church. He gave up his life for her to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word” (Ephesians 5:25–26, NLT). He devoted His life and ministry to establishing the church and ultimately sacrificed His life on the cross for her (Mark 10:45; 1 John 3:16; Romans 5:8; Ephesians 5:2). He continues to feed and care for His body (Ephesians 4:11–16; 5:29). He loves His church “to the very end,” that is, to the uttermost limit of love.

One commentator writes, “To that degree, and in that quality, the husband is to love his wife. He is to give himself up for her. He is to dedicate his life to the physical, emotional, and spiritual welfare of his wife. Following the example of Christ, he is to give his wife not only all that he has but also all that he is. When a husband loves his wife so completely, the wife need never fear submission” (Anders, M., Galatians—Colossians, vol. 8, Holman New Testament Commentary, Broadman & Holman Pub., 1999, p. 174).

The husband who loves his wife as his own body and as Christ loves the church will have a sanctifying influence on her (see Ephesians 5:26–28). He will love her unconditionally, knowing she will fall short at times. He will love her sacrificially, not demanding his own way or keeping a record of wrongs (see 1 Corinthians 13:5). Instead, he will understand his responsibility before the Lord to look out for her well-being and nurture her spiritual growth.

The Bible uses several metaphors involving birth to help explain what it means to have a saving relationship with Jesus. We find terms such as born again (John 3:3), born of God (John 1:13), and born of the Spirit (John 3:6). They all mean the same thing. Birth metaphors are used because we all understand physical birth. When a baby is born, a new person emerges into the world. The new life will grow, and the young person will come to resemble his or her parents. When we are born of the Spirit, a “new person” arrives with a new spiritual life. And as we grow, we come to resemble our Father in heaven (Romans 8:29).

People try to know God through a variety of means: some try religion or following an ethical code; some turn to intellect or logic; others try to find God in nature; and others through emotional experiences, believing that God inhabits whatever feelings they can muster when they think about Him. None of those bring us one step closer to actually communing with the God of the Bible because He cannot be known through our moral codes, our minds, our environment, or our emotions. He is Spirit, and those who would worship must worship “in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24).

Imagine trying to paint a portrait using a hammer and nails or trying to bake a meal using pen and paper. It would not help to try harder or cry over it because both tasks are impossible given the tools mentioned. So it is with the flesh and the Spirit. We cannot commune with a holy, incorporeal Being using sinful, fleshly means. Unless our spirits are reborn with life from God’s Spirit, we simply do not have the capability to fellowship with Him. We must be born of the Spirit.

God has instituted a way for fallen human beings to enter His holy presence, and it is the only way we can come to Him. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). When Jesus offered Himself as a sacrifice for sin (John 10:18) and rose again, He opened a door that had been locked. When He died on the cross, the veil of the temple was torn in two, symbolizing the fact that He has made a way to enter God’s presence. God has opened the door to heaven so that whoever trusts in His Son’s sacrifice can be born again in his or her spirit (Mark 15:38).

When we place our faith in the risen Christ, a divine transaction takes place (2 Corinthians 5:21). God removes from us the sin, guilt, and condemnation we deserved because of our rebellion against Him. He throws our sin as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12). At the moment of repentance and faith, the Holy Spirit breathes new life into us, and our bodies become His temple (1 Corinthians 3:16). Our spirits can now commune with God’s Spirit as He assures us that we belong to Him (Romans 8:16).

We might think of the human spirit like a deflated balloon that hangs lifeless inside our hearts. We are scarcely aware of its existence until God calls our names and an awakening begins. When we respond to God’s call with repentance and faith in what Jesus Christ has done for salvation, we are born of the Spirit. At that point the balloon inflates. The Holy Spirit moves into our spirits and fills us. He begins His transforming work so that we begin to resemble Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:17; Romans 8:29).

There are only two types of people in the world: those who are born of the Spirit and those who are not. In the end, only those two categories matter (John 3:3). Our earthly lives are extended opportunities for us to respond to God’s call and become born of the Spirit (Hebrews 3:15).

Second Corinthians 2:15 says, “For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.” To understand what the apostle Paul meant when he said that Christians are the “aroma of Christ,” we must look at the verses immediately surrounding the expression: “But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are an aroma that brings death; to the other, an aroma that brings life. And who is equal to such a task?” (verses 14–16).

For Jewish people, the apostle Paul’s analogy of “the pleasing aroma of Christ” would present an immediate association. In the Old Testament, the scent of burnt offerings was described as “an aroma pleasing to the Lord” (Genesis 8:20–21; Leviticus 23:18; Numbers 28:27). For the Gentiles, this phrase would suggest the scent of incense being burned as an offering to the gods. However, Paul had a more specific picture in mind.

The apostle was speaking to the Corinthians about recent events in his ministry of evangelism. Despite all the difficulties and disappointments he’d faced while traveling from city to city spreading the gospel, Paul was able to reflect on God’s goodness with thanksgiving. The apostle then compared this ministry of evangelism to the triumphal military parades that were common at that time in the Roman world.

Paul’s metaphor would be readily understood by his audience, with the apostle and his co-laborers portrayed as victorious soldiers in a triumphal procession. During these Roman military parades, captives of war would be marched through the streets as garlands of flowers were carried and incense was burned to the gods. The aromatic perfumes wafted on the air as spectators and those in the procession breathed in their fragrance. At the parade’s finale, many prisoners would be put to death. Thus, the aromas were pleasing and life-giving to the victors, but they were the smell of death to those who had been defeated.

In Paul’s analogy, he separates humanity into two groups: those on the path of salvation and those on the road to destruction. The aroma spread everywhere by the ministry of evangelism was the knowledge of God as victor. Christians who spread the gospel are members of God’s victorious army led by Jesus Christ. Believers are like the aroma or fragrance spread during the victory processions. Both the victors and those perishing smell the aroma; however, it has a different meaning for the two groups. For the victorious army and its peoples, the aroma would relate to the joy of triumph. But for the prisoners of war, the fragrance would be associated with defeat, slavery, and death.

This brilliant metaphor contrasts Christian and non-Christian responses to hearing the gospel. To non-Christians, those on the road to destruction, believers who preach the gospel spread the smell of death, as it were. To Christians, those on the path to salvation, they produce the fragrance of life.

Overwhelmed by the extreme importance of this ministry of spreading the gospel, Paul exclaimed, “And who is equal to such a task?” The implication is that no one is worthy. Paul was astounded that God would appoint humans to share in this task. Later, in 2 Corinthians 3:5–6, Paul affirms that our ability rests solely on God: “Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.”
Ephesians 5:25–27 uses Christ’s unique role as the one who sanctifies the church as a model for how a husband should love and care for his wife. These verses say that “Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish” (NKJV).

In marriage, a husband should sacrificially love his wife, as Christ loved the church. Unlike marriage, however, husbands do not “sanctify” or “wash” their wives. But this is something that Christ does for His church. In this context, to sanctify is to set apart for God’s purpose and purify from sin. Through faith in the finished work of Christ, believers are set apart as holy and dedicated to God’s service (see Romans 12:1–2; 1 Peter 1:15–16).

In Ephesians 5:26, the expression washing of water is linked to water baptism, as mentioned in Romans 6:3–4. According to Paul, baptism symbolizes the believer’s death to sin and new life in Christ. The reality is that “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17, ESV). Water for cleansing also played a part in a bride’s preparation for her wedding day.

There may also be a link between Ezekiel 16:1–13 and Ephesians 5:26–27. In the Ezekiel passage, Israel is portrayed as an abandoned girl who becomes a queen. This passage prefigures the New Testament concept of the church as the bride of Christ, who is sanctified and cleansed for Him. The metaphor is further enriched by Ezekiel 36:25, where God promises to “sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleanness, and from all your idols I will cleanse you” (ESV). In Christ, we are thoroughly cleansed.

The culmination of Christ’s sanctifying work is beautifully illustrated in the eschatological visions of Revelation 19:7–9 and 21:2, 9–11. In these passages, the apostle John describes the marriage supper of the Lamb, an event that represents the final consummation of Christ’s relationship with His church. This future event is not only a celebration but a fulfillment of God’s redemptive plan, where Christ presents “the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish” (Ephesians 5:27, ESV).

Ephesians 5:26 also specifies the agency through which Christ accomplishes His “washing” of the church: it is done “through the word.” In His High Priestly Prayer, Jesus said, “Sanctify them [the disciples] by the truth; your word is truth.” The means by which God justifies, saves, and sanctifies His people is the Word of God (see also John 15:3; James 1:18). It is by the Word that God accomplishes His purpose “to prepare and equip his people to do every good work” (2 Timothy 3:17, NLT).

While the focus of Ephesians 5:26–27 is on Christ’s role, there are practical implications for believers. Because we have been “sanctified” and “washed,” God expects us to “walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:1–3, ESV). Such a “walk,” or lifestyle, is not about earning salvation; rather, it is about responding to God’s grace with reverence and obedience.

The church, as the collective body of believers, plays an important role in the sanctification process. This communal aspect of sanctification is emphasized in Hebrews 10:24–25, which encourages believers “to stir one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near” (ESV).

The sanctification process is both personal and communal. Individually, believers are called to engage with Scripture, allowing the Word of God to cleanse them from sin and transform their hearts and minds (Psalm 119:105; James 1:22–25). Collectively, the church reflects the holiness and purity of Christ, given to the church through what He accomplished on the cross.

Ephesians 5:26–27 presents profound insights into Christ’s role in the sanctification of His church, drawing from Old Testament allegories and culminating in our future union with Him. Not only does this passage reveal the depth of Christ’s love and sacrifice, but it also calls us to a life of holiness and dedication to God’s service. Let us, then, live out the fulness of our spiritual cleansing, demonstrating to everyone that we belong to Christ, who sanctifies us “by the washing with water through the word.”

Second Peter 3:18 tells us to “grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.” To grow in grace is to mature as a Christian. We are saved by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8–9), and we mature and are sanctified by grace alone. We know that grace is a blessing that we don’t deserve. It is God’s grace that justifies us, sanctifies us, and eventually glorifies us in heaven. The sanctification process, becoming more like Christ, is synonymous with growing in grace.

We grow in grace by reading God’s Word and letting it “dwell in us richly” (Colossians 3:16) and by praying. Those actions by themselves don’t mature us, but God uses these spiritual disciplines to help us grow. Therefore, maturing in our Christian life is not about what we do, but about what God does in us, by His grace. Understanding and applying God’s grace in our lives is important. We are not to impair it by being proud, because God says that He resists the proud but gives grace to the humble (James 4:6). Grace is that attribute of God that enables us to break free of our sinful nature and follow Him. It gives us strength and protects us. Without God’s grace, His favor, we would be hopelessly lost in this world. The more grace we have and ask God for, the more mature as Christians we will be.

To grow in grace does not mean gaining more grace from God. God’s grace never increases; it is infinite, it cannot be more, and according to the nature of God, it could never be less. He gave His only Son so that whoever believes in Him should be saved (John 3:16). How much more grace could there possibly be than that? But to grow in grace is to grow in our understanding of what Jesus did and to grow in our appreciation of the grace we have been given. The more we learn about Jesus, the more we will appreciate all He has done, and the more we appreciate His love and sacrifice for us, the more we will perceive the never-ending grace of God.

Peter also confirms that we need to grow in our knowledge of Jesus and to have that intimate relationship with Him because the more we know of Him, the more of Him will be seen in our lives. Paul said in Colossians 3:1–4: “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.”

The Scriptures contain all the knowledge we will ever need to learn of God, His Son, and His Spirit, at least in this life. God`s desire for those He has saved is their sanctification and transformation. He wants us to become more holy like Himself. He wants to transform us into the image of His Son. The way to do this is by meditating on the Scriptures and applying their principles to our lives as we yield to the conviction and power of the Holy Spirit who dwells within us. Then we will prove 2 Corinthians 3:18: “We, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord.”

Malachi 3:2, where the phrase refiner’s fire is used, has been a popular verse in Western society for centuries due to its use in Handel’s famous oratorio Messiah. The verse reads, “But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap.” Let’s take a look at the prophet’s similes.

Malachi says that, when the Lord returns, no one will be able to stand before Him. The Lord’s holiness and judgment will be as a refiner’s blazing fire and as a fuller’s bleaching agent. The idea of “standing” before the Lord is associated with “withstanding” or “standing up to”; sinful human flesh will not have the strength, the right, or the desire to resist the Lord in His glory (cf. Psalm 76:7; Revelation 6:17).

The two similes help clarify why no one will be able to stand in the Day of the Lord. First, Malachi 3:2 says the Messiah will be like a refiner’s fire, an allusion to the process of purifying metal. A refiner uses a fire to heat metal to a molten state; then he skims off the dross that floats to the top. The refiner’s fire is, of course, maintained at an extremely high temperature, and such a high degree of heat is the prophet’s picture of the testing people will face on Judgment Day. All judgment has been entrusted to the Son (John 5:22). Upon Christ’s return, the intense flame of God’s judgment will purify the earth, removing the dross of sin.

Second, the Messiah will be like a launderer’s soap. This type of soap was caustic and quite effective in producing bright white clothing. The HCSB translates it as “cleansing lye.” When Christ returns, He will cleanse the world of all impurity. Every stain of sin will be scrubbed away. The account of Jesus’ transfiguration contains a reference to His purity, using language similar to Malachi’s: “He was transfigured before them. His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them” (Mark 9:2–3).

The goal of Jesus will be to judge wickedness and purify His people: “He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the LORD will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness” (Malachi 3:3). Like the refiner’s fire, He will burn away the impurities of the priests. Like launderer’s soap, He will wash away their uncleanness (Isaiah 1:25; Jeremiah 6:29–30; Ezekiel 22:17–22; Zechariah 3:5). The priests in the millennial kingdom will then be able to offer sacrifices from a pure heart. The sacrifices in those days will be similar to those when the temple was first built: “The offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the LORD, as in days gone by, as in former years” (Malachi 3:4).

The refiner’s fire and launderer’s soap indicate the holiness and burning judgment of the Messiah when He returns to reign in Jerusalem at His second coming. His purifying brightness and absolute holiness will affect those who serve Him, creating a cleansed temple and purified priesthood. “See, the Sovereign LORD comes with power, and his arm rules for him. See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him” (Isaiah 40:10).
​

​
They will be as MIGHTY MEN, treading down the enemy in the mire of the streets in battle; and they will fight, for the LORD will be with them; and the riders on horses will be put to shame. I will STRENGTHEN the house of Judah, and I will save the house of Joseph, and I will bring them back, because I have had compassion on them; and they will be as though I had not rejected them, for I am the LORD their God and I will answer them. Ephraim will be like a MIGHTY MAN, and their heart will be glad as if from wine; indeed, their children will see it and be glad, their heart will rejoice in the LORD…. And I will STRENGTHEN them in the LORD, and in His name they will walk, declares the LORD” (Zech 10:5–7, 12).

In this brief chapter, which looks ahead to the future establishment of the Messianic kingdom, we find an essential lesson on leadership. Good leaders strengthen God’s people to live lives empowered by God rather than by human ability alone. The Hebrew root gavar appears four times in this chapter, twice as an adjective (“mighty men,” vv. 5, 7) and twice as a verb (“to make strong,” vv. 6, 12).

Under bad leadership, Israel fell prey to false teaching (Zech 10:1–2) and, as a result, was scattered and oppressed (Zech 10:2). God responds by removing these corrupt shepherds and by strengthening His people, transforming helpless sheep fleeing in fear into majestic horses charging into battle (Zech 10:3). The reason wandering sheep become mighty warriors is simple: the LORD Himself will be with them on the day of battle (vv. 5–7).

If you will permit me, let us now shift the metaphor from shepherds to sermons. Bad sermons leave listeners defeated and discouraged because they appeal to human strength: “Try harder. Do better.” Good sermons, by contrast, leave God’s people strengthened and encouraged, not by offering false hope, but by reminding them that they “can do all things through Him who strengthens” them through the power of the new covenant and the indwelling Spirit (Phil 4:13). 
S

Leadership


Aaron struggled to lead in Moses' absence, leading to idolatry, while Joshua trusted God implicitly, leading to a miraculous entry into the Promise.



​Contrast

The Golden Calf represents the failure to wait for God, while the Jordan Crossing represents trusting God when faced with an impassable barrier.
​

​Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image"


(Biblical Hebrew: לֹא-תַעֲשֶׂה לְךָ פֶסֶל, וְכָל-תְּמוּנָה, romanized: Lōʾ-ṯaʿăśe lək̲ā p̄esel, wəḵol-təmûnā)

is an abbreviated form of the second part of one of the Ten Commandments which, according to the Book of Deuteronomy, were spoken by God to the Israelites and then written on stone tablets by the Finger of God.[1] It continues, "... any graven image, or any likeness [of any thing] that [is] in heaven above, or that [is] in the earth beneath, or that [is] in the water under earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them."

Rabbinical Judaism does not allow images. Christians abide by this law with their own interpretation depending on the denomination. Catholics and Orthodox focus on images and icons rather than idols, sometimes with destruction of images (iconoclasm) occurring, particularly images of Jesus and the saints. Aniconism is a common but not universal aspect of modern Islam.
​
Although no single biblical passage contains a complete definition of idolatry, the subject is addressed in numerous passages, so that idolatry may be summarized as the strange worship of idols or images; the worship of polytheistic gods by use of idols or images; the worship of created things (trees, rocks, animals, astronomical bodies, or another human being); and the use of idols in the worship of God (YHWH Elohim, the God of Israel).[2]  Covetousness is forbidden by the 10th commandment, and as greed is defined as idolatry in the New Testament.[3] When the commandment was given, opportunities to participate in the honor or worship of idols abounded, and the religions of Canaanite tribes neighboring the Israelites often centered on a carefully constructed and maintained cult idol.[4] However, according to the book of Deuteronomy, the Israelites were strictly warned neither to adopt nor adapt any of the religious practices of the peoples around them.[5]
Nevertheless, according to the Hebrew Bible the story of the people of Israel until the Babylonian Captivity includes the violation of this commandment as well as the one before it, "Thou shalt have no other gods before me". Much of biblical preaching from the time of Moses to the exile relates to the choice between the exclusive worshiping of God and the worshiping of other idols.[6] The Babylonian exile seems to have been a turning point after which the Jewish people as a whole were strongly monotheistic and willing to fight battles (such as the Maccabean Revolt) and face martyrdom before paying homage to any other god.

According to the psalmist and the prophet Isaiah, those who worship inanimate idols will be like them, that is, unseeing, unfeeling, unable to hear the truth that God would communicate to them.[8] Paul the Apostle identifies the worship of created things (rather than the Creator) as the cause of the disintegration of sexual and social morality in his letter to the Romans.[9] Although the commandment implies that the worship of God is not compatible with the worship of idols, the status of an individual as an idol worshiper or a God worshiper is not portrayed as predetermined and unchangeable in the Bible. When the covenant is renewed under Joshua, the Israelites are encouraged to throw away their foreign gods and "choose this day whom you will serve".[10] King Josiah, when he becomes aware of the terms of God's covenant, zealously works to rid his kingdom of idols.[11]According to the book of Acts, Paul tells the Athenians that though their city is full of idols, the true God is represented by none of them and requires them to turn away from idols.


No one can serve two masters" (Matthew 6:24) means that devoted service to God is incompatible with making money, worldly success, or selfish desires the primary focus of life. Jesus taught that divided loyalty is impossible; one will inevitably love one and despise the other, leading to a "double-minded" or unstable life. 


The Impossible Split: Jesus highlights that opposing masters (God vs. mammon/money) demand different things, leading to conflicting directions.

Definition of Double-Minded: James (1:6–8, 4:8) calls those who vacillate between God and worldly desires "double-minded," representing a divided heart or loyalties.

Consequences: Attempting to serve both leads to instability in all ways, causing spiritual blindness where one might think they serve God while actually serving worldly desires.

The Requirement: Following Christ demands full devotion, not superficial commitment or trying to fit Him into a life built on worldly success. 

​
​What the Teaching Means Today

Money vs. Service: While having wealth is not sinful, organizing life around the acquisition of money prevents full service to God.

Priorities: God must be the ultimate priority; when material gain or fear of man takes priority, the individual is serving that master over God.

Overcoming Divided Loyalty: The solution is to cultivate a "single-minded" focus on God, which brings spiritual clarity and light, rather than a divided, dark heart

​

Paul warns Timothy, an elder of the church in Ephesus, that there will come a time when people “will not endure sound doctrine” (2 Timothy 4:3, NKJV); instead, “they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.” The idea of “enduring” sound teaching has to do with “tolerating” it or putting up with it. In other words, people will refuse to listen to what is good and right. They will be intolerant of the truth.

Prior to the warning, Paul establishes the source and utility of the Scriptures. The Scriptures are from the mouth of God, or God-breathed, and are beneficial for teaching, among other things, which leads to the maturing and equipping of the Christian (2 Timothy 3:16–17). This maturing and equipping has the purpose of allowing the believer to complete every good work that God has ordained.

Paul exhorts Timothy to be ready to proclaim the Scriptures at all times (2 Timothy 4:1–2), exhorting and correcting others by using the Word of God. Timothy is to study, practice, and then teach the Scriptures (cf. Ezra 7:10). In 2 Timothy 4:3, Paul provides the reason for urgency in such a task: “For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine.”

The Greek word translated “doctrine” is simply referring to “teaching” or “instruction.” Often, teaching and instruction systematized is understood as doctrine. The Greek word translated as “sound” can also be understood as “healthy” or “free from error.” Paul is warning Timothy that there will come a time when people will not desire to hear true or correct teaching—teaching that accords with reality. Instead, “they will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear” (2 Timothy 4:3, NLT).

Usually, understanding sound doctrine requires the individual to change his actions. If it is something he does not want to do, he may reject the teaching. At first, Peter did not want to preach the gospel to the Gentiles due to an improper understanding of what God desired for him to do (Acts 10). However, God patiently corrected his understanding and prepared Peter to proclaim the gospel to Cornelius, a Gentile leader. Peter responded to the sound doctrine and moved forward without fear.

It is important that we, as teachers and learners, heed the words of Paul in 2 Timothy 4:3. As teachers, we must teach sound doctrine, holding to the truths of Scripture regardless of the consequences. As learners, we must seek sound doctrine and receive it, if we are to live according to the truth. The learner’s desires must take a back seat to the truths of Scripture. Prayerfully, as the learner matures and is transformed by the renewing of the mind, his or her desires align more and more with the sound doctrine of Scripture.

It is beneficial for the learner to desire sound doctrine. It is also important for the learner to test what is being taught. During Paul’s second missionary journey, he travelled across Greece, proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ to all. Many believed in the gospel (Acts 17:4). Paul eventually reached the town of Berea where he also presented the gospel. The Bereans notably received Paul with eagerness, and they “examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true” (verse 11). The Bereans are a perfect example of how the learner ought to desire sound doctrine and examine the Bible to test whether an unfamiliar doctrine is truly sound.


​

The Bible indicates that there will be a great apostasy during the end times. The “great apostasy” is mentioned in 2 Thessalonians 2:3. The KJV calls it the “falling away,” while the NIV and ESV call it “the rebellion.” And that’s what an apostasy is: a rebellion, an abandonment of the truth. The end times will include a wholesale rejection of God’s revelation, a further “falling away” of an already fallen world.

​How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers! … For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish” (Psa 1:1, 6).

The first psalm is a beautiful poem praising the man who drinks deeply from God’s word. It opens and closes with a reference to the “way” and “the wicked” (1:1, 6). It contrasts a tree firmly planted and well watered with chaff blown away by the wind (1:3, 4). It contrasts the blessed man, who does not sit in the seat of scoffers, with the wicked who will not stand in God’s judgment (1:1, 5). The first word of the psalm begins with the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet, and the last word begins with the last letter.

Although Psalm 1 stands on its own, it is clear that the author of the Psalter, by placing Psalms 1 and 2 side by side, invites us to read them together. Psalm 1 begins with the “blessings” of the man (1:1), and Psalm 2 ends with the “blessings” of those who trust him (2:12). Both psalms conclude with the “way” of the wicked “perishing” (1:6; 2:12). In Psalm 1, the man “meditates” on the Torah (1:2), while in Psalm 2 the nations “meditate” on rebellion against the LORD and his Messiah (2:1-2). In Psalm 1, the blessed man does not “sit in the seat of scoffers” (1:1), but in Psalm 2 one is “seated in heaven, scoffing” at the wicked (2:4), far above their rebellion. In Psalm 1, the man meditates on the Torah (1:2); in Psalm 2, he recites the LORD’s “decree” (2:7). Unlike most psalms in Book One, which have superscriptions (Psalms 3-41), Psalms 1 and 2 stand together without them. For this reason, the Babylonian Talmud (b. Ber. 9.2) states that “The blessed man” and “Why do the nations rage” are one single literary unit.”
​
This carefully crafted introduction to the Psalter calls us to be like the blessed man who meditates deeply on the Scriptures. By delighting in the Torah, and thus in the Psalms, we see clearly who the blessed man is and why we should trust him (2:12). He is Israel’s perfect King, the Son of God, and the LORD’s Messiah, who alone leads us to the tree of life, to leaves that will never wither.

If the Church knew how to correctly delegate financial resources,

(transparency is an an actual word- its not a myth)



Then Progress would be willing to occur. 


I cant contribute as I need to. I cant finish my notes or apply what I need to say- there's more- and  i wish i could present it- i cant sacrifice to the extent i have for 5 years. I'm out of sacrifice.

Which make me a little more peeved at the others who gain unfairly and somehow "cant admit that"






​Paul puts it this way:



Jesus was fully God and worthy

of glory,

but He allowed Himself to be stripped

of His glory,

became a man, and was humbled

to the point of


death as a criminal on a


​Cross


​

(Philippians 2:6–8)





John adds that Jesus did this so that by believing in Him we could have life in His name


(John 20:31).



That





Jesus died


outside the city or outside


the camp


just adds to the humiliation



He was willing to undergo in His love for us. How can we not respond to such a One with trust, love, and thanksgiving?



No greater love exists than the kind He showed for us

​
(John 15:13).



In John 15:13 Jesus states,




“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”


The statement upholds sacrificial love as the ultimate expression of love. In saying this, Jesus prepares His disciples for His crucifixion and shows them what He meant when He told them to


​“love each other as I have loved you”

(verse 12).



All true love involves some kind of sacrifice, as the lover seeks to benefit the loved one. It stands to reason, then, that the greatest love of all would involve a total laying down of one’s life for the loved one. God, who is love, revealed His love for mankind through sacrifice (John 3:16; Romans 5:8). Sacrifice is paramount in 1 John 4:10: “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” The sacrificial love of God, also known as agape love, stands as the “greater love” and is how the Source of Love saved us.

Another reason why laying down one’s life is considered the greatest love is its counterintuitive nature. Humans tend to prefer taking rather than giving, so instances of selflessness leave us amazed. When a father dives into raging water to rescue his child, when a woman asks the doctor to prioritize her child, or when a soldier falls on a grenade to save his brothers-in-arms, we’re humbled and awed. In the modern concept of love, the focus often gravitates toward self-satisfaction, and in many circles the idea of sacrifice is considered unnecessary or even repugnant. In contrast to our diluted version of love, agape shines brightly.

For Christians, the expression of this “greater love” isn’t limited to literally laying down our lives. We don’t have to wait for a grandiose moment of sacrifice to love others as Jesus loves us. Our daily lives should be characterized by selflessness and deference, a denying of ourselves for the good of others. Such displays of love should be common in the body of Christ (John 13:35). We are called to follow Christ, which includes showing love in the way He demonstrated.

Other portions of Scripture also reflect the truth of John 15:13. For instance, Philippians 2:3–4 instructs us to “do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility, value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.” Romans 12:10 urges Christians to “be devoted to one another in love” and to “honor one another above [them]selves.” The Christian lifestyle does not nurture self-aggrandizement but centers on humility and self-denial.

It is worth delving into the word friend in John 15:13. Are we only supposed to love our friends? Wouldn’t this contradict other passages like Matthew 5:46–47? In the context of John 15:13, the friendship Jesus refers to is the relationship He had with the disciples. Yet we know that Jesus did not just die for His “friends” alone. Romans 5:6 says, “Christ died for the ungodly.” So, the principle of laying down one’s life extends further than just benefiting friends. We show love even to enemies.

There is no greater love than laying down one’s life for others. Jesus exemplified this love for us, and we are called to walk in the same selfless love.

Jesus asked Peter three times,“Do you love me?” as recorded in John 21:15–17. This occurred when Jesus was having breakfast with His disciples soon after His resurrection. Jesus used this opportunity to encourage and exhort Peter about his upcoming responsibilities and even to prophesy the manner in which Peter will die. By asking Peter, “Do you love me?” three times, Jesus was emphasizing the importance of Peter’s love and unswerving obedience to his Lord as necessary for his future ministry.


Jesus begins by questioning Peter about His love for Him, and each time Peter answers in the affirmative, Jesus follows up with the command for Peter to feed His sheep. His meaning is that, if Peter truly loves his Master, he is to shepherd and care for those who belong to Christ. His words reveal Peter’s role as the leader of the new Church, the Body of Christ there in Jerusalem that will be responsible for spreading the gospel after Jesus’ ascension into heaven.

It is possible that by His repeated question Jesus is subtly reminding Peter of his three denials. There’s no doubt those denials and how he felt when Jesus turned to look at him at that moment were seared deeply into Peter’s mind (Luke 22:54–62). It wasn’t lost on Peter that Jesus repeated His question to him three times, just as Peter previously denied Him three times.

There is also an interesting contrast when you look at the Greek words for “love” used in John 21:15–17. When Jesus asked Peter, “Do you love me?” in John 21:15–16, He used the Greek word agape, which refers to unconditional love. Both times, Peter responded with “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you,” using the Greek word phileo, which refers more to a brotherly/friendship type of love. It seems that Jesus is trying to get Peter to understand that he must love Jesus unconditionally in order to be the leader God is calling him to be. The third time Jesus asks, “Do you love me?” in John 21:17, He uses the word phileo, and Peter again responds with “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you,” again using phileo. The point in the different Greek words for “love” seems to be that Jesus was stretching Peter to move him from phileo love to agape love.

Whatever the reason for the three-fold “do you love me?” question, Jesus was impressing on Peter how important his new role of tending the flock of Christ’s followers would be. When someone repeats instructions to us over and over, we quickly understand that it’s extremely important for us to heed them. Jesus wanted to make sure Peter understood this vital charge He was tasking him with and the ultimate reason for it, to follow Him and glorify God (John 21:19).

The Greek word agape is often translated “love” in the New Testament. How is “agape love” different from other types of love? The essence of agape love is goodwill, benevolence, and willful delight in the object of love. Unlike our English word love, agape is not used in the New Testament to refer to romantic or sexual love. Nor does it refer to close friendship or brotherly love, for which the Greek word philia is used. Agape love involves faithfulness, commitment, and an act of the will. It is distinguished from the other types of love by its lofty moral nature and strong character. Agape love is beautifully described in 1 Corinthians 13.


Outside of the New Testament, the word agape is used in a variety of contexts, but in the vast majority of instances in the New Testament it carries distinct meaning. Agape is almost always used to describe the love that is of and from God, whose very nature is love itself: “God is love” (1 John 4:8). God does not merely love; He is love. Everything God does flows from His love. Agape is also used to describe our love for God (Luke 10:27), a servant’s faithful respect to his master (Matthew 6:24), and a man’s attachment to things (John 3:19).

The type of love that characterizes God is not a sappy, sentimental feeling such as we often hear portrayed. God loves because that is His nature and the expression of His being. He loves the unlovable and the unlovely, not because we deserve to be loved or because of any excellence we possess, but because it is His nature to love and He must be true to His nature.

Agape love is always shown by what it does. God’s love is displayed most clearly at the cross. “God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved” (Ephesians 2:4–5, ESV). We did not deserve such a sacrifice, “but God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). God’s agape love is unmerited, gracious, and constantly seeking the benefit of the ones He loves. The Bible says we are the undeserving recipients of His lavish agape love (1 John 3:1). God’s demonstration of agape love led to the sacrifice of the Son of God for those He loves.

We are to love others with agape love, whether they are fellow believers (John 13:34) or bitter enemies (Matthew 5:44). Jesus gave the parable of the Good Samaritan as an example of sacrifice for the sake of others, even for those who may care nothing at all for us. Agape love as modeled by Christ is not based on a feeling; rather, it is a determined act of the will, a joyful resolve to put the welfare of others above our own.

Agape love does not come naturally to us. Because of our fallen nature, we are incapable of producing such a love. If we are to love as God loves, that love—that agape—can only come from its Source. This is the love that “has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us” when we became His children (Romans 5:5; cf. Galatians 5:22). “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters” (1 John 3:16). Because of God’s love toward us, we are able to love one another.

The Gospel of John is the only Gospel which mentions “the disciple whom Jesus loved.” John 13:23 tells us, “One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was reclining next to Him.” John 19:26 declares, “When Jesus saw His mother there, and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said to His mother, 'Dear woman, here is your son.'“ John 21:7 says, “Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, ‘It is the Lord!’” This disciple is never specifically identified, but the identity of the disciple whom Jesus loved is clear. The disciple whom Jesus loved self-identifies as the author of the gospel (John 21:24), whom most scholars believe to be the apostle John, the son of Zebedee and brother of James.

First, only the Gospel of John mentions the “disciple whom Jesus loved.” Second, John 21:2 lets us know who was fishing with Peter: “Simon Peter, Thomas (called Didymus), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together...” The apostle John was a son of Zebedee (Matthew 4:21). Third, there were three disciples who were especially close to Jesus: Peter, James, and John (Matthew 17:1; Mark 5:37; 14:33; Luke 8:51). The “disciple whom Jesus loved” could not be Peter, as Peter asks Jesus a question in regards to this disciple (John 21:20-21). That leaves us with James or John. Jesus made a statement about the possible “longevity” of the life of the disciple whom He loved in John 21:22. James was the first of the apostles to die (Acts 12:2). While Jesus did not promise the disciple whom He loved long life, it would be highly unusual for Jesus to say, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you?” if the disciple whom He loved was going to be the first disciple to die.

Church history tells us that the apostle John lived into the A.D. 90s and was the last surviving apostle. Early church tradition was unanimous in identifying John as the disciple whom Jesus loved. It seems that John had a closer relationship with Jesus than any of the other disciples. Jesus and John were essentially “best friends.” Jesus entrusted John with the care of His mother, gave John the vision of the transfiguration, allowed John to witness His most amazing miracles, and later gave John the Book of Revelation. 


The Mercy Seat and the Golden Calf represent two opposing approaches to worship in the Bible: the Mercy Seat was the divinely ordained, invisible throne of God, while the Golden Calf was a visible, idolatrous substitute. 




The Mercy Seat

(Atonement Cover)


A solid gold lid (approx. 45" x 27") for the Ark of the Covenant, featuring two cherubim. It served as the place where God’s presence dwelt and where the High Priest sprinkled blood for the atonement of sins.




The Golden Calf


An idol fashioned by Aaron at the people's request while Moses was on Mount Sinai. It was a molten image meant to be a visible representation of God, often associated with the Egyptian bull god Apis or Canaanite Baal. 



The Mercy Seat was designed to facilitate a relationship with a holy, invisible God through atonement. In contrast, the Golden Calf was an act of apostasy that attempted to constrain the divine into a physical, visible form. While the Mercy Seat points toward the concept of grace and the future sacrifice of Jesus, the Golden Calf serves as a warning against idolatry and the rejection of God's commands. 


The Israelites had just pledged, “All that the LORD has spoken we will do” (Exodus 24:7).

Yet, within forty days they forged a golden calf and proclaimed, “These are your gods, O Israel” (Exodus 32:4).

Moses descended the mountain carrying the tablets of the covenant—and found apostasy in full swing.




• Idolatry must be annihilated, not managed.

• Sin’s sweetness soon turns bitter.

• God’s covenant demands exclusive allegiance.


• TRUE mediation and cleansing come only through the


Lord’s appointed Deliverer—ultimately,


Jesus Christ,


the greater Mediator who drank the

cup of wrath for us


(Matthew 26:39).





The Stone

Tablets of the Covenant,

or

Tablets of the Law,


are two stone slabs inscribed with the Ten Commandments by the finger of God and delivered to Moses on Mount Sinai. They served as a divine covenant between God and Israel, housed within the Ark of the Covenant as a sacred record of the law. 


Creation & Replacement: God inscribed the first set, which Moses broke upon seeing the golden calf. A second set was later made by Moses and written on by God to replace them.

Content: The tablets contained the Ten Commandments, often referred to as the "Testimony" or "Words of the Covenant".

Physical Description: According to tradition, the tablets were square, approximately 20 inches high and wide, and 10 inches thick (6x6x3 tefachim), with text bored fully through the stone.

Inscription: They were written on both sides, with both tablets containing the same commandments.

Location: They were placed inside the Ark of the Covenant, which was kept in the Holy of Holies of the Tabernacle.

Symbolism: They represented the ethical, moral, and legal terms of God's covenant with Israel. 






"Stolen water is sweet"


(Proverbs 9:17)


is a biblical metaphor describing how forbidden acts or illicit pleasures often feel appealing or exciting precisely because they are prohibited. This verse contrasts the deceptive invitation of "Folly" with the life-giving path of "Wisdom". While such actions may offer temporary gratification, they ultimately lead to destruction and death

The phrase comes from the Book of Proverbs, where Wisdom and Folly are personified as two women inviting people to a feast. 


Forbidden Pleasure: The metaphor suggests that what is forbidden (stolen) is often perceived as more desirable than what is lawfully available. It is frequently associated with adultery or other moral transgressions.

The Deception of Folly: Folly tempts people with the promise of secret, exciting pleasures, but hides the deadly consequences. Proverbs 9:18 warns that those who follow Folly are unaware that "the dead are there".

Contrast to Wisdom: In contrast to the "stolen water" of Folly, Wisdom offers bread and wine that lead to life and understanding


It serves as a counterfeit to the genuine, healthy satisfaction found in lawful relationships or godly living.


In the arid conditions of ancient Jerusalem, maintaining a fresh source of water was critical to life. Households typically used wells or collected and stored rainwater in underground cisterns. Like wells, cisterns were lined with plaster-like limestone to prevent them from leaking, or they were hollowed out of rock. Due to water scarcity, cisterns had to be guarded closely and carefully maintained. Naturally, it was preferable to drink from one’s own private supply than transport water from a public well or stream. And, of course, stealing water from another person’s supply was forbidden

Let your wife be a fountain of blessing for you”


(Proverbs 5:16–18, NLT)


The command to drink water from your own cistern forbids marital infidelity of any form. Sexual intimacy is to be guarded exclusively for the joy, pleasure, and fulfillment of love between a husband and a wife (Hebrews 13:4). Solomon develops similar imagery in Song of Solomon: “You are my private garden, my treasure, my bride, a secluded spring, a hidden fountain. . . . You are a garden fountain, a well of fresh water streaming down from Lebanon’s mountains” (Song of Solomon 4:12, 15, NLT). God blesses sexual intimacy, but it is a “private garden,” “secluded spring,” and “hidden fountain” to be enjoyed, cherished, and shared only by married couples and not in any other relationship.

When a husband and wife are faithful to their covenant, they love each other unselfishly as Christ loves the church

Ephesians 5:25–33 contains vital instructions for husbands in their relationship with their wives. Verse 25 gives the basic command: “Husbands, love your wives.” In case anyone wonders, the Greek word for “love” here is a form of agape. Husbands are to love their wives with God’s kind of love—selfless, sacrificial, and unconditional. For a husband to love his wife, he must truly desire what is best for her, and he must work for that best, regardless of the cost to himself.

The standard by which husbands are to love their wives is stated outright, and it’s a high standard, indeed: “Just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her” (Ephesians 5:25). The love of Christ took Him to the cross; the love of a husband for his wife will involve a similar giving of himself, even if the end result is not as bloody. Such is the nature of true love that it is willing to sacrifice for the loved one. Such is the nature of marriage that God intends husbands to sacrifice for their wives.

The goal of husbands loving their wives is also addressed. Christ’s goal for the church (His “bride”) is “to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless” (Ephesians 5:26–27). Husbands cannot sanctify their wives exactly like Christ sanctifies the church, but they can set the spiritual goal of their wives being all that Christ wants them to be. Then husbands can, in love, work toward helping their wives achieve that goal of Christlikeness. Husbands who love their wives remember that they are “fellow heir[s] of the grace of life” (1 Peter 3:7, NASB).

The Bible also gives husbands a practical way to gauge the authenticity of their love for their wives: are they caring for their wives’ needs in a way comparable to how they care for themselves? “Husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church” (Ephesians 5:28–29). The “one-flesh” principle comes into play here. Selfishness has no place in a marriage. And, ironically, as a husband meets the needs of his wife, he will find that he himself reaps the benefits. Note, too, that the standard for husbands’ love of their wives comes back to Christ’s love of the church.

The remainder of the passage in Ephesians 5 deals with the principle of leave and cleave (verse 31) and emphasizes once again the connection between the marriage relationship and the relationship of Christ and His church (verse 32).

Too often, husbands look earlier in Ephesians 5 and latch on to verse 22: “Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord.” Husbands sometimes take it upon themselves to make sure their wives submit to their authority. However, verse 22 was not written to husbands. It is specifically addressing wives. Husbands are never told to enforce their wives’ submission. Rather, husbands are told to love their wives (verse 25). Verses 25 through 32 are for husbands, and that is what they should focus on.

What is a husband’s responsibility? To love his wife. Without selfishness, without reservation, and without condition. Love her as Christ loved the church unto death (see John 13:1). Love her, seek her best good, sacrifice for her benefit, give yourself to her wholeheartedly, and, when that’s all done, love her some more.

In Malachi 2:10 the prophet asks, “Have we not all one Father? Did not one God create us? Why do we profane the covenant of our fathers by breaking faith with one another?” The obvious reference in this verse is the covenant made between the Lord and the people of Israel at Sinai. To profane something is to defile it or treat it contemptuously. Judah had broken the Mosaic Law, thus “profaning,” or showing contempt for, the covenant.

The Jewish people had one “Father” in that their nation had been created by God (Deuteronomy 32:6). Yet they had become faithless to one another. This description likely includes incivility toward each other (in violation of Leviticus 19:18) as well as unfaithfulness in their marriage relationships—a discussion of marriage and divorce follows in the next verses. Malachi condemns intermarriage with idolaters (Malachi 2:11) as well as divorce in general (2:13-16).

Malachi 2:11 speaks of mixed marriages between Israel and its non-Jewish neighbors (the issue was not racial but spiritual—God’s people who married idolaters were also engaging in false worship). The Mosaic Law explicitly taught against this: “Do not intermarry with them. Do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons, for they will turn your sons away from following me to serve other gods” (Deuteronomy 7:3-4; also see Exodus 34:15-16). Idolatry caused by intermarriage was a common problem in Judah. Even King Solomon married those outside of Israel as part of his alliances with other nations, and his heart was turned from the Lord (1 Kings 11:1-8). Ezra and Nehemiah, contemporaries of Malachi, also recorded dealing with such marriages (Ezra 9:2; Nehemiah 10:30).

When a husband loves his wife, he is essentially loving himself, as they are considered one in marriage. He does not merely love her “just like he loves himself” or “just as he would want to be loved.” No, he is, in truth, loving himself. Paul describes this kind of love as nourishing, cherishing, tender, and affectionate. Such love strives to “never treat them harshly” (Colossians 3:19).

In this same section of Ephesians 5, Paul instructs wives to respect their husbands and submit to them as they would to the Lord (see Ephesians 5:22–24, 33). What wife would not willingly submit to and respect a husband who loves her so completely and selflessly? Such love creates a mutual dynamic of care and consideration in the marriage relationship.

A New Testament principle regarding marriage also emphasizes spiritual purity. Second Corinthians 6:14-15 teaches, “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. . . . What portion does a believer share with an unbeliever?” (see also 1 Corinthians 7:39).

Malachi calls Judah’s sin the profaning of their covenant with God. In breaking their marriage covenants with their spouses, God’s people showed disrespect for the Mosaic Covenant. God’s word to Malachi was the same as His word to Joshua centuries before: “Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenant, which I commanded them to keep” (Joshua 7:11).

Paul’s instruction—“husbands, love your wives as your own body”—derives from the Old Testament idea that in marriage, a man and woman become “one flesh.” He quotes from Genesis 2:24, “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh” (Ephesians 5:31). The biblical concept of marriage regards husband and wife as one person, one body, one flesh. Joined by God in marriage, they become a single entity.

Moses actually went up on Mount Sinai several times to meet God as recorded in Exodus 19 through the end of the book. Depending on the reckoning, Moses climbed Mt. Sinai about eight times to meet with the Lord.

The first ascent. After the exodus from Egypt, on the first day of the third month, the Israelites arrived at Mt. Sinai. Moses’ first trip up Mt. Sinai is described in Exodus 19:2–7. He ascends the mountain in verse 3 and comes back down in verse 7. On the mountain God tells Moses that He is offering a covenant to the people of Israel: if they will keep the covenant, God will make them His own “treasured possession” and “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (verses 5–6). Moses reports this message to the people, and the people respond by saying, “We will do everything the Lord has said” (Exodus 19:8).

The second ascent. Moses returns to the top of Mt. Sinai in Exodus 19:8 in order to relay the people’s response to the offer of a covenant. God then tells Moses that He will speak audibly to Moses in a thick cloud so that all the people will put their trust in Moses as God’s chosen leader. Moses descends the mountain in verse 9 in order to relay this information to the children of Israel.

The third ascent. In Exodus 19:10, God is speaking to Moses again, which implies that Moses may have again climbed Mt. Sinai. (Some scholars believe God’s words in verse 10 were part of the discourse in verse 9.) In any case, Moses is said to descend the mountain again in verse 14. Moses consecrates the people in preparation for the Lord’s appearance on the mountain on the third day (verses 10–11).

On the third day, “there was thunder and lightning, with a thick cloud over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast” (Exodus 19:16). The people of Israel were understandably frightened. Then “Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the Lord descended on it in fire. The smoke billowed up from it like smoke from a furnace, and the whole mountain trembled violently. As the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder” (verses 18–19).

The fourth ascent. Moses’ fourth trip up Mt. Sinai is described in Exodus 19:20–25. God summons Moses to the top of the mountain in order to have him warn the people not to draw near the mountain while His presence is on Sinai. He also tells Moses to bring his brother, Aaron, up the mountain with him. Moses descends the mountain in verse 25. God then delivers the Ten Commandments audibly in Exodus 20:1–17. In fear, the people of Israel plead with Moses not to let God speak directly to them. Instead, they ask Moses to be their intercessor and they would listen to him (verses 18–19). Moses tells them to not be afraid but that God is testing them so that they would fear Him and not sin (verse 20).

The fifth ascent. Moses returns to Mt. Sinai in Exodus 20:21 as he “approached the thick darkness where God was.” At this time, God gives Moses various laws, recorded in chapters 21–23, along with a promise to give the land of Canaan to the children of Israel (Exodus 23:20–33).

The sixth ascent. In Exodus 24:1 Moses is summoned again to climb Mt. Sinai. This time he is to bring Aaron, Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel with him. The next morning, Moses “built an altar at the foot of the mountain and set up twelve stone pillars representing the twelve tribes of Israel” (verse 4). He offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings and read the Book of the Covenant to the people, who responded, “We will do everything the Lord has said; we will obey” (verse 7). To ratify the covenant, Moses sprinkled the people with the blood of the sacrifice (verse 8).

After the ceremony, Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and the elders ascend the mountain, and there they “saw the God of Israel. Under his feet was something like a pavement made of lapis lazuli, as bright blue as the sky” (Exodus 24:10). Amazingly, God allows these men to live, even though they had seen God; in fact, they “ate and drank” on the mountain (verse 11).

God then commands Moses to continue up Sinai in order to receive the stone tablets that God had prepared (Exodus 24:12). Moses takes Joshua with him and sends the others down to the foot of Sinai. While Joshua waits, Moses continues the ascent. For six days, a cloud covers the top of the mountain. On the seventh day, God calls Moses to enter the cloud and approach the top of the mountain. Moses stays there for 40 days and 40 nights (verse 18).

During this meeting on the mountain, God gives Moses much information. This included the Ten Commandments written on tablets of stone by God Himself. Moses also receives complete instructions on how to build the tabernacle, the ark of the covenant, and the altar, specifications for the priestly garments, etc. (Exodus 24–31). Unfortunately, at the foot of the mountain, the Israelites had Aaron build the golden calf and were committing idolatry. When Moses and Joshua descend the mountain in Exodus 32:19 and see what the people are doing, Moses breaks the stone tablets in anger. He then destroys the golden calf and disciplines the people.

The seventh ascent. Moses goes back to the Lord in Exodus 32:32 in order to intercede on behalf of the children of Israel. This implies another ascent of Sinai. In a show of great love and mercy that anticipates the love and mercy of Jesus Christ, Moses offers his own life in exchange for the life of Israel (verse 32).

The eighth ascent. In Exodus 34:1–2, the Lord says to Moses, “Chisel out two stone tablets like the first ones, and I will write on them the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke. Be ready in the morning, and then come up on Mount Sinai. Present yourself to me there on top of the mountain.” Moses is to come alone. On top of the mountain, the Lord reveals Himself to Moses and describes Himself this way: “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness” (verse 6). Moses worships the Lord and receives a repetition of the covenant. Moses is on Sinai for another 40 days and 40 nights, miraculously “without eating bread or drinking water” (verse 28). When Moses comes back down to the people, “he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord. When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, his face was radiant, and they were afraid to come near him” (verses 29–30).

The events at Mt. Sinai were monumental in the history of the world. God was creating for Himself a new nation with new laws and a new way of life. The Lord showed Himself to be a God who desires to communicate Himself and to forge a relationship with His people. In giving the Law, God revealed His holiness, clearly defined sin (Romans 7:7), and provided a guardian to eventually bring us to Christ (Galatians 3:24–25). The mediation of Moses on Sinai is a wonderful picture of the intercession of Christ on behalf of sinners (Romans 8:34).

The story of the golden calf is found in Exodus 32:1–6. The children of Israel had been in bondage in Egypt for over 400 years (Genesis 15:13; Acts 7:6). God called Moses, the deliverer, and told him that He had heard their cries and was about to deliver them (Exodus 3:6–8). During their time in Egypt, the Israelites had apparently begun to doubt the existence of the God their fathers worshiped (Exodus 3:13). To help Moses prove the existence and power of God, he was given a number of miraculous signs to help the Israelites believe. After all of these miracles were done, including the ten plagues on the Egyptians, the Israelites came out of Egypt with a renewed belief in the God of their fathers. They passed through the Red Sea on dry land, while the Egyptian army was drowned, and they were brought to the mountain of God to receive His laws.

The people of the Middle East were very religious, but they also worshiped many gods. The ten plagues God brought on the Egyptians were judgments against specific gods they worshiped and showed that the Lord was greater than all of them. Even Moses’ father-in-law Jethro, who was the priest of Midian and a worshiper of the true God, was impacted by the religious pluralism of the people around him. When Moses and the people arrived at Mount Sinai, and Jethro heard of all God’s works, he replied, “Now I know that the LORD is greater than all gods, because in this affair they dealt arrogantly with the people” (Exodus 18:11). When God gave His laws to the Israelites, He began by addressing this religious pluralism. “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me” (Exodus 20:2–5).

While Moses was up on the mountain receiving God’s laws, the people were getting anxious down on the plain. Moses spent forty days (Exodus 24:18) up on the mountain with God, and by the end of that time, the people were beginning to think Moses had died or left them. The people urged Aaron, their temporary leader, to make gods for them to follow. Since they were accustomed to having visual representations of gods, this was the natural (but sinful) result of their thinking. Aaron took their gold earrings, which they had brought from Egypt, and melted them down to make a golden idol. The idol he crafted for them was a calf, but Aaron maintained the name of the Lord in connection with it (Exodus 32:5). He was merging the pagan practices they were familiar with and the worship of the God they were just beginning to be re-acquainted with. Aaron called the people together and told them that the golden calf was the god who delivered them from Egypt. The people offered sacrifices and then engaged in pagan rituals, including orgies (Exodus 32:25) to worship this new god.

Why did Aaron do this? Scripture doesn’t give us the full answer, but we can put certain clues together and get a fairly good picture. First, the people’s long familiarity with idol worship would incline them to follow that method in the absence of clear direction otherwise. Second, they were already in the habit of merging their beliefs with those of the people around them, a practice that would continue to plague them throughout the kingdom years. Third, Aaron was faced with an unruly crowd that placed a demand on him. The solution of making an idol and calling it by God’s name seemed fairly reasonable.

Why did he choose a calf/bull? His lame excuse to Moses—“It just came out of the fire like this!” Exodus 32:24)—was just a feeble attempt to dodge blame. He fashioned it with a graving tool (Exodus 32:4) and took great care to form it that way. Some have tried to show that the bull represented one of the gods of Egypt, but that doesn’t fit the text, because Aaron called a feast to the Lord (Yahweh) and said that it was the god(s) which brought them out of the land of Egypt. The bull was a symbol of strength and fertility, and the people were already familiar with bull gods from Egypt. Bulls were also typical animals of sacrifice, so to use their image as a symbol of the god being worshiped was a natural connection. Aaron’s bull was a mixture of the powerful God who delivered the people through mighty works and the pagan methods of worship that were borrowed from the people around them.

Even though there are reasonable explanations for why Aaron and the people began to worship the golden calf, those explanations do not excuse the sin. God certainly held the people accountable for their corruption (Exodus 32:7–10) and was ready to destroy them for their sin. Moses’ personal intercession on behalf of his people saved them. Moses indicated that Aaron at least should have known that his actions were sinful (Exodus 32:21) and didn’t let him off the hook. As with any other sin, the punishment is death, and the only proper response is repentance. Moses called for those who were on the Lord’s side to come stand with him (Exodus 32:26). The Levites stood with him and were commanded to go through the camp and kill anyone who persisted in the idolatry. Three thousand men were killed that day. The next day, Moses went up and confessed the people’s sins before God, asking for His forgiveness. God declared that the guilty ones would yet pay with their own deaths and be blotted out of His book. These were the same ones who, on the verge of entering the Promised Land, would deny God’s promises and be sent into the wilderness to die for their sins. Their children would be the ones to receive God’s promised blessings.

Their experiences are a lesson to us today. Even though we might justify our actions through reason or logic, if we are violating God’s clear commands, we are sinning against Him, and He will hold us accountable for those sins. God is not to be worshiped with images, because any image we make will draw more attention to the work of our hands than the God who made all things. Also, there is no way we can ever fully represent the holiness and awesomeness of God through an image. To attempt to do so will always fall short. On top of this, God is a spirit (John 4:24), and we cannot form an image of a spirit. We worship God by believing His Word, obeying it, and declaring His greatness to others.



Moses Breaks the Tablets

As Moses approached the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, he burned with anger and threw the tablets out of his hands, shattering them at the base of the mountain. 20Then he took the calf they had made, burned it in the fire, ground it to powder, and scattered the powder over the face of the water. 
​

Then he forced the Israelites to drink it. 



21 “What did this people do to you,” Moses asked Aaron, “that you have led them into so great a sin?”…




The Physical Act

“Then he took the calf they had made, burned it in the fire, ground it to powder, and scattered it on the water; and he made the Israelites drink it.” (Exodus 32:20)






Why Moses Made Them Drink the Powdered Calf


– Fire, grinding, and dispersing reduced the calf to undetectable dust, ensuring no fragment could ever be recovered (Deuteronomy 9:21).

• Graphic demonstration of the idol’s worthlessness

– By ingesting the residue, the people experienced firsthand that their “god” could be swallowed and eliminated. Psalm 115:4-8 says idols “have mouths, but cannot speak… those who make them become like them.”
• Public humiliation that matched the public sin
– The very object they celebrated now became a bitter draught; their festivity turned to shame (cf. Proverbs 14:13).
• Tangible reminder of covenant violation
– Drinking symbolized taking responsibility for their sin—a precursor to later rituals where water exposed guilt (Numbers 5:17-24).
• Purification of the camp
– Any idol dust left on garments, skin, or ground was now removed through ingestion and bodily elimination, cleansing the sanctuary area (Leviticus 15:31 principle).
• Foreshadow of divine judgment
– Consuming impurity pictures the soul-corrosive nature of idolatry (Jeremiah 2:19). What they desired entered them as contamination.
• Reinforcement of Moses’ mediatorial authority
– The act underscored that covenant mediation is God-ordained; man-made mediators (an idol) are false (1 Timothy 2:5).



• Warning for future generations


– Paul cites this episode to caution believers: “Do not be idolaters, as some of them were”


(1 Corinthians 10:7)


Deuteronomy 9:21 – Moses recounts burning, crushing, and casting the dust into the brook.
• Psalm 106:19-23 – Israel exchanged God’s glory for an image; only Moses’ intercession spared them.
• Jeremiah 10:3-5 – Idols are lifeless; they cannot move or speak.
• Revelation 2:14 – Idolatry paired with immorality still provokes divine discipline.



Deuteronomy 9:21
And I took that sinful thing, the calf you had made, and burned it in the fire. Then I crushed it and ground it to powder as fine as dust, and I cast it into the stream that came down from the mountain.

1 Kings 15:13
He also removed his grandmother Maacah from her position as queen mother because she had made a detestable Asherah pole. Asa chopped down the pole and burned it in the Kidron Valley.

2 Kings 23:6
He brought the Asherah pole from the house of the LORD to the Kidron Valley outside Jerusalem, and there he burned it, ground it to powder, and threw its dust on the graves of the common people.

2 Chronicles 15:16
King Asa also removed his grandmother Maacah from her position as queen mother because she had made a detestable Asherah pole. Asa chopped down the pole, crushed it, and burned it in the Kidron Valley.

Isaiah 2:20
In that day men will cast away to the moles and bats their idols of silver and gold—the idols they made to worship.

Isaiah 30:22
So you will desecrate your silver-plated idols and your gold-plated images. You will throw them away like menstrual cloths, saying to them, “Be gone!”

Jeremiah 44:15-19
Then all the men who knew that their wives were burning incense to other gods, and all the women standing by—a great assembly—along with all the people living in the land of Egypt and in Pathros, said to Jeremiah, / “As for the word you have spoken to us in the name of the LORD, we will not listen to you! / Instead, we will do everything we vowed to do: We will burn incense to the Queen of Heaven and offer drink offerings to her, just as we, our fathers, our kings, and our officials did in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. At that time we had plenty of food and good things, and we saw no disaster. ...

Hosea 8:6
For this thing is from Israel—a craftsman made it, and it is not God. It will be broken to pieces, that calf of Samaria.

Hosea 13:2
Now they sin more and more and make for themselves cast images, idols skillfully made from their silver, all of them the work of craftsmen. People say of them, “They offer human sacrifice and kiss the calves!”

Acts 7:41
At that time they made a calf and offered a sacrifice to the idol, rejoicing in the works of their hands.

1 Corinthians 10:7
Do not be idolaters, as some of them were. As it is written: “The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.”

Galatians 4:8
Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods.

Revelation 9:20
Now the rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the works of their hands. They did not stop worshiping demons and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk.

Psalm 106:19-20
At Horeb they made a calf and worshiped a molten image. / They exchanged their Glory for the image of a grass-eating ox.

Nehemiah 9:18
Even when they cast for themselves an image of a calf and said, ‘This is your God who brought you up out of Egypt,’ and when they committed terrible blasphemies,

Exodus 9:21
And he that regarded not the word of the LORD left his servants and his cattle in the field.

Deuteronomy 7:5,25
But thus shall ye deal with them; ye shall destroy their altars, and break down their images, and cut down their groves, and burn their graven images with fire…

Deuteronomy 9:21
And I took your sin, the calf which ye had made, and burnt it with fire, and stamped it, and ground it very small, even until it was as small as dust: and I cast the dust thereof into the brook that descended out of the

Proverbs 1:31
Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.

Proverbs 14:14
The backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways: and a good man shall be satisfied from himself.

​


Then he took the calf they had made

Moses' action of taking the calf signifies his authority and leadership over the Israelites. The golden calf was an idol created by Aaron and the people while Moses was on Mount Sinai receiving the Ten Commandments. This act of idolatry was a direct violation of the first two commandments, highlighting the Israelites' quick turn to sin despite witnessing God's power and deliverance from Egypt.

burned it in the fire

Burning the calf symbolizes the destruction of the idol and the rejection of false worship. Fire often represents purification and judgment in the Bible. This act demonstrates Moses' zeal for God's holiness and his desire to eradicate idolatry from the community.

ground it to powder

Grinding the calf to powder signifies the complete obliteration of the idol, ensuring that it could not be reconstructed or worshipped again. This thorough destruction reflects the seriousness of idolatry and the need for total repentance and removal of sin.

and scattered the powder over the face of the water

By scattering the powder over the water, Moses ensures that the remains of the idol are irretrievably lost. This act may also symbolize the spreading of the consequences of sin throughout the community, as the water would have been a shared resource.

Then he forced the Israelites to drink it

Forcing the Israelites to drink the water mixed with the powdered idol serves as a physical and symbolic act of internalizing the consequences of their sin. It reflects the bitter results of idolatry and rebellion against God. This act can be seen as a form of judgment and a call to repentance, reminding the Israelites of their covenant with God and the need for purity and faithfulness.


1. Moses
The leader of the Israelites, chosen by God to deliver His people from Egypt. In this passage, Moses acts decisively against idolatry.

2. The Golden Calf
An idol made by the Israelites while Moses was on Mount Sinai receiving the Ten Commandments. It represents a significant act of rebellion against God.

3. The Israelites
The people of God who, in Moses' absence, turned to idolatry, demonstrating their lack of faith and patience.

4. Mount Sinai
The mountain where Moses received the Law from God. It is a place of divine revelation and covenant.

5. The Act of Drinking
Moses made the Israelites drink the water mixed with the ground powder of the calf, symbolizing the consequences of their sin.
Teaching Points
The Dangers of Idolatry
Idolatry is a serious sin that leads to separation from God. It can take many forms, not just physical idols, but anything that takes precedence over God in our lives.

The Role of Leadership
Moses' actions demonstrate the importance of strong, decisive leadership in guiding people back to God. Leaders must confront sin and lead with integrity.

Consequences of Sin
The act of making the Israelites drink the powdered calf symbolizes the bitter consequences of sin. Sin has real, tangible effects on our lives.

Repentance and Restoration
While the Israelites faced consequences, Moses' actions also paved the way for repentance and restoration. God is always ready to forgive when we turn back to Him.

The Importance of Faithfulness
The Israelites' impatience led them to idolatry. We must remain faithful and patient, trusting in God's timing and promises.
​


The example of Aaron and the golden calf is relevant still today. When we sin, the Lord calls us to repent and receive His forgiveness, based on the intercession of our Mediator, the Lord Jesus Christ (1 Timothy 2:5). When we are restored, God can use our lives in His service.

Why did Moses make the Israelites drink the gold dust in Exodus 32:20?Historical and Narrative Context
Exodus 32 finds Israel only weeks removed from the Red Sea and the audible voice of Yahweh at Sinai (Exodus 19–20). While Moses is on the mountain receiving the covenant tablets, the people, fearing abandonment, compel Aaron to fashion a golden calf—an object reminiscent of Apis-bull worship in Egypt. Their idolatry is rapid, deliberate, and covenant-breaking (Exodus 32:1–6).


“Then he took the calf they had made, burned it in the fire, ground it to powder, and scattered it on the water and made the Israelites drink it.” (Exodus 32:20)
Moses himself recaps the event in Deuteronomy 9:21, confirming every stage of the procedure.


. Fire: The calf is first incinerated, echoing Deuteronomy 7:25—“The images of their gods you are to burn with fire.”

b. Pulverization: Grinding to dust renders the metal irretrievable. Kings such as Hezekiah and Josiah later imitate this method when destroying high-place idols (2 Kings 18:4; 23:6, 15).

c. Dispersion: Scattering over the water ensures the dust cannot be recollected or recast (contrast Exodus 25:3 for tabernacle gold). Idolatry is literally reduced to waste.


 Humiliation. The worshippers swallow their “god,” dramatizing Psalm 115:4–8—the idol is lifeless and ends in the latrine (cf. Isaiah 46:1).

• Ownership of Sin. By drinking, each participant personally interna

lizes guilt (cf. Numbers 5:24, the “bitter-water” ordeal that reveals unfaithfulness).

• Evidential Test. Any subsequent sickness or death would visibly identify obstinate rebels (some 3,000 are executed, Exodus 32:28).

• Irretrievable Judgment. Ingested gold passes through the body and is excreted into the desert sands—no possibility of recovery parallels the permanent loss of fellowship their sin has caused.





Covenant Lawsuit Framework

Throughout Exodus 24–34 Yahweh acts as covenant Suzerain. Breaking the first two commandments (Exodus 20:3–6) invokes stipulated curses (Exodus 22:20; Deuteronomy 28:15–20). Making them drink the idol functions as an enacted curse, a tangible “lawsuit” demonstration before the offenders and the Levites, who serve as executioners (Exodus 32:26–29).

Purification MotifLike the ashes of the red heifer mixed with water for purification (Numbers 19:17), the gold dust in water forms a symbolic “detergent.” Although gold is inert and nontoxic, the act reinforces purification from the defilement of idolatry before the covenant can be renewed (Exodus 34).

The phrase “graven image” comes from the King James Version and is first found in Exodus 20:4 in the second of the Ten Commandments. The Hebrew word translated “graven image” means literally “an idol.” A graven image is an image carved out of stone, wood, or metal. It could be a statue of a person or animal, or a relief carving in a wall or pole. It is differentiated from a molten image, which is melted metal poured into a cast. Abstract Asherah poles, carved wooden Ba’als covered in gold leaf, and etchings of gods accompanying Egyptian hieroglyphics are all graven images.

The progression of idolatry in a pagan religion generally starts with the acknowledgement of a power that controls natural forces. The presence of the force is then thought to indwell an object, like a stone, or a place, like a mountain. The next step is altering a naturally occurring object, like a standing stone, a deliberately planted tree, or a carved Asherah pole and asking the force to indwell it. When the idolatrous culture has had time to contemplate the personality of the god, they then make corresponding physical images—a statue that looks like a woman or a relief carving that looks like an animal. Graven images can be either of the last two steps.

The spiritual progression is similar. People start with wanting something (Ephesians 5:5; Colossians 3:5), often children or prosperity or good crops. They observe the circumstances (which some acknowledge are God-ordained, and others think are independent) that lead to these things and begin to ascribe to the causal forces human characteristics—thus creating gods. Places are set aside to commune with these false gods. For convenience sake, smaller items, thought to hold the power or the communication line of the gods, are brought into homes. Before long, the people are ensnared by the compulsion to give homage to a thing of their own definition instead of to the God of the universe.

The second commandment, recorded in Exodus 20:4–5, reads, “You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. You shall not worship them or serve them.” Likely, this refers back to the first commandment, “You shall have no other gods before Me,” and specifically forbids the creation of idols. But it is equally dangerous to create an image of God Himself. God has given us reminders enough of His power and glory (Romans 1:20) without man attempting to use created things to represent the Creator.

Functionally, there is no difference between a “graven” image (Deuteronomy 4:16) and a “molten” image (Exodus 34:17). Both are man’s attempt to define and confine the power of God who works over creation. Both are the result of greed and covetousness, along with the fear that God does not have the worshipers’ best interests at heart. Graven images, whether an idol, a crystal, or a charm, are attempts to limit the power of God and reduce it to a small package that we can control. As with any kind of worship, the object of adoration inevitably controls us.

​From the beginning, God’s covenant with Israel was based on exclusive worship of Him alone (Exodus 20:3; Deuteronomy 5:7). The Israelites were not even to mention the names of false gods (Exodus 23:13) because to do so would acknowledge their existence and give credence to their power and influence over the people. Israel was forbidden to intermarry with other cultures who embraced false gods, because God knew this would lead to compromise. The book of Hosea uses the imagery of adultery to describe Israel’s continual chasing after other gods, like an unfaithful wife chases after other men. The history of Israel is a sad chronicle of idol worship, punishment, restoration and forgiveness, followed by a return to idolatry. The books of 1 & 2 Samuel, 1 & 2 Kings, and 1 & 2 Chronicles reveal this destructive pattern. The Old Testament prophets endlessly prophesied dire consequences for Israel if they continued in their idolatry. Mostly, they were ignored until it was too late and God’s wrath against idol-worship was poured out on the nation. But ours is a merciful God, and He never failed to forgive and restore them when they repented and sought His forgiveness.

In reality, idols are impotent blocks of stone or wood, and their power exists only in the minds of the worshipers. The idol of the god Dagon was twice knocked to the floor by God to show the Philistines just who was God and who wasn’t (1 Samuel 5:1-5). The “contest” between God and His prophet Elijah and the 450 prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel is a dramatic example of the power of the true God and the impotence of false gods (1 Kings 18:19-40). The testimony of Scripture is that God alone is worthy of worship. Idol worship robs God of the glory that is rightfully His, and that is something He will not tolerate (Isaiah 42:8).

Even today there are religions that bow before statues and icons, a practice forbidden by God’s Word. The significance God places upon it is reflected in the fact that the first of the Ten Commandments refers to idolatry: “You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me” (Exodus 20:3-5).

Idolatry extends beyond the worship of idols and images and false gods. Our modern idols are many and varied. Even for those who do not bow physically before a statue, idolatry is a matter of the heart—pride, self-centeredness, greed, gluttony, a love for possessions and ultimately rebellion against God. Is it any wonder that God hates it?

Ultimately, the answer to this question is “sin.” It is the sin nature of man that causes us to worship modern idols, all of which are, in reality, forms of self-worship. The temptation to worship ourselves in various ways is a powerful temptation indeed. In fact, it is so powerful that only those who belong to Christ and have the Holy Spirit within them can possibly hope to resist the temptation of modern idolatry. Even then, resisting the worship of idols is a lifelong battle that is part of the Christian life (Ephesians 6:11; 1 Timothy 6:12; 2 Timothy 2:3).

When we hear the word idol, we often think of statues and objects reminiscent of those worshiped by pagans in ancient cultures. However, the idols of the 21st century often bear no resemblance to the artifacts used thousands of years ago. Today, many have replaced the “golden calf” with an insatiable drive for money or prestige or "success" in the eyes of the world. Some pursue the high regard of others as their ultimate goal. Some seek after comfort or a myriad of other passionate, yet empty, pursuits. Sadly, our societies often admire those serving such idols. In the end, however, it doesn’t matter what empty pleasure we chase after or what idol or which false god we bow down to; the result is the same—separation from the one true God.

Understanding contemporary idols can help us to understand why they prove to be such a powerful temptation. An idol can be anything we place ahead of God in our lives, anything that takes God’s place in our hearts, such as possessions, careers, relationships, hobbies, sports, entertainment, goals, greed, addictions, etc. Yet Scripture tells us that, whatever we do, we are to “do it all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31) and that we are to serve God only (Deuteronomy 6:13; Luke 16:13). Unfortunately, God is often shoved out of the way as we zealously pursue our idols. Worse yet, the significant amount of time we often spend in these idolatrous pursuits leaves us with little or no time to spend with the Lord.

There is another form of idolatry prevalent today. Its growth is fostered by cultures that continue to drift away from sound biblical teaching, just as the apostle Paul warned us, “For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine” (2 Timothy 4:3). In these pluralistic, liberal times, many cultures have, to a large degree, redefined God. We have forsaken the God revealed to us in Scripture and have recast Him to comply with our own inclinations and desires—a “kinder and gentler” god who is infinitely more tolerant than the One revealed in Scripture. One who is less demanding and less judgmental and who will tolerate many lifestyles without placing guilt on anyone’s shoulders. As this idolatry is propagated by churches around the world, many congregants believe they are worshiping the one, true God. However, these made-over gods are created by man, and to worship them is to worship idols. worshiping a god of one’s own making is particularly tempting for many whose habits and lifestyles and drives and desires are not in harmony with Scripture.

The things of this world will never fully satisfy the human heart. They were never meant to. The sinful things deceive us and ultimately lead only to death (Romans 6:23). The good things of this world are gifts from God, meant to be enjoyed with a thankful heart, in submission to Him and for His glory. But when the gift replaces the Giver or the created replaces the Creator in our lives, we have fallen into idolatry. And no idol can infuse our lives with meaning or worth or give us eternal hope. As Solomon beautifully conveys in the book of Ecclesiastes, apart from a right relationship with God, life is futile. We were created in God’s image (Genesis 1:27) and designed to worship and glorify Him as He alone is worthy of our worship. God has placed “eternity in man’s heart” (Ecclesiastes 3:11), and a relationship with Jesus Christ is the only way to fulfill this longing for eternal life. All of our idolatrous pursuits will leave us empty, unsatisfied, and, ultimately, on the broad road that most people take, the one that leads to destruction (Matthew 7:13).

The golden calf was an idol fashioned by Aaron during the Exodus, representing a failure of faith. The red heifer is a specific animal required by Numbers 19 for ritual purification from death. Many believe the appearance of a red heifer today signals the potential rebuilding of the Third Temple in Jerusalem. 




The Golden Calf

Exodus 32


While Moses was on Mount Sinai, the Israelites created a golden calf to worship, viewing it as a symbol of strength and fertility similar to Egyptian deities.​

Significance: It serves as a historical warning against idolatry and substituting human-made gods for the true God.



Numbers 

Purpose: The ashes of a perfectly red heifer, mixed with water, were used to purify those who had become ritually unclean by contact with a corpse.​

Prophetic View: Because the ashes are necessary for temple service, some interpret the birth or arrival of a red heifer as a prerequisite for the construction of a Third Temple.

According to some rabbinical traditions, the red heifer is seen as a "rectification" for the sin of the golden calf. Just as the calf was red and symbolized a rejection of God's yoke, the red heifer—which has never borne a yoke—is used to restore purity. 

In Exodus 9:1–7, the Bible tells us that the children of Israel had cattle or livestock while living as slaves in Egypt. And in Exodus 12:30–31, Pharaoh tells Moses to get out of Egypt after the final plague had been placed on Egypt and all their firstborn sons had died. Pharaoh even went so far as to tell the Israelites to take all that they had, including their flocks and their herds, possibly getting every trace of them out of Egypt. Yet as they wander in the wilderness, they complain and moan about not having enough to eat, and God deals with them with tremendous grace by providing manna (Exodus 16:1–5). Why, though, did they describe themselves as “starving” when they had flocks and herds of animals?

The fact is that the Bible doesn’t explain why they did not—or could not—eat the animals from their flocks. For the sake of the argument we will ponder some possible answers even though Scripture is silent on the issue. First, it’s possible that Israel had too much of the Egyptian ways in them, having been in captivity there for over 400 years. Egypt had a system in effect wherein they worshiped many animals, cattle among them. Soon after the exodus from Egypt, the children of Israel even worshiped a golden calf, fashioned by Aaron in the absence of Moses (Exodus 32:1–4). It’s possible they were so steeped in Egyptian ways that they couldn’t bring themselves to eat animals they worshiped.

Second, did they see their livestock as their source of income? They were shepherds, and they came from shepherds. No one would want to eat his source of income. Perhaps they were preserving their flocks and herds for when they came into the Promised Land and would once again be shepherds and herdsmen. If they ate up the source of all their income, they would be paupers and beggars in their new country. A third possibility is that they were just whining because they were tired of eating the same old thing all the time. Perhaps they just wanted some variety in their diet.

Whatever the reason, the point is that it wasn’t meat that the Israelites lacked; it was faith. They wanted to go back to Egypt where they were “fed” (Numbers 11:4–6). Even though they had been slaves in Egypt, they wanted to go back so they would not have to worry about where their next meal came from. Another point is that they should have made the trip in 10 days (and they probably had that much food) but it took 40 years because of their rebellion and disobedience (Numbers 14:26–35). Nothing would please or satisfy the grumbling Israelites, not meat for a whole month, not all the flocks and herds or all the fish in the sea.

Although God is silent as to why this happened, the lesson we learn from it is that God is faithful and supplies our needs, whatever they are, and it is not always what we want or think that we need. But He knows our greatest needs, and He knows what will sustain us and keep us safe. A case in point is the fact that the clothes and shoes of the Israelites did not wear out in the 40 years of desert wandering because God saw to it (Deuteronomy 8:4; Nehemiah 9:21). The manna stayed fresh so long as the people gathered it up according to His instructions, and water came out of a rock for them (Numbers 20:11). In the same way, God has promised to supply all our needs through His riches in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19). We are not to worry about food because God knows what we need before we ask. Rather, we are to seek God and His kingdom, putting Him first and trusting in His faithfulness to provide what we need (Matthew 6:33; Luke 12:22–31).

What was done outside the camp of Israel mattered to God just as much as what happened inside the camp, and that becomes a point of significance in helping us understand a subtle yet important nuance of Jesus’ own ministry.

As part of God’s conditional covenant with Israel (often called the Mosaic Covenant or Mosaic Law), God placed emphasis on activities being done outside the camp. For example, the burning of the sacrificed sin offering was to take place outside the camp (Exodus 29:14). Moses also set up a temporary tabernacle (or tent of meeting) outside the camp so that, when the Israelites sought the Lord, they would do so outside the camp (Exodus 33:7). Even the ashes of the burnt offerings were to be taken to a clean place outside the camp (Leviticus 6:11).

It would seem simple enough that these activities would be done outside the camp for practical reasons. But there were other reasons evident as well. When Nadab and Abihu were killed by God for violating His sacrificial laws, their relatives were told to take their ashes outside the camp (Leviticus 10:4–5). If someone had leprosy, he was to dwell outside the camp (Leviticus 13:45–46). If a person was to be stoned to death, it was to happen outside the camp (Numbers 15:35). More than just for practical reasons those things that were unfit for normal dwelling inside the camp were taken outside the camp—it was the home of that which was unclean.

While at first glance there doesn’t seem to be anything vitally important about how the outside of the camp was used in Israel’s law and culture, the writer of Hebrews brings to our attention an important nuance in the ministry of Jesus Christ. First, the writer reminds readers that the bodies of animals sacrificed under the Law of Moses were taken outside the camp and burned (Hebrews 13:11). The writer then explains that Jesus, in order to sanctify the people through His own blood, suffered outside of the city gate (Hebrews 13:12). Matthew recounts that, after Jesus’ injustice of a trial, He was taken outside the city to a place called Golgotha (“place of the skull”) and crucified there (Matthew 27:33).

In Hebrews we understand that Jesus was taken outside the city to bear reproach—to be treated as an unclean criminal unqualified to remain in the city. We are then to go to Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach (Hebrews 13:13) and knowing that we do not have a lasting city here; rather, we are seeking that which is to come (Hebrews 13:14). Jesus died the death of a criminal, outside the city, so that we might all be qualified through His blood to have righteousness and eternal life and to be part of His coming kingdom. As Isaiah explains, the Messiah would be despised and forsaken and not esteemed by men (Isaiah 53:3). In a remarkable irony, this Savior would carry humanity’s griefs and sorrows, and yet humanity would look at Him as if He were the one “punished by God” (Isaiah 53:4). All our iniquity would fall on Him (Isaiah 53:6), and by His sacrifice we would be healed (Isaiah 53:5).

Paul puts it this way: Jesus was fully God and worthy of glory, but He allowed Himself to be stripped of His glory, became a man, and was humbled to the point of death as a criminal on a cross (Philippians 2:6–8). John adds that Jesus did this so that by believing in Him we could have life in His name (John 20:31). That Jesus died outside the city or outside the camp just adds to the humiliation He was willing to undergo in His love for us. How can we not respond to such a One with trust, love, and thanksgiving? No greater love exists than the kind He showed for us (John 15:13).

In speaking of judgment, God says, “The horns of the altar shall be cut off and fall to the ground” (Amos 3:14). What were these horns of the altar? Why were they important?

The “horns” were horn-like projections at the four corners of the altar of burnt offering. God’s instructions for the altar’s construction specified “horns”: “Make a horn at each of the four corners, so that the horns and the altar are of one piece” (Exodus 27:2).

During Amos’s day, the Israelites had apostatized and had erected altars to false gods. First Kings 12:26-30 speaks of two such pagan altars set up in Israel, one in Dan and one in Bethel. These altars had been constructed with horns at the corners, akin to the altar in Jerusalem.

When God says that the horns of the altar would fall off, He is assuring Israel that He would judge their idolatry. Indeed, God says earlier in the same verse, “On the day I punish Israel for her sins, I will destroy the altars of Bethel.”

The horns of the altar in Jerusalem had provided a refuge for fugitives. Those who caught hold of the horns of the altar were granted asylum (1 Kings 1:50-53). This use of the horns sheds additional light on God’s statement in Amos 3:14. Some scholars believe that God’s promise that the horns of the altar would fall to the ground meant that there would be no place of asylum, no place to escape the coming judgment.

Amos 3:15 indicates that the judgment would have deeply felt effects: “‘I will tear down the winter house along with the summer house; the houses adorned with ivory will be destroyed and the mansions will be demolished,’ declares the Lord.” No amount of material prosperity would be able to save the wicked. God’s judgment would destroy both the places of spiritual and material significance.

Yet the people of Israel would not be completely destroyed. Verse 12 says, “As the shepherd rescues from the mouth of the lion two legs, or a piece of an ear, so shall the people of Israel who dwell in Samaria be rescued, with the corner of a couch and part of a bed.” A remnant would survive. In their lowly state, they would be left only “the corner of a couch,” living in a state of poverty.

God’s desire in this prophecy was twofold. First, He longed for Israel to repent and turn from following other gods. Second, since these predictions did come true, they attest to God’s supernatural ability to foretell the future.

The destruction of the horns of the altar represents the downfall of idolatry and the removal of all safe havens. When God’s people refuse to heed His Word, He brings a just and curative discipline upon them.

Second Corinthians 2:15 says, “For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.” To understand what the apostle Paul meant when he said that Christians are the “aroma of Christ,” we must look at the verses immediately surrounding the expression: “But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are an aroma that brings death; to the other, an aroma that brings life. And who is equal to such a task?” (verses 14–16).

For Jewish people, the apostle Paul’s analogy of “the pleasing aroma of Christ” would present an immediate association. In the Old Testament, the scent of burnt offerings was described as “an aroma pleasing to the Lord” (Genesis 8:20–21; Leviticus 23:18; Numbers 28:27). For the Gentiles, this phrase would suggest the scent of incense being burned as an offering to the gods. However, Paul had a more specific picture in mind.

The apostle was speaking to the Corinthians about recent events in his ministry of evangelism. Despite all the difficulties and disappointments he’d faced while traveling from city to city spreading the gospel, Paul was able to reflect on God’s goodness with thanksgiving. The apostle then compared this ministry of evangelism to the triumphal military parades that were common at that time in the Roman world.

Paul’s metaphor would be readily understood by his audience, with the apostle and his co-laborers portrayed as victorious soldiers in a triumphal procession. During these Roman military parades, captives of war would be marched through the streets as garlands of flowers were carried and incense was burned to the gods. The aromatic perfumes wafted on the air as spectators and those in the procession breathed in their fragrance. At the parade’s finale, many prisoners would be put to death. Thus, the aromas were pleasing and life-giving to the victors, but they were the smell of death to those who had been defeated.

In Paul’s analogy, he separates humanity into two groups: those on the path of salvation and those on the road to destruction. The aroma spread everywhere by the ministry of evangelism was the knowledge of God as victor. Christians who spread the gospel are members of God’s victorious army led by Jesus Christ. Believers are like the aroma or fragrance spread during the victory processions. Both the victors and those perishing smell the aroma; however, it has a different meaning for the two groups. For the victorious army and its peoples, the aroma would relate to the joy of triumph. But for the prisoners of war, the fragrance would be associated with defeat, slavery, and death.

This brilliant metaphor contrasts Christian and non-Christian responses to hearing the gospel. To non-Christians, those on the road to destruction, believers who preach the gospel spread the smell of death, as it were. To Christians, those on the path to salvation, they produce the fragrance of life.

Overwhelmed by the extreme importance of this ministry of spreading the gospel, Paul exclaimed, “And who is equal to such a task?” The implication is that no one is worthy. Paul was astounded that God would appoint humans to share in this task. Later, in 2 Corinthians 3:5–6, Paul affirms that our ability rests solely on God: “Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.”

The horn of salvation is mentioned several times in the Bible, but what does this expression mean? What does salvation have to do with a horn?

In the Old Testament, the word horn signifies many things. Of course, one usage of horn was to refer to a pointed bony structure growing out of an animal’s head (Genesis 22:13). Animal horns, used for fighting, protection, and securing dominance, became symbols of strength, power, and victory. Often, Scripture’s mention of a “horn” is as a literary symbol representing potency and power.

For example, in Daniel 7:7 and 24, the ten horns of Daniel’s fourth beast represent ten kings. In Psalm 75:10, God says, “I will cut off the horns of all the wicked, but the horns of the righteous will be lifted up.” In other words, the righteous will prevail, no matter how strong the wicked seem to be. In Jeremiah 48:25, “Moab’s horn is cut off” means that the strength of Moab is gone. The four horns in Zechariah 1:18–19 represent the powerful nations that attacked and scattered Israel.

Animal horns were also used as receptacles for oil (1 Samuel 16:1) or as a shofar trumpet (Joshua 6:5). The prayer in Psalm 92:10 contains both a reference to oil and a figurative use of horn: “You have exalted my horn like that of a wild ox; fine oils have been poured on me.”

In 1 Samuel 2:1 Hannah prays, “My horn is exalted in the Lord,” indicating the strength that will come from her having a child. In Luke 1:69 Zechariah praises God that “he has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David.” In this case, the “horn of salvation” is a reference to Jesus Christ, the powerful deliverer and king who was soon to be born.

Another significant instance of the word horn in the Old Testament is in reference to the protrusion at each corner of the altar (Exodus 27:2). In worship, the horns of the altar were dabbed with blood to purify them and make atonement for sin (Leviticus 8:15; 4:6). The horns of the altar speak of the power of God’s salvation. That part of the altar also became a place of refuge and sanctuary for a fugitive (1 Kings 1:50).

We often see the horn in Scripture as a symbol of salvation. Psalm 18:2 says, “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold” (ESV). In the New Testament, Jesus is the horn of salvation (Luke 1:68–69). Thus, a title applied to Yahweh is also applied to Jesus; they are both called “the horn of salvation.” The very name Jesus means “The Lord Is Salvation.” The salvation Jesus offers is strong, triumphant, and powerful. Just like the horns on the altar offered refuge and atonement, Jesus offers clemency and cleansing through His death on the cross. However strong our spiritual foe, the horn of our salvation is stronger still






 Where Wisdom Is Found


 There is a mine for silver

    and a place

where gold is refined.


2 Iron is taken from the earth,
    and copper is smelted from ore.
3 Mortals put an end to the darkness;
    they search out the farthest recesses
    for ore in the blackest darkness.
4 Far from human dwellings they cut a shaft,
    in places untouched by human feet;
    far from other people they dangle and sway.
5 The earth, from which food comes,
    is transformed below as by fire;
6 lapis lazuli comes from its rocks,
    and its dust contains nuggets of gold.
7 No bird of prey knows that hidden path,
    no falcon’s eye has seen it.
8 Proud beasts do not set foot on it,
    and no lion prowls there.
9 People assault the flinty rock with their hands
    and lay bare the roots of the mountains.
10 They tunnel through the rock;
    their eyes see all its treasures.
11 They search[a] the sources of the rivers
    and bring hidden things to light.
12 But where can wisdom be found?
    Where does understanding dwell?
13 No mortal comprehends its worth;
    it cannot be found in the land of the living.
14 The deep says, “It is not in me”;
    the sea says, “It is not with me.”
15 It cannot be bought with the finest gold,
    nor can its price be weighed out in silver.
16 It cannot be bought with the gold of Ophir,
    with precious onyx or lapis lazuli.
17 Neither gold nor crystal can compare with it,
    nor can it be had for jewels of gold.
18 Coral and jasper are not worthy of mention;
    the price of wisdom is beyond rubies.
19 The topaz of Cush cannot compare with it;
    it cannot be bought with pure gold.
20 Where then does wisdom come from?
    Where does understanding dwell?
21 It is hidden from the eyes of every living thing,
    concealed even from the birds in the sky.
22 Destruction[b] and Death say,
    “Only a rumor of it has reached our ears.”
23 God understands the way to it
    and he alone knows where it dwells,
24 for he views the ends of the earth
    and sees everything under the heavens.
25 When he established the force of the wind
    and measured out the waters,
26 when he made a decree for the rain
    and a path for the thunderstorm,
27 then he looked at wisdom and appraised it;
    he confirmed it and tested it.
28 And he said to the human race,
    “The fear of the Lord—that is wisdom,
    and to shun evil is understanding.”




​
Malachi 3:2,

where the phrase 


Refiner’s Fire  is used,


has been a popular verse in Western society for centuries due to its use in Handel’s famous oratorio Messiah. The verse reads, “But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap.” Let’s take a look at the prophet’s similes.

Malachi says that, when the Lord returns, no one will be able to stand before Him. The Lord’s holiness and judgment will be as a refiner’s blazing fire and as a fuller’s bleaching agent. The idea of “standing” before the Lord is associated with “withstanding” or “standing up to”; sinful human flesh will not have the strength, the right, or the desire to resist the Lord in His glory (cf. Psalm 76:7; Revelation 6:17).

The two similes help clarify why no one will be able to stand in the Day of the Lord. First, Malachi 3:2 says the Messiah will be like a refiner’s fire, an allusion to the process of purifying metal. A refiner uses a fire to heat metal to a molten state; then he skims off the dross that floats to the top. The refiner’s fire is, of course, maintained at an extremely high temperature, and such a high degree of heat is the prophet’s picture of the testing people will face on Judgment Day. All judgment has been entrusted to the Son (John 5:22). Upon Christ’s return, the intense flame of God’s judgment will purify the earth, removing the dross of sin.

Second, the Messiah will be like a launderer’s soap. This type of soap was caustic and quite effective in producing bright white clothing. The HCSB translates it as “cleansing lye.” When Christ returns, He will cleanse the world of all impurity. Every stain of sin will be scrubbed away. The account of Jesus’ transfiguration contains a reference to His purity, using language similar to Malachi’s: “He was transfigured before them. His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them” (Mark 9:2–3).

The goal of Jesus will be to judge wickedness and purify His people: “He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the LORD will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness” (Malachi 3:3). Like the refiner’s fire, He will burn away the impurities of the priests. Like launderer’s soap, He will wash away their uncleanness (Isaiah 1:25; Jeremiah 6:29–30; Ezekiel 22:17–22; Zechariah 3:5). The priests in the millennial kingdom will then be able to offer sacrifices from a pure heart. The sacrifices in those days will be similar to those when the temple was first built: “The offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the LORD, as in days gone by, as in former years” (Malachi 3:4).

The refiner’s fire and launderer’s soap indicate the holiness and burning judgment of the Messiah when He returns to reign in Jerusalem at His second coming. His purifying brightness and absolute holiness will affect those who serve Him, creating a cleansed temple and purified priesthood. “See, the Sovereign LORD comes with power, and his arm rules for him. See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him” (Isaiah 40:10).

A plumb line, also called a plummet, is a cord with a non-magnetic weight attached to one end. When the cord is held in such a way that the weight can dangle freely, an exact vertical can be determined. Painters and carpenters use plumb lines to keep their work straight. It is difficult, while in the middle of a project, to determine a true horizontal or vertical line without an objective measuring tool, so a plumb line is employed. A plumb line applies the law of gravity to find right angles, to indicate the most direct route from top to bottom, and to keep things plumb. A plumb line doesn’t change or move with the whims of the carpenter. It remains true, and all work must line up with it or risk being crooked.

The term plumb line is used in Scripture in several contexts. The Lord pictures Himself as a builder in Isaiah 28: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation” (Isaiah 28:16). This is a promise of an unshakeable kingdom, with the Messiah in charge. Jesus Christ is the “precious cornerstone” (see Mark 12:10; Acts 4:11; Romans 9:33; 1 Peter 2:6). As the Lord builds His kingdom, He will ensure it is perfect in every way: “I will make justice the measuring line and righteousness the plumb line” (Isaiah 28:17). There will be no crookedness/sin in the kingdom of Christ.

When the Jews returned from captivity in Babylon, they began to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem. For a time, the work languished, and God sent the prophets Zechariah and Haggai to spur the people on to finish the rebuilding. The message was encouraging: do not despair over the small beginnings; God will see to it that the temple is completed, and Zerubbabel the governor will oversee the project. “Whoever has despised the day of small things shall rejoice, and shall see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel” (Zechariah 4:10, ESV).

Amos 7:7–8 says, “This is what he showed me: The Lord was standing by a wall that had been built true to plumb, with a plumb line in his hand. And the Lord asked me, ‘What do you see, Amos?’ ‘A plumb line,’ I replied. Then the Lord said, ‘Look, I am setting a plumb line among my people Israel; I will spare them no longer.’” When God said He was setting a plumb line among His people, He was declaring an end to their attempts to justify their crooked ways. The Lord was setting the standard. God does not negotiate His laws. He does not change with the whims of culture (Numbers 23:19). God’s moral law is the plumb line against which we determine right and wrong (John 17:17). Just as a carpenter’s plumb line is not subject to the opinions or the frustration of the worker, so God’s moral standards are not subject to the opinions of man. Wise people are those who line up their lives according to God’s plumb line rather than trying to move it to satisfy their own agendas.

A mediator is an official “go-between” who acts as a link between two parties to reconcile their differences. The term literally means “one who stands in between.” In legal disputes, a mediator represents the interests of both parties, working as an intercessory agent to negotiate a settlement. In global conflicts, a mediator intervenes between opposing world powers to try to achieve peace.

The apostle Paul writes In 1 Timothy 2:5, “For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus.” Humanity is born into sin (Psalm 51:5). Sin is a problem because it stands in the way, blocking the relationship between humans and God. All people enter this world separated or estranged from the Holy God (Isaiah 59:2; Romans 5:10, 12) and deserving of His wrath (Ephesians 2:3). Romans 6:23 explains that the penalty for sin is death, not only physical death but spiritual, eternal death (Revelation 20:11–15).

Because of our sinful condition, human beings need a mediator to negotiate peace with God—and that person is Jesus Christ: “Since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us” (Romans 5:1, NLT).

Scripture reveals Moses as mediator of the Old Testament covenant (Galatians 3:19; cf. Exodus 20:19, 21–22; Deuteronomy 5:5, 22, 23, 27, 31; Acts 7:38). Moses entered God’s presence on behalf of the people of Israel. He drew near to God, speaking and interceding as their representative. Moses was God’s chosen mediator to lead the Israelites in the way of salvation through a relationship with God.

In the New Testament, Jesus Christ became the mediator of a new, superior covenant: “But now Jesus, our High Priest, has been given a ministry that is far superior to the old priesthood, for he is the one who mediates for us a far better covenant with God, based on better promises” (Hebrews 8:6, NLT).

Jesus, God’s incarnate Son, is the perfect intermediary, better than Moses because He alone is appropriately qualified to be the one mediator between God and man. Only Jesus Christ is fully human and fully divine (John 1:1, 14; Hebrews 2:17). As man and God, Jesus is uniquely equipped to represent both sides. He alone stands in the gap between God and man. He alone meets the righteous requirements of the law, opening the way into God’s presence once and for all through His death on the cross and resurrection to life (John 1:17; Hebrews 3:1–6; 9:15, 22; 10:10; 12:24).

Only the sacrifice of the sinless, spotless Lamb of God could fully pay the ransom required to set people free from sin and eternal death. Jesus took our punishment on Himself, making it possible for us to experience forgiveness of sin and freedom from its destructive control.

There is one mediator between God and man means that Christ is the only way to God the Father. Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). If we want to experience peace with God and a restored relationship of joy in His presence, we must come “by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body” (Hebrews 10:19–20).

Jesus Christ is the one mediator—the one and only Savior of the world (John 1:29; 1 Timothy 1:15). There is no other go-between. We come to God through faith in His Son, who is the only means of salvation. Religion cannot save us. Good works won’t make us right with God. Nothing but faith in Jesus Christ is sufficient to bridge the gap between sinful humanity and a Holy God.

As the one mediator between God and man, Jesus Christ now rules in the hearts of believers and “is at the right hand of God . . . interceding for us” (Romans 8:34, ESV). We can live in the secure knowledge that, in the end, Christ will put every enemy “under his feet,” including “the last enemy,” which is death itself (1 Corinthians 15:24–27).

The expression face to face appears in 1 Corinthians 13:12. The full verse reads, “For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.” The event described in this verse is often referred to as the “Beatific Vision” (to see God as He is), promised to Christians when Christ returns: “We know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:2). In our present state, however, we only have an indirect and imperfect knowledge of God’s infinite wisdom, glory, and love. Thus, we cannot see God as He is.

Paul compares our present knowledge of divine things to a dark reflection in a mirror. In New Testament times, a mirror was formed from polished metal, which could only reflect a dim and imperfect image. Yet Paul promises that God will exchange our dim images for a face-to-face encounter with Himself. On that glorious day, the light of God will shine upon us, and we will be free from all darkness. imperfection, and error. We will know Him fully, even as we are fully known by Him. This mutual recognition and understanding is the epitome of a deeply intimate relationship.

The beatific vision has roots in the Old Testament (Genesis 32:20; Exodus 33:11; Deuteronomy 34:10). In Exodus 33:18–23, Moses asks to see God’s glory, but God tells Moses that no one can see His glory and live. However, God allows Moses to see His back, but not Him in His entirety (that is, in His full glory).

In Matthew 5:8, Jesus promises that the pure in heart will see God. Jesus can make this promise because He is the only one who has seen the Father (John 1:18), and whoever has seen Jesus has seen the Father (John 14:9). Jesus is the “radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being” (Hebrews 1:3). And when He returns, we will behold the fullness of God’s glory. On that day, we will see God as He truly is.

This hope for a face-to-face encounter with God gives Christians peace and comfort, even in difficult circumstances. When this life comes to an end, we will see and be seen by the One who loved us enough to die for us (John 3:16; Romans 5:8).

The New Covenant is the promise that God will forgive sin and restore fellowship with those whose hearts are turned toward Him. Jesus Christ is the mediator of the New Covenant, and His death on the cross is the basis of the promise (Luke 22:20). The New Covenant was predicted while the Old Covenant was still in effect—the prophets Moses, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel all allude to the New Covenant.

The Old Covenant that God had established with His people required strict obedience to the Mosaic Law. Because the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23), the Law required that Israel perform daily sacrifices in order to atone for sin. But Moses, through whom God established the Old Covenant, also anticipated the New Covenant. In one of his final addresses to the nation of Israel, Moses looks forward to a time when Israel would be given “a heart to understand” (Deuteronomy 29:4, ESV). Moses predicts that Israel would fail in keeping the Old Covenant (verses 22–28), but he then sees a time of restoration (Deuteronomy 30:1–5). At that time, Moses says, “The Lord your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love him with all your heart and with all your soul, and live” (verse 6). The New Covenant involves a total change of heart so that God’s people are naturally pleasing to Him.

The prophet Jeremiah also predicted the New Covenant. “‘The days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah. . . . This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time,’ declares the Lord. ‘I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people’” (Jeremiah 31:31–33). Jesus Christ came to fulfill the Law of Moses (Matthew 5:17) and to establish the New Covenant between God and His people. The Old Covenant was written in stone, but the New Covenant is written on hearts. Entering the New Covenant is made possible only by faith in Christ, who shed His blood to take away the sins of the world (John 1:29). Luke 22:20 relates how Jesus, at the Last Supper, takes the cup and says, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood” (ESV).

The New Covenant is also mentioned in Ezekiel 36:26–27, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.” Ezekiel lists several aspects of the New Covenant here: a new heart, a new spirit, the indwelling Holy Spirit, and true holiness. The Mosaic Law could provide none of these things (see Romans 3:20).

The New Covenant was originally given to Israel and includes a promise of fruitfulness, blessing, and a peaceful existence in the Promised Land. In Ezekiel 36:28–30 God says, “Then you will live in the land I gave your ancestors; you will be my people, and I will be your God. . . . I will call for the grain and make it plentiful and will not bring famine upon you. I will increase the fruit of the trees and the crops of the field, so that you will no longer suffer disgrace among the nations because of famine.” Deuteronomy 30:1–5 contains similar promises related to Israel under the New Covenant. After the resurrection of Christ, God in His grace brought the Gentiles into the blessing of the New Covenant, too (Acts 10; Ephesians 2:13–14). The fulfillment of the New Covenant will be seen in two places: on earth during the Millennial Kingdom, and in heaven for all eternity.

We are no longer under the Law but under grace (Romans 6:14–15). The Old Covenant has served its purpose, and it has been replaced by “a better covenant” (Hebrews 7:22). “In fact the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, since the new covenant is established on better promises” (Hebrews 8:6).

Under the New Covenant, we are given the opportunity to receive salvation as a free gift (Ephesians 2:8–9). Our responsibility is to exercise faith in Christ, the One who fulfilled the Law on our behalf and brought an end to the Law’s sacrifices through His own sacrificial death. Through the life-giving Holy Spirit who lives in all believers (Romans 8:9–11), we share in the inheritance of Christ and enjoy a permanent, unbroken relationship with God (Hebrews 9:15).

Israel had a long history of wandering far from God and disobeying His holy laws. Time and time again, God, in His infinite love and never-ending mercy (Lamentations 3:22), called His people to repent and come back to Him: “‘Ever since the time of your ancestors you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you,’ says the LORD Almighty” (Malachi 3:7).

When God says, “Return to Me,” the Hebrew verb translated “return” expresses the idea of turning back or coming to a place, condition, or activity that one has experienced before. God wants His people who are far away in spiritual rebellion to repent of their sins and come back to a place of wholehearted obedience and devotion to the Lord. It’s a theme found several times in Scripture; in Zechariah 1:3, the Lord lovingly pleads, “Return to me, and I will return to you” (NLT).

However, when God says, “I will return to you,” He is not implying that He needs to repent from sin. Instead, the Lord Almighty is promising to come again as He had in the past and bring His people His unique presence and abundant blessings. Their wholehearted repentance would bring about such divine blessing that any doubt of God’s love and compassion would be removed.

Jeremiah 24:7 explains, “I will give them hearts that recognize me as the LORD. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me wholeheartedly” (NLT). Nehemiah 1:9 further clarifies, “But if you return to me and obey my commands and live by them, then even if you are exiled to the ends of the earth, I will bring you back to the place I have chosen for my name to be honored” (NLT).

The entire book of Malachi points the way back to the Lord, explaining to the people how to get right with God. They were to begin through obedience to God’s Word and being faithful in their giving to the Lord (Malachi 3:8–12).

It is impossible to follow God and stay close to Him without faithful obedience to His Word (John 14:21). Throughout Scripture, God’s people are told to “be careful to do what the LORD your God has commanded you; do not turn aside to the right or to the left” (Deuteronomy 5:32; see also Joshua 1:7; 23:6). But if we do happen to stumble or turn aside, we can be certain that God’s heart cry to us will be, “Return to Me, and I will return to you.”

Our heavenly Father cares deeply for us despite our tendency to wander into sinful disobedience (Jeremiah 31:3). He draws us back with enduring kindness, commanding, “Return to Me.” We can do this through humble confession and prayer: “Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14, NLT; see also 1 John 1:9).

“Return to Me, and I will return to you” aligns with Christ’s instruction to “remain in me, and I will remain in you” (John 15:4, NLT). How much better it is for us if we never leave Him in the first place!

Jesus also said, “All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them” (John 14:23, NLT). In the person of the Holy Spirit, God takes up active residence in our lives at all times (1 Corinthians 3:16; Ephesians 2:22).

At the Last Supper, Jesus took a cup and said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you” (Luke 22:20). Moments before, the Lord had broken the bread and given it to His disciples with the words, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me” (verse 19). With these symbolic actions Jesus instituted the ordinance of communion, or the Lord’s Table.

The “new covenant” that Jesus spoke of is in contrast to the Old Covenant, the conditional agreement that God had made with the Israelites through Moses. The Old Covenant established laws and ceremonies that separated the Jews from the other nations, defined sin, and showcased God’s provision of forgiveness through sacrifice. The New Covenant was predicted in Jeremiah 31:31–33.

The Old Covenant required blood sacrifices, but it could not provide a final sacrifice for sin. The Old Covenant required repeated, daily sacrifices of animals as a reminder of the people’s sin. But, as Scripture says, “it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins” (Hebrews 10:4). Under the Old Covenant, the same inadequate sacrifices were constantly repeated. For every sin, the process was replicated, day after day, month after month, year after year. The Old Covenant never provided a full, complete sacrifice for sin. “For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion to look for a second” (Hebrews 8:7, ESV).

Jesus came to establish a “better covenant” (Hebrews 7:22), a “new covenant” that Jesus said was in His blood. Jesus shed His blood on the cross to take away the sins of the world (John 1:29) and ratify the new covenant between God and man. On the night He was betrayed, Jesus took the cup and said to His disciples, “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matthew 26:27–28). By “this cup,” Jesus referred, by metonymy, to the contents of the cup, which was the “fruit of the vine” (Mark 14:25). This was representative of Christ’s blood. Jesus gave His disciples the cup, infusing it with new meaning, and told them drinking it was to be a memorial of His death: it was to be drunk “in remembrance of me” (1 Corinthians 11:25). Now, “whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes” (verse 26).

The New Covenant is based on faith in the shed blood of Christ to take away sin, not on repeated sacrifices or any other kind of work (see Ephesians 2:8–9). Because Jesus is the holy Lamb of God, His one-time sacrifice is sufficient to atone for the sins of all who believe in Him. We “partake” of Jesus by coming to Him in faith (John 1:12), trusting that His shed blood (and broken body) is sufficient to pay for our sins. The elements of bread and wine commemorate His death and the shedding of His blood. When we eat those elements in communion with other believers, we affirm our faith and fellowship in Christ.

On the night before He died, Jesus Christ shared a Passover meal with His apostles. Traditionally, Passover commemorated God’s deliverance of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. Yet, during the meal, Jesus gave fresh meaning to the bread and wine, identifying them as symbols of His impending death. In this way, Jesus transformed the Passover observance into a memorial of His own sacrifice and established a new and enduring ordinance for the Church.

At a pivotal moment in the meal, with the apostles reclining around a table, Jesus demonstrated this transformation in a tangible way. After He took bread, gave thanks, broke it, and distributed it to the apostles, He said, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me” (Luke 22:19, ESV). Even though Jesus’ directive only refers to the bread in Luke’s Gospel, Paul added that it extended to the wine or “cup” as well: “In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me’” (1 Corinthians 11:25).

With these instructions, Jesus commanded His followers to regularly participate in this commemoration later named the Lord’s Supper (e.g., Acts 2:42; 20:7; cf. 1 Corinthians 11:20). To understand the reason for the repetitive nature of the ordinance, it’s important to recognize that Jesus redefined the bread and cup to symbolize something greater than freedom from Egyptian slavery. The bread symbolizes Jesus’ body. Consuming it during the Lord’s Supper recalls the sacrificial purpose of His death for sinners (Isaiah 53:12; Galatians 1:4, 2:20; Titus 2:14). The cup symbolizes Jesus’ blood, shed for the forgiveness of sin (Matthew 26:28; Ephesians 1:7). This transformation of the meaning of the bread and cup highlights Jesus’ death as the ultimate fulfillment of what the Passover event and meal only foreshadowed.

With the bread and cup imbued with fresh meaning, Jesus instructed His followers, “Do this in remembrance of me.” This instruction means that Jesus’ followers are to regularly consume the bread and cup to memorialize His death on the cross for sin.

The act of remembrance, illustrated in the Lord’s Supper, is an important theme in the Bible. It often contrasts the behaviors of those who obey God with those who don’t. For instance, disobedience is associated with forgetfulness of God (e.g., Judges 8:34), and obedience is the result of remembering Him (cf. Psalm 78:11, 35, 42).

Furthermore, in the Bible, remembering often implies more than just mental recollection. As seen in the tradition of the Passover meal, those who partake do more than merely think about their ancestors’ escape from Egyptian slavery; they also symbolically reenact parts of it. For instance, participants consume maror, a bitter herb, often represented by horseradish, to symbolize the misery of slavery (Exodus 12:8). Similarly, they eat unleavened bread called matzah to represent the Israelites’ hasty departure from Egypt—they had no time to wait for the bread to rise (Exodus 12:18).

In a similar way, observing the Lord’s Supper involves more than just cognitive recall. It is a multisensory experience in which eating bread and drinking the cup deepens the engagement of those who partake. Contrary to the beliefs in some traditions, the point of the commemoration isn’t to re-crucify Jesus, just as the purpose of the Passover meal wasn’t meant to re-enslave and free the Jews. Instead, the Lord’s Supper enables participants to identify with God’s deliverance of sinners through Jesus’ death on the cross.

While the observance of the Lord’s Supper in modern churches is often a solemn and reflective experience, its theological nature is celebratory. Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29), has provided sinners with the ultimate sacrifice. His death on the cross fulfilled what the sacrificial lamb of Passover meals only foreshadowed (Hebrews 9:27). When Christians regularly partake of the bread and cup to memorialize Jesus’ death, they aren’t only obeying a command, but praising and thanking God for the victory and freedom that is theirs in Jesus (1 Corinthians 15:57).

During the Last Supper when Jesus and His disciples were eating a Passover meal the night of His betrayal, Jesus took bread, “and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, ‘Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me’” (1 Corinthians 11:24, NKJV). Jesus’ comparison of His body to bread is also recorded in the Synoptic Gospels:

“And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, ‘Take, eat; this is My body’” (Matthew 26:26, NKJV).

“And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them and said, ‘Take, eat; this is My body’” (Mark 14:22, NKJV).

“And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of me.’” (Luke 22:19, NKJV).

John’s Gospel includes a similar metaphor. In addressing the crowds seeking Him after being fed the previous day, Jesus said, “I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world” (John 6:51; see also verses 53–58).

Note that, of all the above passages, the only one that refers to Jesus saying, “This is My body which is broken for you” is 1 Corinthians 11:24. Further, most translations do not include the reference to Jesus’ body being “broken.” Only the KJV, NKJV, Majority Standard Bible, World English Bible, and a few others have that wording. Other translations of 1 Corinthians 11:24 have Jesus saying, “This is my body, which is for you” (NIV, NASB, CSB, NET) or “This is my body, which is given for you” (NLT, CEV). The difference hinges on which manuscripts were used in translation. The oldest ones do not contain the word translated “broken” in the KJV.

In 1 Corinthians 11:24, Jesus broke the bread. According to the oldest, and many say the most reliable, manuscripts, He did not say His body was broken. Most scholars today believe the wording “this is My body which is broken for you” is the work of a scribe who inserted the word broken to match the breaking of the bread.

Of course, there is a sense in which Jesus’ body was “broken”: in the violence of His death, His body was wounded and bruised, and His flesh and skin were torn. Yet Scripture is careful to say that none of Jesus’ bones were broken (John 19:33–36). As the true Passover lamb, His bones had to remain unbroken (see Exodus 12:46 and Numbers 9:12).

Jesus identified Himself as “the living bread that came down from heaven” (John 6:51). As physical bread must be “broken” or torn apart to be shared with others, so Jesus’ body had to be “broken” or wounded on the cross to benefit the world. As physical bread serves to maintain bodily health, so Jesus’ body provides spiritual health for the believer.

Jesus’ statement, “This is my body” is taken literally in Roman Catholicism, resulting in their doctrine of transubstantiation (the bread becomes the actual body of Christ). We believe that doctrine to be in error. One reason is, when Jesus called the bread His body, He was physically present with His disciples, His body unbroken. How could He literally offer His broken body to His disciples the night before He died?

Additionally, the context of the Passover meal is thoroughly symbolic. Almost every element of the meal stood for something else. Jesus took two of those elements and infused them with a new symbolic meaning as He was the fulfillment of everything that Passover stood for. From then on, whenever Jewish believers observed a Passover meal, they would think of the new meaning that Jesus had given to the bread and the final cup. And Gentile believers, who had never been partakers of a Passover meal, would observe the “Lord’s Supper.”

Further evidence that Jesus was speaking symbolically is found in John 6:53–58. There, Jesus says to a multitude, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them. Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.”

When Jesus spoke of eating His flesh in John 6, He had already given the crowd an indication that He was has speaking figuratively. Earlier, in verses 32–33, Jesus had called Himself bread, comparing Himself with the manna in the wilderness. When the people asked to be given that bread, Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty” (John 6:35). As if to clear up any misunderstanding, Jesus then distinguishes the physical from the spiritual: “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life” (John 6:63, ESV).

Whether or not Jesus spoke of His “broken” body at the Last Supper, the bread symbolized His body soon to be sacrificed on the cross. According to John 6:35, one can “eat” Jesus’ broken body by “coming” to Him, and “drink” His blood by believing in Him. Jesus also emphasizes faith (which the eating symbolizes) in John 6:36, 40, and 47.

Again, the whole context of the Last Supper is symbolic. We do not partake of Jesus by physically eating His body. “The flesh counts for nothing” (John 6:63). Rather, we partake of Jesus by coming to Him in faith, trusting that His broken body (and shed blood) is the only acceptable sacrifice for our sins. The bread commemorates His body given for us, and when we partake of it, we affirm our faith and fellowship in Christ.

Wisdom literature often employs metaphorical language to instruct the reader about delicate subjects like married love and sexual relations. The idea that “stolen water is sweet” (Proverbs 9:17) refers to forbidden sexual indulgence.

Using personification, Solomon contrasts wisdom with folly. Both wisdom and folly are like women who invite passing guests into their homes for a feast. The person who accepts wisdom’s invitation makes the critical choice that leads to life: “Come, eat of my bread and drink of the wine I have mixed. Lay aside immaturity, and live, and walk in the way of insight” (Proverbs 9:5–6; cf. John 6:51–56). However, the person who accepts folly’s invitation chooses a path that leads to death (Proverbs 9:18; cf. Romans 8:6).

Earlier, in Proverbs 5:1–23, Solomon warns the young man against adultery. He compares water to physical intimacy: “Drink water from your own cistern, running water from your own well. Should your springs overflow in the streets, your streams of water in the public squares? Let them be yours alone, never to be shared with strangers. May your fountain be blessed, and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth” (Proverbs 5:15–18).

Water was an apt and meaningful illustration in the desert-like conditions of ancient Jerusalem. Keeping a clean and fresh water supply was crucial to sustaining life. Rainwater was collected and stored in hollowed out rocks or underground cisterns lined with plaster-like limestone to prevent them from leaking. Due to the scarcity of rainfall, these cisterns had to be carefully maintained and guarded. Drinking from one’s own private water supply was much preferred over transporting water from a public well or stream.

God builds a wall around marital intimacy, ordaining marriage and the marriage bed as a private and exclusive “fountain” or “spring” for the enjoyment of sexual pleasure. No one but a man and woman joined in marriage are to drink water from this fountain or share in its joy (Exodus 20:14; Leviticus 18:20). In Proverbs 9:17, Solomon uses the idea of “stolen water” as an allusion to illicit, forbidden, extramarital sex.

Stolen water is taken from someone else’s fountain. It is sexual pleasure outside the bounds of what is lawful and proper. Water from one’s own fountain is pure, clean, and refreshing, but stolen water, no matter how sweet it may seem at the time, is polluted by sin. So, what is it about stolen water that makes it so sweet?

For some, the thrill of getting away with something unlawful—the dangerous and secret aspect of an affair, for example—excites and appeals to their baser instincts. The sinful nature craves what it cannot have (Galatians 5:17; Romans 7:14–23). The more prohibited something is, the more tempting and desirable it becomes. In the New Living Translation, Proverbs 9:17 suggests, “Stolen water is refreshing; food eaten in secret tastes the best!” Both “stolen water” and “food eaten in secret” imply forbidden and covert activities.

Nevertheless, in Proverbs 20:17, Solomon warns, “Stolen bread tastes sweet, but it turns to gravel in the mouth” (NLT). The pleasantness of sinful pleasure is short-lived and misleading (Ecclesiastes 2:10–11; Hebrews 11:25; 1 Timothy 5:6). What was initially sweet on the tongue quickly turns to bitterness and death once swallowed (Isaiah 5:20). Folly’s invitation may look and sound attractive. The bread and water she offers may taste sweet, but, eventually, death awaits those who walk through her door (Proverbs 9:18).

God designed physical intimacy not just for the reproduction of human life but for the refreshment and pleasure of couples joined in the covenant bond of marriage (Genesis 1:28; 2:18, 23–24; Matthew 19:4–6; 1 Corinthians 7:32–34; Song of Solomon 4:16—5:1, 19). Sex is God’s gift to strengthen a married couple’s emotional bond. According to Solomon, sexual intimacy within the appropriate bounds of marriage is like a delicious mouthful of pure spring water. But committing adultery is like ingesting polluted water. Stolen water may seem sweet, but it’s like slurping deadly poison from a sewer. Sex outside of marriage may be exciting and enjoyable initially, but it eventually defiles and destroys everyone who partakes of it (Proverbs 6:20–35).

When we talk about the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit as being “Persons,” we do not mean they are human beings or that they are like mankind in any way. In our everyday language, though, that is how the word person is often used, so it is understandable that some confusion surrounds references to the three “Persons” of the Trinity.

When we talk about God, we are using the word Person to show that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit each have personhood or personality. The personhood of the Father, Son, and Spirit can be seen in the distinct roles they have in relation to each other and the relationships that exist among them.

Each Person of the Trinity had a unique role in the salvation of mankind. Ephesians 1 says that the Father chose us (Ephesians 1:4), the Son redeemed us (Ephesians 1:7), and the Holy Spirit sealed us (Ephesians 1:13). The Holy Spirit is a Person unique from the Father or the Son: the Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son (John 15:26). The Father and the Son are also unique Persons: when Jesus prayed to the Father, He was not praying to Himself (see Luke 23:34). Each Person of the Trinity shares the same divine nature but has a distinct role. Using the word person is one of the only ways our language has to describe this concept.

All three Persons of the Trinity comprise the one, perfectly unified God. They share the same nature and essence—they are one being. They differ only in role and relationship—each Person of the Godhead is “an eternal and distinct personal expression of that one undivided divine nature” (Ware, B., “The Trinity of Persons,” 1/31/05, www.desiringgod.org/messages/the-trinity-of-persons, accessed 2/4/26).

The fact that God exists in three Persons is important for several reasons. For instance, God is love (1 John 4:8). But, in eternity past, before God created any other being, how could He have truly been love? That is, can love exist where there is no one to be loved? Because God exists in three co-equal, co-eternal Persons, love exists eternally, too. Eternal love has been expressed eternally among the Persons of the Godhead. The Father, Son, and Spirit have always loved each other; therefore, love is eternal.

God existing in three Persons is ultimately beyond our comprehension, but Scripture provides the clues that lead us to that conclusion. The triune nature of God is a biblical truth that we accept by faith.

“I am the bread of life” (John 6:35) is one of the seven “I Am” statements of Jesus. Jesus used the same phrase “I AM” in seven declarations about Himself. In all seven, He combines I AM with tremendous metaphors which express His saving relationship toward the world. All appear in the book of John.

John 6:35 says, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.”

Bread is considered a staple food—i.e., a basic dietary item. A person can survive a long time on only bread and water. Bread is such a basic food item that it becomes synonymous for food in general. We even use the phrase “breaking bread together” to indicate the sharing of a meal with someone. Bread also plays an integral part of the Jewish Passover meal. The Jews were to eat unleavened bread during the Passover feast and then for seven days following as a celebration of the exodus from Egypt. Finally, when the Jews were wandering in the desert for 40 years, God rained down “bread from heaven” to sustain the nation (Exodus 16:4).

All of this plays into the scene being described in John 6 when Jesus used the term “bread of life.” He was trying to get away from the crowds to no avail. He had crossed the Sea of Galilee, and the crowd followed Him. After some time, Jesus inquires of Philip how they’re going to feed the crowd. Philip’s answer displays his “little faith” when he says they don’t have enough money to give each of them the smallest morsel of food. Finally, Andrew brings to Jesus a boy who had five small loaves of bread and two fish. With that amount, Jesus miraculously fed the throng with lots of food to spare.

Afterward, Jesus and His disciples cross back to the other side of Galilee. When the crowd sees that Jesus has left, they follow Him again. Jesus takes this moment to teach them a lesson. He accuses the crowd of ignoring His miraculous signs and only following Him for the “free meal.” Jesus tells them in John 6:27, “Do not labor for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.” In other words, they were so enthralled with the food, they were missing out on the fact that their Messiah had come. So the Jews ask Jesus for a sign that He was sent from God (as if the miraculous feeding and the walking across the water weren’t enough). They tell Jesus that God gave them manna during the desert wandering. Jesus responds by telling them that they need to ask for the true bread from heaven that gives life. When they ask Jesus for this bread, Jesus startles them by saying, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.”

This is a phenomenal statement! First, by equating Himself with bread, Jesus is saying he is essential for life. Second, the life Jesus is referring to is not physical life, but eternal life. Jesus is trying to get the Jews’ thinking off of the physical realm and into the spiritual realm. He is contrasting what He brings as their Messiah with the bread He miraculously created the day before. That was physical bread that perishes. He is spiritual bread that brings eternal life.

Third, and very important, Jesus is making another claim to deity. This statement is the first of the “I AM” statements in John’s Gospel. The phrase “I AM” is the covenant name of God (Yahweh, or YHWH), revealed to Moses at the burning bush (Exodus 3:14). The phrase speaks of self-sufficient existence (or what theologians refer to as “aseity”), which is an attribute only God possesses. It is also a phrase the Jews who were listening would have automatically understood as a claim to deity.

Fourth, notice the words “come” and “believe.” This is an invitation for those listening to place their faith in Jesus as the Messiah and Son of God. This invitation to come is found throughout John’s Gospel. Coming to Jesus involves making a choice to forsake the world and follow Him. Believing in Jesus means placing our faith in Him that He is who He says He is, that He will do what He says He will do, and that He is the only one who can.

Fifth, there are the words “hunger and thirst.” Again, it must be noted that Jesus isn’t talking about alleviating physical hunger and thirst. The key is found in another statement Jesus made, back in His Sermon on the Mount. In Matthew 5:6, Jesus says, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” When Jesus says those who come to Him will never hunger and those who believe in Him will never thirst, He is saying He will satisfy our hunger and thirst to be made righteous in the sight of God.

If there is anything the history of human religion tells us, it is that people seek to earn their way to heaven. This is such a basic human desire because God created us with eternity in mind. The Bible says God has placed [the desire for] eternity in our hearts (Ecclesiastes 3:11). The Bible also tells us that there is nothing we can do to earn our way to heaven because we’ve all sinned (Romans 3:23) and the only thing our sin earns us is death (Romans 6:23). There is no one who is righteous in himself (Romans 3:10). Our dilemma is we have a desire we cannot fulfill, no matter what we do. That is where Jesus comes in. He, and He alone, can fulfill that desire in our hearts for righteousness through the Divine Transaction: “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). When Christ died on the cross, He took the sins of mankind upon Himself and made atonement for them. When we place our faith in Him, our sins are imputed to Jesus, and His righteousness is imputed to us. Jesus satisfies our hunger and thirst for righteousness. He is our Bread of Life.

Incarnation is a term used by theologians to indicate that Jesus, the Son of God, took on human flesh. This is similar to the hypostatic union. The difference is that the hypostatic union explains how Jesus’ two natures are joined, and the Incarnation more specifically affirms His humanity.

The word incarnation means “the act of being made flesh.” It comes from the Latin version of John 1:14, which in English reads, “The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.” Because of the near-exclusive use of the Latin Vulgate in the church through the Middle Ages, the Latin term became standard.

Biblical support for Jesus’ humanity is extensive. The Gospels report Jesus’ human needs including sleep (Luke 8:23), food (Matthew 4:2; 21:18), and physical protection (Matthew 2:13-15; John 10:39). Other indications of His humanity are that He perspired (Luke 22:43-44) and bled (John 19:34). Jesus also expressed emotions including joy (John 15:11), sorrow (Matthew 26:37), and anger (Mark 3:5). During His life, Jesus referred to Himself as a man (John 8:40), and after His resurrection His humanity was still recognized (Acts 2:22).

But the purpose of the Incarnation was not to taste food or to feel sorrow. The Son of God came in the flesh in order to be the Savior of mankind. First, it was necessary to be born “under the law” (Galatians 4:4). All of us have failed to fulfill God’s Law. Christ came in the flesh, under the Law, to fulfill the Law on our behalf (Matthew 5:17; Galatians 4:5).

Second, it was necessary for the Savior to shed His blood for the forgiveness of sins (Hebrews 9:22). A blood sacrifice, of course, requires a body of flesh and blood. And this was God’s plan for the Incarnation: “When Christ came into the world, he said: ‘Sacrifice and offering [under the Old Covenant] you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me’” (Hebrews 10:5). Without the Incarnation, Christ could not really die, and the cross is meaningless.

God did an incredible work in sending His only begotten Son into the world and providing us with a salvation we do not deserve. Praise the Lord for that moment in which “the Word became flesh.” We are now redeemed “with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect” (1 Peter 1:19).

The apostle Paul wrote a warning for the church: “The time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear” (2 Timothy 4:3).

The Greek word translated “itching” literally means “to itch, rub, scratch, or tickle.” To want one’s ears “tickled” is to desire massages rather than messages—sermons that charm rather than challenge, entertain rather than edify, and please rather than preach. The people Paul warns about will have, as one commentator put it, “ears which have to be continually titillated with novelties.”

“Itching ears” is a figure of speech that refers to people’s desires, felt needs, or wants. It is these desires that impel a person to believe whatever he wants to believe rather than the actual truth itself. When people have “itching ears,” they decide for themselves what is right or wrong, and they seek out others to support their notions. “Itching ears” are concerned with what feels good or comfortable, not with the truth—after all, truth is often uncomfortable. Paul’s warning is that the church would one day contain those who only opened their ears to those who would scratch their “itch.”

Those with “itching ears” only want teachers who will assure them that all is well, teachers who say, “Peace, peace . . . when there is no peace” (Jeremiah 6:14). Where there is a demand for something, the suppliers are not far away. Paul says that not only will there be great demand for watered-down, personalized messages, but there will be “a great number of teachers” willing to provide such pap and steer people away from “sound doctrine.”

Evidence today of people having “itching ears” includes the popularity of messages that people are not required to change, as if repentance were outmoded; that people are basically good; that God is too loving to judge anyone; that the cross, with all its blood, is not really necessary; and that God wants His children to be healthy, wealthy, and content in this world. As people turn their backs on the truth about sin and condemnation, they disregard their need for repentance and forgiveness. And a craving for “new” and “fresher” ideas grows—even though there is “nothing new under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:9–10)—accompanied by a longing to feel good about who they are and where they’re going. Messages that tickle ears can fill a lot of churches, sell a lot of books, and buy a lot of time on cable tv.

Some of the early followers of Jesus complained about some of the Lord’s words: “Many of his disciples said, ʻThis is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?’ . . . From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him” (John 6:60, 66). Walking away from hard truth is easy to do.

In today’s postmodern church, we see many walking away from the hard truth. Some churches that once preached sound doctrine now teach as acceptable the very evils the Bible condemns. Some pastors are afraid to preach on certain passages of the Bible. “Christian feminists” deny God as a heavenly Father, calling Him a “she.” “Gay Christians” are not only welcomed without repentance into church fellowship but into the pulpit, as well.

The church’s remedy for those who have “itching ears” is found in the same passage of 2 Timothy: “Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction” (2 Timothy 4:2). It is a solemn charge, made “in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom” (verse 1). And it contains all the elements needed to combat the temptation to tickle ears: preach, correct, rebuke, and encourage. The content of preaching must be the written Word of God, and it must be preached when convenient and when inconvenient. This takes “great patience and careful instruction,” but sound doctrine is worth it.

The church’s quest to manage the comfort level of its audience must never take priority over preaching the Word. The fear of offending people’s sensibilities can never supersede the fear of offending God. Rather, the church should follow the example of the apostles: “We have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God” (2 Corinthians 4:2).

The church today, more than ever, needs to re-examine the teachings it endorses. We need to ask ourselves the following questions:

• Are our teachings truly from God or simply itches we want to scratch?
• Are we standing on solid biblical grounds, or have we allowed the world to influence our thinking?
• Have we guarded ourselves from the schemes of Satan (Ephesians 6:11)?
• Are we keeping ourselves “blameless for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 5:23)?

The truth is, God is not concerned with scratching our itches but in transforming us into the image of His Son (Romans 12:2; 2 Corinthians 4:4).

Paul wrote 2 Thessalonians, in part, to offer an eschatological clarification after some of his readers misunderstood that the day of the Lord was upon them already (2 Thessalonians 2:1–2). Part of that clarification includes a statement that many have interpreted as predicting a great rebellion before Christ returns. Second Thessalonians 2:3 says this: “Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition” (NKJV).

In his first letter to the Thessalonians, Paul commended the believers for their faith, hope, and love (2 Thessalonians 1:2–3) and challenged them to excel still more (1 Thessalonians 4:1, 10). One area in which Paul encouraged them to grow was in their hope. To help with that, Paul taught them about the resurrection that will occur when the Lord meets believers in the clouds and the dead in Christ are raised (1 Thessalonians 4:13–17). This event, often referred to as the rapture, allows believers to grieve in a way consistent with their hope.

After the rapture, Paul explains, the day of the Lord will come. It will be a time of great difficulty for those who remain on earth in those days (1 Thessalonians 5:2–3). Paul explains that that day would not overtake believers (1 Thessalonians 5:4) and that God has not destined believers for wrath (1 Thessalonians 5:9). However, because of the shortness of the time, the Thessalonians needed to make the most of their opportunity, being awake and sober (1 Thessalonians 5:6–8).

It is evident that the Thessalonians misunderstood the timing of the day of the Lord, as some thought that the day of the Lord had come upon them (2 Thessalonians 2:1–2). Paul explains that the day of the Lord had not yet come and that it would not come until some things happened first. One of those events preceding the day of the Lord would be the revealing of the man of lawlessness (2 Thessalonians 2:3). Also, Paul says, the “falling away” or “apostasy” (NASB) would come before the day of the Lord. Many have understood from this statement that before Christ returns many people will reject the faith and rebel against God.

Paul uses the Greek word apostasia in 2 Thessalonians 2:3, so “apostasy” is a good, literal translation. The Greek word means “to be apart from or to stand apart from.” Paul uses the same word in 1 Timothy 4 when he explains that in the last days people will stand apart from (or fall away from) the faith and follow various kinds of falsehood (1 Timothy 4:1–3). So, there will be a standing apart from the faith or a great falling away before Christ returns. Wickedness will grow worse and worse (2 Timothy 3:13). This might be what Paul is referring to in 2 Thessalonians 2:3. On the other hand, Paul could be referring to the departure of the church (the rapture). Paul reiterates that the apostasia would come before the day of the Lord, and he could be referencing the church standing apart from or departing before the judgment falls.

In 1 Thessalonians 4 Paul had described the event of the church’s meeting Christ in the clouds; then Paul explained that the day of the Lord would come upon those slated for destruction (“them”) but not upon believers (1 Thessalonians 5:3), because believers were not destined for wrath (1 Thessalonians 5:9). Then in 2 Thessalonians he says a standing apart or away from will take place before the day of the Lord (2 Thessalonians 2:3). Some commentators take the view that the “falling away” is simply a “departure” of the church from the world.

The semantic range of the word apostasia can allow for either type of departure: doctrinal or physical. The great falling away before Christ returns could be a reference to the wickedness of mankind or to the physical removal of believers before the day of the Lord.

Dictionaries define righteousness as “behavior that is morally justifiable or right.” Such behavior is characterized by accepted standards of morality, justice, virtue, or uprightness. The Bible’s standard of human righteousness is God’s own perfection in every attribute, every attitude, every behavior, and every word. Thus, God’s laws, as given in the Bible, both describe His own character and constitute the plumb line by which He measures human righteousness.


The Greek New Testament word for “righteousness” primarily describes conduct in relation to others, especially with regards to the rights of others in business, in legal matters, and beginning with relationship to God. It is contrasted with wickedness, the conduct of the one who, out of gross self-centeredness, neither reveres God nor respects man. The Bible describes the righteous person as just or right, holding to God and trusting in Him (Psalm 33:18–22).

The bad news is that true and perfect righteousness is not possible for man to attain on his own; the standard is simply too high. The good news is that true righteousness is possible for mankind, but only through the cleansing of sin by Jesus Christ and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. We have no ability to achieve righteousness in and of ourselves. But Christians possess the righteousness of Christ, because “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). This is an amazing truth. On the cross, Jesus exchanged our sin for His perfect righteousness so that we can one day stand before God and He will see not our sin, but the holy righteousness of the Lord Jesus.

This means that we are made righteous in the sight of God; that is, that we are accepted as righteous and treated as righteous by God on account of what the Lord Jesus has done. He was made sin; we are made righteousness. On the cross, Jesus was treated as if He were a sinner, though He was perfectly holy and pure, and we are treated as if we were righteous, though we are defiled and depraved. On account of what the Lord Jesus has endured on our behalf, we are treated as if we had entirely fulfilled the Law of God and had never become exposed to its penalty. We have received this precious gift of righteousness from the God of all mercy and grace. To Him be the glory!

In John 14:17, Jesus says, “Even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you” (ESV). Because the ESV capitalizes Spirit, modern readers can easily infer that the spirit in question is the Holy Spirit. To understand why Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit as the “Spirit of truth,” let us review the context of John 14.

John 14 is part of the Upper Room Discourse (John 13—17), a collection of teachings delivered by Jesus to His disciples on the night before His crucifixion. In these final moments, the disciples were greatly distressed about the impending departure of their beloved friend, Jesus (John 14:1). For this reason, Jesus took an extended moment to calm their troubled hearts and reassure them that “another Helper” was on the way (John 14:16, ESV).

The Greek term translated as “Helper” (John 14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:7) is paráklētos. The form of this word is passive and means “one who is called alongside.” At the Son’s request, the Father will send another Helper to encourage and exhort the disciples.

John’s use of the term another implies that the disciples already had a helper—the one who would soon depart from the earth. Although the Gospel writers never explicitly refer to Jesus as a paráklētos, the term is applied to Him in 1 John 2:1. Thus, in the context of John 14:16, Jesus promises to send His disciples a helper of the same type, and that helper would continue the ministry that Jesus began.

In John 14:17, the identity of the helper is now revealed: He is the Spirit of truth (cf. John 15:26; 16:13). The Spirit of truth is God the Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Trinity. The Father will send the Spirit to come alongside the disciples. He is called the Spirit of truth because He bears witness to the truth of Jesus Christ (see John 14:6).

In contrast to the work of the Holy Spirit is the work of the devil, a being who does not hold “to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44). Because the unbelieving world remains ensnared by satanic falsehoods, they cannot receive the Spirit of truth (cf. 1 Corinthians 2:14). Tragically, unbelievers prefer to walk by sight and not by faith, failing to understand that sight guarantees nothing.

At the moment of His baptism, Jesus received the Holy Spirit: John bore witness: “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him” (John 1:32, ESV). So, in a sense, the Spirit of truth was already with the disciples. Following the departure of Jesus, however, the disciples will know the Spirit more intimately because He would be in them (cf. Romans 8:9–11 and Ephesians 1:13–14).

Before the disciples began their ministry, Jesus instructed them to remain in Jerusalem for the promised Holy Spirit: “And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, ‘you heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now’” (Acts 1:4‭–‬5, ESV). Once the Holy Spirit came upon them, they were fully equipped to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ (verse 8).

‬ Believers should be thankful that the Spirit of truth is with us, in us, and upon us. For, without His guidance and light, we could not distinguish truth from error.

In John 16:8, Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit: “When [the Spirit] comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment” (ESV). In this verse, we see a three-fold ministry the Spirit will perform in relation to the unsaved world. He will “convict” the world; that is, He will reprove it or show it to be wrong. This reproof will target three areas in which the world needs admonishing: sin, righteousness, and judgment.

Jesus went on to explain: “Concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged” (John 16:9–11, ESV).

The world is a sinful place, and one of the Holy Spirit’s tasks is to convict the world of its sin. No amount of preaching, pleading, or pointing of fingers will bring about the conviction of sin, unless the Holy Spirit is at work in the sinner’s heart. It is the Spirit’s job to convict. And what is the most basic sin of which the world is guilty? Jesus specifies it as unbelief. The convicting power of the Holy Spirit is at work in the world “because they believe not in [Christ].” Once a person responds to the Spirit’s conviction and turns to faith in Christ, the other sins he practiced will be taken care of. It is the sin of unbelief—a refusal to trust in Jesus—that is primary.

The world must also be convicted of righteousness, and this, too, is something the Holy Spirit does. There is a righteous standard we are all held to, despite the world’s stubborn denial of absolute truth. And who is the standard-bearer of righteousness? Jesus points to Himself as that standard: “Because I go to the Father.” There is only one Person who came down from heaven, lived a life of sinless perfection, and who ascended back to heaven—the Son of Man, who lives to be our Intercessor (John 3:13; 1 Timothy 2:5). The righteousness that the world tries to deny is found demonstrated in Christ. Everything He ever said and did was the consummate expression of God the Father (John 8:28; Colossians 2:9). He is righteousness personified, and none can measure up to Him (Romans 3:23).

The world is facing judgment, and the Holy Spirit also convicts them of this truth. There is a day of reckoning scheduled—a day in which the holy God will mete out justice and rid His creation of sin. In fact, this judgment has already begun. With whom did it begin? Jesus identifies Satan as the one on whom judgment fell: “Because the ruler of this world is cast out.” Jesus had earlier indicated that His death on the cross was when “the prince of this world will be driven out” (John 12:31). It was on the cross that Jesus redeemed sinners for God and utterly vanquished Satan. “That by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil” (Hebrews 2:14). Three days later Jesus rose from the dead, showing to all the world that Satan’s rule has been overthrown. All who reject Christ and remain in their sin will be condemned along with Satan, and this is the warning that the Holy Spirit sounds in the hearts of the unsaved.

The influence of the Holy Spirit in an unsaved person’s life will lead that person to the realization that he is guilty, that God is just, and that all sinners are deserving of judgment. Once a sinner has been awakened to his soul’s great need, the Spirit will point him to Christ, the one and only Savior and Refuge from judgment (John 16:14). In all of this, the Spirit uses His “sword,” the Word of God (Ephesians 6:17), and the result is a regenerated heart. “Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ” (Romans 10:17).

Romans has the theme of faith (Romans 1:16–17). Paul addresses the process by which faith is produced in the heart in Romans 10:17: “Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.”

The first eight chapters of Romans contends with the ideas of positional salvation through faith (Romans 1:18—5:21), the process of growing in holiness through faith (Romans 6:1—8:17), and the future glorification Christians will receive because of faith (Romans 8:18–39). Chapters 9—11 of Romans works from the implied question, “Has God then failed to fulfill His promises to Israel?”

It is within this context that Paul gives the reason for the Israelites’ lack of salvation; namely, they lack faith (Romans 9:32; 10:4). The Israelites are saved through faith in Christ, just like the Gentiles. Eternal salvation does not distinguish between Gentile or Jew but is received through belief in the person and work of Jesus Christ (Romans 10:12–13; 1 Corinthians 15:1–8; Galatians 3:23–29).

In the lead-up to the statement that faith comes by hearing, Romans 10:14–16 explains the requirements for a series of actions to take place. In order for one to “call on the name of the Lord,” he or she must believe. In order to believe, one must hear (or receive the report). In order for one to hear, another has to give the report. And that other won’t give the report unless he or she is sent.

Paul continues in Romans 10:17 to summarize the argument thus far: “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ” (NASB).

“Faith” is translated from the Greek word pistis, which means “belief, trust, or confidence in someone or something.” It is key to the book of Romans and is used 40 times in the book—three of those occurrences appearing in chapter 10. The verb form of the word is also used 21 times within the book and most often translated as “believe.”

If faith comes by hearing, then what does Paul mean by “hearing”? In this context, it is not simply the physical receiving of sounds by the ear as most English speakers would understand the term. “Hearing” seems to designate something more—the receiving or acceptance of a report. Note the use of the word, translated “message” in Romans 10:16, as Paul quotes Isaiah 53:1: “Lord, who has believed our message?” In Isaiah’s day, the Lord had provided Israel with a message, but the prophet laments that few actually received it. The “hearing” was not attached to simple sounds but to a message or report given. In Romans 10, Paul makes the point that the good news has been given and the people of Israel have heard (Romans 10:18).

The nature of the gospel is a report: a report of God saving people from the wrath they deserve. In order to believe the report, one must receive the report! Faith comes by hearing. It is not a guarantee that the report will result in faith, as Paul makes clear in Romans 10:16. For just as the Israelites refused to believe the message of Isaiah, every human today can refuse to believe the message of the gospel.

The nature of “hearing” also does not require the physical act of hearing with the ear. The report simply needs to be received. For instance, someone could read the gospel through GotQuestions.org and receive it by faith, without an audible word being spoken. As long as the message can be received fully, the medium does not affect the outcome. The content of the message must be “the word about Christ.” As Paul states in 1 Corinthians 15:3–5, the message is “that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve” (NASB). Faith that leads to eternal salvation comes after “hearing”; that is, after receiving this message concerning Christ.

Since ancient times, builders have used cornerstones in their construction projects. A cornerstone was the principal stone, usually placed at the corner of an edifice, to guide the workers in their course. The cornerstone was usually one of the largest, the most solid, and the most carefully constructed of any in the edifice. The Bible describes Jesus as the cornerstone that His church would be built upon. He is foundational. Once the cornerstone was set, it became the basis for determining every measurement in the remaining construction; everything was aligned to it. As the cornerstone of the building of the church, Jesus is our standard of measure and alignment.

The book of Isaiah has many references to the Messiah to come. In several places the Messiah is referred to as “the cornerstone,” such as in this prophecy: “So this is what the sovereign Lord says: ‘See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who trusts will never be dismayed. I will make justice the measuring line and righteousness the plumb line’” (Isaiah 28:16–17). In context, God speaks to the scoffers and boasters of Judah, and He promises to send the cornerstone—His precious Son—who will provide the firm foundation for their lives, if they would but trust in Him.

In the New Testament, the cornerstone metaphor is continued. The apostle Paul desires for the Ephesian Christians to know Christ better: “Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord” (Ephesians 2:19– 21). Furthermore, in 1 Peter 2:6, what Isaiah said centuries before is affirmed in exactly the same words.

Peter says that Jesus, as our cornerstone, is “chosen by God and precious to him” (1 Peter 2:4). The Cornerstone is also reliable, and “the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame” (verse 6).

Unfortunately, not everyone aligns with the cornerstone. Some accept Christ; some reject Him. Jesus is the “stone the builders rejected” (Mark 12:10; cf. Psalm 118:22). When news of the Messiah’s arrival came to the magi in the East, they determined to bring Him gold, frankincense, and myrrh. But when that same news came to King Herod in Jerusalem, his response was to attempt to kill Him. From the very beginning, Jesus was “a stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall” (1 Peter 2:8).

How can people reject God’s chosen, precious cornerstone? Simply put, they want to build something different from what God is building. Just as the people building the tower of Babel rebelled against God and pursued their own project, those who reject Christ disregard God’s plan in favor of their own. Judgment is promised to all those who reject Christ: “Anyone who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; anyone on whom it falls will be crushed” (Matthew 21:44).

​