https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/torrey_ra/fundamentals/39.cfm
Angel of Light 6: 7;
Fall, Rise
70
Psalm 18:13
The Lord also
thundered in the heavens,
And the Highest gave
his voice;
Hail stones and coals
of fire
The First Annunciation
In Luke 1 we actually have two annunciations.
Most Catholics are familiar with the second,
the announcement of the
birth of Jesus.
Before that however the
angel makes an appearance
to the
priest Zechariah. The similarities are striking--
as well as the one major difference!
Sanctified in the Womb
In the announcement of his birth we hear that,
“he will be filled with the
Holy Spirit,
even from his mother’s womb”
(Luke 1:15).
This is a striking statement—even as an unborn child
John the Baptist would receive the Holy Spirit.
This of course plays out in the narrative in the story of
the visitation:
And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary,
the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was
filled with the Holy Spirit 42 and she exclaimed
with a loud cry,
“Blessed are you among women, and
blessed is
the fruit of your womb!
(Luke 1:41–42)
Notice, being
filled with the Holy Spirit
here is associated
with a confession of
faith,
Elizabeth’s. However, given that John is said to be filled with the Spirit even from his mother’s womb and given that he leaps inside of her at the arrival of the Mother of the Messiah, it seems clear that his action is best understood as a kind of evidence of faith as well.
Indeed, this was recognized as early as Origen
(here the podcast on Origen here):
“Elizabeth, who was filled with the Holy Spirit at that moment, received the Spirit on account of her son. The mother did not inherit the Holy Spirit first. First John, still enclosed in her womb, received the Holy Spirit. Then she too, after her son was sanctified, was filled with the Holy Spirit” (Homilies on the Gospel of Luke 7.3)
Because of this the fathers of the church such as Ambrose recognized that the John the Baptist was given the gift of grace even while still in utero. In short, John was understood to have been sanctified in the womb.
A New Jeremiah: Consecrated in the Womb
Does this seem far-fetched? Not from a biblical perspective. The same thing is said about another Old Testament prophet: Jeremiah. The Lord explains, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations” (Jer 1:5) Of course, St. Paul talks about how Abraham was “justified” by his faith in the Old Testament. In Jeremiah we have another Old Testament figure that was “sanctified”. Although, here we have something truly special—he was consecrated in his mother’s womb.
This of course highlights in a particular way the gratuity of salvation. As Paul explains,
“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God— 9 not because of works, lest any man should boast” (Eph 2:8-9).
Even before he had done anything, God consecrated Jeremiah (cf. Rom 9:11-12). For more on this, see Thomas Aquinas’ Summa Theologiae III, q. 27 (here).
Jeremiah’s Prophetic Signs
Jeremiah in fact is an especially important Old Testament prophet. In some ways, his entire life was a sign of faith. Scholars recognize the many prophetic signs he performed.* He didn’t simply speak the Word of the Lord, he lived it. Consider just a few of his prophetic actions in the account of his life in Scripture:
Jeremiah as a New Moses
Indeed, Jeremiah is described as a New Moses, as Dale Allison shows. His calling in Jeremiah 1 in many ways mirrors the calling of Moses in Exodus 3.
The list goes on and on.
Jeremiah then is a kind of New Moses. It is no wonder then that he predicts the coming of a New Covenant, using language of a New Exodus:
Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, 32 not like the covenant which I made with their fathers when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant which they broke, though I was their husband, says the LORD. 33 But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it upon their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. (Jer 31:31–33)
When God’s people looked for deliverance, Jeremiah was not far from their mind. This is evident in 2 Maccabees. There we read about a mysterious appearance of Jeremiah who is credited with giving the sword to Judas Maccabeus that he used to defeat Israel’s enemies. As Onias the high priest is praying over the people, he spots none other than Jeremiah in the crowd:
Onias, who had been high priest, a noble and good man, of modest bearing and gentle manner, one who spoke fittingly and had been trained from childhood in all that belongs to excellence, was praying with outstretched hands for the whole body of the Jews. 13 Then likewise a man appeared, distinguished by his gray hair and dignity, and of marvelous majesty and authority. 14 And Onias spoke, saying, “This is a man who loves the brethren and prays much for the people and the holy city, Jeremiah, the prophet of God.” 15 Jeremiah stretched out his right hand and gave to Judas a golden sword, and as he gave it he addressed him thus: 16 “Take this holy sword, a gift from God, with which you will strike down your adversaries.” (2 Macc 15:12–16)
John the Baptist and the New Exodus
Not surprisingly, John the Baptist evokes New Exodus imagery himself. Look at the language describing his ministry in Matthew 3:
In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, 2 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” 3 For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way (Gk. hodos) of the Lord, make his paths straight.” (Matt 3:1–3)
Here John is seen quoting from Isaiah’s famous New Exodus prophecy. As in the Exodus, God is preparing a way, in Greek, a hodos (note: ex-hodos means the “way out”) in the wilderness.
John the Baptist and Elijah
In addition, John the Baptist is linked to another figure who, like Jeremiah, was linked both to Moses and to Israel’s future deliverance: Elijah. This connection is evident in Luke 1, in which his birth is announced.
And he will turn many of the sons of Israel to the Lord their God, 17 and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.” (Luke 1:16–17)
In fact, in Matthew 3, John the Baptist is described as essentially wearing the costume of the Old Testament prophet:
“Now John wore a garment of camel’s hair, and a leather girdle around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey.” (Matt 1:4)
In 1 Kings we discover, “[Elijah] wore a garment of haircloth, with a girdle of leather about his loins” (2 Kgs 1:8).
Elijah as a New Moses
Elijah, like Jeremiah, was described as a New Moses figure.*** It makes sense that a figure announcing the New Exodus—John the Baptist—would be linked to Elijah. Consider some of the following ways Elijah mirrors Moses’ life and ministry. I could compile quite a list. Let me just name a few points of contact here.
Elijah and the Restoration of Israel
As I mentioned, like Jeremiah, Elijah was linked to Israel’s future hopes for deliverance. Malachi describes the way “Elijah” will come before the eschatological age—i.e., the messianic age.
“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and terrible day of the LORD comes. 6 And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the land with a curse.” (Mal 4:5)
Sirach also speaks of Elijah in similar terms:
“you [Elijah] who are ready at the appointed time, it is written, to calm the wrath of God before it breaks out in fury, to turn the heart of the father to the son, and to restore the tribes of Jacob.” (Sir 48:10).
Notice the similarities here with the angel’s description of John to his father Zechariah in Luke: “he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children”.
Not surprisingly then John is identified by Jesus as Elijah. This is made explicit in Matthew after the Transfiguration. The disciples wonder at Jesus’ eschatological language, asking, “Then why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?” (Matt 17:10). Jesus replies,
“Elijah does come, and he is to restore all things; but I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not know him, but did to him whatever they pleased. So also the Son of man will suffer at their hands.” 13 Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist. (Matt 17:9-13).
John’s Baptism and the Essenes
In fact, it appears that John had his finger on the pulse of first century Judaism. As the Dead Sea Scrolls reveal, there were many Jews who were thinking eschatologically, preparing for the coming of the messianic age.
Interestingly enough, the Jews at Qumran, apparently used language and performed rites similar to John the Baptist. For instance, in a striking parallel to the speech of John the Baptist recorded in the New Testament, we read in one Dead Sea Scroll text:
“When such men as these come to be in Israel, conforming to these doctrines, they shall separate from the session of perverse men to go to the wilderness, there to prepare the way of truth, as it is written, ‘In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God’ [Is. 40:3]” (1QS 6:12-16).
Likewise, we know that the Essene community, which is most likely to be identified in some way with the community who wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls, practices ritual washing, symbolizing cleansing from impurity and entrance into the New Covenant community. Whether John had direct contact with the Essene community is impossible to know. But we do see John announcing something that many were apparently looking for: the dawning of the messianic age.
Of course, the New Testament points to John’s baptism as only a foreshadowing of Christian baptism. In Acts of the Apostles, Jesus explains after his resurrection to the apostles, “for John baptized with water, but before many days you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 1:5). Likewise, Paul explains to those who had only received John’s baptism the need to receive Christian baptism, through which they receive the Holy Spirit (cf. Acts 19:1–7).
Elijah and Elisha, John and Jesus
Given that Jesus comes after John, it is also worth noting something else about Elijah: he was followed by Elisha. After Elijah is taken up by a heavenly chariot at the River Jordan, Elisha receives a “double-portion” of Elijah’s spirit (2 Kgs 2:9–15). He in fact becomes a figure much like Elijah, performing several miracles reminiscent of his mentor.**** For example,
If that last miracle sounds reminiscent of a miracle of Jesus, it should. Scholars recognize that Jesus feeding of the five thousand mirrors Elisha’s miracle of feeding a hundred men with only ten loaves. Consider the parallels between 2 Kgs 4:22-24 and Matt 14:15-21:
Notably, that miracle follows on the heels of the account of
John’s death in Matthew 14 and Mark 6. Coincidence? I don’t think so.
Like Elisha receives a double spirit of Elijah’s spirit at the Jordan, Jesus is baptized by John in the Jordan, where the Holy Spirit descends upon him.
John is therefore the final prophetic figure, the final messenger, announcing the coming of the Messiah. He, in a sense, is the last of the “Old Testament” prophets—though clearly he is described in the New Testament. Thus Jesus describes him as marking the end of an era in Matthew’s Gospel:
Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has risen no one greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 12 From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and men of violence take it by force. 13 For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John; 14 and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come. 15 He who has ears to hear, let him hear. (Matt 11:11–14).
John is the greatest of the messengers sent by the Lord. Yet the New Covenant surpasses the Old. Those who are least in the Kingdom are greater than John. What does that mean about the dignity and importance of the vocation to the Christian life?! Quite a lot I suspect.
But I suppose that is something best taken to prayer.
Luke 16:16-17 meaning
Jesus affirms the endurability of
God’s Law.
He says that even though the Age of the Law and Prophets have passed, and the Age of the Gospel of the Kingdom has come, it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one part of the Law to fail. In the middle of saying these things, Jesus offers an enigmatic line that everyone is forcing his way into the kingdom of God.
This parallel gospel accounts for these teachings
are Matthew 11:12 and Matthew 5:18, 24:34.
After calling out the Pharisees for loving money and the approval of men, and despising God and scoffing at His teachings (Luke 16:14-15, Luke 16:1-13),
Jesus warns about the certainty of God’s Law.
The point Jesus seems to be making is that God’s Law is eternal and unbreaking. It never changes. And it does not shift or realign itself to the opinions of men. He was basically telling the Pharisees, “You are wrong if you think that you can go up against God’s laws and win. You will lose.
God is not mocked.”
Jesus makes this point with three thoughts and a comparison.
The three thoughts are:
The comparison is:
But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away
than for one stroke of a letter of the Law to fail.
This commentary will address each thought in order and then Jesus’s comparison. But first, it is worth noting that the three thoughts He offered the Pharisees are very similar to what Jesus taught the crowds as John the Baptist’s disciples returned to their imprisoned rabbi.
“From the days of John the Baptist until now the
kingdom of heaven
suffers violence, and violent men take it by force.”
(Matthew 11:12)
The first thought expressed by Jesus:
The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John.
The expression the Law and the Prophets was an allusion to the Jewish scriptures, what we now call the “Old Testament.” The Old Testament begins with the Law: the five books of Moses (Genesis—Deuteronomy). These books were called the Torah by the Jews (sometimes called the Pentateuch). The Torah/Books of Moses were considered by the Jews to be the Law because this was where the Ten Commandments were given (Exodus 20:1-17; Deuteronomy 5:1-21) as well as hundreds of other commandments and rules set down by God for the children of Israel to follow in order to fulfill the spirit of the Ten Commandments. The Old Testament concludes with the Prophets (Isaiah—Malachi).
John explicitly refers to John the Baptist, Jesus’s cousin (Luke 1:36, 57-60) and the Messianic forerunner (Matthew 3:1-12; 11:7-19; Mark 1:1-8; Luke 3:1-22; 7:18-30; John 1:6-8, 19-34).
What did Jesus mean
by
The Law and the Prophets
were
proclaimed until
John?
He could mean that the age of the Old Testament where God speaks primarily through prophets came to an end with John the Baptist. The end could have been when John first began his public ministry or when it ended with John’s arrest/beheading (Matthew 14:1-12; Mark 6:14-29). Jesus noted that John is said to fulfill the prophecy that Elijah would come prior to the advent of Messiah. This likely means the phrase, “until John,” indicates that the Baptizer was the last of the Old Testament prophets.
Jesus was, in effect, announcing that one age has closed--The Law and the Prophets, and a new age was now being preached and offered—The Advent of the Messianic kingdom.
But even though the age of the Law had ended,
we should not assume that its laws have no current meaning.
Jesus famously said in
His Sermon on the Mount:
“Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets;
I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.
For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away,
not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law
until all is accomplished.
Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments,
and teaches others to do the same,
shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven;
but whoever keeps and teaches them,
he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”
(Matthew 5:17-19)
However from our present perspective, since Israel declined to follow Jesus their King (and usher in the Messianic kingdom), instead what is initiated is the “Age of the Gentiles” (Luke 21:24; Romans 11:25).
Another meaning Jesus might have had when He said The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John is that the scriptures prophesied of John and foretold
John’s coming as the forerunner of the Christ.
Both meanings could be inferred together without eliminating the other.
The second thought expressed by Jesus: since
that time the
gospel of the kingdom of God has been preached.
The second thought is related to the first. The first thought indicated that the Age of the Law and the Prophets was [from the time of Moses] until John the Baptist. Now that John the Baptist had appeared preaching the good news of the Messianic kingdom, a new era had arrived. This is what Jesus meant when He said since that time [of John the Baptist] the gospel of the kingdom of God has been preached. It was preached by John as well as by Jesus.
John’s message was “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 3:2), and he went about “preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (Mark 1:4, Luke 3:3) in preparation of the Messiah The gospel of the kingdom of God has been preached (and is continuing to be) since John first began his ministry. Jesus’s ministry began after Jesus endured the temptation of Satan and settled in Capernaum, and is described with this statement:
“From that time Jesus began to preach and say,
‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’”
(Matthew 4:17)
As Jesus taught, He was presenting and inviting people to participate in His kingdom.
The third thought expressed by Jesus: and everyone is forcing his way into it.
The first two thoughts indicated that the Age of the Law had now come to a close, and the era of the Gospel of the Kingdom of God had now arrived. The third thought that Jesus states immediately after those observations is that everyone is forcing his way into it.
In Matthew’s gospel, instead of saying everyone is forcing his way into it, Jesus says: “and violent men take it by force” (Matthew 11:12).
What can Jesus mean by this enigmatic thought?
What is clear is that it refers to the kingdom of God.
The phrase everyone is forcing his way into the kingdom of God could mean two things.
It could refer to the violence done to John the Baptist (and other faithful members of the kingdom of God). According to this interpretation everyone (“violent men” in Matthew 11) implied earthly authorities such as the Pharisees and Sadducees who took John into custody (Matthew 4:12), and Herod who currently held John imprisoned (Matthew 11:2).
By extension this interpretation also refers to everyone who persecutes the faithful. Jesus foretold being a faithful witness can be hazardous to the body (but not the “psuche”) (Matthew 10). The Christian Church will encounter much violence and persecution throughout the Book of Acts and beyond.
The force Jesus is speaking of here very well could refer to the violence of persecution against the kingdom.
If this is what Jesus meant, then we as Christ’s followers can rest assured that God’s “kingdom cannot be shaken” (Hebrews 12:28) and that “the gates of Hades will not overpower” His church (Matthew 16:18).
But Jesus could have been referring to a different kind of violence altogether.
A second interpretation of everyone is forcing his way into the kingdom of God is that it requires a kind of spiritual violence to overcome the temptations of the present age to enter the kingdom. If this is the case, Jesus is alluding to something very similar to what Paul describes in Ephesians 6:10-17 as putting on the armor of God and preparing for spiritual warfare. According to this interpretation, everyone would specifically refer to spiritually violent men like John who took the kingdom by the force of resisting their sin nature, the corrupting patterns of this world and its temptations of luxury and prestige.
This second interpretation is akin to Jesus’s exhortation to diligently seek to enter into the kingdom by the narrow gate (Matthew 7:13-14). And if this is the case, it means that the only way to enter is to overcome by forcing your way into the kingdom by relying on God’s spiritual power.
If the second interpretation is what Jesus meant, then it reinforces the idea that such spiritual resistance against the schemes of the devil is commendable (James 4:7).
Perhaps Jesus has both in view, in that
the kingdom of God
is going to provoke a strong response one way or the other.
Like the choice of masters between
God or money,
the response to the Kingdom
will either be humble submission or adamant resistance.
Jesus makes the comparison:
But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one stroke of a letter of the Law to fail.
After informing the Pharisees that
the
Age of the Law and the Prophets
has ended and the
Age of
the
Messianic Kingdom has arrived
and that everyone
is responding one way
or the other,
Jesus reminds them that the Laws of God are enduring.
He told the Pharisees it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for a single stroke of the Law to fail. It will all be accomplished. God is not mocked. It is easier for natural laws of this earth, indeed even this very earth itself to be undone than for God’s Law to lose its authority. God set the physical laws of the universe when He created all that is (Genesis 1:1). Someone can choose to ignore gravity, but gravity will still operate on them. In the same way, God set the spiritual and moral laws of the universe when He created all that is (Colossians 1:16).
God’s moral laws can also be disbelieved, but they will still operate notwithstanding.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said that “until” heaven and earth pass away, the Law will stand (Matthew 5:18). Once again, God’s Law did not and does not lose its relevance just because the Age of the Law has ended and the Age of the Kingdom has come. The Law will be enforced at least until the current earth is abolished and the New Heaven and the New Earth are given.
It is worth noting that the basic idea behind that Law, as interpreted by Jesus, is
Understanding all three of Jesus’s expressed thoughts in this passage along with Jesus’s comparison within the preceding context of the Pharisees’ scoffing (Luke 16:14); and Christ’s rebuke of their foolish attempts of self-justification (Luke 16:15), we see that He was warning them that
God’s perspective is supreme.
The gospel of the kingdom was and is being preached and people are having to take a side. It is better for us to accept the Creator God as our authority over what is highly esteemed rather than the scoffing of ignorant men. Will we choose the side that outlasts heaven and earth or will we choose the moral fashions and opinions of our day?
Biblical Text
16 “The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John; since that time the gospel of the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it. 17 But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one stroke of a letter of the Law to fail.
JOHN’S BAPTISM AND THE OT LAW
BASIC TEXT: “Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, – Of the doctrine of baptisms” (Hebrews 6:1, 2, KJV)
When did the OT Law of Moses (Luke 2:22, 23) begin? When did it end?
Which Law did the “elders’ tradition” violate? Did John the Baptist add to the Old Testament Law or did he replace the Old Testament Law?
YOUR VIEW OF THE OLD TESTAMENT LAW?
In my youth a Sabbatarian correspondence course Voice of Prophecy taught me that Jesus meant for us to observe the seventh day as a sabbath because He attended the synagogues on Saturdays (Mark 1:21; 2:28). Some Baptist friends taught me that Jesus taught salvation without baptism for the thief on the cross (Luke 23:43). Many today are teaching then that the New Testament came into effect with the birth of Jesus. After all, it is plain that the Bible is physically divided there. If someone says, “Let’s turn to the New Testament” where do you automatically turn to? Jesus, according to this doctrine, would have accused the Pharisees of just being too strict with a law that was no longer in effect. Deductively with them, the teachings of Jesus are binding from Matthew 1 on.
This is without doubt a major problem for unity in Christendom if we do not agree with when the New Testament authority began; i.e., whether at the end of Malachi or at the beginning of the book of Acts (Galatians 5:4; 6:2).
Which is it? Did Jesus live, teach, and die under the Old or the New Testament Law?
According to Hebrews 9:15-18 Jesus had to die and shed His blood before His new testament could come into effect and therefore replace the old one:
“And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death... For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth. Whereupon neither the first testament was dedicated without blood.” A testament requires the death of the testator – in this case, Jesus. The testaments from Heaven require the shedding of blood.
The uniqueness of the Jews established by the Old Testament Law were removed at the cross. Ephesians 2:15,16: “Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby.” And, according to Colossians 2:14, “Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross.”
The Scriptures are clear that the division of the New from the Old is not at the beginning of Matthew but is at the beginning of Acts. It is after the cross! Jesus did not accuse anyone of not following something that was not in existence. The Pharisees were disobeying the Old Testament [OT] Law of the Lord and not the New. The Jews were baptized by John’s baptism for their sinning against the OT and not Jesus, the Christ.
RIGHTLY DIVIDING THE BIBLE
It is important to rightly divide the Bible. “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15; the ABP+ translates the last as “a worker unashamed, cutting straight the word of truth”).
Mark wrote (7:3) that the Pharisees and scribes accused Jesus of not observing their “elders” traditions. Jesus told the Pharisees that their added rules rejected God’s commandment. God through Moses commanded in Deuteronomy 4:2, “Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.” Indeed, Jesus had answered during His own temptation in the wilderness, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4b). And that’s period. No additions. Jesus answered that the Jews had rejected the commandments of God (Mark 7:9) with these added teachings.i Why then didn’t these Pharisees seek the advantage of Jesus by asking if that did not apply also to the baptism of John?
The answer is found in Matthew 21:25, 26: Jesus asked the chief priests and elders, “The baptism of John, whence was it? from heaven, or of men? And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say unto us, Why did ye not then believe him? But if we shall say, Of men; we fear the people; for all hold John as a prophet.” John was indeed a prophet from God. The people understood from the Law that a prophet could with authority add to God’s commandments.
Moses Was God’s Initial Prophet Under The OT But He Was To Be Followed By Other Prophets of God. God’s prophets were His spokespersons (Exodus 4:16; 7:1). God promised prophets to follow Moses (Numbers 12:6). And there were many prophets. “And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell ...of the prophets” (Hebrews 11:32).
David was among those prophets. He was inspired to write the Psalms. He gave divine instructions for the worship in the Temple that was to be built by Solomon. He added instrumental music to Temple service, but since he was a prophet of God, it means that God Himself added the instrumental music (2 Chronicles 29:25). Generally, the Jews respected the authorized use of the instruments only in the Temple for worship. It was never practiced to my knowledge in the synagogues. But they did add the washings and other regulations contrary to God’s revelation.
Greek wash louo G3068 a synonym for Greek baptizo G907
John was God’s prophet (Matthew 11:9) just like Elisha in the OT. Elishacommanded Naaman to “wash” (bathe, λούωG3068 his whole body, 2 Kings 5:13) seven times and Naaman obeyed by immersing (βαπτίζω G907 , middle voice; KJV says correctly, “dipped”) himself seven times (2 Kings 5:14). God approved by cleansing him. Just as God commanded Naaman through Elisha, God commanded the Jews through the prophet John to be baptized unto repentance (Matthew 3:11; Acts 19:4).
Jesus preached baptism just as John (John 3:22). Just like John, Jesus never told anyone to disobey the OT or the Temple Law. He taught that He came to fulfil it (“to fill it up”, Matthew 5:17). This is very important. An example: Jesus healed the leper but He commanded him to obey the OT Temple Law, “Go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them” (Matthew 8:4b). Jesus never diminished or changed the OTLaw during His earthly ministry (Matthew 5:17-20).
The “elders’ tradition” then violated the purification laws of the Law of Moses. Jesus and John were born under that Law. John’s baptism was an addition to the Old Testament Law.
It is important to note that neither John nor Jesus spoke against Moses (Law of) for their ministries were under the Law of Moses. If Jesus had taught against the Old Testament He would have been a sinner and would have been condemned to death by the Law of Moses. Deuteronomy 18:20: “But the prophet [which would include John and Jesus], which shall presume to speak a word in my [i.e.,God’s] name, which I [God] have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die.”
Again, “And that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death; because he hath spoken to turn you away from the LORD your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, to thrust thee out of the way which the LORD thy God commanded thee to walk in. So shalt thou put the evil away from the midst of thee” (Deuteronomy 13:5).
To this strict observance, Jesus agreed, “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven ” (Matthew 5:17-19).
Matthew 14John the Baptist Beheaded
At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the reports about Jesus,
2 and he said to his attendants, “This is John the Baptist; he has risen from the dead! That is why miraculous powers are at work in him.”
3 Now Herod had arrested John and bound him and put him in prison because of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife,
4 for John had been saying to him: “It is not lawful for you to have her.”
5 Herod wanted to kill John, but he was afraid of the people, because they considered John a prophet.
6 On Herod’s birthday the daughter of Herodias danced for the guests and pleased Herod so much
7 that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked.
8 Prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.”
9 The king was distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he ordered that her request be granted
10 and had John beheaded in the prison.
11 His head was brought in on a platter and given to the girl, who carried it to her mother.
12 John’s disciples came and took his body and buried it. Then they went and told Jesus. Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand13 When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns.
14 When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.
15 As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.”
16 Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.”
17 “We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered.
18 “Bring them here to me,” he said.
19 And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people.
20 They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.
21 The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children. Jesus Walks on the Water22 Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd.
23 After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone,
24 and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.
25 Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake.
26 When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.
27 But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”
28 “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”
29 “Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus.
30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”
31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”
32 And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down.
33 Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”
34 When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret.
35 And when the men of that place recognized Jesus, they sent word to all the surrounding country. People brought all their sick to him
36 and begged him to let the sick just touch the edge of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed.
https://biblestudylessons.net/articles/hebrews6/baptisms6.html
People spend a great deal of time, energy, and money in search of ways to promote health and wellness. One technique they may overlook is found in the Bible: “There is one who speaks like the piercings of a sword, but the tongue of the wise promotes health” (Proverbs 12:18, NKJV).
Not only can the tongue promote health and healing, but Proverbs 18:21 tells us, “The tongue has the power of life and death.” In these proverbs and many other Scripture passages, the word tongue is a metonymy that refers to our spoken words. Most modern Bible translations render Proverbs 12:18 in less figurative language: “Some people make cutting remarks, but the words of the wise bring healing” (NLT).
Proverbs 12:18 reads like an observation: “There is one who speaks rashly, like a piercing sword; but the tongue of the wise brings healing” (CSB). In other words, some people break out in thoughtless and insensitive language, causing a spiritual or emotional wound like a knife piercing into the listener. In direct antithesis, wise people choose words that bring healing to others. A concise form of this Proverb might say, “Rash words hurt; wise words heal.”
There is deadly poison in thoughtlessly spoken words, and there is healing power in judiciously chosen words. The right words are like good medicine that can make a person well: “The soothing tongue is a tree of life, but a perverse tongue crushes the spirit” (Proverbs 15:4). To use the metaphor of Proverbs 12:18, some people use their sword-like words to wound, give offense, promote corruption, and injure reputations. Those are the words of the reckless. In contrast is the tongue of the wise, whose wholesome words bring common sense, discernment, comfort, soundness, and benefit to others. Even when bringing reproof, the tongue of the wise is healing.
Despite its being a small instrument, the tongue holds tremendous power to produce both good and evil. James describes the harm we can cause to ourselves and others with our spoken words: “In the same way, the tongue is a small thing that makes grand speeches. But a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. And among all the parts of the body, the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself. People can tame all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and fish, but no one can tame the tongue. It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison. Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God” (James 3:5–9, NLT).
When James says, “No one can tame the tongue,” he’s not implying that there’s no hope for us and that Christians should give up trying to control their speech. On the contrary, James is teaching the need for divine help. No one has it within himself, without the grace of God, to master his tongue and keep it in line. Even when he thinks he has his tongue under control, a person will often allow an unwise or hurtful word to slip out. The tongue is truly unruly. Although difficult, taming the tongue is imperative: “If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless” (James 1:26, NLT).
Believers in Jesus Christ are called to be wise; after all, it is the tongue of the wise that promotes health, and we should strive to speak life and healing rather than cursings and death: “For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way. We can make a large horse go wherever we want by means of a small bit in its mouth. And a small rudder makes a huge ship turn wherever the pilot chooses to go, even though the winds are strong” (James 3:2–4, NLT).
To have the tongue of the wise that promotes health, believers must depend on power from God’s Holy Spirit. With God’s help, it is possible to gain victory over the terrible evil that carelessly spoken or malicious words can produce. While perfect victory over sin is impossible in this life, significant triumph is not only possible but essential (Romans 6; 8:2–3; Hebrews 7:25; 1 Peter 2:24; Titus 2:14).
Proverbs 10:11 says, “The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life.” Wholesome, godly words flowing from our mouths have the power to stimulate mental, physical, and spiritual processes that can restore someone to a healthy, sound state. The tongue of the wise promotes health when God’s people speak life-giving, edifying, compassionate, beneficial, appropriate words.
If we are wise, we will seek the Lord’s help in controlling our tongues. We will let our speech always be gracious (Colossians 4:6) and use our words to promote health, healing, and life. As Paul taught, we should “let no corrupting talk come out of [our] mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear” (Ephesians 4:29, ESV).
Simon Peter, also known as Cephas (John 1:42), was one of the first followers of Jesus Christ. He was an outspoken and ardent disciple, one of Jesus’ closest friends, an apostle, and a “pillar” of the church (Galatians 2:9). Peter was enthusiastic, strong-willed, impulsive, and, at times, brash. But for all his strengths, Peter had several failings in his life. Still, the Lord who chose him continued to mold him into exactly who He intended Peter to be.
Simon was originally from Bethsaida (John 1:44) and lived in Capernaum (Mark 1:29), both cities on the coast of the Sea of Galilee. He was married (1 Corinthians 9:5), and he and James and John were partners in a profitable fishing business (Luke 5:10). Simon met Jesus through his brother Andrew, who had followed Jesus after hearing John the Baptist proclaim that Jesus was the Lamb of God (John 1:35-36). Andrew immediately went to find his brother to bring him to Jesus. Upon meeting Simon, Jesus gave him a new name: Cephas (Aramaic) or Peter (Greek), which means “rock” (John 1:40-42). Later, Jesus officially called Peter to follow Him, producing a miraculous catch of fish (Luke 5:1-7). Immediately, Peter left everything behind to follow the Lord (verse 11).
For the next three years, Peter lived as a disciple of the Lord Jesus. Being a natural-born leader, Peter became the de facto spokesman for the Twelve (Matthew 15:15, 18:21, 19:27; Mark 11:21; Luke 8:45, 12:41; John 6:68, 13:6-9, 36). More significantly, it was Peter who first confessed Jesus as “the Christ, the Son of the living God,” a truth which Jesus said was divinely revealed to Peter (Matthew 16:16-17).
Peter was part of the inner circle of Jesus’ disciples, along with James and John. Only those three were present when Jesus raised the daughter of Jairus (Mark 5:37) and when Jesus was transfigured on the mountain (Matthew 17:1). Peter and John were given the special task of preparing the final Passover meal (Luke 22:8).
In several instances, Peter showed himself to be impetuous to the point of rashness. For example, it was Peter who left the boat to walk on the water to Jesus (Matthew 14:28-29)—and promptly took his eyes off Jesus and began to sink (verse 30). It was Peter who took Jesus aside to rebuke Him for speaking of His death (Matthew 16:22)—and was swiftly corrected by the Lord (verse 23). It was Peter who suggested erecting three tabernacles to honor Moses, Elijah, and Jesus (Matthew 17:4)—and fell to the ground in fearful silence at God’s glory (verses 5-6). It was Peter who drew his sword and attacked the servant of the high priest (John 18:10)—and was immediately told to sheath his weapon (verse 11). It was Peter who boasted that he would never forsake the Lord, even if everyone else did (Matthew 26:33)—and later denied three times that he even knew the Lord (verses 70-74).
Through all of Peter’s ups and downs, the Lord Jesus remained his loving Lord and faithful Guide. Jesus reaffirmed Simon as Peter, the “Rock,” in Matthew 16:18-19, promising that he would be instrumental in establishing Jesus’ Church. After His resurrection, Jesus specifically named Peter as one who needed to hear the good news (Mark 16:7). And, repeating the miracle of the large catch of fish, Jesus made a special point of forgiving and restoring Peter and re-commissioning him as an apostle (John 21:6, 15-17).
On the day of Pentecost, Peter was the main speaker to the crowd in Jerusalem (Acts 2:14ff), and the Church began with an influx of about 3,000 new believers (verse 41). Later, Peter healed a lame beggar (Acts 3) and preached boldly before the Sanhedrin (Acts 4). Even arrest, beatings, and threats could not dampen Peter’s resolve to preach the risen Christ (Acts 5).
Jesus’ promise that Peter would be foundational in building the Church was fulfilled in three stages: Peter preached on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2). Then, he was present when the Samaritans received the Holy Spirit (Acts 8). Finally, he was summoned to the home of the Roman centurion Cornelius, who also believed and received the Holy Spirit (Acts 10). In this way, Peter “unlocked” three different worlds and opened the door of the Church to Jews, Samaritans, and Gentiles.
Even as an apostle, Peter experienced some growing pains. At first, he had resisted taking the gospel to Cornelius, a Gentile. However, when he saw the Romans receive the Holy Spirit in the same manner he had, Peter concluded that “God does not show favoritism” (Acts 10:34). After that, Peter strongly defended the Gentiles’ position as believers and was adamant that they did not need to conform to Jewish law (Acts 15:7-11).
Another episode of growth in Peter’s life concerns his visit to Antioch, where he enjoyed the fellowship of Gentile believers. However, when some legalistic Jews arrived in Antioch, Peter, to appease them, withdrew from the Gentile Christians. The Apostle Paul saw this as hypocrisy and called it such to Peter’s face (Galatians 2:11-14).
Later in life, Peter spent time with John Mark (1 Peter 5:13), who wrote the gospel of Mark based on Peter’s remembrances of his time with Jesus. Peter wrote two inspired epistles, 1 and 2 Peter, between A.D. 60 and 68. Jesus said that Peter would die a martyr’s death (John 21:18-19)—a prophecy fulfilled, presumably, during Nero’s reign. Tradition has it that Peter was crucified upside down in Rome, and, although such the story may be true, there is no scriptural or historical witness to the particulars of Peter’s death.
What can we learn from Peter’s life? Here are a few lessons:
Jesus overcomes fear. Whether stepping out of a boat onto a tossing sea or stepping across the threshold of a Gentile home for the first time, Peter found courage in following Christ. “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear” (1 John 4:18).
Jesus forgives unfaithfulness. After he had boasted of his fidelity, Peter fervently denied the Lord three times. It seemed that Peter had burned his bridges, but Jesus lovingly rebuilt them and restored Peter to service. Peter was a former failure, but, with Jesus, failure is not the end. “If we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself” (2 Timothy 2:13).
Jesus patiently teaches. Over and over, Peter needed correction, and the Lord gave it with patience, firmness, and love. The Master Teacher looks for students willing to learn. “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go” (Psalm 32:8).
Jesus sees us as He intends us to be. The very first time they met, Jesus called Simon “Peter.” The rough and reckless fisherman was, in Jesus’ eyes, a firm and faithful rock. “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion” (Philippians 1:6).
Jesus uses unlikely heroes. Peter was a fisherman from Galilee, but Jesus called him to be a fisher of men (Luke 5:10). Because Peter was willing to leave all he had to follow Jesus, God used him in great ways. As Peter preached, people were amazed at his boldness because he was “unschooled” and “ordinary.” But then they took note that Peter “had been with Jesus” (Acts 4:13). Being with Jesus makes all the difference.
The book of Hebrews is an excellent place to find answers to our questions about faith. Chapter 11 begins with this short definition of faith: “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see” (Hebrews 11:1).
What, then, is a leap of faith? The term leap of faith is not found in the Bible. It is a common idiom, though. Usually, to take a leap of faith means “to believe in something with no evidence for it” or “to attempt an endeavor that has little chance of success.” Leap of faith actually originated in a religious context. Søren Kierkegaard coined the expression as a metaphor for belief in God. He argued that truth cannot be found by observation alone but must be understood in the mind and heart apart from empirical evidence. Since we cannot observe God with our eyes, we must have faith that He is there. We jump from material concepts to the immaterial with a “leap of faith.”
Continuing in Hebrews chapter 11, we find an impressive list of men and women in the Bible who took a “leap of faith,” as it were. These are just a few of the people mentioned who took God at His Word and trusted Him to do what He had promised:
By faith, Noah obeyed God and built an ark to save his family from the flood (Genesis 6:9 – 7:24). By faith, Abraham prepared to sacrifice his son, believing God would provide a lamb (Genesis 22:1–19). By faith, Moses chose to side with the Hebrews rather than stay in the Egyptian palace (Exodus 2 – 4). By faith, Rahab risked her life and sheltered enemy spies in her home (Joshua 2:1–24).
Throughout the rest of Scripture, the stories of the faithful continue. By faith, David confronted a giant with only a sling and a stone (1 Samuel 17). By faith, Peter stepped out of the boat when Jesus invited him to come (Matthew 14:22–33). The accounts go on and on, each story helping us to understand the biblical meaning of a leap of faith.
Exercising faith in God often requires taking a risk. Second Corinthians 5:7 tells us, “For we live by faith, not by sight.” But a biblical step of faith is not a “blind” leap. Our faith is backed by assurance and certainty. Faith is soundly supported by God’s promises in His Word. A leap of faith is not an irrational impulse that causes us to jump out into the great unknown without any foresight. According to the Word of God, believers are to seek counsel from godly leaders (Proverbs 11:14; 15:22; 24:6). Also, Christians are to acquire wisdom and direction from God’s Word (Psalm 119:105, 130).
The stories in the Bible exist for a reason. Our trust and faith grow stronger as we read these accounts of God’s powerful deliverance and rescue in times of need. God miraculously delivered Joseph from slavery and placed him in charge over all of Egypt. God transformed Gideon from a coward to a courageous warrior. These Bible characters took leaps of faith because they trusted in the God who was powerful enough to rescue them, hold them up, and not let them fall (see Jude 1:24).
Putting our faith into action may feel like a scary leap, but that is part of the testing and proving of our faith: “In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls (1 Peter 1:6–9; See Hebrews 11:17 also).
Stepping out in faith requires trusting God to do what He has already promised in His Word, even though we may not see the fulfillment of His promise yet. Genuine faith, belief, and trust will move us to action.
A leap of faith might mean leaving the safety of your comfort zone. Peter abandoned his safety and comfort when he jumped out of the boat to walk on water to Jesus. He could take that leap of faith because he knew his Lord and trusted that He was good: “The LORD is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made” (Psalm 145:9). When Jesus said, “Come,” Peter exercised childlike faith, the type of faith we are all called to possess: “But Jesus called the children to him and said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these’” (Luke 18:16).
When we demonstrate authentic trust in God, we know that our “leap of faith” is actually a leap into His all-powerful and loving arms. He delights in our trust and rewards those who earnestly pursue Him: “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).
Angel of Light 6: 7;
Fall, Rise
70
Psalm 18:13
The Lord also
thundered in the heavens,
And the Highest gave
his voice;
Hail stones and coals
of fire
The First Annunciation
In Luke 1 we actually have two annunciations.
Most Catholics are familiar with the second,
the announcement of the
birth of Jesus.
Before that however the
angel makes an appearance
to the
priest Zechariah. The similarities are striking--
as well as the one major difference!
- The angel Gabriel appears to Zechariah / Mary
- Addresses Zechariah / “Full of grace”
- He is “troubled” (1:12) / She is “troubled” (1:29)
- “Do not be afraid” (1:13) / “Do not be afraid” (1:30)
- “you shall call his name John” (1:13) / “you shall call his name Jesus” (1:31)
- “How shall I know this?” / “How will this be?”
- Fails to believe / “Let it be done unto me. . .”
Sanctified in the Womb
In the announcement of his birth we hear that,
“he will be filled with the
Holy Spirit,
even from his mother’s womb”
(Luke 1:15).
This is a striking statement—even as an unborn child
John the Baptist would receive the Holy Spirit.
This of course plays out in the narrative in the story of
the visitation:
And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary,
the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was
filled with the Holy Spirit 42 and she exclaimed
with a loud cry,
“Blessed are you among women, and
blessed is
the fruit of your womb!
(Luke 1:41–42)
Notice, being
filled with the Holy Spirit
here is associated
with a confession of
faith,
Elizabeth’s. However, given that John is said to be filled with the Spirit even from his mother’s womb and given that he leaps inside of her at the arrival of the Mother of the Messiah, it seems clear that his action is best understood as a kind of evidence of faith as well.
Indeed, this was recognized as early as Origen
(here the podcast on Origen here):
“Elizabeth, who was filled with the Holy Spirit at that moment, received the Spirit on account of her son. The mother did not inherit the Holy Spirit first. First John, still enclosed in her womb, received the Holy Spirit. Then she too, after her son was sanctified, was filled with the Holy Spirit” (Homilies on the Gospel of Luke 7.3)
Because of this the fathers of the church such as Ambrose recognized that the John the Baptist was given the gift of grace even while still in utero. In short, John was understood to have been sanctified in the womb.
A New Jeremiah: Consecrated in the Womb
Does this seem far-fetched? Not from a biblical perspective. The same thing is said about another Old Testament prophet: Jeremiah. The Lord explains, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations” (Jer 1:5) Of course, St. Paul talks about how Abraham was “justified” by his faith in the Old Testament. In Jeremiah we have another Old Testament figure that was “sanctified”. Although, here we have something truly special—he was consecrated in his mother’s womb.
This of course highlights in a particular way the gratuity of salvation. As Paul explains,
“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God— 9 not because of works, lest any man should boast” (Eph 2:8-9).
Even before he had done anything, God consecrated Jeremiah (cf. Rom 9:11-12). For more on this, see Thomas Aquinas’ Summa Theologiae III, q. 27 (here).
Jeremiah’s Prophetic Signs
Jeremiah in fact is an especially important Old Testament prophet. In some ways, his entire life was a sign of faith. Scholars recognize the many prophetic signs he performed.* He didn’t simply speak the Word of the Lord, he lived it. Consider just a few of his prophetic actions in the account of his life in Scripture:
- He wears a waistcloth, buries it and digs it back up, symbolizing Israel’s corruption, sin and humiliation (cf. Jer 13:1–11)
- He is celibate: symbolizing God’s judgment on Israel and his separation from wicked Israel (cf. Jer 16:1–4)
- He refashions a spoiled vessel, pointing to God’s willingness to forgive and remake Israel (cf. Jer 18:1–12)
- He breaks a pot to symbolize the irrevocable divine decree of judgment (cf. Jer 19:1–13)
- He takes a cup from the Lord and gives it to the nations to drink, symbolizing coming judgment (cf. Jer 25:15–29)
- He makes and wears yokes, announcing that the Babylonians are coming to conquer Jerusalem and take the people away as slaves (cf. Jer 27:1–28:17)
- He purchases a field to indicate God’s promise of a future restoration (cf. Jer 32:1–15)
- He rewrites a scroll after the king destroys it to show that God’s words endure (cf. Jer 36:1–32).
- He hides stones in the mortar used for Pharaoh’s palace as a sign that the Babylonian king will conquer Egypt (cf. Jer 43:8–13).
- He writes about the coming judgment upon Babylon in a book and tells Seraiah to read from it in Babylon and throw it into the Euphrates (cf. Jer 51:59–64) to demonstrate that the exile had been foretold!
Jeremiah as a New Moses
Indeed, Jeremiah is described as a New Moses, as Dale Allison shows. His calling in Jeremiah 1 in many ways mirrors the calling of Moses in Exodus 3.
- Both complain that they are not good speakers (Jer 1:6; Exod 4:10).
- Both are told “you shall speak all that I command you” (Jer 1:7; Exod 7:2).
- Both are comforted by being told that God will be with them (Jer 1:8; Exod 3:12).
- Both are told that the Lord’s words will be in their mouth (Jer 1:9; Deut 18:18).
The list goes on and on.
Jeremiah then is a kind of New Moses. It is no wonder then that he predicts the coming of a New Covenant, using language of a New Exodus:
Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, 32 not like the covenant which I made with their fathers when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant which they broke, though I was their husband, says the LORD. 33 But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it upon their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. (Jer 31:31–33)
When God’s people looked for deliverance, Jeremiah was not far from their mind. This is evident in 2 Maccabees. There we read about a mysterious appearance of Jeremiah who is credited with giving the sword to Judas Maccabeus that he used to defeat Israel’s enemies. As Onias the high priest is praying over the people, he spots none other than Jeremiah in the crowd:
Onias, who had been high priest, a noble and good man, of modest bearing and gentle manner, one who spoke fittingly and had been trained from childhood in all that belongs to excellence, was praying with outstretched hands for the whole body of the Jews. 13 Then likewise a man appeared, distinguished by his gray hair and dignity, and of marvelous majesty and authority. 14 And Onias spoke, saying, “This is a man who loves the brethren and prays much for the people and the holy city, Jeremiah, the prophet of God.” 15 Jeremiah stretched out his right hand and gave to Judas a golden sword, and as he gave it he addressed him thus: 16 “Take this holy sword, a gift from God, with which you will strike down your adversaries.” (2 Macc 15:12–16)
John the Baptist and the New Exodus
Not surprisingly, John the Baptist evokes New Exodus imagery himself. Look at the language describing his ministry in Matthew 3:
In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, 2 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” 3 For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way (Gk. hodos) of the Lord, make his paths straight.” (Matt 3:1–3)
Here John is seen quoting from Isaiah’s famous New Exodus prophecy. As in the Exodus, God is preparing a way, in Greek, a hodos (note: ex-hodos means the “way out”) in the wilderness.
John the Baptist and Elijah
In addition, John the Baptist is linked to another figure who, like Jeremiah, was linked both to Moses and to Israel’s future deliverance: Elijah. This connection is evident in Luke 1, in which his birth is announced.
And he will turn many of the sons of Israel to the Lord their God, 17 and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.” (Luke 1:16–17)
In fact, in Matthew 3, John the Baptist is described as essentially wearing the costume of the Old Testament prophet:
“Now John wore a garment of camel’s hair, and a leather girdle around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey.” (Matt 1:4)
In 1 Kings we discover, “[Elijah] wore a garment of haircloth, with a girdle of leather about his loins” (2 Kgs 1:8).
Elijah as a New Moses
Elijah, like Jeremiah, was described as a New Moses figure.*** It makes sense that a figure announcing the New Exodus—John the Baptist—would be linked to Elijah. Consider some of the following ways Elijah mirrors Moses’ life and ministry. I could compile quite a list. Let me just name a few points of contact here.
- He upheld Mosaic religion and cult against Baal worship
- He went into exile after angering the King (Ahab) (1 Kgs 17:1–7; cf. Exod 2:11–15 where Moses goes into exile)
- He miraculously provided “bread” and “meat” in the morning and in the evening in the wilderness (cf. 1 Kgs 17:6; cf. Exod 16 where Moses provides the manna).
- He gathered Israel at a mountain (Carmel) where God’s power is revealed in fire (1 Kgs 18:19; cf. Exod 19:17 where Moses leads Israel to Sinai)
- He combats false prophets of Baal (cf. 1 Kgs 18:20–40; cf. Moses vs. Magicians, Exod 7:8–13, 20–22, 8:1–7)
- He intercedes for idolatrous Israel, appealing to God of “Abraham, Isaac and Jacob” (1 Kgs 18:36–38; cf. Moses’ intercession for Israel after the sin of the golden calf Exod 32:11–14) li>He repairs the altar of the Lord at Mt. Carmel taking 12 stones symbolizing Israel (1 Kgs 18:30–32; cf. Exod 24:4: Moses erects altar with twelve pillars at Mt. Sinai)
- He calls down fire to consume the sacrifices. Notice the parallels here!
- “Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt offering, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. 39 And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, “The LORD, he is God; the LORD, he is God” (1 Kings 18:38–39).
- “Then Aaron lifted up his hands toward the people and blessed them; and he came down from offering the sin offering and the burnt offering and the peace offerings. 23 And Moses and Aaron went into the tent of meeting; and when they came out they blessed the people, and the glory of the LORD appeared to all the people. 24 And fire came forth from before the LORD and consumed the burnt offering and the fat upon the altar; and when all the people saw it, they shouted, and fell on their faces” (Lev 9:22–24).
- Elijah commands idolaters to be slain (1 Kgs 18:40; cf. Exod 32:25–29: Moses commands Levites to kill those who worshipped the golden calf)
- After slaying idolaters Elijah goes up to Sinai/Horeb and fasts for forty days and forty nights in the (1 Kgs 19:8; Exod 32:28: Moses also fasts at Sinai/Horeb).
- Elijah is (re-)commissioned at Horeb (1 Kgs 19; cf. Exod 3: Moses is commissioned at the burning bush)
- Elijah was in a cave when the Lord “passed by” (1 Kgs 19:9–11; cf. Moses in Exod 33:21–23)
- On Horeb/Sinai there is a theophany with storm, wind and an earthquake (1 Kgs 19:11–12; cf. Exod 19:16–20 and Deut 4:11; 5:22–27: at Sinai “wind, earthquake, fire”)
- Elijah becomes depressed and “asked that he might die” (1 Kgs 19:1–14; cf. Num 11:1-15: Moses also prayed for death to come)
- Elijah called down fire from heaven to consume his enemies (2 Kgs 1:9–12; cf. Num 16 and Lev 10:1–3: fire consumes Moses’ enemies)
- Elijah parts the Jordan: “the water was parted to the one side and to the other, till the two of them could go over on dry ground” (2 Kgs 2:8). Compare with Exodus 14:21-22: “Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. 22 And the people of Israel went into the midst of the sea on dry ground, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left” (Exod 14:21–22)
- Elijah appointed a successor who resembled him and split the Jordan (2 Kgs 2; cf. Moses appoints Joshua)
- People thought Moses might still be alive, cast “upon some mountain or into some valley” (2 Kgs 2:9–18; cf. Deut 34:6: Moses died mysteriously and no one knew the place he was buried).
Elijah and the Restoration of Israel
As I mentioned, like Jeremiah, Elijah was linked to Israel’s future hopes for deliverance. Malachi describes the way “Elijah” will come before the eschatological age—i.e., the messianic age.
“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and terrible day of the LORD comes. 6 And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the land with a curse.” (Mal 4:5)
Sirach also speaks of Elijah in similar terms:
“you [Elijah] who are ready at the appointed time, it is written, to calm the wrath of God before it breaks out in fury, to turn the heart of the father to the son, and to restore the tribes of Jacob.” (Sir 48:10).
Notice the similarities here with the angel’s description of John to his father Zechariah in Luke: “he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children”.
Not surprisingly then John is identified by Jesus as Elijah. This is made explicit in Matthew after the Transfiguration. The disciples wonder at Jesus’ eschatological language, asking, “Then why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?” (Matt 17:10). Jesus replies,
“Elijah does come, and he is to restore all things; but I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not know him, but did to him whatever they pleased. So also the Son of man will suffer at their hands.” 13 Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist. (Matt 17:9-13).
John’s Baptism and the Essenes
In fact, it appears that John had his finger on the pulse of first century Judaism. As the Dead Sea Scrolls reveal, there were many Jews who were thinking eschatologically, preparing for the coming of the messianic age.
Interestingly enough, the Jews at Qumran, apparently used language and performed rites similar to John the Baptist. For instance, in a striking parallel to the speech of John the Baptist recorded in the New Testament, we read in one Dead Sea Scroll text:
“When such men as these come to be in Israel, conforming to these doctrines, they shall separate from the session of perverse men to go to the wilderness, there to prepare the way of truth, as it is written, ‘In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God’ [Is. 40:3]” (1QS 6:12-16).
Likewise, we know that the Essene community, which is most likely to be identified in some way with the community who wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls, practices ritual washing, symbolizing cleansing from impurity and entrance into the New Covenant community. Whether John had direct contact with the Essene community is impossible to know. But we do see John announcing something that many were apparently looking for: the dawning of the messianic age.
Of course, the New Testament points to John’s baptism as only a foreshadowing of Christian baptism. In Acts of the Apostles, Jesus explains after his resurrection to the apostles, “for John baptized with water, but before many days you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 1:5). Likewise, Paul explains to those who had only received John’s baptism the need to receive Christian baptism, through which they receive the Holy Spirit (cf. Acts 19:1–7).
Elijah and Elisha, John and Jesus
Given that Jesus comes after John, it is also worth noting something else about Elijah: he was followed by Elisha. After Elijah is taken up by a heavenly chariot at the River Jordan, Elisha receives a “double-portion” of Elijah’s spirit (2 Kgs 2:9–15). He in fact becomes a figure much like Elijah, performing several miracles reminiscent of his mentor.**** For example,
- Like Elijah, Elisha works a miracle making oil last indefinitely (cf. 1 Kgs 17:8–16; 2 Kgs 4:1–7).
- Like Elijah, Elisha parts the waters of the Jordan (cf. 2 Kgs 2:8, 13).
- Like Elijah, Elisha raises a child from the dead (1 Kgs 17:17–24; 2 Kgs 4:32–37)
If that last miracle sounds reminiscent of a miracle of Jesus, it should. Scholars recognize that Jesus feeding of the five thousand mirrors Elisha’s miracle of feeding a hundred men with only ten loaves. Consider the parallels between 2 Kgs 4:22-24 and Matt 14:15-21:
- Bread plus another item is brought to Elisha / Jesus
- Jesus / Elisha instruct their servant / disciples to give the bread to the crowds.
- The servant of Elisha / the apostles of Jesus protest that there is not enough food for everyone.
- The people eat and food is left over.
Notably, that miracle follows on the heels of the account of
John’s death in Matthew 14 and Mark 6. Coincidence? I don’t think so.
Like Elisha receives a double spirit of Elijah’s spirit at the Jordan, Jesus is baptized by John in the Jordan, where the Holy Spirit descends upon him.
John is therefore the final prophetic figure, the final messenger, announcing the coming of the Messiah. He, in a sense, is the last of the “Old Testament” prophets—though clearly he is described in the New Testament. Thus Jesus describes him as marking the end of an era in Matthew’s Gospel:
Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has risen no one greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 12 From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and men of violence take it by force. 13 For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John; 14 and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come. 15 He who has ears to hear, let him hear. (Matt 11:11–14).
John is the greatest of the messengers sent by the Lord. Yet the New Covenant surpasses the Old. Those who are least in the Kingdom are greater than John. What does that mean about the dignity and importance of the vocation to the Christian life?! Quite a lot I suspect.
But I suppose that is something best taken to prayer.
Luke 16:16-17 meaning
Jesus affirms the endurability of
God’s Law.
He says that even though the Age of the Law and Prophets have passed, and the Age of the Gospel of the Kingdom has come, it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one part of the Law to fail. In the middle of saying these things, Jesus offers an enigmatic line that everyone is forcing his way into the kingdom of God.
This parallel gospel accounts for these teachings
are Matthew 11:12 and Matthew 5:18, 24:34.
After calling out the Pharisees for loving money and the approval of men, and despising God and scoffing at His teachings (Luke 16:14-15, Luke 16:1-13),
Jesus warns about the certainty of God’s Law.
The point Jesus seems to be making is that God’s Law is eternal and unbreaking. It never changes. And it does not shift or realign itself to the opinions of men. He was basically telling the Pharisees, “You are wrong if you think that you can go up against God’s laws and win. You will lose.
God is not mocked.”
Jesus makes this point with three thoughts and a comparison.
The three thoughts are:
- The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John
- since that time the gospel of the kingdom of God has been preached
- and everyone is forcing his way into it
The comparison is:
But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away
than for one stroke of a letter of the Law to fail.
This commentary will address each thought in order and then Jesus’s comparison. But first, it is worth noting that the three thoughts He offered the Pharisees are very similar to what Jesus taught the crowds as John the Baptist’s disciples returned to their imprisoned rabbi.
“From the days of John the Baptist until now the
kingdom of heaven
suffers violence, and violent men take it by force.”
(Matthew 11:12)
The first thought expressed by Jesus:
The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John.
The expression the Law and the Prophets was an allusion to the Jewish scriptures, what we now call the “Old Testament.” The Old Testament begins with the Law: the five books of Moses (Genesis—Deuteronomy). These books were called the Torah by the Jews (sometimes called the Pentateuch). The Torah/Books of Moses were considered by the Jews to be the Law because this was where the Ten Commandments were given (Exodus 20:1-17; Deuteronomy 5:1-21) as well as hundreds of other commandments and rules set down by God for the children of Israel to follow in order to fulfill the spirit of the Ten Commandments. The Old Testament concludes with the Prophets (Isaiah—Malachi).
John explicitly refers to John the Baptist, Jesus’s cousin (Luke 1:36, 57-60) and the Messianic forerunner (Matthew 3:1-12; 11:7-19; Mark 1:1-8; Luke 3:1-22; 7:18-30; John 1:6-8, 19-34).
What did Jesus mean
by
The Law and the Prophets
were
proclaimed until
John?
He could mean that the age of the Old Testament where God speaks primarily through prophets came to an end with John the Baptist. The end could have been when John first began his public ministry or when it ended with John’s arrest/beheading (Matthew 14:1-12; Mark 6:14-29). Jesus noted that John is said to fulfill the prophecy that Elijah would come prior to the advent of Messiah. This likely means the phrase, “until John,” indicates that the Baptizer was the last of the Old Testament prophets.
Jesus was, in effect, announcing that one age has closed--The Law and the Prophets, and a new age was now being preached and offered—The Advent of the Messianic kingdom.
But even though the age of the Law had ended,
we should not assume that its laws have no current meaning.
Jesus famously said in
His Sermon on the Mount:
“Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets;
I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.
For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away,
not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law
until all is accomplished.
Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments,
and teaches others to do the same,
shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven;
but whoever keeps and teaches them,
he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”
(Matthew 5:17-19)
However from our present perspective, since Israel declined to follow Jesus their King (and usher in the Messianic kingdom), instead what is initiated is the “Age of the Gentiles” (Luke 21:24; Romans 11:25).
Another meaning Jesus might have had when He said The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John is that the scriptures prophesied of John and foretold
John’s coming as the forerunner of the Christ.
Both meanings could be inferred together without eliminating the other.
The second thought expressed by Jesus: since
that time the
gospel of the kingdom of God has been preached.
The second thought is related to the first. The first thought indicated that the Age of the Law and the Prophets was [from the time of Moses] until John the Baptist. Now that John the Baptist had appeared preaching the good news of the Messianic kingdom, a new era had arrived. This is what Jesus meant when He said since that time [of John the Baptist] the gospel of the kingdom of God has been preached. It was preached by John as well as by Jesus.
John’s message was “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 3:2), and he went about “preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (Mark 1:4, Luke 3:3) in preparation of the Messiah The gospel of the kingdom of God has been preached (and is continuing to be) since John first began his ministry. Jesus’s ministry began after Jesus endured the temptation of Satan and settled in Capernaum, and is described with this statement:
“From that time Jesus began to preach and say,
‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’”
(Matthew 4:17)
As Jesus taught, He was presenting and inviting people to participate in His kingdom.
The third thought expressed by Jesus: and everyone is forcing his way into it.
The first two thoughts indicated that the Age of the Law had now come to a close, and the era of the Gospel of the Kingdom of God had now arrived. The third thought that Jesus states immediately after those observations is that everyone is forcing his way into it.
In Matthew’s gospel, instead of saying everyone is forcing his way into it, Jesus says: “and violent men take it by force” (Matthew 11:12).
What can Jesus mean by this enigmatic thought?
What is clear is that it refers to the kingdom of God.
The phrase everyone is forcing his way into the kingdom of God could mean two things.
It could refer to the violence done to John the Baptist (and other faithful members of the kingdom of God). According to this interpretation everyone (“violent men” in Matthew 11) implied earthly authorities such as the Pharisees and Sadducees who took John into custody (Matthew 4:12), and Herod who currently held John imprisoned (Matthew 11:2).
By extension this interpretation also refers to everyone who persecutes the faithful. Jesus foretold being a faithful witness can be hazardous to the body (but not the “psuche”) (Matthew 10). The Christian Church will encounter much violence and persecution throughout the Book of Acts and beyond.
The force Jesus is speaking of here very well could refer to the violence of persecution against the kingdom.
If this is what Jesus meant, then we as Christ’s followers can rest assured that God’s “kingdom cannot be shaken” (Hebrews 12:28) and that “the gates of Hades will not overpower” His church (Matthew 16:18).
But Jesus could have been referring to a different kind of violence altogether.
A second interpretation of everyone is forcing his way into the kingdom of God is that it requires a kind of spiritual violence to overcome the temptations of the present age to enter the kingdom. If this is the case, Jesus is alluding to something very similar to what Paul describes in Ephesians 6:10-17 as putting on the armor of God and preparing for spiritual warfare. According to this interpretation, everyone would specifically refer to spiritually violent men like John who took the kingdom by the force of resisting their sin nature, the corrupting patterns of this world and its temptations of luxury and prestige.
This second interpretation is akin to Jesus’s exhortation to diligently seek to enter into the kingdom by the narrow gate (Matthew 7:13-14). And if this is the case, it means that the only way to enter is to overcome by forcing your way into the kingdom by relying on God’s spiritual power.
If the second interpretation is what Jesus meant, then it reinforces the idea that such spiritual resistance against the schemes of the devil is commendable (James 4:7).
Perhaps Jesus has both in view, in that
the kingdom of God
is going to provoke a strong response one way or the other.
Like the choice of masters between
God or money,
the response to the Kingdom
will either be humble submission or adamant resistance.
Jesus makes the comparison:
But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one stroke of a letter of the Law to fail.
After informing the Pharisees that
the
Age of the Law and the Prophets
has ended and the
Age of
the
Messianic Kingdom has arrived
and that everyone
is responding one way
or the other,
Jesus reminds them that the Laws of God are enduring.
He told the Pharisees it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for a single stroke of the Law to fail. It will all be accomplished. God is not mocked. It is easier for natural laws of this earth, indeed even this very earth itself to be undone than for God’s Law to lose its authority. God set the physical laws of the universe when He created all that is (Genesis 1:1). Someone can choose to ignore gravity, but gravity will still operate on them. In the same way, God set the spiritual and moral laws of the universe when He created all that is (Colossians 1:16).
God’s moral laws can also be disbelieved, but they will still operate notwithstanding.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said that “until” heaven and earth pass away, the Law will stand (Matthew 5:18). Once again, God’s Law did not and does not lose its relevance just because the Age of the Law has ended and the Age of the Kingdom has come. The Law will be enforced at least until the current earth is abolished and the New Heaven and the New Earth are given.
It is worth noting that the basic idea behind that Law, as interpreted by Jesus, is
- God should be acknowledged and followed as the Maker of all things (as this passage reinforces)
- The way God set things up to work best is for the humans He created to freely choose to serve one another in love (Matthew 22:36-40).
Understanding all three of Jesus’s expressed thoughts in this passage along with Jesus’s comparison within the preceding context of the Pharisees’ scoffing (Luke 16:14); and Christ’s rebuke of their foolish attempts of self-justification (Luke 16:15), we see that He was warning them that
God’s perspective is supreme.
The gospel of the kingdom was and is being preached and people are having to take a side. It is better for us to accept the Creator God as our authority over what is highly esteemed rather than the scoffing of ignorant men. Will we choose the side that outlasts heaven and earth or will we choose the moral fashions and opinions of our day?
Biblical Text
16 “The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John; since that time the gospel of the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it. 17 But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one stroke of a letter of the Law to fail.
JOHN’S BAPTISM AND THE OT LAW
BASIC TEXT: “Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, – Of the doctrine of baptisms” (Hebrews 6:1, 2, KJV)
When did the OT Law of Moses (Luke 2:22, 23) begin? When did it end?
Which Law did the “elders’ tradition” violate? Did John the Baptist add to the Old Testament Law or did he replace the Old Testament Law?
YOUR VIEW OF THE OLD TESTAMENT LAW?
In my youth a Sabbatarian correspondence course Voice of Prophecy taught me that Jesus meant for us to observe the seventh day as a sabbath because He attended the synagogues on Saturdays (Mark 1:21; 2:28). Some Baptist friends taught me that Jesus taught salvation without baptism for the thief on the cross (Luke 23:43). Many today are teaching then that the New Testament came into effect with the birth of Jesus. After all, it is plain that the Bible is physically divided there. If someone says, “Let’s turn to the New Testament” where do you automatically turn to? Jesus, according to this doctrine, would have accused the Pharisees of just being too strict with a law that was no longer in effect. Deductively with them, the teachings of Jesus are binding from Matthew 1 on.
This is without doubt a major problem for unity in Christendom if we do not agree with when the New Testament authority began; i.e., whether at the end of Malachi or at the beginning of the book of Acts (Galatians 5:4; 6:2).
Which is it? Did Jesus live, teach, and die under the Old or the New Testament Law?
According to Hebrews 9:15-18 Jesus had to die and shed His blood before His new testament could come into effect and therefore replace the old one:
“And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death... For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth. Whereupon neither the first testament was dedicated without blood.” A testament requires the death of the testator – in this case, Jesus. The testaments from Heaven require the shedding of blood.
The uniqueness of the Jews established by the Old Testament Law were removed at the cross. Ephesians 2:15,16: “Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby.” And, according to Colossians 2:14, “Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross.”
The Scriptures are clear that the division of the New from the Old is not at the beginning of Matthew but is at the beginning of Acts. It is after the cross! Jesus did not accuse anyone of not following something that was not in existence. The Pharisees were disobeying the Old Testament [OT] Law of the Lord and not the New. The Jews were baptized by John’s baptism for their sinning against the OT and not Jesus, the Christ.
RIGHTLY DIVIDING THE BIBLE
It is important to rightly divide the Bible. “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15; the ABP+ translates the last as “a worker unashamed, cutting straight the word of truth”).
Mark wrote (7:3) that the Pharisees and scribes accused Jesus of not observing their “elders” traditions. Jesus told the Pharisees that their added rules rejected God’s commandment. God through Moses commanded in Deuteronomy 4:2, “Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.” Indeed, Jesus had answered during His own temptation in the wilderness, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4b). And that’s period. No additions. Jesus answered that the Jews had rejected the commandments of God (Mark 7:9) with these added teachings.i Why then didn’t these Pharisees seek the advantage of Jesus by asking if that did not apply also to the baptism of John?
The answer is found in Matthew 21:25, 26: Jesus asked the chief priests and elders, “The baptism of John, whence was it? from heaven, or of men? And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say unto us, Why did ye not then believe him? But if we shall say, Of men; we fear the people; for all hold John as a prophet.” John was indeed a prophet from God. The people understood from the Law that a prophet could with authority add to God’s commandments.
Moses Was God’s Initial Prophet Under The OT But He Was To Be Followed By Other Prophets of God. God’s prophets were His spokespersons (Exodus 4:16; 7:1). God promised prophets to follow Moses (Numbers 12:6). And there were many prophets. “And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell ...of the prophets” (Hebrews 11:32).
David was among those prophets. He was inspired to write the Psalms. He gave divine instructions for the worship in the Temple that was to be built by Solomon. He added instrumental music to Temple service, but since he was a prophet of God, it means that God Himself added the instrumental music (2 Chronicles 29:25). Generally, the Jews respected the authorized use of the instruments only in the Temple for worship. It was never practiced to my knowledge in the synagogues. But they did add the washings and other regulations contrary to God’s revelation.
Greek wash louo G3068 a synonym for Greek baptizo G907
John was God’s prophet (Matthew 11:9) just like Elisha in the OT. Elishacommanded Naaman to “wash” (bathe, λούωG3068 his whole body, 2 Kings 5:13) seven times and Naaman obeyed by immersing (βαπτίζω G907 , middle voice; KJV says correctly, “dipped”) himself seven times (2 Kings 5:14). God approved by cleansing him. Just as God commanded Naaman through Elisha, God commanded the Jews through the prophet John to be baptized unto repentance (Matthew 3:11; Acts 19:4).
Jesus preached baptism just as John (John 3:22). Just like John, Jesus never told anyone to disobey the OT or the Temple Law. He taught that He came to fulfil it (“to fill it up”, Matthew 5:17). This is very important. An example: Jesus healed the leper but He commanded him to obey the OT Temple Law, “Go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them” (Matthew 8:4b). Jesus never diminished or changed the OTLaw during His earthly ministry (Matthew 5:17-20).
The “elders’ tradition” then violated the purification laws of the Law of Moses. Jesus and John were born under that Law. John’s baptism was an addition to the Old Testament Law.
It is important to note that neither John nor Jesus spoke against Moses (Law of) for their ministries were under the Law of Moses. If Jesus had taught against the Old Testament He would have been a sinner and would have been condemned to death by the Law of Moses. Deuteronomy 18:20: “But the prophet [which would include John and Jesus], which shall presume to speak a word in my [i.e.,God’s] name, which I [God] have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die.”
Again, “And that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death; because he hath spoken to turn you away from the LORD your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, to thrust thee out of the way which the LORD thy God commanded thee to walk in. So shalt thou put the evil away from the midst of thee” (Deuteronomy 13:5).
To this strict observance, Jesus agreed, “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven ” (Matthew 5:17-19).
Matthew 14John the Baptist Beheaded
At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the reports about Jesus,
2 and he said to his attendants, “This is John the Baptist; he has risen from the dead! That is why miraculous powers are at work in him.”
3 Now Herod had arrested John and bound him and put him in prison because of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife,
4 for John had been saying to him: “It is not lawful for you to have her.”
5 Herod wanted to kill John, but he was afraid of the people, because they considered John a prophet.
6 On Herod’s birthday the daughter of Herodias danced for the guests and pleased Herod so much
7 that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked.
8 Prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.”
9 The king was distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he ordered that her request be granted
10 and had John beheaded in the prison.
11 His head was brought in on a platter and given to the girl, who carried it to her mother.
12 John’s disciples came and took his body and buried it. Then they went and told Jesus. Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand13 When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns.
14 When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.
15 As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.”
16 Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.”
17 “We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered.
18 “Bring them here to me,” he said.
19 And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people.
20 They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.
21 The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children. Jesus Walks on the Water22 Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd.
23 After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone,
24 and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.
25 Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake.
26 When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.
27 But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”
28 “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”
29 “Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus.
30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”
31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”
32 And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down.
33 Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”
34 When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret.
35 And when the men of that place recognized Jesus, they sent word to all the surrounding country. People brought all their sick to him
36 and begged him to let the sick just touch the edge of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed.
https://biblestudylessons.net/articles/hebrews6/baptisms6.html
People spend a great deal of time, energy, and money in search of ways to promote health and wellness. One technique they may overlook is found in the Bible: “There is one who speaks like the piercings of a sword, but the tongue of the wise promotes health” (Proverbs 12:18, NKJV).
Not only can the tongue promote health and healing, but Proverbs 18:21 tells us, “The tongue has the power of life and death.” In these proverbs and many other Scripture passages, the word tongue is a metonymy that refers to our spoken words. Most modern Bible translations render Proverbs 12:18 in less figurative language: “Some people make cutting remarks, but the words of the wise bring healing” (NLT).
Proverbs 12:18 reads like an observation: “There is one who speaks rashly, like a piercing sword; but the tongue of the wise brings healing” (CSB). In other words, some people break out in thoughtless and insensitive language, causing a spiritual or emotional wound like a knife piercing into the listener. In direct antithesis, wise people choose words that bring healing to others. A concise form of this Proverb might say, “Rash words hurt; wise words heal.”
There is deadly poison in thoughtlessly spoken words, and there is healing power in judiciously chosen words. The right words are like good medicine that can make a person well: “The soothing tongue is a tree of life, but a perverse tongue crushes the spirit” (Proverbs 15:4). To use the metaphor of Proverbs 12:18, some people use their sword-like words to wound, give offense, promote corruption, and injure reputations. Those are the words of the reckless. In contrast is the tongue of the wise, whose wholesome words bring common sense, discernment, comfort, soundness, and benefit to others. Even when bringing reproof, the tongue of the wise is healing.
Despite its being a small instrument, the tongue holds tremendous power to produce both good and evil. James describes the harm we can cause to ourselves and others with our spoken words: “In the same way, the tongue is a small thing that makes grand speeches. But a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. And among all the parts of the body, the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself. People can tame all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and fish, but no one can tame the tongue. It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison. Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God” (James 3:5–9, NLT).
When James says, “No one can tame the tongue,” he’s not implying that there’s no hope for us and that Christians should give up trying to control their speech. On the contrary, James is teaching the need for divine help. No one has it within himself, without the grace of God, to master his tongue and keep it in line. Even when he thinks he has his tongue under control, a person will often allow an unwise or hurtful word to slip out. The tongue is truly unruly. Although difficult, taming the tongue is imperative: “If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless” (James 1:26, NLT).
Believers in Jesus Christ are called to be wise; after all, it is the tongue of the wise that promotes health, and we should strive to speak life and healing rather than cursings and death: “For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way. We can make a large horse go wherever we want by means of a small bit in its mouth. And a small rudder makes a huge ship turn wherever the pilot chooses to go, even though the winds are strong” (James 3:2–4, NLT).
To have the tongue of the wise that promotes health, believers must depend on power from God’s Holy Spirit. With God’s help, it is possible to gain victory over the terrible evil that carelessly spoken or malicious words can produce. While perfect victory over sin is impossible in this life, significant triumph is not only possible but essential (Romans 6; 8:2–3; Hebrews 7:25; 1 Peter 2:24; Titus 2:14).
Proverbs 10:11 says, “The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life.” Wholesome, godly words flowing from our mouths have the power to stimulate mental, physical, and spiritual processes that can restore someone to a healthy, sound state. The tongue of the wise promotes health when God’s people speak life-giving, edifying, compassionate, beneficial, appropriate words.
If we are wise, we will seek the Lord’s help in controlling our tongues. We will let our speech always be gracious (Colossians 4:6) and use our words to promote health, healing, and life. As Paul taught, we should “let no corrupting talk come out of [our] mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear” (Ephesians 4:29, ESV).
Simon Peter, also known as Cephas (John 1:42), was one of the first followers of Jesus Christ. He was an outspoken and ardent disciple, one of Jesus’ closest friends, an apostle, and a “pillar” of the church (Galatians 2:9). Peter was enthusiastic, strong-willed, impulsive, and, at times, brash. But for all his strengths, Peter had several failings in his life. Still, the Lord who chose him continued to mold him into exactly who He intended Peter to be.
Simon was originally from Bethsaida (John 1:44) and lived in Capernaum (Mark 1:29), both cities on the coast of the Sea of Galilee. He was married (1 Corinthians 9:5), and he and James and John were partners in a profitable fishing business (Luke 5:10). Simon met Jesus through his brother Andrew, who had followed Jesus after hearing John the Baptist proclaim that Jesus was the Lamb of God (John 1:35-36). Andrew immediately went to find his brother to bring him to Jesus. Upon meeting Simon, Jesus gave him a new name: Cephas (Aramaic) or Peter (Greek), which means “rock” (John 1:40-42). Later, Jesus officially called Peter to follow Him, producing a miraculous catch of fish (Luke 5:1-7). Immediately, Peter left everything behind to follow the Lord (verse 11).
For the next three years, Peter lived as a disciple of the Lord Jesus. Being a natural-born leader, Peter became the de facto spokesman for the Twelve (Matthew 15:15, 18:21, 19:27; Mark 11:21; Luke 8:45, 12:41; John 6:68, 13:6-9, 36). More significantly, it was Peter who first confessed Jesus as “the Christ, the Son of the living God,” a truth which Jesus said was divinely revealed to Peter (Matthew 16:16-17).
Peter was part of the inner circle of Jesus’ disciples, along with James and John. Only those three were present when Jesus raised the daughter of Jairus (Mark 5:37) and when Jesus was transfigured on the mountain (Matthew 17:1). Peter and John were given the special task of preparing the final Passover meal (Luke 22:8).
In several instances, Peter showed himself to be impetuous to the point of rashness. For example, it was Peter who left the boat to walk on the water to Jesus (Matthew 14:28-29)—and promptly took his eyes off Jesus and began to sink (verse 30). It was Peter who took Jesus aside to rebuke Him for speaking of His death (Matthew 16:22)—and was swiftly corrected by the Lord (verse 23). It was Peter who suggested erecting three tabernacles to honor Moses, Elijah, and Jesus (Matthew 17:4)—and fell to the ground in fearful silence at God’s glory (verses 5-6). It was Peter who drew his sword and attacked the servant of the high priest (John 18:10)—and was immediately told to sheath his weapon (verse 11). It was Peter who boasted that he would never forsake the Lord, even if everyone else did (Matthew 26:33)—and later denied three times that he even knew the Lord (verses 70-74).
Through all of Peter’s ups and downs, the Lord Jesus remained his loving Lord and faithful Guide. Jesus reaffirmed Simon as Peter, the “Rock,” in Matthew 16:18-19, promising that he would be instrumental in establishing Jesus’ Church. After His resurrection, Jesus specifically named Peter as one who needed to hear the good news (Mark 16:7). And, repeating the miracle of the large catch of fish, Jesus made a special point of forgiving and restoring Peter and re-commissioning him as an apostle (John 21:6, 15-17).
On the day of Pentecost, Peter was the main speaker to the crowd in Jerusalem (Acts 2:14ff), and the Church began with an influx of about 3,000 new believers (verse 41). Later, Peter healed a lame beggar (Acts 3) and preached boldly before the Sanhedrin (Acts 4). Even arrest, beatings, and threats could not dampen Peter’s resolve to preach the risen Christ (Acts 5).
Jesus’ promise that Peter would be foundational in building the Church was fulfilled in three stages: Peter preached on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2). Then, he was present when the Samaritans received the Holy Spirit (Acts 8). Finally, he was summoned to the home of the Roman centurion Cornelius, who also believed and received the Holy Spirit (Acts 10). In this way, Peter “unlocked” three different worlds and opened the door of the Church to Jews, Samaritans, and Gentiles.
Even as an apostle, Peter experienced some growing pains. At first, he had resisted taking the gospel to Cornelius, a Gentile. However, when he saw the Romans receive the Holy Spirit in the same manner he had, Peter concluded that “God does not show favoritism” (Acts 10:34). After that, Peter strongly defended the Gentiles’ position as believers and was adamant that they did not need to conform to Jewish law (Acts 15:7-11).
Another episode of growth in Peter’s life concerns his visit to Antioch, where he enjoyed the fellowship of Gentile believers. However, when some legalistic Jews arrived in Antioch, Peter, to appease them, withdrew from the Gentile Christians. The Apostle Paul saw this as hypocrisy and called it such to Peter’s face (Galatians 2:11-14).
Later in life, Peter spent time with John Mark (1 Peter 5:13), who wrote the gospel of Mark based on Peter’s remembrances of his time with Jesus. Peter wrote two inspired epistles, 1 and 2 Peter, between A.D. 60 and 68. Jesus said that Peter would die a martyr’s death (John 21:18-19)—a prophecy fulfilled, presumably, during Nero’s reign. Tradition has it that Peter was crucified upside down in Rome, and, although such the story may be true, there is no scriptural or historical witness to the particulars of Peter’s death.
What can we learn from Peter’s life? Here are a few lessons:
Jesus overcomes fear. Whether stepping out of a boat onto a tossing sea or stepping across the threshold of a Gentile home for the first time, Peter found courage in following Christ. “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear” (1 John 4:18).
Jesus forgives unfaithfulness. After he had boasted of his fidelity, Peter fervently denied the Lord three times. It seemed that Peter had burned his bridges, but Jesus lovingly rebuilt them and restored Peter to service. Peter was a former failure, but, with Jesus, failure is not the end. “If we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself” (2 Timothy 2:13).
Jesus patiently teaches. Over and over, Peter needed correction, and the Lord gave it with patience, firmness, and love. The Master Teacher looks for students willing to learn. “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go” (Psalm 32:8).
Jesus sees us as He intends us to be. The very first time they met, Jesus called Simon “Peter.” The rough and reckless fisherman was, in Jesus’ eyes, a firm and faithful rock. “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion” (Philippians 1:6).
Jesus uses unlikely heroes. Peter was a fisherman from Galilee, but Jesus called him to be a fisher of men (Luke 5:10). Because Peter was willing to leave all he had to follow Jesus, God used him in great ways. As Peter preached, people were amazed at his boldness because he was “unschooled” and “ordinary.” But then they took note that Peter “had been with Jesus” (Acts 4:13). Being with Jesus makes all the difference.
The book of Hebrews is an excellent place to find answers to our questions about faith. Chapter 11 begins with this short definition of faith: “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see” (Hebrews 11:1).
What, then, is a leap of faith? The term leap of faith is not found in the Bible. It is a common idiom, though. Usually, to take a leap of faith means “to believe in something with no evidence for it” or “to attempt an endeavor that has little chance of success.” Leap of faith actually originated in a religious context. Søren Kierkegaard coined the expression as a metaphor for belief in God. He argued that truth cannot be found by observation alone but must be understood in the mind and heart apart from empirical evidence. Since we cannot observe God with our eyes, we must have faith that He is there. We jump from material concepts to the immaterial with a “leap of faith.”
Continuing in Hebrews chapter 11, we find an impressive list of men and women in the Bible who took a “leap of faith,” as it were. These are just a few of the people mentioned who took God at His Word and trusted Him to do what He had promised:
By faith, Noah obeyed God and built an ark to save his family from the flood (Genesis 6:9 – 7:24). By faith, Abraham prepared to sacrifice his son, believing God would provide a lamb (Genesis 22:1–19). By faith, Moses chose to side with the Hebrews rather than stay in the Egyptian palace (Exodus 2 – 4). By faith, Rahab risked her life and sheltered enemy spies in her home (Joshua 2:1–24).
Throughout the rest of Scripture, the stories of the faithful continue. By faith, David confronted a giant with only a sling and a stone (1 Samuel 17). By faith, Peter stepped out of the boat when Jesus invited him to come (Matthew 14:22–33). The accounts go on and on, each story helping us to understand the biblical meaning of a leap of faith.
Exercising faith in God often requires taking a risk. Second Corinthians 5:7 tells us, “For we live by faith, not by sight.” But a biblical step of faith is not a “blind” leap. Our faith is backed by assurance and certainty. Faith is soundly supported by God’s promises in His Word. A leap of faith is not an irrational impulse that causes us to jump out into the great unknown without any foresight. According to the Word of God, believers are to seek counsel from godly leaders (Proverbs 11:14; 15:22; 24:6). Also, Christians are to acquire wisdom and direction from God’s Word (Psalm 119:105, 130).
The stories in the Bible exist for a reason. Our trust and faith grow stronger as we read these accounts of God’s powerful deliverance and rescue in times of need. God miraculously delivered Joseph from slavery and placed him in charge over all of Egypt. God transformed Gideon from a coward to a courageous warrior. These Bible characters took leaps of faith because they trusted in the God who was powerful enough to rescue them, hold them up, and not let them fall (see Jude 1:24).
Putting our faith into action may feel like a scary leap, but that is part of the testing and proving of our faith: “In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls (1 Peter 1:6–9; See Hebrews 11:17 also).
Stepping out in faith requires trusting God to do what He has already promised in His Word, even though we may not see the fulfillment of His promise yet. Genuine faith, belief, and trust will move us to action.
A leap of faith might mean leaving the safety of your comfort zone. Peter abandoned his safety and comfort when he jumped out of the boat to walk on water to Jesus. He could take that leap of faith because he knew his Lord and trusted that He was good: “The LORD is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made” (Psalm 145:9). When Jesus said, “Come,” Peter exercised childlike faith, the type of faith we are all called to possess: “But Jesus called the children to him and said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these’” (Luke 18:16).
When we demonstrate authentic trust in God, we know that our “leap of faith” is actually a leap into His all-powerful and loving arms. He delights in our trust and rewards those who earnestly pursue Him: “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 Bible informs us that Lord God Himself is our rock, our fortress, and our deliverer. In Him, we can take refuge because He is our shield of protection, our horn of salvation, and our stronghold (Psalm 18:2). Over and again, Psalms compares God to a high and strong tower of protection and a shelter where His people can safely hide. But Proverbs 18:10 reveals a similar truth about God’s name: “The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe” (ESV).
In ancient times, a person’s name was much more than a random identifier or title. A name expressed the person’s nature and individual attributes. Thus, God’s name represents His essential character and authority. The person of God and the name of God cannot be separated.
The Lord’s name is a strong tower because the infinite heights and depths of His person, presence, and power are apprehended in that name. The righteous—those who are made right with God through a relationship with Jesus Christ—can run to Him in all His revealed perfection, faithfulness, power, authority, mercy, and love, and be set on high, barricaded inside His tower of protection, safe from all harm.
The name of the Lord is equivalent to the Lord Himself. It speaks of the revealed essence of God or the revelation of Himself in the history of salvation. The Lord shows Himself faithful and trustworthy to all who confide in Him: “From the ends of the earth, I cry to you for help when my heart is overwhelmed. Lead me to the towering rock of safety, for you are my safe refuge, a fortress where my enemies cannot reach me” (Psalm 61:2–3, NLT). The ESV renders the phrase “for you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy” (verse 3). The name of the Lord is a strong tower because He is our defense. As we discover what God has revealed about His character, we can trust in Him (Psalm 91:2).
The name of the Lord and the character of God are interchangeable phrases. David said, “Those who know your name trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you” (Psalm 9:10). God makes His character known to us through His Word, through the person of Jesus Christ, and through the multi-faceted revelations expressed through His many names.
As Elohim, He is Creator; as Yahweh, He is the covenant-keeping, eternal I AM; as El Shaddai, He is the all-sufficient, all-powerful, God Almighty; as Jehovah Jireh, He is our Provider; as Yeshua, He is Savior. He is the Good Shepherd, who leads, guides, and protects; He is the Lamb of God, who lays down His life for us; He is Jesus, the Incarnate Son and Christ the Risen Lord; and He is the eternal, glorious, highly exalted, King of Heaven! Psalm 8:1 rightly acknowledges, “LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory in the heavens.”
The name of the Lord can also be understood as His nature representing itself. One aspect of that nature is a strong, high tower offering a citadel of safety capable of holding off every hostile attack. Into this tower, the righteous can run and hide, safely guarded above all danger: “For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent and set me high upon a rock” (Psalm 27:5).
The name of the Lord is a strong tower because it is capable of safeguarding all who call upon that name. When the prophet Joel foresaw the Lord’s return, he saw a terrifying day of judgment and terror. Yet he declared, “And everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved” (Joel 2:32). That same promise of salvation in the name of the Lord echoes in the New Testament (Romans 10:13; Acts 2:21). When we call upon the name of the Lord, we call upon God Himself.
The Lord’s name signifies everything that God is in Himself—His compassion, lovingkindness, mercy, grace, power, judgment, holiness, perfection, knowledge, and more. Everyone who knows and trusts in Him discovers that He is indeed a strong tower.
In ancient times, a person’s name was much more than a random identifier or title. A name expressed the person’s nature and individual attributes. Thus, God’s name represents His essential character and authority. The person of God and the name of God cannot be separated.
The Lord’s name is a strong tower because the infinite heights and depths of His person, presence, and power are apprehended in that name. The righteous—those who are made right with God through a relationship with Jesus Christ—can run to Him in all His revealed perfection, faithfulness, power, authority, mercy, and love, and be set on high, barricaded inside His tower of protection, safe from all harm.
The name of the Lord is equivalent to the Lord Himself. It speaks of the revealed essence of God or the revelation of Himself in the history of salvation. The Lord shows Himself faithful and trustworthy to all who confide in Him: “From the ends of the earth, I cry to you for help when my heart is overwhelmed. Lead me to the towering rock of safety, for you are my safe refuge, a fortress where my enemies cannot reach me” (Psalm 61:2–3, NLT). The ESV renders the phrase “for you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy” (verse 3). The name of the Lord is a strong tower because He is our defense. As we discover what God has revealed about His character, we can trust in Him (Psalm 91:2).
The name of the Lord and the character of God are interchangeable phrases. David said, “Those who know your name trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you” (Psalm 9:10). God makes His character known to us through His Word, through the person of Jesus Christ, and through the multi-faceted revelations expressed through His many names.
As Elohim, He is Creator; as Yahweh, He is the covenant-keeping, eternal I AM; as El Shaddai, He is the all-sufficient, all-powerful, God Almighty; as Jehovah Jireh, He is our Provider; as Yeshua, He is Savior. He is the Good Shepherd, who leads, guides, and protects; He is the Lamb of God, who lays down His life for us; He is Jesus, the Incarnate Son and Christ the Risen Lord; and He is the eternal, glorious, highly exalted, King of Heaven! Psalm 8:1 rightly acknowledges, “LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory in the heavens.”
The name of the Lord can also be understood as His nature representing itself. One aspect of that nature is a strong, high tower offering a citadel of safety capable of holding off every hostile attack. Into this tower, the righteous can run and hide, safely guarded above all danger: “For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent and set me high upon a rock” (Psalm 27:5).
The name of the Lord is a strong tower because it is capable of safeguarding all who call upon that name. When the prophet Joel foresaw the Lord’s return, he saw a terrifying day of judgment and terror. Yet he declared, “And everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved” (Joel 2:32). That same promise of salvation in the name of the Lord echoes in the New Testament (Romans 10:13; Acts 2:21). When we call upon the name of the Lord, we call upon God Himself.
The Lord’s name signifies everything that God is in Himself—His compassion, lovingkindness, mercy, grace, power, judgment, holiness, perfection, knowledge, and more. Everyone who knows and trusts in Him discovers that He is indeed a strong tower.
The seven thunders appear in Revelation 10:1–7. In his apocalyptic vision, the apostle John saw a mighty angel striding the sea and the land with a scroll in his hand. The angel gave a shout like the roar of a lion, and then the voices of the seven thunders spoke. Just as John was about to write down what they said, a voice from heaven told him to “seal up what the seven thunders have said and do not write it down” (Revelation 10:4).
The incident of the seven thunderous voices occurs in the interlude between the sixth and seventh trumpets. The seven thunders are not just the usual noise of thunder but are thunder-like voices communicating a message. The Greek word translated “thunder” means “to roar.” Thunder is often a mark of judgment in Scripture as in 1 Samuel 2:10, 2 Samuel 22:14, and several more places in Revelation (8:5, 11:19, 16:18), so these seven powerful voices are crying out for God’s judgment upon the sinful earth. The thunder represents the voice of God. Psalm 18:13 says, “The LORD thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded.”
Further evidence of the seven thunders being the voice of God is in Revelation 4:5: “From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. Before the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God.” Again the voice of God is depicted as thunderous rumblings that display the power, majesty and glory of our mighty Lord. In this verse, John saw a preview of the divine wrath to be poured out on the earth as described in full in Revelation chapters 6—19.
Just as John was about to write the words of the seven thunders, a voice from heaven commands him to seal up what was revealed by them. The same throne that issues forth lightning and peals of thunder issues a command to keep secret what the voices have revealed. The reason for the sealing is not given, but it could be that the judgment was simply too terrifying to be recorded. The content of the message is never revealed in Scripture, so we can’t speculate on it. The seven thunders are the only words in Revelation that are sealed.
The incident of the seven thunderous voices occurs in the interlude between the sixth and seventh trumpets. The seven thunders are not just the usual noise of thunder but are thunder-like voices communicating a message. The Greek word translated “thunder” means “to roar.” Thunder is often a mark of judgment in Scripture as in 1 Samuel 2:10, 2 Samuel 22:14, and several more places in Revelation (8:5, 11:19, 16:18), so these seven powerful voices are crying out for God’s judgment upon the sinful earth. The thunder represents the voice of God. Psalm 18:13 says, “The LORD thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded.”
Further evidence of the seven thunders being the voice of God is in Revelation 4:5: “From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. Before the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God.” Again the voice of God is depicted as thunderous rumblings that display the power, majesty and glory of our mighty Lord. In this verse, John saw a preview of the divine wrath to be poured out on the earth as described in full in Revelation chapters 6—19.
Just as John was about to write the words of the seven thunders, a voice from heaven commands him to seal up what was revealed by them. The same throne that issues forth lightning and peals of thunder issues a command to keep secret what the voices have revealed. The reason for the sealing is not given, but it could be that the judgment was simply too terrifying to be recorded. The content of the message is never revealed in Scripture, so we can’t speculate on it. The seven thunders are the only words in Revelation that are sealed.
Judah’s Encounter with Adonai
In the year of King Uzziah’s death,
I saw Adonai sitting on a throne,
high and lifted up,
and the train of His robe filled the Temple.
Seraphim were standing above Him. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.
One called out to another, and said:
“Holy, holy, holy, is Adonai-Tzva’ot!
The whole earth is full of His glory.”
Then the posts of the door trembled at the voice of those who called,
and the House was filled with smoke. Then I said:
“Oy to me! For I am ruined!
For I am a man of unclean lips,
and I am dwelling among a people of unclean lips.
For my eyes have seen the King, Adonai-Tzva’ot!”
Then one of the seraphim flew to me,
with a glowing coal in his hand, which he had taken with
tongs from the altar.
He touched my mouth with it and said:
“Behold, this has touched your lips.
Your iniquity is taken away, and your sins atoned for.”
Then I heard the voice of Adonai saying:
“Whom should I send, and who will go for Us?”
So I said, “Hineni. Send me.”
Then He said:
“Go! Tell this people:
‘Hear without understanding,
and see without perceiving.’[d]
Make the heart of this people fat,
their ears heavy, and their eyes blind.
Else they would see with their eyes,
and hear with their ears,
and understand with their heart,
and return, and be healed.”
Then I said, “Adonai, how long?”
He answered,
“Until cities are laid waste
and without inhabitant,
houses are without people,
and the land is utterly desolate.
Adonai will drive people far away.
The desertion of the land will be vast.
Though a tenth still be in it,
it will again be burned.
As a terebinth tree or as an oak
whose stump remains when cut down,
so the holy seed will be the stump.”
- Isaiah 6:1 cf. John 12:41; Rev. 4:2.
- Isaiah 6:3 cf. Rev. 4:8, 11.
- Isaiah 6:5 cf. Rev. 15:8.
- Isaiah 6:9 cf. Matt. 13:14-15; 28:19; Luke 8:10.
- Isaiah 6:10 cf. Matt. 13:13-15; Mark 4:12; 8:18; John 9:39; 12:40.
SEVEN FLAMING TORCHES
From the throne came out flashes of lightning
and roaring and crashes of thunder.
Seven flaming torches, which are the seven spirits of God,
were burning in front of the throne
The seven trumpets are described in Revelation 8:6–9:19 and 11:15–19.
The seven trumpets are the “contents” of the seventh seal judgment,
in that the seventh seal
summons the angels who sound the trumpets
(Revelation 8:1–5).
The judgments heralded by the seven trumpets will take
place during the tribulation period
in the end times.
The first trumpet. When the first angel sounds his trumpet, the world experiences “hail and fire mixed with blood” (Revelation 8:7). One third of the world’s trees are burned up in this plague, and all the grass is consumed. This judgment bears some
similarities to the seventh plague in Egypt
(see Exodus 9:23–24).
The second trumpet. In heaven, a second angel sounds a trumpet.
The result is that “something like a huge mountain,
all ablaze, was thrown into the sea” (Revelation 8:8).
A third of the sea turns to blood, a third of the ships sink, and a third of ocean life dies (verse 9). This judgment is similar in some ways to the first plague in Egypt (see Exodus 7:20–21).
The third trumpet. The third trumpet judgment is like the second, except it affects the world’s freshwater lakes and rivers instead of the oceans. Specifically, “a great star, blazing like a torch” falls from the sky and poisons a third of the water supply (Revelation 8:10). This star is given the name Wormwood, and many people die (verse 11). In botany, wormwood (Artemisia absinthium) is a shrub-like plant noted for its extreme bitterness and poisonous properties.
The fourth trumpet. The fourth of the seven trumpets brings about changes in the heavens. “A third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them turned dark. A third of the day was without light, and also a third of the night” (Revelation 8:12).
Following the fourth trumpet judgment, John notes a special warning that comes from an eagle flying through the air. This eagle cries out with a loud voice, saying, “Woe! Woe! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the trumpet blasts about to be sounded by the other three angels” (Revelation 8:13). For this reason, the fifth, sixth, and seventh trumpets are referred to as the “three woes.”
The fifth trumpet. The fifth trumpet (and the first woe) results in a terrifying plague of “demonic locusts” that attack and torture the unsaved for five months (Revelation 9:1–11). The plague begins with a “star” falling from heaven. This star is most likely a fallen angel, as he is given “the key to the shaft of the Abyss” (verse 1). He opens the Abyss, releasing a horde of “locusts” with “power like that of scorpions” (verse 3). The locusts do not touch the plant life of earth; rather, they head straight for “those people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads” (verse 4). For five months, these locusts torment people, whose agony is so great that they will wish to die, “but death will elude them” (verse 6). The locusts are not allowed to kill anyone, only to torture them.
These demonic “locusts” have a “king,” who is the angel of the Abyss (Revelation 9:11). In Hebrew his name is Abaddon, and in Greek it’s Apollyon, meaning “Destroyer.” The locusts themselves are described in unusual terms: they look like “horses prepared for battle” (verse 7). They wear something like “crowns of gold,” and their faces are vaguely human (verse 7). They have hair “like women’s hair” and teeth “like lions’ teeth” (verse 8). They have something like iron breastplates, and their wings sound like “the thundering of many horses and chariots rushing into battle” (verse 9). Like scorpions, they have stings in their tails (verse 10). This description has prompted many different interpretations: is this a vision of helicopters, of barbarian warriors, of a satanically empowered army, or of actual creatures from the pit of hell? We won’t know for sure until it happens.
The sixth trumpet. The sixth trumpet (and the second woe) involves the onslaught of another demonic horde (Revelation 9:12–21). Once the sixth trumpet sounds, a voice from the altar of God calls for the release of “the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates” (verse 14). These four angels had been kept in captivity for just this purpose: to wreak destruction during the tribulation (verse 15). These four wicked angels lead a supernatural cavalry of thousands upon thousands to kill a third of humanity (verse 16). The riders have breastplates of “fiery red, dark blue, and yellow” (verse 17). Their horses have “the heads of lions, and out of their mouths came fire, smoke and sulfur,” and “their tails were like snakes” (verses 18–19). They kill with their mouths and with their tails.
Despite the severity and horror of these plagues, the survivors on earth still refuse to repent. They continue in their idolatry, their murder, their sorcery, their sexual immorality, and their theft (Revelation 9:20–21).
Following the sixth trumpet judgment is a literary interlude. John sees an angel descend from heaven with a little scroll in his hand. A promise is given that “the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet” (Revelation 10:7), and John is told that he must prophesy some more (verse 11). Next comes a description of the two witnesses who will preach in Jerusalem and perform miracles before they are murdered. God will then raise them back to life and take them to heaven (Revelation 11:1–13).
The seventh trumpet. The seventh trumpet (and the third woe) sounds, and immediately there are loud voices in heaven saying,
“The kingdom of the world has become
the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah,
and he will reign for ever and ever” (Revelation 11:15).
The twenty-four elders say, “The time has come for . . . destroying those who destroy the earth” (verse 18). Obviously, God is about to wrap things up once and for all. At the sound of the seventh trumpet, the temple of God is opened in heaven, and “within his temple was seen the ark of his covenant. And there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake and a severe hailstorm” (verse 19).
Thus end the seven trumpet judgments. All is set for the seven angels with the seven bowls of God’s wrath. These angels stand inside the now-open temple, ready to step forward and bring the final judgments on earth (Revelation 15).
What Does the Bible Say about Angels and Cherubim?Understanding These Mysterious Beings and Why They Matter
Imagine you’re in the hills near Jesus' birthplace in Bethlehem, huddled with a group of exhausted herdsmen around a crackling fire. Some are sleeping, while others watch over the flocks. The cold, still air and dark skies feel eerily calm. Then, out of nowhere, a strange being emerges overhead. It is shining bright and moving like a human while your heart thumps wildly.
“Do not be afraid,” the messenger says.
“I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger”
(Luke 2:10-12
Luke 2:10-12
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The once-dark sky now comes to brilliant life with a sea of similar illuminated beings. They speak and praise, but they are not human. They float and fly, but they have no wings.
These are Yahweh’s angels—heavenly messengers.
The mysterious messengers continue speaking, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among people with whom he is pleased” (Luke 2:14
Luke 2:14
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Who are these angels in the Bible? When and why do they show up? And how do they compare to other heavenly winged creatures described in the Bible like the cherubim? Let’s take a look.
The First Cherubim Cherubim (plural for cherub) first appear in the third chapter of Genesis. When God creates the world, he forms two realms: the skies (God’s space) and the land (human space). Then God forms human beings from the land and plants a unique garden, brimming with life.
In the wilderness outside of this garden, life is harsh, and survival is a struggle. But within the garden, life flourishes, and death is not a reality—it has no place there. People get to choose whether they want to live in the garden or not, and while the choice seems obvious, there is a twist. Living in this garden means choosing to love God and follow his instructions—it’s a place where God’s space and human space overlap and become inseparable.
Tragically, the first humans placed in the garden choose not to follow God’s instructions. They rebel and are exiled back to the land where God formed them, where mortality is real. God then places heavenly cherubim to protect the garden’s east end, guarding the way back in (Gen. 3:24
Genesis 3:24
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). Why does he do this?
The cherubim are not praising, flying, or speaking like the angels who appeared to the shepherds. But their presence sends a crucial message: This garden of Eden space is a place where Heaven and Earth are one, where God’s will and human will never oppose one another.
Attempts to act against God’s will in this space result in exile from the garden and eventually death, as it did for the first humans. Whenever we read about cherubim in the rest of the Bible, it is recalling this foundational garden-exile scene in the Genesisscroll.
Other Biblical CherubimLater,
in the Exodus story,
craftsmen create artful cherubim symbols on blue, purple,
and scarlet curtains,
and the cherubim have wings.
The curtain blocks entrance to the tabernacle’s holy space,
where the ark of the covenant rests
and where God and humanity meet as one
(Exod. 26:31-33
Exodus 26:31-33
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This sounds a lot like the cherubim’s position blocking the
entrance to Eden,
where God and humanity dwelt as one.
When God gives instructions for building the
ark of the covenant,
he tells the craftsmen to hammer-forge two cherubs out of
solid gold--
one for each end of the mercy seat where he says
he will be present
(Exod. 25:18-22
Exodus 25:18-22
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). God says he will speak with the people from that position,
between the wings of these
two cherubim sculptures.
Whether stationed at the east of Eden or embroidered onto the tabernacle curtains (and later in the temple), the cherubim remind people that entering into a place of true, everlasting life is not something humans can achieve apart from God. Choosing to enter this space means choosing to unite with God’s will and instruction—the same choice Adam and Eve faced in the garden. No human beings living according to their own wisdom or way can survive while passing the cherubim.
In later Hebrew Bible prophecies and narratives, we learn that cherubim wings can sound like God’s voice when they move, and their bodies look like a wild mashup of different animal and human-like features (e.g., Ezek. 10:5-14
Ezekiel 10:5-14
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; 1 Kgs. 6:24-26
1 Kings 6:24-26
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). The biblical authors describe cherubim as formidable creatures who rest at the throne of God’s presence and relentlessly guard his sacred space.
Biblical Angels Let’s get back to the events leading up to Jesus’ birth. Imagine being at the temple to watch Zechariah serve outside the door of the Heaven-and-Earth sacred space, the Holy of Holies
(Luke 1:9-10
Luke 1:9-10
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). Spicy-sweet fragrances fill the air as he burns incense, and the curtains protecting the space are embroidered with cherubim symbols. Suddenly, a heavenly being appears to him out of nowhere—an angel.
“I am Gabriel,” this angel says, “who stands in the presence of God”
Luke 1:19
Gabriel tells Zechariah that he and his infertile wife, Elizabeth,
will miraculously have a child named John,
who will grow up to
prepare the nation for the Messiah’s arrival.
Six months later, God sends the angel Gabriel to visit a
young woman named Mary in
the Galilean village of Nazareth.
“Do not be afraid, Mary,” he says—the same opening message that angels gave to the shepherds in Bethlehem.
He explains that she will give birth to a boy who is also
the Son of God. Gabriel instructs her to
name him Jesus,
promising that her son will rule with love in an eternal Kingdom.
Do angels always announce such exciting reports?
What about other angels in the Bible, and how are they
different from cherubim?
What Are Angels? The word “angel” in the Bible is translated from the Hebrew word malach and the Greek word angelos, both meaning “messenger.” God sends angels to warn, comfort, and guide people by
communicating his messages to them.
In the Sodom and Gomorrah narrative, we see
angels rescuing Lot’s family
(Gen. 19:1-15
Genesis 19:1-15
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). In the Elijah story, God sends an angel during Elijah’s most painful and despairing moment to comfort him. The angel wakes him up and invites him to eat a meal
(1 Kgs. 19:5-7
1 Kings 19:5-7
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). In the story about Daniel, we see several angels,
including one who is held up from delivering a message
for 21 days due to a conflict
with a Persian ruler
(Dan. 10:10-15
Daniel 10:10-15
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).
The authors of Exodus record that angels directed and defended God’s people during their journey out of slavery and into the promised land (e.g., Exod. 12:23, 23:23
Exodus 12:23, Exodus 23:23
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). Angels also appear in dreams to guide humans to safety (e.g., Gen. 28:12, 32:1-2
Genesis 28:12, Genesis 32:1-2
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; Matt. 1:20, 2:13
Matthew 1:20, Matthew 2:13
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). And in the last book of the New Testament, John records a complex message from Jesus, delivered to him from an angel (Rev. 1:1
Revelation 1:1
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There is a common thread in these (and many more) angel stories in the Bible. Angels are messengers, sent to protect and proclaim how people can enter the place of life they were built to flourish within. They want humans to trust and follow the one sending the message, to know how to live where Heaven and Earth overlap—where God and humans are united in peace. Ultimately, the angels’ messages tell us the will and the way of the Messiah. Angels do not tell us much about themselves, but they do talk a lot about Jesus.
ConclusionMysterious as they are, angels in the Bible are often described with human qualities, even speaking like people and bearing human-sounding names. Also, they do not appear to have wings.
The cherubim are equally mysterious, said to have wild human and animal-like features, and yes—these beings have wings. God first charged cherubim with protecting entry into the garden, and in the rest of the story they continue to guard holy spaces where God dwells and Heaven and Earth overlap. Cherubim are always honoring God and helping readers recall the essential nature of that first garden, a place where choosing to stay means choosing to trust and follow God’s instruction.
Angels bring divine messages, including the good news of God’s desire to be close to humanity forever. Angels in the Bible communicate through dreams, visions, and in-person visitations to help people move out of the place of toil and death, through the cherubim, and into the Heaven-and-Earth space where good life flourishes without end and where people live in harmony with one another and God.
Chariot of the CherubimsMentioned in 1Chronicles 28:18, the "chariot of the cherubims" is part of the design of the Holy of Holies in the Temple of Solomon. This chariot is not mentioned anywhere else in scripture. Neither does there seem to be any hint of a physical chariot in the temple. What is it? Perhaps a hint can be found in Ezekiel 10:1-22. Four cherubims are connected with four wheels and they transport the glory of God. This could be called the chariot of the cherubims. But in Ezekiel 10, there are four cherubim. Solomon just had two made for the Holy of Holies. Where are the other two? They are to be found on the mercy seat that sat on the top of the ark of the covenant. The ark was the only piece of furniture that was used in the tabernacle of Moses that continued to be used in the temple. It had two cherubim (Exodus 25:19). This gave four cherubim surrounding the presence of God at the ark of the covenant. This explains why Hezekiah prayed unto the "LORD God of Israel, which dwellest between the cherubims" (2Kings 19:15). These four cherubim made up the chariot of the cherubims.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherub_with_Chariot_(Fabergé_egg)
In the Book of Ezekiel and (at least some) Christian icons, the cherub is depicted as having two pairs of wings, and four faces: that of a lion (representative of all wild animals), an ox (domestic animals), a human (humanity), and an eagle (birds).[8](pp 2–4)[9] As described by Ezekiel, "Their legs were straight, the soles of their feet like the hooves of a bull, gleaming like polished brass." Later tradition ascribes to them a variety of physical appearances.[8](pp 2–4) Some early midrashic literature conceives of them as non-corporeal. In Western Christian tradition, cherubim have become associated with the putto(derived from classical Cupid / Eros figure), resulting in depictions of cherubim as small, plump, winged boys
God is Satan and Jesus is the antichrist
The Son of Man Coming Like the Lightning
(Lk 17:20-37)
satan falls like lightening
trample underfoot
Hebrew word הילל in Isa 14:12
as ‘morning star,’
the same as is done with φωσφόρος
in 2 Peter 1:19
In other words, lucifer is not a proper name, but is the Latin word
for ‘morning star’ or ‘day star.’
The KJV simply reproduced the Latin in Isa 14:12 because they
were not sure what הילל meant. The KJV translators
knew Latin better than they knew Greek or Hebrew.
“Look how you have fallen from the sky, O shining one,
son of the dawn!
You have been cut down to the ground,
O conqueror of the nations!
Cherubim/cherubs are angelic beings involved in the worship and praise of God. The cherubim are first mentioned in the Bible in Genesis 3:24, “After He drove the man out, He placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.” Prior to his rebellion, Satan was a cherub (Ezekiel 28:12-15).
The tabernacle and temple along with their articles contained
many representations of cherubim
(Exodus 25:17-22; 26:1, 31; 36:8; 1 Kings 6:23-35; 7:29-36; 8:6-7; 1 Chronicles 28:18; 2 Chronicles 3:7-14; 2 Chronicles 3:10-13; 5:7-8; Hebrews 9:5).
Chapters 1 and 10 of the book of Ezekiel describe
the “four living creatures” (Ezekiel 1:5)
as the same beings as the cherubim (Ezekiel 10). Each had four faces—that of a man, a lion, an ox, and an eagle (Ezekiel 1:10; also 10:14)—and each had four wings. In their appearance, the cherubim “had the likeness of a man” (Ezekiel 1:5). These cherubim used two of their wings for flying and the other two for covering their bodies (Ezekiel 1:6, 11, 23). Under their wings the cherubim appeared to have the form, or likeness, of a man’s hand (Ezekiel 1:8; 10:7-8, 21).
The imagery of Revelation 4:6-9 also seems to be describing
cherubim.
The cherubim serve the purpose of magnifying the holiness and power of God. This is one of their main responsibilities throughout the Bible. In addition to praising God, they also serve as a visible reminder of the majesty and glory of God and His abiding presence with His people.
In Job 38:32, the KJV renders the Hebrew word מזרות as Mazzaroth. This is another word that occurs only once in the Hebrew Bible. The KJV translators did not know what it meant, so they simply transliterated the Hebrew into English characters. Even though Jerome, the translator of the Vulgate, knew Hebrew better than the KJV translators did, he was not exactly sure what to make of it either. But he at least tried, rather than simply leave the word untranslated as the KJV translators did. He translated the word as lucifer—or ‘morning star,’ which is very close to the meaning of the Hebrew מזרות:
numquid producis luciferum in tempore suo et vesperum super filios terrae consurgere facis
The word means ‘constellations’ or ‘crowns’ (modern translators are not sure, though ‘constellations’ is usually preferred). The fact that Jerome recognized that at least the מזרות probably referred to stars is far better than the KJV translators did by leaving the word completely untranslated. There is of course no conspiracy on Jerome’s part here; he is simply being faithful to the Hebrew Bible and is translating as accurately as he can.
In 2 Peter 1:19, the KJV renders the Greek word φωσφόρος (phosphoros) as ‘day star.’ Again, the Latin Vulgate has lucifer here:
mary Magdalene and Jesus, 7 demons
Why Is Satan Referred To As A Morning Star?
“How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, who once laid the nations low!” (Isaiah 14:12; NIV). This is the single chapter where the word Lucifer is used to allude to Satan. This name is derived from Latin rather than Hebrew. Perhaps the Latin Vulgate, which bears this name, influenced this English translation. Lucifer means “bearer of light” in Latin.
Heylel is a Hebrew word that means “light provider,” “shining one,” or “dawn star.” Many recent translations render this as “morning star” Heylel alludes to the king of Babylon and Satan symbolically in this chapter. Of fact, in Revelation 22:16, Jesus claims this title. Although the text in Revelation is in Greek and the chapter in Isaiah is in Hebrew, they are both translated similarly.
The argument that modern translations deny the deity of Christ is based on connecting several dots. First, In Isaiah 14:12 in the KJV we read: “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!” Modern translations—except for the NKJV—have something like “day star” or “morning star” instead of “Lucifer” here. KJV advocates claim that Isa 14:12 must be a prophecy about the devil falling from heaven. There is some basis for this interpretation. In Luke 10:18 Jesus tells his disciples, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.” In Rev 9:1 we read, “I saw a star fallen from heaven to earth, and he was given the key to the shaft of the bottomless pit” (ESV).1 These New Testament passages seem to be alluding to Isa 14:12, connecting the fall of the one mentioned there with the fall of Satan.
Second, in 2 Peter 1:19 the KJV has: “We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts.” For “day star” in the KJV, modern translations alternate between ‘day star’ and ‘morning star.’ Early Christian interpretation of this verse sees the ‘day star’/‘morning star’ as a reference to Jesus, based in part on an allusion to Num 24:17 (“A star shall rise out of Jacob”).
Third, KJV advocates argue that if the word in Isa 14:12 is translated ‘morning star’ then modern translations are viewing Jesus as Satan because, as they claim, the only ‘morning star’ in the Bible is Jesus. Thus, if ‘Lucifer’ is treated as ‘morning star’ in Isa 14:12,
The Return of the Son of Man
26So if they tell you, ‘There He is in the wilderness,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here He is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. 27For just as the lightning comes fromthe east and flashes as far as the west,so will be the coming of the Son of Man.
28Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.…
Love Conquers
Serpent
Mary, Jesus
Cast Lots Garments
Washing .garments
Cutting Down
Noah, Jonah, Rainbow
Treasury of Scripture
For as the lightning comes out of the east, and shines even to the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
as.
Job 37:3
He directeth it under the whole heaven, and his lightning unto the ends of the earth.
Job 38:35
Canst thou send lightnings, that they may go, and say unto thee, Here we are?
Isaiah 30:30
And the LORD shall cause his glorious voice to be heard, and shall shew the lighting down of his arm, with the indignation of his anger, and with the flame of a devouring fire, with scattering, and tempest, and hailstones.
the coming.
Matthew 16:28
Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom.
Malachi 3:2
But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap:
Malachi 4:5
Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:
Jesus ascends right hand of father, for a time, returns kingdom to father
is the rider on the white chariot horse Jesus, the abomination of desolation too?
Matthew 24:27
Peters Ministry Divided into 2 parts, Jew and gentile
Luke 10 is the only place where we find the account of Jesus sending a specific 70 disciples to prepare the way before Him. The discrepancies in the number (70 come from differences found in approximately half of the ancient scrolls used in translation. The texts are nearly evenly divided between the numbers, and scholars do not agree on whether the number should be 70 or 72
although such a minor issue is no cause for debate.
Since the number 70 is repeated other places in Scripture
(Exodus 24:1; Numbers 11:16; Jeremiah 29:10),
it may be more likely that the actual number of disciples was 70, with the 2 being a copyist’s error.
Whether there were 70 or 72 disciples
sent out by Jesus is irrelevant.
What is important are the instructions Jesus gave them and the power that came upon them to
perform miracles and cast out demons
(Luke 10:17).
After appointing the 70 disciples,
Jesus spoke of the great need for evangelism (Luke 10:1–2). He then commissioned the 70, giving them these instructions:
1) Go (Luke 10:3). This is foundational. The 70 were to divide into pairs and visit all the places where Jesus was about to go.
2) Be wary (Luke 10:3). The 70 were like lambs among wolves, surrounded by danger.
3) Live by faith (Luke 10:4). The 70 were to carry no extra provisions. They carried the message of Jesus and didn’t need to be burdened down with material things.
4) Be focused (Luke 10:4). The 70 were to greet no one along the road and not allow themselves to be sidetracked from the more important mission of evangelism.
5) Extend your blessing (Luke 10:5–6). Whoever housed the 70 were to be blessed, using the common greeting of the day, “Peace to this house.”
6) Be content (Luke 10:7). The 70 were told not to seek better accommodations; they were to stay in the home that first received them.
7) Receive your due (Luke 10:7). The laborer is worthy of his wages (cf. 1 Timothy 5:17–18). Doing evangelistic work is indeed work and is worthy of compensation.
8) Be flexible (Luke 10:7–8). The 70 were to eat whatever their hosts served; as God’s servants, they were not to be finicky.
9) Heal the sick (Luke 10:9). Jesus gave the 70 disciples specific authority to heal diseases and illness. It was as if the Great Physician had 70 interns making house calls. When the 70 returned to Jesus, they jubilantly recounted how they were able not only to heal diseases but to cast out demons as well (verse 17).
10) Proclaim the kingdom (Luke 10:9). The message of the 70 disciples was simple: “The kingdom of God has come near to you.” This was a clear-cut call to faith in the King who would soon visit each village.
Jesus then told the 70 (or 72) disciples that they might expect rejection in some villages (Luke 10:10), and He told them how to respond: publicly wipe the dust of that town from their feet (Luke 10:11; cf. 9:5), proclaim the kingdom one more time, and warn them of coming judgment (Luke 10:12).
A similar commissioning had occurred with Jesus’ twelve apostles as the Lord sent them out to cure diseases and cast out demons (Matthew 10:1–42; Luke 9:1–6). The main difference is that Jesus had told the Twelve that they were to preach in Galilee, avoiding Gentile areas and Samaria, but the 70 (or 72) were given no such restriction.
The identities of the 70 disciples are never given in Scripture, and the group is never mentioned again, even during the time of the early church in Acts. It seems their ministry was specific to preparing Jesus’ path to Jerusalem. Various individuals have been suggested as possibly being part of the 70—the unnamed exorcist in Luke 9:49, for example. Two of them may have been Barsabbas (known as Justus) and Matthias (Acts 1:23), since they were chosen by the apostles as possible replacements for Judas (Acts 1:15–18). One of the requirements for apostleship was that the candidate had to “have been with us the whole time the Lord Jesus was living among us, beginning from John’s baptism to the time when Jesus was taken up from us. For one of these must become a witness with us of his resurrection” (Acts 1:21–22). We can also speculate that the 70 were part of the 120 gathered in the upper room on Pentecost when the Holy Spirit was first poured out (Acts 1:15).
Since God did not consider it important for us to know the names of the 70 (or 72) disciples He charged with the important task of preparing the way for Jesus, we don’t need to consider it important, either. What Jesus called attention to was not the power He gave them but the fact that their names were written in heaven (Luke 10:20). Similarly, while we may get excited about visible miracles and demonstrations of supernatural power, the greatest miracle of all is the fact that unworthy sinners can become righteous children of God (Romans 5:8; 2 Corinthians 5:21; John 1:12).
When our focus moves to ourselves and how God is using us, we are headed in the wrong direction. It is a good reminder that, since their names are unimportant, ours are, too. It is the name of Jesus Christ alone who deserves all attention and glory (1 Corinthians 1:28–29; Philippians 2:9–11).
It is enough that our names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.
In Luke 10:18 Jesus says, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.” The context of these words is the return of the 70 (or 72) disciples that Jesus had sent out to evangelize and prepare His way to Jerusalem (see verse 1). When the 70 return and give their report, they are joyful and a little surprised that “even the demons submit to us in your name” (verse 17). Jesus’ first words in reply are, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven” (verse 18).
In referencing Satan’s fall from heaven, Jesus most likely had in mind Isaiah 14:12, “How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations!” The fall of Satan that Jesus saw happened after Lucifer’s sin, before Adam and Eve’s temptation in the Garden of Eden. In his pride, Lucifer had lifted himself up, but God had cast him down out of his original place in heaven (although he retains a limited access to heaven for now, according to Job 1:6). Jesus’ statement in Luke 10:18 speaks of Jesus’ pre-existence and the Lord’s defeat over the power of Satan in a general sense.
When Jesus’ disciples came back to report their joy over their authority over demons, Jesus, in so many words, tells them they should not have been surprised. Satan is a fallen foe and has always been subject to the authority of the Son of God. Jesus had sent the 70 out in His authority, which extends over the demonic realm. Satan’s fall “like lightning” indicates that his judgment in heaven was swift and obvious. Not only did Jesus give the 70 authority over devils, but He also enabled them “to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy” (Luke 10:19).
As the 70 are celebrating that the demons were subject to them in Jesus’ name, in Luke 10:17, Jesus redirects their excitement by pointing to an even bigger blessing: their salvation! Jesus says, “However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven” (verse 20). Casting out demons has a temporal, limited benefit in this world, but having your name written in heaven is an eternal, unlimited blessing!
Revelation 12:9 refers to another time in which Satan is cast out of heaven: “The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.” We believe this happens during the future tribulation period when Satan is barred access to heaven once and for all.
At the end of the Great Tribulation, Jesus will return, overthrow the kingdom Satan was attempting to set up, and bind the devil for 1,000 years (Revelation 20:1–3). At the end of 1,000 years, Satan will be released for one final battle, but he is defeated again and thrown into the lake of fire for eternity (Revelation 20:7–10).
Jesus has power over Satan and power to save us. Still today, believers face a spiritual battle against forces of evil (Ephesians 6:12). With God’s Spirit, we do not need to fear Satan or evil spirits; rather, we depend on the Lord’s strength for victory in our spiritual struggles and trust that God will preserve us for heaven’s inheritance. “The one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world” (1 John 4:4).
The Bible nowhere explicitly describes Satan as an angel before he rebelled against God and was cast out of heaven. Assuming Ezekiel 28:12–18 is symbolic of Satan’s fall, Satan is described as a “guardian cherub.” Cherubs are angelic creatures, possibly the highest order of angels. So, in that sense, yes, Satan was an angel.
Job 1:6–7 describes Satan appearing before God with the other “sons of God,” very likely a reference to the angels. Matthew 25:41 mentions “the devil and his angels.” Revelation 12:7, describing the end-times war in heaven, says, “Michael [the archangel] and his angels fought against the dragon [Satan] and his angels.” Whether or not Satan is technically an angel is beside the point. Satan is an angelic-type creature with a close connection to the angels.
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 these things be, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?" (verse 3). 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 24:4-8refers 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.
In his vision of judgment upon the wicked, the apostle John tells us that Jesus is returning on a white horse: “Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war” (Revelation 19:11; see Psalm 45). Most Bible scholars are of the opinion that this passage is not referring to the Rapture, but rather to Jesus’ coming to earth with His saints at the end of the Tribulation.
The horse’s white color represents purity or victory (cf. Revelation 7:14-15), for this rider is holy and goes forth to be the triumphant conqueror. During ancient times, victorious Roman generals entered their conquered cities in chariots drawn by white horses. The entire setting of this verse implies victory over Christ’s enemies. As such, the word white indicates triumph, a successful war.
What a vivid contrast we see in Jesus’ return with all His angels (Matthew 25:31), as compared to His entry to Jerusalem upon a donkey (Matthew 21:7-9)! He is no longer riding a humble donkey. Jesus will return on a fiery white charger, bringing judgment, just as He had promised (Matthew 25:31-33).
Also by way of contrast, when He was on earth, Jesus was abandoned by His followers (Mark 14:50). Revelation 19 reveals the armies of heaven following Him in conquest. He is not returning to speak “gracious words” (Luke 4:22) but the words of righteous judgment (Isaiah 11:4). Jesus comes to rule with a rod of iron (Psalm 2:9). He is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords (Revelation 17:14; Revelation 19:16).
(Rev. 6:2) Who is the rider on the white horse? Christ or the antichrist?Let’s consider both options:
OPTION #1: The rider is Christ.Advocates of this view point out that the Lamb (Jesus) was mentioned closely in context (v.1). This figure rides a white horse, which also fits with Christ’s second coming when he comes in judgment. In Revelation 19:11, we read that Christ returns on “a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war.” The “conquering” of this rider is, under this view, the spread of the gospel upon the Earth (Mt. 24:14). The Greek term nikao is used of believers “overcoming” the world.
OPTION #2: The rider is symbolic for all Christians spreading the gospel.Advocates of this view make a number of observations. First, the term nikao (“conquering and to conquer”) is positive 13 of 15 times in its usage in the book of Revelation. Up until this point in Revelation, it has been consistently positive. Second, the victor’s crown (Greek stephanos) was promised to believers earlier in the book (Rev. 2:10; 4:4, 10). Third, this view correlates with the gospel reaching all nations, which was also predicted as a precursor by Jesus (Mt. 24:14). While this isn’t the view of this author, it is plausible. This author holds to the third view.
OPTION #3: The rider is the Antichrist.First, the archangel commands this figure to “Come” (v.1). This hardly fits with the notion that the figure is Christ, who is greater than angels (Heb. 1:4ff). Angels wouldn’t boss Christ around.
Second, John says that “a crown was given to him” (v.2). This implies that he doesn’t have the authority in and of himself. Instead, God gave him this authority. This conception of delegated authority fits with the second angel in verse 4 (“it was granted to take peace from the earth… and a great sword was given to him…”), and the fourth angel of verse 8 (“Authority was given to them…”). This also fits with chapter 13, where God allows the beast to make war with the saints and “overcome” (Greek nikao) them (Rev. 13:7). This is the same Greek word used in verse 2 to refer to the rider “conquering” (Greek nikao).
Third, this rider carries a bow (v.2), while Christ carries a sword (Rev. 19:15).
Fourth, the context of the passage deals with other riders, who are clearly not Christ or even godly angels.
Moreover, we do not see the symbolism of the white horse to be significant in referring to Christ. In ancient times, a conquering king would ride on a white horse. Walvoord writes, “In biblical times it was customary for a conqueror to ride in triumph on a white horse.”[1] Thus for these reasons, this author holds to the third option. The rider of the second horse is the Antichrist, or some other evil ruler.
On the sixth day of creation, God declared everything to be “very good” (Genesis 1:31). We assume the “everything” includes angels. Sometime after that, Satan rebelled against God and was cast out of heaven. Jesus witnessed the event: “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven” (Luke 10:18)—an event that the Lord uses to explain the exorcisms performed by the 72 (verse 17).
Another passage that also seems to describe the fall of Satan from heaven is Isaiah 14:12–15. The context is primarily about a human king, as judgment is pronounced against Babylon. The poetic language used by Isaiah is so grand, however, that many scholars have concluded that there is more to the passage. References to “the whole earth” (Isaiah 14:7), the king’s “fall from heaven” (verse 12), his desire to exalt himself “above the stars” (verse 13), and the symbolic name Lucifer or Light-bringer (verse 12) are all expressions of hyperbolic greatness. If the intended subject is only the human king of Babylon, then everything is figurative (and greatly exaggerated); however, if there is a secondary spiritual character in view, then the descriptions could be quite literal. God is pronouncing judgment on both “kings of Babylon”—the human king and the spiritual potentate who empowers him (Babylon being a symbol of rebellion from Genesis to Revelation). The wonderment of Isaiah 14:12 (“How you have fallen from heaven, O morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations!”) could indeed have a dual interpretation.
Further, the book of the Revelation describes “a star that had fallen from the sky to the earth” (Revelation 9:1). This “star” is given a key to the bottomless pit and proceeds to release a horde of tormenting “locusts” (Revelation 9:2–11). While Revelation 9:1 is not a clear reference to Satan, it could be: the fact that the “star” that fell from heaven has a key (authority) is no problem, especially since he uses the key to unleash terror upon the earth.
So, the Bible explicitly and implicitly teaches that Satan fell from his position in heaven. But how do we know that one third of the angels also fell with him?
The passage that best supports the idea that Satan took one third of the angels with him in rebellion is Revelation 12:3–4. John sees a sign in heaven: “An enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on its heads. Its tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth.” John then relates that the dragon was hurled down to the earth and positively identifies it as “that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray” (Revelation 12:9). The dragon is not thrown to earth alone, however: “His angels were cast out with him” (verse 9). The angels that are ejected from heaven with Satan we associate with the “third of the stars” that the dragon’s tail swept from heaven to earth in verse 4.
If the “stars” of Revelation 12:4 are indeed a symbolic reference to Satan’s “angels” in verse 9, then what we have is a reference to the fall of a portion of the angels (the heavenly hosts) who followed Satan in his rebellion. Two thirds of the angels remained loyal to God and are called the “holy angels” in Scripture (e.g., Mark 8:38); one third of the original angels joined Satan and are called “unclean spirits” or “demons” today (e.g., Mark 9:25).
Job 1:6–7English Standard VersionSatan Allowed to Test Job
6 Now there was a day when kthe sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and lSatan2 also came among them. 7 The Lord said to Satan, “From where have you come?” Satan answered the Lord and said, “From mgoing to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.”
The Bible nowhere explicitly describes Satan as an angel before he rebelled against God and was cast out of heaven. Assuming Ezekiel 28:12–18 is symbolic of Satan’s fall, Satan is described as a “guardian cherub.” Cherubs are angelic creatures, possibly the highest order of angels. So, in that sense, yes, Satan was an angel.
Job 1:6–7 describes Satan appearing before God with the other “sons of God,” very likely a reference to the angels. Matthew 25:41 mentions “the devil and his angels.” Revelation 12:7, describing the end-times war in heaven, says, “Michael [the archangel] and his angels fought against the dragon [Satan] and his angels.” Whether or not Satan is technically an angel is beside the point. Satan is an angelic-type creature with a close connection to the angels.
The Marriage And Marriage Supper Of The Lamb Revelation 19:7–9Introduction
Where will the Church be during the 70th week of Daniel 9 (the last seven years prior to the Second Coming of Christ, which has been popularly called the Tribulation period)? Several things presented in the Book of the Revelation indicate that the Church will be in Heaven with Christ during that time period. One of those things is the marriage and marriage supper of the Lamb.
The Reference to the Marriage and Marriage Supper of the Lamb
In Revelation 19:7 John recorded part of the loud proclamation of a great multitude in Heaven (vv. 1, 6):
“Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to him; for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.” Concerning the wife of the Lamb, John continued to write,
“And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white; for the fine linen is the righteousnesses of saints.
And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they who are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb” (vv. 8–9).
A study of Revelation 5–7; 12–15; 17; 19; 21–22 clearly indicates that the Lamb is Jesus Christ, the King of kings and Lord of lords who shed His blood to cleanse sinners. Romans 7:4; 2 Corinthians 11:2; and Ephesians 5:22–33 indicate that the wife of the Lamb is the Church.
In light of these identifications, it is evident that Revelation 19:7–9 is referring to the marriage of Jesus Christ to the Church
and the subsequent marriage supper.
the Marriage and Marriage Supper of the Lamb
Revelation 19:7–9 prompts two major questions: When-and where will the marriage and marriage supper of the Lamb take place? At least three answers to these questions have been proposed. First, the marriage will occur when the Church is raptured to meet Christ in the air at His Second Coming and the marriage supper will take place on earth during the Millennium. Second, the marriage will occur in Heaven when the Church is raptured before the 70th week
(Tribulation period),
and the marriage supper will take place on earth during the Millennium. Third, the marriage will occur in Heaven when the Church is raptured before the 70th week (Tribulation period), and the marriage supper will take place in Heaven during the seven years
of the 70th week.
The Relationship of Revelation 19:7–9 to Jewish Marriage Customs
There are good reasons for being convinced of the third view; but before those reasons are examined, two things should be noted. First, the terms “marriage” and “marriage supper” in Revelation 19 are related to Jewish marriage customs in Bible times.
Second, Jewish marriage customs in Bible times involved three major steps.
The first step was betrothal, the establishment of the marriage covenant that bound the man and woman together as husband and wife
(Mal. 2:14; Mt. 1:18–19).
The second step was the taking of the bride or wife by the groom from her house to his father’s house (Mt. 25:1–8). “The essence of the marriage ceremony or festivities was the taking of the bride from her father’s house and bringing her to the house of the bridegroom or his father.”1 This taking of the bride was usually done at night approximately one year after the betrothal.2,3 It involved the consummation of the marriage through physical union of the bride and groom on the first night at the groom’s father’s house.4 Since this second step was the essence of the marriage ceremony, it was regarded as the wedding or marriage (Mt. 22:2–13; 25:10). Thus, it is this second step that corresponds to the expression “marriage of the Lamb” in Revelation 19:7.
The third step was the marriage supper or feast to which guests had already been called and assembled. Once the marriage had been consummated by the bride and groom, the wedding guests would feast and make merry for seven days.5 Thus, the marriage supper lasted for one week (Gen. 29:21–23, 27–28; Jud. 14:1–2, 10–12, 17), and it corresponds to the expression
“marriage supper of the Lamb” in Revelation 19:9.
In light of what has been seen, the following conclusions can be drawn concerning the relationship of the three steps of Jewish marriage customs to the marriage of Christ and the Church. First, the betrothal of Christ and the Church is taking place during the present Church age as people trust Jesus Christ to be their Savior (2 Cor. 11:2). Second, in the future Christ will take His bride, the Church, from this world to His Father’s house in Heaven when He comes to rapture it (Jn. 14:2–3; 1 Th. 4:13–18). This will be the “marriage of the Lamb.” Third, after the Rapture of the Church, the “marriage supper of the Lamb” will take place with the wedding guests who will have already been called and assembled.
Evidences for the Third View
Earlier it was stated that there are good reasons for believing that the marriage of the Lamb will occur in Heaven when the Church is raptured before the 70th week (Tribulation period) and that the marriage supper of the Lamb will take place in Heaven during the seven years of the 70th week. Those reasons will now be examined.
First, normally the wedding or marriage (the second step) did not take place at the home of the bride. One must remember that the established custom was to hold the wedding in the house of the bridegroom or his parents. The bridegroom fetches the bride and brings her to his house, where the bridal table and chamber are ready.6 In harmony with this custom, Christ indicated that after preparing living accommodations for His bride in His Father’s house in Heaven, He would come from there again and receive His bride unto Himself so that His bride could be where He is (in His Father’s house in Heaven) (Jn. 14:2–3). Christ did not say that He would come and join His bride so that He could be where she is (on the earth).
This established marriage custom and Christ’s teaching in harmony with it indicate that the Rapture of the Church and marriage of the Lamb will not take place at the Second Coming of Christ, because at His Second Coming Christ will not return to His Father’s house in Heaven. Instead, He will come to the earth. Thus, the Rapture of the Church and marriage of the Lamb must take place sometime before the Second Coming of Christ, and the Rapture of the Church and marriage of the Lamb must be separate events from the Second Coming.
In Bible times the marriage was a joyous, festive occasion…characterized by mirth and gladness.Second, in Bible times the marriage was a joyous, festive occasion. The taking of the bride by the groom was characterized by mirth and gladness (Jer. 7:34; 16:9; 25:10; 33:11). Jesus indicated the same thing when He emphasized that it is impossible to mix the joy of a wedding with the mourning of a funeral (Mt. 9:15; Mk. 2:19; Lk. 5:34).
It should be noted that the mood at the Second Coming will be just the opposite of the joyous, festive mood of the marriage. The description of the Second Coming in Revelation 19 portrays Christ, not as a happy groom coming with joyful companions to take His bride to His Father’s house, but as a terrifying warrior-king coming with armies from Heaven to administer judgment and death upon rebellious humanity. The marriage customs of Bible times provided a festive marriage supper for wedding guests, but the Second Coming will provide a radically different kind of supper—a funeral supper of dead flesh for the fowl of the earth (Rev. 19:17–18, 21).
Since Jesus taught that it is impossible to mix the joy of a wedding with the mourning of a funeral, and since the Second Coming will produce death for a great mass of humanity, it must be concluded that the marriage of the Lamb will not occur at the Second Coming of Christ. The Rapture of the Church and marriage of the Lamb must take place sometime before the Second Coming and must be events separate from the Second Coming.
Third, it was customary for the marriage supper to be held at the home of the groom or his parents, not at the home of the bride. One writer declares, “The bridegroom escorted the whole wedding party, now including the bride and her companions (Ps. 45:14b), to his own or his father’s house for the ‘marriage supper’ (Rev. 19:9) … The wedding feast … was normally given by the father of the groom.”8 Matthew 22:1–4 indicates the same thing. Concerning the location of the marriage supper, another writer states, “The older tradition points to the house of the groom’s parents as the proper place.”9 In harmony with this custom, the marriage supper of the Lamb should take place at Christ’s Father’s house in Heaven, not at His bride’s dwelling place on earth. This militates against an earthly marriage supper of the Lamb.
Fourth, the marriage supper began on the same night that the groom took his bride to his father’s house and consummated their marriage through physical union. After the marriage was consummated, the groom announced the consummation to his friend standing outside the bridal chamber (Ps. 19:5; Jn. 3:29), and the announcement was then delivered to the wedding guests who had already assembled at the groom’s father’s house. Upon receiving this news, the guests began to feast and make merry.10 Thus, the marriage supper began very shortly after the groom brought his bride to his father’s house. In harmony with this custom, the marriage supper of the Lamb must begin very shortly after Christ takes His bride, the Church, to His Father’s house in Heaven at the time of the Rapture.
Since, as noted earlier, the Rapture of the Church and the marriage of the Lamb will take place sometime before the Second Coming, and since the Millennium will begin after the Second Coming (Rev. 19–20), it appears that the Millennium will not begin very shortly after Christ takes His bride, the Church, to His Father’s house in Heaven at the time of the Rapture, and the marriage supper of the Lamb will not, therefore, take place during the Millennium.
Fifth, the Old Testament teaches that during the Millennium there will be another marriage supper, different from the marriage supper of the Lamb. This millennial marriage supper will be associated with the second marriage of God and the nation of Israel. At the beginning of Isaiah 25:6ff, a passage describing the blessings of the future Millennium, Isaiah declared, “And in this mountain shall the Lᴏʀᴅ of hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees.” The word for “feast” in verse 6 is the same as that used for the wedding feast in Judges 14:10, 12, 17. Isaiah’s statement indicates that the wedding guests at this millennial marriage supper for God and Israel will be all the other people living in the world at that time. “Isaiah was speaking of a future time when (after God’s worldwide judgment) His people in Israel and other nations will feast together in peace and prosperity. This is the 1,000 year reign of Christ.”11
The background behind this millennial marriage feast is as follows: The Old Testament teaches that God betrothed Israel (bound the nation to Himself as His wife) through the Mosaic Covenant at Mount Sinai (Jer. 2:2; Ezek. 16:8), but Israel repeatedly broke the covenant through spiritual adultery (Jer. 3:1–3, 6–9, 20; Ezek. 16:32, 59; Hos. 1:2; 2:2, 5; 3:1; 4:12, 18; 5:3–4; 6:7, 10; 7:4; 8:1; 9:1). God divorced Israel, but not permanently (Isa. 50:1; 54:7–8; Jer. 3:12). He did not regard the divorce as a termination of His marriage with the nation (Jer. 3:14; cp. v. 8).
The marriage supper of the Lamb should take place at Christ’s Father’s house in Heaven, not at His bride’s dwelling place on earth.God has been judging the nation for its adultery (Ezek. 16:38). Through this judgment He will stop Israel’s unfaithfulness, calm His fury, and lose His jealousy and anger (Ezek. 16:41–42). When Israel repents in the future at the Second Coming of Christ (Hos. 3:5; 5:15–6:1; Zech. 12:10–14), God will cleanse the nation (Zech. 13:1), love it freely (Hos. 14:1–4), and betroth it to Himself forever (Hos. 2:19–20) through the establishment of an everlasting covenant (Isa. 55:3; 61:8; Jer. 32:40; 50:4–5; Ezek. 16:60–62; 37:21–28). Israel will be adorned like a bride (Isa. 61:10); God will delight in and rejoice over Jerusalem as a groom rejoices over his bride; and the land of Israel will be married to God (Isa. 62:1–5). Thus, at the Second Coming God and Israel will go through betrothal and marriage a second time, and then their marriage supper will take place during the Millennium after the Second Coming.
The following quotation relates the rabbinical view of this Old Testament teaching.
But the final renewal of the covenant between God and the people, intimated by the prophet, was expected by the Rabbis in the days of the Messiah. Thus we often find the view that in these days there will take place the true marriage feast. In this connection the present age is that of engagement, the seven years of Gog will be the period immediately prior to the marriage, the marriage itself will dawn with the resurrection and the great marriage feast will be eaten in the future world.
This future marriage of God and the marriage of the Lamb have two different brides. The marriage of God has the nation of Israel as its bride. As noted earlier, the marriage of the Lamb has the Church as its bride. It appears that these marriages also have two different grooms. As noted earlier, the marriage of the Lamb has Christ (the Messiah) as its groom. By contrast, one scholar asserts, “But nowhere in the OT is the Messiah presented as a bridegroom.”13 This means, then, that the future marriage of God to Israel presented in the Old Testament has God the Father, not the Messiah, as its groom.
Since these marriages have two different brides and grooms, it must be concluded that the future marriage of God to Israel and the marriage of the Lamb are two different marriages. Since these marriages are different, the marriage suppers associated with them must also be different, and it is very probable that these different suppers will take place at different times. Thus, since the marriage supper associated with the future marriage of God to Israel will take place during the Millennium, the marriage supper of the Lamb probably will not occur during the Millennium.
Sixth, as noted earlier, it was customary for the wedding supper of Bible times to last for one week, or seven days.14 It is the conviction of this writer that, in relationship to the marriage supper of the Lamb, the seven years of the 70th week of Daniel 9 will correlate to that time period. According to this view, then, the Rapture of the Church and marriage of the Lamb will occur before the 70th week (Tribulation period), and the marriage supper of the Lamb will take place in Heaven during the 70th week.
Concluding Considerations
The conclusion drawn from all that has been seen concerning the marriage and marriage supper of the Lamb is that the Church will be in Heaven with Christ, not on the earth, throughout the
entire 70th week.
If the marriage and marriage supper of the Lamb are not to take place at the Second Coming and during the Millennium, why are they mentioned in Revelation 19between the judgment of the great whore and the Second Coming of Christ? Two possible reasons are as follows: First, to draw a contrast between the great whore, with all her impure unions, and the bride of Christ, with her pure union with Christ; and second, to draw a contrast between the blessing of those called to the marriage supper of the Lamb and the judgment of rebels at the Second Coming of Christ.
One side issue should be noted. According to Revelation 19:9, wedding guests will be called to the marriage supper of the Lamb, and those who are called will be blessed. Since wedding guests are not the bride, it must be concluded that the guests at the marriage supper of the Lamb will not be part of Christ’s bride, the Church. But since the guests at the marriage supper of the Lamb will be blessed and will be in Heaven (since that is where the marriage supper of the Lamb will take place), they must be believers (cp. Rev. 20:6). The fact that the guests will be believers, but not part of the Church, forces one to conclude that not all believers of all ages of history belong to the Church. God has groups of believers distinct from the Church. The souls of Old Testament saints will already be assembled in Heaven when the Church arrives there at the time of the Rapture and marriage of the Lamb. Those Old Testament saints will be guests at the marriage supper of the Lamb.
After receiving the prophetic messages to the seven congregations, the scene moves from Earth to Heaven, where John sees a door open. Speaking in apocalyptic language, this is not a literal door but a prophetic door of revelation.
Revelation Chapters 4
5THE THRONE ROOM OF GODTHE OPEN DOOR TO HEAVEN
After these things I looked, and there was a door standing open in heaven! And the first voice I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet said: “Come up here so that I can show you what must happen after these things.” (Revelation 4:1 NET)John now begins to record the heart of the book of Revelation. In the outline given of the Apocalypse, he is now relating “the things which will take place after this.” This is evident because the apostle starts chapter four with the phrase, “After these things.”
After what things?
The things that pertain to Christ’s words concerning
the churches of Asia Minor. (26)
John wants us to understand that he will receive a vision of Heaven that can only come by spiritual revelation from God Himself. He will be privileged to see what is happening in Heaven and then record that for the believers confronted with the throne of the imperial cult of Rome.
But the revelation is not only for believers in the seven congregations; it is for believers of all time who struggle with the challenge and heartache of seeing men and governments exalt themselves in place of God. What we see on Earth is not reality. The reality is what we see in Heaven. We just need the spiritual revelation to see it, and John gives it to us.
John hears a voice speaking to him and says it is
like a trumpet-shofar
He uses the same phrase in Revelation 1:10.
I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day when I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, (Revelation 1:10 NET)John was used to the voice of the Lord sounding like a trumpet-shofar. When the Lord brought the Hebrews out of Egypt, the Lord spoke to them (1) through the sound of the trumpet-shofar (Exodus 19:13-19). The people were so frightened by the experience that they asked Moses for the Lord not to speak to them directly again (Exodus 20:18-19).
So one way the Lord continued to speak to them was through trumpets-shofars (Numbers 10:1-10). When John heard the voice of the Lord, he heard it as the sound of a trumpet-shofar. This was part of the history and heritage of his people in hearing the Word of the Lord. He knew what it meant, and it certainly got his attention. (10)
The voice told John to come to Heaven to receive the spiritual revelation of the next things the Lord wanted to show him. There are two statements here to consider:
1. The statement commanding John to come to Heaven.
Those who believe and proclaim a pre-tribulation rapture interpret this verse and command to “Come up here” to mean that John represents believers who are raptured or caught up to Heaven at this time before the beginning of the tribulation. Scholars and serious students of the Book of Revelation certainly have the right to their studied interpretation. We should bless, love, and respect those with different views than ours and not be dogmatic when there is a difference of opinion. (10)
Furthermore, believers who have only been taught the pre-tribulation rapture may be surprised to learn that not everyone shares this interpretation of this specific Scripture. We need to be humble and teachable and not make something that is not essential for salvation through Jesus Christ (1) a test of fellowship. That is, we need to keep the main thing the main thing. Salvation through Jesus Christ is the main thing! (1)
When we read or hear teaching contrary to what we have always believed, we should be like the Bereans who search the Scriptures daily to discover the truth.
These Jews were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they eagerly received the message, examining the scriptures carefully every day to see if these things were so. (Acts 17:11 NET)It is important to remember that the Book of Revelation is written in an apocalyptic writing style. This means we should not interpret this book too literally. This may shock some, but John was not literally raptured to Heaven. This may sound upsetting if this is the only interpretation you have been taught and accepted. God bless all well-meaning godly ministers who teach this view. (10)
THE THRONE IN HEAVEN
Immediately I was in the Spirit, and a throne was standing in heaven with someone seated on it! And the one seated on it was like jasper and carnelian in appearance, and a rainbow looking like it was made of emerald encircled the throne. (Revelation 4:2–3 NET)
To emphasize that he has a prophetic vision, John once again says he is “in the Spirit.” John uses this phrase four times (Revelation 1:10; 4:2; 17:3; 21:10). The reader would understand John to be saying that the Holy Spirit was giving him an additional spiritual revelation that he could not possibly know by his own human intellect or imagination. These “in the Spirit” statements are the order for understanding the Book of Revelation. (10)
In his spiritual state, John sees the throne room of God in Heaven in all of its glory and beauty. Someone was seated on the throne. This “One” is the Creator of all things. He is not the generic “god of the world,” nor is He the god of any religion outside of the Bible. He is Yahveh, the Judeo-Christian God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; He is the God of Israel. (10)
The Lord Himself makes this claim as we learn in Isaiah:
This is what the Lord, Israel’s king, says, their protector, the Lord who commands armies: “I am the first and I am the last, there is no God but me. (Isaiah 44:6 NET).
Because God is so glorious in His appearance, no one can see Him in the fullness of His blazing glory and dazzling beauty. Surely we can understand that the creature cannot see the Creator in His fullness. If we did, we would all die. (10)
A natural example we can all understand is that no one can look directly into the sun without seeing spots or going blind. We must turn our eyes away from the sun or look at it with special glasses or through dark clouds. This is what the Bible means when it says that God is invisible or cannot be seen (1 Timothy 1:17; John 1:18).
The Hebrew Bible tells us that God “spoke to Moses face to face” (Exodus 33:11). This is a Hebraic figure of speech. The writer wants us to understand that when Moses approached God, he was not in a spiritual trance or having a vision like John but was fully conscious and aware that he was in God’s presence. It does not mean that Moses literally saw God’s face.
Later in the same chapter, Moses pleaded with God to show him His glory. The Lord then told Moses that no one could see His face, meaning the fullness of His glory, and live. (Exodus 33:18-23.)
So when the Bible talks about someone seeing the Lord, it does not mean that the person sees Him in bodily form. It means that the person sees a manifestation of God which the person describes in heavenly terms of majestic divine glory and beauty.
For example, Exodus reads:
Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel went up,and they saw the God of Israel. Under his feet there was something like a pavement made of sapphire, clear like the sky itself.(Exodus 24:9-10 NET).
The prophet Micaiah described his vision of the Lord in this way:
Micaiah said, “That being the case, hear the word of the Lord. I saw the Lord sitting on his throne, with all the heavenly assembly standing on his right and on his left. (1 Kings 22:19 NET).
Isaiah described a vision of the Lord similar to John’s. Isaiah said:
In the year of King Uzziah’s death, I saw the sovereign master seated on a high, elevated throne. The hem of his robe [glory] filled the temple. Seraphs stood over him; each one had six wings. With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and they used the remaining two to fly. They called out to one another, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord who commands armies! His majestic splendor fills the entire earth!” The sound of their voices shook the door frames, and the temple was filled with smoke. (Isaiah 6:1–4 NET).
The prophet Ezekiel said that the heavens were opened to him and that he “saw visions of God” (Ezekiel 1:1). In the rest of the chapter, Ezekiel describes all he saw using language similar to Moses, Micaiah, Isaiah, and John (see Ezekiel 1). (10)
As with others who have had a true vision of Heaven, John does not describe God in a definable form but rather in terms humans can understand. John speaks of God’s blazing glory and dazzling beauty as brilliant gemstones of jasper and (carnelian or sardius). (10)
Jasper was one of the stones in the high priest’s breastplate (1) (Exodus 28:20). Jasper is also mentioned later in Revelation to describe the brilliant, pure light of the glory of God; it is called a “precious stone” that is as “clear as crystal” (Revelation 21:11). From a spiritual standpoint, we can say that jasper symbolizes the pure holiness of God. (10)
While we don’t know the exact color of the jasper that John sees because it is crystal clear, we can think of it today as resembling a brilliant, sparkling diamond. The wall and the New Jerusalem’s first foundation are made of jasper (Revelation 21:18-19). Because jasper is said to be crystal clear, the glory of God can be seen emanating everywhere throughout New Jerusalem, the city God has prepared as the eternal home of His people. Praise God! (10)
Carnelian (or Sardius) is a beautiful red like a ruby. Sardius was also one of the stones in the high priest’s breastplate (Exodus 28:17). It is listed as the sixth foundation of the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:20). This description indicates the holiness and justness of God. These brilliant colors present a picture of the righteous and holy anger that God is about to pour out on the sinfulness of mankind. (26)
In addition to these gorgeous stones, John sees an emerald or green-colored rainbow around God’s throne. The way John describes it, the rainbow is a full circle around the throne. The full circle symbolizes eternity, much like the wedding ring symbolizes the sacredness of the marriage covenant between a man and a woman. Exodus 28:17 lists emerald as one of the stones in the high priest’s breastplate. It is also the fourth foundation of the wall of the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:19). (10)
Typically, only the top portion of a rainbow is visible from the ground because directions toward the ground have fewer raindrops. From the air, though, the entire 360-degree circle of a rainbow is more commonly visible.
The rainbow is a sign of God’s covenant of life, as we learn in Genesis 9:12-17. Through his vision of God’s throne, John is given an apocalyptic message that a holy God has entered into an everlasting blood covenant with His people through the innocent substitutionary sacrifice of His Son, who gave His life for the sins of mankind. (10)
The rainbow symbolized God’s promise to Noah that there would never be another flood that would destroy the world (Genesis 9:7-17). The rainbow around God’s throne, thus, is a reminder to the Lord to remember His great mercy even in the midst of His divine wrath. (26)
Furthermore, John’s vision contrasts God’s heavenly throne with the emperor’s earthly throne and imperial cult worship. To the people living under Roman rule, the majesty and splendor of the emperor’s throne represented the most powerful ruler in the world. The emperor was a “god” to be feared and obeyed without question. You proved your loyalty to the emperor by sacrificing to him at his temple or statue and altar. The believers were faced with this challenge and crisis. (10)
The Roman emperor controlled most of the world. His power was absolute, and his riches immeasurable. He could do whatever he wanted. He could kill your body but not your soul. (Matthew 10:28) Yet his power and majesty could not even compare to the sovereign rule of God over all of His creation. Caesar’s power, wealth, and glory, as represented by his throne, were nothing compared to the blazing glory and dazzling beauty of the throne of God.
Furthermore, the emperor would have no power unless the Almighty allowed it. We learn this in the Gospel records in the Bible. When Pilate threatened Jesus with crucifixion (10)
Jesus said to him,
Jesus answered, You would not have any power or authority whatsoever against (over) Me if it were not given you from above. For this reason the sin and guilt of the one who delivered Me over to you is greater. (John 19:11 NET)
The vision of the throne room of God would certainly comfort the believers and assure them that God alone was the sovereign Lord and Master of the universe. He alone was to be feared and obeyed. He alone was to be worshiped. In time, He would judge the arrogance of the imperial cult and set His people in the place of honor. Therefore, the believers to whom John wrote learned not to fear those who ruled over them in this world. John’s message applies to believers today; we should pray for those in authority over us, but ultimately, our lives are in God’s hands, not those of evil rulers.
First of all, then, I urge that requests, prayers, intercessions, and thanks be offered on behalf of all people,even for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. Such prayer for all is good and welcomed before God our Savior, since he wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one intermediary between God and humanity, Christ Jesus, himself human,who gave himself as a ransom for all, revealing God’s purpose at his appointed time. (1 Timothy 2:1–6 NET)
Work to see that the city where I sent you as exiles enjoys peace and prosperity. Pray to the Lord for it. For as it prospers you will prosper.’ (Jeremiah 29:7 NET)
God alone is the supreme sovereign over His creation. And He has promised eternal rewards to His people who overcome the temptations of this world. While evil rulers can kill our bodies, God will raise us with new bodies to live with Him forever. (10)
As Paul writes:
Moreover if the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, the one who raised Christ from the dead will also make your mortal bodies alive through his Spirit who lives in you. (Romans 8:11 NET)
All the Caesars are dead, but Jesus, the Son of Man, lives! Earthly leaders only rule for a short time, but God rules forever. He alone is to be feared, praised, and worshiped. (10)
While God will pour out His wrath on the ungodly, He has an everlasting covenant of life for His people purchased for us through the substitutionary blood sacrifice of Jesus. As Paul wrote to the believers at Thessalonica:
For God did not destine us for wrath but for gaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. He died for us so that whether we are alert or asleep we will come to life together with him. Therefore encourage one another and build up each other, just as you are in fact doing. (1 Thessalonians 5:9–11 NET). (10)
THE TWENTY-FOUR ELDERS
In a circle around the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on those thrones were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white clothing and had golden crowns on their heads. (Revelation 4:4 NET)
Around the throne of God, John sees twenty-four elders clothed in white. They are also sitting on thrones and have gold crowns on their heads. Who are these twenty-four elders, and what are they doing around the throne of God? (10)
The word elder (Gk, presbuteros), as used in the book of Revelation, is only used of the twenty-four elders and is used twelve times (Revelation 4:4,10;5:5,6,8,11,14;7:11,13,14;11:16,17,18;14:3;19:4). (18)
The word elder is used in different ways throughout the Bible. It is used for older men who were tribal leaders. Egypt, Moses, and Aaron called the elders to inform them that Yahweh had sent them (Exodus 4:29,30). Later, seventy elders were set up as a special group to assist Moses (Numbers 11:16,17). In the New Covenant, the word elder was used for the rulers of the synagogues (Matthew 21:23;26:57) and for the leaders in the early church (Acts 14:23). It was also used in describing the great Old Covenant men of faith (Hebrews 11:2).
And now, if you will diligently listen to me and keep my covenant, then you will be my special possession out of all the nations, for all the earth is mine, and you will be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you will speak to the Israelites.” (Exodus 19:5–6 NET)
The view that the elders are resurrected saints who have received their rewards from the judgment seat of Christ is also not likely. This is because the Judgment seat of Christ is not said to take place until after the seventh trumpet judgment.
Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet,
and there were loud voices in heaven saying: “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever.” Then the twenty-four elders who are seated on their thrones before God threw themselves down with their faces to the ground and worshiped God with these words: “We give you thanks, Lord God, the All-Powerful, the one who is and who was, because you have taken your great power and begun to reign.
The nations were enraged, but your wrath has come, and the time has come for the dead to be judged, and the time has come to give to your servants, the prophets, their reward, as well as to the saints and to those who revere your name, both small and great, and the time has come to destroy those who destroy the earth.” Then the temple of God in heaven was opened and the ark of his covenant was visible within his temple. And there were flashes of lightning, roaring, crashes of thunder, an earthquake, and a great hailstorm.
(Revelation 11:16–19 NET)
If, as proposed, Revelation is chronological, then the seventh trumpet judgment has not yet taken place; therefore, neither has the Judgment seat of Christ. The believers these elders are often said to symbolize are usually the twelve Patriarchs of Israel and the twelve Apostles. It is argued that after the rapture, these two groups will be fused into one people. While it is true that there is no distinction between Jew and Gentile in the Church of Jesus, it does not necessarily follow that a fused group of Old and New Testament believers will represent the redeemed of the ages. If this group does, one may ask why there are not twenty-four gates and twenty-four foundations instead of 12 in the New Jerusalem? (26)
It has a massive, high wall with twelve gates, with twelve angels at the gates, and the names of the twelve tribes of the nation of Israel are written on the gates. There are three gates on the east side, three gates on the north side, three gates on the south side and three gates on the west side. The wall of the city has twelve foundations, and on them are the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. (Revelation 21:12–14 NET)
John specifically told us that the gates and foundations represent the twelve Old Testament Patriarchs and the twelve New Testament Apostles. To have twelve gates for the Patriarchs and twelve foundations for the Apostles does not represent a true fusion of Jewish and Christian believers. (26)
The significance of the fact that there were twenty-four elders is clarified in the Old Covenant. The priesthood of ancient Israel, made up of the house of Aaron, was divided into twenty-four courses or groups of priests. (1 Chronicles 24). Each group served for two weeks each year on a rotation basis. As the prophet was God’s spokesman to the people, the priest was the people’s representative before God. The number twenty-four in connection with the priesthood would speak of complete representation. Each group of priests had one priest who represented it. When these twenty-four priests met, they represented the entire priesthood and, simultaneously,
the whole nation of Israel.
John specifically said these elders to be “sitting” (Revelation 4:4;11:16). To any Jewish contemporary of John, that would have been an amazing statement. They knew the Levitical priests never sat down because their work was never done. (1) Their work was never done because the sacrifices of animals they offered could never take away sin – they could only cover sin for a year. But Jesus offered Himself as an infinite and eternal sacrifice and, therefore, never had to be repeated. The writer of Hebrews reveals that:
The Son is the radiance of his glory and the representation of his essence, and he sustains all things by his powerful word, and so when he had accomplished cleansing for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. (Hebrews 1:3 NET)
These twenty-four elders were seated on thrones around the Heavenly Father because Jesus, our Great High Priest (1), had once and for all opened the way into the Most Holy Place (1) in Heaven! These are the same thrones promised to overcomers at Laodicea (1).
I will grant the one who conquers permission to sit with me on my throne, just as I too conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne.
(Revelation 3:21 NET)
This background information should give us a good idea of who the twenty-four elders represent. In the Bible, numbers often have symbolic meanings. Scholars understand that the number 12 can symbolize government or leadership and can be a representative number. Furthermore, the Bible refers to Jews and non-Jewish believers as the priests of God (Exodus 19:6; 1 Peter 2:9; Revelation 1:6;5:10). (10)
When considering everything, the twenty-four elders are seen with Jesus the High Priest (Revelation 5) and represent the following:
The redeemed ones of the twelve tribes of Israel (including proselytes and all that received righteousness through faith since the fall of Adam) who have died and were liberated when Jesus moved Paradise
(aka, the Garden of Eden (1)) from Hades back to Heaven (1).
and
The redeemed ones, Jews and Gentiles, who directly or indirectly were born again through the ministry of the twelve apostles of the Lamb (the original eleven plus a replacement) and have died.
Together, they represent the company of all believers (i.e., Jews and Gentile believers) that have died and are with the Lord sometime before the Seals on the Scroll were opened. They do not yet have a glorified body, which will be given to them, and us Christians later when Jesus returns.
Therefore we are always full of courage, and we know that as long as we are alive here on earth we are absent from the Lord—for we live by faith, not by sight. Thus we are full of courage and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. (2 Corinthians 5:6–8 NET)
Again, they are seen in Heaven offering constant praise and worship to our God.
Similarly, the twelve gates in the New Jerusalem have the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel, while the city’s foundations have the names of the twelve apostles. (10)
The city possesses the glory of God; its brilliance is like a precious jewel, like a stone of crystal-clear jasper.It has a massive, high wall with twelve gates, with twelve angels at the gates, and the names of the twelve tribes of the nation of Israel are written on the gates. There are three gates on the east side, three gates on the north side, three gates on the south side and three gates on the west side. The wall of the city has twelve foundations, and on them are the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
(Revelation 21:11–14 NET)
These elders are clothed in white clothing (Revelation 4:4).
Again, a Jewish contemporary of John would have immediately understood the significance of the white robes. When the ancient high priest of Israel on Yom Kippur (i.e., the Day of Atonements)
prepared to enter the Holy of Holies and the presence of God,
he would change from his magnificent priestly robes;
When he withdrew from the Tabernacle,
he again put on the
“Golden Garments”
(Leviticus 16:23,24).
In the presence of the people, the magnificent priestly garments were to be worn. However, a linen robe was worn in the presence of our Holy God, who is a consuming fire. The “white raiment” in which the elders were clothed speaks elegantly of their entrance “within the veil” in the presence of God. The same significance is seen in the statement that these are the same white garments reserved for overcomers at Sardis (1):
But you have a few individuals in Sardis who have not stained their clothes, and they will walk with me dressed in white, because they are worthy. The one who conquers will be dressed like them in white clothing, and I will never erase his name from the book of life, but will declare his name before my Father and before his angels. (Revelation 3:4,5 NET)
That is, overcomers will enjoy the divine presence forever!
Note these elders had “golden crowns” on their heads (Revelation 4:4). The Greek word for “crown” used here is stephanos, which means a victory crown more than the crown of a sovereign Lord, which is the Greek word transliterated as diadem. This is the same crown promised to overcomers at Smyrna (1):
‘I know the distress you are suffering and your poverty (but you are rich). I also know the slander against you by those who call themselves Jews and really are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. Do not be afraid of the things you are about to suffer. The devil is about to have some of you thrown into prison so you may be tested, and you will experience suffering for ten days. Remain faithful even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown [stephanos] that is life itself. (Revelation 2:9–10 NET)
The crowns upon the heads of the twenty-four elders suggest that those they represent are overcomers and victorious. They are seen in their representative priestly ministry – not in sacrifice, but intercession:
and when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders threw themselves to the ground before the Lamb. Each of them had a harp and golden bowls full of incense (which are the prayers of the saints). (Revelation 5:8 NET)
They are also seen in their priestly ministry of praise:
the twenty-four elders throw themselves to the ground before the one who sits on the throne and worship the one who lives forever and ever, and they offer their crowns before his throne, saying: “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, since you created all things, and because of your will they existed and were created!” (Revelation 4:10–11 NET)
In summary, they are clothed in white, which symbolizes their purity; they are sitting with the Lord on their own thrones, which symbolizes their royal position as Kingdom people; and they are wearing gold crowns on their heads, which symbolize they are victors. They are constantly offering praise and worship to God and singing the new song of the redeemed.
In his apocalyptic vision, John sees the believers in the seven congregations (1) receiving the promises the Son of Man gave to those who overcame (Revelation 2:7,11,17,26; 3:5,12,21; 21:7). He writes this to them to encourage them, not to “fix their sandals” (1) at the altar and statue to the emperor. If they overcome, they will receive the promised blessings. Hallelujah! (10)
The Caesars organized formal emperor worship festivals with choirs, singing, dancing, and sacrifices. It was quite a spectacle as the community expressed their loyalty and allegiance to the empire. It was a joyous festival of celebration for sure. Yet, it paled compared to the praise and worship of God’s people in Heaven. The believers in the seven congregations to whom John wrote should not feel “left out” of the worldly excitement accompanying emperor worship in their towns. If they overcame, they would have a celebration in Heaven to look forward to; it would be pure, holy, and much more exciting. Plus, it would last forever. (10)
This prophetic vision was specifically for the people facing the challenge and crisis of the imperial cult of emperor worship. But his vision is certainly relevant to all of God’s people throughout history who have stood firm and resisted compromising their faith even when it meant persecution and martyrdom. As with God’s people in times past, we too were overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony (Revelation 12:11). This is certainly an encouraging word for believers today who live in an increasingly anti-God world. (10)
SEVEN FLAMING TORCHES
From the throne came out flashes of lightning and roaring and crashes of thunder. Seven flaming torches, which are the seven spirits of God, were burning in front of the throne
(Revelation 4:5 NET)
John sees God’s awesome and frightening power around His throne, which we would certainly expect from the Creator of the universe. He mentions lightning, thundering, voices (loud rumblings), and seven lamps of fire). Anyone who has ever been in a violent thunderstorm can appreciate the power and force of what John sees. It can be terrifying. In the Bible, these phenomena accompany the presence of God and symbolize His awesome power and majesty. I can guarantee the emperor did not have such an entourage surrounding him. (10)
When God revealed Himself at Mount Sinai (1), His presence was announced with thundering, lightning, a thick cloud, smoke and fire, and a long, loud, frightening blast of the shofar that got louder and louder. The whole mountain shook violently, and the people were terrified. (Exodus 19:16-19.) (10)
These phenomena manifest throughout the Book of Revelation when God concludes His series of judgments. For example, when the seventh seal is opened, God announces the coming judgments with thundering, lightning, noises (rumblings), and an earthquake (Revelation 8:5). This is repeated when the seventh trumpet is sounded (Revelation 11:19). In addition to the thunderings, lightning, rumblings, and the earthquake, there is great hail. John records the same phenomena with the seventh bowl judgment and adds that the earthquake is the largest the earth has ever experienced (Revelation 16:18). (10)
We serve an awesome God! No earthly ruler, no matter how much power and control he has, can compare to the greatness of our God. He alone is worthy of our awe and our praise and worship. In their arrogance, ancient emperors, Caesars, and modern would-be dictators think they are in control. They laugh at God and His people. Yet they are nothing compared to our God. (10)
He will have the last laugh, as we learn in the Book of Psalms:
Why do the nations rebel? Why are the countries devising plots that will fail? The kings of the earth form a united front; the rulers collaborate against the Lord and his anointed king. They say, “Let’s tear off the shackles they’ve put on us! Let’s free ourselves from their ropes!” The one enthroned in heaven laughs in disgust; the Lord taunts them. Then he angrily speaks to them and terrifies them in his rage, saying, “I myself have installed my king on Zion, my holy hill.” The king says, “I will announce the Lord’s decree. He said to me: ‘You are my son! This very day I have become your father! Ask me, and I will give you the nations as your inheritance, the ends of the earth as your personal property. You will break them with an iron scepter; you will smash them like a potter’s jar!’ ” So now, you kings, do what is wise; you rulers of the earth, submit to correction! Serve the Lord in fear! Repent in terror! Give sincere homage! Otherwise he will be angry, and you will die because of your behavior, when his anger quickly ignites. How blessed are all who take shelter in him! (Psalm 2:1–12 NET)
For those who may be tempted to “fix their sandals” (1) before the altars of the anti-God government and world system, do not do it. The arrogant leaders of the nations of our world who seek to rule without God are neither to be feared nor admired. They are to be pitied. They come and go and only last a short time. But our God is the Ancient of Days. His days are without number, and His Kingdom is everlasting. Our God in Heaven will soon break the power of every puny dictator and foolish council of nations. They will soon bow to Him and acknowledge that our God is God and He alone is sovereign. (10)
As we also learn in Psalms:
Let all the people of the earth acknowledge the Lord and turn to him! Let all the nations worship you! For the Lord is king and rules over the nations. (Psalm 22:27–28 NET)
In addition to the natural phenomena surrounding the throne of God, John also sees seven lamps of fire burning before the throne of God. In this instance, we don’t have to interpret what John means by this symbol because he tells us. He says that the seven lamps of fire are the seven Spirits of God. (10)
We cannot see the Holy Spirit unless the Spirit is embodied in some way, such as in the form of a dove (1) when Jesus was baptized (Matthew 3:16) and in the tongues of fire in Acts 2:3. In John’s vision, the Holy Spirit is manifested through the seven lamps of fire. (10)
In Revelation 1:4, the seven Spirits of God send greetings to the seven congregations. In Revelation 3:1, Jesus told the believers at Sardis that He had the seven Spirits of God. In discussing these verses, I mentioned that seven means completeness when connected to God. The phrase refers to the Holy Spirit or, as John would say in Hebrew, Ruach HaKodesh. (10)
THE SEVEN SPIRITS OF GOD
From John, to the seven churches that are in the province of Asia: Grace and peace to you from “he who is,” and who was, and who is still to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, (Revelation 1:4 NET)(cf. Revelation 5:6)
He refers to the Holy Spirit as the “seven Spirits who are before His [God’s] throne.” Once again, seven is the number of completion or fullness. This instance refers to the perfect Holy Spirit who receives God’s Words and gives them to God’s people.
You might be saying – I thought the Holy Spirit (1) was one Spirit? This verse in the apocalyptic book of Revelation points out that while there is one Holy Spirit, He has seven facets, characteristic manifestations, or ministries. These characteristic ministries are stated in the Old Testament prophesy about the then-future time during Jesus’ Earthly ministry when the Holy Spirit would come upon Him in His fullness (Luke 3:21-23. Luke 4:1. John 3:34).
And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD (Isaiah 11:2 KJV)
In the Bible, a person’s characteristics are revealed through their name. Therefore, studying these seven names of the Holy Spirit will help us to understand Him and what He desires to accomplish in our lives.
1. Spirit of the Lord
The word Lord here is Yahweh which is often translated as Jehovah. This name reveals that the Holy Spirit is not just God but the covenant-keeping God. He will see to it that all the promises in the Bible are fulfilled (Exodus 34:6,7). He watches over the covenant to enforce it, explaining why the warning not to blaspheme the Holy Spirit is given (Luke 12:10). That is, to reject the Holy Spirit’s offer of being born again or saved (1) leaves nothing after death but God’s wrath in Hell (1) (John 16:7-15). Furthermore, He is the One that communicates the will of God from the Lord Jesus, the head of the church in Heaven, to the church on Earth (Acts 1:2. Acts 13:4. Acts 20:28. Romans 8:9. Colossians 1:18-20).
2. Spirit of Wisdom
It is the work of the Holy Spirit to impart wisdom to those that receive Him. This is evident in the gifts of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:8. Mark 13:11. Luke 12:11,12). A great definition of wisdom is the ability to use knowledge.
3. Spirit of Understanding
It is the work of the Holy Spirit to impart understanding to those that receive Him (1 John 5:20. Acts 1:16. Acts 4:25. Acts 28:25. 2 Peter 1:21 ).
4. Spirit of Counsel
The Holy Spirit is the One that gives us God’s counsel in all our plans (Proverbs 3:5,6. John 14:26. Acts 13:2. Acts 15:28. Acts 16:6. Acts 20:23. Acts 21:11. 2 Corinthians 13:13).
5. Spirit of Might, Strength, or Power
The Holy Spirit is the One that gives strength or power to do the work of Jesus (Isaiah 40:31. Acts 1:8. Acts 4:8. Acts 4:31. Acts 10:38. 1 Thessalonians 1:5,6. Hebrews 2:4).
Therefore he told me, “These signify the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by strength and not by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord who rules over all.” (Zechariah 4:6 NET)
6. Spirit of Knowledge
It is the work of the Holy Spirit to impart knowledge to those that receive Him. This is evident in the gifts of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:8. Luke 2:25-30).
7. Spirit of the Fear of the Lord
The Holy Spirit teaches us to fear the Lord (Acts 9:31). To fear the Lord is not to be afraid of God but rather have infinite respect and reverence for His holiness (Exodus 20:20). This holiness is so powerful that its proclamation shook the temple in Heaven (Isaiah 6:3,4). The love of God draws us to salvation (Romans 2:4); however, the fear of God must be added to this love for holiness to be perfected in our lives (2 Corinthians 7:1).
THE FOUR LIVING CREATURES
and in front of the throne was something like a sea of glass, like crystal. In the middle of the throne and around the throne were four living creatures full of eyes in front and in back. The first living creature was like a lion, the second creature like an ox, the third creature had a face like a man’s, and the fourth creature looked like an eagle flying. Each one of the four living creatures had six wings and was full of eyes all around and inside. They never rest day or night, saying: “Holy Holy Holy is the Lord God, the All-Powerful, Who was and who is, and who is still to come!” And whenever the living creatures give glory, honor, and thanks to the one who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders throw themselves to the ground before the one who sits on the throne and worship the one who lives forever and ever, and they offer their crowns before his throne, saying: “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, since you created all things, and because of your will they existed and were created!” (Revelation 4:6–11 NET)
John continues to describe his prophetic vision in apocalyptic language and mentions a sea of glass before the throne of God. He says it is like crystal. He did not mean that he saw a literal sea. He used figurative language to describe the floor before God’s throne. He is trying to explain God’s limitless splendor and riches in contrast to the emperors. (10)
When Moses, Aaron, his sons, and the 70 elders of Israel approached God on Mount Sinai, they saw something similar under the feet of God. (10)
Exodus reads:
and they saw the God of Israel. Under his feet there was something like a pavement made of sapphire, clear like the sky itself. (Exodus 24:10).
In Ezekiel’s vision of Heaven, he also mentions an expanse that he describes as:
Over the heads of the living beings was something like a platform, glittering awesomely like ice, stretched out over their heads. (Ezekiel 1:22 NET)
The shape of an expanse, with a gleam like awe-inspiring crystal, was spread out over the heads of the living creatures. (Ezekiel 1:22 HCSB)
Crystal-clear glass was rare in ancient times, including the New Testament era. As a result, crystal was very expensive. The Romans considered crystal a luxury item that only the super-wealthy could afford. Of course, the emperors had crystal, but even to them, it symbolized wealth and extravagance. By saying that God’s throne sits on a sea of crystal-clear glass, John makes a big point for the believers he is writing to. He is saying that the throne of God far surpasses that of any earthly ruler, including the emperor. Therefore, do not “fix your sandals” before the altar to Caesar. (10)
This is certainly a word for us today. The glory of God that believers will enjoy in Heaven makes the riches of this world pale in comparison. Whatever the world can offer us in material riches is not worth having if it means we must compromise or bow to the anti-God system to get it or keep it. God’s riches far surpass anything this world can offer us. He has an infinite supply of spectacular splendor waiting for us to enjoy on the other side.
John also sees four “otherworldly” beings around the throne of God. The English language translation refers to them as four living creatures or beings. Who are these strange beings, and what are they doing around the throne of God? (10)
Because John is a Jewish visionary, we find the answer in the Hebrew Bible, where we learn that God created special beings called the “host of heaven” (Nehemiah 9:6). We know them by their more common name, angels (1). Angels are mentioned throughout the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament, and all ancient cultures. (10)
God created angels before He created human beings and endowed them with supernatural abilities far beyond those He gave to humans. Angels are personal beings God created to serve Him and his people. We cannot see angels with our natural eyes unless they reveal themselves. Many people claim that they have seen angels. They are very active in our world; we are unaware of their presence and activities. (10)
Because God so transcends humans, it is not feasible for Him to directly reveal Himself to us unless He appears in a veiled way, as He did at Mount Sinai. In our fallen human condition, we simply cannot stand in the direct presence of our Creator. The gap between the infinite Creator and the finite creature is too great. Angels, therefore, assist God in ministering to people. When necessary, they connect Heaven to Earth as God’s messengers communicating His plans and will to mankind, executing His plans and will on the Earth, announcing and carrying out His judgments, praising and worshiping God, etc. (10)
Two of the highest orders of angles mentioned in the Bible are cherubim and seraphim. The etymology of the word cherubim is not clear. Because of their ministry in the presence of God, scholars have understood the word to mean “holiness.” We first learn about cherubim in the Garden of Eden (1), where God placed them at the entrance to prevent Adam and Eve from eating from the Tree of Life after they ate from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil (Genesis 3:24). (10)
God instructed Moses to make a sculpture of two cherubim and affix them to the Ark of the Covenant, where God would meet with Moses in the Holy of Holies in the Tabernacle. God’s glory appeared between the cherubim above the mercy seat. Cherubim were also embroidered on the tabernacle curtains and later in the Temple. In his apocalyptic vision, Ezekiel described four living creatures similar to what John saw in his revelation (Ezekiel 1 and Ezekiel 10). (10)
Considering all the references to cherubim, they are the living “Chariots of God” carrying Him when He appears to humans. They serve as guardians of God’s throne and His presence. Of course, God does not need any special beings to guard His throne or presence, but He has created cherubim for this purpose so He can connect with human beings.
The word seraphim is derived from a Hebrew word, saraph, which means “to burn or burning ones.”
Isaiah said
In the year of King Uzziah’s death, I saw the sovereign master seated on a high, elevated throne. The hem of his robe [glory] filled the temple. Seraphs [seraphim] stood over him; each one had six wings. With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and they used the remaining two to fly. They called out to one another, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord who commands armies! His majestic splendor fills the entire earth!” The sound of their voices shook the door frames, and the temple was filled with smoke. (Isaiah 6:1–4 NET).
Isaiah’s description of the seraphim is similar to the four living creatures John describes. John says that each living creature has six wings and is full of eyes. One has the face of a lion, one the face of a calf, one the face of a man, and one the face of a flying eagle. (10)
It would be easy to speculate at length on the meaning of the symbolism of their appearance (their faces and wings), but the important consideration is the function of the seraphim. In Hebraic thinking, function is more important than form. So what is their function? (10)
When Isaiah sees the throne of God, although a servant of God, he realizes his absolute sinfulness. Then the Seraphim does the following: (26)
But then one of the seraphs flew toward me. In his hand was a hot coal he had taken from the altar with tongs. He touched my mouth with it and said, “Look, this coal has touched your lips. Your evil is removed; your sin is forgiven.” (Isaiah 6:6–7 NET)
It seems evident from Isaiah that the role of the Seraphim is to purify those who are about to enter before the throne of Almighty God. As the “burning ones,” they will test by fire live coals and cleanse believers before they enter God’s presence. We will later see that they will purify the true disciples from the false disciples as the seals of Revelation are opened. This is done to bring the true body of Christ before the throne of God. (26)
In addition, their purpose is to glorify God through continuous praise and worship. They are God’s praise and worship leaders in Heaven. Along with the cherubim, they are God’s highest order of angels who lead all of Heaven in glorifying God for His greatness as expressed in the beauty of His holiness. (10)
While the English translation of words is slightly different, their worship is basically the same as what Isaiah saw and heard in his vision. We are blessed that John records this heavenly worship for us:
Each of the four living creatures had six wings; they were covered with eyes around and inside. Day and night they never stop, saying: Holy, holy, holy, Lord God, the Almighty, who was, who is, and who is coming. (Revelation 4:8 NET)
In a deeply moving song she copyrighted in 1986, Elisheva Shomron put these powerful words to music. Below are the Hebrew lyrics with the English translation in brackets: (10)
Kadosh, kadosh, kadosh [Holy, holy, holy],
Adonai Elohim Tz’va’ot [Lord God of Hosts]…
Asher hayah [who was]
V’hoveh [and who is]
V’ yavo [and who is to come]
This awesome worship of God continues with the seraphim giving glory, honor, and thanks to the Lord. The twenty-four elders watching all of this cannot simply be idle observers. They fall on their faces before God, cast their crowns before His throne, and declare: (10)
Our Lord and God, You are worthy to receive glory and honor and power, because You have created all things, and because of Your will they exist and were created. (Revelation 4:11 NET)
May we do the same as we contemplate the greatness of our Father in Heaven. (10)
Whenever the Roman emperor would begin his procession in a parade of triumph, the crowds would line the streets and greet him, saying, “You are worthy.” The Roman Emperor Domitian added the phrase “our Lord and God” to the greeting.
In our current passage, John encourages the believers faced with emperor worship to recognize that God alone is worthy. He alone is the Lord God. He alone has created everything and sustains everything by the Word of His power. No Roman emperor ever created anything out of nothing. They are born, they live, and they die. But the Lord God Almighty created everything through His spoken Word. He alone transcends time and space. He was, He is, and He is to come (Revelation 4:8). Hallelujah! (10)
The Caesars of Rome and the arrogant leaders of our world today are nothing compared to the Creator of the universe. In light of this glorious heavenly vision, believers should not bow to our world’s anti-God governments and leaders. The One True God will soon pour out His judgments on them until they bow to Him. (10)
When John says that the twenty-four elders cast their crowns before the throne, he uses symbolic language to say they acknowledge that God alone is worthy of their praise and worship. Because of God’s greatness and goodness, His power, His grace, and His mercy, they were able to overcome. May we do the same! (10)
THE SCROLL
Then I saw in the right hand of the one who was seated on the throne a scroll written on the front and back and sealed with seven seals. And I saw a powerful angel proclaiming in a loud voice: “Who is worthy to open the scroll and to break its seals?” But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or look into it. So I began weeping bitterly because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. (Revelation 5:1–4 NET)
As John looks closer, he sees the Almighty God, Creator of the universe, holding a scroll in His right hand. The scroll is written inside and on the back and is sealed with seven seals. What is this seven-sealed scroll, and why does God have it in His right hand? (10)
In ancient times, people wrote on parchment and scrolls. In our study of God’s prophetic message to the believers at Pergamos(1), we learned that parchment was first developed at Pergamos, from which the word parchment is derived. Parchment was made from animal skins, particularly the skins of sheep and goats. We learn in the apostle Paul’s letter to Timothy that he used parchment (Timothy 4:13). (10)
Scrolls were primarily written on papyrus which was a paper-like material made from reeds from the Nile Delta in Egypt. The books Paul mentioned to Timothy were probably papyrus scrolls. We learn in the Hebrew Bible that the prophets often wrote their messages and visions on a scroll (Jeremiah 36; Ezekiel 2; Isaiah 29; Daniel 12). (10)
Because of the way that papyrus material was made, it was easier for people to write only on one side of the scroll. They went to the extra trouble to write on both sides when necessary. For example, when God gave His words to Ezekiel, He had written on both sides of the scroll. (10)
Ezekiel writes:
Then I looked and realized a hand was stretched out to me, and in it was a written scroll. He unrolled it before me, and it had writing on the front and back; written on it were laments, mourning, and woe. Ezekiel 2:9-10).
From this verse in Ezekiel, we learn that the scroll in Revelation was not the first time God had written an important message on a scroll. (10)
If the contents of a scroll were to be read only by an authorized person, the writer would seal the scroll to keep its contents private. Only the authorized person could open the seals and the scroll. We see an example of this in Isaiah, which reads:
To you this entire prophetic revelation is like words in a sealed scroll. When they hand it to one who can read and say, “Read this,” he responds, “I can’t, because it is sealed.” (Isaiah 29:11).
When Daniel struggled to understand his prophetic vision, the Lord sent an angel to explain its meaning. (10)
The angel said to Daniel:
Now I have come to help you understand what will happen to your people in the latter days, for the vision pertains to future days.” (Daniel 10:14 NET).
Then the angel said:
But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase (Daniel 12:4 NET).
The angel repeated himself to Daniel:
He said, “Go, Daniel. For these matters are closed and sealed until the time of the end. (Daniel 12:9 NET).
Whenever a scroll was sealed, people knew that the document had not been opened and that the contents written in the document had been kept confidential. Again, only the authorized person could open the seals and the scroll. (10)
In ancient cultures, breaking the seal of the scroll of an official or a king would often result in death. That is why the Romans sealed Jesus’ tomb (Matthew 27:66). Anyone who broke the Roman seal, who did not have the authority to do so, would be killed. (26)
In the Bible, the right hand symbolizes power and authority. For example, Psalm 98 is a song of victory and praise to God for His salvation and judgment. It begins with this exuberant praise: (10)
Sing to the Lord a new song, for he performs amazing deeds! His right hand and his mighty arm accomplish deliverance. (Psalm 98:1 NET).
The Lord gives the following word of assurance to His people:
Don’t be afraid, for I am with you! Don’t be frightened, for I am your God! I strengthen you— yes, I help you— yes, I uphold you with my saving right hand! (Isaiah 41:10 NET).
The fact that God the Father has this scroll in His right hand is John’s way of symbolically saying that God Himself wrote the scroll’s contents. As the Creator of the universe, He can give the scroll to whomever He pleases. (10)
WHAT IS WRITTEN ON THIS SCROLL?
The scroll is the “Scroll of Authority,” which is the original title deed to rule planet Earth given to the first Adam by God. This scroll stated that man was to be the ruler over Earth but only for a finite time. God sealed it with seven seals so the scroll contents could not be altered.
The first Adam, the original ruler of Earth, made a legal covenant with Satan (1) by eating from the forbidden Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil – the original sin. Consequently, God being JUST, must honor this covenant, thus giving Satan man’s authority to rule (i.e., the right to use his archangel power) in the WORLD system he has built on Earth.
We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. (1 John 5:19 NET)
I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles, to whom I am sending you to open their eyes so that they turn from darkness to light and from the power55 [authority in the domain] of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a share among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’ (Acts 26:17–18 NET)
And although you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you formerly lived according to this world’s present path, according to the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the ruler of the spirit that is now energizing the sons of disobedience, among whom all of us also formerly lived out our lives in the cravings of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath even as the rest … (Ephesians 2:1–3 NET)
I will not speak with you much longer, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no power over me, (John 14:30 NET)
He has this right for the time specified originally to the first Adam in the Scroll of Authority (1).
When he came to the other side, to the region of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men coming from the tombs met him. They were extremely violent, so that no one was able to pass by that way. They cried out, “Son of God, leave us alone! Have you come here to torment us before the time?” (Matthew 8:29 NET)
Therefore you heavens rejoice, and all who reside in them! But woe to the earth and the sea because the devil has come down to you! He is filled with terrible anger, for he knows that he only has a little time!” (Revelation 12:12 NET)
Realize covenants contain blessings for those keeping the covenant (Deuteronomy 28:1-14 )and curses for those breaking the covenant (cf. Deuteronomy 15-68). However, Satan’s blessings for those that keep this covenant are various levels of cruelty (Proverbs 12:10).
A righteous person cares for the life of his animal, but even the most compassionate acts of the wicked are cruel. (Proverbs 12:10 NET)
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come so that they may have life, and may have it abundantly. (John 10:10 NET)
Furthermore, Satan placed curses on the original seals of the Scroll of Authority so that any attempt to open the scroll to break the covenant with Satan would release the curses. Satan then hid it where he thought no man could retrieve it – in the Abyss of Hades. He did this in an attempt to maintain his rule on planet Earth beyond the terms of the Scroll of Authority (i.e., indefinitely).
However, it seems Satan did not consider that God would become Man (1). (John 1:1,14) Jesus not only took our sin to the Abyss(1) for eternal storage but, upon leaving (1), retrieved the Scroll of Authority and gave it to God His (and our!) Father upon His ascension. By taking the Scroll of Authority, He restored the right to rule planet Earth to a man – the Son of Man, Jesus the Messiah, who is God (Matthew 28:18, Revelation 1:18).
When the Scroll of Authority is revealed to those in Heaven (i.e., to those that had accepted Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior (1) from both the Old and New Covenants (2) and have died), no one in Heaven on Earth or in Hades was found worthy to open its seals (Revelation 5:2-4). Then the Lamb of God who took away the world’s sin appears – the Lion of the Tribe of Judah! (Revelation 5:5-7. John 1:29. 1 John 2:2). Jesus the Messiah alone is the sinless God-Man that has the authority to open the seals – an authority He purchased with His own blood (Revelation 5:9-14. Isaiah 28:15-18). Jesus, who came in the flesh, is Lord! (1 John 4:2,3. 1 Corinthians 8:6. 1 Corinthians 12:3) Now when the lease terms are revealed by opening the scroll – and then satisfied – Satan could be evicted from His position as God of this World (2 Corinthians 4:4). Why not evict Satan sooner? I am glad you asked!
Again, the problem is Satan’s curses on the scroll’s seals. Satan designed the curses such that the opening of each seal would release a destructive curse upon the creature that God loved and wanted to rescue – mankind! This was Satan’s backup plan to keep the lease terms from being revealed and fulfilled, thus an attempt to ensure his rule over his world system indefinitely.
Consequently, God made a way for those that by faith have accepted Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior to escape God’s WRATH even as those in Noah’s ark escaped the flood’s destruction (1 Peter 3:20). That is, the Body of Christ (aka, the Bride of Christ or the Church) is figuratively God’s Ark to preserve mankind living on planet Earth before the time comes to open the last Scroll’s Seal which results in initiating the trumpet and bowl judgments of Gods Wrath. All who accept God’s MERCY by entering the Ark (i.e., accepting Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior) will be saved from the release of God’s WRATH during this time known as the “Day of the Lord.” That is, believers will be translated (1) immediately to Heaven to join the rest of those that have accepted Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior (1) before they fell asleep (i.e., died) in both the Old and New Covenant periods (2) (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. 1 Thessalonians 5:9. Matthew 24:21. 2 Corinthians 5:8).
Again, believers are taken (raptured) to Heaven during the interval or pause before the Seventh, and the last Seal of the Scroll of Authority is opened (Revelation 7:9-17).
In addition, God will have angels seal and reserve 144,000 “elect of Israel” who will go through the Day of the Lord and not bow their knees to the Antichrist. Antichrist means “against Christ” and “in place of Christ.”
This means that what Satan meant for a curse on all mankind becomes an instrument or tool for divine judgment of WRATH on those that have refused the greater MERCY freely made available to all.
Nevertheless, those who call upon the Lord can still be saved during this period of God’s Wrath (Revelation 7:13,14). Why? Because MERCY triumphs over JUDGMENT, and God’s MERCY is FOREVER! (James 2:13. Psalms 136) Nevertheless, not many will turn to the Lord during this time and be eternally destroyed (Revelation 9:20,21. Revelation 16:9-11. Revelation 20:11-15).
So, how can a good God that is GRACE, MERCY, and COMPASSION pass JUDGMENT for destruction and suffering?
The answer is that God does not cause this suffering. Mankind causes this due to the hardness of his heart. It is the result of the evil in people’s hearts to live their lives without God. His Great MERCY is extended to all equally, and He waits patiently for all to accept it.
so that you may be like your Father in heaven, since he causes the sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. (Matthew 5:45 NET)
Or do you have contempt for the wealth of his kindness, forbearance, and patience, and yet do not know that God’s kindness leads you to repentance? (Romans 2:4 NET)
The Lord is not slow concerning his promise, as some regard slowness, but is being patient toward you, because he does not wish for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9 NET)
An evil man is rebellious to the core. He does not fear God, for he is too proud to recognize and give up his sin. The words he speaks are sinful and deceitful; he does not care about doing what is wise and right. He plans ways to sin while he lies in bed; he is committed to a sinful lifestyle; he does not reject what is evil. (Psalm 36:1–4 NET)
Nevertheless, when the point is reached that a person or persons, by an act of their will, decide to never change from serving evil (Satan) to serving good (God), then the only thing left is a JUDGMENT of WRATH that will keep them that have chosen to serve Satan from affecting the MERCY to be received by those that have chosen to serve God. That is, the MERCY for the future of those that have chosen to serve God trumps the present MERCY extended to all resulting in the removal and incarceration of those that have chosen to serve evil.
It is terrible to show partiality to the wicked, by depriving a righteous man of justice. (Proverbs 18:5 NET)
If the wicked are shown mercy, they do not learn about justice. Even in a land where right is rewarded, they act unjustly; they do not see the Lord’s majesty revealed. (Isaiah 26:10 NET)
The Lord abhors the way of the wicked, but he loves those who pursue righteousness. (Proverbs 15:9 NET)
The Lord approves of the godly, but he hates the wicked and those who love to do violence. (Psalm 11:5 NET)
The wicked have no chance for deliverance, for they do not seek your statutes. (Psalm 119:155 NET)
The Lord protects those who love him, but he destroys all the wicked. (Psalm 145:20 NET)
The Lord pays attention to the godly and hears their cry for help. But the Lord opposes evildoers and wipes out all memory of them from the earth. (Psalm 34:15–16 NET)
May sinners disappear from the earth, and the wicked vanish! Praise the Lord, O my soul! Praise the Lord! (Psalm 104:35 NET)
Remember, refusal of the greater MERCY leaves only the WRATH. (1)
The wicked have decided to never change from evil to good, unrighteous to righteous, and wicked to godly.
There is no Mercy for the wicked.
THE LAMB IS WORTHY
Then one of the elders said to me, “Stop weeping! Look, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, has conquered; thus he can open the scroll and its seven seals.” Then I saw standing in the middle of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the middle of the elders, a Lamb that appeared to have been killed. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. Then he came and took the scroll from the right hand of the one who was seated on the throne, and when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders threw themselves to the ground before the Lamb. Each of them had a harp and golden bowls full of incense (which are the prayers of the saints). (Revelation 5:5–8 NET)
When Jesus took the scroll, Heaven and Earth began a spontaneous chorus of praise and worship to God and the Lamb. The sounds of creation singing a new redemption song filled Heaven and Earth. Nothing Rome or the Caesars could orchestrate could compare to the exaltation John saw and heard. Caesar is dead; Jesus lives! (10)
It began with those nearest the throne. The four powerful angels and the twenty-four elders started this heavenly worship by bowing before the Lamb. Each had a harp in one hand and a golden bowl of incense in the other hand. The harp symbolized their praise and worship, while the bowl of incense symbolized the prayers of God’s people (Psalms. 141:2; 150:3). (10)
John writes:
They were singing a new song: “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals because you were killed, and at the cost of your own blood you have purchased for God persons from every tribe, language, people, and nation. You have appointed them as a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.” (Revelation 5:9-10 NET).
Jesus is worthy because He has redeemed us. In biblical times, God established that a slave could be redeemed or set free by one worthy to purchase his freedom. But one had to qualify to be a redeemer.
In biblical times there were five requirements to be a redeemer. Only when these five requirements were met was one considered a worthy redeemer. (10)
- The person had to be a near kinsman. In other words, he had to be the nearest kin family member.
- The person had to be willing to redeem the slave. He could not be made to redeem the one in bondage.
- The person had to be able to redeem the slave. This means there could be no technicalities that would disqualify the person as a redeemer.
- The person had to be a freeman. A slave could not redeem a slave.
- The potential redeemer had to have the money or price required to redeem the slave. (10)
Jesus is worthy to take the scroll, open the seals, and redeem us because He is the only one who has met all the requirements to be a redeemer. Even though we do not like to acknowledge it, we are all subject to sin, Satanic temptations, and the fear of death. Christians call this a sin nature. In Hebrew, Jews call it the yester hara (evil inclination). Whatever you choose to call it, this is the universal human condition. God’s judgment for this condition is separation from Him, what the Bible calls death. We need to be redeemed or set free. But since we are all sinners, none among us can save us. Even God cannot save us from Heaven. According to His requirements, God would have to become one of us to redeem us. (10)
And this is exactly what God did for us. As God in human flesh, Jesus was one of us, the nearest kin member of the human race. He willingly gave His life for us. He could have called for thousands of angels to come and rescue Him (Matthew 26:53), but He did not. He was born to die in our place. Jesus was able to redeem us because He was without sin. Therefore, He could take our place as the innocent substitutionary sacrifice for the sins of all mankind.
Because Jesus was perfectly righteous, neither sin, Satan, nor death had claims on Him. Therefore, He was free to redeem us. And finally, Jesus was able to pay the price for our redemption. That price was His own pure blood which He shed for us. (10)
Peter says it this way:
…You know that from your empty way of life inherited from your ancestors you were ransomed—not by perishable things like silver or gold, but by precious blood like that of an unblemished and spotless lamb, namely Christ. He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was manifested in these last times for your sake. Through him you now trust in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God. (1 Peter 1:18–21).
Whereas most religions have an ethnic-centered focus on one particular group of people, Jesus has made redemption available for “whosoever will.” His offer of redemption is not just for a certain people group but for everyone who will call upon His name. (10)
For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
(Romans 10:13 NET).
He has redeemed us out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation. Hallelujah! This was predicted in the Book of Psalms, which tells us: (10)
Sing to the Lord a new song! Sing to the Lord, all the earth! Sing to the Lord! Praise his name! Announce every day how he delivers! Tell the nations about his splendor! Tell all the nations about his amazing deeds! (Psalm 96:1-3 NET).
The glorious Son of Man has not only redeemed His people, but He has also made us His royal priests on the earth. This was God’s promise to the Hebrews when He brought them out of Egypt. (10)
He said:
And now, if you will diligently listen to me and keep my covenant, then you will be my special possession out of all the nations, for all the earth is mine, and you will be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you will speak to the Israelites.” (Exodus 19:5-6).
While the Jewish people often failed to keep God’s covenant, as do believers today, Jesus was the one Jewish man who perfectly kept the covenant with His Father in Heaven. Jesus is the perfect Jew and the perfect human. Through our identification with Him, believers from all ethnic backgrounds and nations have the promise of ruling with Him both now and at His coming as His priests and a light to all nations. (10)
While Christian believers have not replaced the Jewish people in God’s eternal covenant, Jesus has brought us into that covenant by redeeming us and making us His own people. (10)
As Peter writes:
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own, so that you may proclaim the virtues of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. You once were not a people, but now you are God’s people. You were shown no mercy, but now you have received mercy. (1 Peter 2:9-10).
Rome is no more, and the Caesars are dead. God will judge the nations of our world and all the would-be Caesars of our day. But the people of God will live forever in God’s glorious Kingdom on earth. Therefore, do not “fix your sandals” before the Emperor or the anti-God governments of our world. They are nothing compared to the exalted Son of Man and the glorious destiny He has for His people. (10)
When the angels of Heaven saw and heard the first chorus of worship, they joined their voices with those nearest the throne. (10)
Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels in a circle around the throne, as well as the living creatures and the elders. Their number was ten thousand times ten thousand—thousands times thousands—all of whom were singing in a loud voice: “Worthy is the lamb who was killed to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and praise!” (Revelation 5:11,12 NET).
John says the number of the angels shouting their worship to God was ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands of thousands. These phrases could be translated as “myriad upon myriad,” which means a number too great to count. It is John saying that all the angels of Heaven, too many to count, all simultaneously shouted their praise and worship to the Lamb. We can not imagine such a noise. All of Heaven was filled with angelic shouts to the Lord. It should take our breath away just to contemplate this. (10)
Daniel saw this scene in a vision and said:
“While I was watching, thrones were set up, and the Ancient of Days took his seat. His attire was white like snow; the hair of his head was like lamb’s wool. His throne was ablaze with fire and its wheels were all aflame. A river of fire was streaming forth and proceeding from his presence. Many thousands were ministering to him; Many tens of thousands stood ready to serve him. The court convened and the books were opened. (Daniel 7:9,10 NET).
In John’s vision, the angels shout a sevenfold honor to the Lamb, similar to the praise and worship David offered to the God of Israel: (10)
…David praised the Lord before the entire assembly: “O Lord God of our father Israel, you deserve praise forevermore! O Lord, you are great, mighty, majestic, magnificent, glorious, and sovereign over all the sky and earth! You have dominion and exalt yourself as the ruler of all. You are the source of wealth and honor; you rule over all. You possess strength and might to magnify and give strength to all. (1 Chronicles 29:10-12).
Because Jesus was faithful to His destiny, God the Father has chosen to share His glory with His Son. We can understand this at the human level. Fathers love to honor their children who uphold the family name, or as we would say, “make him proud.” Jesus made His Father in Heaven proud. As a result, God has honored His Son, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. (10)
Finally, John hears all of the creation join in the glorious
praise and worship of God and the Lamb:
…Then I heard every creature—in heaven, on earth, under the earth, in the sea, and all that is in them—singing: “To the one seated on the throne and to the Lamb be praise, honor, glory, and ruling power forever and ever!” (Revelation 5:13 NET).
As Paul declares in the book of Romans, the very creation is groaning in expectation for the revealing of the redeemed sons of God.
For the creation eagerly waits for the revelation of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility—not willingly but because of God who subjected it—in hope that the creation itself will also be set free from the bondage of decay into the glorious freedom of God’s children. For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers together until now.
(Romans 8:19–22 NET)
This song is sung in expectation of the imminence of the revealing of the redeemed and the sons of God. Soon, the scroll will be opened, and its contents revealed. Since Adam’s fall, The whole of creation has waited for this moment. Now the Savior of the universe, Jesus Christ, will begin establishing His kingdom. Before all this can happen, all seven seals on the outside of the scroll must be broken. Nothing concerning the Day of the Lord, or the Day of the Wrath of the Lamb, can start until this is accomplished. (26)
This is the fulfillment of Paul’s words:
As a result God exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow —in heaven and on earth and under the earth— and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:9-11 NET).
With all of Heaven and Earth giving glory to God, the four special angels and the twenty-four elders join in the worship:
And the four living creatures were saying “Amen,” and the elders threw themselves to the ground and worshiped. (Revelation 5:14 NET).
May we who are called by His name do the same. May we join the heavenly hosts in unfettered praise and worship of our God. May we, the holy, royal priests of God on the earth, continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. Amen!
Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, acknowledging his name. (Hebrews 13:15 NET)
Detailed DescriptionRevelation Chapter 6:1 thru 6:6Please see the following link for a detailed description of Revelation Chapters 6:1 thru 6:6:
Part XII: The Lord of the Scroll – Daniel’s 70th Week (The Beginning of Birth Pains (BBP))
His-Story (History) Series:
- Part I: The Lord of the Scroll – Fellowship Lost!
- Part II: The Lord of the Scroll – The Two Kingdoms
- Part III: The Lord of the Scroll – The Revelation of the King!
- Part IV: The Lord of the Scroll – The Death of the King
- Part V: The Lord of the Scroll – The Re-Birth of the King!
- Part VI: The Lord of the Scroll – Salvation
- Part VII: The Lord of the Scroll – Revelation of the King’s Bride!
- Part VIII: The Lord of the Scroll – Revelation of the King of Kings!
- Part IX: The Lord of the Scroll – The Lord of Hosts
- Part X: The Lord of the Scroll – When will the King of Kings Return?
- Part XI: The Lord of the Scroll – Daniel’s 70th Week (God’s Throne Room)
- Part XII: The Lord of the Scroll – Daniel’s 70th Week (The Beginning of Birth Pains (BBP))
- Part XIII: The Lord of the Scroll – Daniel’s 70th Week (The Great Tribulation (GTrib))
- Part XIV: The Lord of the Scroll – Daniel’s 70th Week (The Day of the Lord (DOL))
- Part XV: The Lord of the Scroll – Daniel’s 70th Week (GTrib and DOL Revisited)
- Part XVI: The Lord of the Scroll – Daniel’s 70th Week (Mourning Revisited)
- Part XVII: The Lord of the Scroll – The Return of the King of Kings to Earth!
- Part XVIII The Lord of the Scroll – God has made everything fit beautifully in its appropriate time
Shalom
(Security, Wholeness, Success)
PeaceDear friend, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, just as it is well with your soul. (3 John 1:2 NET)
(1) Select the link to open another article in a new tab with additional information.
(2) Note: Those not able to choose for themselves (1) (e.g., aborted babies, mentally challenged, etc.) are also in Heaven.
(3) The Greek word used here for air is “aer,” which refers to the lower denser atmosphere. This contrasts with the Greek word “aither,” speaking of the upper thinner atmosphere. For example, a Greek would stand on Mount Olympus (6,403 feet high) and point up to “aither” and down to “aer.”
(4) Realize God does, at times, approximate by rounding off numbers. For example, Exodus 12:40,42 states that Israelites were in Egypt for 430 years, but Genesis 15:13 and Acts 7:6 approximate this by rounding it down to 400 years. Based on this, the Church Age could last until 2300 AD or whatever the highest number is that rounds down in God’s math (e.g., 2400 A.D.).
(5) Maranatha is the transliteration of the Koine Greek word that means “Our Lord Come!” (KJV 1 Corinthians 16:22). This word captures what our attitude should be concerning our Lord’s return. That is, while we are not to be complacent or anxious about His return, we should live such that if Jesus were to return at any moment, we would not be ashamed but rather prepared, excited, and filled with joy to see Him! (1 John 2:28. Ephesians 5:15,16).
(6) Rogers, A. (2017). Mustard Seeds and Mountains. In Adrian Rogers Sermon Archive (Mt 16:27–17:21). Signal Hill, CA: Rogers Family Trust.
(7) https://beforethewrath.com/
(8) Larkin, C. (1919). The Book of Revelation: A Study of the Last Prophetic Book of Holy Scripture (p. 124). Philadelphia, PA: Rev. Clarence Larkin Estate.
(9) Got Questions Ministries. (2002–2013). Got Questions? Bible Questions Answered. Logos Bible Software.
(10) Booker, R. (2012). The lamb and the seven-sealed scroll. Destiny Image.
(11) The addition of “and see” (καὶ ἴδε or καὶ βλέπε [kai ide or kai blepe]) to “come” (ἔρχου, erchou) in 6:1, 3–5, 7 is a gloss directed to John, i.e., “come and look at the seals and the horsemen!” But the command ἔρχου is better interpreted as directed to each of the horsemen. The shorter reading also has the support of the better witnesses
Biblical Studies Press. (2006). The NET Bible First Edition Notes (Re 6:1). Biblical Studies Press.
(12) (www.hearthstonelegacy.com/ when the skies turned to black the locust plague of 1875.)
(13) Traditionally, we have called this event “The Rapture,” although this word does not appear in most Bible translations. The word rapture comes from the Latin, Rapare, which means to “take away” or “snatch out.” The word with the meaning of rapture in the Bible is the Greek word harpozo. This Greek word harpozo is literally translated as “caught up” and has the following meanings: to carry off by force or rescue from the danger of destruction.
The catching away or rapture of the Church will occur during the Great Tribulation before God’s wrath is poured out during the Day of the Lord.
Jesus will carry us off by force when He removes us through the territory of the Prince of the Power of the Air (lower denser atmosphere (3)) who will apparently attempt to interfere with our leaving Earth (Ephesians 2:2). Jesus will rescue us from the danger of destruction by taking us to Heaven before the outpouring of God’s wrath during the Day of the Lord.
(14) Matthew, a Jew, wrote primarily to the Jews, presenting Jesus Christ as King of the Jews. Mark, a Jew, presented Jesus as a Servant and wrote to the Romans. John, a Jew, presents Jesus as the Son of God and writes to all men. Luke, a Greek, writes primarily to the Greeks. And because the Greeks were fascinated with Aristotle’s ideal republic and Plato’s ideal man, Luke writes of Jesus as the Son of Man, the perfect Man.
Courson, J. (2003). Jon Courson’s Application Commentary (p. 295). Thomas Nelson.
(15) Luke’s Ethnic Background. Scholarly opinion has been divided on the question of Luke’s ethnic background. In general, two views are proposed:
(1) Luke was a Gentile Christian: This view is based mainly on the internal evidence of the Gospel and Acts: the superior quality of the Greek language, the avoidance of Semitic words (except Amen), the omission of gospel traditions about Jesus’ controversies with the Pharisaic understanding of the Law and about what is clean or unclean, the transformation of Palestinian local color and details into Hellenistic counterparts. These and similar factors have been cited to identify the author as a Gentile Christian, i.e. one converted to Christianity from paganism.
The argument is sometimes pushed still further to maintain that the author was actually a Gentile Christian of Greek origin or an Antiochene Greek. This is based on Paul’s statement in Col 4:11–14, where three persons are listed as his Jewish-Christian co-workers, but Luke seems to be listed among other, presumably, Gentile-Christian collaborators. For instance, K. Lake years ago claimed that the early tradition identified Luke as “an Antiochene Greek” (“Luke,” in Dictionary of the Apostolic Church [New York: Scribner, 1922] 1. 719); and more recently, K. H. Rengstorf (Evangelium nach Lukas, 11) has called him a Gentile Christian, indeed of Greek origin. Many others have followed this view (e.g., W. K. Hobart, A. von Harnack, P. Vielhauer, G. B. Caird, W. G. Kümmel, A. Plummer, W. Manson, J. Schmid).
(2) Luke was a Jewish Christian. The view that the author was a Jewish Christian, i.e. a convert from Judaism, is based mainly on the interest displayed in Luke-Acts in the OT and its phraseology, the author’s alleged Palestinian language, and the Epiphanian tradition (Panarion 51.11) that he was one of the seventy-two disciples; sometimes the mention of Lucius as among Paul’s “kinsmen” (Rom 16:21) is also invoked. Among supporters of this view, one may cite A. Schlatter, B. S. Easton, E. E. Ellis, W. F. Albright, N. Q. King, B. Reicke.
For reasons that I shall try to set forth below, I regard Luke as a Gentile Christian, not, however, as a Greek, but as a non-Jewish Semite, a native of Antioch, where he was well educated in a Hellenistic atmosphere and culture.
Fitzmyer, J. A. (2008). The Gospel according to Luke I–IX: introduction, translation, and notes (Vol. 28, pp. 41–42). Yale University Press.
(16) …The emphasis here would be that the Pharisees confront the kingdom in Jesus. They do not need to look all around for it because its central figure is in front of their eyes…
Bock, D. L. (1996). Luke: 9:51–24:53 (Vol. 2, p. 1416). Baker Academic.
(17) A Full Circle Rainbow over Australia, Image Credit & Copyright: Colin Leonhardt (Birdseye View Photography)
(18) Rosenthal, Marvin (1990). The Pre-Wrath Rapture of the Church. World Publishing
(19) “Warren’s findings, together with the discovery of Reich and Shukron described in the recent news reports, fully support Josephus’s statements relating to the tunnels beneath Jerusalem and the use to which they were put during the Roman siege of 70 A.D. These underground passages enabled many inhabitants of Jerusalem to exit the city and flee both south to Masada and, via Nahal Qidron and other wadis heading from Jerusalem eastward toward the Dead Sea, to the Machaerus fort lying just east of that sea, which was actually closer to Jerusalem than was Masada. (Josephus describes the large number of refugees who gathered at Machaerus.). The circumstances as now known leave little doubt that quite likely beginning even before the siege had begun, groups engaged in hiding the Temple treasures, the books, and other items listed in the Copper Scroll — as well as those ancient writings of the Palestinian Jews known as the Dead Sea Scrolls, which were found centuries later in caves near the wadis leading out of Jerusalem. Norman Golb is the Ludwig Rosenberger Professor of Jewish History and Civilization at the University of Chicago and the author of “Who Wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls?” (Simon & Schuster, 1995).” Read more here: https://forward.com/opinion/11873/newly-discovered-tunnel-may-once-have-carried-dead-00675/
(20) http://www.livius.org/articles/concept/roman-jewish-wars/roman-jewish-wars-5/
(21) Booker, R. (2013). the Victorious Kingdom. Destiny Image.
(22) interruption of chronological sequence (as in a film or literary work) by the interjection of events of earlier occurrence…
Merriam-Webster, I. (2003). In Merriam-Webster’s collegiate dictionary. (Eleventh ed.). Merriam-Webster, Inc.
(23) 1984: a story that tells what led up to the main story or plot (as of a film)
Merriam-Webster, I. (2003). In Merriam-Webster’s collegiate dictionary. (Eleventh ed.). Merriam-Webster, Inc.
(24) Booker, R. (2011). The overcomers: series- understanding the book of Revelation. Shippensburg, PA: Destiny Image.
55 tn BDAG 352–53 s.v. ἐξουσία 2 [potential or resource to command, control, or govern, capability, might, power] states, “Also of Satan’s power Ac 26:18.” It is also possible to translate this “the domain of Satan” (cf. BDAG 353 s.v. 6 [the sphere in which power is exercised, domain]) Biblical Studies Press. (2006). The NET Bible First Edition Notes (Ac 26:18). Biblical Studies Press.
(25) Reid, A. (2004). Daniel: Kingdoms in Conflict (P. Barnett, Ed.; p. 146). Aquila Press.
(26) Salerno, Jr., Donald A., (2010). Revelation Unsealed. Virtualbookworm.com Publish-ing, Inc.
(##) For higher number references, see:
The Feasts of Israel – Passover (1) references
The scroll is the “Scroll of Authority,” which is the original title deed to rule planet Earth given to the first Adam by God. This scroll stated that man was to be the ruler over Earth but only for a finite time. God sealed it with seven seals so the scroll contents could not be altered.
The first Adam, the original ruler of Earth, made a legal covenant with Satan (1) by eating from the forbidden Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil – the original sin. Consequently, God being JUST, must honor this covenant, thus giving Satan man’s authority to rule (i.e., the right to use his archangel power) in the WORLD system he has built on Earth.
We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. (1 John 5:19 NET)
I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles, to whom I am sending you to open their eyes so that they turn from darkness to light and from the power55 [authority in the domain] of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a share among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’ (Acts 26:17–18 NET)
And although you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you formerly lived according to this world’s present path, according to the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the ruler of the spirit that is now energizing the sons of disobedience, among whom all of us also formerly lived out our lives in the cravings of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath even as the rest … (Ephesians 2:1–3 NET)
I will not speak with you much longer, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no power over me, (John 14:30 NET)
He has this right for the time specified originally to the first Adam in the
Scroll of Authority (1).
When he came to the other side, to the region of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men coming from the tombs met him. They were extremely violent, so that no one was able to pass by that way. They cried out, “Son of God, leave us alone! Have you come here to torment us before the time?” (Matthew 8:29 NET)
Therefore you heavens rejoice, and all who reside in them! But woe to the earth and the sea because the devil has come down to you! He is filled with terrible anger, for he knows that he only has a little time!” (Revelation 12:12 NET)
Realize covenants contain blessings for those keeping the covenant (Deuteronomy 28:1-14 )and curses for those breaking the covenant (cf. Deuteronomy 15-68). However, Satan’s blessings for those that keep this covenant are various levels of cruelty (Proverbs 12:10).
A righteous person cares for the life of his animal, but even the most compassionate acts of the wicked are cruel. (Proverbs 12:10 NET)
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come so that they may have life, and may have it abundantly. (John 10:10 NET)
Furthermore, Satan placed curses on the original seals of the Scroll of Authority so that any attempt to open the scroll to break the covenant with Satan would release the curses. Satan then hid it where he thought no man could retrieve it – in the Abyss of Hades. He did this in an attempt to maintain his rule on planet Earth beyond the terms of the Scroll of Authority (i.e., indefinitely).
However, it seems Satan did not consider that God would become Man (1). (John 1:1,14) Jesus not only took our sin to the Abyss(1) for eternal storage but, upon leaving (1), retrieved the Scroll of Authority and gave it to God His (and our!) Father upon His ascension. By taking the Scroll of Authority, He restored the right to rule planet Earth to a man – the Son of Man, Jesus the Messiah, who is God (Matthew 28:18, Revelation 1:18).
When the Scroll of Authority is revealed to those in Heaven (i.e., to those that had accepted Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior (1) from both the Old and New Covenants (2) and have died), no one in Heaven on Earth or in Hades was found worthy to open its seals (Revelation 5:2-4). Then the Lamb of God who took away the world’s sin appears – the Lion of the Tribe of Judah! (Revelation 5:5-7. John 1:29. 1 John 2:2). Jesus the Messiah alone is the sinless God-Man that has the authority to open the seals – an authority He purchased with His own blood (Revelation 5:9-14. Isaiah 28:15-18). Jesus, who came in the flesh, is Lord! (1 John 4:2,3. 1 Corinthians 8:6. 1 Corinthians 12:3) Now when the lease terms are revealed by opening the scroll – and then satisfied – Satan could be evicted from His position as God of this World (2 Corinthians 4:4). Why not evict Satan sooner? I am glad you asked!
Again, the problem is Satan’s curses on the scroll’s seals. Satan designed the curses such that the opening of each seal would release a destructive curse upon the creature that God loved and wanted to rescue – mankind! This was Satan’s backup plan to keep the lease terms from being revealed and fulfilled, thus an attempt to ensure his rule over his world system indefinitely.
Consequently, God made a way for those that by faith have accepted Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior to escape God’s WRATH even as those in Noah’s ark escaped the flood’s destruction (1 Peter 3:20). That is, the Body of Christ (aka, the Bride of Christ or the Church) is figuratively God’s Ark to preserve mankind living on planet Earth before the time comes to open the last Scroll’s Seal which results in initiating the trumpet and bowl judgments of Gods Wrath. All who accept God’s MERCY by entering the Ark (i.e., accepting Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior) will be saved from the release of God’s WRATH during this time known as the “Day of the Lord.” That is, believers will be translated (1) immediately to Heaven to join the rest of those that have accepted Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior (1) before they fell asleep (i.e., died) in both the Old and New Covenant periods (2) (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. 1 Thessalonians 5:9. Matthew 24:21. 2 Corinthians 5:8).
Again, believers are taken (raptured) to Heaven during the interval or pause before the Seventh, and the last Seal of the Scroll of Authority is opened (Revelation 7:9-17).
In addition, God will have angels seal and reserve 144,000 “elect of Israel” who will go through the Day of the Lord and not bow their knees to the Antichrist. Antichrist means “against Christ” and “in place of Christ.”
This means that what Satan meant for a curse on all mankind becomes an instrument or tool for divine judgment of WRATH on those that have refused the greater MERCY freely made available to all.
Nevertheless, those who call upon the Lord can still be saved during this period of God’s Wrath (Revelation 7:13,14). Why? Because MERCY triumphs over JUDGMENT, and God’s MERCY is FOREVER! (James 2:13. Psalms 136) Nevertheless, not many will turn to the Lord during this time and be eternally destroyed (Revelation 9:20,21. Revelation 16:9-11. Revelation 20:11-15).
So, how can a good God that is GRACE, MERCY, and COMPASSION pass JUDGMENT for destruction and suffering?
The answer is that God does not cause this suffering. Mankind causes this due to the hardness of his heart. It is the result of the evil in people’s hearts to live their lives without God. His Great MERCY is extended to all equally, and He waits patiently for all to accept it.
so that you may be like your Father in heaven, since he causes the sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. (Matthew 5:45 NET)
Or do you have contempt for the wealth of his kindness, forbearance, and patience, and yet do not know that God’s kindness leads you to repentance? (Romans 2:4 NET)
The Lord is not slow concerning his promise, as some regard slowness, but is being patient toward you, because he does not wish for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9 NET)
An evil man is rebellious to the core. He does not fear God, for he is too proud to recognize and give up his sin. The words he speaks are sinful and deceitful; he does not care about doing what is wise and right. He plans ways to sin while he lies in bed; he is committed to a sinful lifestyle; he does not reject what is evil. (Psalm 36:1–4 NET)
Nevertheless, when the point is reached that a person or persons, by an act of their will, decide to never change from serving evil (Satan) to serving good (God), then the only thing left is a JUDGMENT of WRATH that will keep them that have chosen to serve Satan from affecting the MERCY to be received by those that have chosen to serve God. That is, the MERCY for the future of those that have chosen to serve God trumps the present MERCY extended to all resulting in the removal and incarceration of those that have chosen to serve evil.
It is terrible to show partiality to the wicked, by depriving a righteous man of justice. (Proverbs 18:5 NET)
If the wicked are shown mercy, they do not learn about justice. Even in a land where right is rewarded, they act unjustly; they do not see the Lord’s majesty revealed. (Isaiah 26:10 NET)
The Lord abhors the way of the wicked, but he loves those who pursue righteousness. (Proverbs 15:9 NET)
The Lord approves of the godly, but he hates the wicked and those who love to do violence. (Psalm 11:5 NET)
The wicked have no chance for deliverance, for they do not seek your statutes. (Psalm 119:155 NET)
The Lord protects those who love him, but he destroys all the wicked. (Psalm 145:20 NET)
The Lord pays attention to the godly and hears their cry for help. But the Lord opposes evildoers and wipes out all memory of them from the earth. (Psalm 34:15–16 NET)
May sinners disappear from the earth, and the wicked vanish! Praise the Lord, O my soul! Praise the Lord! (Psalm 104:35 NET)
Remember, refusal of the greater MERCY leaves only the WRATH. (1)
The wicked have decided to never change from evil to good, unrighteous to righteous, and wicked to godly.
There is no Mercy for the wicked.
THE LAMB IS WORTHY
Then one of the elders said to me, “Stop weeping! Look, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, has conquered; thus he can open the scroll and its seven seals.” Then I saw standing in the middle of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the middle of the elders, a Lamb that appeared to have been killed. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. Then he came and took the scroll from the right hand of the one who was seated on the throne, and when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders threw themselves to the ground before the Lamb. Each of them had a harp and golden bowls full of incense (which are the prayers of the saints). (Revelation 5:5–8 NET)
When Jesus took the scroll, Heaven and Earth began a spontaneous chorus of praise and worship to God and the Lamb. The sounds of creation singing a new redemption song filled Heaven and Earth. Nothing Rome or the Caesars could orchestrate could compare to the exaltation John saw and heard. Caesar is dead; Jesus lives! (10)
It began with those nearest the throne. The four powerful angels and the twenty-four elders started this heavenly worship by bowing before the Lamb. Each had a harp in one hand and a golden bowl of incense in the other hand. The harp symbolized their praise and worship, while the bowl of incense symbolized the prayers of God’s people (Psalms. 141:2; 150:3). (10)
John writes:
They were singing a new song: “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals because you were killed, and at the cost of your own blood you have purchased for God persons from every tribe, language, people, and nation. You have appointed them as a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.” (Revelation 5:9-10 NET).
Jesus is worthy because He has redeemed us. In biblical times, God established that a slave could be redeemed or set free by one worthy to purchase his freedom. But one had to qualify to be a redeemer.
In biblical times there were five requirements to be a redeemer. Only when these five requirements were met was one considered a worthy redeemer. (10)
- The person had to be a near kinsman. In other words, he had to be the nearest kin family member.
- The person had to be willing to redeem the slave. He could not be made to redeem the one in bondage.
- The person had to be able to redeem the slave. This means there could be no technicalities that would disqualify the person as a redeemer.
- The person had to be a freeman. A slave could not redeem a slave.
- The potential redeemer had to have the money or price required to redeem the slave.
particularly in chapter 4.
Jesus is worthy to take the scroll, open the seals, and redeem us because He is the only one who has met all the requirements to be a redeemer. Even though we do not like to acknowledge it, we are all subject to sin, Satanic temptations, and the fear of death. Christians call this a sin nature. In Hebrew, Jews call it the yester hara (evil inclination). Whatever you choose to call it, this is the universal human condition. God’s judgment for this condition is separation from Him, what the Bible calls death. We need to be redeemed or set free. But since we are all sinners, none among us can save us. Even God cannot save us from Heaven. According to His requirements, God would have to become one of us to redeem us. (10)
And this is exactly what God did for us. As God in human flesh, Jesus was one of us, the nearest kin member of the human race. He willingly gave His life for us. He could have called for thousands of angels to come and rescue Him (Matthew 26:53), but He did not. He was born to die in our place. Jesus was able to redeem us because He was without sin. Therefore, He could take our place as the innocent substitutionary sacrifice for the sins of all mankind. Because Jesus was perfectly righteous, neither sin, Satan, nor death had claims on Him. Therefore, He was free to redeem us. And finally, Jesus was able to pay the price for our redemption. That price was His own pure blood which He shed for us. (10)
Peter says it this way:
…You know that from your empty way of life inherited from your ancestors you were ransomed—not by perishable things like silver or gold, but by precious blood like that of an unblemished and spotless lamb, namely Christ. He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was manifested in these last times for your sake. Through him you now trust in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God. (1 Peter 1:18–21).
Whereas most religions have an ethnic-centered focus on one particular group of people, Jesus has made redemption available for “whosoever will.” His offer of redemption is not just for a certain people group but for everyone who will call upon His name. (10)
For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. (Romans 10:13 NET).
He has redeemed us out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation. Hallelujah! This was predicted in the Book of Psalms, which tells us: (10)
Sing to the Lord a new song! Sing to the Lord, all the earth! Sing to the Lord! Praise his name! Announce every day how he delivers! Tell the nations about his splendor! Tell all the nations about his amazing deeds! (Psalm 96:1-3 NET).
The glorious Son of Man has not only redeemed His people, but He has also made us His royal priests on the earth. This was God’s promise to the Hebrews when He brought them out of Egypt. (10)
He said:
And now, if you will diligently listen to me and keep my covenant, then you will be my special possession out of all the nations, for all the earth is mine, and you will be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you will speak to the Israelites.” (Exodus 19:5-6).
While the Jewish people often failed to keep God’s covenant, as do believers today, Jesus was the one Jewish man who perfectly kept the covenant with His Father in Heaven. Jesus is the perfect Jew and the perfect human.
Through our identification with Him, believers from all ethnic backgrounds and nations have the promise of ruling with Him both now and at His coming as His priests and a light to all nations. (10)
While Christian believers have not replaced the Jewish people in God’s eternal covenant, Jesus has brought us into that covenant by redeeming us and making us His own people. (10)
As Peter writes:
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own, so that you may proclaim the virtues of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. You once were not a people, but now you are God’s people. You were shown no mercy, but now you have received mercy. (1 Peter 2:9-10).
Rome is no more, and the Caesars are dead. God will judge the nations of our world and all the would-be Caesars of our day. But the people of God will live forever in God’s glorious Kingdom on earth. Therefore, do not “fix your sandals” before the Emperor or the anti-God governments of our world. They are nothing compared to the exalted Son of Man and the glorious destiny He has for His people. (10)
When the angels of Heaven saw and heard the first chorus of worship, they joined their voices with those nearest the throne.
Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels in a circle around the throne, as well as the living creatures and the elders. Their number was ten thousand times ten thousand—thousands times thousands—all of whom were singing in a loud voice: “Worthy is the lamb who was killed to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and praise!” (Revelation 5:11,12 NET).
John says the number of the angels shouting their worship to God was ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands of thousands. These phrases could be translated as “myriad upon myriad,” which means a number too great to count. It is John saying that all the angels of Heaven, too many to count, all simultaneously shouted their praise and worship to the Lamb. We can not imagine such a noise. All of Heaven was filled with angelic shouts to the Lord. It should take our breath away just to contemplate this. (10)
Daniel saw this scene in a vision and said:
“While I was watching, thrones were set up, and the Ancient of Days took his seat. His attire was white like snow; the hair of his head was like lamb’s wool. His throne was ablaze with fire and its wheels were all aflame. A river of fire was streaming forth and proceeding from his presence. Many thousands were ministering to him; Many tens of thousands stood ready to serve him. The court convened and the books were opened. (Daniel 7:9,10 NET).
In John’s vision, the angels shout a sevenfold honor to the Lamb, similar to the praise and worship David offered to the God of Israel: (10)
…David praised the Lord before the entire assembly: “O Lord God of our father Israel, you deserve praise forevermore! O Lord, you are great, mighty, majestic, magnificent, glorious, and sovereign over all the sky and earth! You have dominion and exalt yourself as the ruler of all. You are the source of wealth and honor; you rule over all. You possess strength and might to magnify and give strength to all. (1 Chronicles 29:10-12).
Because Jesus was faithful to His destiny, God the Father has chosen to share His glory with His Son. We can understand this at the human level. Fathers love to honor their children who uphold the family name, or as we would say, “make him proud.” Jesus made His Father in Heaven proud. As a result, God has honored His Son, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. (10)
Finally, John hears all of the creation join in the glorious praise and worship of God and the Lamb:
…Then I heard every creature—in heaven, on earth, under the earth, in the sea, and all that is in them—singing: “To the one seated on the throne and to the Lamb be praise, honor, glory, and ruling power forever and ever!” (Revelation 5:13 NET).
As Paul declares in the book of Romans, the very creation is groaning in expectation for the revealing of the redeemed sons of God.
For the creation eagerly waits for the revelation of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility—not willingly but because of God who subjected it—in hope that the creation itself will also be set free from the bondage of decay into the glorious freedom of God’s children. For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers together until now.
(Romans 8:19–22 NET)
This song is sung in expectation of the imminence of the revealing of the redeemed and the sons of God. Soon, the scroll will be opened, and its contents revealed. Since Adam’s fall, The whole of creation has waited for this moment. Now the Savior of the universe, Jesus Christ, will begin establishing His kingdom. Before all this can happen, all seven seals on the outside of the scroll must be broken. Nothing concerning the Day of the Lord, or the Day of the Wrath of the Lamb, can start until this is accomplished. (26)
This is the fulfillment of Paul’s words:
As a result God exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow —in heaven and on earth and under the earth— and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:9-11 NET).
With all of Heaven and Earth giving glory to God, the four special angels and the twenty-four elders join in the worship:
And the four living creatures were saying “Amen,” and the elders threw themselves to the ground and worshiped. (Revelation 5:14 NET).
May we who are called by His name do the same. May we join the heavenly hosts in unfettered praise and worship of our God. May we, the holy, royal priests of God on the earth, continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. Amen!
Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, acknowledging his name. (Hebrews 13:15 NET)
Detailed DescriptionRevelation Chapter 6:1 thru 6:6Please see the following link for a detailed description of Revelation Chapters 6:1 thru 6:6:
Part XII: The Lord of the Scroll – Daniel’s 70th Week (The Beginning of Birth Pains (BBP))
His-Story (History) Series:
- Part I: The Lord of the Scroll – Fellowship Lost!
- Part II: The Lord of the Scroll – The Two Kingdoms
- Part III: The Lord of the Scroll – The Revelation of the King!
- Part IV: The Lord of the Scroll – The Death of the King
- Part V: The Lord of the Scroll – The Re-Birth of the King!
- Part VI: The Lord of the Scroll – Salvation
- Part VII: The Lord of the Scroll – Revelation of the King’s Bride!
- Part VIII: The Lord of the Scroll – Revelation of the King of Kings!
- Part IX: The Lord of the Scroll – The Lord of Hosts
- Part X: The Lord of the Scroll – When will the King of Kings Return?
- Part XI: The Lord of the Scroll – Daniel’s 70th Week (God’s Throne Room)
- Part XII: The Lord of the Scroll – Daniel’s 70th Week (The Beginning of Birth Pains (BBP))
- Part XIII: The Lord of the Scroll – Daniel’s 70th Week (The Great Tribulation (GTrib))
- Part XIV: The Lord of the Scroll – Daniel’s 70th Week (The Day of the Lord (DOL))
- Part XV: The Lord of the Scroll – Daniel’s 70th Week (GTrib and DOL Revisited)
- Part XVI: The Lord of the Scroll – Daniel’s 70th Week (Mourning Revisited)
- Part XVII: The Lord of the Scroll – The Return of the King of Kings to Earth!
- Part XVIII The Lord of the Scroll – God has made everything fit beautifully in its appropriate time
Shalom
(Security, Wholeness, Success)
PeaceDear friend, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, just as it is well with your soul. (3 John 1:2 NET)
(1) Select the link to open another article in a new tab with additional information.
(2) Note: Those not able to choose for themselves (1) (e.g., aborted babies, mentally challenged, etc.) are also in Heaven.
(3) The Greek word used here for air is “aer,” which refers to the lower denser atmosphere. This contrasts with the Greek word “aither,” speaking of the upper thinner atmosphere. For example, a Greek would stand on Mount Olympus (6,403 feet high) and point up to “aither” and down to “aer.”
(4) Realize God does, at times, approximate by rounding off numbers. For example, Exodus 12:40,42 states that Israelites were in Egypt for 430 years, but Genesis 15:13 and Acts 7:6 approximate this by rounding it down to 400 years. Based on this, the Church Age could last until 2300 AD or whatever the highest number is that rounds down in God’s math (e.g., 2400 A.D.).
(5) Maranatha is the transliteration of the Koine Greek word that means “Our Lord Come!” (KJV 1 Corinthians 16:22). This word captures what our attitude should be concerning our Lord’s return. That is, while we are not to be complacent or anxious about His return, we should live such that if Jesus were to return at any moment, we would not be ashamed but rather prepared, excited, and filled with joy to see Him! (1 John 2:28. Ephesians 5:15,16).
(6) Rogers, A. (2017). Mustard Seeds and Mountains. In Adrian Rogers Sermon Archive (Mt 16:27–17:21). Signal Hill, CA: Rogers Family Trust.
(7) https://beforethewrath.com/
(8) Larkin, C. (1919). The Book of Revelation: A Study of the Last Prophetic Book of Holy Scripture (p. 124). Philadelphia, PA: Rev. Clarence Larkin Estate.
(9) Got Questions Ministries. (2002–2013). Got Questions? Bible Questions Answered. Logos Bible Software.
(10) Booker, R. (2012). The lamb and the seven-sealed scroll. Destiny Image.
(11) The addition of “and see” (καὶ ἴδε or καὶ βλέπε [kai ide or kai blepe]) to “come” (ἔρχου, erchou) in 6:1, 3–5, 7 is a gloss directed to John, i.e., “come and look at the seals and the horsemen!” But the command ἔρχου is better interpreted as directed to each of the horsemen. The shorter reading also has the support of the better witnesses
Biblical Studies Press. (2006). The NET Bible First Edition Notes (Re 6:1). Biblical Studies Press.
(12) (www.hearthstonelegacy.com/ when the skies turned to black the locust plague of 1875.)
(13) Traditionally, we have called this event “The Rapture,” although this word does not appear in most Bible translations. The word rapture comes from the Latin, Rapare, which means to “take away” or “snatch out.” The word with the meaning of rapture in the Bible is the Greek word harpozo. This Greek word harpozo is literally translated as “caught up” and has the following meanings: to carry off by force or rescue from the danger of destruction.
The catching away or rapture of the Church will occur during the Great Tribulation before God’s wrath is poured out during the Day of the Lord.
Jesus will carry us off by force when He removes us through the territory of the Prince of the Power of the Air (lower denser atmosphere (3)) who will apparently attempt to interfere with our leaving Earth (Ephesians 2:2). Jesus will rescue us from the danger of destruction by taking us to Heaven before the outpouring of God’s wrath during the Day of the Lord.
(14) Matthew, a Jew, wrote primarily to the Jews, presenting Jesus Christ as King of the Jews. Mark, a Jew, presented Jesus as a Servant and wrote to the Romans. John, a Jew, presents Jesus as the Son of God and writes to all men. Luke, a Greek, writes primarily to the Greeks. And because the Greeks were fascinated with Aristotle’s ideal republic and Plato’s ideal man, Luke writes of Jesus as the Son of Man, the perfect Man.
Courson, J. (2003). Jon Courson’s Application Commentary (p. 295). Thomas Nelson.
(15) Luke’s Ethnic Background. Scholarly opinion has been divided on the question of Luke’s ethnic background. In general, two views are proposed:
(1) Luke was a Gentile Christian: This view is based mainly on the internal evidence of the Gospel and Acts: the superior quality of the Greek language, the avoidance of Semitic words (except Amen), the omission of gospel traditions about Jesus’ controversies with the Pharisaic understanding of the Law and about what is clean or unclean, the transformation of Palestinian local color and details into Hellenistic counterparts. These and similar factors have been cited to identify the author as a Gentile Christian, i.e. one converted to Christianity from paganism.
The argument is sometimes pushed still further to maintain that the author was actually a Gentile Christian of Greek origin or an Antiochene Greek. This is based on Paul’s statement in Col 4:11–14, where three persons are listed as his Jewish-Christian co-workers, but Luke seems to be listed among other, presumably, Gentile-Christian collaborators. For instance, K. Lake years ago claimed that the early tradition identified Luke as “an Antiochene Greek” (“Luke,” in Dictionary of the Apostolic Church [New York: Scribner, 1922] 1. 719); and more recently, K. H. Rengstorf (Evangelium nach Lukas, 11) has called him a Gentile Christian, indeed of Greek origin. Many others have followed this view (e.g., W. K. Hobart, A. von Harnack, P. Vielhauer, G. B. Caird, W. G. Kümmel, A. Plummer, W. Manson, J. Schmid).
(2) Luke was a Jewish Christian. The view that the author was a Jewish Christian, i.e. a convert from Judaism, is based mainly on the interest displayed in Luke-Acts in the OT and its phraseology, the author’s alleged Palestinian language, and the Epiphanian tradition (Panarion 51.11) that he was one of the seventy-two disciples; sometimes the mention of Lucius as among Paul’s “kinsmen” (Rom 16:21) is also invoked. Among supporters of this view, one may cite A. Schlatter, B. S. Easton, E. E. Ellis, W. F. Albright, N. Q. King, B. Reicke.
For reasons that I shall try to set forth below, I regard Luke as a Gentile Christian, not, however, as a Greek, but as a non-Jewish Semite, a native of Antioch, where he was well educated in a Hellenistic atmosphere and culture.
Fitzmyer, J. A. (2008). The Gospel according to Luke I–IX: introduction, translation, and notes (Vol. 28, pp. 41–42). Yale University Press.
(16) …The emphasis here would be that the Pharisees confront the kingdom in Jesus. They do not need to look all around for it because its central figure is in front of their eyes…
Bock, D. L. (1996). Luke: 9:51–24:53 (Vol. 2, p. 1416). Baker Academic.
(17) A Full Circle Rainbow over Australia, Image Credit & Copyright: Colin Leonhardt (Birdseye View Photography)
(18) Rosenthal, Marvin (1990). The Pre-Wrath Rapture of the Church. World Publishing
(19) “Warren’s findings, together with the discovery of Reich and Shukron described in the recent news reports, fully support Josephus’s statements relating to the tunnels beneath Jerusalem and the use to which they were put during the Roman siege of 70 A.D. These underground passages enabled many inhabitants of Jerusalem to exit the city and flee both south to Masada and, via Nahal Qidron and other wadis heading from Jerusalem eastward toward the Dead Sea, to the Machaerus fort lying just east of that sea, which was actually closer to Jerusalem than was Masada. (Josephus describes the large number of refugees who gathered at Machaerus.). The circumstances as now known leave little doubt that quite likely beginning even before the siege had begun, groups engaged in hiding the Temple treasures, the books, and other items listed in the Copper Scroll — as well as those ancient writings of the Palestinian Jews known as the Dead Sea Scrolls, which were found centuries later in caves near the wadis leading out of Jerusalem. Norman Golb is the Ludwig Rosenberger Professor of Jewish History and Civilization at the University of Chicago and the author of “Who Wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls?” (Simon & Schuster, 1995).” Read more here:
https://forward.com/opinion/11873/newly-discovered-tunnel-may-once-have-carried-dead-00675/
(20) http://www.livius.org/articles/concept/roman-jewish-wars/roman-jewish-wars-5/
(21) Booker, R. (2013). the Victorious Kingdom. Destiny Image.
(22) interruption of chronological sequence (as in a film or literary work) by the interjection of events of earlier occurrence…
Merriam-Webster, I. (2003). In Merriam-Webster’s collegiate dictionary. (Eleventh ed.). Merriam-Webster, Inc.
(23) 1984: a story that tells what led up to the main story or plot (as of a film)
Merriam-Webster, I. (2003). In Merriam-Webster’s collegiate dictionary. (Eleventh ed.). Merriam-Webster, Inc.
(24) Booker, R. (2011). The overcomers: series- understanding the book of Revelation. Shippensburg, PA: Destiny Image.
55 tn BDAG 352–53 s.v. ἐξουσία 2 [potential or resource to command, control, or govern, capability, might, power] states, “Also of Satan’s power Ac 26:18.” It is also possible to translate this “the domain of Satan” (cf. BDAG 353 s.v. 6 [the sphere in which power is exercised, domain]) Biblical Studies Press. (2006). The NET Bible First Edition Notes (Ac 26:18). Biblical Studies Press.
(25) Reid, A. (2004). Daniel: Kingdoms in Conflict (P. Barnett, Ed.; p. 146). Aquila Press.
(26) Salerno, Jr., Donald A., (2010). Revelation Unsealed. Virtualbookworm.com Publish-ing, Inc.
(##) For higher number references, see:
The Feasts of Israel – Passover (1) references
John uses apocalyptic language to say that he will receive a supernatural prophetic word from God. He is using symbolic language to describe it. There was no literal door or rapture of John’s body to Heaven. (10)
John had a spiritual vision of Heaven but was still on the earth at Patmos. Physically, he did not go anywhere. Since he was not literally raptured, this verse cannot suggest a literal rapture of believers to Heaven in God’s great end-time chronology of events. Those who do so are certainly making a good-faith effort to understand and interpret this verse. I applaud them, but this interpretation turns an apocalyptic statement into a literal event that this verse cannot support. I pray that you will have “ears to hear.” (10)
Charles Haddon Spurgeon was asked if he defended the Bible, said,
“Yes, the way I would defend a lion. I open the cage and let it out!”
2. The statement when the Lord says He will show John “things which must take place after this.”
Scholars who interpret the Book of Revelation literally see chapters 4-22 as the chronological order of the Book of Revelation. There is certainly a chronological order to some events John describes. But when John says, “things which must take place after this,” he uses apocalyptic language to refer to the next part of his prophetic vision. He does not necessarily mean the next events but the next part of his vision. The point is not to read in too literal an interpretation of spiritual language. There are successive chronological events in the Book of Revelation. We must be cautious and not dogmatic in interpreting “otherworldly” language and symbols too literally. (10)
Different from all of these is the fourth Greek word for “love,” agapé, typically defined as the “self-sacrificing love.” This is the love that moves people into action and looks out for the well-being of others, no matter the personal cost. Biblically speaking, agapé is the love God showed to His people in sending His Son, Jesus, to die for their sins. It is the love that focuses on the will, not the emotions, experience, or libido. This is the love that Jesus commands His disciples to show toward their enemies (Luke 6:35). Eros and philia are not expressed to people who hate us and wish us ill; agapé is. In Romans 5:8, Paul tells us that God’s love for His people was made manifest in that “while we were still sinners [i.e., enemies], Christ died for us.” The biblical view is a balance between these two sinful extremes. Within the bond of heterosexual marriage, God celebrates the beauty of sexual love: “Let my lover come into his garden and taste its choice fruits. I have come into my garden, my sister, my bride; I have gathered my myrrh with my spice. I have eaten my honeycomb and my honey; I have drunk my wine and my milk. Eat, O friends, and drink; drink your fill, O lovers” (Song of Solomon 4:16—5:1). Outside of biblical marriage, eros becomes distorted and sinful.
When we compare infatuation with love, we begin to see the differences:
– Infatuation is driven by emotion; love is driven by commitment.
– Infatuation cannot wait to be satisfied; love waits for God’s timing.
– Infatuation cares mostly about self-satisfaction; love cares mostly about the other person’s best interest.
– Infatuation spawns a host of other sins, such as lust, discontent, and covetousness; love spawns a host of godly qualities such as peace, joy, faithfulness, kindness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22).
– Infatuation demands; love gives.
– Infatuation acts foolishly, not caring about anything except its object; love keeps a level head.
– Infatuation can end rather abruptly; love never fails (1 Corinthians 13:8).
Spiritually, people can become infatuated with the gospel. Jesus talked about this kind of “convert” in His parable about the four types of soil (Luke 8:4–8, 11–15). Many people flocked to hear Jesus. They loved the free food, the miracles, and the kind words. They were infatuated with this radical new rabbi from Nazareth. But Jesus knew they didn’t really love Him; they only loved what He could do for them (John 2:25; Matthew 10:37–39; Luke 9:57–62). That’s infatuation. Today, some think they want to become Christians because of the rush of adrenaline they felt during a worship song or because they are desperate to get rid of guilt. But they have no root (Mark 4:17), they are unwilling to take up their cross (Luke 9:23), and they don’t last long.
Although infatuation is an exhilarating feeling, we must be careful not to base decisions affecting our future upon its fleeting nature. Many people marry because they are infatuated, only to later discover they don’t really know the person they committed their lives to. Infatuation is a spark that can ignite true love and commitment, but, unless that spark is fueled with solid conversation, quality time, and a healthy dose of realism, it never becomes a flame. Infatuation can introduce us to true love, but it can never be an adequate substitute.
In 1 Thessalonians 4, Paul offers a message of hope to the Thessalonians. Elsewhere in his letter, Paul had commended Thessalonian believers for their faith and love (1 Thessalonians 3:6; 5:8), but it seems he wanted to help them grow in their hope. Paul provides for his readers an outline of the future so they might not grieve as those who have no hope (1 Thessalonians 4:13).
As part of that future panorama, Jesus will descend with the voice of the archangel (1 Thessalonians 4:16). Paul explains that Jesus will return for believers who remain until that point in time. In 1 Thessalonians 5, Paul instructs his readers about how Jesus will afterward return in judgment of those who remain on the earth (1 Thessalonians 5:2–4). Believers are not destined for that judgment or wrath to come (1 Thessalonians 5:9)
Paul did not want the Thessalonians to be ignorant of what would take place in the future so that they would have hope (1 Thessalonians 4:13). In particular, he didn’t want them to grieve hopelessly at the loss of saved loved ones who had already died. As surely as Jesus died and rose from the dead, God will bring with Him all those who had died in Christ Jesus (1 Thessalonians 4:14).
When Jesus returns for His own, He will descend with the voice of the archangel (1 Thessalonians 4:16). Believers who are alive and remain when Jesus returns will be caught up with Him in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:17). Heralding that event will be Jesus’ descent with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God (1 Thessalonians 4:16). Those who have already died and whose spirits are with the Lord will come back in the clouds with Jesus (1 Thessalonians 4:14), and their bodies will be raised and glorified first (1 Thessalonians 4:16). Then all who remain will be caught up with them, and they will be together with the Lord (1 Thessalonians 4:17). This message comforts believers and provides hope even when believers are faced with death (1 Thessalonians 4:18).
Believers in Christ can look forward in hopefulness to the day when Jesus will descend with the voice of the archangel. There are two mentions of archangels (or “first” angels) in the New Testament. One is in 1 Thessalonians 4:16. The second, in Jude 1:9, identifies Michael as “the archangel.”
In Daniel 12 the angel Gabriel told Daniel that Michael will “arise” one day, and then would come a time of severe distress from which many of Daniel’s people would be rescued (Daniel 12:1). Perhaps this indicates that Michael will be present when Jesus returns in the clouds at the rapture. According to 1 Thessalonians 4:16, Michael’s vocalizing will be among the events of the rapture (or the “catching up,” described in 1 Thessalonians 4:13–17).
Alternately, the statement that Jesus will descend with the voice of the archangel could simply indicate that Jesus’ voice would be like that of an archangel, since the phrase can literally be translated “in the voice of an archangel.”
Paul explains that there will be three audible signifiers of this event: the shout, the voice of an archangel, and the last trumpet. It seems most likely that the statement that Jesus will descend with the voice of an archangelsimply describes concurrent events that will take place when Jesus returns for those who have believed in Him.
The book of Revelation provides an overview of prophetic events that will occur in the end time before Jesus Christ’s second coming and beyond.
This section of Scripture includes many symbols, including “seven seals,” the sounding of “seven trumpets,” and “seven last plagues” to be poured out of “seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God” (Revelation 5:1; 8:2, 6; 15:1, 7).
The seals, trumpets and plagues represent a series of events that will affect all mankind during these momentous times.
The sounding of the seventh trumpet announces the culmination of God’s plan for this world and the remaining steps that He will take to ensure that His plan is accomplished for all of mankind.
What does the Bible say about this last trumpet, and what does it mean for you?
What is the message of the seventh trumpet in Revelation?The apostle John recorded what he saw in vision:
“Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, ‘The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!’
“And the twenty-four elders who sat before God on their thrones fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying: ‘We give You thanks, O Lord God Almighty, the One who is and who was and who is to come, because You have taken Your great power and reigned. The nations were angry, and Your wrath has come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that You should reward Your servants the prophets and the saints, and those who fear Your name, small and great, and should destroy those who destroy the earth.’
“Then the temple of God was opened in heaven, and the ark of His covenant was seen in His temple. And there were lightnings, noises, thunderings, an earthquake, and great hail” (Revelation 11:15-19).
What does the seventh trumpet mean?The sounding of the seventh trumpet signals the long-awaited arrival of the Kingdom of God on earth.The sounding of the seventh trumpet signals the long-awaited arrival of the Kingdom of God on earth. This trumpet, which is also called the third “woe” (Revelation 9:12; 11:14), will be one of the most important announcements in human history. The establishment of the Kingdom of God on earth is the fulfillment of biblical prophecies recorded throughout the Bible.
In the interpretation of King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, God through the prophet Daniel revealed that eventually a kingdom would arise that would destroy all the human governments that preceded it. Most important, God said this kingdom “shall never be destroyed … and it shall stand forever” (Daniel 2:44).
Years later, Daniel also had a dream in which God confirmed the coming of this eternal kingdom. In his vision Daniel saw “One like the Son of Man, coming with the clouds of heaven,” who “was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him.”
And again, Daniel noted that His dominion “shall not pass away, and His kingdom [is] the one which shall not be destroyed” (Daniel 7:13-14).
What did Jesus teach regarding the Kingdom of God?During His earthly ministry, Jesus was the representative of the Kingdom of God, and this subject was the basis of His teaching. As Matthew wrote: “And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom” (Matthew 4:23; compare Mark 1:14; Luke 8:1).
After Jesus’ death and resurrection, He spent 40 days with His disciples before ascending into heaven. He spent this time “speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God” (Acts 1:3). The Kingdom of God, which has been prepared by God the Father and His Son from the foundation of the world (Matthew 25:34), was clearly the focal point of His teaching.
The Kingdom of God has likewise been the focus of God’s people throughout the ages. Abraham “waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God” (Hebrews 11:10), and Jesus instructs us to pray for this Kingdom to come (Matthew 6:9-10). Additionally, Jesus said that seeking this Kingdom and God’s righteousness is to take priority in our lives (Matthew 6:33).
What happens after the seventh trumpet?After the seventh trumpet, John heard the 24 elders worshipping God (Revelation 11:16-18). Their praise of God also reveals what conditions will be like at that time.
These elders say that the nations were angry, that God’s wrath has come, that the time for rewarding God’s faithful people has come and that God will soon destroy those who destroyed the earth.
Let’s now consider how these end-time events relate to the establishment of the Kingdom of God.
The nations were angryIn the book of Revelation, seven seals are opened before the blowing of the seven trumpets. The second seal, represented by a rider on a red horse (one of the four horsemen of the Apocalypse) signifies war. War, of course, is what often happens when nations become angry with each other. And Bible prophecy indicates that wars will escalate prior to the return of Christ.
When Jesus gave signs of the end of this present age in His Olivet Discourse—signs which correlate with the seals in the book of Revelation—He said, “For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom” (Matthew 24:7).
Some of the conflicts between nations during the end times are specifically identified. Bible prophecy indicates that a major conflict will erupt between powers warring over control of the Middle East. “At the time of the end the king of the South shall attack him; and the king of the North shall come against him like a whirlwind” (Daniel 11:40).
In addition to this conflict, Zechariah 14:2 says that in the end all the nations will come together “to battle against Jerusalem.” When Christ returns, these armies will unite to fight against Him and quickly be overcome (Revelation 19:19-21).
The wrath of GodAs the seals are successively opened in the book of Revelation, the seventh seal includes the seven trumpets. These trumpets are actually punishments called the wrath of God that will come upon the earth’s inhabitants because of mankind’s sins (Revelation 6:16-17).
So, by the time the seventh trumpet sounds, mankind will have already been suffering from the wrath of God.
The wrath of God, however, is not yet complete. Because humans will still refuse to repent of their sins and acknowledge Jesus as the King of the earth, seven last plagues—also called “seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God” that will follow the seventh trumpet—will wreak additional devastation upon mankind and the earth (Revelation 15:7).
In these seven last plagues, “the wrath of God is complete” (verse 1).
What happens to faithful Christians at the seventh trumpet?In praising God at the sounding of the seventh trumpet, the 24 elders also noted that the time had come for the dead to be judged and God’s faithful people to be rewarded. (Do you know what the Bible means by a converted, faithful Christian? See our online article “Many Are Called, but Few Are Chosen.”)
The Bible shows that the sounding of this trumpet is indeed the great hope of the saints throughout the ages.The Bible shows that the sounding of this trumpet is indeed the great hope of the saints throughout the ages.
In teaching about the resurrection of the dead, Paul wrote: “Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed—in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed” (1 Corinthians 15:51-52).
On another occasion Paul wrote: “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).
The judgment of GodThe last item mentioned by the 24 elders as they praise God is that those who destroy the earth will be destroyed (Revelation 11:18). These are people “who have, in their conquests, spread desolation over the earth and who have persecuted the righteous, and all who have done injustice and wrong to any class of men” (Barnes’ Notes on the New Testament).
Thus, in their praise of God, the 24 elders summarize what has led up to the blowing of the seventh trumpet and what is yet to occur.
Remembering the seventh trumpetThe blowing of the prophetic trumpets is such an important part of God’s plan of salvation for mankind that one of God’s annual holy days pictures these events. The Feast of Trumpets pictures the return of Christ, His judgment upon mankind, and most important, His establishment of the peaceful Kingdom of God here on earth.
If you’d like to join Christians around the world who will be observing this day in anticipation of Christ’s return, feel free to contact us for further information.
To learn more about end-time events that will affect your life,
see “How 7 Trumpets of Revelation Will Affect Humanity”
and our booklet
The Book of Revelation: The Storm Before the Calm.
And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed a hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.” (Revelation 7:4)
Who is included in the 144,000? Much debate and discord have resulted from the study of exactly who the 144,000 in Revelation are.
Christians agree the 144,000 does not denote the total of souls throughout history who will be ultimately be saved from the wrath of eternal damnation.
Generally, Christians either interpret this verse as literally 144,000 people, or they believe it is a definite number to symbolize an indefinite number of people.
Literal Theory: 144,000 Are the “Sealed Jews”
One can believe the number in Scripture is a definite count and still have the hope of attaining heaven.
This futuristic count refers to the theory that the 144,000 are “sealed Jews,” protected from the wrath of the Antichrist during the tribulation period. This group of people will evangelize the world during this period, leading the salvation of millions referenced in Revelation 7:9.
Symbolic Theory: 144,000 Is the Symbol of CompletenessNumerology
could certainly be in play for the usage of the number 144,000. “Twelve” is utilized to symbolize completeness, perfection, and God’s power throughout the Bible, i.e. 12 tribes of Israel and 12 disciples of Jesus.
In reference to the 144,000, “12 is multiplied by itself and then again by a thousand, indicating completeness and perfection to the ultimate degree,” according to James Coffman’s commentary.
In his sermon entitled "The Believer's Glad Prospects," Charles Spurgeon gave an explanation of Revelation 7:4-9.
The 12,000 from each of the 12 tribes with Judah and Benjamin joined together stand in equal position. Spurgeon declared "the day shall come when first and last shall rejoin together in the equal blessing of the Most High." He noted the tribe of Dan is missing but explained "we shall never understand all the things of God."
Spurgeon described the "great multitude, which no man could number" as the "great gather of the Gentile multitude redeemed by blood, numbered by God, never to be numbered by men, being like the sand on the seashore, innumerable!"
In his Christianity.com article, Hank Hanegraaff said, "The 144,000 and the great multitude are not two different peoples but two different ways of describing the same purified bride. From one vantage point the purified bride is numbered; from another, she is innumerable—a great multitude that no one can count."
Hanegraaff also points out other instances in the Bible where whole numbers are used symbolically.
"The figurative use of the whole number 1,000 is common in Old Testament usage," he said. "God increased the number of the Israelites 1,000 times (Deuteronomy 1:11); God keeps his covenant to 1,000 generations (Deuteronomy 7:9); God owns the cattle on 1,000 hills (Psalm 50:10)." Other examples: Isaiah 60:22, Psalm 84:10, Exodus 20:6, and 2 Samuel 18:12.
What Does the Number 144,000 Mean?
Well, one thing that's helpful to remember in Revelation, is that numbers mean things, sometimes in a different way than they do in historical narratives because Revelation is an “apocalyptic work” that shows this thing by pictures. It seems to represent all of God's people, from the Old Testament and the New Testament.
The 12 Tribes of Israel… times the 12 apostles and those that they represent… times a very great number: 1,000. And so 12 x 12 x 1,000 is 144,000. And these are marked with the Seal of God on their foreheads. This shows us that they bow to the Lamb and to His Father, and we can contrast this with the Mark of the Beast that appears on those who do not belong to the Lamb.
And so instead of being sealed, they merely have the Mark of the Beast, which indicates being owned not by the Lamb, but by the Beast. And that they follow his ways. And so there's a contrast between the 144,000 in Revelation 14 and those who are sealed with the Name of the Lamb and His Father and those that do not have that” seal” on them.
The Lamb and the 144,000 (Revelation 14:1-5)"Then I looked, and behold, on Mount Zion stood the Lamb, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father's name written on their foreheads. And I heard a voice from heaven like the roar of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder. The voice I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps, and they were singing a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and before the elders. No one could learn that song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. It is these who have not defiled themselves with women, for they are virgins. It is these who follow the Lamb wherever he goes. These have been redeemed from mankind as firstfruits for God and the Lamb, and in their mouth no lie was found, for they are blameless.
The Messages of the Three Angels (Revelation 14:5-13)
"Then I saw another angel flying directly overhead, with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on earth, to every nation and tribe and language and people. And he said with a loud voice, "Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come, and worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water." Another angel, a second, followed, saying, "Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, she who made all nations drink the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality."
And another angel, a third, followed them, saying with a loud voice, "If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, he also will drink the wine of God's wrath, poured full strength into the cup of his anger, and he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb.
And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest, day or night, these worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name." Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus. And I heard a voice from heaven saying, "Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on." "Blessed indeed," says the Spirit, "that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!"
The Harvest of the Earth (Revelation 14:13-20)
"Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and seated on the cloud one like a son of man, with a golden crown on his head, and a sharp sickle in his hand. And another angel came out of the temple, calling with a loud voice to him who sat on the cloud, "Put in your sickle, and reap, for the hour to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is fully ripe." So he who sat on the cloud swung his sickle across the earth, and the earth was reaped. Then another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle. And another angel came out from the altar, the angel who has authority over the fire, and he called with a loud voice to the one who had the sharp sickle, "Put in your sickle and gather the clusters from the vine of the earth, for its grapes are ripe." So the angel swung his sickle across the earth and gathered the grape harvest of the earth and threw it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. And the winepress was trodden outside the city, and blood flowed from the winepress, as high as a horse's bridle, for 1,600 stadia.
Evidence of the 144,000 Being in HeavenEvidence in favor of the heavenly Zion is as follows:1
- If the 144,000 are the ones singing the new song (Rev. 14:3+), they are said to be “before the four living creatures, and the elders” (Rev. 14:3+). In every other mention of the living creatures and elders within the book of Revelation, they are in heaven (Rev. 5:6+, Rev. 5:8+, Rev. 5:11+, Rev. 5:14+; Rev. 7:11+; Rev. 19:4+).
- It appears that the scene takes place “before the throne of God” (Rev. 14:3+, Rev. 14:5+). The natural conclusion is that this is the throne of the Father in heaven (Rev. 4:2-3+; Rev. 5:1+, Rev. 5:7+; Rev. 19:4+).
- The Lamb is standing , as it was previously seen in heaven in the midst of the throne (Rev. 5:6+; Rev. 7:17+), but in the Millennium the Lamb would more likely be seated on His throne, the throne of David (Rev. 3:21+).
- The 144,000 are said to be redeemed from the earth (Rev. 4:3+). They were redeemed from among men(Rev. 4:4+). The implication is that they are no longer on the earth among men.
A close study of Revelation Rev. 12:1+ suggests that the faithful remnant which shall be protected throughout the Tribulation and find entry into the Millennial Kingdom are those who flee to the wilderness—the woman who has a place prepared for her by God (Rev. 12:6+). We saw that the 144,000 of Israel, who appear to have an evangelistic role, could not be a part of those kept in the wilderness. Because of their evangelistic mission, they will not be in Judea when the signal comes to flee to the mountains and subsequently the wilderness. Furthermore, if they did participate in the flight and subsequent hiding, how could they perform their evangelistic task among the Gentiles and Jews of the Diaspora?
Nowhere is it said that the seal which these receive is to protect
them against death throughout the Tribulation and from all causes. Scripture only tells us they are to be protected from the direct effects of God’s judgments poured upon the earth. This is why the four winds of the earth are held back until they are sealed (Rev. 7:1-3+). Judgments upon the earth, the sea, and the trees may not proceed until they are protected. Moreover, they are said to be protected from the demonic locust judgment (Rev. 9:4+). All of these dangers come directly from God and represent His wrath upon the earth dwellers. They are to be protected from this “friendly fire” during their evangelistic mission. Does this necessarily mean that they are completely invincible for the entire duration of the Tribulation? If the example of the two powerful witnesses of God is any example, then perhaps not.
The sealing they received protects them only from the wrath of God, not from the wrath of the dragon and the beast (Rev. 12:12+). These are the same 144,000 as in Revelation Rev. 7:1+, but they are also the same as the rest of the woman’s seed in Rev. 12:17+, the witnesses to whom the dragon has access because of their refusal to worship the beast (Rev. 13:15+). . . . They are the vanguard who bear the brunt of the struggle against the beast and pay the price of their own lives.
Evidence that the 144,000 are both in Heaven and on Earth
The scene before us can also be interpreted in a different way which splits the participants between both a heavenly and an earthly location. Such an interpretation understands the 144,000 to be upon the earth having survived the Tribulation due to God’s special protection (Rev. 7:1-3+). John is given a preview of the Lamb and the 144,000 on the earthly Mount Zion at the introduction of the Millennial Kingdom to come. They are accompanied by thunderous praise from heaven. This interpretation understands the singers to be the harpists in heaven, rather than the 144,000 on the earth. They who sing a new song before the throne, the four living creatures, and the elders (Rev. 14:3+), refers to the nearest antecedent, the harpists, not the 144,000 who stand with the Lamb. (However, there is a significant textual variation at this verse which see.)
“The text does not say that the 144,000 are in the same place as the singers, only that they hear the singers.” It is the heavenly chorus playing harps which sing the song in heaven commemorating God’s special preservation of the 144,000 throughout the entire Tribulation and the accomplishment of their unique evangelistic task (see commentary on Revelation 7:3). The heavenly harpists sing the new song and the 144,000 are the only ones who can learn the song from among those on earth.
Some want to identify the singers as the redeemed ones themselves. The reasons for assigning this identity are the inability of anyone else to learn the song (Rev. 14:3+) (Kiddle) and the analogy of Rev. 15:2+ where the overcomers have harps (Beasley-Murray). This cannot be, however, because the song is sung in heaven and the 144,000 redeemed ones are on the earthly Mount Zion (Alford, Beckwith). The song is intelligible to the 144,000, but they are not the singers (Moffatt).
The association of the song with the harpists has the advantage of coupling the pronoun (they) more closely to the antecedent (harpists). It also associates the singing with those who initiate the music and play the harps. It also explains who the 144,000 would learn the song from. “Who then are the harpers? They are the martyred company seen in connection with the fifth seal and they also include now their brethren which were slain during the great tribulation.” If John sees a preview of the 144,000 standing on Mount Zion at the end of the Tribulation, then their appearance follows upon the events of the Tribulation. Interestingly, a group of singing harpists in heaven is mentioned in the very next chapter, although they sing a different song (the song of Moses and of the Lamb). They are those who “have victory over the Beast, over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name” (Rev. 15:2+). The harpists here, although singing a different song, are probably also from among the redeemed. The weaknesses of this view include:
- The new song originates in the mouths of the harpists, who lack the firsthand experience of the redemption and preservation of the 144,000. In other passages, those who initiate songs are the ones who experienced redemption ( Rev. 5:9-10+; Rev. 15:2+).
- The statement mentioning the faultlessness of the 144,000 before the throne of God (Rev. 14:5+) must be understood to describe their salvific position rather than their physical location in heaven. (However, this phrase does not even appear in the NU or MT texts, but only the TR text. See commentary on Revelation 14:5.)
- The need to make a distinction between singing the song and learning the song. If the 144,000 are said to be the only ones who can learn the song, how do we account for the harpists who initially learn in order to sing? A possible solution is that the 144,000 are the only ones from among those on the earthwho can learn it because the song, originated by the harpists in heaven, commemorates their personal experience. It is uniquely their special privilege to sing it. See commentary on Revelation 14:3.
- The emphasis placed on the uniqueness of the song and its association with redemption ( Rev. 14:3+) argues against its origin with any but the 144,000 themselves.
- The majority of manuscripts (NU and MT texts) indicate that the voice or sound was like harpists playing on their harps. If this describes a voice (rather than the sound of a multitude), then they which sing in Rev. 14:3+ cannot refer to the voice. See commentary on Revelation 14:2.
A variation of this view understands the
harpists playing their harps from heaven
and the 144,000 singing the
new song in response from the earth.
This view takes they (singers) of verse 3, these (virgins) of verse 4, and their (faultless ones) of verse 5 as all referring to the 144,000 of verse 1. The main weakness of this view is accounting for how the new song they sing can be said to be “before the throne, before the four living creatures, and the elders” (Rev. 14:3+) when the singers are themselves on earth. Mills suggests another variation: that the 144,000 are seen first on earth (Rev. Rev. 14:1+), but then raptured to heaven to sing before the throne thereafter (Rev. 14:3+).5 While such an event is possible, there is little within the context of the passage itself to support such a notion. The main advantage all of these variations have over a completely heavenly scene is that they interpret God’s seal of the 144,000 to have provided for their full safety for the duration of the Tribulation so that they are not only spiritual firstfruits, but also among the first Jews which enter the Millennial Kingdom to form its initial population.
If John is shown a prophetic scene with the 144,000 and the Lamb on the earthly Mount Zion in the Millennial Kingdom and the rest of the scene is the heavenly reaction above,
then the sealed of Israel would have avoided death to enter the kingdom and now stand as evidence of God’s promise to protect a faithful remnant:
The first verse presents what appears to be a millennial scene, . . . with the 144,000 Jews standing on Mount Zion with the protective seal on their foreheads prominently displayed.
This shows that Satan’s attempt at total Jewish destruction will fail.
They are the “firstfruits” of the millennial reign. They connect the dispensations—somewhat as Noah did, who passed through the judgment of the flood into a new order of things.7
In chapter fourteen the same group [the 144,000 from Revelation Rev. 7:1+] is pictured at the termination of the tribulation, when the kingdom is established. The returning King is on Mount Zion, as was predicted of Him (Zec. Zec. 14:4. At His return the faithful witnesses gather to Him, having been redeemed (Rev. Rev. 14:4+) and having faithfully witnessed in the midst of apostasy (Rev. Rev. 14:4-5+).8
David Plays the Harp for Saul
The Spirit of the Lord had left Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord was terrifying him. 15 “It's an evil spirit from God that's frightening you,” Saul's officials told him. 16 “Your Majesty, let us go and look for someone who is good at playing the harp. He can play for you whenever the evil spirit from God bothers you, and you'll feel better.”
17 “All right,” Saul answered. “Find me someone who is good at playing the harp and bring him here.”
18 “A man named Jesse who lives in Bethlehem has a son who can play the harp,” one official said. “He's a brave warrior, he's good-looking, he can speak well, and the Lord is with him.”
19 Saul sent a message to Jesse: “Tell your son David to leave your sheep and come here to me.”
20 Jesse loaded a donkey with bread and a goatskin full of wine,[a] then he told David to take the donkey and a young goat to Saul. 21 David went to Saul and started working for him. Saul liked him so much that he put David in charge of carrying his weapons. 22 Not long after this, Saul sent another message to Jesse: “I really like David. Please let him stay with me.”
23 Whenever the evil spirit from God bothered Saul, David would play his harp. Saul would relax and feel better, and the evil spirit would go away.
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Footnotes
- 16.20 wine: Wine was sometimes kept in bottles made of goatskin sewn up with the fur on the outside.
First Samuel 16:14 says,
“The Spirit of the LORD had departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD tormented him.” This is also mentioned in 1 Samuel 16:15–16, 23; 18:10; and 19:9. Why did God let an evil spirit torment Saul? In what way was the evil spirit “from” the Lord?
First, the evil spirit was “from” the Lord in that it was allowed by God to harass Saul. Ultimately, all created things are under God’s control. It is likely that this evil spirit was part of God’s judgment upon Saul for his disobedience. Saul had directly disobeyed God on two occasions (1 Samuel 13:1–14; 15:1–35). Therefore, God removed His Spirit from Saul and allowed an evil spirit to torment him. Likely, Satan and the demons had always wanted to attack Saul; God was now simply giving them permission to do so.
Second, the evil spirit was used to bring David into the life of Saul. This account is recorded immediately following David’s anointing as the future king of Israel. The reader would be wondering how a shepherd boy would become king. First Samuel 16 reveals the first step in this journey. When the king’s servants saw the torment Saul was enduring, they suggested, “See, an evil spirit from God is tormenting you. Let our lord command his servants here to search for someone who can play the lyre. He will play when the evil spirit from God comes on you, and you will feel better” (1 Samuel 16:15–16).
One of the king’s servants referred David to the king, describing the youth as a great harp player, among other things (verse 18). Saul called David to come and found him to be a great comfort: “David came to Saul and entered his service. Saul liked him very much, and David became one of his armor-bearers. Then Saul sent word to Jesse, saying, ‘Allow David to remain in my service, for I am pleased with him.’ Whenever the spirit from God came on Saul, David would take up his lyre and play. Then relief would come to Saul; he would feel better, and the evil spirit would leave him” (1 Samuel 16:21–23).
It is important to note that this evil spirit that troubled Saul was only temporary. The final verse notes that the evil spirit came on multiple occasions to bother Saul, but also it departed from him.
A related question is, does God send evil spirits to torment people today? There are examples of individuals in the New Testament being turned over to Satan or demons for punishment. God allowed Ananias and Sapphira to be filled with the spirit of Satan as a warning and example to the early church (Acts 5:1–11). A man in the Corinthian church was committing incest and adultery, and God commanded the leaders to “hand him over to Satan” to destroy his sinful nature and save his soul (1 Corinthians 5:1–5). God allowed a messenger of Satan to torment the apostle Paul in order to teach him to rely on God’s grace and power and not become conceited because of the tremendous abundance of spiritual truth he was given (2 Corinthians 12:7).
The New Testament reveals how God can use the presence of evil spirits to reveal His power. Jesus showed His power over demons on multiple occasions; every time Jesus cast out a demon, it was an affirmation of the Lord’s authority. The account of Jesus’ casting out the demons who entered a herd of pigs indicates that perhaps as many as 2,000 evil spirits were present, yet they all feared the power of Christ (Mark 5:1–13).
If God does allow evil spirits to torment people today, He does so with the goal of our good and His glory (Romans 8:28). And, just as in Job’s case, Satan and his minions can do only what God allows them to do (Job 1:12; 2:6). They never act independently of God’s sovereign and perfect will and purpose. If believers suspect they are being tormented by demonic forces, the first response is to repent of any known sin. Then we should ask for wisdom to understand what we are to learn from the situation. Then we are to submit to whatever God has allowed in our lives, trusting that it will result in the building up of our faith and the glory of God.
Evil spirits are no match for the power of God. As Ephesians 6:10–12 commands, “Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 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.”
Apostasy is to precede the Second Coming—The gospel prepares men for eternal glory.
1 Now we beseech you, brethren, aby the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,
2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, aor be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by bletter as from us, as that the cday of Christ is at hand.
3 Let no man deceive you by any means: afor that day shall not come, except there come a bfalling away first, and that cman of dsin be revealed, the son of perdition;
4 Who aopposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
5 Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?
6 And now ye know awhat withholdeth that he might be brevealed in his time.
7 aFor the bmystery of ciniquity doth already work: only dhewho now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.
8 And then shall that aWicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his bcoming:
9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all apower and bsigns and lying wonders,
10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
12 That they all might be adamned who bbelieved not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
13 But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning achosen you to salvation through bsanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:
14 Whereunto he called you by our agospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
15 Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle.
16 Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath aloved us, and hath given us everlasting bconsolation and good hope through cgrace,
17 Comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work.
The Mark of the Beast and Why 666?There are a few reasons why 666 is the number of the beast.
Despite attempts to credit this to the devil, God is the One who is “in the details.” We see this truth clearly on the pages of Scripture. There are no wasted words with “the Word,” including the numbers in the Bible. One of the most unfortunate mistakes we could make would be glossing over those numbers as if they’re merely incidental. No, God is speaking to us in those numerical details.
It’s almost certainly no exaggeration to suggest that the most infamous number in all scripture is “666” (see Rev 13:18). Two foundational points need to be established to reach a deeper understanding of this biblical number. The FIRST issue is the symbolism or meaning of the number six. In Hebraic thought, six is the number of man (Adam was created on the sixth day) specifically, and the number of the whole of the physical realm generally. Man is the pinnacle of God’s creative work. Our physical world has three dimensions (length, width, and height), but each offers two possible directions (forward-backward, right-left, up-down), totaling six dimensions of physical reality.
And the SECOND issue to establish is the significance of repeating something three times. In Jewish thought, a three-fold repetition conveys something in an ultimate or superlative sense. The best example of this principle is found in Isaiah’s encounter with the awesome God. He saw seraphim standing above Adonai, and they called out to one another:
“Holy, holy, holy, is Adonai-Tzva’ot!
The whole earth is full of His glory.” (Isa 6:3)
If that angelic anthem expresses the Almighty’s utter holiness, the triplicate, “6-6-6” conveys that which is thoroughly human—devoid of spirit or any sense of the divine life. The story of creation begins with the words, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Gen 1:1 emphasis added). God designed heaven and earth to be connected, but “666” expresses a reality so thoroughly physical and natural that there is no connection to the life of God.
This connection to God is the quality that sets humans apart from the rest of creation. Unlike mere animals, humans can reflect and contemplate, considering the divine. This distinction exists because when God made mankind, He “breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul” (Gen 2:7 KJV). Our souls open us up to a meaningful connection to God Himself. This dimension of our existence goes far beyond the merely physical—the imago Dei (“image of God”). Satan disdains God’s image in people and wants to strip it away, reducing us to animals. Hence, the book of Revelation refers to 666 as the “mark of the beast” (Rev 13:16-17).
In our contemporary society, ideologies like Secular Materialism and Atheism advance this beastly agenda, one that reduces human beings to spiritless animals whose existence has no real meaning or purpose. In place of the eternal riches offered by faith in God, 666 offers us a sensual world that pursues material pleasures. King Solomon’s downfall wasn’t just the number of wives he had, but his amassed treasure of gold. Scripture informs us that in one year, he received 666 talents of gold (1 Kings 10:14). His final words in Ecclesiastes are no shock, then:
“Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher,
“All is vanity.” (Eccl 12:8 NKJV)
We’re image bearers! We have the breath of God in us. The eyes of our spirit have been enlightened to see that there is so much more to this life than physical things. Like Abraham, we are “waiting for the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God” (Heb 11:10). And in that city, everything associated with 666 is defeated! How do we know this? The street is paved with gold (Rev 21:21). The physical treasure that lured people into violence and greed is mere pavement “under our feet” (Rom 16:20) in that blessed city wherein the Lamb is our light.
The story of Peter’s threefold denial of Christ is found in all four Gospel accounts: Matthew 26:69–74, Mark 14:66–72, Luke 22:55–62, and John 18:15–18, 25–27. But why would the chief of the disciples deny even knowing Him? There were two main reasons why Peter denied Jesus: weakness and fear.
Peter’s denial was based partially on weakness, the weakness born of human frailty. After the Last Supper, Jesus took His disciples to the Garden of Gethsemane to await His arrest. He told them to stay awake and pray while He went off to pray alone. When He returned to them, He found them sleeping. He warned Peter to stay awake and pray because, although his spirit might be willing, his flesh was weak. But he fell asleep again, and, by the time the soldiers had come to arrest Jesus, it was too late to pray for the strength to endure the ordeal to come. No doubt his failure to appropriate the only means to shore up his own weakness—prayer—occurred to him as he was weeping bitterly after his denials. But Peter learned his lesson about being watchful, and he exhorts us in 1 Peter 5:8, “Be on the alert, because your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” Peter’s weakness had caused him to be “devoured” momentarily as he denied his Lord because he hadn’t been prepared through prayer and he underestimated his own weakness.
A second reason for Peter’s failure was fear. To his credit, although all the others had fled (Mark 14:50), Peter still followed Jesus after His arrest, but he kept his distance so as not to be identified with Him (Mark 14:54). There’s no question that fear gripped him. From the courtyard, he watched Jesus being falsely accused, beaten, and insulted (Mark 14:57–66). Peter was afraid Jesus would die, and he was fearful for his own life as well. The world hated Jesus, and Peter found that he was not prepared to face the ridicule and persecution that Jesus was suffering. Earlier, Jesus had warned His disciples as well as us today, “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first” (John 15:18; cf. Matthew 24:9). Peter quickly found he wasn’t nearly as bold and courageous as he had proclaimed, and in fear he denied the One who had loved him.
We might well wonder why Jesus allowed Peter to fail so miserably and deny his Lord three times that night. Jesus revealed to Peter that Satan had asked for permission to sift Peter like wheat (Luke 22:31). Jesus could have easily protected Peter and not allowed Satan to sift him, but Jesus had a higher goal. He was equipping Peter to strengthen his brothers (Luke 22:32). Not only did Peter strengthen the other disciples, but he became the pillar of the early church in Jerusalem, exhorting and training others to follow the Lord Jesus (Acts 2). And he continues to this day to strengthen us through his epistles, 1 and 2 Peter. As with all our failures, God used Peter’s many failures, including his three denials of Christ, to turn him from Simon, a common man with a common name, into Peter, the Rock.
The story of Jesus calming the storm is told in the three Synoptic Gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Jesus had been teaching near the Sea of Galilee. Afterwards, He wanted a respite from the crowds so decided to take a boat with the apostles to the opposite shore where there were no large towns (Mark 4:35–36). The Bible reports not long after they sailed, Jesus fell asleep and a storm arose (Luke 8:23).
Here are two important points that reveal the true humanity of Christ: He needed rest and time away from crowds, and He was so exhausted that even the battering of the boat did not awaken Him (Matthew 8:24). These truths should help us realize that Jesus was genuinely human with the same basic needs we all have. Christ’s humanity is part of what qualifies Him to be our merciful intercessor between us and God the Father (Hebrews 2:17).
Although the text doesn’t say which apostles were with Christ on the boat, it’s probable that seasoned fishermen (at least four of the twelve) were aboard. These men were quite familiar with the ways of the sea; certainly, this was not their first squall on the Sea of Galilee, which was known for its sudden raging storms. Even these professional fishermen were frightened by this storm, to the point of fearing they would die (Luke 8:24). “The waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. But [Jesus] was in the stern, asleep on the cushion” (Mark 4:37–38). It’s significant that Jesus’ sleep was deep and sound, even through the storm, which was “already filling” the boat. The Bible says the sleep of a believer will be sweet and peaceful because he knows the Lord is with him (Proverbs 3:24; Psalm 4:8). This is why Jesus, when He was awakened, rebuked the disciples with the question “Have you still no faith?” (Mark 4:40).
The apostles’ lack of faith reminds us that even those who lived and walked with Jesus, saw His miracles, and heard His message still found it difficult to be 100 percent faith-filled all the time. In that way, the disciples were a lot like us. However, their lack of faith was rebuked—and, by extension, so is ours. If Jesus was able to rescue the apostles from the storm, He is also able to rescue us from the storms of everyday life: sickness, job loss, marriage problems, and even the sting of death (1 Corinthians 15:55).
When Jesus “gave orders to go over to the other side” (Matthew 8:18), He knew the storm was coming. He is omniscient (John 2:25); even with a storm brewing, He decided to launch out to sea. The Lord never promised we will never see a storm in life (as a matter of fact, He has told us to expect trouble, John 16:33). Rather, He has promised that He will be with us in the storm. He will never leave His children alone in the midst of trouble; with perseverance they will overcome (Deuteronomy 31:8; James 1:12).
This passage not only reveals Jesus’ true humanity, but also Jesus’ deity because only God can make the “winds and water obey” (Luke 8:25). With one quick word from Christ, the storm abated and the sea became calm (Mark 4:39). The apostles marveled at this powerful display of Jesus’ supernatural ability over the elements (Luke 8:25). This can be immensely comforting to the Christian in a storm. Faith in Christ is never misplaced. If He can calm the storms of the sea with one word, He can calm the storms of life as well.
Faith and fear cannot exist together. Faith is described in Hebrews 11:1 as being "certain of what we do not see." It is an absolute belief that God is constantly working behind the scenes in every area of our lives, even when there is no tangible evidence to support that fact. On the other hand, fear, simply stated, is unbelief or weak belief. As unbelief gains the upper hand in our thoughts, fear takes hold of our emotions. Our deliverance from fear and worry is based on faith, which is the very opposite of unbelief. We need to understand that faith is not something that we can produce in ourselves. Faith is a gift (Ephesians 2:8-9), and faithfulness is described as a fruit (or characteristic) that is produced in our lives by the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22–23). The Christian’s faith is a confident assurance in a God who loves us, who knows our thoughts, and who cares about our deepest needs. That faith continues to grow as we study the Bible and learn the attributes of His amazing character. The more we learn about God, the more we can see Him working in our lives and the stronger our faith grows.
A growing faith is what we desire to have and what God desires to produce in us. But how, in day-to-day life, can we develop a faith that conquers our fears? The Bible says, "Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God" (Romans 10:17). The careful study of God’s Word is of primary importance in developing a strong faith. God wants us to know Him and completely rely on His direction in our lives. It’s through the hearing, reading, and meditation in the Scriptures that we begin to experience a strong, confident faith that excludes worry and fear. Spending time in prayer and quiet worship develops a relationship with our heavenly Father that sees us through even the darkest of nights. In the Psalms we see a picture of David, who, like us, experienced times of fear. Psalm 56:3 reveals his faith with these words: "When I am afraid, I will trust in you." Psalm 119 is filled with verses expressing the way in which David treasured God’s Word: "I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands" (verse 10); "I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways" (verse 15); "I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you" (verse 11). These are revealing words which speak wisdom to us today.
God is kind and understanding toward our weaknesses, but He requires us to go forward in faith, and the Bible is clear that faith does not mature and strengthen without trials. Adversity is God’s most effective tool to develop a strong faith. That pattern is evident in Scripture. God takes each one of us through fearful situations, and, as we learn to obey God’s Word and allow it to saturate our thoughts, we find each trial becomes a stepping stone to a stronger and deeper faith. It gives us that ability to say, "He sustained me in the past, he’ll carry me through today and he’ll uphold me in the future!" God worked this way in David’s life. When David volunteered to fight against Goliath, he said, "The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine" (1 Samuel 17:37). David knew the God who had sustained him through dangerous situations in the past. He had seen and experienced God’s power and protection in his life, and this developed within him a fearless faith.
The Word of God is rich with promises for us to take hold of and claim for ourselves. When we face financial trouble, Philippians 4:19 tells us, "And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus." If we are anxious about a future decision, Psalm 32:8 reminds us that God will "instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you." In sickness we can remember that Romans 5:3–5 says, "Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us." If someone turns against us, we can be comforted by the words in Romans 8:31, "If God is for us who can be against us!" Throughout life we will continue to face various trials that would cause us fear, but God assures us that we can know a calm peace through every situation: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:7).
Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” (James 1:2–4, ESV).
The word count is a financial term, and it means “to evaluate.” When James says to “count it all joy,” he encourages his readers to evaluate the way they look at trials. He calls believers to develop a new and improved attitude that considers trials from God’s perspective. James wants believers to know to expect “trials of various kinds” (James 1:2) in the Christian life. We should be prepared and not caught off guard when a sudden trial comes upon us. Trials are part of the Christian experience. Jesus told His disciples, “In this world you will have trouble” (John 16:33).
Typically, a trial is not an occasion for joy. James isn’t suggesting that we pursue trials or court hardship; neither are we to pretend that trials are enjoyable to endure. Trials are difficult and painful. But they exist for a purpose. Trials have the potential of producing something good in us, and, for this reason, they are an opportunity for expressing joy. Knowing there is a bigger picture, we can consider trials as things to rejoice in. Even though joy is contrary to our normal reaction, James urges us to work on changing our attitude toward troubles from dread to positive expectation, faith, trust, and even joy.
James does not merely say “count it joy,” but he says “count it all joy”; that is, we can consider trials and testings as pure, unalloyed, total joy. Too often, we see trials in a negative light, or we assume that joy cannot exist in hardship; worse, we consider the hard times as God’s curse upon us or His punishment for our sin, rather than what they really are—opportunities to joyfully mature into Christlikeness.
James 1:3 explains that God intends trials to test our faith and produce spiritual perseverance. Trials are like training challenges for an athlete. They build physical endurance and stamina. The athlete looks forward to physical and mental challenges because of the benefits that follow. If we were to walk through life on easy street and never face hardship, our Christian character would remain untested and underdeveloped. Trials develop our spiritual muscles, giving us the stamina and endurance to stay the course (Romans 5:2–5). We can count it all joy in trials because in them we learn to depend on God and trust Him. Faith that is tested becomes genuine faith, rugged faith, uncompromising faith: “In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed” (1 Peter 1:6–7).
God also uses trials to discipline us: “God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness” (Hebrews 12:10). Trials help to purge our spiritual shortcomings and mature our faith. They promote joy because they produce holiness in the life of steadfast believers.
James encourages Christians to embrace trials not for what they presently are, but for the outcome God will accomplish through them. James 1:12 promises, “Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.”
When Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers (Genesis 37:1–38), he could not see the beautiful, life-saving outcome that God would accomplish through his years of suffering and perseverance in Egypt. After his ordeal with Potiphar’s wife, Joseph spent long years forgotten in prison. Eventually, God’s plan came to fruition, and Joseph was raised up to the second most powerful position over Egypt. Through many trials and tests, Joseph learned to trust God. Not only did Joseph rescue his family and the nation of Israel from starvation, but he saved all of Egypt, too.
Joseph’s faith had been tested through trials, and perseverance finished its work. After coming through the trials victoriously, Joseph understood God’s good purpose in all he had endured. Joseph was able to see God’s sovereign hand in it all. Mature and complete, Joseph spoke these words of forgiveness to his brothers: “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives” (Genesis 50:19–20).
James 1:4 says a believer who perseveres through trials is made “perfect.” This does not mean he or she becomes sinless or without moral failings. Perfect speaks of maturity or spiritual development. Christians who face trials with a joyful outlook—trusting God to accomplish His good purpose—will develop into full spiritual maturity. They will be equipped with everything they need to overcome every trial they encounter. That’s certainly a good reason to rejoice.
To count it all joy when we face trials, we must evaluate the difficulties in life with eyes of faith and see them in light of God’s good purpose. The translation of James 1:2–4 by J.B. Phillips aids our understanding: “When all kinds of trials and temptations crowd into your lives my brothers, don’t resent them as intruders, but welcome them as friends! Realise that they come to test your faith and to produce in you the quality of endurance. But let the process go on until that endurance is fully developed, and you will find you have become men of mature character with the right sort of independence.”
It is difficult to overestimate the influence of the apostle Paul. He is known worldwide as one of the greatest Christian missionaries. His inspired writings cover a large portion of the New Testament, and it is safe to say that he remains one of the most read authors in human history. His abrupt turnaround from zealous persecutor of Christians to one of Christianity’s greatest proponents surely shaped the history of the early Christian church. But who was Saul of Tarsus before he became the apostle Paul? What do we know about his life prior to meeting Christ on the Damascus Road?
Saul of Tarsus was born in approximately AD 5 in the city of Tarsus in Cilicia (in modern-day Turkey). He was born to Jewish parents who possessed Roman citizenship, a coveted privilege that their son would also possess. In about AD 10, Saul’s family moved to Jerusalem. Sometime between AD 15—20 Saul began his studies of the Hebrew Scriptures in the city of Jerusalem under Rabbi Gamaliel. It was under Gamaliel that Saul would begin an in-depth study of the Law with the famous rabbi.
There has been some debate over whether Saul was raised in Jerusalem or in his birthplace of Tarsus, but a straightforward reading of his own comments indicates that Jerusalem was his boyhood home (Acts 22:3). We know that Paul’s sister’s son was in Jerusalem after Paul’s conversion (Acts 23:16), which lends weight to the idea that Paul’s entire family had moved to Jerusalem when he was young.
It is quite possible that Saul was present for the trial of Stephen—a trial that resulted in Stephen becoming the first Christian martyr (Acts 7:54–60). The historian Luke tells us that Stephen’s executioners laid their garments at the feet of Saul (Acts 7:58), who was in full approval of the mob’s murderous actions (Acts 8:1). Saul later ravaged the church, entering the homes of believers and committing them to prison. Saul’s anti-Christian zeal motivated him not only to arrest and imprison male Christians (the “ringleaders”) but to lock up female believers as well (Acts 8:3).
Paul’s post-conversion correspondence to various churches reveals even more about his background. In his second letter to the church in Corinth, Paul describes himself as a Hebrew, an Israelite, and a descendant of Abraham (2 Corinthians 11:22). In his letter to the Philippian church, Paul says he was a Pharisee of the tribe of Benjamin (Philippians 3:5).
While on his way to Damascus to arrest and extradite Christians back to Jerusalem, Saul was confronted by the very One whom he was persecuting (Acts 9:3–9; 22:6–11; 26:12–18). What followed was one of the most dramatic conversions in church history. Saul of Tarsus became the apostle Paul, an ardent missionary to an unbelieving world and a fine example of faithful service in the face of fierce persecution (Acts 14:19; 16:22–24; 2 Corinthians 11:25–26). Saul’s education, his background as a Pharisee, his Roman citizenship, and his unflagging zeal all contributed to his success as a missionary, once those credentials and traits had been subjugated to the lordship of Christ.