Matthew 5:12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
12 χαίρετε καὶ ἀγαλλιᾶσθε, ὅτι ὁ μισθὸς ὑμῶν πολὺς ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς· οὕτως γὰρ ἐδίωξαν τοὺς προφήτας τοὺς πρὸ ὑμῶν.
How to blog in the Sermon on the Mount? Unlike some folks, I think that this passage applies to us today rather than simply to Old Covenant Israel. This passage comes right at the end of what is known as the Beatitudes where Jesus says "Blessed is..." He kind of turns the world upside-down by saying that it is a blessing to be poor in spirit, humble, etc. Here He talks about rejoicing when you are persecuted for His name's sake.
Note that Jesus does not give a suggestion. He uses the imperatives with χαίρετε καὶ ἀγαλλιᾶσθε. He could have used a future which has a wear imperatival sense, but He didn't. He used the imperative here. What does that mean?
First, it means that we are to rejoice and be glad when we are persecuted. This seems rather paradoxical. Persecution is no fun, yet we are commanded to rejoice. Even those who say that we should preach the gospel of Jesus rather than the misogynist Paul have to acknowledge this. These are words that are quoted from the Lord Himself. We can't take this lightly.
Second, it means that we are to have a future perspective. The word translated "for" here is ὅτι, which gives the sense of "because" or "for this reason," though translating it "for" here makes for smoother reading. In other words, when we ask ourselves "Why should we ever rejoice and be glad in persecution?" the answer is, "Because your reward is great in heaven." Then He mentions the prophets. When you read through the stories of the prophets you realize that they had pretty rough gigs here on earth.
But those of us who have a hope of eternity with God can indeed rejoice and be glad when persecuted. We realize that everything on this earth is but a moment compared to eternity.
What kind of perspective do you have on all of this? Do you know of any other way to make sense of this seemingly paradoxical command?
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Friday, October 29, 2010
The Kingdom
Matthew 4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."
17 Ἀπὸ τότε ἤρξατο ὁ Ἰησοῦς κηρύσσειν καὶ λέγειν· μετανοεῖτε· ἤγγικεν γὰρ ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν.
There is a lot of talk about "kingdom" in the circles in which I run. What is the "kingdom?" Some focus more on an upcoming thousand-year reign of Christ on the earth with the saints. I have a hard time seeing that in Jesus' statement here. Very literally you could translate μετανοεῖτε· ἤγγικεν γὰρ ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν as "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near." The verb ἤγγικεν is in the perfect, so that generally has an aspect of "has come near" since the word means "to come near."
There are those who would then take this passage and say that there is a near/far aspect to what Jesus is saying. But it seems to me that taking this verse in its obvious sense it would mean that Jesus is telling the Jews that all of the Old Testament prophecies about the kingdom are currently being fulfilled. And, in fact, in a few years you will see it all come together with my death, burial, and resurrection.
That seems to be the simplest sense of the text. Maybe I'm applying Occam's Razor too closely to it, but I think that is a good rule of thumb for hermeneutics. Jesus is telling His listeners that He represents the kingdom of heaven. It is fulfilled in Him.
What does that mean for us? It means that we need to repent and believe. Jesus is sitting on the throne in heaven. He has inaugurated the kingdom of heaven. It means that we need to give Him the worship He is due. We can't simply acknowledge Him as someone who can save us. We need to acknowledge Him as Lord.
17 Ἀπὸ τότε ἤρξατο ὁ Ἰησοῦς κηρύσσειν καὶ λέγειν· μετανοεῖτε· ἤγγικεν γὰρ ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν.
There is a lot of talk about "kingdom" in the circles in which I run. What is the "kingdom?" Some focus more on an upcoming thousand-year reign of Christ on the earth with the saints. I have a hard time seeing that in Jesus' statement here. Very literally you could translate μετανοεῖτε· ἤγγικεν γὰρ ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν as "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near." The verb ἤγγικεν is in the perfect, so that generally has an aspect of "has come near" since the word means "to come near."
There are those who would then take this passage and say that there is a near/far aspect to what Jesus is saying. But it seems to me that taking this verse in its obvious sense it would mean that Jesus is telling the Jews that all of the Old Testament prophecies about the kingdom are currently being fulfilled. And, in fact, in a few years you will see it all come together with my death, burial, and resurrection.
That seems to be the simplest sense of the text. Maybe I'm applying Occam's Razor too closely to it, but I think that is a good rule of thumb for hermeneutics. Jesus is telling His listeners that He represents the kingdom of heaven. It is fulfilled in Him.
What does that mean for us? It means that we need to repent and believe. Jesus is sitting on the throne in heaven. He has inaugurated the kingdom of heaven. It means that we need to give Him the worship He is due. We can't simply acknowledge Him as someone who can save us. We need to acknowledge Him as Lord.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Unworthy to Untie
Matthew 3:11 "I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
11 Ἐγὼ μὲν ὑμᾶς βαπτίζω ἐν ὕδατι εἰς μετάνοιαν, ὁ δὲ ὀπίσω μου ἐρχόμενος ἰσχυρότερός μού ἐστιν, οὗ οὐκ εἰμὶ ἱκανὸς τὰ ὑποδήματα βαστάσαι· αὐτὸς ὑμᾶς βαπτίσει ἐν πνεύματι ἁγίῳ καὶ πυρί·
This is one of those verses that is strange for a native English speaker to read in Greek. The phrase ἰσχυρότερός μού ἐστιν is translated "mightier than I." But quite literally you have "mighty is me." This is because Greek does its comparative adjectives differently than English. Greek doesn't do "good, better, best, " or more regularly, "strong, stronger, strongest." Again, you can trust your translators here.
While that is an interesting linguistic note, I think that John's statement is worthy of reflection. Later on Jesus will say that no man born of woman was greater than John the Baptizer. And yet here we have John's statement. He did not consider himself worthy to do the most menial servant work for Jesus. John understood his place before the Lord.
Do we? Here in America we try to turn Jesus into a vending machine or a cosmic genie. We want Him to give us the lives that we want. Yet this verse makes it clear that we are always going to be subordinate to Him. If John the Baptizer was not worthy to carry Jesus' sandals, where does that leave us? It is true that Jesus is that "friend who stays closer than a brother," but He is also God. We say that He is worthy of praise and honor and glory, etc. But do we act like we believe that?
This verse helps me remember just who He is. Let's respond accordingly, amen?
11 Ἐγὼ μὲν ὑμᾶς βαπτίζω ἐν ὕδατι εἰς μετάνοιαν, ὁ δὲ ὀπίσω μου ἐρχόμενος ἰσχυρότερός μού ἐστιν, οὗ οὐκ εἰμὶ ἱκανὸς τὰ ὑποδήματα βαστάσαι· αὐτὸς ὑμᾶς βαπτίσει ἐν πνεύματι ἁγίῳ καὶ πυρί·
This is one of those verses that is strange for a native English speaker to read in Greek. The phrase ἰσχυρότερός μού ἐστιν is translated "mightier than I." But quite literally you have "mighty is me." This is because Greek does its comparative adjectives differently than English. Greek doesn't do "good, better, best, " or more regularly, "strong, stronger, strongest." Again, you can trust your translators here.
While that is an interesting linguistic note, I think that John's statement is worthy of reflection. Later on Jesus will say that no man born of woman was greater than John the Baptizer. And yet here we have John's statement. He did not consider himself worthy to do the most menial servant work for Jesus. John understood his place before the Lord.
Do we? Here in America we try to turn Jesus into a vending machine or a cosmic genie. We want Him to give us the lives that we want. Yet this verse makes it clear that we are always going to be subordinate to Him. If John the Baptizer was not worthy to carry Jesus' sandals, where does that leave us? It is true that Jesus is that "friend who stays closer than a brother," but He is also God. We say that He is worthy of praise and honor and glory, etc. But do we act like we believe that?
This verse helps me remember just who He is. Let's respond accordingly, amen?
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
He Has Called His Son
Matthew 2:15 and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, "Out of Egypt I called my son."
15 καὶ ἦν ἐκεῖ ἕως τῆς τελευτῆς Ἡρῴδου· ἵνα πληρωθῇ τὸ ῥηθὲν ὑπὸ κυρίου διὰ τοῦ προφήτου λέγοντος· ἐξ Αἰγύπτου ἐκάλεσα τὸν υἱόν μου.
Matthew is making a very clear reference to Hosea 11:1 which reads: When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son. If you look at Hosea you see that he is clearly referring to the Exodus. The nation of Israel was still relatively young, but God graciously called Israel out of Egypt and we have the record of that in Exodus. You don't have to read the Old or New Testaments very carefully to find that the Exodus is a major theme used to explain what it means to be a Christian. We are previously in bondage to sin and through Christ we are set free.
Even though this is a repeated theme, Matthew's use of this verse is a bit puzzling. After all, Hosea was referring to the nation of Israel. Matthew is clearly referring to the child Jesus. Although some disagree, I find it highly unlikely that Hosea was thinking of Jesus when he wrote Hosea 11:1. So what was Matthew doing? Was he using a Jewish hermeneutic where you can take any language you want from the OT as long as it suits what you want to say? I don't think so.
I think that Matthew was using typology here. You also could think of it as sensus plenior, if you mean that Matthew was adding meaning that the original author could not have intended. I come to this conclusion based on the research I'm doing for a thesis on this topic. When I have it done I will certainly post it.
But what difference does this make? I think that Matthew is identifying Jesus with Israel. Just as Jesus is the better Adam, the better Moses, the better Aaron, and the better David, He is also the better Israel. He is the consummation of the Old Testament. Certainly the Old Testament spoke to the nation of people known as Israel. However, in a greater sense it was leading them to Messiah. Here Matthew is telling his Jewish audience that in this boy they had the fulfillment of their search.
Every Bible reader needs to decide what is at the center of his Bible. Is it Israel? Or is it Jesus? Israel is certainly important, but I would maintain that Israel points us to Jesus, not the other way around. I believe that at Christocentric hermeneutic is the way to go. This verse is a large part of why I come to that conclusion. Seeing Christ throughout the Old Testament without resorting to ridiculous allegorizing magnifies my view of God and gives me great hope.
15 καὶ ἦν ἐκεῖ ἕως τῆς τελευτῆς Ἡρῴδου· ἵνα πληρωθῇ τὸ ῥηθὲν ὑπὸ κυρίου διὰ τοῦ προφήτου λέγοντος· ἐξ Αἰγύπτου ἐκάλεσα τὸν υἱόν μου.
Matthew is making a very clear reference to Hosea 11:1 which reads: When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son. If you look at Hosea you see that he is clearly referring to the Exodus. The nation of Israel was still relatively young, but God graciously called Israel out of Egypt and we have the record of that in Exodus. You don't have to read the Old or New Testaments very carefully to find that the Exodus is a major theme used to explain what it means to be a Christian. We are previously in bondage to sin and through Christ we are set free.
Even though this is a repeated theme, Matthew's use of this verse is a bit puzzling. After all, Hosea was referring to the nation of Israel. Matthew is clearly referring to the child Jesus. Although some disagree, I find it highly unlikely that Hosea was thinking of Jesus when he wrote Hosea 11:1. So what was Matthew doing? Was he using a Jewish hermeneutic where you can take any language you want from the OT as long as it suits what you want to say? I don't think so.
I think that Matthew was using typology here. You also could think of it as sensus plenior, if you mean that Matthew was adding meaning that the original author could not have intended. I come to this conclusion based on the research I'm doing for a thesis on this topic. When I have it done I will certainly post it.
But what difference does this make? I think that Matthew is identifying Jesus with Israel. Just as Jesus is the better Adam, the better Moses, the better Aaron, and the better David, He is also the better Israel. He is the consummation of the Old Testament. Certainly the Old Testament spoke to the nation of people known as Israel. However, in a greater sense it was leading them to Messiah. Here Matthew is telling his Jewish audience that in this boy they had the fulfillment of their search.
Every Bible reader needs to decide what is at the center of his Bible. Is it Israel? Or is it Jesus? Israel is certainly important, but I would maintain that Israel points us to Jesus, not the other way around. I believe that at Christocentric hermeneutic is the way to go. This verse is a large part of why I come to that conclusion. Seeing Christ throughout the Old Testament without resorting to ridiculous allegorizing magnifies my view of God and gives me great hope.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Maranatha!
Revelation 22:20 He who testifies to these things says, "Surely I am coming soon." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!
20 Λέγει ὁ μαρτυρῶν ταῦτα· ναί, ἔρχομαι ταχύ. Ἀμήν, ἔρχου κύριε Ἰησοῦ.
Here we are at the end of the Greek New Testament. This is one of the great promises of Scripture. Jesus is coming back. But it is also a little confusing to me. He says that He ἔρχομαι ταχύ. The word ταχύ means "quick" or "swift." This is why it gets the translation of "coming soon." The idea is that there will be a short period of time before Jesus comes.
The problem is that Jesus has not come back. He had already come and gone by the time this was written. It's possible that this was written from a past perspective regarding his first coming, but that seems unlikely. John affirms it with Ἀμήν, ἔρχου κύριε Ἰησοῦ. He is saying that he really looks forward to seeing the Lord very soon.
It is also possible to see ταχύ as describing the manner in which Jesus will come. We know that it won't be a gradual thing, but that He will just be here. The anticipation that John shows really makes me lean toward the classic translation, but it is also possible that he is just excited about the second coming in general and does not necessarily expect it to be very soon.
One way to reconcile this would be to see it in more of a spiritual than a physical sense. That is also possible, but it is hard to reconcile that with the Olivet Discourse. I'm just not quite sure what to do with this. I'm not satisfied with the idea of "soon" meaning 2000 years. That just doesn't make sense.
What do you do with this?
20 Λέγει ὁ μαρτυρῶν ταῦτα· ναί, ἔρχομαι ταχύ. Ἀμήν, ἔρχου κύριε Ἰησοῦ.
Here we are at the end of the Greek New Testament. This is one of the great promises of Scripture. Jesus is coming back. But it is also a little confusing to me. He says that He ἔρχομαι ταχύ. The word ταχύ means "quick" or "swift." This is why it gets the translation of "coming soon." The idea is that there will be a short period of time before Jesus comes.
The problem is that Jesus has not come back. He had already come and gone by the time this was written. It's possible that this was written from a past perspective regarding his first coming, but that seems unlikely. John affirms it with Ἀμήν, ἔρχου κύριε Ἰησοῦ. He is saying that he really looks forward to seeing the Lord very soon.
It is also possible to see ταχύ as describing the manner in which Jesus will come. We know that it won't be a gradual thing, but that He will just be here. The anticipation that John shows really makes me lean toward the classic translation, but it is also possible that he is just excited about the second coming in general and does not necessarily expect it to be very soon.
One way to reconcile this would be to see it in more of a spiritual than a physical sense. That is also possible, but it is hard to reconcile that with the Olivet Discourse. I'm just not quite sure what to do with this. I'm not satisfied with the idea of "soon" meaning 2000 years. That just doesn't make sense.
What do you do with this?
Saturday, October 23, 2010
No More Hippie
Revelation 19:15 From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.
15 καὶ ἐκ τοῦ στόματος αὐτοῦ ἐκπορεύεται ῥομφαία ὀξεῖα, ἵνα ἐν αὐτῇ πατάξῃ τὰ ἔθνη, καὶ αὐτὸς ποιμανεῖ αὐτοὺς ἐν ῥάβδῳ σιδηρᾷ, καὶ αὐτὸς πατεῖ τὴν ληνὸν τοῦ οἴνου τοῦ θυμοῦ τῆς ὀργῆς τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ παντοκράτορος,
Although I'm not sure that I subscribe to the futurist view of Revelation, there is still much to be gleaned from it. Folks of every millenial persuasion agree that Christ is going to return in glory. This passage in Revelation 19 is one of my favorites because it describes just that. Sadly, much of the church has the image of Jesus as a hippie in a pink dress. He is Jesus meek and mild who doesn't get mad about anything and just accepts everyone with open arms. Of course, He does accept repentant sinners with open arms. But He does not say that "it's all good."
Here we get a glimpse of how it will be when He returns. He will come back as a judge. It is not going to be pretty. Think Aragorn riding in to deal with orcs. Quite literally, He is going to kick ass and take names. There are no two ways about it.
I love this because as a man I like having a hero. Our culture has made many men into heroes. They could be suave and tough like James Bond. They could symbolize raw strength like a character in a modern action flick. They could be intellectuals like Thomas Jefferson. They could be complete goofballs like Tim Carrey. We all have our role models and our ideas of what a man should be.
Let's look to Jesus. He showed incredible grace and compassion while He walked on the earth. But He did not just sit quietly while detestable things happened. He cleansed the temple with whips (perhaps twice). He pronounced woes on the Pharisees. He did not back down from fights when it was time to fight. And He will ultimately come back in glory to judge the world. Are you ready for that? Are you going to be part of the nations that He strikes down with the sword or will you be on His side? You'd better decide now before it is too late because the mercy runs out at the day of judgment.
15 καὶ ἐκ τοῦ στόματος αὐτοῦ ἐκπορεύεται ῥομφαία ὀξεῖα, ἵνα ἐν αὐτῇ πατάξῃ τὰ ἔθνη, καὶ αὐτὸς ποιμανεῖ αὐτοὺς ἐν ῥάβδῳ σιδηρᾷ, καὶ αὐτὸς πατεῖ τὴν ληνὸν τοῦ οἴνου τοῦ θυμοῦ τῆς ὀργῆς τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ παντοκράτορος,
Although I'm not sure that I subscribe to the futurist view of Revelation, there is still much to be gleaned from it. Folks of every millenial persuasion agree that Christ is going to return in glory. This passage in Revelation 19 is one of my favorites because it describes just that. Sadly, much of the church has the image of Jesus as a hippie in a pink dress. He is Jesus meek and mild who doesn't get mad about anything and just accepts everyone with open arms. Of course, He does accept repentant sinners with open arms. But He does not say that "it's all good."
Here we get a glimpse of how it will be when He returns. He will come back as a judge. It is not going to be pretty. Think Aragorn riding in to deal with orcs. Quite literally, He is going to kick ass and take names. There are no two ways about it.
I love this because as a man I like having a hero. Our culture has made many men into heroes. They could be suave and tough like James Bond. They could symbolize raw strength like a character in a modern action flick. They could be intellectuals like Thomas Jefferson. They could be complete goofballs like Tim Carrey. We all have our role models and our ideas of what a man should be.
Let's look to Jesus. He showed incredible grace and compassion while He walked on the earth. But He did not just sit quietly while detestable things happened. He cleansed the temple with whips (perhaps twice). He pronounced woes on the Pharisees. He did not back down from fights when it was time to fight. And He will ultimately come back in glory to judge the world. Are you ready for that? Are you going to be part of the nations that He strikes down with the sword or will you be on His side? You'd better decide now before it is too late because the mercy runs out at the day of judgment.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Babylon the Great
Revelation 18:2 And he called out with a mighty voice, "Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a dwelling place for demons, a haunt for every unclean spirit, a haunt for every unclean bird, a haunt for every unclean and detestable beast.
2 καὶ ἔκραξεν ἐν ἰσχυρᾷ φωνῇ λέγων· ἔπεσεν ἔπεσεν Βαβυλὼν ἡ μεγάλη, καὶ ἐγένετο κατοικητήριον δαιμονίων καὶ φυλακὴ παντὸς πνεύματος ἀκαθάρτου καὶ φυλακὴ παντὸς ὀρνέου ἀκαθάρτου [καὶ φυλακὴ παντὸς θηρίου ἀκαθάρτου] καὶ μεμισημένου,
I don't want to comment on this verse too specifically other than to use it as an example of the troubles I've had with Revelation over the years. For the most part, my churches and other teachings I've been exposed to have had a Dispensational bent to them. This is supposed to mean that we champion a literal interpretation of Scripture.
However, that seems to go out the window when we get to the apocalyptic genre. We see all kinds of things that aren't there. Some folks see the plague of locusts as huey helicopters. They read the passages about swords being beaten into plowshares and they figure those passages must refer to weapons in general being used for peace. Of course, not everyone is guilty of that, but both have been done.
When I read through Revelation and I read about the fall of Babylon I can't help but think of New York City. There are plenty of parallels. But if I am committed to an authorial-intent hermeneutic I really can't go there. I can't apply Jeremiah directly to the USA, even though there are parallels there too.
I still don't claim to have everything sorted out, but I do know that Babylon has indeed fallen. I understand that Saddam Hussein wanted to rebuild it, but we got in his way. So as I read this passage I have two choices if I refuse to engage in speculation:
2 καὶ ἔκραξεν ἐν ἰσχυρᾷ φωνῇ λέγων· ἔπεσεν ἔπεσεν Βαβυλὼν ἡ μεγάλη, καὶ ἐγένετο κατοικητήριον δαιμονίων καὶ φυλακὴ παντὸς πνεύματος ἀκαθάρτου καὶ φυλακὴ παντὸς ὀρνέου ἀκαθάρτου [καὶ φυλακὴ παντὸς θηρίου ἀκαθάρτου] καὶ μεμισημένου,
I don't want to comment on this verse too specifically other than to use it as an example of the troubles I've had with Revelation over the years. For the most part, my churches and other teachings I've been exposed to have had a Dispensational bent to them. This is supposed to mean that we champion a literal interpretation of Scripture.
However, that seems to go out the window when we get to the apocalyptic genre. We see all kinds of things that aren't there. Some folks see the plague of locusts as huey helicopters. They read the passages about swords being beaten into plowshares and they figure those passages must refer to weapons in general being used for peace. Of course, not everyone is guilty of that, but both have been done.
When I read through Revelation and I read about the fall of Babylon I can't help but think of New York City. There are plenty of parallels. But if I am committed to an authorial-intent hermeneutic I really can't go there. I can't apply Jeremiah directly to the USA, even though there are parallels there too.
I still don't claim to have everything sorted out, but I do know that Babylon has indeed fallen. I understand that Saddam Hussein wanted to rebuild it, but we got in his way. So as I read this passage I have two choices if I refuse to engage in speculation:
- Babylon will be rebuilt and fall again
- This refers to something that already happened
Otherwise, I am as guilty of speculation as those who see the cross in every reference to wood in the OT, baptism in every reference to water, etc. I don't think I'm ready to go there. I've set foot in that land, but am not comfortable pitching my tent there. What does a faithful futurist do with this passage?
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
More Holy Fear
Revelation 15:4 Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship you, for your righteous acts have been revealed."
4 τίς οὐ μὴ φοβηθῇ, κύριε, καὶ δοξάσει τὸ ὄνομά σου; ὅτι μόνος ὅσιος, ὅτι πάντα τὰ ἔθνη ἥξουσιν καὶ προσκυνήσουσιν ἐνώπιόν σου, ὅτι τὰ δικαιώματά σου ἐφανερώθησαν.
I'm sorry for not blogging much lately. I've been quite busy in the mornings and, frankly, there hasn't been a ton in Revelation to blog about. We're getting to the really interesting stuff soon though. This is another one of those unambiguous passages that needs mention.
Here we read about the folks who did not worship the beast and remained faithful to the lamb. They make this great statement here about the Lord. Everyone will eventually worship the Lord. Some as their Lord and others as their Judge. But everyone will worship.
The fact is that after the final judgment there will be no atheists. They will see the majesty of Christ and will not have anywhere else to go but to acknowledge Him. The problem is that for most it will be too late. No one knows when He is coming back. Are you ready for it?
4 τίς οὐ μὴ φοβηθῇ, κύριε, καὶ δοξάσει τὸ ὄνομά σου; ὅτι μόνος ὅσιος, ὅτι πάντα τὰ ἔθνη ἥξουσιν καὶ προσκυνήσουσιν ἐνώπιόν σου, ὅτι τὰ δικαιώματά σου ἐφανερώθησαν.
I'm sorry for not blogging much lately. I've been quite busy in the mornings and, frankly, there hasn't been a ton in Revelation to blog about. We're getting to the really interesting stuff soon though. This is another one of those unambiguous passages that needs mention.
Here we read about the folks who did not worship the beast and remained faithful to the lamb. They make this great statement here about the Lord. Everyone will eventually worship the Lord. Some as their Lord and others as their Judge. But everyone will worship.
The fact is that after the final judgment there will be no atheists. They will see the majesty of Christ and will not have anywhere else to go but to acknowledge Him. The problem is that for most it will be too late. No one knows when He is coming back. Are you ready for it?
Saturday, October 16, 2010
True Authority
Revelation 13:7 Also it was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them. And authority was given it over every tribe and people and language and nation, 8 and all who dwell on earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain.
7 καὶ ἐδόθη αὐτῷ ποιῆσαι πόλεμον μετὰ τῶν ἁγίων καὶ νικῆσαι αὐτούς, καὶ ἐδόθη αὐτῷ ἐξουσία ἐπὶ πᾶσαν φυλὴν καὶ λαὸν καὶ γλῶσσαν καὶ ἔθνος. 8 καὶ προσκυνήσουσιν αὐτὸν πάντες οἱ κατοικοῦντες ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, οὗ οὐ γέγραπται τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ ἐν τῷ βιβλίῳ τῆς ζωῆς τοῦ ἀρνίου τοῦ ἐσφαγμένου ἀπὸ καταβολῆς κόσμου.
It's tempting to get sidetracked with interpretive questions here. Who is the beast? Is it the President? I don't think so for a lot of reasons. Some thought it was Kennedy. Others thought it was Hitler. Pope John Paul II was another candidate. We can speculate forever about this and in fact there are many folks who love to do just that. I do not want to venture any guess about that.
But what I do know for sure is that any evil only exists through authority given by the Lord. The phrase ἐδόθη αὐτῷ (literally translated "it was given") is an aorist passive. In other words, all of these abominations could not happen apart from God's will. He does not necessarily will each specific evil act, but He does give authority to this beast.
We've seen this before in Scripture. The same thing happens in Job, which makes some skeptics see the whole book as little more than a bar bet between God and Satan. But where we see this most significantly is at the cross. There are references throughout Scripture that it was God's will for Jesus to die on the cross. Therefore, in a sense God willed the most heinous act ever committed.
Does this mean we should throw in the towel when it comes to God? By no means! Instead, it should comfort us that nothing happens beyond His control. I can't speak for you, but I always like to have a sense of what is going on. I can handle a certain degree of chaos if I know that the important things are taken care of. Knowing that God is ultimately in charge gives me great comfort. All sorts of terrible things happen to Christians every day. Yet God is in control and has a plan to make it all work out for His glory. Therefore, if we focus on the Lord and the glory of His name as our greatest good then we can weather anything that comes our way.
7 καὶ ἐδόθη αὐτῷ ποιῆσαι πόλεμον μετὰ τῶν ἁγίων καὶ νικῆσαι αὐτούς, καὶ ἐδόθη αὐτῷ ἐξουσία ἐπὶ πᾶσαν φυλὴν καὶ λαὸν καὶ γλῶσσαν καὶ ἔθνος. 8 καὶ προσκυνήσουσιν αὐτὸν πάντες οἱ κατοικοῦντες ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, οὗ οὐ γέγραπται τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ ἐν τῷ βιβλίῳ τῆς ζωῆς τοῦ ἀρνίου τοῦ ἐσφαγμένου ἀπὸ καταβολῆς κόσμου.
It's tempting to get sidetracked with interpretive questions here. Who is the beast? Is it the President? I don't think so for a lot of reasons. Some thought it was Kennedy. Others thought it was Hitler. Pope John Paul II was another candidate. We can speculate forever about this and in fact there are many folks who love to do just that. I do not want to venture any guess about that.
But what I do know for sure is that any evil only exists through authority given by the Lord. The phrase ἐδόθη αὐτῷ (literally translated "it was given") is an aorist passive. In other words, all of these abominations could not happen apart from God's will. He does not necessarily will each specific evil act, but He does give authority to this beast.
We've seen this before in Scripture. The same thing happens in Job, which makes some skeptics see the whole book as little more than a bar bet between God and Satan. But where we see this most significantly is at the cross. There are references throughout Scripture that it was God's will for Jesus to die on the cross. Therefore, in a sense God willed the most heinous act ever committed.
Does this mean we should throw in the towel when it comes to God? By no means! Instead, it should comfort us that nothing happens beyond His control. I can't speak for you, but I always like to have a sense of what is going on. I can handle a certain degree of chaos if I know that the important things are taken care of. Knowing that God is ultimately in charge gives me great comfort. All sorts of terrible things happen to Christians every day. Yet God is in control and has a plan to make it all work out for His glory. Therefore, if we focus on the Lord and the glory of His name as our greatest good then we can weather anything that comes our way.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
On the Throne
Revelation 11:15 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 shall reign forever and ever."
15 Καὶ ὁ ἕβδομος ἄγγελος ἐσάλπισεν· καὶ ἐγένοντο φωναὶ μεγάλαι ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ λέγοντες· ἐγένετο ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ κόσμου τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν καὶ τοῦ χριστοῦ αὐτοῦ, καὶ βασιλεύσει εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων.
There are some questions around this verse that I'm not sure if I can handle in a blog post. But I do know that these Christological passages fascinate me. We know from Ephesians 1 that Christ is indeed on His throne and that He is indeed in control of everything. So what does this passage mean?
Getting back to what I wrote way back in chapter 1, it would seem that John had a very close fulfillment of these passages in mind. Yet I know many who take this to mean that Christ is not currently ruling earth, but that Satan is now (i.e. the god of this earth). So what do we make of this? Ephesians 1:22 tells us that all things are under His feet. I would consider the world to be part of "all things." This means that there is a contradiction (which is impossible) or we're reading something wrong somewhere.
As a rule, I like to use a clear passage to help interpret a more difficult passage. Ephesians 1 is crystal-clear. Meanwhile, here we are dealing with apocalyptic literature that is rich with symbolism and is ambiguous as to the time of its fulfillment. This forces me to say that this has already happened. I may later regret writing this, but it's where I am now. I also realize that there may be other passages I am not considering.
Theology geeks may find this conversation interesting, but I do want to keep this blog fairly devotional. I focus on these Christological passages because I like thinking about Jesus and His reign over all of creation. It amazes me that this God who created everything (and Colossians tells us all things were created through Him and for Him) also knows me personally and I can know Him as well. He condescends to humanity by giving us special revelation through His Word. It's an incredible blessing to know the Living God.
Does this fill your heart with awe and wonder? It should certainly empower your life. Not in a health and wealth kind of way, but in a way that encourages you to walk by the Spirit and not by the flesh. Does it?
15 Καὶ ὁ ἕβδομος ἄγγελος ἐσάλπισεν· καὶ ἐγένοντο φωναὶ μεγάλαι ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ λέγοντες· ἐγένετο ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ κόσμου τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν καὶ τοῦ χριστοῦ αὐτοῦ, καὶ βασιλεύσει εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων.
There are some questions around this verse that I'm not sure if I can handle in a blog post. But I do know that these Christological passages fascinate me. We know from Ephesians 1 that Christ is indeed on His throne and that He is indeed in control of everything. So what does this passage mean?
Getting back to what I wrote way back in chapter 1, it would seem that John had a very close fulfillment of these passages in mind. Yet I know many who take this to mean that Christ is not currently ruling earth, but that Satan is now (i.e. the god of this earth). So what do we make of this? Ephesians 1:22 tells us that all things are under His feet. I would consider the world to be part of "all things." This means that there is a contradiction (which is impossible) or we're reading something wrong somewhere.
As a rule, I like to use a clear passage to help interpret a more difficult passage. Ephesians 1 is crystal-clear. Meanwhile, here we are dealing with apocalyptic literature that is rich with symbolism and is ambiguous as to the time of its fulfillment. This forces me to say that this has already happened. I may later regret writing this, but it's where I am now. I also realize that there may be other passages I am not considering.
Theology geeks may find this conversation interesting, but I do want to keep this blog fairly devotional. I focus on these Christological passages because I like thinking about Jesus and His reign over all of creation. It amazes me that this God who created everything (and Colossians tells us all things were created through Him and for Him) also knows me personally and I can know Him as well. He condescends to humanity by giving us special revelation through His Word. It's an incredible blessing to know the Living God.
Does this fill your heart with awe and wonder? It should certainly empower your life. Not in a health and wealth kind of way, but in a way that encourages you to walk by the Spirit and not by the flesh. Does it?
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
More Worship
Revelation 7:12 saying, "Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen."
12 λέγοντες· ἀμήν, ἡ εὐλογία καὶ ἡ δόξα καὶ ἡ σοφία καὶ ἡ εὐχαριστία καὶ ἡ τιμὴ καὶ ἡ δύναμις καὶ ἡ ἰσχὺς τῷ θεῷ ἡμῶν εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων· ἀμήν.
This is likely a favorite chapter for more hardcore dispensationalists because of the reference to the great tribulation. I don't want to go there now because I don't have the time or expertise to dive deeply into it. But what I do know is that I like for this blog to be more devotional. This is a great verse to ponder as I go about my day.
Here John quotes angels that are around the scene with the central throne, the twenty-four elders, and the four living creatures. The multitude of 144,000 from the twelve tribes (though I'm not sure what's up with mentioning Joseph since he didn't have a tribe) shout about how salvation is from the Lord and this is the response of the angels.
Do you really believe that salvation is from the Lord? Or do you think that He just provides a means of salvation and we need to take it? The image of God I get so far from this book is of an omnipotent, sovereign God. He saves people. He doesn't just make them able to be saved. He actually does the saving. What an awesome God!
And do you really believe that all these things are ascribed to Him? If so, how does that change the way you live? Do you operate in a state of awe of this incredible God we serve? Or do you try to relegate Him to a part of your life while the rest of your life is spent on other pursuits?
God will not be put on a shelf. It's clear that if we are in Christ then we have an eternity of worship to look forward to. If that doesn't sound appealing then perhaps you don't know Him after all.
12 λέγοντες· ἀμήν, ἡ εὐλογία καὶ ἡ δόξα καὶ ἡ σοφία καὶ ἡ εὐχαριστία καὶ ἡ τιμὴ καὶ ἡ δύναμις καὶ ἡ ἰσχὺς τῷ θεῷ ἡμῶν εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων· ἀμήν.
This is likely a favorite chapter for more hardcore dispensationalists because of the reference to the great tribulation. I don't want to go there now because I don't have the time or expertise to dive deeply into it. But what I do know is that I like for this blog to be more devotional. This is a great verse to ponder as I go about my day.
Here John quotes angels that are around the scene with the central throne, the twenty-four elders, and the four living creatures. The multitude of 144,000 from the twelve tribes (though I'm not sure what's up with mentioning Joseph since he didn't have a tribe) shout about how salvation is from the Lord and this is the response of the angels.
Do you really believe that salvation is from the Lord? Or do you think that He just provides a means of salvation and we need to take it? The image of God I get so far from this book is of an omnipotent, sovereign God. He saves people. He doesn't just make them able to be saved. He actually does the saving. What an awesome God!
And do you really believe that all these things are ascribed to Him? If so, how does that change the way you live? Do you operate in a state of awe of this incredible God we serve? Or do you try to relegate Him to a part of your life while the rest of your life is spent on other pursuits?
God will not be put on a shelf. It's clear that if we are in Christ then we have an eternity of worship to look forward to. If that doesn't sound appealing then perhaps you don't know Him after all.
Saturday, October 09, 2010
The Great Day of Wrath
Revelation 6:17 for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?"
17 ὅτι ἦλθεν ἡ ἡμέρα ἡ μεγάλη τῆς ὀργῆς αὐτῶν, καὶ τίς δύναται σταθῆναι;
Many folks like to paint an image of God as a cosmic Santa Claus. Or maybe he is like your grandfather who managed to overlook all your faults and love you anyway. He still gives you treats even when you're naughty, unlike your parents who try to keep rules in place. Death is a massive campfire with us all singing Kum-Ba-Ah in the sky.
Revelation paints a different picture and that is something we will get into as we go through this book. Here we get a glimpse of what God's final judgment on the world will look like. It won't be pretty. There is a rhetorical question at the end of this verse. τίς δύναται σταθῆναι; The answer is simple -- nobody.
Christ is going to come back as a righteous judge. Of course, we naturally think of ourselves as basically good people. We're certainly not as bad as that person over there. However, ultimately every sin is going to be judged. There are two possible outcomes for this. The first is that you will get what you deserve and you will be judged for your sins for eternity. God is perfectly holy and cannot abide sin.
The second is that we do not get what we deserve because Christ bore God's wrath for our sins. However, you need to repent and believe before that can be true for you. He will wipe your record clean if you acknowledge Him for who He is.
Salvation is much more than escaping judgment, but it is also that. When every knee bows at Christ's coming will yours bow to Him as your Lord or as your judge?
Friday, October 08, 2010
He is Worthy
Revelation 5:9 And they sang a new song, saying, "Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, 10 and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth."
9 καὶ ᾄδουσιν ᾠδὴν καινὴν λέγοντες· ἄξιος εἶ λαβεῖν τὸ βιβλίον καὶ ἀνοῖξαι τὰς σφραγῖδας αὐτοῦ, ὅτι ἐσφάγης καὶ ἠγόρασας τῷ θεῷ ἐν τῷ αἵματί σου ἐκ πάσης φυλῆς καὶ γλώσσης καὶ λαοῦ καὶ ἔθνους 10 καὶ ἐποίησας αὐτοὺς τῷ θεῷ ἡμῶν βασιλείαν καὶ ἱερεῖς, καὶ βασιλεύσουσιν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς.
We're starting to get into the visions now. I don't claim to know what they all mean beyond what John interprets for us, but I do know that there are plenty of doxological passages in here. This is one of them. John has a vision of a scroll with seven seals. The problem is that no one can open the seals. This grieves John because he desperately wants to know what is in the book.
Fortunately, there is one worthy to open the seals. He is the one seated on the throne. Based on the description here, this person can only be Jesus. Or, if you prefer, King Jesus.
I really don't have any profound truths to draw from this. I think the proper response is the same as the living creatures and the 24 elders. All we can do is bow in reverent awe of who He is. Jesus alone is the one worthy to break the seals. Jesus alone is able to set us free from our sins. Jesus is the reigning Lord on His throne right now (see Ephesians). He is the beginning and the end. Everything in history points to Him. Everything in the future points to Him.
Yes, He is worthy of our praise. In fact, only He is worthy of our praise. What or who else are you praising? My list is too long to count sometimes. Let's give Him the praise only He deserves, amen?
9 καὶ ᾄδουσιν ᾠδὴν καινὴν λέγοντες· ἄξιος εἶ λαβεῖν τὸ βιβλίον καὶ ἀνοῖξαι τὰς σφραγῖδας αὐτοῦ, ὅτι ἐσφάγης καὶ ἠγόρασας τῷ θεῷ ἐν τῷ αἵματί σου ἐκ πάσης φυλῆς καὶ γλώσσης καὶ λαοῦ καὶ ἔθνους 10 καὶ ἐποίησας αὐτοὺς τῷ θεῷ ἡμῶν βασιλείαν καὶ ἱερεῖς, καὶ βασιλεύσουσιν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς.
We're starting to get into the visions now. I don't claim to know what they all mean beyond what John interprets for us, but I do know that there are plenty of doxological passages in here. This is one of them. John has a vision of a scroll with seven seals. The problem is that no one can open the seals. This grieves John because he desperately wants to know what is in the book.
Fortunately, there is one worthy to open the seals. He is the one seated on the throne. Based on the description here, this person can only be Jesus. Or, if you prefer, King Jesus.
I really don't have any profound truths to draw from this. I think the proper response is the same as the living creatures and the 24 elders. All we can do is bow in reverent awe of who He is. Jesus alone is the one worthy to break the seals. Jesus alone is able to set us free from our sins. Jesus is the reigning Lord on His throne right now (see Ephesians). He is the beginning and the end. Everything in history points to Him. Everything in the future points to Him.
Yes, He is worthy of our praise. In fact, only He is worthy of our praise. What or who else are you praising? My list is too long to count sometimes. Let's give Him the praise only He deserves, amen?
Thursday, October 07, 2010
I Don't Have to Imagine
Revelation 4:9 And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying, 11 "Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created."
9 Καὶ ὅταν δώσουσιν τὰ ζῷα δόξαν καὶ τιμὴν καὶ εὐχαριστίαν τῷ καθημένῳ ἐπὶ τῷ θρόνῳ τῷ ζῶντι εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων, 10 πεσοῦνται οἱ εἴκοσι τέσσαρες πρεσβύτεροι ἐνώπιον τοῦ καθημένου ἐπὶ τοῦ θρόνου καὶ προσκυνήσουσιν τῷ ζῶντι εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων καὶ βαλοῦσιν τοὺς στεφάνους αὐτῶν ἐνώπιον τοῦ θρόνου λέγοντες· 11 ἄξιος εἶ, ὁ κύριος καὶ ὁ θεὸς ἡμῶν, λαβεῖν τὴν δόξαν καὶ τὴν τιμὴν καὶ τὴν δύναμιν, ὅτι σὺ ἔκτισας τὰ πάντα καὶ διὰ τὸ θέλημά σου ἦσαν καὶ ἐκτίσθησαν.
This chapter has to be one of the greatest doxological chapters in all of Scripture. As you read about these τὰ ζῷα or living ones, you can't help but think of the living creatures in Isaiah 6. It seems that these have a similar role in that their whole existence is dedicated to praising the glory of the Lord. What a job!
Earlier in the chapter we saw 24 elders on thrones around the main throne. They have gold crowns on their heads, so they are clearly not just random people. The gold crowns symbolize authority. What do they do when they are before the throne? βαλοῦσιν τοὺς στεφάνους αὐτῶν ἐνώπιον τοῦ θρόνου. They recognize that they are not God and, therefore, need to bow before the throne.
There was a song a few years ago called "I Can Only Imagine." It's pretty catchy and became a hit on stations like K-Love. It even got covered by at least one country singer. In the chorus the singer wonders what he will do when he gets to heaven and is surrounded by God's glory. Will he dance? Will he in awe be still? Will he stand in His presence? Will he fall to his knees? Will he sing hallelujah? Will he even be able to speak at all? He can only imagine how he will react.
I can only imagine that the writer of that song never read Revelation 4, Isaiah 6, or many other passages where someone has a theophany. It's pretty clear what happens when we're in the presence of the divine. We fall down and worship. There can be no other reaction.
Now you may think that is fine for the future, but what about right now? We're not standing in the physical presence of the Lord in the sense described here or in Isaiah 6. Yet if we have been redeemed by the blood of Christ we have come as close to this as we can while here on earth. To suggest that we can have any reaction besides worship is preposterous. To call Jesus one's Savior and not Lord is a contradiction in terms. To say that is to say that we do not understand who Jesus is.
9 Καὶ ὅταν δώσουσιν τὰ ζῷα δόξαν καὶ τιμὴν καὶ εὐχαριστίαν τῷ καθημένῳ ἐπὶ τῷ θρόνῳ τῷ ζῶντι εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων, 10 πεσοῦνται οἱ εἴκοσι τέσσαρες πρεσβύτεροι ἐνώπιον τοῦ καθημένου ἐπὶ τοῦ θρόνου καὶ προσκυνήσουσιν τῷ ζῶντι εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων καὶ βαλοῦσιν τοὺς στεφάνους αὐτῶν ἐνώπιον τοῦ θρόνου λέγοντες· 11 ἄξιος εἶ, ὁ κύριος καὶ ὁ θεὸς ἡμῶν, λαβεῖν τὴν δόξαν καὶ τὴν τιμὴν καὶ τὴν δύναμιν, ὅτι σὺ ἔκτισας τὰ πάντα καὶ διὰ τὸ θέλημά σου ἦσαν καὶ ἐκτίσθησαν.
This chapter has to be one of the greatest doxological chapters in all of Scripture. As you read about these τὰ ζῷα or living ones, you can't help but think of the living creatures in Isaiah 6. It seems that these have a similar role in that their whole existence is dedicated to praising the glory of the Lord. What a job!
Earlier in the chapter we saw 24 elders on thrones around the main throne. They have gold crowns on their heads, so they are clearly not just random people. The gold crowns symbolize authority. What do they do when they are before the throne? βαλοῦσιν τοὺς στεφάνους αὐτῶν ἐνώπιον τοῦ θρόνου. They recognize that they are not God and, therefore, need to bow before the throne.
There was a song a few years ago called "I Can Only Imagine." It's pretty catchy and became a hit on stations like K-Love. It even got covered by at least one country singer. In the chorus the singer wonders what he will do when he gets to heaven and is surrounded by God's glory. Will he dance? Will he in awe be still? Will he stand in His presence? Will he fall to his knees? Will he sing hallelujah? Will he even be able to speak at all? He can only imagine how he will react.
I can only imagine that the writer of that song never read Revelation 4, Isaiah 6, or many other passages where someone has a theophany. It's pretty clear what happens when we're in the presence of the divine. We fall down and worship. There can be no other reaction.
Now you may think that is fine for the future, but what about right now? We're not standing in the physical presence of the Lord in the sense described here or in Isaiah 6. Yet if we have been redeemed by the blood of Christ we have come as close to this as we can while here on earth. To suggest that we can have any reaction besides worship is preposterous. To call Jesus one's Savior and not Lord is a contradiction in terms. To say that is to say that we do not understand who Jesus is.
Wednesday, October 06, 2010
Slice of Laodicea in America
Revelation 3:17 For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.
17 ὅτι λέγεις ὅτι πλούσιός εἰμι καὶ πεπλούτηκα καὶ οὐδὲν χρείαν ἔχω, καὶ οὐκ οἶδας ὅτι σὺ εἶ ὁ ταλαίπωρος καὶ ἐλεεινὸς καὶ πτωχὸς καὶ τυφλὸς καὶ γυμνός,
Here Jesus rebukes the church at Laodicea for being neither hot nor cold. They were simply lukewarm. Here He condemns them with evidence of why He would spit them out of His mouth. It's a pretty indicting list, isn't it?
I think of the American church today. It is clear that we are rich, we have prospered, and we don't seem to need anything. We forget that we are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. And why wouldn't we forget that? We have built grand edifices to house our "ministries." We have top-notch sound and video systems. Our preaching is polished and we could hold our music up against anything published by any label. It's quite a system we have going on.
The more theologically-minded of us may decry the pomp and money spent by the Roman Church. The Vatican Museum is something to see and it makes the Protestant wonder how many mouths could be fed with the riches contained therein. But the same could be said for our megachurches today. Just the heating and cooling costs alone could feed a village of orphans in Uganda.
I do want to make clear that I think there should be excellence in what we do. We should preach as well as we can and we should strive to have a gifted preacher delivering the sermon. Someone with my singing "abilities" has no business trying to lead corporate singing. But somewhere I think we've crossed a line. My prayer is that I can be part of a reformation in this area. Will you join me?
17 ὅτι λέγεις ὅτι πλούσιός εἰμι καὶ πεπλούτηκα καὶ οὐδὲν χρείαν ἔχω, καὶ οὐκ οἶδας ὅτι σὺ εἶ ὁ ταλαίπωρος καὶ ἐλεεινὸς καὶ πτωχὸς καὶ τυφλὸς καὶ γυμνός,
Here Jesus rebukes the church at Laodicea for being neither hot nor cold. They were simply lukewarm. Here He condemns them with evidence of why He would spit them out of His mouth. It's a pretty indicting list, isn't it?
I think of the American church today. It is clear that we are rich, we have prospered, and we don't seem to need anything. We forget that we are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. And why wouldn't we forget that? We have built grand edifices to house our "ministries." We have top-notch sound and video systems. Our preaching is polished and we could hold our music up against anything published by any label. It's quite a system we have going on.
The more theologically-minded of us may decry the pomp and money spent by the Roman Church. The Vatican Museum is something to see and it makes the Protestant wonder how many mouths could be fed with the riches contained therein. But the same could be said for our megachurches today. Just the heating and cooling costs alone could feed a village of orphans in Uganda.
I do want to make clear that I think there should be excellence in what we do. We should preach as well as we can and we should strive to have a gifted preacher delivering the sermon. Someone with my singing "abilities" has no business trying to lead corporate singing. But somewhere I think we've crossed a line. My prayer is that I can be part of a reformation in this area. Will you join me?
Tuesday, October 05, 2010
Your First Love
Revelation 2:3 I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name's sake, and you have not grown weary. 4 But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.
3 καὶ ὑπομονὴν ἔχεις καὶ ἐβάστασας διὰ τὸ ὄνομά μου καὶ οὐ κεκοπίακες. 4 ἀλλὰ ἔχω κατὰ σοῦ ὅτι τὴν ἀγάπην σου τὴν πρώτην ἀφῆκες.
I recently heard a fantastic sermon on this passage that really cut me to the heart. The church at Ephesus was basically a model church. Note that Christ compliments them in verse 3. However, they had a problem. They forgot the love that they had at first.
What a stinging rebuke to a seminarian like me! I remember the love I had for Christ when I started seminary. Frankly, it went through some serious ebbs during my seminary career. I have recently felt the fires rekindled, but it is not an easy journey. It is so much easier to keep it hot then to try to reignite it. It is so easy to let the cares of day-to-day life as a student, husband, father, and employee pour water on the coals.
The good news is that, like the fire Pilgrim saw, Christ stands in another room adding fuel to the fire. He will never let the fire completely die for His saints. That is a huge comfort to me, but I also know that I cannot quench the fire either. I need to keep enjoying fellowship with Him.
I encourage you to keep fueling the fire if you are white-hot for the Lord right now. And if you're going through a season where the wick seems to only be smoking without a trace of orange, remember the love you had at first. Christ will get the fire going again.
3 καὶ ὑπομονὴν ἔχεις καὶ ἐβάστασας διὰ τὸ ὄνομά μου καὶ οὐ κεκοπίακες. 4 ἀλλὰ ἔχω κατὰ σοῦ ὅτι τὴν ἀγάπην σου τὴν πρώτην ἀφῆκες.
I recently heard a fantastic sermon on this passage that really cut me to the heart. The church at Ephesus was basically a model church. Note that Christ compliments them in verse 3. However, they had a problem. They forgot the love that they had at first.
What a stinging rebuke to a seminarian like me! I remember the love I had for Christ when I started seminary. Frankly, it went through some serious ebbs during my seminary career. I have recently felt the fires rekindled, but it is not an easy journey. It is so much easier to keep it hot then to try to reignite it. It is so easy to let the cares of day-to-day life as a student, husband, father, and employee pour water on the coals.
The good news is that, like the fire Pilgrim saw, Christ stands in another room adding fuel to the fire. He will never let the fire completely die for His saints. That is a huge comfort to me, but I also know that I cannot quench the fire either. I need to keep enjoying fellowship with Him.
I encourage you to keep fueling the fire if you are white-hot for the Lord right now. And if you're going through a season where the wick seems to only be smoking without a trace of orange, remember the love you had at first. Christ will get the fire going again.
Monday, October 04, 2010
The Time is Near
Revelation 1:3 Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near.
3 Μακάριος ὁ ἀναγινώσκων καὶ οἱ ἀκούοντες τοὺς λόγους τῆς προφητείας καὶ τηροῦντες τὰ ἐν αὐτῇ γεγραμμένα, ὁ γὰρ καιρὸς ἐγγύς.
Here we go. It's time to spend 22 days in Revelation. Unlike many folks, I've never known quite how to take this book. I find it intriguing that Calvin never wrote about it. It is full of apocalyptic imagery. In fact, a good book on hermeneutics will treat apocalyptic as its own literary genre. We're going to meet strange beasts and visions. We're going to see Jesus as the complete opposite of the modern "hippie in a pink dress" as He is often portrayed. And, I think it's safe to say, I'm going to get a little confused.
Now I suppose that should not be the case given that I go to a soundly Dispensational school. Some there would tell me that it all fits together quite nicely if I just read Daniel and some other OT prophecies correctly. But then you have this verse before the book really gets going. Here John tells us that ὁ γὰρ καιρὸς ἐγγύς.
Anyone who has had even one semester of Greek can tell you what this means. It means what the ESV translates it to mean. It could also be read "the time is at hand." In other words, it seems that John is telling the reader that what he is describing is going to happen very soon. The typical way a good Dispensationalist reads Revelation is that it speaks of the future when Christ returns in glory. But I don't know how to deal with this phrase if that is the case.
John could not have been mistaken because He wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Is it possible that these things have happened in some symbolic way? Can we tie this book to the sacking of Jersualem in 70 AD (c.f. Mat 24)? Perhaps. I'm not sure if I'm ready to go that far.
What I do know is that there are still some wonderful devotional gleanings to be had from Revelation. Tomorrow will be much more edifying to the soul.
3 Μακάριος ὁ ἀναγινώσκων καὶ οἱ ἀκούοντες τοὺς λόγους τῆς προφητείας καὶ τηροῦντες τὰ ἐν αὐτῇ γεγραμμένα, ὁ γὰρ καιρὸς ἐγγύς.
Here we go. It's time to spend 22 days in Revelation. Unlike many folks, I've never known quite how to take this book. I find it intriguing that Calvin never wrote about it. It is full of apocalyptic imagery. In fact, a good book on hermeneutics will treat apocalyptic as its own literary genre. We're going to meet strange beasts and visions. We're going to see Jesus as the complete opposite of the modern "hippie in a pink dress" as He is often portrayed. And, I think it's safe to say, I'm going to get a little confused.
Now I suppose that should not be the case given that I go to a soundly Dispensational school. Some there would tell me that it all fits together quite nicely if I just read Daniel and some other OT prophecies correctly. But then you have this verse before the book really gets going. Here John tells us that ὁ γὰρ καιρὸς ἐγγύς.
Anyone who has had even one semester of Greek can tell you what this means. It means what the ESV translates it to mean. It could also be read "the time is at hand." In other words, it seems that John is telling the reader that what he is describing is going to happen very soon. The typical way a good Dispensationalist reads Revelation is that it speaks of the future when Christ returns in glory. But I don't know how to deal with this phrase if that is the case.
John could not have been mistaken because He wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Is it possible that these things have happened in some symbolic way? Can we tie this book to the sacking of Jersualem in 70 AD (c.f. Mat 24)? Perhaps. I'm not sure if I'm ready to go that far.
What I do know is that there are still some wonderful devotional gleanings to be had from Revelation. Tomorrow will be much more edifying to the soul.
Saturday, October 02, 2010
A Great Command
1 John 5:21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols.
21 Τεκνία, φυλάξατε ἑαυτὰ ἀπὸ τῶν εἰδώλων.
This verse seems sort of tacked-on to the end of 1 John. John has spent five chapters talking about what it means to be a Christian. Basically, if we know Christ we will obey Him. If we don't then we won't. Or perhaps it is better to say if we won't then we don't. Either way, John spends a lot of time talking about how the Christian life should look. But then he ends with this verse.
I think that this verse sums up the whole book. The word φυλάξατε is an imperative. You could also think of it as a command to guard yourself from idols. But why make this point about idols? We aren't making golden calves, are we?
No, we aren't putting our jewelry into a fire and making a calf. But we are making idols out of everything. I went to a university where 100,000 people make an idol out of watching 22 men fight over some pigskin filled with air. We live in a country where millions do that on Sundays instead of Saturdays. We live in a country where we have elevated the dollar to god status. Not to mention the way we look for the praise of men.
We have no shortage of idols. John Calvin said that "The human heart is a factory of idols." If we are honest with ourselves we will agree with this statement. That is why John ends this book with what appears to be a disconnected verse. If we do this then we can obey the rest of the commands in the book.
So how are you doing with this? Are you guarding your heart from idols?
21 Τεκνία, φυλάξατε ἑαυτὰ ἀπὸ τῶν εἰδώλων.
This verse seems sort of tacked-on to the end of 1 John. John has spent five chapters talking about what it means to be a Christian. Basically, if we know Christ we will obey Him. If we don't then we won't. Or perhaps it is better to say if we won't then we don't. Either way, John spends a lot of time talking about how the Christian life should look. But then he ends with this verse.
I think that this verse sums up the whole book. The word φυλάξατε is an imperative. You could also think of it as a command to guard yourself from idols. But why make this point about idols? We aren't making golden calves, are we?
No, we aren't putting our jewelry into a fire and making a calf. But we are making idols out of everything. I went to a university where 100,000 people make an idol out of watching 22 men fight over some pigskin filled with air. We live in a country where millions do that on Sundays instead of Saturdays. We live in a country where we have elevated the dollar to god status. Not to mention the way we look for the praise of men.
We have no shortage of idols. John Calvin said that "The human heart is a factory of idols." If we are honest with ourselves we will agree with this statement. That is why John ends this book with what appears to be a disconnected verse. If we do this then we can obey the rest of the commands in the book.
So how are you doing with this? Are you guarding your heart from idols?
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