1 Corinthians 7
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Chapter
7
Intimate
marital relations
1. Now
concerning the matters about which you wrote: “It is good for a man not to have
sexual relations with a woman.”
2. But
because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own
wife and each woman her own husband.
3. The
husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife to
her husband.
4. For
the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does.
Likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife
does.
5. Do
not deprive one another, except perhaps by agreement for a limited time, that
you may devote yourselves to prayer but then come together again, so that Satan
may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.
6. Now
as a concession, not a command, I say this.
The Bible provides answers for all areas of life… even very delicate
areas… and the Corinthians were not embarrassed to ask Paul about them. As a
result, we can simply read these first verses, without commentary, and know very
clearly how to handle certain issues. I will mention one thing: The Roman
Catholic church teaches that intimate, physical marital relationship is
strictly for the procreation of children. That is the basic reason for it, but it
is not the only reason that the Bible gives. Paul gives another reason in verse
2 and I commented on something else in an earlier chapter. I pointed to a verse
in Proverbs, which I will quote here: “Rejoice in the wife of your
youth… be intoxicated always in her love. Why should you be intoxicated, my
son, with a forbidden woman and embrace the bosom of an adulteress?” (Pro.5:18-20). You
may want to review it again, as well as Hebrews13:4. A married man and his wife, committed to one
another for a lifetime, fulfill a
natural desire of the body and share intimacy.
Paul goes on to
write about something that he calls “conjugal rights”, belonging to both the
husband and the wife (3-4). He means that in marriage neither one nor the other
hold selfish possession over their own bodies, but must share them. There may
be mutual agreement in a Christian marriage to set a time apart for abstaining
from intimate physical contact, just as time may be set apart for fasting.
However, these are temporal seasons, when Christians want to devote themselves
exclusively to seeking God in prayer. The normal, day-by-day Christian life
includes regular eating habits, as well as a physical relationship between
husband and wife (5). Paul is covering some areas that Jesus did not mention in
the gospels, of which the Corinthians questioned him, but that does not mean
that his answers are not inspired (6).
There is no
suggestion of polygamy in the New Testament, nor was there any place for it in
the beginning, when God created Adam and Eve. There is only teaching concerning
a bond of love between one man and one woman. I should not even have to mention
any kind of homosexual bond, because common sense teaches that all such filth
is perversion and rebellion against the Creator. That was understood in Bible
times by all reasonable people and it is a sign of the wickedness of our day,
that we should even have to bring up the subject. The Bible clearly condemns
all such practice.
1 Corinthians 6
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Chapter 6
Not living up
to spiritual potential
1.
When one of you has a grievance against another, does he
dare go to law before the unrighteous instead of the saints?
2.
Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world?
And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial
cases?
3.
Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much
more, then, matters pertaining to this life!
4.
So if you have such cases, why do you lay them before
those who have no standing in the church?
5.
I say this to your shame. Can it be that there is no one
among you wise enough to settle a dispute between the brothers,
6.
But brother goes to law against brother, and that before
unbelievers?
7.
To have lawsuits at all with one another is already a
defeat for you. Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded?
8.
But you yourselves wrong and defraud – even you own
brothers!
Our time on earth is short…
that is for sure! “What is your life?
For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes” (Jm.4:14).
Earthly life is a vapor, a gas, the most unstable of all forms of matter. You
cannot grasp it; it is temporal and always changing. Job made several statements about it (Job 7:6-7;
9:25-26; 14:1-2) and the Psalmist followed with still more verses on the theme.
Here is one example: “Behold, you have
made my days a few handbreadths, and my lifetime is as nothing before you.
Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath!” (Ps.39:5; study also Ps.89:47;
90:5-7; and 102:3). I was not yet two-years-old, when I was taught this verse
in Peter: “All flesh is like grass and
all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower
falls” (1 P.1:24). Jonathan Edwards wrote:
Where will all
of our worldly enjoyments be, when we are laid in the silent grave?
Resolved, to
live as I shall wish I had done, when I come to die.
Resolved, to
live as I shall wish I had done, ten thousand ages hence.
Lord, stamp
eternity on my eyeballs!
1 Corinthians 5
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Chapter 5
1.
It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality
among you, and of a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans, for a man has
his father’s wife.
2.
And you are arrogant! Ought you not rather to mourn? Let
him who has done this be removed from among you.
3.
For though absent in body, I am present in spirit; and as
if present, I have already pronounced judgment on the one who did such a thing.
4.
When you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus and
my spirit is present, with the power of our Lord Jesus,
5.
you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction
of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.
We have come to a portion in
this book, where Paul passes judgment against sexual immorality. I don’t think
that I am telling you anything new, when I say that immorality is a huge
problem in the church today and it has been the downfall of many pastors and
other leaders. The fact is, it was also a problem in biblical times, beginning
in the book of Genesis.
Sexual misconduct is
different from unnatural addictions, which come from nicotine, alcohol, and
numerous kinds of drugs and barbiturates, in that it is a natural appetite innate
to the human body, as is hunger and thirst. One cannot expect deliverance from
it, but must learn to control it, just as he must control his appetite for
food. Sexuality is very basically a part of human nature, in order to insure
the procreation of the race: therefore it is a good thing.
However, all sexual activity,
biblically speaking, is limited strictly
and exclusively to a man and his
wife, after they have committed themselves publically to each other for life.
Solomon shares his wisdom on the matter in Proverbs 5:18-20, if you would like
to look it up, and the writer of Hebrews gives us a solid New Testament
position: “Let marriage be held in honor
among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled; for God will judge the
sexually immoral and adulterous” (He.13:4).
1 Corinthians 4
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Chapter 4
The importance of God’s judgment
1.
This
is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the
mysteries of God
2.
Moreover,
it is required of stewards that they be found faithful.
3.
But
with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human
court. In fact, I do not even judge myself.
4.
For I
am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is
the Lord who judges me.
5.
Therefore
do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will
bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes
of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God.
How are we to look at those, who are called into the
ministry? Paul gives the Corinthians the true guidelines, which can be trusted,
as the correct view concerning leadership in the church today. A little later,
he will define particularly the apostolic ministry, but in the first verse he
puts two titles upon himself, along with all others, who have a specific
ministry to the church. This is not a position in a local church, but in the
church, in general.
These are to be seen as 1) servants and 2) stewards. In
the last chapter we saw that ministry is synonymous with servanthood, and that
comparison still holds, as we begin this chapter. However, Paul has chosen
another Greek term for servant now, huperetes.
Its definition is, literally, a subordinate
oarsman. There are some Greek words which are very interesting and important in this chapter. It describes the slaves, who rowed the Roman ships. It is quite
the opposite extreme of expecting honor as a captain, which is the picture that
the Corinthians had formed of their favorite leader. They are to be seen, Paul
shows, as galley slaves, chained to the bench and subject totally to Christ. If
we are to apply this term literally, they are the oarsmen, who move the church
forward through the sea of life. Obviously, there is no justification for those
who lord it over others, so Peter warned the elders as a fellow elder, “Not domineering over those in your charge,
but being examples to the flock” (1 P.5:3).
The other term, which Paul uses is that of a steward. Stewards
were household managers to a well-to-do family, under the authority of the head
of the house. They managed the purchasing and the distribution of the food. A
steward to the church, in this context, must collect and distribute the
mysteries of God. He does it under the direction of the Holy Spirit, who
reveals these secrets to him, after which, the steward must distribute them for
the benefit of the body of Christ. Once again, he is a servant to Christ and to
the church.
1 Corinthians 3
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Chapter 3
Carnality versus spirituality
1.
But
I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the
flesh, as infants in Christ.
2.
I fed
you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you
are not yet ready,
3.
for
you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you,
are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way?
4.
For
when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not
being merely human?
The Corinthians were in a contradictory state. On the one
hand they were certainly people, who were recipients of the grace of God. They
were rich in Christian speech and wisdom, and were receiving and practicing spiritual
gifts. Yet, Paul said that they were still in the flesh. He went to Corinth
somewhere near 52 A.D. and this letter is written from Ephesus around 56 to 57
A.D., so they had been Christians for four or five years. They are still
infants (1).
Fleshly-minded people follow men and put their trust in
men and their ministries. Because different men and ministries have been
presented to the Corinthians, there are different opinions about which one has
been the most profitable to them (4). Therefore there is jealousy and strife
between the different members of the church (3). In his second letter to them,
Paul revealed his goal to betroth “you
to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ” (2 Co.11:2). When
this goal is reached in a practical, heart-felt sense, then Christians reach a
spiritual state and the factions cease.
1 Corinthians 2
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Chapter 2
Paul’s personal way of speaking
1.
And
I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony
of God with lofty speech or wisdom.
2.
For I
decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.
3.
And I
was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling,
4.
and
my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in
demonstration of the Spirit and of power,
5.
so
that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.
In these first verses, Paul better describes his way of
presenting the message of the cross. He began in chapter 1, verse 17 saying, “Christ did not send me to baptize but to
preach the gospel, and not with words of
eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.” The
manner of presenting the gospel must match the message. It is about a Man,
bloody and beaten, dying on a rugged cross. To preach that with eloquent wisdom
is a contradiction to the message and, in fact, subtracts from its power; worse
yet, it takes away from the glory that should only go to God (1:31). The power of the message comes from God and
the human power of an eloquent orator is far less than adequate in portraying
the message.
I quote verse 21 of chapter 1 from the Amplified Bible: “When the world with all its earthly wisdom
failed to perceive and recognize and know God by means of its own philosophy,
God in His wisdom was pleased through the
foolishness of preaching to save those who believed.” The church makes
a mistake by appealing to human desire for entertainment or by catering to
man’s ego in its presentation of the gospel. The design of God’s plan for
salvation from the onset is to make the individual uncomfortable. The message
must be blunt, straightforward, plain and without psychological manipulation. It
is a simple declaration. In Paul’s words it is without “lofty speech or wisdom.” Again in verse 4, he affirms, “My speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom” (KJV).
1 Corinthians 1
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Chapter 1
Greeting and opening statements
1.
Paul,
called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and our brother
Sosthenes,
2.
To
the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus,
called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the
name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours:
3. Grace to you and peace from God our Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ.
4.
I
give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given
you in Christ Jesus,
5.
that
in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge-
6.
even
as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you –
7.
so
that you are not lacking in any gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord
Jesus Christ,
8.
who
will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
9.
God
is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus
Christ our Lord.
If Paul is called
of God to be an apostle, meaning a “sent one”, and of course he is, in this
immensely vital mission, which concerns the dispensation of the eternal gospel,
then this letter is of utmost importance to us. The writing is inspired of the
Holy Spirit and infallible; it is true instruction, which is alive and ageless.
Paul joins with Sosthenes in his greeting, a combined effort to counsel the
church, because this Jew is well-known to the Corinthians. After Crispus, the
ruler of the synagogue, was converted to Christianity, he was replaced by
Sosthenes as the Jewish leader. When the Jews accused Paul before the Roman
proconsul of Achaia, Gallio, he ignored their complaint and the Corinthian
citizens took Sosthenes and beat him before the tribunal. Later, Sosthenes also
became a Christian, the second important Jewish convert.
The letter is
written to the church, meaning the “called-out ones” in Corinth. They are
saints, because they have been sanctified in Christ Jesus. Saints are not an
elite order of extraordinary Christians, who have done outstanding deeds, but
are only called so, because of the work of Christ on their behalf. They join
with this growing band of believers throughout the Middle East in the time of
the apostles, and hundreds of thousands more have called on the name of the
Lord, down through the centuries and throughout the world, up to modern times.
He is our same Lord in the 21st Century (2).
Coming Up: First Corinthians
Some of you know that after I follow my regular daily reading plan, which leads me through the New Testament twice and the Old Testament once, I tend to give the remaining months of the year to a particular book of the Bible. I have been considering, to which book I should give special attention over the last quarter of 2019. I trust that I have picked the right one, as I decide to take on 1 Corinthians. I have already written out an introduction, so I would like to put it before you at this time, to help you with a little background, before we face the actual text. Please consider joining me in this expositional study and, if you do, please pray that God will give, to you and to me, light from heaven so that we can really profit from it in our inner beings.
Introduction to 1 Corinthian
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| At the Corinthian isthmus with two Greeks and a Spaniard |
Daniel’s Life of Prayer
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| Shelley and Dan |
I am happy to be able to give
you another message from our oldest son, Dan, something I haven’t done for
quite some time. Dan, Shelley and family
were mission-aries in Macedonia, where Dan and others in his family still have
many dear friends. They return to visit from time to time. Dan also ministers
in other places in Europe.
Dan frequently shares
exciting, sometimes astounding, testi-monies with us, of the clearly evident
work of God in people’s lives. I chalk that up to the fact that the people in
Swanton Christian Church are faithful to come together for prayer. Dan is
pastor in Swanton, Vermont, only a few minutes from the Canadian border. He gave
this message a few Sundays past on September 1, 2019. It is an encouraging and challenging
word from the Lord, containing some very pithy statements.
Daniel’s background
One day,
while Daniel was still living in his parents’ home, the Babylonians came and
took him captive. Many think he was a young teenager. We don’t know if his
parents were killed in the raid and we don’t have a clue, as to what this would
be like. Three of his friends, whom we know better by their Babylonian names:
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego - I will just go with those names - were
taken with him into Babylon. They were all of the nobility, but more
importantly they were noble in character. Those were tough days; it was a long,
hot journey and they were taken to a land, in which they couldn’t understand
the language. They were forced to go to a school to learn the language. No one
would choose to be treated this way.
A Rest
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Our text
today is taken from the book of Ruth and the words are spoken by a
mother-in-law, Naomi, to her daughter-in-law, Ruth.
Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, "My
daughter, should I not seek rest for you, that it may be well with you? Ruth 3:1
Ruth
determined to follow Naomi back to her native land: “Where you go, I will go,” she said, “Your people shall be my people and your God my God.” In chapter
2, she begins to take part in the benefits and blessings of this Promised Land.
She actually had no rights to it, because she was a Moabitess and her people were
forbidden to even enter the land. However, long before she existed, God devised
a plan, and Ruth, though not one of the people of God, but a foreigner, was
received into His plan. That was a high and undeserved privilege, but it was
not the end of the story.
Ruth’s
mother-in-law desires more for her. It already was going very well for Ruth,
but Naomi would look for a “rest” for her. What does she mean by “rest”? She
meant that Ruth should find a place of satisfaction and fulfillment, that would
secure her future. It was a place, where she could put down roots, settle in,
and be established. She was speaking of a home.
Romanian Pictorial
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personal testimonies
I wanted to share with you a recent trip to Romania, complete with photos. It began on August 21 and involved a ten-hour layover in Barcelona. My friend, Jose, was there to pick me up and we had time to have a meeting before catching the plane to Bucharest. In the 8 P.M. meeting in Barcelona, I shared a message, which I hoped to develop also in Romania on The Year of Jubilee. Another good friend, Ionut, was at the Otopeni airport at 3:45 A.M. and drove me to his home for some rest before a trip into the mountains.
We arrived at the comfortable inn near Rucar in time for an evening meeting. David Harasemiuc, very proficient on the keyboard, led the singing. He is from a family of musicians and, being a lover of violin, I especially enjoy his sister, Patricia's, ability with that instrument. This girl, playing the violin, is not yet a teenager, (if I remember correctly) and is the daughter of long-time friends, Daniel and Cristina. Ionis, son of my translator and her husband, joins in song.
I began a series of three Bible studies on The Year of Jubilee. Perhaps in the near future I can share the content on this BlogSpot.
The house has 10 guest rooms and comfortably housed 60 people. On Saturday, more arrived, totalling around 80 altogether. I take you with me up the stairs to the next floor....
Gospel Awakening
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Important messages
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| Rachel and Mike |
This is the first message I have
ever posted on this BlogSpot from our son, Mike. It was his opening message
that he preached, after taking on the senior pastorate at Church of Hope in Elk
River, Minnesota. Very early in his ministry, Mike was a chaplain in a
Christian high school. Later he became a youth pastor and, as he states in this
article, he was asked to take on the children’s ministry besides, in that same
church.
Here are a few words from Mike’s own
personal testimony: “When people ask me where I’m from,
I'm not sure what to say. I was born in Mexico. For the first seven years of my
life, I lived in Minnesota, moved to Germany, lived there for twelve years and
now I'm back in Minnesota. I spent half a year in Alaska, too. That's where I’m
from.”
“I grew up on the mission field and I have to say that I wouldn't trade that opportunity for anything in the world. When I am asked what caused me to continue in God's work after leaving home, I have to agree with the answer that my older brothers and sisters give to the same question: It's the reality of God – it’s as simple as that.”
Revelation 22
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Chapter 22
1. Then the angel showed
me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne
of God and of the Lamb
2. through the middle of
the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life
with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of
the tree were for the healing of the nations.
3. No longer will there
be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and
his servants will worship him.
4. They will see his
face, and his name will be on their foreheads.
5. And night will be no
more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their
light, and they will reign forever and ever.
6. And he said to me, “These
words are trustworthy and true. And the Lord, the God of the spirits of the
prophets, has sent his angel to show his servants what must soon take place.”
7. “And behold I am
coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this
book.”
8. I, John, am the one
who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to
worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me,
9. but he said to me, “You
must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers the
prophets, and with those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.”
10. And he said to me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy
of this book, for the time is near.
It’s interesting to note that
heaven provides security and healing, even though enemies are destroyed in the
Lake of Fire forever, and sickness will cease to exist. In the last chapter,
verse 12, there is a high wall and an angel guarding each gate of the city. If
you have ever had a doubt that sometime in eternity, sin or the consequences of
sin might revive, this vigilance is recorded to assure the reader that God has secured
eternity. The Creator insures and reassures that these maladies will never
again return.
Earthly cities attempt to
beautify themselves with trees, parks and rivers or lakes, but the heavenly
city seems to be, essentially a park… a well populated park! There is no
mention made of buildings, but in this chapter, John is taken inside the city
to see, first of all, a river. It is called the River of the Water of Life. The
source or fountain of the river is the throne of God and the Lamb. The river is
as bright as crystal (1).
Revelation 21
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Chapter 21
1. Then I saw a
new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed
away, and the sea was no more.
2. And I saw the
holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a
bride adorned for her husband.
3. And I heard a
loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with
man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will
be with them as their God.
4. He will wipe
away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall
there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have
passed away.”
5. And he who was
seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these
words are trustworthy and true.”
6. And he said to
me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To
the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment.
7. The one who
conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.
8. But as for the
cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually
immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake
that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”
The New Jerusalem
In Genesis 1:2, the verb that describes the action of the Holy Spirit at the dawn of creation is moved in a number of major versions of the Bible, such as the KJV: "The Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters." Moved suggests an extremely broad action to a Hebrew word, which
should be much more specific. The first definition for that word in the
Strong’s Hebrew dictionary states: A
primitive root; to brood. It is the same verb used in Deuteronomy 32:11,
where it is usually translated flutters…
“Like an eagle that stirs up its
nest, that flutters over its young…”
If the Holy Spirit is seen brooding over creation, it adds passion to His movements. Then, when
the trinity communes in Genesis 1:26 and states, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness,” we see man’s
creation, not only as the main event in creation, but an uncovering of the
heart of the Creator. The entire biblical revelation of the purpose of the
existence of mankind is that of a being, who is capable of having intimate
communion with God. I will not yield to the temptation to go into details that
will clearly prove the point, but will simply declare it to be fact, hoping for
your acquiescence. When we are talking of creation, we are specifically
speaking of the creation of man, male and female, and the rest of the work was
to provide an ideal ambiance for his existence.
In John 14, verses 2 and 3 (AMP version), Jesus speaks to
His beloved disciples: “In My Father’s
house are many dwelling places (homes). If it were not so, I would have told
you; for I am going away to prepare a
place for you. And when I go and make ready a place for you, I will come back
again and will take you to Myself, that where I am you may be also.” In
John 17:24, He pours his heart out to His Father: “Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with
me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me…” And now, as we draw
near the end of the New Testament, John the beloved disciple sees, “the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down
out of heaven from God, prepared as a
bride adorned for her husband” (2). This is the perfect, eternal ambiance
for His followers. He told them that He would prepare a place and here it is, prepared
as a bride. It fits their new nature like a glove.
Revelation 20
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Chapter 20
1. Then I saw an
angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless
pit and a great chain.
2. And he seized
the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for
a thousand years,
3. and threw him
into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive
the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must
be released for a little while.
4. Then I saw
thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was
committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the
testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the
beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their
hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
5. The rest of the
dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the
first resurrection.
6. Blessed and
holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second
death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they
will reign with him for a thousand years.
Leading up to the Millennium
We have a very short account by John, concerning the
millennial reign of Christ upon the earth, but the prophets had much to say
about it. We will not be able to give an exhaustive study on the subject,
because that would easily require a book. However, we will go back to the
prophets and pick up more details about this tremendously important period of
human prophecy. After six millenniums of man’s rule, the return of Christ
brings them to an end and then, He will reign on earth for a final one thousand
years. This gives much more sense to God’s creation, after Adam sinned so early
in human history and chaos has followed ever since. God will show us an ideal
reign through the Prince of Peace, the last Adam. There will be paradise on
this planet!
We have just studied the Battle of Armageddon and the
destruction of world empires. The beast and the false prophet have been thrown
for eternity into the Lake of Fire. There are other events preliminary to the
Millennium. One is the Judgment of the Nations, as described in Matthew 25:
31-46. Notice when this takes place: “When
the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will
sit on his glorious throne” (Mt.25:31). This will involve the treatment
given to Christ’s brothers, according to the flesh, the Jews, during the Great
Tribulation. The participants will be divided into two groups, described as
sheep and goats. They have carried out the law of their nature, apparently
unconscious of the source of their actions, and either aided or neglected the
Jews in their tribulation plight.
Revelation 19:10-21
Labels:
Important messages
Dear Friends, please note that I am adding the following
two paragraphs to the last article of Rev. 19:1-9. I just put them here for
your convenience. Thank you. Everything I do is in flux, and always open for
improvement and correction š . The new article starts below with verse 10
“Write this!” (9).
This command is common in the book of Revelation, as the canon of Scripture comes
to an end. The first human writer, who recorded the words of God, was Moses and
God on various occasions, commanded him to write. Israel’s history and
literature was written for future generations. God commanded the prophets to
write. Luke told Theophilus concerning the Gospels, “Just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers
of the word have delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having
followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for
you” (Lk.1:2,3). Even Pontius Pilate wrote on the cross, “Jesus of Nazareth, king of the Jews”
in the three most important languages of the day. Paul told the Colossians, “When this letter has been read among you,
have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans; and also read the letter
from Laodicea” (Col.4:16). So the Gospels and the epistles prospered in the
early church and hundreds of copies were written to pass along.
That, which is written, is preserved beyond the spoken
word and is validated over the spoken word. The Holy Spirit is the Author of
all Scripture and He has shown His concern for future generations, seeing to it
that His Word has been preserved through writing. It alone holds absolute
authority over everything that concerns the people of God. Jesus spoke the
written word, in replying to the temptations of the devil. In history, the
devil always mounted persecution against the translators of the word, as well
as those who have had the word in their possession. To this day, he is
attacking those who possess, read and practice the written word. Beware of
those, who deny or belittle the whole, or any part, of the written Word. Liberals,
who still like to call themselves Christians, question the veracity and
authenticity of the Bible. Society largely considers it an antiquated book. Let
us give it its rightful place in our hearts, minds and lives and give thanks
continually to God, because today we have the full revelation of God’s word. He
has faithfully preserved it to this present generation. “These are the true words of God.”
Revelation
19:10-21
10. Then I fell
down at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am
a fellow servant with you and your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus.
Worship God.” For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.
11. 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.
12. His eyes are
like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name
written that no one knows but himself.
13. He is clothed
in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of
God.
14. And the armies
of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white
horses.
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.
16. On his robe
and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.
Revelation 19:1-9
Labels:
Important messages
Chapter 19
1. After this I
heard that seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, crying
out, “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God,
2. for his
judgments are true and just; for he has judged the great prostitute who
corrupted the earth with her immorality, and has avenged on her the blood of
his servants.”
3. Once more they
cried out, “Hallelujah! The smoke from her goes up forever and ever.”
4. And the
twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God
who was seated on the throne, saying, “Amen. Hallelujah!”
5. And from the
throne came a voice saying, “Praise our God, all you is servants, you who fear
him, small and great.”
Heavenly hallelujahs and an amen
These verses describe heavenly praise. Warren Wiersbe
comments that this is the heavenly “Hallelujah Chorus”, referring, of course,
to that well-known part of Handel’s “Messiah”. Wiersbe would agree wholeheartedly,
I’m sure, even though he used this comparison, that the praise that John heard
in this chapter far exceeds any comparison with songs that are merely earthly,
no matter the fame that they have received.
I know some people who claim that the words hallelujah and amen are religious terms. Sadly,
they show their lack of spiritual understanding and, for that reason, their
lack of appreciation for heavenly things. Let me ask you a couple questions:
What do these words mean to you? Do you think that they are English vocabulary?
I believe that they are words that can only receive a proper definition from a “heavenly
dictionary". They were given to the Hebrews because, “the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God” (Ro.3:2). They
cannot be justly translated into human language and therefore, in the church in
every part of the world, Christian pronounce these words, as they were in the original
Hebrew language.
While the judgments of God are falling upon the world,
there is great joy in heaven, expressed by loud voices of a great multitude.
They are voices of prophets, apostles and saints in general, who are now
rejoicing in heaven. They begin with the first Hallelujah, which we try to translate, as best we can, Praise the Lord. In heaven, doubt does not exist, as to the
outcome of what is taking place on earth. In spite of everything, the heavenly
multitudes give praise to God! He is the fountain of salvation, glory and power
and everything is securely in His powerful hand. He is our God and, because that is so, He works salvation, glory and
power towards our well-being (1). We, who are still on earth, should
continually mix our praises with those in heaven.
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