The Call and Commission of Ezekiel

The Call and Commission of Ezekiel
The book of Ezekiel in its introduction (1:1-3) speaks of something as having occurred in the thirtieth year when the prophet was among the captives by the river Chebar, at which time he saw certain visions of God. In verses 2 and 3 he speaks of these visions as occurring in the fifth year of Jehoiachin's captivity and states that at that time the word of Jehovah came expressly to him. From these facts it is clear that the thirtieth year of verse 1 is the fifth year of Jehoachin's captivity. It is quite likely that this thirtieth year indicates his age, as stated in the former discussion. All the dates of Ezekiel's prophecy are in terms of Jehoiachin's captivity.

I. The Call of the Servants of God
It has been recognized by spiritually-minded Bible students throughout the centuries that one, in order to do efficient service in the Master's cause, must be called of God. This statement is a truism that should be recognized by all. At the same time it is also true that all people who are redeemed should labor as they have time and opportunity — and should make opportunities — to forward the cause of God among men. Those, however, who are to engage in full-time Christian service certainly should have a definite call from the Lord.

A. The Call of The Servants of God in General
One should study carefully I Samuel, chapter 3. The boy Samuel had been dedicated to the Lord by his parents at his birth, but God gave him a very definite and clear-cut call as we see in the passage just referred to. The prophet Isaiah received a very definite call to enter the ministry of the Lord, the record of which is found in chapter 6 of the Book of Isaiah. If the early chapters of Isaiah are put in chronological order, the prophet delivered three masterful discourses by the power of God even before he received his official call. Then the Lord appeared to him and gave him a vision of the Lord Jesus Christ in His glory seated upon the throne in the great millennial Temple. Jeremiah, likewise, received a very specific call, as we see in Jeremiah 1:11-19. When we come to the New Testament, we see that the Apostle Paul was very clearly called by the Lord Jesus Christ when he was on his way to Damascus (see Acts, chapter 9:22; and 26). Others received definite calls and commissions but these suffice to give us some idea as to the divine method of calling specially those who are chosen vessels into full-time service.

B. Ezekiel's Special Call
In Ezekiel 1:4-3:11 we have a record of Ezekiel's call. As we study this call, we shall do well to note the three different types of God's communicating His will to man. In the first place the Lord appeared, especially in primitive times, to various ones of His servants, coming in a personal manner. For instance, the Lord Jehovah appeared in the Garden of Eden in the form of man and talked to Adam and Eve. He did this also in numbers of cases, as we read in the Old Testament. This is what we call a theophany — God's appearing in the form of man and communicating personally with His servants.

At other times He has made revelations through visions. Should I be permitted to illustrate this mode of communication, I would compare it to television, which is just now beginning to come into use. Those who enjoyed such communications seem to have been in a trance — to have been lifted to a higher plane of perception, and to have had their mental horizon enlarged. With their intellectual and spiritual faculties heightened, the prophets viewed, as one does in television, spiritual realities which passed before their minds like a moving picture. Thus we would designate this type of communication as spiritual television.

In the third place we may list what is usually termed inspiration. God's breathing into His servant the message and the ability to comprehend it and express it. This mode of communication we might compare to a telephone message. At the present day a person may be in one country and talk to another person in a different land, thousands of miles away, by means of the telephone. By this method the exact thought and word is conveyed by one person to another. One receiving the message can deliver it to whom it pertains or can act accordingly. Thus by spiritual telephone the Lord communicated His ideas very frequently to various servants of His at different times.

Ezekiel, in different passages, uses this expression, “The hand of Jehovah was there upon him [Ezekiel].” Examination of this phrase shows that it indicates the power of the Lord in a supernatural manner and its resting upon and working through the one concerning whom the statement is made.

Ezekiel declares that he saw “visions of God.” This statement is in perfect accord with that which we find in Numbers 12:6-8:

“... And he said, Hear now my words: if there be a prophet among you, I Jehovah will make myself known unto him in a vision, I will speak with him in a dream. 7 My servant Moses is not so; he is faithful in all my house: 8 with him will I speak mouth to mouth, even manifestly, and not in dark speeches; and the form of Jehovah shall he behold: wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant, against Moses?”

According to this statement the Lord spoke directly in a personal manner to Moses as He has not done since to anyone. Although there are theophanies recorded as having occurred after God made this statement to the great lawgiver, we are to understand that such appearances of the Deity to men could not be compared with those which Moses enjoyed.

When we notice that, in Ezekiel 1:1, the prophet claims he enjoyed the visions of God, that in verse 3 the word of Jehovah came especially to him, and that in verses 4-28 we are given a description of the appearance of one like unto a Son of man who was seated upon a throne, we come to the conclusion that, on the occasion of which the prophet was speaking, he was granted a vision in which the Word of God came to him, not as by spiritual telephone (as explained above), but in a personal living way. In other words, the one who appeared to the prophet in the vision was like a Son of man and is called the Word of God — the Living Word. When all of these facts are taken into consideration, a person can not avoid this conclusion. This scripture is suggestive of Genesis, chapter 15. In verse 1 we are told that “the word of Jehovah came unto Abram in a vision, saying ...” Below, in verse 5, we are told that this word of Jehovah “brought him [Abram] forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and number the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, so shall thy seed be. 6 And he believed in Jehovah; and he reckoned it to him for righteousness.” Obviously this one who is called the Word of Jehovah in verse 1 is the one who brought Abram forth out of his tent and called his attention to the stars in the heavens (evidently at night) and made a promise concerning the multitudes of those who would descend from him. In the vision then the one whom we call “the Living Word,” that is, the Lord Jesus Christ in His prenatal state, appeared to Abraham and entered into a covenant with him. This experience which Abram enjoyed we might list as spiritual television, described above. We see a similar thing in the call of Samuel (I Samuel, chapter 3). In verse 4 of this chapter we are told that Jehovah called Samuel. Again in verse 6 we find the same statement. In verse 7 we have the significant declaration, “Now Samuel did not yet know Jehovah, neither was the word of Jehovah yet revealed unto him.” When we view this statement in the light of the knowledge drawn from other passages, we conclude that “the word of Jehovah” in this passage refers to the Living Word. In verse 10 we are told that Jehovah came and stood and called Samuel as at other times. Finally in verse 21 we have this language, “And Jehovah appeared again in Shiloh; for Jehovah revealed himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of Jehovah.” By a thorough exegesis of Deuteronomy 6:4, which declares, “Hear, 0 Israel, Jehovah, our Gods, is Jehovah a unity,” we know that the word, Jehovah, in certain contexts refers to God the Father; but in others the same expression indicates Jehovah the Son; while in others it refers to Jehovah the Holy Spirit. In still other connections it signifies the Holy Trinity. When, therefore, we study I Samuel 3:21 in the light of its entire connection and also in the light of the usage of the term, we come to the conclusion that the first occurrence of the word, Jehovah, in this verse refers to Jehovah the Living Word; but the second time it occurs, it signifies the Triune God, who, it is stated, was revealed to Samuel in Shiloh by “the word of Jehovah,” the Living Word, the Lord Jesus Christ. That the expression “the word of Jehovah” is used in the personal manner in referring to the second person of the Trinity is evident from a careful study of Psalm 33:4-7. In this passage the psalmist in speaking of “the word of Jehovah” said that “all his work is done in faithfulness,” that “He loveth righteousness and justice,” and that the heavens were made by Him. This interpretation was placed upon Psalm 33 by the ancient rabbis and is in perfect accord with the whole tenor of the teaching of God's word.

The vision of the Living Word which Ezekiel saw may be similar to that which Job experienced (Job, chapter 38). It is altogether possible that this is similar to the one found in Acts 7:56. In this latter passage we have a record of the vision which Stephen experienced when he, standing, before the Sanhedrin brought the great indictment against the Jewish people concerning their rejection of the Messiah. They, being enraged, gnashed upon him with their teeth; but he, being filled with the Holy Spirit, looked up into heaven and declared that he saw Jesus standing at the right hand of God.

According to Ezekiel 1:4 he looked toward the north and saw a stormy wind coming out of the heavens from that direction. “And I looked, and, behold, a stormy wind came out of the north, a great cloud, with a fire infolding itself, and a brightness round about it, and out of the midst thereof as it were glowing metal, out of the midst of the fire.”

There is a very definite place in the universe which is called in the Holy Scriptures “the heaven of the heavens.” This is what Christians call the “immediate presence of the Almighty.” It is in this special location that the throne of God is. This might be called the capital of the entire universe. For a picture of this glorious locality read Psalm 103:19-22. For another glimpse of the throne of God see Psalm 89:5-15. In this long passage we not only get a glimpse of the throne of God, but we see set forth the evidences of His authority and prerogatives found throughout His vast domains. In Ezekiel 28 we see a graphic picture of Eden, the garden of God, that was upon the earth in primitive times — prior to the catastrophe which overtook the earth as is recorded in Genesis 1:2. Thus this Eden was entirely different from the earth in primitive times. This Eden was entirely different from the Eden of which we read in Genesis, chapter 2. The anointed cherub was in his crystal palace in this garden of God. Prior to this time he was in the mount of God, which was not upon this earth, but which is, figuratively speaking, the presence of God. In Isaiah 14:12-14 we have the following language:

How art thou fallen from heaven, 0 day-star, son of the morning; how art thou cut down to the ground, that didst lay low the nations! 13 And thou saidst in thy heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; and I will sit upon the mount of congregation, in the uttermost parts of the north; 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.”

From the context in which this passage occurs, we see that it applies to the world ruler of end time, the Antichrist, the last king of Babylon. This individual will be conceited and deceived by the devil to think that he can ascend to the very presence of God and can overthrow the authority and power of God. The Antichrist, according to this passage, speaks of the throne of God's being in the north, that is, in a position north of this earth. According to Psalm 75 deliverance from foes does not come from the east, or the west, or south; but God is the Judge; He is the one who passes decisions and brings deliverance. Since three of the cardinal points of the compass are referred to? as the place from which deliverance does not come, and since he speaks of God as being Judge or the one who brings deliverance, it is clear that the writer thought of God in terms of the location of one of the points of the compass, the north.

The description of this stormy wind and great cloud out of the north reminds one of that which is described in Exodus 19:16-20:

And it came to pass on the third day, when it was morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of a trumpet exceeding loud; and all the people that were in the camp trembled. 17 And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet God; and they stood at the nether part of the mount. 18 And mount Sinai, the whole of it, smoked, because Jehovah descended upon it in fire; and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly. 19 And when the voice of the trumpet waxed louder and louder, Moses spake, and God answered him by a voice. 20 And Jehovah came down upon mount Sinai, to the top of the mount: and Jehovah called Moses to the top of the mount; and Moses went up.”

This passage describes the descent of Jehovah to Mount Sinai when He delivered the law to Israel. Jehovah, the Living Word, doubtless was the one who descended to Mount Sinai and spoke the Ten Words, the Ten Commandments. This vision also reminds us of that which is presented in Nahum 1:2-8.

As we read Ezekiel's description of the vision which he saw, we are overcome with the majestic glory of this great sight. There came forth, as he tells us, out of the great cloud, with its fire infolding itself and its brightness round about, the appearance of glowing metal, and out of it came forth four living creatures. The general appearance of each was that of the likeness of a man. Each had four faces and four wings. Unlike the feet of men theirs were straight, the soles of which were as the soles of a calf and had the appearance of burnished brass. Under their wings were the hands of a man, on each of their four sides. Moreover each had four faces: one of a man, one of a lion, one of a ox, and one of an eagle. These faces were separate, as were also their wings, but they were attached to the same body. With two of their wings they flew and with two of them they covered their bodies.

Their movements were always in straight lines, never in curves. The appearance of the living creatures was that of burning coals of fire, like the appearance of torches. Fire also went up and down among the living creatures. This fire was bright and went out like lightning. Moreover, these living creatures ran and returned as the appearance of a flash of lightning.

Besides each of these living creatures there was a wheel which was let down to the earth. According to verse 15 there was a wheel for each of the faces of each of these living creatures. The appearance of these wheels was like that of beryl, and the four wheels attending each of these living creatures were alike. Whenever the living creatures went, the wheel went in their four directions. Their rims were full of eyes round about which were dreadful. These wheels were within wheels. It seems impossible for us to develop a clear conception of what is meant by this expression. Whenever the living creatures came down to the earth, the wheels touched the ground. Whenever, on the other hand, they left the earth, the wheels left it and accompanied them. Wherever the spirit went these wheels went. Where the living creatures stood, they stood.

Who are these living creatures? In the third vision which was granted to the prophet, he describes what he saw and declares that it was the same vision as that which he saw by the river Chebar. The record of this third appearance is found in chapters 8-11. In chapter 10 these living creatures are called cherubim. The word cherubim is the plural of cherub. The first time of which we read of these living creatures or cherubs is in connection with man's expulsion from the Garden of Eden. When Adam partook of the forbidden fruit, he was driven from the tree of life in order that he might not partake of it and live in his fallen state forever. Cherubim were placed on guard to keep the way of the tree of life. There was an appearance of a flaming sword which was turning in every direction. The cherubim with the sword thus guarded the approach to the tree of life. In the Tabernacle, which was constructed by Moses at Mount Sinai, two cherubs were made and were placed upon the mercy seat, the cover of the ark. These were placed in the Temple constructed by Solomon. Figures of these living creatures were woven into the curtain in connection with the most holy place. It seems that these cherubs had only one face. In a vision of the future millennial Temple Ezekiel speaks of cherubim and describes them as having two faces (Ezekiel 41:18). From all this data it appears that there are different types of cherubim.

We also read of seraphim. In the record of the call of Isaiah, chapter 6, we are told that the prophet saw seraphim and heard them singing in the presence of King Messiah — seated on His throne in millennial glory — the following song: “Holy, holy, holy, is Jehovah of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory” (Isaiah 6:3). Each of these seraphim had six wings. With two they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they did fly. The Apostle John, according to Revelation, chapters 4 and 5, saw a vision of the throne of God and observed living creatures round about the throne who likewise were singing the song of the triple holines: “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come” (Revelation 4:8). Each of these living creatures had six wings. I thus identify the living creatures of John's vision with those of Isaiah's. It must be noted, however, that the vision which was granted to John was one of the throne of God in heaven at the time of the beginning of the Tribulation; whereas that which was granted to Isaiah to see was a vision of Christ in the millennial Temple when He is seated upon His throne and is reigning in righteousness upon the earth. Thus the seraphim are seen in heaven in John's vision. They are, according to Isaiah, also upon earth when our Lord returns to reign. They constantly cry, according to the records, both in the presence of God and in the presence of Christ in the Millennium, “Holy, holy, holy ...” Thus they seem to be creatures who are devoting their entire time to the praise of the Almighty. They have the proper sense of His holiness, majesty, and sovereignty. They therefore praise Him.

Whether or not the seraphim are of a higher order than the cherubim has never been determined. In Ezekiel, chapter 28, we read of the anointed cherub that covereth, who was the very embodiment of wisdom, beauty, power, and authority. In fact, one gathers from the record that he was the highest order of being which God could bring into existence, and yet he was called a cherub. When, however, unrighteousness entered his heart, he rose up in rebellion against the Almighty. His revolt was the occasion of his downfall. Since this highest order of being which God could call into existence is called a cherub, it may be that the cherubim are the highest order of celestial beings. There are, however, various ranks, orders, and files of angels, to which both cherubim and seraphim belong. Since our information concerning these is so very much limited, we must be very cautious in drawing conclusions regarding them.

Turn now to Ezekiel 1:22-25 and read the description of the firmament that was supported by these living creatures or cherubim. The firmament was like a crystal to look upon and was stretched forth over the heads of the living creatures. It reminds one of that which is described by Moses in Exodus, 24:9-11:

Then went up Moses, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel: 10 and they saw the God of Israel; and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of sapphire stone, and as it were the very heaven for clearness. 11 And upon the nobles of the children of Israel he laid not his hand: and they beheld God, and did eat and drink.”

A very clear description of the throne of God, and of the Almighty upon it, is to be found in I Kings 22:19-23. In connection with this passage one would do well to read Revelation, chapters 4 and 5. When anyone reads these accounts, he can see that the pavement and the throne of the Almighty are described in terms similar to those of human monarchs.

The occupant of the throne which was resting upon the firmament described by Ezekiel is presented in Ezekiel 1:26-28. In verse 26 we are told that “upon the likeness of the throne was a likeness as the appearance of a man upon it above.” His bodily appearance from his loins and upward was veiled in the semblance of a fire of glory. From his loins and downward there also was the appearance of fire. But since there is a distinction made here in the description, everyone must recognize that fact — though he may not be able to picture clearly the difference. The thing for us to notice is that upon this throne is one like unto a Son of man who is seated upon the portable throne which comes out of heaven to earth. If this passage were the only one in the record, we would be at a loss to determine why this representation. But there are other data which will throw light upon this most important question. In the first promise of the Redeemer, Genesis 3:15, the sacred writer spoke of “the seed of the woman.” This is the only occurrence of such an expression, as genealogies were always reckoned after the male and never after the female. But this one is called the seed of the woman, a most striking and unique expression. The fact that this term was employed is proof that this one is indeed different from all others. Isaiah the prophet declared to the house of David:

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign:
behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son,
and shall call his name Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14)

Here is a prediction that a virgin shall give birth to one whom she is to call Immanuel, which mean God is with me. By the ancient rabbis this passage was interpreted as a reference to King Messiah, whose supernatural character they all recognized. The Messiah was also known as the Son or descendant of David, who in a vision saw Him, and who spoke in Psalm 110 concerning Him: “Jehovah saith unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand. Until I make thine enemies thy footstool. 2 Jehovah will send forth the rod of thy strength out of Zion: Rule thou in the midst of thine enemies” (Psalm 110:1-2). David recognized the fact that this descendant of his was his Lord and declared that God in heaven would speak to Him when He came to earth and when the Jews of Jerusalem were hostile to Him, would invite Him to leave earth, to ascend to glory, and to sit at His right hand until He, Jehovah, would make the enemies of King Messiah the footstool of His feet. This passage shows that when Messiah comes to Israel, the leaders of the Jews reject Him; but it does not tell to what extent their hostility drives them. That information is obtained from other passages, such as Psalm 22:1-21 and Isaiah 53:1-9. That this virgin-born Son, who is God in human form, is killed is seen clearly from Zechariah 13:7: “Awake, 0 sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith Jehovah of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered; and I will turn my hand upon the little ones.” In this passage the Lord, speaking to the sword (by metonymy, to the one handling the sword), commands it to act against his shepherd, who is a man, and who at the some time is His “fellow.” The meaning of the word, fellow, in the Hebrew indicates an associate, an equal. By the use of this term in his message, the prophet meant to affirm that this man, the shepherd of Jehovah's flock, is equal to God — though He is a man. From other passages which bear upon the same subject, we learn that, when the Messiah is killed, He is invited to leave the earth and to take His seat at the right hand of the throne of God where He is to remain until the Jews, His enemies, accept Him and plead for His return.

In Daniel 7:13,14 we have this language:

I saw in the night-visions, and, behold, there came with the clouds of heaven one like unto a son of man, and he came even to the ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. 14 And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all the peoples, nations, and languages should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.”

In this marvelous prediction we see that “one like unto a son of man” is in heaven, is escorted into the presence of Jehovah the Father, and is invested with authority over a world-wide kingdom, which is to last as long as the earth endures. This passage, viewed in the light of the others which we have just been studying, is clearly a reference to the Messiah of Israel, who entered the world by miraculous conception and virgin birth, was rejected and executed by His people, ascended to the right hand of the throne of God when He was raised from the dead, has been seated there for nineteen hundred years, and will return to earth when penitent Israel pleads for Him to do so. This scripture is a prediction of the time when the Jews, having been given the truth concerning Him, repent of their having rejected Him and confess their national sin, pleading for Him to return. Thus He will be ushered into the presence of the Ancient of Days and will be invested with world dominion. At that time He will come to earth again and set up His reign of righteousness.

It seems most plausible and logical to interpret the Son of man of Ezekiel's vision, recorded in chapter 1 of his prophecy, as being identical with the Son of man of Daniel's prediction. The two visions are very much alike — with some slight difference. The general thought is the same. Daniel's vision is purely prophetic of the end time when Messiah, invested with world-dominion, will return to take unto Himself world-wide authority. Ezekiel's vision is of the same Son of man, the Messiah of Israel. That which differentiates Ezekiel's vision from Daniel's is this: Ezekiel in the first thirty-three chapters, roughly speaking, deals with the judgments that have already come upon the children of Israel because of their persistence in sin. In the rest of his book Ezekiel devotes his entire attention to the final restoration of the nation, when the Messiah, who is at present in glory at the right hand of the throne of God and has been since His ascension nineteen hundred years ago, will be invested with universal power and will return and reign for a thousand years. In anticipation of His incarnation and of the special work which He would do for Israel as her Messiah, He, the Son of man, appeared to the prophet. In view of all the related facts, one therefore can not avoid the conclusion that this one who is the Living Word is none other than the Son of man, the Messiah of Israel.

In Ezekiel 1:28 the prophet tells us: “As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about.” Thus the brightness of this bow seemed to encircle the throne of the Son of man. This statement instantly recalls to one's mind the first record of the rainbow, which is found in Genesis 9:1-16. In this passage we read of the everlasting covenant into which God entered with all humanity at the conclusion of the Flood. A careful examination of this passage reveals the facts that there was imposed upon the human family a fourfold obligation: To be fruitful and to multiply and replenish the earth (9-11); to live on a diet consisting of animals, fish, and vegetables (9:3); to abstain from eating blood and things strangled (9:4); and to execute all murderers by capital punishment (9:5,6). All of these conditions are constantly being ignored by man. The covenant of which these are the conditions was entered into by the Lord with every man, woman, and child upon the face of the globe. It is therefore called “the everlasting covenant.”

In Isaiah 24:1-20 we have a description of the wreckage upon the earth that will be wrought during the Tribulation by the judgments of the Almighty. These will be sent because the inhabitants of the earth “have transgressed the laws, violated the statutes, broken the everlasting covenant” (Isaiah 24:5). Since there is but one everlasting covenant into which God has entered with all races — the one referred to above — and since the world is to be punished because of its having disregarded the laws, violated the statutes, and broken the everlasting covenant, we may be certain that reference is here made to the Noahic Covenant, the sign of which is the rainbow.

In the scene of the throne of God (Revelation, chapter 4) we see it encircled by a rainbow. This doubtless is the rainbow of the Noahic Covenant which appears on this occasion to remind the people of earth that they are being punished because they have violated the conditions of the everlasting covenant. At the same time it is most highly probable that the appearance of the bow encircling the throne of the one like unto the Son of man which Ezekiel saw has the same significance. It will remind the world of the broken everlasting covenant.

II. Ezekiel's Commission
Evidently the sight of this chariot or portable throne with the one like unto a Son of man seated in glory, power, and majesty did overwhelm the prophet who instantly fell to the ground. This supposition is the necessary inference drawn from the statement “and he said unto me, son of man, stand upon thy feet, and I will speak with thee.” When this command was given, the spirit of God entered into the body of the prophet, put him upon his feet, and gave him strength — both physical and spiritual. He was then ready to receive the message, the commands from the Lord of all the earth.

A. The Message
The one like to a Son of man, the Messiah of Israel — seated upon the throne — addressed the prophet, calling him “son of man.” The expression, son of man, is but a synonym for man. This is clearly seen in such a passage as Psalm 8:4: “What is man, that thou art mindful of him? And the son of man, that thou visitest him?” Man in the first question is a synonym for the son of man in the second (some scholars not knowing Hebrew parallelism have understood that the one called “the son of man” here is the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the Son of man par excellence — but this is a misinterpretation of the phrase).

As we have seen, this one who was seated upon the throne is the Son of man in the highest sense of the term because of His being God who entered the world by miraculous conception and virgin birth and who is the God-man. Though He is God, He is also man. Let us not think of Him as God and man, a monstrosity. But He is the God-man because of His taking the form of man; and, being most profoundly interested in man in every particular, He is the Son of man in the highest sense of the term. Thus this expression in the gospel record is messianic in its import as it is here in Daniel 7:13, 14.

But why did the God-man address Ezekiel as son of man? In the light of His kinship with Ezekiel — and to man in general — to whom He was making His revelation known. In other words, that which is set forth in Hebrews 2:5-18 constitutes a background for the use of “son of man” as applied to Ezekiel. In the Hebrews passage we are told that the God-man identified Himself with us, taking the form of flesh and blood in order that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God for us. Expressed in different terms, there is echoed in the use of our expression, “son of man,” — as applied to the Saviour and to Ezekiel — the thought of the Messiah's being man's Kinsman-Redeemer. Thus the Goel, the Redeemer, aligned Himself with man for his redemption and ultimate glorification.

Ezekiel was told that the children of Israel, to whom he was sent, were a rebellious people. Here Israel is spoken of as “nations.” Doubtless “nations” here is applied to the tribes of Israel. Moses declared, “Jehovah hath not given you a heart to know, and eyes to see, and ears to hear, unto this day” (Deuteronomy 29:4). Jeremiah said, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and it is exceedingly corrupt: who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9). While the Apostle Paul stated: “The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him” (I Corinthians 2:14).

The prophet was reminded of the fact that, though His message would not be received by the people, he was to give it forth. We are not held responsible for results. It is ours to obey and to give the truth, believing that the Lord's word will not return unto Him void but that it will accomplish that whereunto He has sent it. According to the Apostle Paul the gospel is a savor of life unto life, and of death unto death. To those who are hungering for the truth it brings life and they grow and increase in spiritual life and stature, and finally enter into eternal life. On the other hand, those who do not want the truth are living in the shadow of spiritual death. The preaching of the gospel hardens the hearts of all who do not want the truth. Thus the gospel becomes a savor of death unto death to such.

B. The Prophet's Receiving His Message
In this section of our lesson (2:8-3:3) we are told that “a roll of a book” was given to the prophet on which were written “lamentations, and mourning, and woe.” He was commanded to eat this scroll, which he did. This reminds one of the statements made by Jeremiah, who was a contemporary of Ezekiel: “Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy words were unto me a joy and the rejoicing of my heart: for I am called by thy name, 0 Jehovah, God of hosts” (Jeremiah 15:16). It also suggests John's receiving a further revelation from God by eating a little book which in his mouth was sweet, but in his stomach was bitter (Revelation, chapter 10). The process of receiving this message from God was enacted symbolically by the Apostle, who ate, devoured, digested and assimilated the scroll. This act signified the reception of the message from God and a spiritual and intellectual grasp of it. It was doubtless a delight, as it was to the prophets, to receive a further revelation from God. But upon grasping the import and the significance of the same, he was made sad, which fact was set forth by the book's being bitter in his stomach.

In 3:4-11 Ezekiel is again reminded of the fact that the people to whom he was being sent were rebellious, and that they would not accept his message. But he was not, he was told, being sent as a foreign missionary to a pagan nation whose language he could not understand. He was going to his own people, who had hardened their hearts and steeled themselves against the message from God. In order to meet such opposition as that which was facing the prophet, the Lord declared that he had made Ezekiel's forehead hard against them. It was as adamant and as flint. In other words, the Lord reinforced the heart, the soul, of the prophet, so that he could meet opposition and declare to the children of Israel their sins.

The Importance of Prophecy

The Importance of Prophecy
— by Dr. David L. Cooper

During the last two or three decades we have heard more concerning the present fulfillment of prophecy than at any time during the Christian centuries. It is true that for certain types of mind, the prophetic word has a special attraction. These portions of the Scriptures have therefore been the happy hunting ground of many who have desired to learn about the future, but it seems that in the last few decades, the interest in the study of prophecy has been heightened.

An interest in this portion of the Scriptures normally indicates a healthy spiritual condition — a desire to know more perfectly what God has revealed. An absence of this desire to study the predictions of the Word is indicative of an abnormal growth or distorted or perverted ideas regarding the truth. Something therefore is radically wrong with the person who is not concerned about the prophecies.

The one who is acquainted with current thought and fundamental expositions and who has studied prophetic themes as they have been expounded for the last two or three decades is aware that something is very radically wrong with a large body of the teaching on such subjects. Especially is this true with reference to off color groups, which hold to a certain amount of fundamental truth but which hold to and advocate peculiar and unscriptural doctrines contrary to the “faith once and for all delivered to the saints.” By such bodies of people prophecy is expounded and is set before the people as an attraction in winning followers.

The misuse of prophecy and the misinterpretation of the same is not to be confined to the off color groups entirely. Even in certain fundamental circles, there have been found much guessing and speculation, which have brought disrepute upon the study of prophecy and which have caused thinking men who desire to avoid mistakes to step shy of this most important section of the Word. Often, thinking men and women, seeing what glaring errors have been made by amateur expositors of the prophetic word, come to the conclusion that it is impossible for anyone to interpret prophecy correctly. They therefore, wishing to avoid errors, devote their time to those portions of the Word and those matters mentioned therein about which there need not be any guessing or speculation.

As I have gone throughout the length and breadth of this land, I have talked with outstanding leaders of the various denominations. I have come to the conclusion that many excellent and good men are turning from the study of prophecy and are giving their entire attention to other things.

This condition is unfortunate indeed. God gave all the Bible for us to study and to follow. To skip over any one portion of the Word is to make a great and grave error.

Instead of refusing to consider any longer the prophecies, let each of us come to them afresh with open minds and study them most diligently, imploring the Lord to enable us to see exactly what the prophets had in mind. Then let us in true faith trust God and proclaim His Word from the housetop — fearing not what men may say or do to us. If God be for us, who can be against us (Romans 8:31)?

At the beginning of this year doubtless most of us made excellent New Year resolutions. This is a very fine thing for anyone to do. One should not, however, wait until the New Year to make good resolutions. We always ought to formulate our purposes and desires and arrive at our conclusions, saying that we by the help of God will carry out such desires and purposes. No one is able to accomplish anything of enduring value apart from the Lord Jesus Christ. Among our New Year resolutions, many of us have placed our Bible reading, meditation, and prayer foremost, which program is proper and right. Spiritual things should take the precedence over material affairs. By my saying this I am not ignoring the material side of life. Life consists of spiritual realities as well as of food, clothing, and shelter. If, however, we put God and His kingdom first, He will add all of these things to us. He will give us all things that are necessary for our material life and our functioning in the capacities wherein He has placed us.

We need a well rounded spiritual diet. This is to be found in the entire Word of God. If we study the Bible in spots, we cannot grow, as we should, in grace and in the knowledge of the truth. It takes all of the Word to make the truth. The sacred writer in Psalm 119:160 said:

The sum of thy word is truth;
And every one of thy righteous ordinances endureth forever.”

If I select certain portions of the New Testament or certain sections of a New Testament book and at the same time ignore the Old Testament, I am certainly not getting a full rounded, spiritual diet.

Paul wrote to Timothy that he from a babe had known the Sacred Writings. Of course, this passage refers to the Old Testament books, which were taught to Jewish children in pious homes. Concerning these Paul said to Timothy that they were able to make one wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ. All of the Old Testament pointed to the coming of Messiah and His redemption. Thus they were designed to bring the Jew to Christ.

Following this statement Paul further asserted that every writing God breathed was also profitable:

for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction which is in righteousness:
that the man of God may be complete, furnished completely unto every good work.” (II Timothy 3:16-17)

To what did Paul refer in this last verse? What did he mean by the statement, “Every scripture God-breathed is also profitable?” Paul used a different word here from the one which is rendered “sacred writings” in verse 15. Both Timothy and Paul agreed that the Old Testament Writings, which were recognized as the inspired revelation of God, were profitable in bringing a man, a Jew, unto salvation through faith in Christ. In addition to this, declared the Apostle, “Every writing which is God breathed is also profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” The word rendered “scripture” in this verse simply meant “writing”. Anything that was written at that time was considered or called scripture. Paul, however, told Timothy that only those writings — in addition to the Old Testament books — which are God breathed are inspired by the Spirit and are profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction in righteousness. In other words, this statement implies that there were at the time when Paul wrote this letter other writings in addition to the Old Testament which were God breathed and to which Timothy had access. When we look at the development of the New Testament we know that the following books had already been written by this time: I and II Thessalonians, I and II Corinthians, Galatians, Romans, Mark, Matthew, Luke, Philemon, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, Acts, I and II Peter, Jude, I Timothy, and Titus.

From this we see that a goodly portion of the New Testament was written at that time. Paul, knowing this, asserted that all of these Writings which he knew were God breathed were also profitable for teaching and instruction along with the books of the Old Testament Canon. He therefore asserted that they are profitable to prepare the man of God and make him complete, furnishing him completely unto every good work.

Should one refuse or neglect to study any portion of the Scriptures, he cannot be perfect unto every good work. In view of these facts, I urge all of my readers to study the Scriptures systematically and thoroughly, beginning with Genesis and continuing the study to the end of the Book of Revelation. May God use this little exhortation to His glory and to our good is my sincere prayer.

Purity

Purity
What is the secret of living a pure life? It's in the Bible, Psalm 119:9, NIV. "How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to Your word."

Happiness is promised to the pure in heart. It's in the Bible, Matthew 5:8, NIV. "Happy are those whose hearts are pure, for they shall see God."

What should we focus our thoughts on? It's in the Bible, Philippians 4:8, TLB. "And now, brothers, as I close this letter let me say this one more thing: Fix your thoughts on what is true and good and right. Think about things that are pure and lovely, and dwell on the fine, good things in others. Think about all you can praise God for and be glad about."

Who may stand before the Lord? It's in the Bible, Psalm 24:3-4, TLB. "Who may climb the mountain of the Lord and enter where He lives? Who may stand before the Lord? Only those with pure hands and hearts, who do not practice dishonesty and lying."

Purity includes concern for the needy. It's in the Bible, James 1:27, TLB. "The Christian who is pure and without fault, from God the Father's point of view, is the one who takes care of orphans and widows, and who remains true to the Lord—not soiled and dirtied by his contacts with the world."

A person sees and hears what he is looking for. It's in the Bible, Titus 1:15, TLB. "A person who is pure of heart sees goodness and purity in everything; but a person whose own heart is evil and untrusting finds evil in everything, for his dirty mind and rebellious heart color all he sees and hears."

Choose friends who love the Lord and have pure hearts. It's in the Bible, II Timothy 2:22, TLB. Run from anything that gives you the evil thoughts that young men often have, but stay close to anything that makes you want to do right. Have faith and love, and enjoy the companionship of those who love the Lord and have pure hearts."

In preparing for Christ second-coming, purity is a prerequisite. It's in the Bible, I John 3:2,3,NIV. "Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when He appears, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. Everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure."

Two Phases of the Rapture of the Saints of God

Two Phases of the Rapture of the Saints of God
— by Dr. David L. Cooper

According to Isaiah:
And it shall come to pass in that day, that Jehovah will punish the host of the high ones on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth. (22) And they shall be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison; and after many days shall they be visited. (23) Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed; for Jehovah of hosts will reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem; and before his elders shall be glory. (Isaiah 24:21-23)

O Jehovah, thou art my God; I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name; for thou hast done wonderful things, even counsels of old, in faithfulness and truth. (2) For thou hast made of a city a heap, of a fortified city a ruin, a palace of strangers to be no city; it shall never be built. (3) Therefore shall a strong people glorify thee; a city of terrible nations shall fear thee. (4) For thou hast been a stronghold to the poor, a stronghold to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shade from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall. (5) As the heat in a dry place wilt thou bring down the noise of strangers; as the heat by the shade of a cloud, the song of the terrible ones shall be brought low. (6) And in this mountain will Jehovah of hosts make unto all peoples a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined. (7) He hath swallowed up death for ever; and the Lord Jehovah will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the reproach of his people will he take away from off all the earth: for Jehovah hath spoken it.” (Isaiah 25:1-8)

The Rapture of the Church Before the Tribulation
In I Thessalonians 1:9,10 we see that Jesus is coming to deliver His saints, the body of Christ, from “the wrath to come.” Unquestionably this wrath referred to consists of the judgments of the great Tribulation, which is spoken of by the Old Testament prophets as “the day of wrath.” Zephaniah speaks of this day of wrath in the most lurid language (Zephaniah 1:14-18). For Jesus to deliver His church from that wrath is for Him to deliver it so that it does not enter into this period of judgment. In other words, the Christians are not affected by it, having been removed from the world before these judgments begin to fall upon the earth. This language is confirmed by what the Apostle tells us in I Thessalonians 4:13-5:11. The theme in this block of Scripture is the rapture of the church. Concerning the times and seasons of the rapture the Thessalonians did not have need that anyone should teach them regarding it, since they had already been given that information by the Apostle when he first visited their city. They were therefore perfectly aware that the day of the Lord, the Tribulation, would come upon the world as a thief in the night. It will burst forth upon the world at the time when men in general are saying that everything is safe and secure, and that now we have entered a period of peace, plenty, and prosperity. Speaking further concerning this period of wrath, Paul declared that we are not appointed unto this wrath; but, on the contrary, to the obtaining of salvation, that is, deliverance, from this wrath. The language is clear and explicit, needing very little comment.

The Great Revival During the Tribulation and the Rapture of His Tribulation Saints
God said to Abraham that it was His intention to bless the entire world in and through him and his seed, his literal descendants. In keeping with this primeval promise the Apostle John showed how God will bless all nations in this manner. This information is found in Revelation, chapter 7. Here we see the sealing of 144,000 Jewish servants of God. Being servants of God, they are acceptable to Him and are serving Him in His own appointed way. Immediately after the vision of this group of servants we see the results of the evangelistic efforts of certain ones, namely, a vast host of people from every nation, tribe, tongue, and language, who come up out of the Tribulation, and who wash their robes and make them white in the blood of the Lamb. From these facts it is quite evident that there will be a, mighty revival — the greatest of all the ages — which will take place during the Tribulation Period, especially during the first part of it, since during the first three and a half years conditions will be more favorable for the proclamation of the truth than during the latter half of it. These Tribulation saints will be raptured at the end of the Tribulation when the Lord Jesus descends from the heaven to the earth in flaming fire, taking vengeance on all who know not God. This is clearly seen in Matthew 24:29-31. At the time of the coming of the Lord in glory, He will send His angels and gather together His elect from the four corners of the earth, from one part of heaven to the other.

The Rapture of the Tribulation Saints as set forth in Isaiah 25:8
“He hath swallowed up death for ever; and the Lord Jehovah will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the reproach of his people will he take away from off all the earth; for Jehovah hath spoken it” (Isaiah 25:8). A text apart from its context is a pretext, so we are told. This verse must be understood in the light of its immediate context. It, of course stands forth in all of its glory and sublime majesty when studied in the light of its larger context, the “Little Apocalypse” of Isaiah, chapters 24-27. But we can, in this study, only look at it in its immediate context.

In Isaiah 24:1-20 we have one of the most graphic descriptions of the Tribulation judgments and of their effects upon the earth and the people who will be living in the world at that time. In verse 24:21 we are informed that, at the end of the Tribulation, the Lord will incarcerate all the host of the high ones on high — the evil, wicked spirits that inhabit the air — together with the kings of the earth upon the earth. Both evil spirits and the kings of the earth (together with the wicked ones, their aides) will be gathered together in the pit of the abyss where they will be confined for many days (vs. 22). After this period of “many days” which, as we learn from Revelation, chapter 20, is the thousand years during which our Lord will reign upon the earth, these evil, wicked spirits, who are led by Satan, and wicked men will be punished.

According to verse 23 when our Lord mounts the throne and reigns in glory in Jerusalem, “Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed.” Of course these words constitute the figure of personification. Just as a person is confounded, made ashamed, or embarrassed, because of the greater influence, intellect, and talents of others, so the sun, moon, and stars are, by personification, thought of as being ashamed and confounded because of the greater glory that will emanate from Jehovah, who will at that time begin His reign in Zion. Thus this verse tells us about the glorious reign of the Lord Jesus Christ when He returns to this earth.

A Song of Praise
Isaiah 25:1-5 constitutes a song of worship and praise, that is injected into this prophecy. When Jehovah, in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ will have come, will have bound Satan and all evil spirits and wicked kings in the pit of the abyss, and will have set up His glorious reign, then this song of praise will be used by worshipers in gratitude and thanksgiving to God for His having banished sin and evil from the world and for His having established His reign of righteousness.

In the first twenty verses of chapter 24, the prophet describes very vividly the destruction, the complete annihilation, of the civilization which man has built up during the centuries. Every hamlet, village, town, city, and metropolis will be leveled to the ground. All the works of men will have been destroyed. The wrecking of human civilization thus in the Tribulation will be the carrying out of the counsels and plans of the Almighty which He had made known from of old — as is stated in verse 1 of chapter 25. The counsels of old carried out in faithfulness and truth, which the Lord thus performs are His having “made of a city a heap, of a fortified city a ruin, a palace of strangers to be no city; it shall never be built.” The Lord will have made heaps of every city upon the face of the globe. Moreover, all fortified cities — and there are fortified cities as opposed to open cities — in modern warfare — will be made heaps of ruins. Also “a palace of strangers” will become no city; it shall never be built. What is meant by “palace of strangers”? When this passage is read in the light of other scriptures bearing upon this subject, it will be seen that it is a reference to Babylon of the end time. When it is thus rebuilt, it will be reconstructed by strangers, that is, those who are not natives of Mesopotamia. In other words, rich capitalists from other sections of the world will move into the country, will build a model city that will be reconstructed upon the most magnificent scale of any city built by man. It will be such a magnificent city that it will be described as “a palace of strangers.” Even this magnificent modern metropolis, the capital of the world of this future time, will be completely destroyed — annihilated. It will never be built after that time. It was the proud capital of the neo-Babylonian Empire and continued a dominant factor in the Near East through centuries and finally was hidden behind the curtain of obscurity, passing into oblivion. But, according to prophecy, it is to be rebuilt. Study carefully Isaiah, chapters 13 and 14, and Jeremiah, chapters 50 and 51, on this point. Also study Revelation, chapter 18. All of these chapters are speaking about literal Babylon rebuilt in the end time. When all the cities, towns, and villages have been destroyed, and when God will have proved a stronghold and a tower into which the poor and seedy of Israel have fled for refuge, He will deliver them and will take the world situation in hand. These are the thoughts and teachings which are echoed in this song constituting Isaiah 25:1-5.

Realizing that 25:1-5 is a song and constitutes a literary parenthesis in this prophecy, we see then that the thought which is dropped with 24:23 is resumed in 25:6. We can see clearly the connection by my quoting those two verses:

Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed; for Jehovah of hosts will reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem; and before his elders shall be glory. ... And in this mountain will Jehovah of hosts make unto all peoples a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined.” (Isaiah 24:23, 25:6)

In what mountain will Jehovah of hosts make a feast of fat things for all the peoples of the earth? There is but one answer, which is this: Mount Zion, in which He comes and reigns. This mountain (Mount Zion) is that mountain which is called an oblation in Ezekiel, chapter 48. This is a mountain which will be fifty miles from north to south and fifty miles from east to west. The city of Jerusalem will be built on the southern part of it. In this mountain the nations of the world who survive the Tribulation, and who are allowed to enter the Millennial Age, will go up from year to year to worship Jehovah of hosts, the Great King. They will go up to Jerusalem to worship Jehovah and to partake of the feast of fat things, a spiritual banquet such as man has not enjoyed thus far.

According to 25:7 in that same mountain God will destroy “the face of the covering that covereth all peoples, and the veil that is spread over all nations.” What is this veil and covering over the minds and hearts of the nations? Most obviously it is the veil of blindness and hardness of heart which Satan pulls over the eyes of those who do not accept the truth. But in Mount Zion Jehovah will destroy this veil. How can that be? The literal facts here presented are simply these: Jehovah who comes to Zion will incarcerate Satan, who spreads this veil over the minds of the people, and will put him in the pit of the abyss for a thousand years. In incarcerating Satan and his evil spirits, Jehovah the Messiah will destroy this veil that covers the minds of the people.

From verse 8 we learn; “He hath swallowed up death forever ...” What is the significance of this statement? In the original the verb is in the perfect tense, which fact denotes completed action. At the time here foreseen, when Jehovah is reigning in Zion and banqueting the peoples of the world upon His spiritual feast of rich things, He, Jehovah, will have swallowed up death forever. In what sense will Jehovah have swallowed up death? Satan is the minister of death, executing the wrath of God against all unrighteousness and at the same time being prompted by his God-hating venom. Nevertheless, he carries out the will of God in that he is the administrator of death. As proof that he is the minister of death, see Hebrews 2:14, which indicates in the marginal reading of the Revised Version that Satan is the one who has (present tense) the power of death. When Christ binds and incarcerates him in the pit of the abyss, he can no longer administer death. In incarcerating Satan, Christ swallows up death. Death will no longer be an institution from that time and onward, because it is swallowed up. The only exception to this rule will be death that is administered by special decree of God upon those born during the Millennium who reach their hundredth birthday, and who will not have accepted the Lord and His salvation. They thus will be slain by special decree of the Almighty.

But there is more involved in the expression, “He hath swallowed up death forever,” than that which I have just mentioned. Proof of this position is found in I Corinthians, chapter 15. In discussing the translation of the saints, the Apostle declared, “But when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is, written, Death is swallowed up in victory” (I Corinthians 15:54). Paul said Isaiah's prophecy, “He hath swallowed up death for ever,” will be fulfilled in the great change that will take place in the bodies of the saints when they become immortal. In other words, Paul said that the rapture of the saints is included in death's being swallowed up forever. But when is death swallowed up forever, according to Isaiah 25:8, interpreted in the light of its context? As I have shown already in Isaiah 25:6-8, the prophet is talking about those events which occur at the glorious coming of the Lord at the end of the Tribulation. Paul said that Isaiah's prediction concerning the swallowing up of death is fulfilled in the rapture of the saints. Since this swallowing up of death and the rapture of the saints as foretold by Isaiah occur at the end of the Tribulation, there is a rapture of saints at the end of the Tribulation. From this conclusion there is, absolutely no logical escape. Who are the ones raptured at that time? The one answer is: the Tribulation saints, those who turn to the Lord during the Tribulation.

But we have already seen that there is to be the rapture of the saints constituting the church of God, at the time when Jesus descends from heaven to the air before the Tribulation. The church will in no wise enter the Tribulation, for it is not appointed unto believers to enter into that time of wrath, but to be delivered from it. Concerning the pre-Tribulation rapture of the saints there can be no reasonable doubt. This teaching is biblical. But there is also to be the rapture, the immortalizing, of the Tribulation saints at the end of the Tribulation, when our Lord returns in glory to take over the kingdoms of the world and to establish His reign of righteousness.

May the Lord lead each of us into a clearer and a fuller light on this subject of the two phases of the rapture is my sincere, earnest prayer.

The Foundation For Joy (Philippians 1:1-2)

The Foundation For Joy (Philippians 1:1-2)



If you want to build something of lasting value, you need to make sure that your foundation is solid. You could have an architect draw the most creative plans for a spacious dwelling. Order the finest construction materials available. Hire the most skilled craftsmen to build your home. Install the latest appliances and electronic systems throughout the house. Decorate it with the finest furniture. But if it’s all resting on a faulty foundation, you’re wasting your money.

It’s the same spiritually. You can be a member of a church. You can even serve in that church. Outwardly, you can look like a good Christian by doing all the right things. But genuine Christianity is a matter of the heart before the God who knows our every hidden motive and thought. The joy He offers is not outward, superficial happiness based on good circumstances. It’s a deep, abiding contentment that is restricted to those who are, to use Paul’s frequent phrase, “in Christ Jesus.” To be in Christ is to be in a vital, organic, indissoluble union with Him through faith. In this brief introduction (which we might be prone to skip) to this book that develops the theme of God’s joy, the apostle gives us the solid foundation for that joy:

The foundation for joy is to be a slave of Christ and a saint in Christ in the fellowship of a local church by God’s grace.

1. The foundation for joy is to be a slave of Christ.

“Paul and Timothy, bond-servants of Christ Jesus.” Timothy did not write this letter with Paul, as seen by the fact that Paul consistently refers to himself in the first person and to Timothy in the third person. But Timothy may have been Paul’s secretary, taking down his words as he spoke. Timothy had been with Paul, Silas, and Luke in the founding of the church in Philippi, some ten years earlier. Paul hoped to send Timothy from Rome to Philippi soon (2:19), so he wanted to give his backing to Timothy’s ministry. So he included him in his opening greeting. This greeting, by the way, follows the common pattern of that day, in which the sender identifies himself, then states to whom he is writing, then sends a cordial wish such as “grace” (charis), a take-off on the Greek greeting (charein), or “peace,” the common Hebrew greeting (shalom).

Immediately Paul identifies himself and Timothy as “bond-servants of Christ Jesus.” It’s the same word the demon-possessed servant-girl used to identify Paul and his companions when they first visited Philippi: “These men are bond-servants of the most high God” (Acts 16:17). The word means a slave and has its roots in Israel’s servitude to Egypt. When Paul refers to himself as the slave of Christ Jesus, the emphasis is on “the subordinate, obligatory and responsible nature of his service in his exclusive relation to his Lord” (R. Tuente, The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology, ed. by Colin Brown, [Zondervan], 3:596).

So Paul identifies himself and Timothy right from the outset in the manner that all Christians must view themselves: “Do you not know that ... you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body” (1 Cor. 6:19-20). To be a Christian is to be a slave, not to your own lusts, but to the Lord Jesus Christ. The foundation for knowing the abiding joy of the Lord is to recognize and submit to Jesus as your owner and Master, who has the right to command how and where you should live, how you should spend your time and money, and even how you should think. Your entire life must be focused on pleasing Him and doing His will as His slave.

James Boice points out (Philippians, An Expositional Commentary [Zondervan], p. 21) that in antiquity there were three ways a person could become a slave: by conquest; by birth; or, because of debt. He goes on to observe that we all are slaves of sin by the same three causes. Sin has conquered us, so that we are not free to do what we know is right. We are sinners by birth, being born with a nature that is hostile toward God and oriented toward pleasing self. We are sinners by debt, having run up an unpayable debt toward God who states that the wages of our sin is death.

But--and this is crucial--many people are not even aware of their condition as slaves to sin. Having been born in sin, living all their lives to gratify the selfish desires of their corrupt nature, and being unaware of the huge, unpayable debt they have run up before the holy God, they’re like the Jews who argued with Jesus that they had never been enslaved to anyone (John 8:33). But Jesus replied, “Everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin.... If therefore the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed” (John 8:34, 36). Only Jesus Christ, by His substitutionary death, can set us free from bondage to sin. But He only does it when we recognize our need and call out to Him for deliverance. Then, having been freed from sin through faith in Christ, we become enslaved to God and begin to grow in holiness (Rom. 6:22).

You may not like the idea of being enslaved to anyone. But the fact is, you are enslaved to someone or something. As Bob Dylan sang, “You gotta serve somebody.” Either you are enslaved to sin or you’re enslaved to Jesus Christ (Rom. 6:16). But, while sin is a terrible master, because it destroys and leads to death, Jesus is a kind, gracious, and loving Master. Serving Him leads to eternal life.

So the question you need to ask yourself is, “Whom am I serving?” Slaves’ lives were consumed with serving their masters. A slave didn’t clock in at 8 in the morning, put in his eight hours, and clock out for the night. He was the property of his master. He didn’t have a life of his own. He was on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, always ready to do what his master commanded, even if it was unpleasant or inconvenient. In Paul’s case, his Master’s will when he wrote Philippians was that he be in chains in prison in Rome. He could have chafed under that, complaining, “Is this any way to treat a faithful apostle?” But instead, Paul was content because he was in total submission as the slave of Christ Jesus.

Many people call themselves Christians, but the truth is, they live every day for themselves. They do not yield themselves each morning and say, “Master, I’m your slave. I’ll do your bidding at work, at home, or at play.” The starting place for experiencing God’s joy is to yield yourself daily as a slave to Jesus as your Master; and to view yourself as being on duty for Him, listening for His voice, quick to obey His commands.

2. The foundation for joy is to be a saint in Christ.

Paul writes “to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi.” Maybe you’re thinking, “There must have been a few outstanding Christians there who had already earned the reputation of being saints.” The idea that sainthood is the state of a few exemplary believers comes to us from the Catholic Church, but it is contrary to the New Testament usage, which applies the word to every true Christian. Paul writes to the saints in Rome, Ephesus, and even Corinth, referring to the whole church.

The word literally is “holy ones.” The basic meaning of “holy” is to be set apart, especially, to be set apart unto God. It looks at the standing of every believer before God by virtue of the fact that when a person believes in Christ’s sacrifice for his sin, God forgives all his sin and sets that person apart unto Himself. We are set apart from this evil world; we are set apart from serving ourselves; we belong to God, set apart by Him to do His will.

The late, well-known Bible teacher, Harry Ironside, in the days before airplane travel, used to spend many hours traveling by train. On one such trip, a four-day ride from the west to Chicago, he found himself in the company of a group of nuns. They liked him for his kind manner and for his interesting insights on the Bible. One day, Dr. Ironside began a discussion by asking the nuns if any of them had ever seen a saint. None of them had. He then asked if they would like to see a saint. They all said, yes, they would like to see one. Then Ironside surprised them greatly by saying, “I am a saint; I am Saint Harry.” He took them to verses in the Bible, such as this one, to show that every Christian is a saint. (Told by Boice, p. 24.)

You may laugh at the idea of Saint Harry or Saint whatever-your-name-is. But it’s an important New Testament truth that you view yourself as Saint whoever-you-are! As a saint, a person set apart unto God, you are not to withdraw into a monastery, or to withdraw from our culture, as the Amish folks do. You are to live in the culture, but to live distinctly from the culture, as one set apart unto God. Just as it would be odd for a wealthy man to live homeless on the streets, or it would be strange for an adult to spend great amounts of time playing as a child, because such behavior is opposed to their true identity, so it should be odd for a Christian, a saint, to live in the same manner as those who are not set apart unto God. Your attitudes, your values, your speech, your selfless focus, your humility, your love, your commitment to truth, should mark you as a saint in Christ Jesus.

Did you note the centrality and significance of Jesus Christ to the apostle Paul? He uses the name of Christ three times in these opening two verses, and 18 times in the first chapter. Martyn Lloyd-Jones wrote (The Life of Joy [Baker], p. 31),

Paul has no gospel apart from Jesus Christ. The gospel is not some vague general offer, nor is it a mere exhortation to people to live a good life; rather it tells of the things that have happened in Christ, because without Christ there is no salvation. And if Christ is not essential to your position, then according to Paul you are not a Christian. You may be very good, you may even be religious, but you cannot be a Christian. If Christ is not absolutely the core and centre, it is not Christianity, whatever else it may be.

To be “in Christ” means that all that is true of Christ is true of you. When Christ died to sin, you died. When He was raised, you were raised to newness of life in Him. Is He presently enthroned at the right hand of the Father, over all rule and authority? Then you are there in Him (Eph. 1:20-23). Just as the branch is organically connected to the vine and draws its life from it, so we are in Christ (John 15:1-6). We are to abide or live in Christ by keeping His commandments (John 15:10). After teaching this truth, Jesus said, “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full” (John 15:11). To be a saint in Christ Jesus is foundational for true joy.

3. The foundation for joy is to be in the fellowship of a local church.

Paul writes “to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, including the overseers and deacons.” Being a Christian is an individual matter, in that you must personally trust in Christ as your Savior. But it is also a corporate matter, because you become a member, not only of Christ, but also of His body, the church. The church worldwide consists spiritually of all who have trusted Christ, but it gathers locally in congregations organized under the godly leadership of overseers and deacons. If you are not vitally connected to a local fellowship of Christians, you are lacking a crucial part of the foundation for joy in the Lord, because you are isolated from those who can stimulate you to love and good deeds, who can encourage you to godly living as the day of the Lord draws near (Heb. 10:24-25).

Relationships among believers can be a source of great joy, but, frankly, they can also be a source of great pain. As one wag put it, “To dwell above with the saints we love, O that will be glory; but, to dwell below with the saints we know, that’s a different story!” If you’ve been a Christian for any length of time, I can predict with 100 percent accuracy that you have been hurt by fellow believers. Getting hurt, of course, makes you want to draw back from the church for fear of it happening again. But if you do that, you rob yourself of joy, because God doesn’t call us to live in isolation, but in relation with other saints.

Remember, there were only two kinds of people in Philippi (or Flagstaff): the saints and the “non-saints.” While it can be painful to relate to the saints, it’s really tough to be cut off from the saints, surrounded by people who don’t care about the things of God. There were tensions in the flock in Philippi, and Paul subtly begins to address those tensions even in this opening greeting with the little word “all” (“to all the saints”). He repeats the phrase “you all” in 1:4, 7 (twice), 8, and 25. In a gentle way he seems to be saying, “What I write, I write to all who are in Christ. What I pray, I pray for you all. What I think and feel, I think and feel towards all, because you all share in God’s grace with me. You all must progress in God’s joy together.”

In the local church, God has ordained for leaders to have oversight and to serve. Two types of church officers are mentioned: overseers (“bishops”); and, deacons (the Greek word means “servants”). We don’t know for sure why Paul singles them out, but perhaps it was because the gift he had received had been sent from the church through the overseers and deacons. Or, perhaps Paul wanted to call attention to their office so that the church would submit to their role in resolving the squabbles that were threatening their unity (Heb. 13:17; 1 Thess. 5:12-13).

Overseers are the same as elders (Acts 20:17, 28; Titus 1:5, 7). “Overseer” looks at the work, to watch over God’s flock; “elder” looks at the man, that he must be a man of spiritual maturity. The qualifications for this office are given in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9, and are primarily godly character and the ability to exhort in sound doctrine and refute those who contradict. The primary task that the overseer/elder does is to shepherd God’s flock, which involves protecting the flock from danger, leading by example, and feeding the flock from God’s Word (Acts 20:28; 1 Pet. 5:1-4). Some elders are to devote themselves to the ministry of the Word and are thus worthy of financial support. Others concentrate more on oversight and administration (“rule well,” 1 Tim. 5:17-18), and may also work in outside jobs.

The office of deacon arose in the early church because the apostles were being drawn away from their primary ministry of prayer and the Word into administering the distribution of food to the poor among the church (Acts 6:1-6). Thus the ministry of deacons is to serve the body in practical and administrative ways that free up the elders for the work of shepherding, teaching, and prayer. The qualifications for deacons are just as high as for elders, namely, that they must be men of godly character (Acts 6:3; 1 Tim. 3:8-13). But the point is, you won’t know God’s joy unless you are part of a local fellowship, under the oversight of godly men who shepherd and serve the flock under Christ.

Thus, God’s joy is based on being a slave of Christ and a saint in Christ, in fellowship with the church of Christ. Finally,

4. The foundation for joy is to be the recipient of God’s grace and peace in Christ.

“Grace to you and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” (1:2). As mentioned, this was a standard greeting, but it is far more than just a greeting. Perhaps Paul combined the Greek and Hebrew greetings to show that in Christ there is no distinction between Gentile or Jew. We are all one in Christ. This greeting also shows that God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ (His deity is implicit in the equal association of Him with the Father) are the source of both grace and peace.

Grace is, quite simply, God’s unmerited favor, shown to those who deserve His judgment. If you earn it, it’s not grace, but a wage that is due. God’s grace is extended to the ungodly who know it, not to those who think they’re deserving (Rom. 4:4-5). God’s grace is the only way to be reconciled to God. If you think you deserve a place in God’s kingdom because you’re a pretty good person, you don’t understand and have not laid hold of God’s grace. If you think things are right between you and God because you do good things for others and try to live a clean life, you have not grasped God’s grace; you are, in fact, alienated from God. God resists the proud (those who think they’re deserving), but He gives grace to the humble (James 4:6; 1 Pet. 5:5). The only way to receive God’s unmerited favor is to see yourself rightly as an undeserving sinner and call out for His grace. If you don’t know grace, you don’t know God!

Peace is the result of experiencing God’s grace. The order is important: You cannot know God’s peace without first appropriating His grace. Where God’s grace is lacking, peace will also be in short supply. Peace points to the inner well-being that comes from being reconciled to God through what He provided in Christ. Both grace and peace operate first vertically, but also horizontally. If you know God’s grace and peace, you will become a gracious, peaceable person toward others. You will show grace to them because God’s grace is real in your life. You will seek peace with them because God’s peace floods your heart, and He commands you to live at peace with others, as much as it depends on you (Rom. 12:18).

Conclusion

If you’re lacking God’s joy, I encourage you to examine your foundation. Are you a slave of Christ Jesus, in total submission to Him, seeking at all times to please Him by doing His will? If you’re living for self, you’ll lack God’s joy. Do you see yourself as a saint in Christ Jesus, set apart from this evil world unto Christ, living in union with Him? If you blend in with the world, you’ll lack God’s joy. Are you linked in fellowship with the church of Christ Jesus, serving together in the great cause of Christ? If you are isolated from the church, you will lack God’s joy.

Have you received and do you live daily in the grace of Christ Jesus? Does the thought of God’s unmerited favor, shown to you, cause you at times to well up in gratitude and love toward God? Because of His grace, does His peace flood into your soul, even in the midst of trials? If so, you’re laying a solid foundation for lasting joy in the Lord. “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 15:13). Amen!

Discussion Questions

Is there such a thing as knowing Christ as Savior, but not as Master? Can a Christian be a slave of sin (Rom. 6:16-22)?
Why is it crucial to view yourself as a saint? What if you aren’t perfect? Are you still a saint?
Why is being connected to a local church not optional for the Christian?
Some say, “Christ died for you because you’re worthy.” Why is this totally contrary to God’s Word?
Copyright 1995, Steven J. Cole, All Rights Reserved.

Three Reasons Why Genesis Matters

Three Reasons Why Genesis Matters
by Lawrence E. Ford, Sr. *
Evidence for Creation

The Bible is an uncomfortable, yet undeniable book. From beginning to end, what is revealed about God Himself, His creation, His dealings with mankind, and His plans for the future makes sinful human beings squirm.

For the unredeemed, separation from God drives them into hiding, like it did Adam and Eve in the Garden. Of course, we know that we can never truly hide from the all-knowing Creator. Adam and Eve could not. Cain could not. And the billion-plus humans on the earth at the time of the global Flood could not.

But for the redeemed, the Bible is a book of hope. It gives us assurance. It soothes us with God’s comfort. It enlightens us with God’s plans and purposes for now and into eternity. From the very first verse, God has revealed Himself in such a way as to cause us to lift our hearts in wonder and praise and thanksgiving.

So a renewed attempt to disparage the book of Genesis by “evangelical” scholars—seeking to replace special creation with Darwin’s theory of evolution—is forcing doubt upon Christians regarding the importance of the first book of the Bible. In the guise of scholarly study, these intellectual elitists push the notion that God was an evolutionist and that evolutionary interpretation of scientific evidence trumps God’s written record of creation. They declare that Adam and Eve were not real people, that the Fall in the Garden was symbolic, and that the Flood of Noah’s time was nothing more than a local splash of water in ancient Mesopotamia. These professors and preachers would have you believe that evolution and the Bible are wholly compatible, and that the random development of life by means of “natural selection” is a much better explanation than the Genesis record of creation.

But if God didn’t mean what He said in Genesis, then why does Genesis matter at all?

Genesis matters because it is God’s inspired revelation.

The move today to push Genesis out of the realm of the historical in order to accommodate the opinion of evolution’s proponents strips the first book of the Bible—in all practical terms—of its sacred place in the canon of Scripture. Dr. R. Albert Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, sums up the seriousness of the issue:

Theological disaster ensues when the book of nature (general revelation) is used to trump God’s special revelation, when science is placed over Scripture as authoritative and compelling. And that is the very heart of this discussion. While some would argue that the Scriptures are not in danger, the current conversation on this subject is leading down a path that will do irrevocable harm to our evangelical affirmation of the accuracy and authority of God’s Word.
Kenton Sparks, for example, writing for BioLogos, suggests that any rendering of the Bible as inerrant makes the acceptance of theistic evolution impossible. Certainly implausible. Evangelicalism, he says, has painted itself into a corner—we have put ourselves into an intellectual cul-de-sac with our understanding of biblical inerrancy. He suggests that the Bible indeed should be recognized as containing historical, theological, and moral error.1
If Genesis is to be held in highest regard along with the other 65 books of Scripture, then we must be on guard against those who would selectively replace the doctrine of biblical creation with popular naturalistic notions such as evolution. The accuracy of Genesis as a historical account is guaranteed by the One who divinely inspired the writing of the book.

Either all of Genesis is part of Scripture or it’s not. Dr. Mohler reminds us of how far these liberal scholars are willing to go.

Peter Enns, one of the most frequent contributors to BioLogos, suggests that we have to come to the understanding that, when it comes to many of the scientific and historical claims, the writers of Scripture were plainly wrong.1
Genesis matters because it is accurate historical narrative.

The careful Bible student understands that God’s inspired Word was set forth through various literary genres, such as poetry in the Psalms, prophecy in Daniel and Revelation, and historical narrative in many books of the Bible. The Gospels and the book of Acts are historical books, detailing the words and work of Jesus and His disciples. Real people are mentioned. Real cities are described. Real events are recorded for us to read. Much of the Old Testament is a record of history, and that is easily seen in the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Bible.

However, the events in the first eleven chapters of Genesis—particularly creation, the Fall, and the Flood—have made certain Christian teachers so uncomfortable that they now are seeking to deny the undeniable. But this attack on Genesis is not new.

In the early to mid-20th century, there was a push toward evolutionary explanations of science that began to make theologians squirm. Dr. John Whitcomb, co-author of The Genesis Flood with Dr. Henry Morris, describes the atmosphere among theologians during that period:

At the time, I held to the Gap Theory, as many conservative theologians did, because it conveniently placed the “accepted” scientific theories of billions of years of evolutionary and geological development in between verses 1 and 2 of the first chapter of Genesis. It seemed an acceptable blend of science and theology. It allowed us to declare that God created plants, animals, and people in six literal days without our having to deal with the scientific evidence in much detail. In hindsight, though, the Gap Theory, along with other hybrid theories, was still just another compromise that denigrated the character of Scripture, and thus defamed the character of the Creator.2
Enough biblical language research has been conducted on the account in Genesis to conclude, without any doubt, that God’s narrative of six 24-hour days for creation is a record of actual history, not some metaphorical “framework” open to any interpretation.

Genesis matters because it is vital to knowing God.

You cannot really know God until you rightly understand Genesis. That’s a powerful claim, but one worth considering.

If God designed the Bible to consist of 66 books, and ensured that His revelation was complete and unified and without error in every word within those 66 books, then we must be careful not to dismiss any statement or any book that God divinely inspired for us to read and study.

God did not reveal His Word in a haphazard way; there is marvelous, perfect unity from beginning to end. Nor did God wait around to see what ancient peoples wrote before He inspired the writers of the Bible. The lordship, power, and omniscience of the triune God are plainly presented from the very first pages of Genesis.

Genesis 1:1 is clearly one of the greatest apologetics in all of Scripture, for if we stumble here, we cannot, or will not, appreciate God in the rest of the Bible. Accepting God as Creator demands our acceptance of Him as Judge, and that is exactly why many refuse to acknowledge that God exists, for doing so obligates them to deal with their sin before a righteous Judge.

Of course, this is not to say that one cannot know enough about God to receive His gift of salvation should one only know, for instance, a gospel presentation from the book of John or Romans. Many millions have been saved with just such portions of Scripture.

However, suggesting that it’s okay to remove the book of Genesis—or at least the first eleven chapters—from importance in our study of the Bible is to demote this portion of Scripture from the level of divine inspiration, or to denigrate the ability of God to communicate clearly on important matters that deal with the very identity and attributes of a holy, purposeful, and compassionate God.

If Genesis doesn’t matter—if God didn’t want us to know Him through the book of Genesis—then He would have left it out of the Bible entirely.

"What is the Judgment Seat of Christ / Bema Seat of Christ?"

Judgment Seat of Christ, Bema Seat of Christ Question: "What is the Judgment Seat of Christ / Bema Seat of Christ?"

Answer: Romans 14:10-12 says, “For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat…so then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.” Second Corinthians 5:10 tells us, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.” In the context, it is clear that both scriptures are referring to Christians, not unbelievers. The judgment seat of Christ, therefore, involves believers giving an account of their lives to Christ. The judgment seat of Christ does not determine salvation; that was determined by Christ’s sacrifice on our behalf (1 John 2:2) and our faith in Him (John 3:16). All of our sins are forgiven, and we will never be condemned for them (Romans 8:1). We should not look at the judgment seat of Christ as God judging our sins, but rather as God rewarding us for our lives. Yes, as the Bible says, we will have to give an account of ourselves. Part of this is surely answering for the sins we committed. However, that is not going to be the primary focus of the judgment seat of Christ.

At the judgment seat of Christ, believers are rewarded based on how faithfully they served Christ (1 Corinthians 9:4-27; 2 Timothy 2:5). Some of the things we might be judged on are how well we obeyed the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20), how victorious we were over sin (Romans 6:1-4), and how well we controlled our tongues (James 3:1-9). The Bible speaks of believers receiving crowns for different things based on how faithfully they served Christ (1 Corinthians 9:4-27; 2 Timothy 2:5). The various crowns are described in 2 Timothy 2:5, 2 Timothy 4:8, James 1:12, 1 Peter 5:4, and Revelation 2:10. James 1:12 is a good summary of how we should think about the judgment seat of Christ: “Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.”

"What is the connection between prayer and fasting?"

Question: "What is the connection between prayer and fasting?"

Answer: Although the connection between prayer and fasting is not specifically explained in Scripture, a common thread connecting the two seems to run through all the instances of prayer and fasting recorded in the Bible. In the Old Testament, it appears that fasting with prayer had to do with a sense of need and dependence, and/or of abject helplessness in the face of actual or anticipated calamity. Prayer and fasting are combined in the Old Testament in times of mourning, repentance, and/or deep spiritual need.

The first chapter of Nehemiah describes Nehemiah praying and fasting, because of his deep distress over the news that Jerusalem had been desolated. His many days of prayer were characterized by tears, fasting, confession on behalf of his people, and pleas to God for mercy. So intense was the outpouring of his concerns that it’s almost inconceivable he could “take a break” in the middle of such prayer to eat and drink. The devastation that befell Jerusalem also prompted Daniel to adopt a similar posture: “So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes” (Daniel 9:3). Like Nehemiah, Daniel fasted and prayed that God would have mercy upon the people, saying, “We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from your commands and laws” (v. 5).

In several instances in the Old Testament, fasting is linked with intercessory prayer. David prayed and fasted over his sick child (2 Samuel 12:16), weeping before the Lord in earnest intercession (vv. 21-22). Esther urged Mordecai and the Jews to fast for her as she planned to appear before her husband the king (Esther 4:16). Clearly, fasting and petition are closely linked.

There are instances of prayer and fasting in the New Testament, but they are not connected with repentance or confession. The prophetess Anna “never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying” (Luke 2:37). At age 84, her prayer and fasting were part of her service to the Lord in His temple as she awaited the promised Savior of Israel. Also in the New Testament, the church at Antioch was fasting in connection with their worship when the Holy Spirit spoke to them about commissioning Saul and Barnabas to the Lord’s work. At that point, they prayed and fasted, placed their hands on the two men and sent them off. So, we see in these examples that prayer and fasting are components of worshipping the Lord and seeking His favor. Nowhere, however, is there any indication that the Lord is more likely to answer prayers if they are accompanied by fasting. Rather, fasting along with prayer seems to indicate the sincerity of the people praying and the critical nature of the situations in which they find themselves.

The more critical the situation, the more appropriate the fasting and prayer. In Mark 9, Jesus casts a demon from a boy. The disciples had been unable to perform the exorcism, although they had previously been given authority over unclean spirits (Mark 6:7). Later, the disciples asked Jesus why they failed in their attempts to free the boy from the demon, and Jesus said, “This kind can come out only by prayer” (Mark 9:29). Matthew’s account adds the phrase “and fasting” (Matthew 17:21). In this particular case, the demon was exceptionally malicious and obdurate (Mark 9:21-22). Jesus seems to be saying that a determined foe must be met with an equally determined faith. Prayer is a ready weapon in the spiritual battle (Ephesians 6:18), and fasting helps to focus prayer and give it resolve.

The theology of fasting is a theology of priorities in which believers are given the opportunity to express themselves in an undivided and intensive devotion to the Lord and to the concerns of spiritual life. This devotion will be expressed by abstaining for a short while from such normal and good things as food and drink, so as to enjoy a time of uninterrupted communion with our Father. Our “confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus” (Hebrews 10:19), whether fasting or not fasting, is one of the most delightful parts of that “better thing” which is ours in Christ. Prayer and fasting should not be a burden or a duty, but rather a celebration of God's goodness and mercy to His children.