Theology term of the day: anthropomorphism

anthropomorphism
Narrowly, the attribution of human form to God. More broadly, a description of God using human categories; language that speaks of God in human terms, ascribing human features and qualities to him.

An example of anthropomorphism in the narrower sense from Exodus 7:5:
The Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring out the people of Israel from among them. (ESV)
An example of anthropomorphism in the broader sense from Genesis 9:
And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh. And the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.”
From A. B. Caneday in Veiled Glory: God’s Self-Revelation in Human Likeness—A Biblical Theology of God’s Anthropomorphic Self-Disclosure, an essay included in Beyond the Bounds: Open Theism and the Undermining of Biblical Christianity:
…God’s Word does not simply contain anthropomorphism as one figure of speech alongside metaphor, simile, synecdoche, and others. Rather, God’s word is intrinsically anthropomorphic, for the Bible is God’s speech to humans in human language. God’s speaking to humans is anthropomorphism. Anthropomorphism is a description of God’s revelation; anthropomorphism is not a description of our interpretation of Scripture. The fact that God revealed himself anthropomorphically does not warrant us to subscribe to “anthropomorphic interpretation.” We are not to read the Bible anthropomorphically. Rather, we are to recognize that the Bible is anthropomorphic in character. Therefore, I propose the following definition of anthropomorphism, a definition that emerges from the soil of Scripture: Because God formed Adam from the “dust of the earth” and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, making him in his own image and likeness, God makes himself known to his creatures in their likeness, as if he wears both their form and qualities, when in fact they wear his likeness. (pages 160-161)
From D. A. Carson, in a lecture on Openness of God Theology:
It turns out that almost everything we say about God…is in terms of categories that we’re familiar with. …We don’t have access to “infinite talk”; we have access to human talk. And through human talk we are talking about the infinite, the holy. So much of what scripture says in that regard, about God’s knowing, seeing, acting—whether it’s riding upon the wings of the dawn, or the winds of the storm, or putting a muzzle on the leviathan …—or speaking and the world was formed, is, in some sense, metaphorical language. That is to say, it’s a figure of speech whereby we speak of one thing in terms which are seen to be suggestive of another. And “the other,” here, is us. It’s human speaking….

…We know that the language has to be metaphorical because the Bible keeps stressing that God is other. He is not a human being; he is not a man. He is not created; he is not dependent. He is the God of aseity. He is transcendent. He was there before we were. He speaks and brings all things into existence. He is Spirit. He doesn’t have a body. We are forced to recognize that this is the way we must think about God.

So to come at this question, then, of anthropomorphism….and uphold the view that by refusing to see them as anthropomorphisms we are interpreting Scripture more simply and directly is, I would want to argue, not an appeal to a simpler biblicism, but to a massive and even grotesque reductionism.

"What is the New Jerusalem?"

Question: "What is the New Jerusalem?"

Answer: The New Jerusalem, which is also called the Tabernacle of God, the Holy City, the City of God, the Celestial City, the City Foursquare, and Heavenly Jerusalem, is literally heaven on earth. It is referred to in the Bible in several places (Galatians 4:26; Hebrews 11:10; 12:22–24; and 13:14), but it is most fully described in Revelation 21.

In Revelation 21, the recorded history of man is at its end. All of the ages have come and gone. Christ has gathered His church in the Rapture (1 Thessalonians 4:15–17). The Tribulation has passed (Revelation 6—18). The battle of Armageddon has been fought and won by our Lord Jesus Christ (Revelation 19:17–21). Satan has been chained for the 1,000-year reign of Christ on earth (Revelation 20:1–3). A new, glorious temple has been established in Jerusalem (Ezekiel 40—48). The final rebellion against God has been quashed, and Satan has received his just punishment, an eternity in the lake of fire (Revelation 20:7–10.) The Great White Throne Judgment has taken place, and mankind has been judged (Revelation 20:11–15).

In Revelation 21:1 God does a complete make-over of heaven and earth (Isaiah 65:17; 2 Peter 3:12–13). The new heaven and new earth are what some call the “eternal state” and will be “where righteousness dwells” (2 Peter 3:13). After the re-creation, God reveals the New Jerusalem. John sees a glimpse of it in his vision: “The Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband” (Revelation 21:2). This is the city that Abraham looked for in faith (Hebrews 11:10). It is the place where God will dwell with His people forever (Revelation 21:3). Inhabitants of this celestial city will have all tears wiped away (Revelation 21:4).

The New Jerusalem will be fantastically huge. John records that the city is nearly 1,400 miles long, and it is as wide and as high as it is long—a perfect cube (Revelation 21:15–17). The city will also be dazzling in every way. It is lighted by the glory of God (verse 23). Its twelve foundations, bearing the names of the twelve apostles, are “decorated with every kind of precious stone” (verse 19). It has twelve gates, each a single pearl, bearing the names of the twelve tribes of Israel (verses 12 and 21). The street will be made of pure gold (verse 21).

The New Jerusalem will be a place of unimagined blessing. The curse of the old earth will be gone (Revelation 22:3). In the city are the tree of life “for the healing of the nations” and the river of life (verses 1–2). It is the place that Paul spoke of: “In the coming ages [God] might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:6). The New Jerusalem is the ultimate fulfillment of all God’s promises. The New Jerusalem is God’s goodness made fully manifest.

Who are the residents of the New Jerusalem? The Father and the Lamb are there (Revelation 21:22). Angels are at the gates (verse 12). But the city will be filled with God’s redeemed children. The New Jerusalem is the righteous counter to the evil Babylon (Revelation 17), destroyed by God’s judgment (Revelation 18). The wicked had their city, and God has His. To which city do you belong? Babylon the Great or the New Jerusalem? If you believe that Jesus, the Son of God, died and rose again and have asked God to save you by His grace, then you are a citizen of the New Jerusalem. “God raised [you] up with Christ and seated [you] with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:6). You have “an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade” (1 Peter 1:4). If you have not yet trusted Christ as your Savior, then we urge you to receive Him. The invitation is extended: “The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ And let the one who hears say, ‘Come!’ Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life” (Revelation 22:17).

Recommended Resources: Heaven by Randy Alcorn and Logos Bible Software.

The Enemies of Israel — Their Ultimate End

The Enemies of Israel — Their Ultimate End
— by Dr. David L. Cooper

I. God's Attitude Toward Anti-Semites
1. God to curse those who curse Israel
Those who curse Israel shall be cursed (Genesis 12:3). No weapon that is formed against Israel shall prosper (Isaiah 54:17). These Scriptures are of vital importance on this subject. Genesis 12:1-3 constitutes the cornerstone, the monument, of all prophecy. No one can mistreat the Jew and get away with it, as we say.

Now Jehovah said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto the land that I will show thee: and I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and be thou a blessing: and I will bless them that bless thee, and him that curseth thee will I curse: and in thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed.” (Genesis 12:1-3)

These verses constitute the second call of God to Abram. When Abram was in Ur of Chaldea, God-called him to leave everything; to separate from his parents; leave his brothers, friends, and all his possessions; and to go to the land that God would show him. Abram obeyed partially. He went from Ur and stopped at Haran, near Carchemish, in upper Mesopotamia (Acts 7:2-5). But God would not allow him to go any farther because he had taken his father with him. So he had to remain there in upper Mesopotamia until his father died. Then God gave him his second call, the one recorded in Genesis 12:1-3. It is a marvelous, wonderful statement. It is a sevenfold promise, or covenant, into which God entered with Abram.

“I will make of thee a great nation” - not numerically, thus far - but “I will make of thee a great nation.” I do not believe that there is a nation on the face of the globe that is great like the nation of Israel. She is God's choicest vine. God went down into Egypt, got the choicest vine upon the face of the globe - the Jewish people - brought it into the Promised Land and planted it there; and there He gave it the most advantageous opportunities (Psalm 80:8ff). Yet it bore wild grapes instead of luscious, sweet, good grapes, as Isaiah, chapter 5, reveals. But Israel — this vine — is a great nation.

“I will bless thee, and make thy name great”. He certainly has blessed the Jewish people though He has had to punish them severely from time to time, and is doing so at the present time. He will yet punish them as He has never punished any other nation. He punishes them double for their sins. A Gentile does something, and God punishes him, giving him one stroke. The Jew does the same thing, and God gives him two strokes punishing him double for all his sins (Isaiah 40:2, Jeremiah 16:18).

“I will bless them that bless thee, and him that curseth thee will I curse.” I know that statement to be true. I have been blessed all of my life — but, when I began to give my entire attention to Israel and to God's call, I received blessings untold, such as I had never experienced before. I see truths that I have never heard fall from any man's lips or seen written in man's book or paper. I say that I have seen these truths and God has certainly verified to me this promise to bless. “Him that curseth thee will I curse.” One who has anti-Semitism in his heart and curses Israel, God will, in His own time, curse.

2. No weapon formed against Israel to prosper
On this same point, one should turn to Isaiah 54:11-17, especially verse 15, but it should be read in its context.

O thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted, behold, I will set thy stones in fair colors, and lay thy foundations with sapphires.”

As one sees from the entire text, this passage is a prediction with reference to Jerusalem. Now God says:

Thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted, behold, I will set thy stones in fair colors, and lay thy foundations with sapphires.” I believe He means exactly what He says. I believe the reason that He will create and use great sapphires for the millennial Jerusalem is that God's throne will be there.” (Jeremiah 3:16-18)

God says, “I will lay thy foundation with sapphires. And I will make thy pinnacles of rubies, and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy border of precious stones.” Every statement is to be taken at its face value.

“And all thy children shall be taught of Jehovah ...” That statement means exactly what it says. They will all know God, from the least of them unto the greatest of them.

”... and great shall be the peace of thy children.” The Jews have never had any peace to amount to anything — anything that could be called peace — but they will have peace at the time here foreseen.

“In righteousness shalt thou be established; thou shalt be far from oppression” - that is, when this prophecy is fulfilled - “for thou shall not fear; and from terror, for it shall not come near thee.”

“Behold, they may gather together, but not by me: whosoever shall gather together against thee shall fall because of thee.” This is the crux of the passage. It is not God's holy directive will that they should do anything of that sort. God permits many things in the lives of people, as He does in the case of nations.

“Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the fire of coals, and bringeth forth a weapon for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy. No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of Jehovah, and their righteousness which is of me, saith Jehovah.” This prophecy means exactly what it says and needs no further comment.

“I will bless them that bless thee, and him that curseth thee will I curse.” No weapon, no plan, no scheme that is devised against Israel can prosper. God will see that it will not.

3. Illustrations of God's curse upon Israel's enemies
Has God ever cursed those who have schemed against Israel? Egypt persecuted the Jews when they were there. They were not persecuted all of the 215 years that they were there, but for a great portion of it. The Pharaoh who hated the Jews wanted to exterminate them, did everything that he could against them, and made their lot miserable; but God brought them out, and He sent judgments upon Egypt far beyond any expectation.

I have studied this subject afresh and have seen new light, light regarding the terrific judgments that fell upon Egypt. At the University of Leiden, Holland, is a manuscript obtained in 1828 which gives a firsthand account from the Egyptian standpoint. It has heretofore been misunderstood and misinterpreted as a record of something else, but facts now show that it is a firsthand account of the devastation that wrecked Egypt from end to the other. There were plagues, just as one sees records of plagues in the Book of Exodus and in the early chapters of the Old Testament. God struck Egypt as He had never done before; and, according to this historian, who was an eyewitness, the whole country was devastated from one end to the other. There were earthquakes and other calamities. The seas were churned into a raging fury. All of the things occurred at the time of the deliverance of Israel from Egyptian bondage.

The Assyrians, the crudest nation of antiquity, devastated the land of Israel — first the northern section and then the southern, Jerusalem being left like a little booth in a cucumber patch after the season of fruitage has passed. In fact, Jerusalem was all that was left. Hezekiah was shut up in it; and, according to Sennacherib, the Assyrians captured all of the 46 fortified cities of Israel. Everything else was devastated. But this monster of cruelty went down in ignominy and shame and was blotted out. Assyria vanished from the face of the globe, and all we know about it is what we read on the monuments of that country that have been unearthed and, also, what we see in some histories. “I will curse them that curse thee.”

Then there were also the Babylonians. “Is not this great Babylon which I have built?” Nebuchadnezzar boasted. All there is of Babylon now is the ruins that have been unearthed by the archaeologists. Why were the Babylonians cast down? All because they mistreated the Jew.

II. A Prophetic View of the Present Day
1. Arabic coalition against Israel
Psalm 83 contains a prophecy that I believe is being unfolded before our eyes. It has not yet come to pass, but is in the process of being fulfilled. The first two verses refer to the time of the Tribulation. All scholars of whom I have any knowledge, both of the rationalistic type and of the conservative group, say that there is nothing in all the history of Israel that can be said to be the fulfillment of this prediction. It simply has not been fulfilled. Since it has not, and since God spoke it, we may be certain that it will be fulfilled exactly as foretold. Notice verse 1: “O God keep not thou silence: Hold not thy peace, and be not still, O God.” Why? The reason is found in verse 2: “For, lo, thine enemies make a tumult; And they that hate thee have lifted up the head.”

Israel will utter that prayer, and God will answer it literally. I am inclined to believe that these first two verses refer to a partial fulfillment of such a passage as Psalm 2:1-3, the forthcoming international atheistic, anti-Semitic, anti-Christian, politico-religious convention that will try to count God and His Christ out of His universe.

But the part of the prophecy in Psalm 83 which is now being fulfilled is found in verses 3-8: “They take crafty counsel against thy people. And consult together against thy hidden ones.” Certain ones are going to take crafty counsel against the Jewish people and against God's hidden ones, those of the Jewish people of Palestine that have honest hearts and that will accept the truth when it is presented to them. These hidden ones are like the people mentioned in Acts 18:9,10: “And the Lord said unto Paul in the night by a vision, Be not afraid, but speak and hold not thy peace: for I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to harm thee: for I have much people in this city.”

Verse 4 of Psalm 83 reveals the purpose of the enemies: “They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; That the name of Israel may be no more is remembrance. “In other words, the complete annihilation of Israel, even to the blotting out of the name from remembrance, is the purpose here proposed. Such plots have been made before, and they have been carried out in part. Pharaoh attempted to destroy Israel. So did Nebuchadnezzar, Antiochus Epiphanes, and Titus, Various other tyrants and nations have made similar attempts. Of these, Nazi Germany, under the leadership of the madman Hitler, was most guilty of this heinous crime. But Israel will never be annihilated. During the Tribulation, two out of every three Jews will be destroyed, but a faithful remnant will remain. Through them God will fulfill the promise to Abraham, that in Him all the families of the earth will be blessed.

The third time that I went to Palestine, in 1949, I had not been out of the airplane more than thirty minutes before I heard the report of what the Arabs were saying. They were vociferously asserting that if the United Nations would let them alone, they would mop up with the Jews and would not leave a single Jew in Palestine. They would either slaughter them or drive them into the Mediterranean Sea. I heard that report upon my arrival; and, during the days that I was there, I heard it time and time again. The Arabs were saying then and are saying today the very same thing: “Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.”

In verse 5, the psalmist reveals that the enemies of Israel will make a military alliance and conclude a treaty against God and against His Chosen People: “For they have consulted together with one consent; Against thee do they make a covenant.”

Verses 6-8 list the names of the members of the coalition. Who are they? They are the Arabic nations that are today harassing Israel. In ancient times the term Arab applied to the Bedouin tribes in the northern part of the Arabian peninsula and east of Palestine. Today, the term applies not only to these Semites of Arabia, but also to their descendants, many of whom have mixed with native races in North, East, and Central Africa, as well as in Madagascar, India, the Malay Archipelago, parts of Syria and Persia.

In verse 6, “the tents of Edom,” The Edomites, in Transjordan, south of the Dead Sea, were originally the descendants of Esau, who was also called Edom, or reds because he sold his birthright for red pottage (Genesis 25:30). The Ishmaelites, nomadic tribes of northern Arabia, as name implies, are the descendants of Ismael the son of Abraham and Hagar. The Moabites, on the east coast of the Dead Sea, in Transjordan, are the descendants of Lot (Genesis, chapter 19). The Hagarenes, east of Gilead, in Transjordan, are a nomadic tribe mentioned in I Chronicles 5:10.

In is verse 7, Gebal probably refers to a site on the Mediterranean Sea (Byblos), forty-two miles north of Sidon. The Ammonites,in the centra lpart of Transjordan, like the Moabites, are descendants of Lot (Genesis, chapter 19). The origin of the Amalekites is obscure. They were an ancient nomadic tribe of the Sinai peninsula and were the first to come into contact with the Israelites (Exodus, chapter 17). The Philistines, in the Gaza strip, were of Greek origin. The inhabitants of Tyre were Phoenicians. Today, Phoenicia is called Lebanon. Assyria, in verse 8, is present-day Iraq.

Today, the descendants of the people named in verses 6-8 are all classed as Arabs. If one were to trace in the Bible the history of these people, he would find that most of them were at times hostile to Israel, even as their descendants are today.

The first eight verses of Psalm 83 are a prediction. The remainder of it is a prayer that the Jewish people will pray for God to intervene in their behalf. When they do, He will solve their problem.

In verses 9-12, God is implored to deal with Israel's enemies as He has done on former occasions: “Do thou unto them as unto Midian, as to Sisera, as to Jabin, at the river Kishon; “Who perished at En-dor, Who became as dung for the earth. “Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb; Yea, all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna: Who said. Let us take to ourselves in possession the habitations of God.”

The psalmist does not ask that Israel be permitted to wreak vengeance, for he realizes that vengeance belongs to God (Deuteronomy 32:35-43). When he uttered his prophetic prayer, he not only showed his awareness that vengeance belongs to God, but also pointed out the besetting sin of the enemies of Israel. The enemies say: “Let us take to ourselves in possession the habitations of God.” Is this not exactly what the enemies of Israel are saying today?

“But to whom does the Holy Land belong? In Leviticus 25:23, we find this declaration; “And the land shall not be sold in perpetuity; for the land is mine: for ye are strangers and sojourners with me.” In Isaiah 8:8, God claims the land for His Son, referring to it as “thy land, O Immanuel.” In Deuteronomy 11:12, one learns that God cares for this land in a peculiar manner, for His eyes “are always upon it, from the beginning of the year even unto the end of the year.”

The land belongs to God in a special way, and He has entrusted it to Israel, because He intends to use His Chosen People in a special way. “... and in thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed” (Genesis 12:3). Yet the above named enemies of Israel did seize the land divide it. [Editor Note: Since the six-day war of 1967 all on the west side of Jordan has been united under Israel, except the temple area.]

The remainder of the prayer in Psalm 83 contains two petitions. The first is in verses 13-16:

O my God, make them like the whirling dust; As stubble before the wind. As the fire that burneth the forest, And as the flame that setteth the mountains on fire, So pursue them with thy tempest, And terrify them with thy storm — Fill their faces with confusion, That they may seek thy name, O Jehovah.”

The last clause of this petition shows that Asaph is not uttering a prayer of vengeance. He wants the enemies overthrown for the most commendable reason possible — that they may be brought to a saving knowledge of God.

The second petition, verses 17 and 18, is prompted by the same motive. “Let them be put to shame and dismayed for ever; Yea, let them be confounded and perish “That they may know that thou alone, whose name is Jehovah, Art the most High over all the earth.”

In the preceding installments we Have seen God's attitude toward anti-Semites. His promise is to assuage the effect of those weapons arrayed against her. Illustrations from history have been noted. We now turn to passages of Scripture related to latter day assaults by Israel's enemies. Though allowed to go through the furnace of affliction, her ultimate salvation comes when Christ Jesus “rend the heavens — stand upon the Mt, of Olives — lift the curse from the earth — take the world situation in hand — solve the Jewish problem.”

2. Israel in the grip of the Nations
A passage of similar import as Psalm 83 is found in Ezekiel 36:1-8. Let us first observe verse 8: “But ye, 0 mountains of Israel, ye shall shoot forth your branches, and yield your fruit to my people Israel ...” Why? “For they are at hand to come.” That statement gives the perspective from which one must view the passage. In this oracle, Ezekiel says to the mountains and valleys of Israel: “You are going to bud, produce, and bring forth your full increase.” The reason is that God's People “are at hand to come.” They are on the verge of coming in to be settled there permanently. This prophecy, therefore, relates to what is going on at the present moment and to what will yet develop in the near future.

Now let us take note of the entire passage: “And thou, son of man, prophecy unto the mountains of Israel, and say, Ye mountains of Israel hear the word of Jehovah.” This message is from God; you are to listen, ye mountains of Israel. “Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Because the enemy hath said against you, Aha! And, The ancient high places are ours in possession ...” The enemies are gloating over their having the high places of the land of Israel in possession. So God commands Ezekiel: “... therefore prophesy, and say, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Because, even because, they have made you desolate, swallowed you up on every side ...” One should pause here to see what has occurred. Back in 1927, Transjordan, about half of the land that God gave to the Jew, was cut off and it became the possession of the Arabs. In 1948, when the British gave up the mandate and withdrew from Palestine, the Arabs of Transjordan captured practically all of the mountainous part of Israel.

“ ... Because, even because they have made you desolate, and swallowed you up on every side, that ye might be a possession unto the residue of the nations,” — Here probably is a reference to the United Nations. They are having a finger in the pie, but God pity the world when they meddle in Jewish politics. “... and ye are taken up in the lips of talkers, and the evil report of the people ...” The enemies are generally talking about the Jews and the Jewish problem, poking fun at them, and ridiculing them.

“... Therefore, ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord Jehovah: Thus saith the Lord Jehovah to the mountains and to the hills, to the watercourses and to the valleys, to the desolate wastes and to the cities that are forsaken, which are become a prey and derision to the residue of the nations that are round about ...” In verse 3, “the residue of the nations” refers to all the rest of the nations, but in verse 4 the term is, limited to the nations round-about Israel, the Arabic nations adjoining Palestine.

“... Therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Surely in the fire of my jealousy have I spoken against the residue of the nations ...” Here, I am inclined to believe the expression “the residue of the nations” refers to the United Nations. God points them out, especially Edom — “and against all Edom, that have appointed my land unto themselves for a possession with the joy of all their heart, with despite of soul, to cast it out for a prey.” The Edomites were cousins of the Israelites, yet were their inveterate enemies. They have done everything they can against the Jews.

“Therefore prophesy concerning the land of Israel, and say unto the mountains and to the hills, to the watercourses and to the valleys. Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Behold, I have spoken in my jealousy and in my wrath, because ye have borne the shame of the nations: thus saith the Lord Jehovah: I have sworn, saying, Surely the nations that are round about you, they shall bear their shame.” God will requite Israel.

“But ye, O mountains of Israel, ye shall shoot forth your branches, and yield your fruit to my people Israel; for they are at hand to come.” They are “at hand to come” now.

Thus Psalm 83 and Ezekiel 36:1-8 deal with the Jewish situation today — the situation of Palestine surrounded by enemies. But the worst is yet to come.

III. Prophetic View of the Situation in Israel in the Near Future
1. Israel Scattered among the Nations
The situation that will prevail in Israel in the near future is also revealed in the Scriptures. Let us notice Joel 3:1-8. “For, behold, in those days, and in that time,” the time referred to in the final paragraph of chapter 2, the Tribulation Period, “I will gather all nations” — the United Nations again — “and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat” — in the valley of judgment, the valley of the Great Tribulation, — and I will execute judgment upon them there.” A mother or father may have several children; but Johnny, let us say, does something wrong. Does Mary get the whipping? According to the principles of right and justice, the parent punishes the guilty one. The same principle applies here. God is speaking here about the nations of the end time when He is gathering Israel back into the homeland. He says that he will enter into Judgment with them “for my people, and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations: and they have parted my land, and have cast lots for my people, and have given a boy for a harlot, and sold a girl for wine, that they may drink.”

Since God punishes only the guilty, and since He is here talking about the nations of the end time, one can be sure that the United Nations will literally kick the Jews out of Palestine — and everything looks in that direction now. They will scatter the Jews among the nations, part their land, and sell a Jewish boy for a harlot and a Jewish girl for a drink of wine.

In Micah 4:11-13, one learns that these enemy nations will gather against Israel unaware that God has brought them there.

And how many nations are assembled against thee, that say, Let her be defiled, and let our eye see our desire upon Zion. But they know not the thoughts of Jehovah, neither understand the thoughts of Jehovah, neither understand they his counsel; for he hath gathered them as the sheaves to the threshing-floor.”

Similarly In Zephaniah 3:8 one reads:

Therefore wait ye for me, saith Jehovah, the day that I rise up to the prey; for my determination is to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them mine indignation, even all my fierce anger; for all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jeaiousy.”

2. Israel Persecuted in the Land
Having seen the situation of Israel as set forth in Psalm 83 and Ezekiel 36:1-8, let us look at Zechariah 12:1-3, upon which this theme is based: “The burden of the word of Jehovah concerning Israel. Thus saith Jehovah, who stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, that formeth the spirit of man within him: Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of reeling unto all the peoples round about,” — notice that expression “the peoples 'round about,” those Arabic nations that are 'round about — “and upon Judah also shall it be in the siege against Jerusalem. And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all the peoples: all that burden themselves with it shall be sore wounded; and all the nations of the earth shall be gathered together against it.”

In verse 2 the word “peoples” is modified by the term “round about,” referring to the Arabic nations around Israel; but in verse 3 God has, as it were, lifted His eyes and is looking over the whole world at “all the peoples,” “all the nations of the earth.” He will make Jerusalem a burdensome stone that will wound the hands of all the nations.

David Baron, one of the greatest commentators on the Old Testament, said, “Here is a picture of a big rock. Men are putting their hands underneath it to lift it up; and lo and behold, they cannot lift it up, but it falls on them and crushes their hands.” That is the picture which God presents here. All nations, including the United States, my home land, which I love, will, I fear, burden themselves with Jerusalem and with Jewish politics; and they will suffer the judgments of God because of meddling in Jewish affairs. He will make Jerusalem as a rock which will crush their hands.

IV. Final Stroke of Judgment against Israel's Enemies
For the final act of this drama, let us turn to Isaiah17:12-14. "Ah, the uproar of many peoples, that roar like the roaring of the seas; and the rushing of nations, that rush like the rushing of mighty waters! The nations shall rush like the rushing of many waters...” All nations are against Jerusalem like a storm, as related passages of the Scriptures reveal they will do during the Tribulation. The prophet Isaiah sees this wave of anti-Semitism coming against the Jews. But notice now, — “... but he shall rebuke them, and they shall flee far off, and shall be chased as the chaff of the mountains before the wind, and like the whirling dust before the storm. At eventide, behold terror; and before the morning they are not. This is the portion of them that despoil us, and the lot of them that rob us.” Something has occurred. All the nations are rushing like demons against Israel. The picture could not be darker at evening, but overnight everything changes. “At eventide, behold, terror; and before the morning they are not.” The Jews will have at that time been given the facts with reference to the Lord Jesus Christ and His being the Jewish Messiah. They will consider these facts and see the mistake that their ancestors made more than 1900 years ago; repudiate the national sin; confess it before God and plead for Divine mercy and Messiah's return. They will be in prayer, fasting and repenting, for two full days, according to Hosea. On the third day they will be revived — the Spirit of God will come. Then Christ will rend the heavens and He will stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives. He will lift the curse from the earth, take the world situation in hand, and solve the Jewish problem.

The United Nations is putting pressure upon the Jews. The problems are very serious. America had better watch out. England had better watch out. They are tampering with explosives: “I will curse them that curse thee.” Those who burden themselves by making it their business to meddle in Jewish politics, will have God's judgment upon them. Jerusalem will become a burdensome stone that will crush their hands.

Let us pray God to overrule and direct the affairs of nations and to keep the saints fit to work in His cause proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ until He comes.

nspiration “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” (2 Timothy 3:16)

Inspiration
“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” (2 Timothy 3:16)

The Bible insists its writers were supernaturally influenced by God to such an extent that their words were given divine accuracy. The unique word translated “inspiration” in our text could be rendered “God blowing” or “God puffing.” Peter speaks of “holy men of God” who “spake” as they were moved by the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:21). David was conscious that his own “tongue” was speaking words that the Holy Spirit of the Lord gave him (2 Samuel 23:2). Jeremiah was given audible instruction and told to reproduce those words precisely (Jeremiah 30:1-2; 26:2), as was Isaiah (Isaiah 6:8-10), who clearly knew he was being controlled by God (Isaiah 59:21).

These are samplings of some 2,600 claims in the Old Testament for direct inspiration of the text of Scripture. God used several methods to make sure that His word was “puffed” out, and on one occasion even wrote them with His own finger on tables of stone—twice (Exodus 31:18; 34:1). Those words were not only inspired but inscribed!

The writings of the 27 books of the New Testament are also full of declarations of God’s personal inspiration of the words. Jesus claimed to speak only what God the Father instructed Him to say (John 12:46-50). Paul knew he was given revelation (Ephesians 3:3-4) and insisted on equivalent standing with God’s commands (1 Thessalonians 2:13). Peter demanded remembrance of the apostles’ teachings (2 Peter 3:1-4, 15-16), John insisted on the accuracy of what he shared (1 John 1:1-3), and Jude verified the words of the other apostles (Jude 1:3, 17).

It seems we are confronted with an all-or-nothing proposition. Either all Scripture is inspired or none of it is. HMM III

Angels are created beings

Angels are created beings

The fact of their creation is brought out in Psalm 148. There the psalmist calls upon all in the celestial heavens, including the angels, to praise God. The reason given is, “For He commanded and they were created” (Ps. 148:1-5).

The time of their creation is never stated, however, we know they were created before the creation of the world. From the book of Job we are told that they were present when the earth was created (Job 38:4-7) so their creation was prior to the creation of the earth as described in Genesis one.

The agent of their creation is specifically stated to be Christ as the One who created all things (cf. John 1:1-3 with Col. 1:16).7

The nature of their creation is as a host or a company, simultaneously. Unlike human beings and the animal kingdom created in pairs and who procreate, angels were created simultaneously as a company, a countless host of myriads (Col. 1:16; Neh 9:6). This is suggested by the fact they are not subject to death and they do not or were not to propagate. They are nevertheless an innumerable host created before the creation of the earth (cf. Job. 38:7; Neh. 9:6; Ps 148:2, 5; Heb 12:22; Dan 7:10; Matt 26:53; Rev. 5:11; with Matt. 22:28-30; Luke 20:20-36).

Angels are spirit creatures

Angels are spirit beings. Though at times they have been given the ability to reveal themselves in the form of human bodies as in Genesis 18:3, they are described as “spirits” in Hebrews 1:14. This suggests they do not have material bodies as we do. Hence, they do not function as human beings in terms of marriage and procreation (Mark 12:25) nor are they subject to death (Luke 20:36).

Mankind, including our incarnate Lord, is “lower than the angels” (Heb. 2:7). Angels are not subject to the limitations of man, especially since they are incapable of death (Luke 20:36). Angels have greater wisdom than man (2 Sam. 14:20), yet it is limited (Matt. 24:36). Angels have greater power than man (Matt. 28:2; Acts 5:19; 2 Pet. 2:11), yet they are limited in power (Dan. 10:13).

Angels, however, have limitations compared to man, particularly in future relationships. Angels are not created in the image of God, therefore, they do not share man’s glorious destiny of redemption in Christ. At the consummation of the age, redeemed man will be exalted above angels (1 Cor. 6:3).8

This also means they are not omnipresent. They cannot be everywhere at once.

All angels were created holy, without sin, and in a state of perfect holiness.

Originally all angelic creatures were created holy. God pronounced His creation good (Gen. 1:31), and, of course, He could not create sin. Even after sin entered the world, God’s good angels, who did not rebel against Him, are called holy (Mark 8:38). These are the elect angels (1 Tim. 5:21) in contrast to the evil angels who followed Satan in his rebellion against God (Matt. 25:41).9

As created beings, they are mere creatures. They are not divine and are not to be worshipped (see Rev. 19:10; 22:9). As a separate order of creatures, they are both distinct from human beings and higher than humans with powers far beyond our abilities in this present age (1 Cor. 6:3; Heb. 1:14; 2:7). But as creatures they are limited in their powers, knowledge, and activities (1 Peter 1:11-12; Rev. 7:1). Like all of creation, angels are under God’s authority and subject to His judgment (1 Cor. 6:3; Matt. 25:41).

A Question for Atheists

A Question for Atheists
J. B. Clark.
Genesis 1:1
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.…

Napoleon the First, with all his disdain for men, bowed to one power that he was pleased to regard as greater than himself. In the heart of an atheistic age he replied to the smattering theorists of his day, "Your arguments gentlemen, are very fine. But who," pointing up to the evening sky, "who made all these?" And even the godless science of our times, while rejecting the scriptural answer to this question, still confesses that it has no other to give. "The phenomena of matter and force," says Tyndall, "lie within our intellectual range; and as far as they reach we will, at all hazard, push our inquiries. But behind, and above, and around all, the real mystery of the universe lies unsolved, and as far as we are concerned, is incapable of solution." But why incapable of solution? Why not already solved, so far as we are concerned, in this "simple, unequivocal, exhaustive, majestic" alpha of the Bible — "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth"?

(J. B. Clark.)

Christian Witness In A Hostile World (1 Peter 3:13-17)

Christian Witness In A Hostile World (1 Peter 3:13-17)



I begin this message with a disclaimer, namely, that I am not qualified to preach it. Before you point your finger and exclaim, “Ha! Then, why are you preaching it?” I also point out that you are not qualified to hear it!

I am an American pastor who lives a reasonably comfortable life by preaching God’s Word. I’ve never been threatened with imprisonment or torture for my faith. I’ve never had my property confiscated or my family torn away from me because of my commitment to the gospel. Nor have any of you, to my knowledge, suffered much for your faith in Christ. If I were a Chinese pastor who had served years in a harsh prison for preaching the gospel and you were a Chinese church, whose very presence here this morning represented great risk of persecution, I could preach this text with power and you could hear it well.

But even though we have not paid that kind of price for our faith, we all have faced the fear of witnessing to lost people about the Lord Jesus Christ. I don’t know if it’s the flesh or an inbred fear of conflict or what, but we’ve all felt the churning stomach and sweaty palms that go with the thought, “Uh oh! I need to talk to this person about Jesus Christ! I’m scared! What am I going to do?”

Peter’s theme in our text is Christian witness in a hostile world. His words apply whether we are facing torture for our faith or whether we’re just nervous about the thought of telling someone about Christ. He’s saying,

The best witness in this hostile world combines good behavior with thoughtful words under Christ’s lordship.

Note in your Bible where each aspect of this theme comes from: First, the hostility of the world toward believers—3:13 (“harm you”); 3:14 (“suffer”; “do not fear their intimidation and do not be troubled”); 3:16 (“slandered”; “revile”); 3:17 (“suffer”).

Second, the best witness combines both good behavior and thoughtful words: Good behavior—3:13 (“zealous for what is good”); 3:14 (“righteousness”); 3:16 (“good conscience”; “good behavior”); 3:17 (“doing good”). Thoughtful words—3:15 (“defense” [Greek = apologia; “account” [Greek = logos]). Both terms refer to verbal witness.

Third, Christ’s lordship—3:15 (“sanctify Christ as Lord”; 3:16 (“good behavior in Christ”); 3:17 (“the will of God”).

These three themes show us, first, the place we are called to witness (a hostile world); second, the practice of our witness (good behavior combined with thoughtful words); and, third, the governing power of our witness (the lordship of Jesus Christ). The section is connected by the word “and” to the quote from Psalm 34 (1 Pet. 3:10-12), where Peter assures us that God will vindicate the righteous and punish the wicked. That’s an important truth to keep in mind as we face hostility or feel intimidated about witnessing. Fearing God above all else will take care of the fear of man and give us the boldness we need to bear effective witness for our Savior.

1. The place where we are called to witness is an often-hostile world.

By quoting Psalm 34, Peter has reminded us that believers are to seek peace, but also that there are in this world those who are righteous and those who are evil. The implication of verse 13 (in the Greek text) is that if we are zealous for what is good, generally speaking, we will not be persecuted. It’s the same principle as Proverbs 16:7, “When a man’s ways are pleasing to the Lord, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.” That’s not a promise without exception, but a maxim that generally holds true. An upright life is more peaceful than a wicked life.

But also, Peter may be looking at ultimate harm and ultimate good. Jesus told the twelve (Matt. 10:28), “Do not fear those who kill the body, but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” As Peter points out (3:16, 17), if we maintain a good conscience when we’re slandered, someday our enemies will be put to shame, either in this life, when our good behavior exposes their lies for what they are, or at the judgment when God calls them to account. Those who do evil will suffer, either here, through civil or divine consequences, or in eternity. Those who do good may suffer here, but they will be vindicated in eternity.

But, because God does not immediately judge the wicked, we may face suffering because of our righteous living. Often sinners feel condemned in the presence of a righteous person, even if the person hasn’t said a word about God, because their sin is exposed and their guilty conscience is confronted by the life of the believer. R. C. Sproul (The Holiness of God [Tyndale], pp. 91-92) tells about a leading professional golfer a few years ago who was invited to play in a foursome with Gerald Ford, Jack Nicklaus, and Billy Graham. He had played with Nicklaus before, but he was in awe of playing with Ford and Graham.

After the round was finished, one of the other pros came up and asked, “Hey, what was it like playing with the President and with Billy Graham?” The pro unleashed a torrent of cursing, and said in a disgusting manner, “I don’t need Billy Graham stuffing religion down my throat.” With that he turned and stormed off, heading for the practice tee.

His friend followed the angry pro and watched him take out his driver and beat ball after ball in fury. The friend said nothing, but just sat on a bench and watched. After a few minutes, the pro had calmed down. His friend said quietly, “Was Billy a little rough on you out there?” The pro heaved an embarrassed sigh and said, “No, he didn’t even mention religion. I just had a bad round.”

On that occasion, Billy Graham didn’t suffer on account of righteousness, although he may have if the angry golfer hadn’t admitted the truth. Peter says that if we do suffer for the sake of righteousness, we are blessed. By “blessed” he doesn’t mean good feelings, but rather the joy that comes from knowing that our lives are pleasing to God. He is reflecting Jesus’ teaching, “Blessed are you when men cast insults at you, and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, on account of Me. Rejoice, and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matt. 5:11-12). As 1 Peter 3:17 makes clear, sometimes it is God’s will that we suffer for doing what is right. But, as we’ll see (Point 3 below), Christ is still Lord and we can still trust Him and not fear.

So the first thing we need to recognize is that the world is hostile toward Christ and if we are identified with Christ, there’s always the possibility that the world will be hostile toward us (John 15:18-20). But God has left us here to bear witness of His mercy toward those who are at war with Him. How do we do it faithfully?

2. The practice of our witness combines good behavior with thoughtful words.

Our lives provide the foundation for our lips to speak about the Savior.

A. THE PRACTICE OF OUR WITNESS INVOLVES GOOD BEHAVIOR.

This theme runs through the whole epistle, including five times in this paragraph (3:13, “good”; 14, “righteousness”; 16, “good conscience,” “good behavior”; 17, “doing good”). Paul often emphasized the same thing (see Titus 2:7, 10, 14; 3:1-2, 8, 14; contrast with Titus 1:16; 3:5). As Christians we are to be zealous for good deeds. It is especially important that we deal rightly with those outside the faith, so that the name of Christ will not be dishonored.

I often hear about Christians and even Christian organizations who are shady in their business dealings with the world. Either they don’t pay their bills on time or they try to cheat or be dishonest or they hassle the person they’re doing business with to the point where the unbeliever says, “I don’t want to deal with this person again!” That’s a bad witness!

Peter says that we need to keep a good conscience (3:16). Our conscience is not an infallible guide, since it can be warped. For example, a new believer may have no qualms about lying or cheating, since his conscience has not yet been shaped by God’s Word. When he was a pagan, everybody lied and cheated, so he brought that over into his Christian life. But as he grows to know God’s Word (and this growth can happen very rapidly), his conscience becomes informed by that Word. If he acts in obedience, his conscience will begin to check him in things that never bothered him before.

A good conscience is essential for effective witness. If you know that you’re covering sin in your own life instead of confessing and forsaking it, then please keep quiet about your claim to be a Christian. Every time some TV preacher gets caught with a prostitute, the enemies of the Lord mock and blaspheme. It’s also true on a lesser scale at your place of work if people know that you’re a Christian, but see you living an inconsistent life. But if you live obediently to Christ, and when you wrong someone you go to them and make it right, you have a good conscience that makes for powerful witness.

I read (“Our Daily Bread,” [Dec.-Feb., ‘82-’83]) of a Christian baroness who lived in the highlands of Nairobi, Kenya, who had a young national employed as her houseboy. After three months he asked the baroness to give him a letter of reference to a friendly sheik some miles away. The baroness, not wanting the houseboy to leave just when he had learned the routine of the household, offered to increase his pay. The boy replied that he was not leaving for higher pay.

Rather, he had decided he would become either a Christian or a Muslim. This was why he had come to work for the baroness for three months. He wanted to see how Christians acted. Now he wanted to work for three months for the sheik to observe how Muslims lived. Then he would decide which religion he would follow. The baroness was stunned as she recalled her many shortcomings in dealing with the boy over the past three months. She could only exclaim, “Why didn’t you tell me at the beginning!”

Lost people are watching our behavior, even when we don’t realize it. If we are zealous for what is good, especially when we’re mistreated, it’s a powerful witness. I’m not talking about being sinless, but rather about living obediently to Christ as the bent of your life, and when you sin, confessing it and making it right with those you sinned against. That kind of righteous life is the basis for verbal Christian witness.

B. THE PRACTICE OF OUR WITNESS INVOLVES THOUGHTFUL WORDS.

“... always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you” (3:15). The fact that they are asking implies that they have noticed our good behavior. They have seen us bear up with hope and joy, even when we’ve been mistreated. Sooner or later, they’re going to ask, “Why do you live as you do?” Peter says, “Be ready to tell them!”

“Defense” is the Greek word “apologia,” from which we get our words “apology” and “apologetics.” It had the meaning of a prepared legal defense. The word translated “account” is the Greek “logos,” meaning “word.” Both words imply a thoughtful, logical, well-reasoned presentation of the gospel. It’s possible that in the back of his mind, Peter was recalling his own miserable failure on the night Jesus was betrayed, when Peter was taken off guard by a servant girl and ended up denying that he even knew Jesus. If he had just been prepared, he might have done better.

God often uses our failures in witnessing to show us our need to be prepared. During my sophomore year of college, I was in a group discussion class. To get everyone interested so that we would get a better grade, we would pick the most controversial topics we could think of. This was on the front end of the hippie, drug, and free sex movement. There was one guy in our group who invariably took the opposite point of view from me. If we talked about sex outside of marriage, I was against it and he was for it. Homosexuality: I was against it, he was tolerant. Using drugs: I was against it and he had done it.

Finally, one day outside the class, he came up to me and said, “Hey, man, I want to know—are you for real or are you just putting us on in there?” I was a bit taken aback, so I said, “What do you mean?” He said, “You’re so straight. I’ve never seen anybody like that before. I just wondered if you’re really that way or not.” It was a perfect opportunity to share my faith in Christ, but I wasn’t prepared. I didn’t know what to say, so I just mumbled something about, “Yes, I’m really that straight,” but I didn’t tell him about Christ. But God used that failure a few months later to make me respond to the opportunity to get some training in how to share my faith.

The gospel message is simple: You need to tell a person what sin is and what it has done in terms of alienating us from God. They need to know who Christ is and how He bore our sin through His death and resurrection. And they need to know how to accept God’s gift of eternal life and forgiveness through faith. Learn some key verses for each point and you’ve got it. We’re often afraid that someone will ask some thorny question that we can’t answer. You can always say, “I don’t know, but I’ll try to find out.” But there are only about a dozen questions that you’ll ever get asked.

You don’t need to defend the Bible. That’s like defending a lion! Just uncage it and it will take care of itself. The basic problem of every person is the same: He’s a sinner, alienated from God. Every person needs the same thing: Forgiveness of sins and new life in Jesus Christ. People often raise objections and questions to divert you from their sin because they don’t want to face it. Often I will ask a person, “If I can resolve this question, will you commit yourself to Jesus Christ?” Or, I’ll say, “If you will read the Bible and tell God, ‘If You show me that this is true, I’ll obey it,’ then He will show you.” Invariably a person’s resistance isn’t due to intellectual reasons, but due to moral reasons.

We need to be careful to avoid arguing. We can win the argument and lose the person. That’s not what Peter means by making a defense. He means that we should calmly present the truth in a clear manner. He adds that we must do it with gentleness and reverence. Gentleness isn’t weakness or lack of boldness. Rather, it means strength under control. Reverence refers to fearing God more than men. We can speak confidently because we fear God and His opinion above any human opinion. As we share the gospel kindly, without quarreling, we should silently be asking God to grant repentance and bring the person to the knowledge of the truth (2 Tim. 2:24-25).

The place where we are called to witness is an often-hostile world. The practice of our witness combines good behavior with thoughtful words.

3. The governing power in our witness is the Lord Jesus Christ.

“Sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts” (3:15). (The KJV and New KJV are based on a weaker text, “Sanctify the Lord God in your hearts.” “Christ” is clearly the original.) To sanctify means to make holy or set apart. It’s the same word used in the Lord’s Prayer, when Jesus said, “Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be Your name.” To hallow God’s name means to set it apart as holy, to reverence God above all others.

To understand this verse, we must realize that Peter is quoting from Isaiah 8:12-13. In that context, faithless King Ahaz of Judah had allied himself with Assyria to stave off an invasion from Israel and Syria. Isaiah and the faithful remnant were being charged with conspiracy because they opposed this godless alliance. The Lord is encouraging them not to fear the Assyrians nor those in Judah who were charging them with conspiracy, but rather, they were to fear the Lord of hosts and regard Him as holy (“sanctify” Him).

The significant thing is that Peter changes “the Lord of hosts” into the “Lord Christ,” thus showing that he believed Jesus Christ to be one and the same as the Lord of hosts in Isaiah. He is telling us to fear Christ as God above anyone who threatens to harm us because of our witness. Because Jesus Christ is the Lord of hosts, over all rule and authority, we can trust Him to triumph ultimately, no matter what sufferings we may have to endure for His sake (see Matt. 11:2-6).

We need to remember that if they persecuted and killed Jesus in His first coming, they may do the same to us. But we are called to bear witness, even in the face of hostility, through our good behavior and thoughtful words, in submission to His lordship, knowing that He will return in power and glory to crush all opposition and reign in righteousness.

Conclusion

In his book, Everyday Evangelism (IVP, pp. 21-22), Tom Eisenman tells a moving story that shows that we all can be effective witnesses in this hostile world if we will combine good deeds with verbal witness in submission to Christ’s lordship. David, a ninth grade boy in their youth program, was big for his age and very tough, but he had a heart for Jesus. In school he was making a coffee table for his mother as a Christmas gift. He finished it a few days before Christmas and left it in the shop so he wouldn’t have to take it home and hide it. On the last day of school before vacation David went to pick up his table. He was shocked to find that someone had stolen it.

David had a lot of friends. It didn’t take him long to find out who took his table. It was a younger boy who was unpopular and frail. David easily could have beat him up. Instead, he spent his entire Christmas vacation in the shop at school making a duplicate table. When he had it finished, he went to the other boy’s house. When the younger boy opened the door and saw David standing there, he was petrified. David just said, “I have something I’d like to give you and your family for Christmas.” He handed him the new table.

The younger boy burst into tears. He went into the house and came back with David’s first table. The boys talked. The younger boy asked forgiveness, and David granted it. Within a few weeks the younger boy was attending the youth program at the church and eventually he became a Christian.

Would you examine your own life? Are you zealous for good deeds, even when you’re mistreated? Are you able to give a gentle defense of the gospel? Do you fear the Lord Christ above everyone else? If not, make the necessary adjustments. Then God will use you mightily as His witness in this hostile world.

Major Events Preceding the Second Coming of Christ

Major Events Preceding the Second Coming of Christ



The Second Coming of Christ is preceded by a number of world-shaking events that must occur before Christ can return. This is in contrast to the rapture of the church, which is always presented in Scripture as an imminent event. The Second Coming, however, is a climax of what God is doing with the world to prepare it for Christ’s millennial kingdom. Many detailed prophecies relate to this period, and understanding this helps one to analyze current world affairs as shaping up in preparation for these events.

The Revival of the Roman Empire

In Daniel’s presentation of the four great empires in chapter 7, the fourth empire, though not named, is clearly to be identified with the Roman government. In the revelation of Daniel 7, the prophet sees four great beasts, the first being a lion, representing Babylon, the second a bear, representing Medo-Persia, and the third a leopard, representing the empire of Alexander. The student of Daniel’s prophecies does not have to guess at this because Daniel names the second and third empires as that of Medo-Persia and Greece (Daniel 8:20-21). The fourth beast, which follows the Grecian empire, however, is not named but is described as “terrifying and frightening and very powerful. It had large iron teeth; it crushed and devoured its victims and trampled underfoot whatever was left. It was different from all the former beasts, and it had ten horns” (Dan. 7:7). The description here of the fourth empire fits accurately the Roman Empire from God’s point of view.

The Roman legion conquered country after country and carried off able-bodied men as slaves and enforced their rule by leaving contingents of soldiers in each country. It literally “devoured its victims and trampled underfoot” each country. In the explanation given to Daniel concerning the four beasts and the ten kingdoms, he was told: “The fourth beast is a fourth kingdom that will appear on earth. It will be different from all the other kingdoms and will devour the whole earth, trampling it down and crushing it. The ten horns are ten kings who will come from this kingdom” (Dan. 7:23-24). The prophecies of the four empires have already been fulfilled in history except that the Roman Empire has never developed into a ten-nation kingdom. Accordingly, many believe that this is a future situation that will take place after the Rapture of the church.

Many prophecies of the Old Testament that deal with the end of the age leap from the first coming of Christ to the second coming of Christ without taking into account the present age. This is true of the feet of the image in Daniel 2, and it is also true of the prophecy concerning the fourth kingdom, which today seemingly has disappeared, but in Scripture will be revived in the ten-nation form preceding the second coming of Christ. As the fourth kingdom is finally terminated by Jesus Christ’s coming from heaven (Dan. 7:13-14), it becomes clear that this form of the kingdom will emerge before the second coming of Christ.

The Emergence of Antichrist

In addition to explaining that the empire will consist of ten kingdoms, Daniel was told that there will be an eleventh horn, an individual who will conquer them all. This is stated in Daniel 7:8, “While I was thinking about the horns, there before me was another horn, a little one, which came up among them; and three of the first horns were uprooted before it. This horn had eyes like the eyes of a man and a mouth that spoke boastfully.” This eleventh horn, obviously, is another king distinct from the ten kings mentioned earlier. At Daniel’s request, explanation was given to him about it in Daniel 7:24, “After them another king will arise, different from the earlier ones; he will subdue three kings.” As it is also stated in 7:23, he will eventually conquer the entire world, and it seems clear that he gains control of all these ten kingdoms before he rises to become a world dictator.

In Revelation 13:1-10 another prophetic vision was given concerning this fourth beast. Revelation 13:1 states that it has ten horns and ten crowns. In the final empire, the beast gathers in all of the preceding empires pictured as a lion, a bear, and a leopard. John writes, “The beast I saw resembled a leopard, but had feet like those of a bear and a mouth like that of a lion” (Rev. 13:2). From Daniel 7 and Revelation 13 it may be concluded that the Bible speaks of a future world empire that will be a revival of the Roman Empire that was in existence when Christ was on earth. The extent of the power of this world empire is given in Revelation 13:5-7 :

The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise his authority for forty-two months. He opened his mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven. He was given power to make war against the saints and to conquer them. And he was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation.

According to the book of Revelation, this ruler will head the world government for forty-two months. This forty-two month period is the last three-and-a-half years prior to the second coming of Christ. In that period there will be a time of unprecedented trouble. This is described in Daniel 12:1, “There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people—everyone whose name is found written in the book—will be delivered.”

Christ also spoke of this time of trouble preceding His second coming when He told some of the disciples, “For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again. If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened” (Matt. 24:21-22). In Matt. 24:29-30 Christ goes on to explain to His disciples that His second coming will bring this time of trouble to a close:

Immediately after the distress of those days ‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’ At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory.

The Covenant with Israel

Christ will deal with the world of the Gentiles pictured in the ten-nation group and the world empire that follows, according to Daniel, in the seven-year period leading up to His second coming. This is part of the “seventy times seven” (490) years of God’s dealing with the people of Israel (Dan. 9:24-27), beginning with the restoration of the city of Jerusalem in 444 B.C.

These 490 years, however, are divided into three periods, with the first two consecutive, but the last seven years will be separated from the preceding period by the present age that intervenes, during which God is calling out His church. Once the rapture of the church takes place, however, it will be possible for God to bring about the fulfillment of the last seven years described in Daniel 9:27, “He [the ruler who will come, v. 26] will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven.’ In the middle of the ‘seven’ he will put an end to sacrifice and offering.” The last seven years preceding the Second Coming begin when the covenant is made, probably shortly after the Rapture.

Daniel 9:27 describes the final seven years leading up to the second coming of Christ and divides it into two periods, the first being the three-and-a-half years during which the covenant is observed and the second being the three-and-a-half years when the covenant is broken, resulting in the termination of Jewish sacrifices in their temple. The Jews will make this seven-year covenant with the ruler over the ten kingdoms who later becomes the world dictator. Though the term Antichrist is never applied directly to this world ruler, he will be the ultimate fulfillment of predictions of the Antichrist (1 John 2:18, 22; 4:3; 2 John 7).

Antichrist is anyone who opposes Christ or who claims to be a substitute for Christ. The apostle John declared that the Antichrist is coming, but that there are many antichrists: “Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come” (1 John 2:18). John further defines an antichrist, “Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a man is the antichrist—he denies the Father and the Son” (1 John 2:22). John further describes an antichrist as one who denies that Christ came in the flesh as God in 1 John 4:3, “but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.” The same explanation is given in 2 John 7. The future world ruler who governs ten nations and later becomes dictator over the whole world is the Antichrist because he is against Christ and is a substitute for Christ, as the prefix “anti” means.

Three Periods Between the Rapture and the Second Coming

In a study of all the passages that relate to the end time, it becomes clear that there are three major time periods between the Rapture and the Second Coming. The first is the period of preparation, a relatively short period, in which the ten-nation kingdom emerges. Its leader rises to conquer first three and then all ten kingdoms. When this leader becomes powerful, because of his backing of the ten kingdoms, he is able to make the covenant with Israel for seven years described in Daniel 9:27. This introduces the second period of time, which covers the first half of the seven years mentioned in the covenant. In the middle of the seven years, however, a dramatic change takes place, and the ruler of the ten kingdoms becomes a world dictator, apparently without a war. This sets the stage for the third period, the last three-and-a-half years leading up to the second coming of Christ. Accordingly, there is first a period of preparation leading up to the seven-year period. Then there will be three-and-a-half years of peace, the second period, and this will be followed by the third of great trouble and tribulation. The third period will be followed immediately by the Second Coming.

The War with Russia

In Ezekiel 38-39 a strange war is predicted in which a great nation to the north of Israel, a reference to Russia (Ezek. 36:15; 38:6, 15; 39:2), will be joined by a number of other nations in a sneak attack upon Israel at a time when Israel is at peace (Ezek. 38:11). Though a number of explanations have been given of the prophecy, it seems that this Soviet invasion will come during the first three-and-a-half years leading up to the second coming of Christ. This would correspond to the time of peace described in Ezekiel 38 (see 1 Thess. 5:3). This war turns out to be a disaster for Russia and her other allies (Ezek. 39:3-6, 11-20) as they will be annihilated.

The destruction of the invaders will change the world situation, which apparently then will be much like it is now, with Russia and her allies opposed to the rest of the world. With Russia out of the way as a military power because of the destruction of her army, it will be possible for the ruler of the ten kingdoms to declare himself a world dictator, and apparently, there will be no power great enough to oppose him, and a world empire will be born overnight. At the beginning of his world empire the world will ask the question, “Who is like the beast? Who can make war against him?” (Rev. 13:4). And the answer is that no one will be strong enough to deny the ruler of the ten kingdoms the place of a dictatorship over the entire world.

When this takes place and the world empire suddenly emerges, the Middle East ruler will break his covenant with Israel and become her persecutor instead of her protector, and the final three-and-a-half years leading up to the second coming of Christ will be a time of trouble for Israel and for the entire world. The world ruler of the end time will not only claim political rule over all nations but will also claim to be God (Rev. 13:8).

According to Daniel 11:37, the world ruler “will show no regard for the gods of his fathers or for the one desired by women, nor will he regard any god, but will exalt himself above them all.” According to Daniel 11:38, he will worship only the power to make war and gain victory, and he will be engaged in warfare toward the end of that last three-and-a-half years.

The Great Tribulation: Armageddon

As indicated in the breaking of the covenant with Israel, the future world ruler will bring on a terrible time of persecution by the government and judgment of God upon the world. This time of trouble is described graphically in Revelation 6-18. This period will include disasters from God as well as persecution of all those who will not recognize the world ruler as deity.

In his vision recorded in Revelation 6, John is introduced to a scroll with seven seals affixed to the side. As the scroll is unrolled, each seal is broken, signaling a great event on the earth. Some of these are great catastrophies. Seal one refers to the world empire that is brought out at the beginning of the three-and-a-half years. This is indicated by the bow without an arrow (Rev. 6:2), the formation of the world empire without a fight.

Seals two and three refer to warfare and starvation, which will affect many. The fourth seal reveals that one-fourth of the earth’s population will be destroyed, certainly a time of the wrath of God. The fifth seal recognizes that the world ruler will put to death those who do not recognize him as deity, and they are seen in heaven waiting for the time when the world ruler will be judged. In this period, according to the sixth seal, great disturbances will take place in the earth, with the sun darkened, the moon turning blood red, and stars of heaven falling to earth. There will also be a great earthquake, with every mountain and island removed from its place (Rev. 6:12-14).

Out of the seventh seal will come a second series of sevens called trumpets. As each trumpet is sounded, it signals another tremendous judgment on earth, usually extending to one-third of the earth’s area (Rev. 9:7-12), and one-third of the earth’s population will be destroyed (Rev. 9:15). Again, there will be great disturbances in nature, and eventually war.

Out of the seventh trumpet will come a third series of sevens called vials, or bowls, of the wrath of God. Each of these introduces another tremendous judgment on earth, usually extending to the entire earth. The first bowl judgment poured out will cause painful sores on people who have been worshiping the world ruler and the idol of him that was set up in the temple (Rev. 16:1-2). The second bowl pictures judgment on the sea so that every living creature in it dies (Rev. 16:3). The third bowl of the wrath of God will corrupt the springs of water, and they will become blood (Rev. 16:4). The fourth bowl will disturb the ordinary course of the sun, and people will be scorched because of the intense heat (Rev. 16:8). The fifth bowl results in the earth’s being plunged into darkness, because the heavens will be so disturbed that they do not give their normal light (Rev. 16:10). The sixth bowl will dry up the river Euphrates, which will make it possible for a great army from the East to approach the Holy Land and join in the final great war that is described taking place there. The final bowl of wrath will consist of a great earthquake that destroys the cities of the world, causing mountains and islands to disappear, and apparently the topography of the entire earth will be changed (Rev. 16:17-21).

During the three-and-a-half years of the Great Tribulation, God protected 144,000 Israelites, 12,000 in each tribe, as described in Revelation 7. They were able to go through the Great Tribulation unscathed and will be on Mount Zion at the end of the Great Tribulation (Rev. 14:1). By contrast, however, Revelation 7:9-17 pictures a great multitude in heaven consisting of those who have been martyred because they would not worship the world ruler and his claim for deity. By putting all these tremendous disasters of the end time together, we are introduced to a world scene where most of the world’s population has been destroyed prior to the second coming of Christ, and many of those who did turn to Christ in that day have become martyrs. In the Great Tribulation the final form of anti-God religion will consist of the atheistic worship of the world ruler and a denial of the true God. When Christ returns, He will judge the wickedness of the earth, rescue those still living in the earth who are saved and bring them into the millennial kingdom, and bring judgment of physical death on all the others (Matt. 24:30-31; 25:31-45).

The Seven Dispensations

The Seven Dispensations
C. I. Scofield

The Scriptures divide time (by which is meant the entire period from the creation of Adam to the "new heaven and a new earth" of Rev. 21: 1) into seven unequal periods, usually called dispensations (Eph. 3:2), although these periods are also called ages (Eph. 2:7) and days, as in "day of the Lord."

These periods are marked off in Scripture by some change in God's method of dealing with mankind, or a portion of mankind, in respect of the two questions: of sin, and of man's responsibility. Each of the dispensations may be regarded as a new test of the natural man, and each ends in judgment, marking his utter failure in every dispensation. Five of these dispensations, or periods of time, have been fulfilled; we are living in the sixth, probably toward its close, and have before us the seventh, and last: the millennium.

1. Man innocent
This dispensation extends from the creation of Adam in Genesis 2:7 to the expulsion from Eden. Adam, created innocent and ignorant of good and evil, was placed in the garden of Eden with his wife, Eve, and put under responsibility to abstain from the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The dispensation of innocence resulted in the first failure of man, and in its far-reaching effects, the most disastrous. It closed in judgment: "So he drove out the man." See Gen. 1:26; Gen. 2:16,17; Gen. 3:6; Gen. 3:22-24.)
2. Man under conscience
By the fall, Adam and Eve acquired and transmitted to the race the knowledge of good and evil. This gave conscience a basis for right moral judgment, and hence the race came under this measure of responsibility-to do good and eschew evil. The result of the dispensation of conscience, from Eden to the flood (while there was no institution of government and of law), was that "all flesh had corrupted his way on the earth," that "the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually," and God closed the second testing of the natural man with judgment: the flood. See Gen. 3:7, 22; Gen. 6:5,11-12; Gen. 7:11-12, 23.)
3. Man in authority over the earth
Out of the fearful judgment of the flood God saved eight persons, to whom, after the waters were assuaged, He gave the purified earth with ample power to govern it. This, Noah and his descendants were responsible to do. The dispensation of human government resulted, upon the plain of Shinar, in the impious attempt to become independent of God and closed in judgment: the confusion of tongues. (See Gen. 9: 1, 2; Gen. 11: 1-4; Gen. 11:5-8.)
4. Man under promise
Out of the dispersed descendants of the builders of Babel, God called one man, Abram, with whom He enters into covenant. Some of the promises to Abram and his descendants were purely gracious and unconditional. These either have been or will yet be literally fulfilled. Other promises were conditional upon the faithfulness and obedience of the Israelites. Every one of these conditions was violated, and the dispensation of promise resulted in the failure of Israel and closed in thejudgment of bondage in Egypt.

The book of Genesis, which opens with the sublime words, "In the beginning God created," closes with, "In a coffin in Egypt." (See Gen. 12:1-3; Gen. 13:14-17; Gen. 15:5; Gen. 26:3; Gen. 28:12-13; Exod. 1: 13-14.)
5. Man under law
Again the grace of God came to the help of helpless man and redeemed the chosen people out of the hand of the oppressor. In the wilderness of Sinai He proposed to them the covenant of law. Instead of humbly pleading for a continued relation of grace, they presumptuously answered: "All that the Lord hath spoken we will do." The history of Israel in the wilderness and in the land is one long record of flagrant, persistent violation of the law, and at last, after multiplied warnings, God closed the testing of man by law in judgment: first Israel, and then Judah, were driven out of the land into a dispersion which still continues. A feeble remnant returned under Ezra and Nehemiah, of which, in due time, Christ came: "Born of a woman-made under the law." Both Jews and Gentiles conspired to crucify Him. (See Exod. 19:1-8; 2 Kings 17:1-18; 2 Kings 25: 1 -11; Acts 2:22-23; Acts 7:5152; Rom. 3:19-20; Rom. 10:5; Gal. 3: 10.)
6. Man under grace
The sacrificial death of the Lord Jesus Christ introduced the dispensation of pure grace, which means undeserved favor, or God giving righteousness, instead of God requiring righteousness, as under law. Salvation, perfect and eternal, is now freely offered to Jew and Gentile upon the acknowledgment of sin, or repentance, with faith in Christ.

"Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent" (John 6:29). "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life" (John 6:47). "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life." (John 5:24). "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish" (John 10:27-28). "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast" (Eph. 2:8-9).

The predicted result of this testing of man under grace is judgment upon an unbelieving world and an apostate church. (See Luke 17:26-30; Luke 18:8; 2 Thess. 2:7-12; Rev. 3:15-16.)

The first event in the closing of this dispensation will be the descent of the Lord from heaven, when sleeping saints will be raised and, together with believers then living, caught up "to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord" (I Thess. 4:16-17). Then follows the brief period called "the great tribulation." (See Jer. 30:5-7; Dan. 12:1; Zeph. 1:15-18; Matt. 24:21-22.)

After this the personal return of the Lord to the earth in power and great glory occurs, and the judgments which introduce the seventh, and last dispensation. (See Matt. 25:31-46 and Matt. 24:29- 30.)
7. Man under the personal reign of Christ
After the purifying judgments which attend the personal return of Christ to the earth, He will reign over restored Israel and over the earth for one thousand years. This is the period commonly called the millennium. The seat of His power will be Jerusalem, and the saints, including the saved of the dispensation of grace, namely the church, will be associated with Him in His glory. (See Isa. 2:1-4; Isa. 11; Acts 15:14-17; Rev. 19:11-21; Rev. 20:1-6.

But when Satan is "loosed a little season," he finds the natural heart as prone to evil as ever, and easily gathers the nations to battle against the Lord and His saints, and this last dispensation closes, like all the others, in judgment. The great white throne is set, the wicked dead are raised and finally judged, and then come the "new heaven and a new earth." Eternity is begun. (See Rev. 20:3,7-15; Rev. 21 and 22.)

Life by Death
“For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” (Philippians 1:21)

This profound confidence comes at the conclusion of a threefold summary of Paul’s experience while serving the Lord Jesus, as well as his deep bond with the church at Philippi. The “salvation” of which Paul speaks references victory in this life as much as the eternal rescue at the end.

Initially, the confidence comes “through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:19). Christian leaders covet the prayers of those with whom they serve. Twice, Paul specifically asked the Thessalonian church to pray for him (1 Thessalonians 5:25 and 2 Thessalonians 3:1). Most of us are familiar with the promise that the “effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much” (James 5:16). Should we be surprised when such prayer brings boldness?

There is also the experience that the “supply” of the Spirit of God engenders faith. God’s providential care, experienced during the testing of our life, produces a growing hope and confidence (Romans 5:4-5). It is most often true that we learn more of God’s faithfulness in times of need than in times of plenty.

Then there is an “earnest expectation and . . . hope” that result in “boldness” (Philippians 1:20). Growing confidence in the Lord’s provision and protection undergirds an anticipation for God’s direction and wisdom. Expecting something to happen is the flip side of hope. Experience in kingdom work brings spiritual joy and peace (Romans 15:13).

Thus, the confident statement “now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:20-21).