10-19-24 | Daily Devotions

The Man of Lawlessness

10/19/24 Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers,^[a] ²not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. ³Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness^[b] is revealed, the son of destruction,^[c] ⁴who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. ⁵Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? ⁶And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. ⁷For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. ⁸And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming. ⁹The1 coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, ¹⁰and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. ¹¹Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, ¹²in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. (2 Thessalonians 2:1-12) ESV

2 Thessalonians: Chapter 2 (Part 2)

1 and 2 Thessalonians

Peter Amsterdam

2023-05-23

Previously, in chapter 2:1–8, Paul wrote that the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming. He then continued to describe the lawless one:

The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.¹

The mention in verse 8 of the coming of the Lord, which will bring the destruction of “the lawless one,” leads to Paul’s description that the “lawless one” will do signs and wonders. In verse 9, we’re told the power he will display will be satanic. The phrasing activity of Satan (work of Satan in other translations) highlights that the lawless one, by means of supernatural signs, will deceive those who have not accepted the gospel. Paul wants to protect the Thessalonians from being deceived in this way, as already the false teaching concerning the day of the Lord had entered the church (v. 2).

The miracles of the lawless one will include false signs and wonders. Elsewhere in the New Testament, signs and wonders are referred to positively.² However, this time they refer to satanic activities. Paul states that the power behind these wonders is Satan himself, and he calls them counterfeit. One author explains:

A number of ancient texts testify that false miracles accompanied a number of cults, and such were even characteristic of the imperial cult [the worship of emperors as divine]. Such wonders included images that could talk and move as well as the production of thunder and lightning. Although the apostle recognized the tricks that “the lawless one” would play, according to the religious conventions of the day, he is careful to note that real satanic power was working in him.³

Verse 10 goes on to describe the lawless one’s deception, along with the rejection of the truth of the gospel and the consequences of that rejection. The lawless one comes with false miracles, signs, and wonders, and will use any other method to promote his deception, which those who have rejected the gospel will embrace. This deception is called wicked; in other translations it’s referred to as evil deception (NLT), unrighteous deception (NKJ), all the deception of wickedness (NAS). Those who believe the lawless one are those who are perishing, meaning those who are not saved, who are lost. The power of Satan operates to make sure that people will be eternally lost. Paul’s letter expresses his conviction that a person’s final destiny is connected to the truth, the gospel which had been preached in Thessalonica.

Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.⁴

Because the unbelievers rejected the truth of the gospel, God judged them in a surprising way. He sent them strong delusion so that they would believe what is false. Since they didn’t receive the truth, God sent them confusion, so they were unable to distinguish between truth and lies, resulting in them believing a lie as if it were the truth. Elsewhere in Paul’s writings we find more references to God giving unbelievers over to the sins and errors they have accepted and embraced.

Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves.⁵

As it is written, “God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that would not see and ears that would not hear, down to this very day.”⁶

And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done.⁷

People who reject the truth and believe what is false, as promoted by the lawless one, ultimately choose to believe a lie. They believe it because they are persuaded due to the strong delusion which has overtaken them because they have rejected the truth of the gospel.

In verse 12, Paul continues to explain the divine judgment which will come upon those who have believed the lawless one. The result is that they will be condemned. These are people who have rejected the message of the gospel and have aligned themselves with the lawless one. They not only rejected the gospel, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

At this point, the theme of the letter moves on to Paul’s thanksgiving to God for how the gospel came to the Thessalonians and their belief in its truth. He reassures the Thessalonian church that, contrary to the unbelievers who have rejected the gospel, they have accepted God’s call, are beloved by God, and were chosen by Him to be saved when Jesus returns.

But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth.⁸

This mirrors the first expression of thanksgiving found earlier, in 2 Thessalonians 1:3. It expresses the obligation that Paul and his partners felt to give thanks to God. Paul refers to God’s choosing of the Thessalonian believers and His love for them. He doesn’t explain why God loved and chose the Thessalonians, but only offers thanksgiving that He did so. Paul explains that these believers were the first fruits of this church. The NLT Bible expresses this well: We are always thankful that God chose you to be among the first to experience salvation—a salvation that came through the Spirit who makes you holy and through your belief in the truth.⁹

To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.¹⁰

God called the Thessalonians to belief through the preaching of the gospel. He made sure that the message of salvation reached them through Paul and his partners. He gave Paul the vision to preach the gospel in the province of Macedonia,¹¹ and when they came to the city of Thessalonica, the people heard and received this message from God. Thus Paul could write that God called you through our gospel. It wasn’t Paul’s speaking abilities that won them, but rather God was active in Paul’s teaching, and He called them through the message.

The reason for this calling was so that the Christian Thessalonians would share in Jesus’ glory. The promise of receiving glory was one of the hopes of the Christian faith, as seen throughout Paul’s writings.

Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.¹²

If children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.¹³

To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.¹⁴

So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter.¹⁵

Paul’s main concern was that the Thessalonian believers would stand strong and remain stable in their faith, that they would hold on to the teachings of the apostles in spite of Satan’s activity. They should faithfully continue in the apostles’ teaching and should hold on to it and not waver, even if they faced opposing opinions. Paul refers to the teachings as the traditions, which here are referred to positively. Within the New Testament, sometimes traditions have a negative sense.¹⁶ However, Paul’s reference here to the traditions describes the teaching he has imparted to the Thessalonian church.

Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word.¹⁷

At this point, Paul prays the first prayer of this letter in the form of a wish or desire. The prayer is directed to both God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, which puts them on the same plane. (Earlier, in verses 13–14, Paul included the full trinity—the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.) It’s interesting to note that unlike most verses where both the Father and Jesus Christ appear together,¹⁸ the name of the Lord Jesus Christ in this instance is placed in the first position.

However, though Jesus is placed in the first position, it is God the Father who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace. This points to some event in which God the Father demonstrated His love, likely referring to His choosing of the Thessalonians. Whatever act of love Paul had in mind, the purpose was to encourage and strengthen the church in the midst of persecution and in their fight against false teaching. As they were facing these adversaries, the love of God our Father was the foundation of their hope.

Note

Unless otherwise indicated, all scriptures are from the Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

¹ 2 Thessalonians 2:9–10.

² Acts 2:22; 2 Corinthians 12:12; Hebrews 2:4.

³ Gene L. Green, The Letters to the Thessalonians (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2002), 321.

⁴ 2 Thessalonians 2:11–12.

⁵ Romans 1:24.

⁶ Romans 11:8.

⁷ Romans 1:28.

⁸ 2 Thessalonians 2:13.

⁹ 2 Thessalonians 2:13 NLT.

¹⁰ 2 Thessalonians 2:14.

¹¹ Acts 16:9–10.

¹² Romans 5:2.

¹³ Romans 8:17–18.

¹⁴ Colossians 1:27.

¹⁵ 2 Thessalonians 2:15.

¹⁶ Matthew 15:2–3, 6; Mark 7:8–9, 13.

¹⁷ 2 Thessalonians 2:16–17.

¹⁸ Romans 1:7, 1 Corinthians 1:3, 2 Corinthians 1:2, Ephesians 1:2, 2 Thessalonians 1:2, Philemon 3.

The Judgment at Christ’s Coming

10/18/24 This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering— ⁶since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you, ⁷and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels ⁸in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. ⁹They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from^[b] the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, ¹⁰when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed. ¹¹To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, ¹²so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Thessalonians 1:5 -12) ESV

Second Thessalonians 1–2

David Brandt Berg

1981-03-23

We’re now studying the second epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Thessalonians, beginning with the second verse of chapter 1:

“Grace unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth; so that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure: Which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer:

“Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you; and to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of His power; when He shall come to be glorified in His saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day.

“Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness, and the work of faith with power: That the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and ye in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

He thanks God for your faith and your faithfulness, and he glories in your faithfulness and your faith in spite of persecution and tribulations. He says that since you have been persecuted and troubled and tribulated by the world, that it’s a righteous thing with God to recompense and to give tribulation to them that trouble you. And so he says:

“And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of His power; when He shall come to be glorified in His saints, and to be admired in all them that believe in that day!” (v. 7–10)

Paul was thanking the Lord for the faithfulness of His disciples and His saints. He says, “Don’t worry about those people who are giving you a lot of trouble right now. The Lord’s going to tribulate them and give them a lot of trouble too!” When? “When He shall come!” Verse 10 of that first chapter: “When He shall come to be glorified in His saints, and to be admired in all them that believe in that day!” What day? Let’s drop down to the second chapter.

He says, “Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto Him, that ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand” (v. 1–2). Here he calls it the day of Christ. In the preceding chapter he calls it the day when God will wreak vengeance on His enemies and trouble them that tribulate us.

He talks about the day when Jesus will wreak vengeance on our enemies—the day when God will trouble them who have tribulated us in the Great Tribulation. We’ve had Great Tribulation, then Jesus comes to give them a lot of trouble, a lot worse than the Tribulation ever was! That day. What day? Verse 10 of the first chapter: “When He shall come!”

He’s talking about the day when Jesus will come again; the day when Jesus will come back again. The day when Jesus will come to be glorified in His saints. In that day! So he says in the second chapter, first verse: “Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and by our gathering together unto Him.”

What happens at His coming? Our gathering together unto Him, what’s it called? The Rapture! The exodus! Yes, exodus, that’s for sure—ecstasy! The exodus of the church, of the Bride, from this horrible world that has persecuted her and tribulated her with Great Tribulation, whom God is now going to trouble because of the way they treated His Bride. The day when Jesus comes and He raptures His saints, taking His Bride out of this world.

Jesus is going to come and take us up to be with Him, unite us with Him in the Rapture. That’s the day of our uniting to the Lamb! That’s the day of our union, followed by this Marriage Supper that lasts about 30 days (Revelation 19:9). What a shindig, what a party! Hallelujah!

That’s what Paul is talking about here when he’s talking about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together unto Him. And back in verse 10 of the first chapter: “When He shall come to be glorified in His saints, and to be admired in all them that believe, in that day!” The day of our Rapture, when we are raptured into His very arms to be His Bride, wedded and married forever.

The Day of the Lord

10/17/24 Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers,^[a] you have no need to have anything written to you. ²For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. ³While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. ⁴But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. ⁵For you are all children^[b] of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. ⁶So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. ⁷For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. ⁸But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. (1Thessalonians 5:1-8)

1 Thessalonians 5

More on the Rapture

David Brandt Berg

1981-03-23

Jesus said, “When ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand” (Luke 21:31). The generation that sees all these signs coming to pass that we’ve been studying and have spoken of—this generation shall not pass away until all these things shall be fulfilled (Luke 21:32). They have begun to be fulfilled now in our day, in our generation, these endtime events.

The curtain has been drawn aside on the last scene of the earth’s great drama, and the act has begun and it cannot stop now. It will keep right on going, fulfilling these promises of the Word of God until all these things shall be fulfilled. The generation that sees all these signs shall not pass away until all these things shall be fulfilled.

“But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night” (1 Thessalonians 5:1–2). He says, “You don’t have to be told the times and seasons; you already know these things. You know He’s going to come like a thief in the night—to others, but not to you, because you will know and recognize His coming when He comes.”

“For when they shall say, peace and safety: then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape” (v. 3). Every time I hear people preaching peace, that the world’s now going to have peace and peace has come, I’m reminded that they were preaching a lot of that peace after World War I, and then came World War II!

When the Antichrist takes over the world and establishes his worldwide kingdom, his anti-God government, he says, “Peace and safety! Everything’s going to be peaceful and safe now. No more wars. Everything’s going to be secure. Prosperity on earth. Everybody’s going to have plenty, and my kingdom’s going to be a kingdom of heaven on earth, peace and safety.” Watch out, for then will come sudden destruction! It’s going to begin right in the middle of his reign, at the end of the first three and a half years. The peace pact is going to be broken, and there will be nothing but trouble and war and rebellion and riot and revolution and tribulation from that time on.

“But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief” (v. 4). You should never be surprised at these sudden destructions or sudden judgments of God. “Ye are all the children of light and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober” (v. 5–6). He says, “You’re not children of the night. You’re not supposed to be asleep when it happens. You’re children of day, children of light.” You’re supposed to be wide awake.

You’re supposed to know what’s happening and when it’s going to happen. You’re not children of darkness; you’re not in the dark about all these Bible prophecies and the things that are going to happen. You won’t be surprised when the Antichrist arises and reveals himself. You won’t be surprised when he proclaims a worldwide government of peace and signs a seven-year peace pact among the religions, a Covenant that he proclaims to be holy, inviolate. You won’t be surprised when it happens.

And neither will you be surprised when he breaks the peace pact right in the middle of it. From then on, there’s nothing but trouble and war. It won’t take you by surprise. You don’t have to be surprised and you don’t have to be mystified by it or in any way astonished. You’re expecting it!

It won’t catch His people by surprise like a thief in the night as it will the rest of the world. They won’t be expecting it. They’ll be surprised—especially when Jesus comes. They will really be shocked then when they see the graves open and the bodies of the dead rise in the Resurrection. And all His children who they’ve been persecuting and trying to kill and imprison and trying to make take their Mark of the Beast and worship his image, suddenly will rise right out of their hands and sail up into the sky!

Thank You, Lord, for Your wonderful Word about the marvelous events to come, which Your children will understand and recognize and know when these things happen, as they happen.

Are you ready? He said to be prepared! He says to watch! “Let us not sleep, as do others, but let us watch and be sober.” Are you watching?

Love One Another

10/16/24By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. ¹⁷But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? ¹⁸Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth. (1 John 3:16-18) ESV

God Is in the Business of Changing the World

David Brandt Berg

2015-07-30

I asked one of our friends one night, “If you had your choice, what would you rather do than anything else in this world?” He said, “I’d like to change the world.”

To change the world, what do you have to change first? Government? That never changes much for the better. In fact, the next government may be worse than the one before. Politics? There are all kinds of political theories and philosophies, but none of it has ever saved the world yet. Economics? Change the economic system? It might help, but it might be worse; who knows.

You have to change people to change the world. And where do you have to begin to change people? You have to change hearts—the word that God uses in the Bible meaning the personality of the individual. God says it is such a dramatic change that you are no longer your former self; you are a new person. He said it’s like the birth of a baby. “Old things have passed away,” the Apostle says, “and all things are become new” in your life and you are a “new creature.”—A new creation in Christ Jesus.¹

God is in the business of changing the world. Ever since man disobeyed Him in the Garden of Eden, He’s been trying to change people back again into His obedient children. He is trying, with His love, to persuade them, teach them, and bring them back to relationship with Him as His children.

God is changing the world, and the only way you can bring about a permanent change in people is through changing hearts and minds, through changing personalities, changing the individual from a sinner to righteousness, from hatred, selfishness and bitterness, to love, empathy and kindness. From one who doesn’t know God and His law of love, to one who loves God and loves his neighbors.

This is what God is constantly doing—changing people—and the only way you’ll have a changed world is by changing the people, by their becoming God’s children—His people, good, kind, and loving people, who are willing to lay down their lives for each other.

You’ve heard of John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Once you’re saved and have gotten the idea of John 3:16, you ought to look up 1 John 3:16—one of John’s letters where he says, “Because Jesus laid down His life for us, we should be willing to lay down our lives for the brethren.”

We are building the house of God, a house that’s going to last for eternity. God doesn’t just promise a salary, He promises everything—love that is priceless, love that is precious, love that nobody could ever pay enough for. If you put a price tag on it, you couldn’t give the whole world in exchange for it. That’s what God does for us.

Hearing the Word of God is the most important part, because that’s what keeps you on the straight and narrow way. That’s what keeps you in tune with God and obedient to God. That’s what helps you keep going right and keeping right with God. It’s when Adam and Eve quit listening to God that they got in trouble and disobeyed Him, because then they listened to the Devil. He lied to them, and they did what he said and got themselves in a hell of a mess. But when you listen to God, He tells you the truth, and if you follow and live it, you’ll be happy

If we love God and delight ourselves in Him, and we commit our lives to Him faithfully and try to love others and help them, He’ll do things for us that man can’t do. He’ll heal your mind, He’ll heal your broken heart, He’ll give you a future—things you can’t pay for. He’ll give you love that is priceless and that you could never pay for.

You can’t pay for real love; it’s priceless. But God has set the price—it cost Jesus His life. Jesus said, “No greater love hath any man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”²

We may not be able to change the whole world, and nobody will ever change it all except Jesus. Compared to its total population, we haven’t changed very many; nevertheless, we’re doing what we can. Every time we share God’s Word, I believe lives are changed. The change may not always be as dramatic as what some of you experienced, but I believe we’re influencing people; and if we’re influencing them, we’re changing them.

When the disciples heard Jesus’ message, they loved it. It changed their lives and they started helping Him change the world. And right there while Jesus was still alive, they changed the lives of thousands and thousands. But the religious leaders, the heads of the synagogue, when they heard Jesus’ message, they hated it, and hated Him, because He exposed them as hypocrites and liars and robbers of the poor and cheaters and crooks—those who were supposed to be the best people in town, leaders of the religious system.

They were such rats and such crooks underneath, Jesus said they were “wolves in sheep’s clothing.”³ He said that even the drunks and the harlots and the publicans and the sinners and the worst people in town were going to get into heaven before those self-righteous hypocritical religious leaders.⁴ Because the drunks and the harlots and the publicans and the sinners and the poor know they need God. Your own good works, the prophet Isaiah said, are like “filthy rags” in the sight of God.⁵ That’s what the prophet Isaiah had to say about your so-called good works, your self-righteousness. He says it stinks. It’s phony, it’s fake, it’s a lie. It’s false, it’s no good.

So because Jesus exposed their phony religion and their phony system and what crooks and robbers they were, and because He was so popular with the people, they were determined to kill Him. And do you know what was one of the last things that finally made them determined to kill Him? When He raised Lazarus from the dead.⁶

There is no law against preaching love or changing people with love, so what could the scribes and Pharisees do? These religious leaders had to try to catch Jesus on something else and try to find something He was doing that was wrong. So they falsely accused Him of being against the government, when He never taught against the government. In fact, God’s Word says to be thankful for the government.⁷ He told us to be thankful for the officers of the law, to thank God for the police who are here to protect us. God says they are the ministers of God. So thank God for the government and the police; God’s Word says we should be thankful for them.

The government, the Romans, had nothing against Jesus. They thought, “He’s some kind of a crackpot, a guy with a screw loose. He’s some crazy prophet or something and a lot of people listen to Him and follow Him, but they don’t seem to be doing anything wrong. They’re not hurting anybody, so leave them alone. So what if we don’t believe what He’s saying, and so what if He says things we think are crazy about changing the world through love?”

When Jesus was brought to trial, they said, “All He’s doing is teaching love.” And according to legend—which may be fiction but it certainly could be true—Pilate the governor said, “Love? That’s the most dangerous doctrine He could possibly preach! It could destroy the Roman Empire. The Roman Empire doesn’t survive on love; it survives with the sword. If we let Him preach His doctrine of love, our soldiers won’t want to kill anybody anymore. They won’t want to conquer the poor anymore; they won’t want to rob the people of their riches to take it to Rome. That’s a dangerous doctrine, very dangerous!”

And he was right—it finally overthrew the Roman Empire! Christians became so numerous that it finally Christianized the Roman Empire itself, and the emperor himself became a Christian. Christianity had overthrown Rome.

We’re not out trying to overthrow any government. We are not trying to overthrow any economic system. We believe in trying to be peaceful and helping people and not hurting anybody. That’s our way of life and our message—changing the world with God’s love.

Originally published June 1976. Adapted and republished July 2015.
Read by Jon Marc.

¹ 2 Corinthians 5:17.

² John 15:13.

³ Matthew 7:15.

⁴ Matthew 21:31.

⁵ Isaiah 64:6.

⁶ John 11:41–53.

⁷ See Romans 13.

Jesus Appears to His Disciples

10/15/24As they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, “Peace to you!” ³⁷But they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit. ³⁸And he said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? ³⁹See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have. (Luke 24:36-39) ESV

180 – Jesus—His Life and Message: The Resurrection (Part 4)

Jesus—His Life and Message

Peter Amsterdam

2022-07-19

(You can read about the intent for and overview of this series in this introductory article.)

In the previous article we read about two disciples, Cleopas and an unnamed companion, who were walking to Emmaus with Jesus (whom they didn’t recognize). They expressed their disappointment about Jesus’ crucifixion, saying, we had hoped that he [Jesus] was the one to redeem Israel.¹ They talked about how the chief priests and rulers delivered Jesus to be condemned to death and how He had been crucified. Jesus then began to explain to them the meaning of all that had transpired. And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.²

So they drew near to the village to which they were going. [Jesus] acted as if he were going farther, but they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent.” So he went in to stay with them.³

As Jesus and the two disciples approached the town of Emmaus, Jesus acted as if He was going to continue on, perhaps heading to the next town. Because it was late in the day and would soon be dark, and perhaps it was unsafe to travel at night, the disciples urged Him to remain with them. Jesus agreed and he went in to stay with them. It seems likely that they were staying at an inn which provided lodging and food.

When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight.⁴

When the two disciples reclined at the table with Jesus, they still didn’t know that it was Him. Jesus took bread, blessed it, and gave it to them. This mirrors His actions during the feeding of the five thousand⁵ and the last supper.⁶ Jesus acted as the host of the meal, the one who blessed the bread and gave it to the others.

Once Jesus had broken the bread and given it to them, their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. Then, once they recognized Him, Jesus disappeared. Throughout the Gospels, we are told that Jesus appeared and disappeared among the believers after His resurrection.⁷ The book of 1 Corinthians also mentions Jesus appearing to the disciples. The apostle Paul wrote:

I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.⁸

With reference to Jesus’ disappearance, one author states: With the revelation that Jesus lives, his visible presence is no longer necessary … the appearance displays continuity between the Jesus of earthly ministry and the raised Jesus who sits over the church. Jesus can personally minister to anyone after his death and resurrection.⁹

They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?”¹⁰

Once the two disciples knew that it was Jesus who had been with them and had then disappeared, they expressed the effect that Jesus’ presence and words had on them. Jesus’ explanations caused great emotion and excitement.

They rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem. And they found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!” Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread.¹¹

The two disciples who were originally going to the village of Emmaus wanted to pass on the news that they had seen Jesus, so they reversed course and started walking back to Jerusalem.

Upon arriving in Jerusalem, they found the eleven (the apostles) gathered with others. The Gospel of John tells us that the apostle Thomas wasn’t present when Jesus appeared to the apostles, which would mean that only ten apostles were present, not the eleven, when Jesus appeared. One author explains that Luke takes “Eleven” to be a general way to refer to the group of apostles without Judas, without insisting that all those who remained were present.¹² Besides “the eleven,” there were an unspecified number of other disciples who had remained in Jerusalem. The disciples who had turned back from going to Emmaus were prepared to give their account, but before they had a chance, another report came.

The two disciples found the eleven and the others who were gathered together with them. They were told, “The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!” The two disciples then told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread. The account of Jesus appearing to Simon (Peter) and the experience of the two disciples gives two separate accounts of witnesses who had seen the resurrected Christ.

As they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, “Peace to you!” But they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit.¹³

While the disciples were speaking about Jesus appearing to Peter and to the two disciples on the way to Emmaus, Jesus appeared to them. The apostles and the others with them were surprised and scared, thinking that they had seen a spirit.

In order to calm them, Jesus asked them two questions.

He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts?”¹⁴

The first question has to do with their being troubled and alarmed. They think they are seeing a “spirit,” and the presence of a disembodied spirit was certainly out of the ordinary and would probably be rather startling. The second question has to do with their lack of perception. Why are they having doubts in their hearts, in their inner person? Likely it’s because they weren’t expecting Jesus to be raised from the dead, nor did they expect Him to keep appearing.

“See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet.¹⁵

Jesus instructed the disciples to look at His hands and feet, to see the wounds He bore from being crucified. This passage, as well as one from the book of John,¹⁶ shows that Jesus was nailed to the cross and not just tied to it. Besides looking at His wounds, He instructed them to touch Him, as He wanted them to see that He had a body of flesh and bones and was not a disembodied spirit. One author explains: It is the raised Jesus whose body has been brought back to life. It has characteristics of the physical body, though it carries those characteristics in a way that the old body could not (e.g., this new body will not perish and it can appear and vanish) and in ways that make his initial appearances startling, not the appearance of merely another disciple.¹⁷

And while they still disbelieved for joy and were marveling, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate before them.¹⁸

The phrase while they still disbelieved can be taken in two different ways. It could mean that despite the appearances and words of Jesus, the disciples doubted because it seemed so unbelievable. Another option is to understand it as an expression of amazement. The disciples felt a combination of both joy and amazement.

In asking for something to eat, Jesus probably removed their doubts and any fears they may have had. His sitting at the table with them eating a meal together showed that Jesus wasn’t a ghost or some sort of phantom. His table fellowship with the disciples showed His oneness with them. It also shows evidence that Jesus truly rose from the dead. He appeared to them, spoke with them, and ate with them. There was no question about His resurrection from death.

Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.”¹⁹

Jesus’ reference to my words that I spoke to you referred not to His general teaching, but rather His teaching regarding His death and resurrection.

“The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.”²⁰

Taking the twelve, he said to them, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished. For he will be delivered over to the Gentiles and will be mocked and shamefully treated and spit upon. And after flogging him, they will kill him, and on the third day he will rise.”²¹

Referring to my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you also indicates that the risen Christ is the same person as Jesus who had been with the disciples throughout His ministry. It also points to a new period that has begun, in which Jesus would no longer be physically with them.

Jesus spoke of the Law of Moses, which refers to the first major section of the Old Testament, consisting of the first five books. The Prophets is the second major section of the Old Testament, which consists of the “former prophets” (Joshua through 2 Kings) and the “latter prophets” (the major prophets: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel; and the minor prophets: Hosea through Malachi). And the Psalms probably refers to the third major section of the Old Testament called The Writings, which contains the rest of the books in the Old Testament.

Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.”²²

Through Jesus’ explanation, the disciples better understood Scripture’s teaching about His death and resurrection, in contrast to earlier on when they lacked in understanding due to some things being concealed or hidden from them.

They did not understand this saying, and it was concealed from them, so that they might not perceive it. And they were afraid to ask him about this saying.²³

They understood none of these things. This saying was hidden from them, and they did not grasp what was said.²⁴

The first of the three points brought out from Scripture was that Christ should suffer. This doesn’t point to specific Old Testament verses regarding the Messiah’s suffering, but rather to the entire Old Testament teaching on this point. The early church frequently referred to Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53 as proof that the Christ must suffer.

The second point is: and on the third day rise from the dead. This Gospel makes it clear that the promise is of a quick resurrection, which is quite different from the usual Jewish hope of a resurrection on the last day. This hope is seen in the Old Testament verse: For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption.²⁵

The third point is that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. The future of God’s plan is expressed here. The message of repentance and forgiveness is to be proclaimed everywhere. As it says in the Gospel of Mark, Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.²⁶ Jesus’ instruction was that they begin their mission in Jerusalem, and then eventually move beyond, to take the gospel to all of the world.

You are witnesses of these things.²⁷

The disciples were witnesses of Jesus’ life, death, resurrection, and ascension. They were commissioned to share their personal experience of the risen Christ, and their mission was to proclaim the message to all nations.

“Behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”²⁸

Jesus declared the coming of the Father’s promise. In calling God “my Father,” Jesus pointed to the deep and intimate relationship between the Father and the Son. The Spirit is the Father’s promise, but Jesus says “I will send” Him. Jesus is the channel through whom God’s promises of salvation and of the coming of the Spirit are provided.

You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.²⁹

The disciples were instructed to remain in Jerusalem until the time they were clothed with power from on high. The same command to stay in Jerusalem is repeated in the book of Acts.

While staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”³⁰

The book of Acts points out the importance of the disciples remaining in Jerusalem for the time being, as it was imperative that Jesus’ followers were baptized with the Holy Spirit.

Note

¹ Luke 24:21.

² Luke 24:27.

³ Luke 24:28–29.

⁴ Luke 24:30–31.

⁵ Luke 9:16.

⁶ Luke 22:19.

⁷ John 20:19, 26. Luke 24:36.

⁸ 1 Corinthians 15:3–9.

⁹ Bock, Luke 9:51–24:53, 1920.

¹⁰ Luke 24:32.

¹¹ Luke 24:33–35.

¹² William F. Arndt, Commentary on Luke (Concordia Publishing House, 1956), 491.

¹³ Luke 24:36–37.

¹⁴ Luke 24:38.

¹⁵ Luke 24:39–40.

¹⁶ John 20:25.

¹⁷ Bock, Luke 9:51–24:53, 1933.

¹⁸ Luke 24:41–43.

¹⁹ Luke 24:44.

²⁰ Luke 9:22.

²¹ Luke 18:31–33. See also Luke 9:44, 17:25, 22:37.

²² Luke 24:45–47.

²³ Luke 9:45.

²⁴ Luke 18:34.

²⁵ Psalm 16:10.

²⁶ Mark 16:15.

²⁷ Luke 24:48.

²⁸ Luke 24:49.

²⁹ Acts 1:8.

³⁰ Acts 1:4–5.

Who was King Josiah in the Bible?

10/14/24 Josiah was the king of Judah from approximately 640 to 609 B.C. His reign in Jerusalem is discussed in 2 Kings 22–23 and 2 Chronicles 34–35. Josiah was the son of King Amon and the grandson of King Manasseh—both of them wicked kings of Judah. Yet Josiah was a godly king and known as one of the world’s youngest kings; he began his reign at age 8 after his father was assassinated. A highlight of Josiah’s reign was his rediscovery of the Law of the Lord.

Second Kings 22:2 introduces Josiah by saying, “And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD and walked in all the way of David his father, and he did not turn aside to the right or to the left.” In the eighteenth year of his reign, he raised money to repair the temple, and during the repairs the high priest Hilkiah found the Book of the Law. When Shapan the secretary read it to Josiah, the king tore his clothes, a sign of mourning and repentance (2 Kings 22:10–11).

King Josiah called for a time of national repentance. The Law was read to the people of the land, and a covenant made between the people and the Lord: “The king stood by the pillar and made a covenant before the LORD, to walk after the LORD and to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes with all his heart and all his soul, to perform the words of this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people joined in the covenant” (2 Kings 23:3).

Many reforms followed. The temple was cleansed from all objects of pagan worship, and the idolatrous high places in the land were demolished. Josiah restored the observance of the Passover (2 Kings 23:2–23) and removed mediums and witches from the land. Second Kings 23:25 records, “Before him there was no king like him, who turned to the LORD with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his might, according to all the Law of Moses, nor did any like him arise after him.” God’s wrath would later come upon Judah due to the evil King Manasseh had done (2 Kings 23:25), but the judgment was delayed because of Josiah’s godly life and leadership (2 Kings 22:20).

Josiah died in battle against the Egyptian Pharaoh Necho at Megiddo. King Josiah was buried in Jerusalem in his own tomb, and his son Jehoahaz took the role of king.

Much can be learned from Josiah’s life that is positive. First, Josiah shows the influence a person can have from a very young age. Even children have enormous potential to live for God and to have great impact. Second, Josiah lived a life fully committed and obedient to God and was blessed for it. Third, Josiah properly responded to God’s Word. By the time he became king, the Scriptures had long been neglected, and Josiah’s heart was smitten by the failure of his people to honor God’s Word. Josiah had Scripture read to the people and made a commitment to live by it. “‘Because your heart was responsive and you humbled yourself before the Lord when you heard what I have spoken . . . I also have heard you,’ declares the Lord” (2 Kings 22:19). (GotQuestions.org)

The Young Prophet and the Old Prophet

1 Kings 13

David Brandt Berg

1970-02-01

“And, behold, there came a man of God out of Judah by the word of the Lord unto Beth-el” (1 Kings 13:1). He came out of Southern Israel, Judah, and went to Beth-el, in Northern Israel. The kingdom at this time was divided. Jeroboam, who was not of the royal blood, was a rebel king who had split off the northern ten tribes and caused them to rebel against the ruling tribe of Judah, and the nation was divided.

“And Jeroboam stood by the altar to burn incense.” Because he didn’t want the people to go traipsing back to Jerusalem, the capital of Judah, every holy day, he said, “Let’s start our own religion! We’ll have our own altar up here, so I won’t lose my following.”

The young prophet came up there, “and he cried against the altar in the word of the Lord, and said, O altar, altar, thus saith the Lord; Behold, a child shall be born unto the house of David, Josiah by name; and upon thee shall he offer the priests of the high places that burn incense upon thee, and men’s bones shall be burnt upon thee” (vs. 2).

Of course, the altar couldn’t hear him; God was having him say that for the benefit of Jeroboam, the false king who was standing there listening. In other words, he was saying, “Jeroboam, this false religion that you’re starting is going to defeat itself!”

“And he gave a sign the same day, saying, this is the sign which the Lord hath spoken; behold, the altar shall be rent, and the ashes that are upon it shall be poured out. And when King Jeroboam heard the saying of the man of God, which had cried against the altar in Beth-el, he put forth his hand from the altar, saying, Lay hold on him!

“And his hand which he put forth against him dried up, so that he could not pull it in again to him. The altar also was rent, and the ashes poured out from the altar, according to the sign which the man of God had given by the word of the Lord.

“The king answered and said unto the man of God, Entreat now the face of the Lord thy God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored to me again. And the man of God besought the Lord, and the king’s hand was restored to him, and became as it was before.

“And the king said unto the man of God, Come home with me, and refresh thyself, and I will give thee a reward. The man of God said unto the king, If thou wilt give me half thine house”—half your kingdom—“I’ll not go in with thee, neither will I eat bread nor drink water in this place: For so it was charged me by the word of the Lord, saying, Eat no bread, nor drink water, nor turn again by the same way by which thou camest” (vs. 3–9).

He stood that test; he didn’t go home with the king. “So he went another way and returned not by the way that he came to Beth-el” (vs. 10). After all, why should he obey this ungodly king? It was obvious he’d know that guy was wrong and couldn’t fool him. But God’s about to give him another test.

“Now there dwelt an old prophet in Beth-el; and his sons came and told him all the works that the man of God had done that day in Beth-el” (vs. 11). The young prophet was on his way home by another way, as God had instructed him: not turning to the right or the left, not stopping to drink or to eat, or to wait for anything. He’s obeying God. He was off to a flying start. He had forsaken all to follow God, and was doing the work of God. He had resisted the authorities to preach the Gospel and he had suffered persecution. He was doing great!

“And he (the old prophet) said unto his sons, Saddle me the ass. So they saddled him the ass: And he rode thereon, and went after the man of God, and found him sitting under an oak” (vs. 13–14). That’s where he made his first mistake! He stopped to catch his breath; he stopped to rest. He didn’t keep going as the Lord had told him.

“And he,” the old prophet, “said unto the young prophet, Art thou the man of God that came from Judah? He said, I am” (vs. 14). Second mistake. He took time to listen to what the old prophet had to say.

“Come home with me,” the old prophet said, “and eat bread” (vs. 15). First mistake: He sat down when God had told him not to stop. Second mistake: He listened to others when God had already spoken to him. He ought to have remembered the voice of God and followed God the way He specified. If God has shown you the truth and the way, follow God! “If God be God, then follow Him. If Baal be God, then follow him. You cannot serve two masters: You’ll either hate the one, and love the other; or hold to the one, and despise the other” (1 Kings 18:21; Matthew 6:24).

The young prophet answered, “I may not return with thee, nor go with thee: Neither will I eat bread nor drink water with thee in this place: For it was said to me by the word of the Lord, Thou shalt eat no bread nor drink water there, nor turn again to go by the way that thou camest” (vs. 16–17). The minute he said that, he should have taken off so fast they couldn’t have seen him for the dust!

Then the old prophet said to him, “I’ve been in this business a long time.” “I’m a prophet also as thou art; and an angel spake unto me by the word of the Lord”—I had a revelation from the Lord—“saying, Bring him back with thee into thine house, that he may eat bread and drink water. But he lied unto him” (vs. 18).

He lied to him just to test him to see if he would pay attention to God and obey Him. “Do you mean to tell me that’s possible, that God could ever let a thing like that happen to see if we really mean business! To test us somehow or another, to see if we will obey Him?” Yes.

“So he went back with him, and did eat bread in his house, and drank water” (vs. 19). He went where? He went back! He turned his back on what God had revealed, what He’d told the young prophet, what He’d made plain to him (Luke 9:62).

“And it came to pass, as they sat at the table, that the word of the Lord came unto the prophet that brought him back. And he cried unto the man of God that came from Judah, saying, ‘Thus saith the Lord.’” Now he’s telling him the truth! He had lied to him to test him. “Forasmuch as thou hast disobeyed the mouth of the Lord, and hast not kept the commandment which the Lord thy God commanded thee, but thou camest back, and hast eaten bread and drunk water in the place of which the Lord did say to thee, Eat no bread, and drink no water; thy carcass shall not come unto the sepulcher of thy fathers. And it came to pass, after he had eaten bread, and after he had drunk, that he saddled for him the ass, to wit, for the prophet whom he had brought back” (vs. 20–23).

Because he had disobeyed the Lord, he suffered the penalty. He was made a public example so that others would fear to disobey.

“When he was gone, a lion met him by the way, and slew him: and his carcass was cast in the way, and the ass stood by it, the lion also stood by the carcass” (vs. 24). What usually happens when a lion grabs somebody? The lion’s going to eat them, and other beasts run from lions; they don’t just stand around. But here’s the carcass of a man, uneaten, just killed, with a lion standing on one side and a burro on the other. A silent witness and testimony to the result of disobedience.

“And, behold, men passed by, and saw the carcass cast in the way, and the lion standing by the carcass: and they came and told it in the city where the old prophet dwelt. And when the prophet that brought him back from the way heard thereof, he said,

“It is the man of God, who was disobedient unto the word of the Lord: therefore the Lord hath delivered him unto the lion, which hath torn him, and slain him. And he went and found his carcass cast in the way, and the ass and lion standing by the carcass. The prophet took up the carcass of the man of God, and laid it upon the ass, and brought it back: and the old prophet came to the city, to mourn and to bury him” (vs. 25–29).

Let anybody persuade you to disobey God, and the Spirit of God is going to convict both them and you! They’re going to think: “I’m really kind of disappointed they didn’t go through with it! Too bad I was able to dissuade them. Too bad they listened to me; now they’ve gone back on the Lord.”

There’s no standing still. You are either going forward or you’re going backward! There’s no stopping place in either direction. You’re either making progress, accomplishing something, going forward and gaining higher ground every day, or you’re slipping further back.

“And they mourned over him, saying, Alas, my brother! It came to pass, after he had buried him, that he spake to his sons, saying, When I am dead, then bury me in the sepulcher wherein the man of God is buried; lay my bones beside his bones” (vs. 30–31).

“Choose ye this day whom ye shall serve: if God be God then serve Him. If Baal be God then serve him. As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15; 1 Kings 18:21).

“Strait is the gate, and narrow is the way that leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. Wide is the gate, and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction, and many there be that go in thereat” (Matthew 7:13–14).

Jesus the Great High Priest

10/13/24 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. ¹⁵For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. ¹⁶Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:14-16) ESV

The Man of Love

The Family International

Jesus was no ordinary man, nor was He merely a great teacher, rabbi, guru, or even a prophet. In a way, He was all of these, but much more. For unlike the other great religious teachers who came before or after Him, Jesus not only spoke about love and God, but He was love and He was the Son of God, so He really knew what He was talking about.

The Bible tells us that “God is a Spirit,” and that “God is love.” (See John 4:24; 1 John 4:8.)1 God is the Almighty Spirit of love, the Creator of all things. He is the power of the universe, so great and so mighty that He is far above and beyond our limited human understanding.

God is all-powerful, all-knowing and present everywhere—and that’s just too big a concept for us to grasp. But He loves us very much and wants us to be able to know and love Him. So to show us His love and to help us to understand Him, He sent His own Son, Jesus Christ, to earth in the form of a man, so that we could see through Jesus what God Himself is like. Jesus brought God down to our level.

Two thousand years ago God sent His own Son, the very Lord of Heaven, the Master of the universe, down to earth to become one of us! He was miraculously conceived in the womb of a humble virgin named Mary, and took on the form of human flesh just like ours. Therefore He was the Son of Man as well as the Son of God.

Doing good to all

Jesus not only adapted Himself to our bodily form, but He also conformed to our human ways of life, customs, language, dress, and living so that He might understand us better and be able to communicate with us on the lowly level of our own human understanding. He became a citizen of this world, a member of humanity, a man of flesh, so that He might reach us with His love, prove to us His compassion and concern, and help us understand His message in simple childlike terms that we could grasp.

He came down and adopted the life of a lowly carpenter. Then, at the age of thirty, He began His ministry as a wandering prophet and religious teacher. He lived like us, worked like us, slept like us, ate like us, and did everything that we have to do. There were times when He was weary, tired, and footsore, when He was hungry and thirsty, sad and discouraged. He became one of us and, as the Bible says, “was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15).

Jesus spent His time going around everywhere doing good—feeding people who were hungry, healing those who were sick, cheering and comforting those who were sad and brokenhearted. He loved everybody, even those whom everybody else looked down on.

He never had any religious buildings, denominations, or formal congregations. He simply went out and met people on the streets, by the seashore, in the market places—wherever He could reach them—and shared His message of love with all who would listen to it. He befriended even the most despised and rejected members of society: tax collectors, drunks, prostitutes, and sinners.

His religion of love was so simple that He said that you must become as a little child to receive it (Matthew 18:3). He never preached or taught any complicated ceremonies or difficult rules. All He did was preach and show love (Matthew 22:36-40).

He didn’t have to die

But not everyone liked what Jesus said and did. In fact, the Saducees and Pharisees—the rich and powerful religious leaders of His day—became infuriated at Him because His teachings undermined their authority by setting the people free from their traditions and dictatorial control. His self-righteous foes finally forced the authorities to arrest Him on trumped-up charges, condemn, torture, and cruelly execute Him by crucifixion.

Jesus didn’t have to die on that cross. He said, “All authority has been given to Me in Heaven and on earth” (Matthew 28:18). He was the Son of God, and all the powers of the universe were at His disposal, at His command. He told His captors, “You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you by My Father,” and “I could lift My little finger and thousands of angels would immediately deliver Me from your hand” (John 19:11; Matthew 26:53). He could have called on all the forces of Heaven to slaughter His enemies, conquer Rome, take over the world, and force all men to fall down and worship Him there and then. But instead He chose to lay down His life for you and me.

So why did He die?

Why would the Lord of the universe, God in the flesh, allow Himself to be captured, falsely accused, tried and condemned, whipped, stripped, and nailed to a cross like a common criminal? The answer is simple: Because He loved you and me.

All of us at times have done wrong and been unloving and unkind to others. The Bible says, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). The worst thing about our sins is that they separate us from God, who is absolutely sinless and perfect. In order to bring us to God, Jesus, the sinless Son of God, took the sins of all mankind upon Himself. He took the punishment for our sins and suffered the horrible pain of death by crucifixion. He died the death of a sinner that through His sacrifice, we might find forgiveness and freedom from our sins.

Defeating death

Three days after His lifeless body was buried, something happened that shocked His enemies and proved to all of His followers that He really was the Son of God: He arose from the dead, the victor over death and Hell forever!

After His resurrection, Jesus personally appeared to hundreds of His followers, encouraging, strengthening, and comforting them. He told them that He was going to return to be with His heavenly Father, but that He would always be with them in spirit, living in their hearts forever. He also gave His followers a wonderful promise: “One day I will come again” (John 14:3). But when He returns, it will not be as an ordinary man, but as the mighty Ruler and great King that He is, “in the clouds, with power and great majesty” (Luke 21:27).

Meet the Man

Would you like to find out and know for sure that this Man of love, Jesus Christ, really is the Son of God, the way to salvation and eternal life? All you have to do is believe that Jesus died for you, and accept Him and His free gift of forgiveness for your sins. Then you will be pardoned, brought into fellowship now with God, our heavenly Father, and when you die, you’ll live with Him forever in Heaven. You can receive Him and His salvation by sincerely praying a prayer like this one:

Dear Jesus, I believe You are the Son of God and that You died for me and arose from the grave. I need Your love to cleanse me from my mistakes and wrongdoing. I need Your light to drive away all darkness. I need Your peace to fill and satisfy my heart. I now open the door of my heart and I ask You, Jesus, to please come into my life and give me Your free gift of eternal life. Thank You for suffering for all of the wrong I have done, and for hearing my prayer and forgiving me. Amen.

Jehu Anointed King of Israel

10/12/24 Then Elisha the prophet called one of the sons of the prophets and said to him, “Tie up your garments, and take this flask of oil in your hand, and go to Ramoth-gilead. ²And when you arrive, look there for Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat, son of Nimshi. And go in and have him rise from among his fellows, and lead him to an inner chamber. ³Then take the flask of oil and pour it on his head and say, ‘Thus says the Lord, I anoint you king over Israel.’ Then open the door and flee; do not linger.”

⁴So the young man, the servant of the prophet, went to Ramoth-gilead. ⁵And when he came, behold, the commanders of the army were in council. And he said, “I have a word for you, O commander.” And Jehu said, “To which of us all?” And he said, “To you, O commander.” ⁶So he arose and went into the house. And the young man poured the oil on his head, saying to him, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, I anoint you king over the people of the Lord, over Israel. ⁷And you shall strike down the house of Ahab your master, so that I may avenge on Jezebel the blood of my servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the Lord. ⁸For the whole house of Ahab shall perish, and I will cut off from Ahab every male, bond or free, in Israel. ⁹And I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah. ¹⁰And the dogs shall eat Jezebel in the territory of Jezreel, and none shall bury her.” Then he opened the door and fled.

¹¹When Jehu came out to the servants of his master, they said to him, “Is all well? Why did this mad fellow come to you?” And he said to them, “You know the fellow and his talk.” ¹²And they said, “That is not true; tell us now.” And he said, “Thus and so he spoke to me, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord, I anoint you king over Israel.’” ¹³Then in haste every man of them took his garment and put it under him on the bare^[a] steps, and they blew the trumpet and proclaimed, “Jehu is king.” (2 Kings 9:1-13) ESV

Who was King Jehu in the Bible?

Answer:

Jehu was a reformer of sorts who was used by God to clean up the mess that Ahab had made. Of King Ahab it is recorded that he “did more evil in the eyes of the Lord than any of those before him” (1 Kings 16:30). Marrying Jezebel, daughter of the king of the Sidonians, Ahab was seduced into her idolatrous worship of Baal and Ashtoreth. Although God was patient for a time with Ahab, his many sins eventually brought God’s judgment upon his family line (1 Kings 21:20–22). This judgment first lands upon Ahab’s own head, as he is shot and killed in a battle against the Arameans (1 Kings 22:34–38).

God chose Jehu as one of three men who would enact His judgment upon Ahab’s family. God told the prophet Elijah, “Anoint Hazael king over Aram. Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet. Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu” (1 Kings 19:15–17). One way or another, Ahab’s dynasty would be destroyed.

Jehu functioned as a commander in the army of Ahab (2 Kings 9:5, 25) in the northern kingdom of Israel. Jehu was the son of Jehoshaphat, although he is more commonly mentioned as son of Nimshi, his grandfather, perhaps because Nimshi was more well-known. Jehu’s name, meaning “Yahweh is he,” portrays well his future, God-given task: to obliterate the house of Ahab along with the worship of Baal that pervaded Israel at the time.

God also chose Jehu to be the king of Israel. After he was anointed king, Jehu immediately took steps to secure the throne. Knowing that Joram, son of Ahab, had recently gone to Jezreel to recover from wounds in a battle against the Arameans, Jehu ordered his men to seal the city so that no one could alert Joram of Jehu’s anointing (2 Kings 9:1–16). Jehu made haste to Jezreel and killed two of Ahab’s progeny—Joram, king of northern Israel; and Ahaziah, king of Judah (2 Kings 9:14–29). Jehu then proceeded to Jezebel’s palace in Jezreel, where the queen stood watching for him at her window. At Jehu’s command, eunuchs surrounding Jezebel threw her down from the window. Jezebel’s blood splattered over the pavement, and her body was eaten by dogs (2 Kings 9:30–37).

Jehu left no man standing who was in alliance with King Ahab, as God had commanded long before through Elijah. Entering the temple of Baal, Jehu slaughtered all the priests of Baal and destroyed the temple and its sacred stone, thus eradicating Baal worship in Israel (2 Kings 10:23–28).

The Lord blessed Jehu for his obedience, granting him a dynasty that would last to the fourth generation (2 Kings 10:30). However, because Jehu continued to hold on to the idolatrous worship of King Jeroboam (2 Kings 10:29, 31; 12:26–30), God began to reduce the size of Israel, gradually giving them over to the power of even Hazael of Syria (2 Kings 10:32–33). Jehu reigned over Israel a total of twenty-eight years and was succeeded by his son Jehoahaz (2 Kings 10:35–36).

Through Jehu we can learn that, although it is true that God blesses and grants success to those who seek to obey Him, God also can and will pull away His blessing from one who willfully chooses to live in sin. As Jesus says in Matthew 6:24, “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other.” We cannot serve God while continuing to hold on to false gods. As Joshua said, we must “choose for [ourselves] this day whom [we] will serve” (Joshua 24:15). Where does your allegiance lie? (Got Questions.org)

The Work of the Holy Spirit

10/11/24 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. ¹⁴He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. (John 16:13,14) ESV

163 – Jesus—His Life and Message: John 16:13–22

Jesus—His Life and Message

Peter Amsterdam

2021-07-27

(You can read about the intent for and overview of this series in this introductory article.)

Earlier in this Gospel, Jesus spoke to His disciples about the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom He would send to them. He said, The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.¹ In chapter 16 of John, Jesus tells us more about the ministry of the Spirit.

When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.²

Earlier, Jesus had said that the Spirit would teach the disciples and bring to their remembrance what He had taught them. Here He added that the Spirit would lead them into all truth. In saying this, He was referring to the truth the Father had given Him to share with them, not all truth in the sense of all scientific truth about the natural world or other things which people can learn by observation or through normal inquiry.

Jesus went on to speak of the ministry of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit would not speak on His own, but would speak only “what He hears.” This is similar to what has been said of Jesus; He would also not speak “on His own.”

I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment—what to say and what to speak.³

The Spirit only speaks what He has “heard” from the Father, just as Jesus does.

No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.⁴

Within this Gospel, Jesus showed that He could inform His disciples of things which would happen in the future.

“Scripture will be fulfilled, ‘He who ate my bread has lifted his heel against me.’ I am telling you this now, before it takes place, that when it does take place you may believe that I am he.” ⁵

I have told you before it takes place, so that when it does take place you may believe.⁶

I have said these things to you, that when their hour comes you may remember that I told them to you. I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you.⁷

However, for the most part, Jesus left revealing things regarding the future to the Holy Spirit.

He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.⁸

Jesus went on to explain that the Holy Spirit would glorify Him by taking what belongs to Jesus and declaring it to the disciples. It could seem a bit odd for Jesus to say that “all the truth” is His, or to claim that the Advocate will “glorify me.” However, He immediately gives an explanation: All that the Father has is mine, and for that reason the Holy Spirit will take what belongs to the Father and the Son and will declare it to the disciples. There is no division within the Godhead. What the Father has, the Son has, and the Spirit will declare it.

Jesus continued speaking to His disciples, and what He said next was somewhat of a riddle.

A little while, and you will see me no longer; and again a little while, and you will see me.⁹

Earlier in this Gospel, Jesus told His disciples: Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.¹⁰ The disciples had a difficult time understanding what Jesus meant.

Some of his disciples said to one another, “What is this that he says to us, ‘A little while, and you will not see me, and again a little while, and you will see me’; and, ‘because I am going to the Father’?” So they were saying, “What does he mean by ‘a little while’? We do not know what he is talking about.”¹¹

Jesus’ words were rather mysterious to the disciples, and they were puzzled as to what they meant. However, they didn’t ask Jesus for an explanation; rather, they expressed their bewilderment to one another. Elsewhere in this Gospel, we find that there were other times when the disciples were hesitant to ask Jesus for an explanation of what He had said.

“But now I am going to him who sent me, and none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going’?”¹²

Just then his disciples came back. They marveled that he was talking with a woman, but no one said, “What do you seek?” or, “Why are you talking with her?”¹³

The disciples repeated the riddle and asked among themselves what Jesus meant about a little while. In these two verses (17–18) the disciples refer to “a little while” three times.

Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him, so he said to them, “Is this what you are asking yourselves, what I meant by saying, ‘A little while and you will not see me, and again a little while and you will see me’?”¹⁴

Noticing that they weren’t asking Him about what He had told them, but that they wanted to, Jesus verbalized their question. He then went on to explain.

Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy.¹⁵

Jesus once again used the truly, truly statement, pointing out that the disciples’ response to what was going to happen to Him was vastly different from the response of the world. Jesus had told His disciples that He was going away, that He would be absent from them as well as from the world. This would rightfully cause the disciples to grieve and to be sorrowful, which is quite different from the response of the world, which would rejoice at Jesus’ death. However, Jesus had said that a little while and you will see me. It is this that the disciples rejoice at, for the sorrow would be turned to joy when they would see Jesus once again.

In order to help them understand what He was saying to them, Jesus told a parable.

When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.¹⁶

When a woman is in labor, she experiences labor pains, referred to here as sorrow, and in other Bible translations as pain (NAU, NIV), suffering (NLT), and pains of labor (NLT).

Jesus contrasts the state of mind of the mother when she is in labor with her state after the birth of a child. During labor, she suffers severe pain, but that anguish gives way to joy when the child is born. Jesus likens this to what His disciples would soon experience. They would weep, lament, and suffer grief when Jesus was taken from them and crucified. However, their joy when they encountered the risen Christ would far outweigh the grief they experienced.

One author added an interesting comment on this verse.

Most mothers will dispute the accuracy of the claim that “when the child is born, she no longer remembers the distress” (evidence perhaps that the Gospel writer was a man!), but the words are not intended literally. They are simply a way of making the point that the prospect of “joy” renders all of the “grief” or “distress” that precedes it worthwhile.¹⁷

Jesus pointed out to His disciples that though they would experience deep sorrow, He would see them again, and their hearts would rejoice. He was likely referring to His post-resurrection appearances. One author states:

The disciples will then rejoice in a way that is permanent. No one will take away the joy they will then have. The thought is not, of course, that believers will never know sorrow. It is rather that after they have come to understand the significance of the cross they will be possessed by a deep-seated joy, a joy independent of the world.¹⁸

(To be continued.)

Note

¹ John 14:26.

² John 16:13.

³ John 12:49.

⁴ John 15:15.

⁵ John 13:18–19.

⁶ John 14:29.

⁷ John 16:4.

⁸ John 16:14–15.

⁹ John 16:16.

¹⁰ John 14:19.

¹¹ John 16:17–18.

¹² John 16:5.

¹³ John 4:27.

¹⁴ John 16:19.

¹⁵ John 16:20.

¹⁶ John 16:21–22.

¹⁷ Michaels, The Gospel of John, 844.

¹⁸ Morris, The Gospel According to John, 627.

The Work of the Holy Spirit

10-10-24Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. (John 16:7) ESV

162 – Jesus—His Life and Message: John 16:1–12

Jesus—His Life and Message

Peter Amsterdam

2021-07-20

(You can read about the intent for and overview of this series in this introductory article.)

In John chapter 16, Jesus continues the discourse which began in chapter 15. There, He had spoken of the world hating Him and His disciples and touched on the persecution the disciples would face in the future.

I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away. They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God. And they will do these things because they have not known the Father, nor me. But I have said these things to you, that when their hour comes you may remember that I told them to you. I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you.¹

Jesus told His disciples what they were going to face in order to keep them from falling away, from abandoning their faith when times became difficult. He wanted them to be aware of the dangers of discipleship. Those who opposed the early Christians would excommunicate them from the synagogue, meaning that they would be cut off from their community’s religious fellowship. Jesus foresaw a time when some people’s values would be so far off that they would even kill believers and think they were doing the right thing. It wasn’t so long after this that Saul of Tarsus (who later converted and became known as the apostle Paul) would be involved in causing the persecution and death of some Christians.² Jesus stated that those who will persecute and kill the disciples would think they were doing God’s will; however, they would be completely wrong, as those who do such things do not know the Father nor me.

His purpose for telling His disciples these things was to forewarn them so that they would not be overcome and fall away when they faced persecution. It hadn’t been necessary to say these things earlier, as He was with them and able to instruct them and give them guidance on a regular basis. Another reason was that Jesus Himself had so far been the target of His opponents; however, once He was gone, the focus would shift to His disciples, resulting in their becoming targets. Preparing them for what was coming would also strengthen their faith, as when these things happened, they would remember that Jesus had forewarned them.

The Work of the Spirit

Jesus didn’t tell His disciples these things before this time because He was with them, but that was about to change.

“Now I am going to him who sent me, and none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’”³

He was about to go to His Father, the One who had sent Him, and His imminent departure changed the situation. Jesus commented that none of His disciples were asking Him where He was going, while earlier in this Gospel they had done so. Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus answered him, “Where I am going you cannot follow me now, but you will follow afterward.” Peter said to him, “Lord, why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.”⁴ One author explains: That question had not really been a serious inquiry as to Jesus’ destination. Peter had been diverted immediately, and he made no real attempt to find out where Jesus was going. He had been concerned with the thought of parting from Jesus, not with that of the Master’s destination. He had in mind only the consequences for himself and for his companions.⁵

But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart.⁶

Because of what He told them, the disciples were filled with grief. When He would be arrested and separated from His disciples, they would be full of sorrow, which would remain with them until the joy of His resurrection was made known to them.

Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.⁷

Jesus explained to the disciples that it was expedient that He depart from them. He emphasized this point by saying I tell you the truth. From the disciples’ point of view, it was a disaster that Jesus was going to be taken away from them; however, His departure made it possible for the Holy Spirit, the Helper, to come upon them. While they wouldn’t have Jesus’ physical presence with them, they would have the presence of the Spirit. Earlier in this Gospel, it was mentioned that it was necessary for Jesus to be glorified before the Spirit would be given to believers. Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.⁸ Jesus’ promise to His disciples was that He would send the Spirit to them once He had departed.

And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.⁹

This is the one place in Scripture where the Spirit is said to perform a work for “the world.” We’re told that the Spirit puts the world under conviction.

Generally the word translated as Helper ¹⁰ refers to someone who pleads a case in a court trial on behalf of the accused, like a defense lawyer. However, here the meaning points to the Holy Spirit acting as a prosecuting attorney who exposes the world’s sin before God.

The Holy Spirit convicts the world in two senses. The Spirit shows the world that it is culpable and secures a “guilty” verdict against the world. The Spirit also brings people’s guilt home to them, convicts their conscience, and in doing so causes them to see themselves as sinners in need of forgiveness.

Jesus speaks of going to the Father and says that when He does, they will no longer see Him. Earlier, He had said that the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.¹¹ He now acknowledges that His disciples will also not see Him for a time. Shortly, He will more fully explain what this means, as He wasn’t stating that His disciples were going to be left in a position that was no better than that of the world. His point was that He would literally be leaving the world by going to the Father, and would therefore be hidden from human view.

Jesus then mentioned judgment: concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. Jesus is referring to the defeat of Satan. Earlier in this Gospel Jesus also referred to Satan’s defeat. Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out.¹² Justice will be done as the evil one is overthrown. Elsewhere in the Gospel of John, reference is made to judgment in connection with the coming of Jesus and as something which He has been given authority to carry out. The Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father.¹³ He [the Father] has given [Jesus] authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man.¹⁴ I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me.¹⁵ Yet even if I do judge, my judgment is true, for it is not I alone who judge, but I and the Father who sent me.¹⁶

“I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.”¹⁷

Pausing briefly before continuing to describe the ministry of the Helper, the Holy Spirit, Jesus told His disciples that He had much more to say to them, but that it would be too much for them to bear at the time. Until they received the Holy Spirit, they would be unable to absorb and apply all that Jesus had yet to tell them.

(To be continued.)

¹ John 16:1–4.

² Acts 8:1–3, 22:3–5, 26:9–11.

³ John 16:5.

⁴ John 13:36–37.

⁵ Morris, The Gospel According to John, 617.

⁶ John 16:6.

⁷ John 16:7.

⁸ John 7:39.

⁹ John 16:8–11.

¹⁰ Counselor in NIV and CSB; Helper in ESV, NAS, NAU, and NKJV; Comforter in KJV; Advocate in NLT and TNIV.

¹¹ John 14:19.

¹² John 12:31.

¹³ John 5:22–23.

¹⁴ John 5:27.

¹⁵ John 5:30.

¹⁶ John 8:16.

¹⁷ John 16:12.