Tag: christianity

A Vision of the End (Revelation 14:1-11)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year ALeave a comment
The Great Day of His Wrath, by John Martin, 1852

Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads. And I heard a sound from heaven like the roar of rushing waters and like a loud peal of thunder. The sound I heard was like that of harpists playing their harps. And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders. No one could learn the song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. These are those who did not defile themselves with women, for they remained virgins. They follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They were purchased from among mankind and offered as first-fruits to God and the Lamb. No lie was found in their mouths; they are blameless.

Then I saw another angel flying in midair, and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth—to every nation, tribe, language and people. He said in a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water.”

A second angel followed and said, “‘Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great,’ which made all the nations drink the maddening wine of her adulteries.”

A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives its mark on their forehead or on their hand, they, too, will drink the wine of God’s fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. They will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment will rise for ever and ever. There will be no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image, or for anyone who receives the mark of its name.” (New International Version)

Throughout the book of Revelation (The Apocalypse of John) the Apostle John communicates visions of the end, of God’s wrath and human suffering. Yet John also pauses throughout his vision to offer encouragement for the faithful followers of Jesus in the present time who are undergoing suffering, even persecution.

The assurance believers have is that God sees their struggle, their devotion; the Lord will protect them – not from suffering and death – but from the effects of divine judgment and punishment on the earth. The Lord will not abandon the believers. Instead, they will share in God’s new realm.

The Lamb and the Redeemed

The ultimate destiny of Christ’s faithful followers is not in judgment but in triumph – even though many of them had to face extreme circumstances and died the martyr’s death. Christ, the Lamb of God, stands in the center of God’s kingdom with the 144,000, who sing a new song to God.

It could be that these 144,000 persons are representative and symbolic of all redeemed humanity. Or, they may likely be Christian martyrs, the ones who were the victims of evil (Revelation 13). Whoever they actually are, their description is figurative in order to convey that these faithful persons are morally and spiritually pure; they did not defile themselves with the wickedness of the world’s systemic and structural evil.

These redeemed persons are the first fruits, believers who have sacrificed their lives for God and maintained their witness to King Jesus, and not to Ceasar as Lord. In the Old Testament, every firstborn (both human and animal) belonged to the Lord. The first fruits (the initial yield of crops) were set aside specifically as a sacrificial offering to God.

In the New Testament, the concept and practice of first fruits is used as a metaphor for something given to God in advance. So, in the book of Revelation, this refers to the harvest at the end of the age; the first fruits are the 144,000, the ones who are the anticipation of Christian resurrection. In other words, there are many more converts to come – people redeemed by the Lamb and set aside for resurrection and new creation. A great harvest of souls comes; because of Christ’s resurrection, his followers shall also experience resurrection.

The Message of the Three Angels

The Apostle John spoke of three angels, each of whom proclaim a coming judgment of God. The first angel has a call to repentance and a warning of imminent judgment. The second angel announces the fall of Babylon (Rome). And the third angel pronounces judgment upon those who gave themselves to the powers of this fallen world, who participated in organizational wickedness through oppression, abuse, neglect, disrespect, and dishonor of others.

It is with the third angel that the “mark of the beast” upon a person’s forehead is the mark of judgment on them. Although the language and picture of this, and what happens to them, was (and still is for some) used to scare the hell out of people so that they would embrace heaven, we must very much distance ourselves from such disgraceful rhetoric.

Again, the vision is full of symbolism and is not to be taken literally; it is John’s attempt to convey an otherworldly experience he had, in terms which his readers could grasp. The big idea is that those who have become devoted members to the machinations of evil in its various forms on this earth will experience the judgment of God.

As they sought glory in this world by any means possible – including using people to keep and hold power – so, they will face an inglorious end when God holds them accountable for their wrongdoing and for letting their own hearts become shriveled and dry.

This is neither the time to participate in evil, nor to procrastinate in making things right – while you still have time to do so.

For those holding on to bitterness, it is time to forgive.

For the ones giving in to their anger through hating others, it is now time to humble yourself, repent, and turn to right and healthy ways of dealing with that anger.

For the persons allowing themselves to be used by others for perpetuating evil in their workplace, neighborhood, or church, it is high time to find your voice, renounce the damaging practices, and speak truth to power.

We all must suffer. What it is we suffer for, is up to us.

Almighty and everlasting God, the rightful Judge of all things and all people, help us, your people, to be rightly prepared for Christ’s coming, through a right confession and right practices in this life. Enable us to walk in a manner worthy of our calling so that we might cast the bright beams which radiate from the approaching day of glory into those dark days and nights of suffering.

Sovereign God, draw us, we pray, near to Christ and in union with him. May we taste and see the goodness of the Lord; be strengthened in faith for the trials and tribulations which lie before us; bask in the love of Jesus; and hold fast to divine promises, and our confession, especially since the end of all things is at hand. Amen.

Parable of the Three Servants (Matthew 25:14-30)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year ALeave a comment
Parable of the Three Servants, a woodcut by Jan Luiken, 1712

Jesus said, “The Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a long trip. He called together his servants and entrusted his money to them while he was gone. He gave five bags of silver to one servant, two bags of silver to another servant, and one bag of silver to the last servant—dividing it in proportion to their abilities. He then left on his trip.

“The servant who received the five bags of silver began to invest the money and earned five more. The servant with two bags of silver also went to work and earned two more. But the servant who received the one bag of silver dug a hole in the ground and hid the master’s money.

“After a long time their master returned from his trip and called them to give an account of how they had used his money. The servant to whom he had entrusted the five bags of silver came forward with five more and said, ‘Master, you gave me five bags of silver to invest, and I have earned five more.’

“The master was full of praise. ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’

“The servant who had received the two bags of silver came forward and said, ‘Master, you gave me two bags of silver to invest, and I have earned two more.’

“The master said, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’

“Then the servant with the one bag of silver came and said, ‘Master, I knew you were a harsh man, harvesting crops you didn’t plant and gathering crops you didn’t cultivate. I was afraid I would lose your money, so I hid it in the earth. Look, here is your money back.’

“But the master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy servant! If you knew I harvested crops I didn’t plant and gathered crops I didn’t cultivate, why didn’t you deposit my money in the bank? At least I could have gotten some interest on it.’

“Then he ordered, ‘Take the money from this servant, and give it to the one with the ten bags of silver. To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away. Now throw this useless servant into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ (New Living Translation)

What would you do with a million dollars?…  Maybe you would pay off some debts, finish some work on your house, or quit your job and take a vacation. Perhaps you might invest a good portion of it. Whatever you do with it, your investment of money is only as good as your level of trust. 

When I worked at a senior citizen healthcare facility, there was a resident living in an independent living apartment, but he still owned his house. During one conversation, the old man admitted to me that over the past sixty years, he had secretly bored holes in every door jamb of his house and had stuffed away $100,000 dollars in cash! This dear resident had personally experienced the run on banks which began the Great Depression in 1929. He had zero trust for investment banking.

As Jesus told his parable, one of his chief points was to communicate that God is gracious, and gives generously.

The three servants responded their master’s generosity according to their view of him. Two of the servants regarded the master as gracious and generous, and so, freely took their hefty bags of money and confidently invested them to create even more money. They took risks, invested, worked, and acted with the idea that they were secure in their relationship with their master. 

The third servant, however, perceived his master as stern, serious, and angry. So therefore, he did nothing with his bag of money because he was afraid.

If we consider God as primarily an angry Being, then we will almost certainly not use the gifts he has given us, for fear of messing up and experiencing God’s wrath. 

Yet, the truth is, God is gracious and generous. The Lord has generously give to everyone; and God expects us to use what was given and not hide it away in a door jamb! If we want to hear the Lord Jesus say, “Well done, good and faithful servant,” then taking faithful initiative is necessary.

Fear is perhaps the devil’s greatest tool in preventing God’s people from being productive Christians in serving the church and the world. Beneath the fear can be powerful feelings of inferiority, inadequacy, and an inner conviction of not being enough. Oftentimes, a low view of self can come from a low view of God.

Fear paralyzes our potential to serve God’s kingdom

Being continually afraid, wastes whatever impact we could have for God in the world, and diminishes our resolve to act so that our lives are ineffective.

Fear destroys our dreams and godly desires

We are meant to enjoy the gracious and generous God, and in our enjoyment of the Lord, godly dreams will be placed within us that God is pleased to fulfill:

Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Psalm 37:4, NLT

Our enjoyment of God gives us the security and confidence to act upon godly desires and produces a generous harvest of righteousness and peace. We then can share the bounty with others, as a way of giving back to God. 

Yet, if fear gets thrown into the mix, it dilutes and destroys everything. Fear paralyzes us, and we do nothing, like the third servant in the parable who did nothing. What’s more, fear leads us into hiding, just like the servant hid and buried his big bag of money. 

We might wrap a lot of our fears in morbidly sanctified self-belittling, that is, of feeling good about feeling bad. Those self-deprecating feelings stop us from exploring God’s dream and vision for us. Yet, we really can speak and act in the world with confidence because we serve a God who is gracious and generous.

Some of the greatest fears that hold back people from exploring their faith is:

  • Fear of criticism – being afraid of what others may think or say 
  • Fear of taking a risk – being afraid of going outside the comfort zone of how something has always been done
  • Fear of ourselves – being afraid to explore our vast inner world with its guilt, shame, insecurity, and mixed motives

If you once had a dream and you think that dream is dead because of your sins and bad habits, you are wrong.  Dreams are destroyed by fear, by being duped into believing that we are not enough, and never will be. So, we end up doing nothing.

Fear ruins our relationship with God and others

Living in a way that is always looking over your shoulder to see if God is going to rap your knuckles with a ruler is no way to live.

The hardest people to get along with are those who have a low view themselves. Because they do not like themselves, they do not like others. They continually wonder if God is upset with them about something. The man in the parable blamed God for his lack of investment. Blaming others is really our own fear and insecurity seeping through – it helps no one, especially ourselves. 

Fear sabotages our service

“I can’t!” is the cry of the person locked in fear. I cannot stand up in front of people, meet strangers, serve like others, or love like Jesus did. I cannot because I am afraid, and I only have one measly bag of money! 

Yet, God typically uses tongue-tied people like Moses; worriers like Abraham; lowly tax-collectors like Matthew, and prostitutes with sordid pasts like Mary Magdalene – and not superstars. The less talented a person is, the more God gets to show up and show off with generous power and gracious ability through that person.

Conclusion

God loves you, and really does have wonderful plans for you. God created you with your unique personality, gave you unparalleled experiences, and gifted you with uncommon abilities. God wants you to tap into that passion and dream placed down deep in your heart to serve the world. 

What would you do with a million dollars? You already have it. Now, go and invest it.

Soli Deo Gloria

A Real Change of Life (Matthew 12:43-45)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year ALeave a comment

“When an evil spirit leaves a person, it goes into the desert, seeking rest but finding none. Then it says, ‘I will return to the person I came from.’ So it returns and finds its former home empty, swept, and in order. Then the spirit finds seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they all enter the person and live there. And so that person is worse off than before. That will be the experience of this evil generation.” (New Living Translation)

Nature abhors a vacuum. A tilled plot of soil will be overtaken with weeds if nothing is planted and nurtured in the turned-over dirt. 

The pecking order of a brood of chickens cannot handle the death of the top hen without filling the position almost immediately. 

In the spiritual realm, the exorcising of a demon will not simply leave a person empty of evil – their life will be filled with something in its place.

Jesus told a story about a man who was delivered from an unclean (evil) spirit. It’s a powerful and simple narrative on the necessity of true repentance, that is, on what a real change of life is like. 

Genuine freedom is more than getting rid of something bad and destructive; the evil must be replaced with something good and useful. In other words, biblical repentance, a true transformation of a person, is both a turning away from ungodliness and an embrace of righteousness.

We are delivered from evil so that we can start living into right and peaceful relationships, as God intends for us.

For example, the Apostle Paul exhorted the Ephesian believers to not only stop stealing but also to get a job and start sharing with others. They were not only to stop lying and using their tongues for gossip and slander and start using their words to speak truth that builds up others. (Ephesians 4:25-32)

The spiritual principle is the same as the nature principle: A empty vacuum will always be filled. The man who did not fill his life with God ended up having a problem with evil seven times greater than when he started. If anything, or anyone, is emptied of its unhealthy elements and practices, it is imperative that the hole be immediately filled with healthy disciplines for life.

Whether dealing with addictions, bad habits, or any kind of evil influence, a two-pronged approach is needed for its eradication. We expel the evil by replacing it with godliness. 

For example, the man struggling with pornography or adultery must not only stop the behavior but take up the mantle of being a champion for women’s issues; or the woman who has no healthy boundaries and allows herself to be used and abused must not only separate from the problem or person but adopt her identity in Christ as a precious child of God and enforce righteous limitations. 

These examples are not meant to be simplistic answers to complex situations. Rather, they illustrate why so many people do not experience freedom and continue to have even greater enslavement to their passions and sufferings. Freedom is realized through replacing old practices with new disciplines that directly attack the old.

We all have needs. How we get those needs met is often a mixed bag of both legitimate and illegitimate ways. In a perfect world, everyone would be aware of their needs and be able to express them to one another without shame, anxiety, or anger. Since we live on a blemished fallen planet, we end up trying to meet our needs indirectly through hustling for love, hoarding resources, and controlling others – all harmful ways which destroys souls and relationships.

In order to focus on meeting our needs in a wise and healthy manner, we must take a step beyond ending a toxic relationship, cutting up a credit card, or saying “no” to another responsibility. We often get into our mess to begin with because we are out of touch with ourselves and our needs. We need affection and encouragement, and there is no shame in needing this. We need security and safety, and there is no problem in acquiring this. There are some things we need to control, and that is okay.

If we fail to address our needs, we might do the necessary work of deliverance, then turn right around and become worse off than before by filling the empty place of our lives with:

  • Being all things to all people, as if we were the Messiah.
  • Being successful so that we stay ahead of being needy.
  • Pulling inside ourselves and trusting nobody.
  • Distancing from our needs and pretending they are not there.
  • Being continually vigilant so that we are never hurt that way again.
  • Keeping a positive spin on everything, as if there is no negative stuff in the world.
  • Challenging other’s opinions and behaviors to keep the focus off our needs.
  • Becoming a wallflower so that we can never be the brunt of someone else’s vitriol or evil.

Instead, we can let Jesus fill the emptiness with love, purpose, peace, joy, attention, and grace. Christ is the Savior who delivers us from evil, and the Holy Spirit is the Sanctifier who carefully applies the work of salvation to our lives. When our hearts and minds are full of God, there is no place for the demons to get in.

True change and transformation equally forsakes evil and embraces righteousness; replaces the unhealthy with the healthy; jettisons the illegitimate and seeks the legitimate; and puts away unnecessary suffering and pursues peace and joy in the Spirit.

O God, I no longer want to live with saying I’m sorry and going right back to the old pig slop of sin. I cannot change on my own. I need Jesus to both take away the sin and give me a new life of living for him. Help me to make choices that put to death the old way of life, and the courage to live into my forgiveness in the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Encouragement for Today (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year ALeave a comment

Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. 

For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 

For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words. (New International Version)

Everyone needs encouragement. Everybody wants some good news in their lives. People must not only have food, drink, clothing, and shelter, but also words that they can live by – words that can sustain them and help to make ends meet for their daily lives.

The Thessalonian Christians needed some good words of encouragement. They believed the Lord Jesus was coming soon. Any day now, at any time, Christ will return and take us to be with him forever. And yet, day after day, there was nothing but the anticipation, along with the expectations that weren’t realized.

On top of it all, some of the believing brothers and sisters died. So, what happens to them when they die? Will they somehow be excluded from enjoying Christ’s return? And, by the way, are we missing out on something here? Did Jesus come, and we somehow missed it?

The believers in the Thessalonian Church were left with concerns – not only for those who had died, but for those who were still alive. Perhaps somebody, even themselves, were being excluded from the gracious visitation of God. They were curious, but most of all confused.

Hope needed to be clarified for the Christians. A confident expectation would help sustain them in this life. They can keep laboring in the Lord with faith, have hope for the future, and realize love in both this life and in the life to come.

Christ will descend from the clouds with a cry of command, the sound of a trumpet, and lift the faithful into heaven. In other words, for those people who were living in the Roman Empire, Christ will arrive with the fanfare and pageantry of any Roman Emperor. Peace and security are here – not from Ceasar – but from a Sovereign who is greater than any earthly ruler.

I realize that many believers today see this vision of the coming Christ as a literal description. Maybe it is, and maybe it isn’t. But whatever it is, the Apostle Paul intended to assure the Thessalonian faithful that the promises of God were backed up by a power even greater than that of Rome.

Furthermore, true peace, security, and hope are not found in the Pax Romana of Rome, but in the gracious rule and reign of God. Christ is the Lord; Ceasar is not. The Thessalonians, therefore, were encouraged to let God be the source of their peace. For the One who calls you is faithful.

The encouragement we need is really not so different from what the Thessalonians needed to hear. Two thousand years later, like them, we continue to look for signs that assure us that God has not forgotten us; that we will not be left behind; and that we will not be separated from those who have already died.

As world problems continue, and as time marches on, we may grow weary. We might then place more hope and confidence in the power of a national government that offers us peace and security, as we patiently wait for God. Like the Thessalonians, all we really need is the assurance that God’s power and God’s promise is real.

We might not see Christ coming down from the sky today, or even next week, or next year. But we can still embrace the hope we need in order to get by every single day.

Although an apocalypse is coming, it is actually in the little things of life that helps sustain us till then. An encouraging and timely word from a friend; praying with a fellow believer; giving thanks to God for all things; and living with an awareness of the spiritual throughout the world all these things strengthen us and enable us to see God at work.

Through a consistent walk with God, day after day, the power and presence of God becomes real to us – maybe just as real as a dramatic scene of Christ coming down from the clouds – and offers us hope to face each new day with courage and compassion for a world in desperate need of salvation.

Almighty and all-sufficient God, give me strength to live another day.

Let me not be a coward in difficult circumstances, or to turn tail and run in the face of hard responsibilities.

Help me not lose faith in other people.

Keep my heart tender and wise, in spite of others’ ingratitude, treachery, or meanness.

Preserve me from minding the little stings of life, or of giving them to others.

May my heart be pure; and may I live honestly and fearlessly, so that no outward failure can dishearten me or take away the joy of inward integrity.

Open wide the eyes of my soul that I may see good in all things.

Grant me today some new vision of your truth.

Inspire me with a spirit of joy and gladness.

Make me the cup of strength to suffering souls.

I ask all of this in the name of my Deliverer, Lord, and Friend, Jesus Christ. Amen.