John 20, verse 26 through 21, verses 1 to 14, Jesus appears to His apostles

 

John 20:26 ¶  And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. 27  Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. 28  And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. 29  Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed. 30  And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: 31  But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.

The following week, Thomas was with the group and Jesus came in among them again. He gave Thomas the opportunity to verify for himself what the others had seen in the previous meeting. Thomas acknowledged that this was indeed his Lord and his God, the fundamental statement of the Christian.

John reports that there are many things that Jesus did that he saw as an eyewitness but that he did not include them here. The things he wrote in this gospel are for the purpose of leading you to believe that Jesus Christ was God in the flesh, the Son of God, and by believing that you will live forever with Him as so many other passages maintain. That is the purpose of the Gospel According to John, to get people saved.

There is a blessing here from Jesus for those who believe without seeing the signs these Jewish Apostles required. Unbelieving, faithless people require big shows and displays of supernatural power, which can often be faked by opportunistic people with an agenda to make money and achieve fame. But, true, Christian faith does not require such displays. It is quiet and believing, without demanding such proofs.

John, chapter 21

John 21:1 ¶  After these things Jesus shewed himself again to the disciples at the sea of Tiberias; and on this wise shewed he himself. 2  There were together Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two other of his disciples. 3  Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing. They say unto him, We also go with thee. They went forth, and entered into a ship immediately; and that night they caught nothing. 4  But when the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore: but the disciples knew not that it was Jesus. 5  Then Jesus saith unto them, Children, have ye any meat? They answered him, No. 6  And he said unto them, Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find. They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes. 7  Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved saith unto Peter, It is the Lord. Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he girt his fisher’s coat unto him, (for he was naked,) and did cast himself into the sea. 8  And the other disciples came in a little ship; (for they were not far from land, but as it were two hundred cubits,) dragging the net with fishes. 9  As soon then as they were come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid thereon, and bread. 10  Jesus saith unto them, Bring of the fish which ye have now caught. 11  Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to land full of great fishes, an hundred and fifty and three: and for all there were so many, yet was not the net broken. 12  Jesus saith unto them, Come and dine. And none of the disciples durst ask him, Who art thou? knowing that it was the Lord. 13  Jesus then cometh, and taketh bread, and giveth them, and fish likewise. 14  This is now the third time that Jesus shewed himself to his disciples, after that he was risen from the dead.

The third time that Jesus showed Himself to the Apostles was after they had a long night of fishing without catching anything. Jesus appeared on the shore but the disciples did not recognize Him. He directs them to cast their nets on the opposite side of the boat and the nets were filled with fish. Then, John recognized that it was Jesus and told Peter. Peter was not wearing any clothing, which for men working together on a ship at that time, might not have been unusual as the word naked means naked. See Genesis 2:25. Peter then swam to the shore as the other disciples brought their catch to land, a little over a football field’s length from them.

Jesus had prepared a fire over which He was cooking fish and there was bread. He told them to bring the fish they had caught and the net produced 153 fish but the net, though full, did not burst. Jesus told them to share a meal with Him. They all realized it was Jesus at this point.

Why all the detail? What does this passage mean? Why did the Holy Spirit find it necessary to tell us that the load of fish caught after Jesus became involved was a 153 exactly and not 152 or 154? There are a lot of sermons which have seeds in this little section. Some thoughts might be;

The disciples went fishing and caught nothing in the night, the time of spiritual night we’ve already discussed. Men are like fish in the sea and without Christ we cannot draw them to Him and it is morning when Christ calls them, another topic already discussed.

Habakkuk 1:14  And makest men as the fishes of the sea, as the creeping things, that have no ruler over them?

Matthew 4:19  And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.

John 12:32  And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.

John 15:5  I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

They have success when they obey Christ’s direction.

Peter knew enough that swimming to shore naked was not appropriate. God’s standard is that we be clothed when we worship Him. This is probably partly due to the naked rites of pagan idolatry. The priests were not to attend to God’s altar in just their outer garments.

Exodus 20:26  Neither shalt thou go up by steps unto mine altar, that thy nakedness be not discovered thereon.

So, underwear was designed for them. Notice that breeches cover the loins to the thighs, from the crotch to the knee. These are not trousers as some commentators have insisted. Trousers didn’t come into play until the Persians invented them for men and women both to ride on horseback long after these Old Testament verses were written.

Exodus 28:42  And thou shalt make them linen breeches to cover their nakedness; from the loins even unto the thighs they shall reach: 43  And they shall be upon Aaron, and upon his sons, when they come in unto the tabernacle of the congregation, or when they come near unto the altar to minister in the holy place; that they bear not iniquity, and die: it shall be a statute for ever unto him and his seed after him.

Remember the idolatrous practices of Egypt the Hebrews brought with them.

Exodus 32:1 ¶  And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him. 2  And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me. 3  And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron. 4  And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. 5  And when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said, To morrow is a feast to the LORD. 6  And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play…25  And when Moses saw that the people were naked; (for Aaron had made them naked unto their shame among their enemies:)

1Corinthians 10:7  Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.

So, Peter would not have a problem being with his fellow workers in the condition of nakedness but he knew that it would not be appropriate to stand naked before his Lord and Master. In a different sense, figurative, the Christian also does not want to stand naked before God but our righteousness, based solely on Christ’s righteousness, is represented by fine, white linen.

Revelation 19:8  And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.

Think of Christ feeding you with His word in the Bible.

Matthew 4:4  But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

Revelation 3:20  Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

So, as you can see there are many, many possible sermons out of this one little passage. Just looking at how each verse might apply to your condition is a marvelous thing about the Bible.

Psalms 42 and 43, my soul thirsts for God

 

Psalms 42:1 ¶  «To the chief Musician, Maschil, for the sons of Korah.» As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. 2  My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God? 3  My tears have been my meat day and night, while they continually say unto me, Where is thy God? 4  When I remember these things, I pour out my soul in me: for I had gone with the multitude, I went with them to the house of God, with the voice of joy and praise, with a multitude that kept holyday. 5  Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance.

 

The hunted and thirst driven deer pants after streams of water as persecuted David pants after God. His soul thirsts for God like the deer pants for water, for the living God, and David longs to appear before Him.

 

Psalm 63:1 ¶  «A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah.» O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; 2  To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the

sanctuary.

 

While his enemies push him and mocking him ask where his God is, David’s tears have become his food, figuratively speaking.

 

Psalm 6:6  I am weary with my groaning; all the night make I my bed to swim; I water my couch with my tears.

 

Psalm 80:5  Thou feedest them with the bread of tears; and givest them tears to drink in great measure.

 

Psalm 102:9  For I have eaten ashes like bread, and mingled my drink with weeping,

 

David attended the services for God on a day of remembrance, a holy day set apart for the Lord. Hear Psalm 63:2 again;

 

Psalm 63:2  To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the

sanctuary.

 

He rebukes his soul for being depressed and downtrodden and tells himself to hope in the Lord. David has hope and faith that he will yet praise God for his supernatural deliverance.

 

Psalm 143:3  For the enemy hath persecuted my soul; he hath smitten my life down to the ground; he hath made me to dwell in darkness, as those that have been long dead. 4  Therefore is my spirit overwhelmed within me; my heart within me is desolate.

 

1Samuel 30:6  And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.

 

Psalm 27:13  I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.

 

These Psalms are such great things to claim and pray for in our own troubles.

 

Psalm 42:6 ¶  O my God, my soul is cast down within me: therefore will I remember thee from the land of Jordan, and of the Hermonites, from the hill Mizar. 7  Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy waterspouts: all thy waves and thy billows are gone over me. 8  Yet the LORD will command his lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night his song shall be with me, and my prayer unto the God of my life. 9  I will say unto God my rock, Why hast thou forgotten me? why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy? 10  As with a sword in my bones, mine enemies reproach me; while they say daily unto me, Where is thy God? 11  Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.

 

The needful cry of David continues as he recognizes his depression over his circumstances. One affliction after another like the waves of the sea come crashing over him. But he hopes in God and knows that God will comfort him. He believes that. Yet he still feels as if God has forgotten him. He wants to know why he must keep mourning over his oppressions from those who hate him. Their reproach is like a deep wound a sword makes while they, every day, mock him by demanding, “Where is your God?” Then David repeats verse 5 in verse 11 declaring that God is his hope, that he believes he will yet praise God for deliverance, this God who will restore him.

Those of us who have been in dire straits can certainly understand this Psalm. This articulates something we may have felt at being mistreated by others, a financial circumstance, the loss of a loved one, or being told we had a potentially fatal disease.

 

Psalms chapter 43 – read the last Psalm again with this one

 

Psalm 43:1 ¶  Judge me, O God, and plead my cause against an ungodly nation: O deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man. 2  For thou art the God of my strength: why dost thou cast me off? why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy? 3  O send out thy light and thy truth: let them lead me; let them bring me unto thy holy hill, and to thy tabernacles. 4  Then will I go unto the altar of God, unto God my exceeding joy: yea, upon the harp will I praise thee, O God my God. 5  Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.

 

Psalm 35:1 ¶  «A Psalm of David.» Plead my cause, O LORD, with them that strive with me: fight against them that fight against me.

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David seeks help from God, deliverance from a people who are ungodly, from deceitful and unjust persons. He feels abandoned by God in the oppression caused by his enemies. This is a repetition of the thought of verse 9 of the last Psalm and these two Psalms appear to be part of the same thought.

 

Psalm 42:9  I will say unto God my rock, Why hast thou forgotten me? why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?

 

David and we both plead for God’s leading, His light and His truth. Solomon let us know.

 

Proverbs 3:5  Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 6  In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

 

David is confident that God’s light and God’s truth will lead David to the altar of God and cause David to praise God.

 

Psalm 116:16  O LORD, truly I am thy servant; I am thy servant, and the son of thine handmaid: thou hast loosed my bonds. 17  I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the LORD. 18  I will pay my vows unto the LORD now in the presence of all his people, 19  In the courts of the LORD’S house, in the midst of thee, O Jerusalem. Praise ye the LORD.

 

Again, the sentiment is repeated in the last Psalm in verse 11.

 

Psalm 42:11  Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.

 

In David’s depression he still believes that he will yet have reason to praise God, and that David trusts in God’s deliverance. Again, those of us facing difficult circumstances can relate to these Psalms and can pray them back to God as they are so relevant in our day and time.

John 20, verses 11 to 25, Woman, why do you weep

 

John 20:11 ¶  But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre, 12  And seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. 13  And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him. 14  And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus. 15  Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away. 16  Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master. 17  Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God. 18  Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that he had spoken these things unto her.

Peter and John do not understand the Resurrection. Mary thinks someone stole Jesus’ body. It is given to Mary Magdalene to see two angels and then to turn and see Jesus, thinking Him to be the gardener. Jesus says her name and then she sees Him for who He is. Is that not the way salvation is and the way the translation of the church will be? We knew Christ for how He was when He spoke our name. Our coming to Christ had to be a very personal thing, not a group thing. There is no group salvation in Biblical Christianity. You were not saved because you were a Baptist, Catholic, Lutheran, or Pentecostal. You were saved because God spoke your name and you saw Him for who He is.

John 10:3  To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.

Genesis 22:1 ¶  And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am…11 ¶  And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I.

Exodus 3:4  And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I.

1Samuel 3:4  That the LORD called Samuel: and he answered, Here am I.

Song of Solomon 2:8 ¶  The voice of my beloved! behold, he cometh leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills….10  My beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away.

Acts 9:4  And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?

1Thessalonians 4:16  For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17  Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. [you certainly don’t think here, in consideration of other passages that the Lord is just shouting, “HEY!” do you?]

Revelation 2:17  He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.

Jesus told her not to touch Him as He had not ascended to the Father. We can only guess the reasons for that and the physics of it. But, she ran and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord and what He had said to her.

    19 ¶  Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. 20  And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord. 21  Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. 22  And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: 23  Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained. 24  But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. 25  The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.

Later, the disciples were hiding behind closed doors for fear of the Jews, and Jesus appeared in their midst. He greeted them with Peace be unto you and showed his pierced hands and side to them. The disciples were glad to see Him. He repeated His blessing to them and declared His authorizing of them to be sent by giving them life, in a way, as He had given Adam life in Genesis 2:7. Christ gave the eleven remaining Apostles the Holy Ghost.

These Apostles were given the authority to remit sins. It is reported elsewhere that Jesus said;

Matthew 26:28  For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

Modern definitions of remission include, “the cancellation of a debt, charge, or penalty,” or, “a temporary recovery from a disease or the pain associated with it,” and, “forgiveness of sins.”

In the era the King James Bible was translated there was a thesaurus called Thesaurus Linguae Romanae et Britannicae. This was compiled by Thomas Cooper in 1584. In it, remit, meant, “to acquit one of his debt; to forgive…”, and, “to pardon and remit the punishment one has deserved.”

In 1587 Thomas Thomas’ Dictionarium Linguae Latinae et Anglicanae had, “to remit, or forgive, to pardon.” Remission in those early dictionaries and thesaurus in Early Modern English is listed as synonymous with forgiveness or pardon. (40)

What does the Bible say? Clearly, in the verse in Matthew we know that Christ’s shed blood is required for the forgiveness of our sins.

Ephesians 1:7  In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;

Colossians 1:14  In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:

John the Baptist preached the baptism of repentance to the Jews as a nation for the remission of sins.

Mark 1:4  John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.

And when Peter faced the proselyte Jews after the Resurrection he told them that they must receive this baptism of repentance to receive the Holy Ghost.

Acts 2:38  Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

But, what about the Christian? Does remission mean forgiveness and was this a special authority given to the Apostles only or was it for all Christians?

Romans 3:25  Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;

The use of the word remission has to do with a debt that is cancelled. Many would say that remission and forgiveness are distinct and that if sins are remitted they not completely removed. But it is clear that remission and forgiveness are synonyms.

The Apostles were given the authority to forgive sins, but clearly, like speaking in tongues or foreign languages without learning them, and healings administered by individuals this was used to spread Christianity in its early days. Here is another authority given to the physical Apostles that we do not have;

Matthew 18:18  Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

Jesus Christ gave the Apostles the Holy Ghost and the Holy Ghost came again in a very public way on the Apostles, in Acts, chapter 2;

Acts 1:8  But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

Acts 2:1 ¶  And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2  And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. 3  And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.

Clearly, since these are two events and the Holy Ghost is involved in both they have two distinct purposes. One, the first, is in granting authority to the Apostles to forgive sins, and, two, the second one is giving the spiritual power to accomplish the supernatural task Jesus set for them.

Matthew 28:19  Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20  Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

Thomas doubts the Apostles’ account; the evidence of Christ’s pierced side and hands. He wants to see what they have seen and if he does not see it he will not believe.

The conclusions drawn here from this passage are that Christ gave the Holy Ghost to the Apostles in two stages; one with authority and power to forgive sins and the other with the ability to carry out their mission. Another conclusion is that the Apostles had power that we do not have in this age of the Church. The third thing is that remission and forgiveness are synonyms.

(40) Lexicons of Early Modern English, http://leme.library.utoronto.ca/search/results.cfm

Proverbs 31, verses 10 to 31, part 2, wool and flax

 

13 She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands.

The first time wool is mentioned it is the fleece of wool that Gideon puts out to test the Lord in Judges 6:37. Later, it is used by God as an example of the believers sin washed from the crimson, red bloodiness of their sins to be as white as wool in Isaiah 1:18. An interesting side note for me is how red and scarlet and crimson are set up as contrasts to white as snow. The Biblical contrast is not between black and white but between red, representing blood, and white.

Isaiah 1:18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

And again, white linen symbolizes righteousness.

Revelation 19:8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.

So, that in the following verse it can’t be said that in heaven everyone is going to be a white person, as the controversial Texas preacher J. Frank Norris claimed that he preached to a congregation of black preachers, but that they will be made white as in the color of snow, not Caucasian flesh. Believe it or not these verses have been used by Bible lightweights and racists to “prove” their points about racial superiority when any serious student of the Bible knows differently.

Daniel 12:10 Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand.

To compare this verse with others, all through the book of Revelation white linen is spoken of. Racists, racialists, and bigots, either black or white, are fools, and can only find justification for their weakness by twisting scriptures and using them for a purpose for which they were not written.

So, back to the Proverb, wool is symbolic of being washed from your sins in Christ’s blood and of being clothed in clean, white linen. It signifies righteousness. The church is only righteous because Christ is righteous. As the moon only reflects the sun and has no light of its own (Job 25:5), the church reflects the righteousness that belongs only to Christ and they have none of their own.

Flax is the substance from which linen is made. Flax was used by Rahab to hide the Hebrew spies in Joshua 2:6. If white linen, the color of wool, symbolizes the righteousness that is found only in Christ, then flax, the stuff from which the white linen of the saints is made, is Christ’s rigthteousness which is the church’s covering and protection from the Wicked One and from the second death.

 

So, we have wool and flax, symbolizing the white linen of righteousness which covers the church because of Christ. This is something the church seeks.

The church, the body of Christ on earth, is called to do good works.

Ephesians 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

Pure religion is defined as showing mercy to the helpless and not adopting the ways of the world.

James 1:27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

What constitutes the spot and stain of the world found at the end of the verse in James?

1John 2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

These are the same three things that tempted Eve when confronted by the dragon, Satan.

Genesis 3:6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

The characteristics of the true bride of Christ are clear. With sins cleansed white like wool, covered in Christ’s righteousness, she seeks to honor Him with her devotion and good works, rejecting the things the world itself admires and extols, always remembering;

Luke 16:15 And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.

Christ’s righteousness is the white linen the church wears. Each member is to reveal the Spirit of God working through them by the fruit of the Spirit which proves who they are.

Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

The church’s behavior and attitude is laid out clearly.

Romans 12:1 ¶ I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. 3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith………..9 Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good. 10 Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another; 11 Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord; 12 Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer; 13 Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality. 14 Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not. 15 Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep. 16 Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits. 17 Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. 18 If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. 19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.

1 Thessalonians 5:14 Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men. 15 See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men.
16¶ Rejoice evermore. 17 Pray without ceasing. 18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. 19 Quench not the Spirit. 20 Despise not prophesyings. 21 Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. 22 Abstain from all appearance of evil.

Although this would be prophetic of the church in general, we can ask what kind of bride in a small example is your church?

John 20, verses 1 to 10, the scene at the empty tomb

 

John 20:1 ¶  The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre. 2  Then she runneth, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him. 3  Peter therefore went forth, and that other disciple, and came to the sepulchre. 4  So they ran both together: and the other disciple did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulchre. 5  And he stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in. 6  Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulchre, and seeth the linen clothes lie, 7  And the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself. 8  Then went in also that other disciple, which came first to the sepulchre, and he saw, and believed. 9  For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead. 10  Then the disciples went away again unto their own home.

Sunday, of course, is the first day of the week. As the Jewish day begins with the evening, Sunday would start on Saturday at nightfall or around 6pm, then Sunday began on Saturday night. Before daylight Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw the stone that was placed in front of it was moved away. You can read more about the stone being placed and the watch over the tomb in Matthew and Mark.

Mary told Peter and John, the writer of this gospel, and they both ran to the tomb. John was younger and faster so he arrived first and saw the linen clothing Jesus had been wrapped in laying there but he was looking in and did not go in the tomb. Peter also witnessed this and the covering for His face lying separately after going inside the tomb. John followed after. That these details are important to John but not the placing of the stone in front of the tomb is very interesting.

 But, once again we are faced with the fact that the Jews were not looking forward to the Cross and the empty tomb like we are told so often. Even though Christ’s body is gone His disciples still do not understand that He was to rise from the grave. The next passage reveals that to underscore this point.

This brings to mind an interesting point. A doctrine exists even if the majority of people do not understand or believe it. If it is true, it simply is, regardless of opinion. As an example, the early church was premillennial, in that they believed in chiliasm (kill e as um), believing that Christ would return to rule physically on earth for a thousand years. Historical writers like Will Durant, in his epic eleven volume The Story of Civilization noted this.

“The apostles were apparently unanimous in believing that Christ would soon return to establish the Kingdom of Heaven on earth.” (35)

With this belief came the understanding that the church itself, the people, would be removed or translated from the world before Christ’s return, based on several verses in the Bible beginning with Enoch being physically removed without dying. See Genesis 5:24; Proverbs 25:7; Luke 17:34-36;  Hebrews 11:5; 1Thessalonians 1:10; 1Thessalonians 4:14-17; Revelation 4:1; 11:12, 18.

Writings of early church leaders that have come down to us expressing belief in the premillennial return of the Lord include Papias, Shepard, Irenaeus, Lactantius, Victorinus, Cyprian, Ephraim the Syrite, Commodianus, Origen, Tertullian, and Justin Martyr while some of them also include implications and clear statements that the church will not see the wrath to come but will be removed beforehand. This does not prove, of course, that the doctrine is true but just that it is not a new doctrine, either the premillennial view or the translation of the church, but that these early church leaders, the viewpoint of the Apostles who knew Christ, and the Scriptures point in this direction.

The dominant viewpoint of the Roman Catholic Church after Augustine was that there was no millennium, in that references to a thousand year reign were allegorical and that the Roman church was ruling the world in Christ’s place as his proxy. The Reformation called that into doubt. The dominant viewpoint in early America up to the turn of the 20^th century among evangelical Protestants was called postmillennial, in that the church would rule the world with Christ reigning spiritually through it, as men became more righteous and more Christian in appearance and practice.

As I pointed out before the American Theological Review, in 1859, said that postmillennialism, whereby a millennium would be set up and the religion of Christ would be everywhere and, “his spiritual reign would be universal,” and that would be followed by Christ’s physical return was the, “commonly received doctrine.”  While admitting that this was not what the early church believed, as the early church said and we believe, He will return first to rule and then the millennium, the thousand year reign, will come, the author goes on to say that the early church was simply wrong.(36)

Christians today who do not believe in the translation of the church, popularly called The Rapture, will say that preacher of the early 1800’s, John Nelson Darby, invented the doctrine. He did popularize it in a world that regarded evolutionary progress as truth and that mankind and Christians in particular were headed toward a Golden Age of righteousness and peace.(37)

But, he obviously did not invent the doctrine, merely gave it his own twist. As John Reeve wrote  two centuries before Darby’s, in the 1600’s, “Then shall the Elect, by the Decree or Voice of Jesus Christ, the Archangel, first appear out of the Graves, and, in the twinkling of an Eye, with all the Elect that are then living, as one Man, with a glorious Shout, shall, with distinct immortal Bodies, like unto their God, ascend to meet the Lord in the Air, and with him and his mighty angels, as swift as Thought, enter into that vast new Heaven and new Earth above the Stars….(38)

My intent here is not to approve of any preacher’s particular doctrines or idiosyncracies or even personal opinions or heresies but simply to show that the doctrine was not invented by Darby, as some would say. Only the timing of when it would happen, before the Great Tribulation mentioned in Matthew and Revelation, during, or at the end of it were in contention among those that believed in it.

Other references to the idea of the church being physically removed are from such diverse preachers and commentators as Jesuit priest, Francisco Ribera, in 1590, Puritan Cotton Mather in the 1600’s, and John Gill in the 1700’s.(39)  In the first decade of the 1700’s Matthew Henry even uses the phrase, “rapture in the clouds,” in his commentary on 1Thessalonians 4:17 which is so commonly free on the internet I don’t need to give you directions here.

Again, the issue is when that happens and how close it is to the general judgment of the dead. Darby’s view was that it must take place before the return of Christ. The Bible seems to indicate that then there is the thousand year reign of Christ and the general judgment follows.

My point in bringing all of this up is to only say that a doctrine can exist in the Bible and either be misunderstood, not be known by most believers, or that those against it may misrepresent it to justify their own beliefs. The Jews believed that Israel would be restored to its past greatness, not seeing the Cross or the Resurrection of their Messiah. Many Christians believed they would turn the world over to Christian principles and values without Christ present. We must always remember that our understanding is incomplete until we stand before our Saviour.

Don’t put the Jews of Christ’s time down because they did not see this coming. We, ourselves, may be surprised that many of our pet doctrines, including The Rapture, may be wrong or not quite how we envisioned or our preachers taught us. All that matters is the truth and we have our hands full trying to obey the clear instructions of the Bible without arguing incessantly about who the Antichrist is or when The Rapture is to take place when we should be focused on the proof or fruit of the Spirit in our lives as Paul wrote in Galatians, chapter 5. Rather than excitedly seeking out the next prophecy conference why don’t you spend some time on your face praying to be filled with the Spirit?

(35) Will Durant, “The Apostles: A.D. 30-95,”  The Story of Civilization:Volume 3, Caesar and  Christ (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1944), 575.

(36) Henry Boynton Smith, ”History of Opinions Respecting the Millennium,” The American Theological Review (Boston: Charles Scribner & Son, 1859), 642.

(37) J.N. Darby, “The Rapture of the Saints,” in The Heavenly Hope, or, What is the Hope of the Christian? What is the Hope of the Church? (Dublin: Dublin Tract Repository, 1844).

https://openlibrary.org/works/OL16305370W/The_Heavenly_hope_or_What_is_the_hope_of_the_Christian_What_is_the_hope_of_the_Church_A_letter_from_   

 

(38) John Reeve, “An Epistle to a Kinsman,” in Joyful News from Heaven (London: Francis Cosinet, 1658), 60.

https://openlibrary.org/works/OL245574W/Joyful_news_from_heaven_or_The_last_intelligence_from_our_glorified_Jesus_above_the_stars

(39) Mal Couch, ed., Dictionary of Premillennial Theology (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 1996.

Proverbs 31, verses 10 to 31, part 1, her price is far above rubies

 

Proverbs 31:10 ¶  Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies. 11  The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil. 12  She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life. 13  She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands. 14  She is like the merchants’ ships; she bringeth her food from afar. 15  She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens. 16  She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard. 17  She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms. 18  She perceiveth that her merchandise is good: her candle goeth not out by night. 19  She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff. 20  She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy. 21  She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household are clothed with scarlet. 22  She maketh herself coverings of tapestry; her clothing is silk and purple. 23  Her husband is known in the gates, when he sitteth among the elders of the land. 24  She maketh fine linen, and selleth it; and delivereth girdles unto the merchant. 25  Strength and honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come. 26  She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness. 27  She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness. 28  Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her. 29  Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all. 30  Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised. 31  Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates.

 

10 ¶ Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.

This is literally true for the young man whom God would send a good wife. A virtuous woman, a woman of grace, moral courage, and vision, who has an active and living relationship with Christ is worth more than precious stones, worth far more.

A virtuous woman does not make her husband ashamed or embarrass him.

Proverbs 12:4 A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband: but she that maketh ashamed is as rottenness in his bones.

It is said that wisdom and understanding, which are synonyms have a value higher than rubies. This links the virtuous woman to wisdom and understanding.

Job 28:12 But where shall wisdom be found ? and where is the place of understanding? 13 Man knoweth not the price thereof; neither is it found in the land of the living. 14 The depth saith , It is not in me: and the sea saith , It is not with me. 15 It cannot be gotten for gold, neither shall silver be weighed for the price thereof. 16 It cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir, with the precious onyx, or the sapphire. 17 The gold and the crystal cannot equal it: and the exchange of it shall not be for jewels of fine gold. 18 No mention shall be made of coral, or of pearls: for the price of wisdom is above rubies.

Proverbs 8:11:For wisdom is better than rubies; and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it.

Wisdom itself is given a feminine gender.

Proverbs 3:13 Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding. 14 For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold. 15 She is more precious than rubies: and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her.

It is by the church that the spiritual powers in the universe are shown the wisdom of God.

 

Ephesians 3:10 To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God,

The church is the bride of Christ.

2Corinthians 11:2 For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.

Ephesians 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; 26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, 27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. 28 So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. 29 For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: 30 For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. 31 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. 32 This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.

Now notice these references in the Old Testament;

Isaiah 61:10 I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.

Isaiah 62:5 For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee: and as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee.

 

11 The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil.

Now, here’s an interesting turn of phrase in the use of the word; spoil. Spoil is a word that refers to that which is taken from someone you’ve conquered or robbed. So, why is it used here?

This is one of those verses that you have to allegorize to make it fitting for the Christian young man seeking out a virtuous wife who would have no need of envying those who have taken much in life from others by virtue of her hard work. But, for the church there are some interesting parallels that are worth thinking about.

Can Christ trust in His church to be the virtuous woman she is called to be? As Christ is the husband of the church notice what He is said to do. Understand that the “strong man” in the following is Satan.

Matthew 12:28 But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you. 29 Or else how can one enter into a strong man’s house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house.

The Pharisees, the religious right wing, the fundamentalists of His day, accused Jesus of having cast out devils by the power of Satan. Jesus said that Satan is the strong man and questions how his goods can be spoiled in showing that Satan is not going to cast out his own devils. Jesus was capable of binding the strong man and making spoil of his goods, which are all humans who are by nature taken captive of him at his will. See the entire interplay between Jesus and the Pharisees in Matthew 12:22-37 and make note of the word; spoil. In this passage as well the sin of blaspheming the Holy Spirit, which was to say that Jesus was working in conjunction with Satan while here on the earth in human form, is laid out.

Remember, Satan is the god of this world. This is his house, so to speak. See 2 Corinthians 4:4 and his offer to Christ in Luke 4:5-7.

The church, the bride of Christ, when doing His will, draws men to Him. They come of their own free will and at the urging of the Holy Spirit through the ministrations of the church. This process of drawing men to Christ continues until His violent and forceful return to assume control over the kingdoms of the earth as per Revelation 11:15.

How does the church draw men to Christ? Is it by political shenanigans, paranoia, a lust for worldly power and control, cultish behavior? No, it is by doing what is clearly laid out in the New Testament as to how the church should function in the world displaying the fruit of the Spirit, being true to Christ’s word and name, helping the helpless, feeding the poor, and ministering to the sorrowful and grieving; particularly in the church but also to all men as any surface reading of the New Testament letters written to Gentile churches by Paul will reveal.

 

I don’t know but perhaps, after reading much of what is said in the New Testament, as long as the church is doing the part of the virtuous woman, the end will be delayed. But, as the church grows cold and has lost its devotion to Christ and becomes purely a social organization, a cultural entity, and the religious wing of whichever government party is in power, a sort of self-righteous bunch of do nothings, preening and prating like a colorful peacock, strutting about as if it was “all that and a bag of chips” then it will be time to take the spoil. Perhaps some want the end of the world to come so badly that they’ll pump up their Cadillac Christianity until;

Luke 18:8 I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?

Psalm 107, God's great mercy and His great wrath

 

Psalm 107:1 ¶  O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. 2  Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy; 3  And gathered them out of the lands, from the east, and from the west, from the north, and from the south. 4  They wandered in the wilderness in a solitary way; they found no city to dwell in. 5  Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted in them. 6  Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them out of their distresses. 7  And he led them forth by the right way, that they might go to a city of habitation. 8  Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! 9  For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.

 

Verse 1 repeats Psalm 106:1. Praising God is a theme of the Psalms. God is the only thing that is absolutely good and we would do well to understand that. His mercy endures forever, which is just one reason we know He is not done with the Jews as a people and that He will never abandon us. Of course, none of that makes sense unless you take the eternal perspective and see things in the long run rather than confined to this mortal body.

 

Hebrews 13:5  Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

 

See Psalm 136 as for his mercy endureth for ever is in every line.

 

Psalm 2 and moving forward is very interesting. I think of the millennial reign of Christ or even eternity and tie Isaiah 34 and 35, perhaps depicting Christ’s triumph over Satan and the kings of the earth at the end of His millennial reign (read Revelation 20), to this passage. While it is not completely clear I think it gives us pause to think.

 

Isaiah 34:1 ¶  Come near, ye nations, to hear; and hearken, ye people: let the earth hear, and all that is therein; the world, and all things that come forth of it. 2  For the indignation of the LORD is upon all nations, and his fury upon all their armies: he hath utterly destroyed them, he hath delivered them to the slaughter. 3  Their slain also shall be cast out, and their stink shall come up out of their carcases, and the mountains shall be melted with their blood. 4  And all the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll: and all their host shall fall down, as the leaf falleth off from the vine, and as a falling fig from the fig tree. 5  For my sword shall be bathed in heaven: behold, it shall come down upon Idumea, and upon the people of my curse, to judgment. 6  The sword of the LORD is filled with blood, it is made fat with fatness, and with the blood of lambs and goats, with the fat of the kidneys of rams: for the LORD hath a sacrifice in Bozrah, and a great slaughter in the land of Idumea. 7  And the unicorns shall come down with them, and the bullocks with the bulls; and their land shall be soaked with blood, and their dust made fat with fatness. 8  For it is the day of the LORD’S vengeance, and the year of recompences for the controversy of Zion.

 

    9 ¶  And the streams thereof shall be turned into pitch, and the dust thereof into brimstone, and the land thereof shall become burning pitch. 10  It shall not be quenched night nor day; the smoke thereof shall go up for ever: from generation to generation it shall lie waste; none shall pass through it for ever and ever. 11  But the cormorant and the bittern shall possess it; the owl also and the raven shall dwell in it: and he shall stretch out upon it the line of confusion, and the stones of emptiness. 12  They shall call the nobles thereof to the kingdom, but none shall be there, and all her princes shall be nothing. 13  And thorns shall come up in her palaces, nettles and brambles in the fortresses thereof: and it shall be an habitation of dragons, and a court for owls. 14  The wild beasts of the desert shall also meet with the wild beasts of the island, and the satyr shall cry to his fellow; the screech owl also shall rest there, and find for herself a place of rest. 15  There shall the great owl make her nest, and lay, and hatch, and gather under her shadow: there shall the vultures also be gathered, every one with her mate. 16  Seek ye out of the book of the LORD, and read: no one of these shall fail, none shall want her mate: for my mouth it hath commanded, and his spirit it hath gathered them. 17  And he hath cast the lot for them, and his hand hath divided it unto them by line: they shall possess it for ever, from generation to generation shall they dwell therein.

 

Isaiah 35:1 ¶  The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose. 2  It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing: the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon, they shall see the glory of the LORD, and the excellency of our God. 3  Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees. 4  Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not:

behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; he will come and save you.

 

    5 ¶  Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. 6  Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert. 7  And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water: in the habitation of dragons, where each lay, shall be grass with reeds and rushes. 8  And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein. 9  No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon, it shall not be found there; but the redeemed shall walk there: 10  And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

 

Psalm 107 makes one consider whether or not this is a depiction of the wandering in the Wilderness after being delivered from Egypt but you have to wonder what this means about taking them from every direction before they wander because we know the Israelites that came out of Egypt were from one man’s family? So, who are these who are drawn from every direction? This makes me think of prophecy of a future time. There is more to this Psalm than meets the eye on first glance, I think.

 

Will this be the Jews in the Tribulation who Christ reveals Himself to, as the Jewish people are represented by the woman, being persecuted by the Beast?

 

Revelation 12: 1 ¶  And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars: 2  And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered. 3  And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. 4  And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born. 5  And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne. 6  And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days. 7  And there was war in heaven:

Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, 8  And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. 9  And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. 10  And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and

the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. 11  And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

 

    12 ¶  Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time. 13  And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child. 14  And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent. 15  And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood. 16  And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth. 17  And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the

commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

 

Psalm 107:10 ¶  Such as sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, being bound in affliction and iron; 11  Because they rebelled against the words of God, and contemned the counsel of the most High: 12  Therefore he brought down their heart with labour; they fell down, and there was none to help. 13  Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, and he saved them out of their distresses. 14  He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and brake their bands in sunder. 15  Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! 16  For he hath broken the gates of brass, and cut the bars of iron in sunder.

 

The context of this passage appears to be the enslavement of the Hebrews in Egypt. It also seems to represent the times that Israel fell away and then repented in their torment and God delivered them from their enemies yet again.

 

Judges 2:14  And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he delivered them into the hands of spoilers that spoiled them, and he sold them into the hands of their enemies round about, so that they could not any longer stand before their enemies. 15  Whithersoever they went out, the hand of the LORD was against them for evil, as the LORD had said, and as the LORD had sworn unto them: and they were greatly distressed. 16  Nevertheless the LORD raised up judges, which delivered them out of the hand of those that spoiled them.

 

God’s mercy and grace also delivered His people from the bondage of sin and death.

 

Isaiah 9:2  The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.

 

Isaiah 42:6  I the LORD have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles; 7  To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house.

 

Jonah 2:2  And said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the LORD, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice.

 

Luke 1:76  And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways; 77  To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins, 78  Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us, 79  To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.

 

1Peter 3:18 ¶  For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: 19  By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; 20  Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.

 

Christ defeated death and broke the gates of brass and the bars of iron.

 

John 10:28  And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

 

1Thessalonians 4:16  For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

17  Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

 

For we, too, were once disobedient and did not value God’s words. We held them in contempt, if we knew them at all. We contemned them.

 

1Corinthians 6:9 ¶  Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, 10  Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. 11  And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

 

Let us praise God for His mercy!

 

Psalm 107:17 ¶  Fools because of their transgression, and because of their iniquities, are afflicted. 18  Their soul abhorreth all manner of meat; and they draw near unto the gates of death. 19  Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he saveth them out of their distresses. 20  He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions. 21  Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! 22  And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare his works with rejoicing.

 

God’s people who willfully sin are indeed fools. We have been saved not only from the penalty of sin but from the power of sin. We will be saved from even the presence of sin in eternity. Just read Romans, chapters 6 through 8.

 

But God will deliver even the most wayward of His children. He has promised.

 

Psalm 34:17  The righteous cry, and the LORD heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles.

 

Our sacrifices are the thanks and praise we lift up to the Lord God.

 

1Thessalonians 5:18  In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

 

Hebrews 13:15  By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.

God has been so kind and merciful to me, a sinner. The bad times are all the more pronounced because we tend to not think clearly in the good times. We have so many good moments, typically, that God blesses us with that the times of trouble stand out like utter unreconcilable catastrophes. I have sinned so much and am so undeserving of God’s mercy I am amazed each and every day. I pleaded with God for deliverance and was often delivered. And when you consider eternity life becomes even more amazing. Oh, give thanks to God for His goodness and His kindness to us in spite of ourselves.

 

Psalm 107:23 ¶  They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters; 24  These see the works of the LORD, and his wonders in the deep. 25  For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof. 26  They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths: their soul is melted because of trouble. 27  They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits’ end. 28  Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses. 29  He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still. 30  Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven. 31  Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! 32  Let them exalt him also in the congregation of the people, and praise him in the assembly of the elders.

 

The Psalmist notes that sailors, those who do commerce in the sea, and this could be a reference to the Mediterranean or even the Atlantic or Indian Oceans as the Phoenicians were great travelers and explorers there, see the amazing wonders of God in the deep. As even the most ardent landlubber can see in videos on the internet the the raging of the sea, the mighty waves, and the vast expanses are truly remarkable.

 

These seagoing men find themselves in trouble in the storms and particularly on those relatively frail boats, compared to ours, they are at the mercy of God’s grace. When God shows them mercy, which is often, they are grateful to Him and praise Him mightily. I think of the sailors in Jonah, chapter 1, and their great fear on the storm caused by Jonah’s rebellion against God. See how Jesus calmed the storm in Mark 4.

 

We should praise the Lord God for His mercy to us, praise Him at the scene of His deliverance and in church.

 

Psalm 89:9  Thou rulest the raging of the sea: when the waves thereof arise, thou stillest them.

 

A storm at sea may be the seafarer’s greatest fear. May God deliver us from our greatest fears, things much bigger than ourselves.

 

Psalm 107:33 ¶  He turneth rivers into a wilderness, and the watersprings into dry ground; 34  A fruitful land into barrenness, for the wickedness of them that dwell therein. 35  He

turneth the wilderness into a standing water, and dry ground into watersprings. 36  And there he maketh the hungry to dwell, that they may prepare a city for habitation; 37  And sow the fields, and plant vineyards, which may yield fruits of increase. 38  He blesseth them also, so that they are multiplied greatly; and suffereth not their cattle to decrease. 39  Again, they are minished and brought low through oppression, affliction, and sorrow. 40  He poureth contempt upon princes, and causeth them to wander in the wilderness, where there is no way. 41  Yet setteth he the poor on high from affliction, and maketh him families like a flock. 42  The righteous shall see it, and rejoice: and all iniquity shall stop her mouth. 43  Whoso is wise, and will observe these things, even they shall understand the

lovingkindness of the LORD.

 

It is God who turns lush places into deserts, sometimes as a punishment for the wicked deeds done in a land. Imagine the land around Sodom. Then, He can turn again the desert into a fruitful place. People build cities and prosper but then God can bring them low again. Even great men like princes can be brought low and the poor and lowly He can raise up. It is the righteous who see God’s hand in these events and are wise in their understanding of God’s mercy and of His wrath. All of this was accomplished in Israel and Judah in the days of the Old Testament writings.

 

Do you see God’s hand in your life in chastisement and in blessings, in His disappointment at your behavior and attitude and in His grace and mercy? Are you wise, and are you observant? We would do well to review our study on the Book of Job and other books of the Law and of the history of the Israelites. But check your own life and think about the ups and downs and about God’s hand in your affairs.