TOMS: Acts 11

For an introduction to this series, click here.

June 11, 2007

Peter came back to Jerusalem after opening the door of faith to the Gentiles and promptly gets himself in trouble. The people in Jerusalem could not understand how Peter could fellowship with Gentiles. There will always be people who find fault and criticize every new thing. But at least most of them seemed to respond positively after Peter told his story: "When they heard these things they fell silent. And they glorified God, saying, 'Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life.'" (11:18)

I guess at some level there is nothing wrong with skepticism. We all have beliefs and assumptions about life, about God, about just about every other topic you can think of, without knowing all the facts. The real problem begins when you don't do what the Jerusalem church did here. When you hang on to your worldview, your opinion, whatever, when there is solid evidence from a creditable source to disprove what you think, you need to be open-minded enough to admit you were wrong. Some folks have a hard time with that, don't they?

Meanwhile other Christians, instead of criticizing, took advantage of the new open door: "Now those who were scattered because of the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except Jews. But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who on coming to Antioch spoke to the Hellenists also, preaching the Lord Jesus. And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed turned to the Lord." (11:19-21) These people took advantage of the new situation and began preaching the Gospel to the Gentiles.

The end of this chapter has a section that is very strange: "Now in these days prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. And one of them named Agabus stood up and foretold by the Spirit that there would be a great famine over all the world (this took place in the days of Claudius). So the disciples determined, everyone according to his ability, to send relief to the brothers living in Judea. And they did so, sending it to the elders by the hand of Barnabas and Saul." These were true prophets, foretelling the future with the help of the Lord. Lots of people today say that when prophecy is mentioned in the New Testament that it is a reference to preaching. But that is simply not the case. Prophecy of the future was another miraculous work of the Spirit during this time.

Other than that, there really isn't a whole lot in this chapter to talk about.

TOMS: Luke 21

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April 3, 2007

This chapter opens with the widow's offering and goes to a summary of the Olivet Discourse. 

The story of the widow's offering of "two small copper coins" is one of the best examples of God's demands on us. God is not our servant that we toss a tip to. He demands everything. And that includes our money, which is hard a lot of the time, because I know I need what little money I have for this or that. Of course, like most things in life, what is important is our attitude, and that is of course true here too. Jesus knew that was all the lady had, and yet He did not try to stop her and tell her she did not need to give because she was so poor. I know it's hard, but too often I am guilty of being too conservative with God.

The rest of the chapter is Luke's version of the Olivet Discourse, where Jesus tells the story of the end of the age. The most important thing that most prophecy buffs miss is the warning Jesus gives in verses 8-9: "See that you are not led astray. For many will come in my name, saying, 'I am he!' and, 'The time is at hand!' Do not go after them. And when you hear of wars and tumults, do not be terrified, for these things must first take place, but the end will not be at once." I was young, but I remember some guy wrote a book, "88 reasons Jesus is coming in 1988." I never saw or read the book, but I saw its effects. People everywhere were convinced it was true. Christian publishing companies were printing all kinds of books and pamphlets that people were to leave for their relatives who missed the Rapture. Well, here we are almost 20 years later. It didn't happen. I don't want to de-emphasize the imminent return of Christ, but at the same time it is foolish to get caught up in every exciting thing that comes along. It is true that it is God's will that we understand everything in the Bible, but that's not going to happen. It's better to live our lives in simple service to God instead of getting caught up in eschatological fads.

Although I am certainly not a preterist (someone who believes all the prophecies about the end times has already been fulfilled) there is no doubt that part of Jesus' teaching was to warn His hearers about the coming destruction of Jerusalem, which occurred in AD 70. I don't understand all of it, but I know that Jesus is coming one day to establish His eternal kingdom.

TOMS: Matthew 25

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Jan. 8, 2007

Hey, I'm sorry I haven't posted in a while, but mostly I just forgot. Right now it's halftime of the Florida-Ohio St. game, and the result has been shocking to say the least. But I must say that I'm glad. Anything that creates more chaos in college football until we get a real playoff is wonderful.

Anyway this chapter basically consists of three very familiar passages: the 10 virgins, the talents and the sheep and goats judgment. The point of the parables is that we need to be watchfully busy until the Lord returns.

The parable of the virgins is very simple. There were five who brought oil in their lamps, and there were five who did not. When the groom came, the five foolish virgins had to scramble to find some oil, and when they finally got some, the door to the wedding was locked. It's always dangerous to make a parable say more than what the obvious simple point is, so it is not wise to say, for example, that Jesus is saying that half of the professing church is not truly born again. I've heard preachers and teachers say that exact thing, and maybe you have heard that or something similar. That's just conjecture and not sound interpretation. What it simply means is that there will be many who claim to be followers of God who will not be ready when Jesus returns to set up His kingdom, and they will be shocked to find themselves on the outside looking in. That should be kind of obvious, but some folks get all excited about "hidden meanings" in the text and ignore the obvious point Jesus was making.

The second parable, the talents, has more direct application for us. A man gave one servant five talents, another two and another one. A talent was a large amount of money, more than $100,000 in our terms.

I shouldn't say anything, but it is terribly ironic that the Ohio St. band is playing the song from "Titanic" right now during the halftime show. I guess they think the Buckeyes are a sinking ship.

The ones who got five and two doubled their money through investments. The man who got one buried his money so he wouldn't lose it. God has given us all responsibilities. If we waste the ones God gives us, we will suffer loss.

Then we have the judgment of the nations. This is the judgment of the sheep and the goats. The sheep are welcomed into the Kingdom because they helped "the least of these my brothers." I believe the sheep and the goats is are the righteous and unrighteous Gentile survivors of the Tribulation. I could be completely wrong, but that's the interpretation that makes the most sense to me. During the Tribulation the Jews will be persecuted to the end of the earth by the Antichrist. Those who helped protect and serve them - clothe and feed them, visit them in prison, etc. - will enter Christ's millennial kingdom as mortals along with the surviving Jews.

As I said yesterday, I try not to make a big deal about interpretation of prophecy. But we are here in Matthew 25 and I try to have a take on it. If it doesn't happen that way, it won't shake my confidence in God the least bit.

TOMS: Matthew 24

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Jan. 4, 2007

Matthew 24 and 25 are a minefield to try to interpret, especially 24. This is Jesus' great Olivet Discourse, where He gives a prophetic view of the future. Here's the problem I have with prophecy: it's impossible to predict with certainty what a prophecy means or how it will be fulfilled. That is why there are so many different beliefs out there about the end of the age, even among brethren who would agree for the most part on the rest of Scripture.

Primarily, this chapter in particular deals with the Tribulation Period, although the first part of Chapter 24 may be partially fulfilled in the fall of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. And then there is a section that seems to deal with the Rapture, although there are some who dispute that.

In 24:4-14, Jesus describes the end of the age, which definitely includes our time. The next section, 24:15-26 deals with the abomination of desolation. Jesus speaks of "the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel." Well, that verse was already fulfilled (Jesus' audience would have thought) by Antiochus Epiphanes in the second century B.C. But Jesus tells us here that the ultimate fulfillment will come later. This section clearly refers to the Tribulation.

The last section of the chapter is the hardest to interpret. There are parts that seem to refer to the Rapture: "Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left." (24:40) There are those who teach that this example and others refer to being taken away to fall under God's judgment. I just don't see it. Maybe I haven't done enough study, but it seems to me that the last part of chapter 24 and the first two parables of Chapter 25, which speaks of being ready for the Lord's return, seem to be more indicative of the Rapture than of the Second Coming. Maybe I've misunderstood it, but it seems to me that for the Jews the Second Coming will be a time of absolute desperation, and they will all be looking for their Savior, but maybe they won't be. Certainly the lessons of this section are applicable to those of us who look forward to the Rapture, but I guess primarily they are for Jews to remain confident that God will not abandon them in their darkest hour.

Passages like this are not worth crossing swords with a brother over. This is certainly by no means a simple passage, and the most important lesson we need to learn is to be ready and faithful. In my experience, getting bogged down over the little details of these passages will only cause trouble where none is necessary.

TOMS: Ezekiel 45-48

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Oct. 15, 2006

Here we find a preview of the glory of Jerusalem in the eternal kingdom. The first two chapters deal with the prince who will judge Israel. I started to say it was David, but then it mentions the fact that the prince will have sons, so it cannot be someone with a resurrected body, since they do not reproduce. The prince will be a spiritual leader as well as a political leader.

Chapter 47 is about the river that will flow from under the Temple southward to apparently the Red Sea, through what is now a vast desert. In Ezekiel's vision, the angel who is showing him all these visions shows him the river. At first, it is just a trickle, then it is ankle deep, then knee deep, waist deep, and then too deep to stand in. The water will turn the desert into a lush forest and will even change the salt water of the ocean to fresh. This may be symbolic, but either way, it is a sign that God's presence and God's people will be a blessing to the whole world during this time. I know I am looking forward to being a part of it!

The last chapter of Ezekiel is a boring listing of the borders of the tribes of Israel in the future kingdom. I understand the significance of this passage - that God is right now miraculously overseeing a remnant of the so-called lost tribes of Israel, and that one day they will be a new people again - but it's really a tough read.

As we wrap up the book of Ezekiel, I just want to say here that the last few posts in this series demonstrate why I am really not concerned about prophecy. I can't make any sense of it, and what's worse, I can't seem to find anyone who has a real grasp of it either. Everybody has their theories, from the uber-fantastical stuff to the underwhelming "This has already happened" explanations. None of them are consistent with all the texts, as far as I can tell. So basically in the years since I first wrote this, my solution is to ignore prophecy. You can be a dispensational, covenant, partial preterist, amillenial, whatever: I don't care. As long as you affirm the cardinal doctrines of the church and are committed to living them out in your daily life, I consider you a good brother or sister in the Lord. As long as you won't bring up stuff no one understands completely anyway and try to fight over it, we can fellowship in peace.

TOMS: Ezekiel 37-39

For an introduction to this series, click here.

Oct. 12, 2006

Chapter 37 is the ever-popular "valley of dry bones" chapter. I've heard a couple of different versions of the song, but basically they all have to do with "your foot bone connected to your ankle bone" and so on. I believe this song may be an old Negro spiritual, but honestly it has nothing to do with the text. If you want a good song about this chapter, I suggest "Valley of Dry Bones" by Michael Card. It is true to the text and it has a very interesting rhythm that you can't get out of your head. 

Anyway, this passage is one of the great promises for the future of Israel. It is a promise that the dead bones of Israel will rise again to be blessed by God. As I read it tonight, it almost seemed like a promise to the believers living at that time. (Paul talks about the difference between the Jewish race and Jews who are truly believers. Belief in and acceptance by God has always required faith.) It seemed to say that the Jews who were following the Lord at that time should take heart because one day they will be raised up to live in Israel in a perfect kingdom. I don't know if that's the right interpretation or not, but it is certainly true that those hearing this word who had faith in God are very much alive today and will be alive when Christ establishes His kingdom, whether that be the Millennial kingdom or the eternal kingdom. So that's not really too much of a disservice to the text. Whether this passage is teaching that specifically or teaching in general that the Jews will one day be blessed by God again I leave to smarter people than I. It certainly teaches the latter.

Chapters 38-39 are a prophecy against Gog and Magog. Many dispensationalists teach that this prophecy refers to an invasion of Israel by an alliance led by Russia at the beginning of the Tribulation. However, we find terms "Gog and Magog" repeated in Revelation 20, referring to a rebellion of nearly all the people of the earth against Christ and the Jews at the end of the Millennium. I think this is the best place to peg this prophecy. Sadly the vast majority of people who will have lived all of their lives in a paradise under the reign of Christ will rebel against Him, just like unbelievers of all times. Christ will crush all outward attempts of rebellion during His reign, but not even He can erase the stain of sin on the faithless heart of man. When Satan tempts them - remember Satan will be bound during the kingdom - they will jump at the chance to rebel against Jesus. 

I need to stop. The Cardinals have lost and it's time for bed.