Harmony #58: Return of the 70 (Luke 10:13-22; Matthew 11:25-30)

We have to back up a little bit to give us context for some of the things Jesus is going to say in today’s passage. When Jesus sent out the 72, he said this about three cities:

“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted to the heavens? No, you will go down to Hades.

 I mentioned this last week, but remember that “woe” is not pronouncing a curse. It’s an expression of sadness about what is going to happen, not an orchestration of what is going to happen.

It’s interesting to note that it’s about cities. We don’t see elsewhere in Scripture where cities face some kind of eternal judgment anymore than they get an eternal reward, so I suspect this “day of judgment’ has something to do with the trajectory of these cities, how they will “sow and reap” in the world, and how the wages of their arrogance and sin will be the death of their culture. Historically, they all were eventually “judged” out of existence; all that remains is ruins, literally. More on this in a bit.

Then the seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name!” So he said to them, “I was watching The Adversary[1], Satan, fall like lightning from heaven[2]. Look, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions and on the full force of the enemy, and nothing will hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names stand written in heaven.”

There seems to be an almost child-like wonder: ”No way! Even supernatural evil has to submit to us in you name!” I’m not sure if they were excited about the power, amazed at what invoking the power of Jesus’ name could do, or a little of both. And depending on how you read that, you get a couple different ways of understanding what Jesus meant when he said, “I was watching the Satan fall from Heaven like lightning.”

·  If they are amazed at their own power, Jesus is warning them: “Listen, Satan loved power, and I watched him get cast out of heaven. Don’t fall in love with power.”

·  If they are amazed at Jesus’ power, he confirms it: “Yes, I was watching the power of the Prince of the Air[3] - Beelzebub[4], ruler of demons[5] - crumble even as you were at work. You can crush these  these snakes and scorpions through my power, and I will protect you from them.”

·  There is an interesting argument to be made that ‘heaven’ is Olympus, since the word here was sometimes used in antiquity to mean “the seat of the gods, the portion of Zeus.”[6] Zeus was a big deal to the Gentile audience. In Acts 14, Peter and Paul get confused with Zeus and Hermes at one point. In Revelation 2, Pergamum is identified as a place where Satan has this throne – perhaps the massive statue of Zeus, and where the people referred to him as “Zeus the Savior.” Keep in mind that the Gospel accounts were some of the last NT books written, so the authors had plenty of time to “read the room” and see what kind of details from the life of Jesus were important to know.  If so, here’s Luke writing to a predominantly Greek audience, associating the demonic realm with the Greek Pantheon (which even the Greeks had begun to believe at that point), and singling out Zeus with his lightning and all to highlight that Jesus as the Lord over them all.

And here is another interesting thing from this comment. This is the only recorded instance when Jesus told His disciples not to rejoice in something good.[7] Hmmmm. There may be a message here about here about what we are to truly value in the Kingdom. Obviously, freeing someone from demonic possession is a good thing (!), but Jesus is quick to redirect their enthusiasm.

“Jesus implies two sets of contrast: (1) Disciples should focus on their status before Christ instead of on their own power since it is only in the name of Christ that victory can be achieved (vv. 19, 22). (2) Disciples should focus on what happens “in heaven” rather than on their performance on earth.” (NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible)

Following Jesus starts with “being” – in Christ, a child of God, a citizen of the Kingdom, a living stone building the temple. It starts with a new identity. This is the most important thing. From that ‘being’ flows our ‘doing’ with the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit. That’s everything from being good parents to stewarding our money wisely to casting out demons.

Jesus takes their eyes of the thing they did that impressed themselves and moves their eyes to the impressive thing God has done for them. This is always meant to be the greatest source of our joy.

At that time Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your gracious will.[8]

This reason for rejoicing may sound odd to us, but it was a common expression among the Jewish people of Jesus time.

·  A first century Rabbi named Jochanan said, “From the time in which the temple was destroyed, wisdom was taken away from the prophets, and give a to fools and children.” (Bava Bathra, in the Babyonian Talmud)

·  A second century Rabbi named Shimon bar Yochai, wrote, “In the days of the Messiah, every species of wisdom, even the most profound, shall, be revealed; and this even to children." (Synopsis Sozar)[9]

The cities had every chance to welcome Jesus. They deliberately refused him. When they chose blindness, God granted them their request. Fortunately, God will reveal Himself to humble, open hearts. The contrast is between those who are self-sufficient and deem themselves wise and those who are dependent and love to be taught.[10]

 “Those who pride themselves in understanding divine things are judged, whereas those who understand nothing are taught.” (Expositor’s Bible Commentary)

Why was it good that God hid truths from those cities? They weren’t ready for it. It makes me think of the classic line from A Few Good Men:  “You can’t handle the truth.”

How often in church history have we seen the precious news of the Gospel misused in the hands of those who just don’t understand who Jesus is or what he taught? You don’t give that which is holy to those who will use it for destructive purposes.[11]

You know who was ready?  The common folk, the humble, the ones whose religiosity did not get in the way of seeing Jesus for who he was.

This wasn’t Jesus writing off the people in these towns as if they no longer mattered. Remember, he’s grieving their response. He’s just noting it was God’s will that what will eventually be known as the church – the corporate group of Jesus followers – is not going to begin in the halls of power and fame. It’s not going to trickle down from the  homes of the rich, the halls of academia, the chambers of government. It’s going to start with those who:

· know they are sick and need a doctor

· are willing to become like children (in that society, powerless)

· are there to serve, not be served

· ‘esteem others better than themselves’

· have rejected religiosity in favor of genuine love for God and others

I don’t want to get ahead of myself, but the next event is a religious leader asking how to get into the Kingdom, and Jesus responding with the Parable of the Good Samaritan, which ends with the command to be merciful, not so hung up on a tradition that breeds heartless arrogance.

God never intended to entrust the good news of the Gospel to those who love power, prestige, and arrogance. He entrusted it to the poor and powerless, the rejected, the overlooked. He gave it to those who understood their spiritual poverty (#beatitudes). He gave it to those who could understand that the good news of Jesus was, indeed, good news.

All things have been handed over to me by my Father.[12] No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and no one knows who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son decides to reveal him.

Jesus came to earth to reveal who God is. We don’t have time to dive into a theology of the Trinity, but I think Jesus is just clarifying that He is God. God the Father’s power is God the Son’s power. God the Father’s rule and reign is God the Son’s rule and reign. What’s true about God the Father is true about God the Son.

The next verse is an open invitation: “Come unto me, all who are weary…” with a promise that Jesus will reveal who God is even more fully.

 “Come to me, all[13] you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.[14] Take my yoke on you and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is well-fitted[15]and easy to bear, and my load is not hard to carry.”

Let’s talk about rest, and yokes.

The yoke is primarily a farming image, In farming, two cattle are yoked together to plow. It was a way that young cattle learned from older, more experienced cattle. It was also a reality for those in poverty, as they would have to move a cart by putting a yoke of sorts on themselves– think of Tevya transporting milk in Fiddler On The Roof.

Jewish teachers spoke of people bearing the yoke of God’s kingdom, which was primarily obeying the Law.

· The Mishna, the first written collection of Jewish oral tradition, says, “Take upon you the yoke of the holy kingdom.”[16]

· A teacher before Jesus’ era said, “Come near me, you who are unlearned … Get wisdom, put your neck under her yoke … Look with your eyes: I have labored only a little and I have found for myself great rest” (Sirach 51:23 – 27).[17]

But what was meant to bring rest had brought burdensome and even oppressive additions of traditions so much that Jesus said the made scribes and Pharisees now ‘bound on heavy burdens’(Matthew 23:4.)[18]Jesus now speaks of his own yolk. Those who turned to God’s ways as revealed through Jesus would find rest for their souls (Jeremiah 6:16).[19]   As Adam Clarke says of this passage (and I am paraphrasing a bit),

·  Sinners, wearied in the ways of sin, are invited to come to Christ and find speedy relief.

·  Penitents, burdened with the guilt of their crimes, may come to the Cross, and find instant pardon.

·  Believers, sorely tempted, and oppressed by the remains of the carnal mind, may come to the blood that cleanses from all unrighteousness; and, purified from sin and strengthened in every temptation, they shall find rest in the Savior.

Songs for Contemplation

·      “O Come To the Altar.”  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6oFT53Lrho

·      “Jesus, Strong and Kind.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5Y8s-Sz_ac

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[1] “Satan” is a title; it would be more accurate to say “the Satan.”

[2] “It is not clear whether Jesus is speaking of a vision by which he saw something in the spiritual realm or if this is simply a declaration of what has been happening. In either case, Satan’s authority and power over people has been broken. Serpents and scorpions are physical dangers that the disciples will face in their preaching, and also symbols of demonic opposition.  (The ESV Global Study Bible)

“Jewish tradition spoke of Satan’s primeval fall in sin (though the Greek verb tense here might mean that Jesus watched Satan fleeing before them). The language… could also be used figuratively (see v. 15 ; La 2:1). (NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible)

“A second possible interpretation of Jesus’ words is as a warning against pride. It is as if He were saying: ‘Yes, you are quite heady because even the demons have been subject to you. But just remember… it was pride that resulted in Lucifer… being cast out of heaven. See that you avoid this peril.’”  (Believers Bible Commentary)

“This verse falls back on the taunt-song describing the fall of the king of Babylon (Isa 14:4-11).” (Expositor’s Bible Commentary)

“Similar imagery related to Satan’s defeat appears in John 12:31; Revelation 12:7–17; 20:1–3, 10.”  (Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds of the New Testament)

[3] Ephesians 2:2

[4] Matthew 12:24

[5] Matthew 9:34

[6] According to the BDAG (Bauer-Danker-Arndt-Gingrich, a Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament and other early Christian literature.

[7] Believers Bible Commentary

[8] “Jesus is not suggesting that God has chosen certain individuals for salvation and others for condemnation. Rather, God has decided that those who choose to place their trust in the wisdom of this world will be blinded to the reality of his kingdom, while those who reject such reliance on worldly wisdom (and depend on God) will receive understanding (vv.25-27).” (Asbury Bible Commentary)

[9] As noted by Adam Clarke in his commentary

[10]  Believer’s Bible Commentary

[11] “Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces.” Matthew 7:6

[12] As in Dan. 7, the Son of Man has received all power and dominion.

[13] “When we read that the Father is revealed only to those whom the Son chooses, we might be tempted to think of an arbitrary selection of a favored few. The following verse guards against such an interpretation. The Lord Jesus issues a universal invitation to all who are weary and heavy laden to come to Him for rest. In other words, the ones to whom He chooses to reveal the Father are those who trust Him as Lord and Savior.” (Believer’s Bible Commentary) 

[14] Remember: he didn’t come to call the healthy, but the sick.

[15] The word Xrestos, transliterated chrestos. It was given as a name to slaves who were ‘useful’ or ‘kindly. A variant spelling is…. Christus J (HELPS Word Studies)

[16] Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

[17] NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible

[18] Adam Clarke Commentary

[19] “This is what the LORD says: ‘Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls…’” 

Sabbath Rest

So, Jesus said the Sabbath was “for” us. We talked about that being true of the Law in general; today, I want to talk about the rest that is the gift of the Sabbath in the Old Testament and the Lord’s Day in the New. Let’s begin with the passages in the Old Testament that talk about the command to the Israelites to honor the Sabbath.  

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘You must observe my Sabbaths. This will be a sign between me and you for the generations to come, so you may know that I am the Lord, who makes you holy. ‘Observe the Sabbath, because it is holy to you….The Israelites are to observe the Sabbath, celebrating it for the generations to come as a lasting covenant. (Exodus 31: 12-16)

 “Sabbath” is related to the Hebrew word for “rest.” It is the only one of the 10 Commandments given as a covenant sign. We see elsewhere in the Old Testament that covenants have signs: the sign of the Noahic covenant is the rainbow (Gen. 9:8–17); the sign of the Abrahamic covenant is circumcision (Gen. 17).[1]

The observance of Sabbath was a constant re-honoring of the covenant between God and Israel.  It was an act of covenant renewal, a reminder of and a refocusing on the God with whom they had a covenant. Resting wasn’t just for personal renewal; it was for relational renewal with God.

As the Jewish people came to understand it, their primary duty was to stop working. We might think about it as getting out of the ‘rat race,’ but it became a lot more than that. Over time, the rabbis listed 39 categories of Sabbath work that was out of bounds.  This was called “putting a fence around the Torah,” a well-intentioned effort to make sure they honored God as precisely and carefully as possible. See if this list makes you restful.

• ripping up a piece of paper or sharpening a pencil was forbidden since it resembles “cutting to shape” or could be confused with it.[2]

• agreeing to buy something was prohibited, because #“writing”

• climbing a tree is forbidden, because it may lead to breaking twigs or tearing leaves, which could be construed as “reaping” (i.e., separating part of a growing plant from its source)

• adding fresh water to a vase of cut flowers (“sowing” — any activity that causes or furthers plant growth).

• Opening an umbrella or unfolding a screen (“building”).

• Wearing eyeglasses not permanently required (“carrying” from private to public domain and vice versa).[3]

• You could carry on your property, but on public property you could only carry the clothes you needed to wear – even keys and handkerchiefs had to be left at home.

• They didn’t blow a temple shofar when Rosh Hashana happened on the Sabbath. Sure, there was a shofar at the temple, but what if it got broken and someone had to carry one there to replace it?

• A Sabbath’s journey could be no longer than 2,000 cubits (3,000 feet) from one’s house. In some parts of Israel today, residents have been known to throw stones at those driving through their neighborhoods on Shabbat. However, they must set aside the stones for use on Shabbat.[4]

 There is some irony here: Sabbath was supposed to remind them how God freed them from bondage, and it turned into bondage to the Law.[5]  Which wasn’t the point at all.  Sabbath was a gift designed to bring us rest. That doesn’t sound like rest.[6]

While it is the only one of the Ten Commandment given as a covenant sign, it is also the only commandment referred to as a type pointing toward the True Sabbath. Many of the New Testament writers compared Sabbath to the other covenant sign, circumcision: both were physical ways of enacting a covenant with God; both were now enacted spiritually in Christ.

“True circumcision is not something visible in the flesh. On the contrary, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly, and circumcision is of the heart—by the Spirit, not the letter. “(Romans 2:28-29)

"Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ." (Colossians 2:16-18)[7] 

“There still remains a place of rest, a true Sabbath, for the people of God because those who enter into salvation’s rest lay down their labors in the same way that God entered into a Sabbath rest from His.” (Hebrews 4:9-10)

 Literal Sabbath Day rest functioned as important reminder of the spiritual rest in Christ. The seriousness with which the Old Testament treats the observance of Sabbath rest was admirable, but Jesus pointed out that so many of the Pharisee’s laws were missing the point of Sabbath. Sabbath is for us. It had become a burden to keep, and it should not have been a burden. It should have been a blessing. After all, 

"Sabbath isn't about resting perfectly; it's about resting in the One who is perfect." - Shelly Miller

Jesus didn’t un-command it, but – like all the times he said, “You have heard it said…but I say unto you,” he clarified that there was something more going on. I like how Justin Martyr summarized it about 100 years after Jesus’ death:

“The new law requires you to keep perpetual sabbath, and you, because you are idle for one day, suppose you are pious, not discerning why this has been commanded you…if there is any perjured person or a thief among you, let him cease to be so; if any adulterer, let him repent… if any one has impure hands, let him wash and be pure. Then he has kept the sweet and true sabbaths of God.“

 One of the reasons Sunday rose in importance vs. Saturday in the early church had to do with the question of where we find rest in New Covenant enacted by Jesus.

• In the Old Covenant, rest followed our work at the end of the week (Saturday) Once we had accomplished, we got a reward for what we did.

• In the New Covenant, it is only after resting in Christ’s completed work for us on the first day of the week (Sunday) that we even begin our work. Our rest comes not from what we did, but from what Jesus did.

• The Sabbath commemorated the first creation; the Lord’s Day is linked with the new creation. The Sabbath day was a day of responsibility; the Lord’s Day is a day of privilege.[8]

The new covenant radically alters the Sabbath perspective. Current believers do not first labor six days, looking hopefully towards rest. Instead, they begin the week by rejoicing in the rest already accomplished by the cosmic event of Christ’s resurrection. Then they enter joyfully into their six days of labor. - O. Palmer Robertson, (slightly modified)

“The Sabbath teaches us that we do not work to please God. Rather, we rest because God is already pleased with the work, he has accomplished in us.” A.J. Swoboda

I want to talk more about resting in God’s completed work in us by looking at some principles for observing and experiencing rest in Jesus as an ongoing experience, not just something we pursue one day a week. Let’s start by expanding our view of a verse we looked at last week.

Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is usefully kind, and my burden is light.”—Matthew 11:28-30

Come to Jesus and take His yoke.  “Take my yoke” was a common saying of rabbis. It meant, “If you are going to be a disciple, you must obey my teachings and follow my example.” If you want rest – deep, spiritual rest of the heart and soul - don’t pursue rest. Pursue Jesus. Jesus will lead you to rest.

Learn about Jesus, and you will find rest for your souls.    Rest is connected to trust. My cat sleeps on me without a care in the world because she trusts me. If you trust the driver, you can rest on a trip. I can bare my soul to my wife because I trust her. Rest is connected with trust. If you can’t seem to rest in Christ, learn more about a Savior you can trust.

Is there a formula for how we can practically experience this rest (and I’m talking about soul rest that permeates every aspect of our life)? Formula is not the right word, but there are habits (spiritual disciplines) that are helpful. I am going to offer a couple ideas built from a list taken from some of Tim Keller’s writing on the Sabbath. 

First, consciously enjoy[9] God and His good gifts. Practice acknowledgment of God throughout the day by improving purposeful contact with God.  

• Consciously appreciate salvation, sanctification, grace, forgiveness, the fruit of the spirit, the love and faithfulness of God: basically, the good and perfect gifts given to us by Jesus.

• Celebrate the freedom Jesus offers from all kinds of slavery: slavery to sin, slavery to achieve, slavery to impress, slavery to earn, slavery to addictions of all kinds, slavery to your past, slavery to the gnawing need to be good enough to matter…

• Consciously rest in the identity we have in Christ. We are loved children. We aren’t perfect children, but God’s love for us never depends on our perfection. It flows from His.   

 Second, do something that frees you from the tyranny of being amazing.  This has to do with accomplishing, making a mark on the world, being noticed. The rabbis who created the “fence around the Torah” understood the importance of getting out of the rhythm of the ‘rat race’ and into the rhythm of the Kingdom.

"If we only stop when we are finished with all our work, we will never stop, because our work is never completely done... Sabbath ... liberates us from the need to be finished." —Wayne Muller

It turns out that the world turns even when we take time off! (I know, right?) Israelites had to let their fields lie fallow every seventh year. (Leviticus 25:1–7). This stopped them from over farming.  They could enjoy whatever grew on its own. You need time to make sure you don’t “overfarm” your life or your schedule; plan fallow time, and enjoy it. Consciously let God take care of the ‘being amazing’ part.

• some meals can just be Ramen noodles and leftovers

• your house can be a mess when people come over

• your lawn doesn’t have to be immaculate all the time

• you can let down your guard and cry in front of others

• you can show up at church looking like you need a hug

• you can let your burdens show, and ask others to help you.

• you can make mistakes, do dumb stuff, show up grumpy, post something you regret

• you can own your sin in front of God and others

• you can go back and apologize (which, I know, means you were wrong in what you did or said or thought)

I love this quote from Barbara Brown Taylor:

“At least one day in every seven, pull off the road and park the car in the garage. Close the door to the toolshed and turn off the computer. Stay home, not because you are sick but because you are well. Talk someone you love into being well with you. Take a nap, a walk, and hour for lunch. Test the premise that you are worth more than you can produce – that even if you spent one whole day of being good for nothing you would still be precious in God’s sight.  

And when you get anxious because you are convinced that this is not so – remember that your own conviction is not required. This is a commandment. Your worth has already been established, even when you are not working. The purpose of the commandment is to woo you to the same truth.”

 You can’t be amazing all the time.  Jesus knows this – and friends, I hope we all do too. God forbid we use this as an excuse to be lazy, but God forbid we don’t rest in a Divine love that has covered a multitude of our sins and imperfections on the Cross.

Sabbath ceasing means to cease not only from work itself, but also from the need to accomplish and be productive, from the worry and tension that accompany our modern criterion of efficiency, from our efforts to be in control of our lives as if we were God, from our possessiveness and our enculturation, and, finally, from the humdrum and meaninglessness that result when life is pursued without the Lord at the center of it all. —Marva J. Dawn

When we are weak, the strength of God shines. His glory is perfected in our weakness. We don’t try to be weak so His glory can abound, but we rest in knowing that God uses our worst to point toward His best.

Plan rhythms that lead to spiritual rest. Notice fear/worry/anxiety and invite the peace of Christ.  I don’t know what your schedule is. Sometimes we are at a place in life when we have time to stop everything and carve out chunks of time. Sometimes our days (or weeks or months) keep us hopping. Either way, 

• I can breath a prayer in the checkout line instead of check my phone.

• I can listen to music in my truck that points me toward God.

• I can download a Bible App or get a short devotional book that orients my mind.

• For parents with young kids, bring ‘em to church when we offer stuff for kids and take some time to re-orient and rest.  Hmmm…I bet a ministry of babysitting would be deeply appreciated….

It is so easy to get swept up in life – it comes at us relentlessly at times. Paul summarized the solution this way in Philippians 4:

6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.”

Do something that refreshes you when you can. Hopefully, the things mentioned above do that. In addition, there are activities you (hopefully) have time and opportunity to do in addition to engaging in church fellowship and worship. Enjoy things that are good and that you find beautiful, and thank God for it. I know what those things are for me: puzzles and podcasts; fishing; napping (is that recreation?), gardening, sitting by a fire pit and watching a sunset… I’m not sure what they are for you. I just think they involve enjoying God’s good world. Find the green pastures and still waters that restore your soul.

Focus on passing on the grace God has given to us. I love this account of what an early Lord’s Day observance looked like in the church. This is from around A.D. 155. 

 “ And on the day called Sunday, all who live in cities or in the country gather together to one place, and the memoirs of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read, as long as time permits; then, when the reader has ceased, the president verbally instructs, and exhorts to the imitation of these good things.  

Then we all rise together and pray, and, as we before said, when our prayer is ended, bread and wine and water are brought, and the president in like manner offers prayers and thanksgivings, according to his ability, and the people assent, saying Amen; and there is a distribution to each, and a participation of that over which thanks have been given, and to those who are absent a portion is sent by the deacons.  

And they who are well to do, and willing, give what each thinks fit; and what is collected is deposited with the president, who supports the orphans and widows and those who, through sickness or any other cause, are in want, and those who are in bonds and the strangers sojourning among us, and in a word takes care of all who are in need.  

But Sunday is the day on which we all hold our common assembly, because it is the first day on which God, having wrought a change in the darkness and matter, made the world; and Jesus Christ our Savior on the same day rose from the dead.

For He was crucified on the day before that of Saturn (Saturday); and on the day after that of Saturn, which is the day of the Sun, having appeared to His apostles and disciples, He taught them these things, which we have submitted to you also for your consideration. (Justin Martyr, First Apology Chapter LXVII.—Weekly worship of the Christians. [A.D. 155])

Contribute to restful spaces. In relationships, seek peace and as much as it is up to you, and pursue it. (Psalm 34:14) As much as is possible, live at peace with all. (Romans 12:18) Like Jesus said, peacemakers are blessed. (Matthew 5:9) Do not be overcome with evil but overcome evil with good. (Romans 12:21)

 Let the Lord who leads us into the Sabbath rest of salvation rule and reign your heart and mind such that those around us experience the peace God has given us. Peacemaking can involve hard truth and bold confrontation at times – but it will never be absent the kind of Christ-centered agape love that motivates to be broken and spilled out as we work for the good of God’s image bearers and children.

“I have come to think that the moment of giving the bread of Eucharist as gift is the quintessential center of the notion of Sabbath rest in Christian tradition. It is gift! We receive in gratitude. Imagine having a sacrament named “thanks”! We are on the receiving end, without accomplishment, achievement, or qualification. It is a gift, and we are grateful!” ― Walter Brueggemann, Sabbath as Resistance

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[1] Circumcision was not unique to the Israelites. Egyptians, for example, appear to have used circumcision as an act of initiation or rite of passage for boys entering manhood. Circumcision was an act of initiation; the style of circumcision showed what you had been initiated into. This may seem odd to us, but it made sense to everyone in the Ancient Near East. https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/55911658.pdf

[2] https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/shabbats-work-prohibition/

[3] https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/shabbats-work-prohibition/

[4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Driving_on_Shabbat#cite_note-23

[5] “Anyone who cannot obey God's command to observe the Sabbath is a slave, even a self-imposed one. Your own heart, or our materialistic culture, or an exploitative organization, or all of the above, will be abusing you… Sabbath is therefore a declaration of our freedom. It means you are not a slave—not to your culture's expectations, your family's hopes, your medical school's demands, not even to your own insecurities. It is important that you learn to speak this truth to yourself with a note of triumph...” -Keller

[6] “If we do not allow for a rhythm of rest in our overly busy lives, illness becomes our Sabbath…our accidents create Sabbath for us.”  ― Wayne Muller, Sabbath: Finding Rest, Renewal, and Delight in Our Busy Lives He doesn’t mean that if you get sick or dangerously sloppy, it’s always because you dishonored God’s command to rest. His point is that our bodies need rest, and if we don’t set time aside for to rest our bodies (as best we can), our bodies keep score in some fashion. For me, it was a nervous breakdown. God didn’t smite me: my body needed rest that I wasn’t giving it.

[7] “So, when you ask why a Christian does not keep the Sabbath, if Christ came not to destroy the law, but to fulfill it, my reply is, that a Christian does not keep the Sabbath precisely because what was prefigured in the Sabbath is fulfilled in Christ. For we have our Sabbath in Him who said, “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls.” (Augustine, reply to Faustus,Book XIX.-9)

[8] Believer’s Bible Commentary

[9] Also got some good ideas here: https://tifwe.org/the-sabbath-and-your-work/

Sabbath Rest (Hebrews 4:9-10)

Last week was about finding rest through the centering of our lives around God; today will be on establishing the principles and rhythms of Sabbath rest in our lives- which is actually about a lot more than just what we do with our Sabbath days. Let’s begin with the passages in the Old Testament that talk about the command to the Israelites to honor the Sabbath.  

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘You must observe my Sabbaths. This will be a sign between me and you for the generations to come, so you may know that I am the Lord, who makes you holy. ‘Observe the Sabbath, because it is holy to you….The Israelites are to observe the Sabbath, celebrating it for the generations to come as a lasting covenant. (Exodus 31: 12-16)

 “Sabbath” is related to the Hebrew word for “rest.” It is the only one of the 10 Commandments given as a covenant sign. We see elsewhere in the Old Testament that covenants have signs, so that the sign of the Noahic covenant is the rainbow (Gen. 9:8–17) and the sign of the Abrahamic covenant is circumcision (Gen. 17).[1] The observance of Sabbath was a constant re-honoring of the covenant between God and Israel.  It was an act of covenant renewal, a reminder and a refocusing on the God with whom they had a covenant. Resting wasn’t just personal renewal; it was relational renewal with God. 

The primary duty for observant Jews was to stop working on the Sabbath. Over time, the rabbis listed 39 categories of Sabbath work that was out of bounds.  This was an attempt to “put a fence around the Torah,” a well-intentioned effort to make sure they honored God as precisely and carefully as possible. See if this list makes you restful.  

• ripping up a piece of paper or sharpening a pencil was forbidden since it resembles “cutting to shape” or could be confused with it.[2]

• agreeing to buy something was prohibited, because most agreements are confirmed in “writing”

• climbing a tree is forbidden, because it may lead to breaking twigs or tearing leaves, which could be construed as “reaping” (i.e., separating part of a growing plant from its source)

• adding fresh water to a vase of cut flowers (“sowing” — any activity that causes or furthers plant growth).

• opening an umbrella or unfolding a screen (“building”).

• wearing eyeglasses not permanently required (“carrying” from private to public domain and vice versa).[3]

• you could carry on your property, but on public property you could only carry the clothes you needed to wear – even keys and handkerchiefs had to be left at home.

• they didn’t blow a temple shofar on when Rosh Hashana happened on the Sabbath. Sure, there was a shofar at the temple, but what if it got broken and someone had to carry one there to replace it?

• a Sabbath’s journey could be no longer than 2,000 cubits (3,000 feet) from one’s house. In some parts of Israel today, residents have been known to throw stones at those driving through their neighborhoods on Shabbat. However, they must set aside the stones for use on Shabbat.[4]

 There is some irony here: Sabbath was supposed to remind them how God freed them from bondage, and it turned into bondage to the Law.[5]  Which wasn’t the point at all.  Sabbath was made to bring us rest.  That doesn’t sound like rest.[6]

* * * * *

While it is the only commandment given as a covenant sign, it is also the only one referred to as a type pointing toward the True Sabbath. Many of the early church fathers compared Sabbath to the other covenant sign, circumcision: both were physical ways of enacting a covenant with God; both were now enacted spiritually in Christ.

“True circumcision is not something visible in the flesh. On the contrary, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly, and circumcision is of the heart—by the Spirit, not the letter. “(Romans 2:28-29)

"Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ." (Colossians 2:16-18 ) 

“There still remains a place of rest, a true Sabbath, for the people of God because those who enter into salvation’s rest lay down their labors in the same way that God entered into a Sabbath rest from His.” (Hebrews 4:9-10)

Literal Sabbath Day rest functioned as important enactment of the spiritual rest in Christ. The seriousness with which the Old Testament treats the observance of Sabbath rest and the assumed continuance of it by the early converts sure seems to suggest there is a spiritual weight to this rhythm of purposeful rest that ought to order our lives.[7]

But Jesus pointed out that so many of the Pharisee’s laws were missing the point of Sabbath. Sabbath is for us. It had become a burden to keep, and it should not have been a burden. It should have been a blessing. 

"Sabbath isn't about resting perfectly; it's about resting in the One who is perfect." - Shelly Miller

Jesus didn’t un-command it, but – like all the times he said, “You have heard it said…but I say unto you,” he clarified that the heart of the command has something to do with the heart of the people keeping it.

One of the reasons Sunday rose in importance vs. Saturday in the early church had to do with the question of where we find rest in New Covenant enacted by Jesus.  

• In the Old Covenant, rest followed our work at the end of the week (Saturday) Once we had accomplished, we got a reward for what we did. 

•  In the New Covenant, it is only after resting in Christ’s completed work for us on the first day of the week (Sunday) that we even begin our work. Our rest comes not from what we did, but from what Jesus did.

The new covenant radically alters the Sabbath perspective. Current believers do not first labor six days, looking hopefully towards rest. Instead, they begin the week by rejoicing in the rest already accomplished by the cosmic event of Christ’s resurrection. Then they enter joyfully into their six days of labor. - O. Palmer Robertson, (slightly modified)

 “The Sabbath teaches us that we do not work to please God. Rather, we rest because God is already pleased with the work, he has accomplished in us.” A.J. Swoboda

I want to talk more about resting in God’s completed work in us by looking at some principles for observing and experiencing rest in Jesus as an ongoing experience, not just something we pursue one day a week. Let’s start with a verse we looked at last week.

Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”—Matthew 11:28-30

Come to Jesus and take His yoke.  “Take my yoke” was a common saying of rabbis. It meant, “If you are going to be a disciple, you must obey my teachings and follow my example.” If you want rest – deep, spiritual rest of the heart and soul - don’t pursue rest. Pursue Jesus. 

Learn about Jesus.  Rest is connected to trust. My cat sleeps on me without a care in the world because she trusts me. If you trust the driver, you can rest on a trip. I can bare my soul to my wife because I trust her. Rest is connected with trust. If you can’t seem to rest in Christ, learn more about a Savior you can trust. 

And you will find rest for your souls.  Is there a formula for how we can practically experience this rest (and I’m talking about soul rest that permeates every aspect of our life)? I am going to offer a couple ideas built from a list taken from some of Tim Keller’s writing on the Sabbath.

First, consciously enjoy[8] God and His good gifts. Practice acknowledgment of God throughout the day ( let’s call this “improving purposeful contact with God”). 

• Appreciate salvation, sanctification, grace, forgiveness, the fruit of the spirit, the love and faithfulness of God: basically the good and perfect gifts given to us by Jesus. 

• Celebrate the freedom Jesus offers from all kinds of slavery: slavery to sin, slavery to achieve, slavery to impress, slavery to earn, slavery to addictions of all kinds, slavery to your past, slavery to the gnawing need to be good enough to matter… 

• Consciously rest in the identity we have in Christ. We are loved children. We aren’t perfect children, but God’s love for us never depended on our perfection. It flowed from His.   

Second, do something that frees you from the tyranny of being amazing.  This has to do with organizing, building, creating, accomplishing, making a mark on the world, being noticed. The rabbis who created the fence understood the importance of getting out of the rhythm of the ‘rat race’, and into the rhythm of the Kingdom.  

"If we only stop when we are finished with all our work, we will never stop, because our work is never completely done... Sabbath ... liberates us from the need to be finished." —Wayne Muller

 It turns out that the world turns even when we take time off! (I know, right?) Israelites had to let their fields lie fallow every seventh year. (Leviticus 25:1–7). This stopped them from over farming.  They could enjoy whatever grew on its own.  You need time to make sure you don’t “overfarm” your life or your schedule; plan fallow time, and enjoy it. Consciously let God take care of the ‘being amazing’ part.  

• some meals can just be Ramen noodles and leftovers

• your house can be a mess when people come over

• your lawn doesn’t have to be immaculate all the time

• you can cry in front of others

• you can show up at church looking like you need a hug

• you can let your burdens show, and ask others to help you carry them. 

• you can let your guard down and let the real you show

• you can make mistakes, do dumb stuff, show up grumpy, post something you regret

• you can own your sin in front of God and others

•  you can go back and apologize (which, I know, means you were wrong in what you did or said or thought)

 You can’t be amazing all the time.  Jesus knows this – and friends, I hope we all do too. God forbid we use this as an excuse to be lazy, but God forbid we don’t rest in a Divine love that has covered a multitude of our sins and imperfections on the Cross.

Sabbath ceasing means to cease not only from work itself, but also from the need to accomplish and be productive, from the worry and tension that accompany our modern criterion of efficiency, from our efforts to be in control of our lives as if we were God, from our possessiveness and our enculturation, and, finally, from the humdrum and meaninglessness that result when life is pursued without the Lord at the center of it all. —Marva J. Dawn

When we are weak, the strength of God shines. His glory is perfected in our weakness. We don’t try to be weak so His glory can abound, but we rest in knowing that God uses our worst to point toward His best. 

Plan rhythms that lead to spiritual rest. Notice fear/worry/anxiety and invite the peace of Christ.  I don’t know what your schedule is. Sometimes we are at a place in life when we have time to stop everything and carve out chunks of time. Sometimes our days (or weeks or months) keep us hopping. 

·      I can breath a prayer in the checkout line instead of check my phone. 

·      I can listen to music in my truck that points me toward God. 

·      I can download a Bible App or get a short devotional book that orients my mind. 

·      For parents with young kids, bring ‘em to church when we offer stuff for kids and take some time to re-orient and rest.  Hmmm…I bet a ministry of babysitting would be deeply appreciated….

It is so easy to get swept up in life – it comes at us relentlessly at times. 

Paul summarized the solution this way:

6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 

8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.”

 Do something that refreshes you when you can. Hopefully, the things mentioned above do that. In addition, there are activities we (hopefully) have time and opportunity to do.  Enjoy things that are good and that you find beautiful, and thank God for it. I know what those things are for me: puzzles and podcasts; fishing; napping (is that recreation?), gardening, sitting by a fire pit and watching a sunset… I’m not sure what they are for you. I just think they involve enjoying God’s good world. 

Contribute to restful spaces in the community of the Kingdom.

In relationships, seek peace and as much as it is up to you, and pursue it. (Psalm 34:14) As much as is possible, live at peace with all. (Romans 12:18) Like Jesus said, peacemakers are blessed. (Matthew 5:9) Do not be overcome with evil but overcome evil with good. (Romans 12:21) Let the Lord who leads us into the Sabbath rest of salvation rule and reign your heart and mind such that those around us experience the peace God has given us. 

This is not a cowardly or weak position. Peacemaking can involve hard truth and bold confrontation at times – but it will never be absent the kind of Christ-centered agape love that motivates to be broken and spilled out as we work for the good of God’s image bearers and children. 

“I have come to think that the moment of giving the bread of Eucharist as gift is the quintessential center of the notion of Sabbath rest in Christian tradition. It is gift! We receive in gratitude. Imagine having a sacrament named “thanks”! We are on the receiving end, without accomplishment, achievement, or qualification. It is a gift, and we are grateful!” ― Walter Brueggemann, Sabbath as Resistance

____________________________________________________________________________________

[1] Circumcision was not unique to the Israelites, but the type of circumcision may have been. The Egyptians, for example, appear to have used circumcision as an act of initiation or rite of passage for boys entering manhood. Circumcision was an act of initiation; the style of circumcision showed what you had been initiated into. This may seem odd to us, but it made sense to everyone in the Ancient Near East. https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/55911658.pdf

[2] https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/shabbats-work-prohibition/

[3] https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/shabbats-work-prohibition/

[4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Driving_on_Shabbat#cite_note-23

[5] “Anyone who cannot obey God's command to observe the Sabbath is a slave, even a self-imposed one. Your own heart, or our materialistic culture, or an exploitative organization, or all of the above, will be abusing you… Sabbath is therefore a declaration of our freedom. It means you are not a slave—not to your culture's expectations, your family's hopes, your medical school's demands, not even to your own insecurities. It is important that you learn to speak this truth to yourself with a note of triumph...” - Tim Keller

[6] “If we do not allow for a rhythm of rest in our overly busy lives, illness becomes our Sabbath…our accidents create Sabbath for us.”  ― Wayne Muller, Sabbath: Finding Rest, Renewal, and Delight in Our Busy Lives He doesn’t mean that if you get sick or dangerously sloppy, it’s always because you dishonored God’s command to rest. His point is that our bodies need rest, and if we don’t set time aside for to rest our bodies (as best we can), our bodies keep score in some fashion. For me, it was a nervous breakdown. God didn’t smite me: my body needed rest that I wasn’t giving it. 

[7] “At least one day in every seven, pull off the road and park the car in the garage. Close the door to the toolshed and turn off the computer. Stay home, not because you are sick but because you are well. Talk someone you love into being well with you. Take a nap, a walk, and hour for lunch. Test the premise that you are worth more than you can produce – that even if you spent one whole day of being good for nothing you would still be precious in God’s sight. And when you get anxious because you are convinced that this is not so – remember that your own conviction is not required. This is a commandment. Your worth has already been established, even when you are not working. The purpose of the commandment is to woo you to the same truth.” —Barbara Brown Taylor

[8] https://tifwe.org/the-sabbath-and-your-work/ 

“Restlessness and Rest (Part1): Ecclesiastes"

I’ve been thinking about restlessness vs. rest since last Sunday. If John sees fit to make that contrast as a vision in Revelation of future hope or despair, it seems appropriate to consider the importance of both for our lives now. This is going take two sermons: today is about finding rest through the centering of our lives around God; next Sunday will be on establishing the principles and rhythms of Sabbath rest in our lives- which is actually about a lot more than just what we do with our Sabbath days.

We are going to talk about Solomon this morning. His wisdom and wealth was perhaps unparalleled in ancient times. He is responsible for three books in the Old Testament: The Song of Songs, written first; Proverbs, written second; and then Ecclesiastes, most likely written at a time his kingdom was crumbling around him due to the idolatry he had allowed in the land. And by the time he wrote Ecclesiastes,[1] he may have also been one of the most restless men on earth.

He is addressing a universal human condition.  What is the point of life?  How does one find meaning and purpose and hope in the midst of a world that can be very confusing? 

The Problem: Meaninglessness, or “Hebel” (1:1 – 1:11)

The Search for Meaning (1:12-6:12)

The Solution (7:1-12:14)

Ecclesiastes is not a smooth read.  Solomon focuses on particular ideas, then summarizes by giving short lists of principles that he wants to make sure the reader remembers (they read a lot like proverbs).  He goes back and forth a bit – just like real life.  I was reading this again thinking, “This reads like a journal in some ways.”  It seems to chronicle a journey, and it has to be understood in its entire context.  It’s not the kind of book that you necessarily want to pull individual verses from because, like David in Psalms, Solomon has some ups and downs here. So, I decided to write Ecclesiastes like a journal. 

Each entry summarizes the main thoughts of a section. In doing this, I consulted a number of different translations and commentaries to be sure I stayed true to the main ideas, though as you will see I added a little of my own tone here and there.  You may hear some pop song lyrics and bumper stickers.

It’s a chronicling of the search for meaning.  Not every entry is easy to read or hear; the book is not what I would call “inspirational,” but it’s honest, and its conclusion is true.  And it will help lay the foundation for the next couple weeks. 

King’s Log, Entry 1 (Ecclesiastes 1)

Okay, God, here we go. This is going to be very different from that Song I wrote about love, and the Proverbs I compiled.  I was younger then.  A lot of life has flowed under the bridge.  This time’s going to be tougher, but I am committed to being honest with you in what I write.  It’s not like anyone else is going to read it. 

Here is my opinion about life:  everything I see around me is meaningless, insignificant.  I see the vapor rising from the lake in the morning, and I think “That’s what life is like.”  It’s worthless. It’s….hebel.   Everything we do in life vaporizes like that mist under this hot, miserable sun.  We are like mice in a wheel; we run in circles for no apparent reason. I’m sure it’s entertaining to watch, but it’s pointless. All in all, it’s just another brick in my palace wall.   

Honestly, God, looking at the world you made doesn’t help.  The earth, the sun, the wind, the rivers - it’s just the same thing over and over again – the earth spins, the sun rises, the wind blows, the rivers run to the ocean. Then they do it again. Sure, it’s pretty, but it’s pointless. I don’t find this encouraging.  I am afraid that’s my life too – pretty but pointless.

“All things are wearisome…I’ve seen so many wonders, but all I think about is what I haven’t seen yet. I have heard so many things, but it just reminds me of all the things I haven’t heard yet.  There is nothing new under this blazing hot, predictable, futile sun.  Nobody even thinks about things that don’t happen to them right here, right now. When my friends die, we mourn for an hour and forget them.  Is that what’s waiting for me? 

HOW CAN I BE SIMULTANEOUSLY SO SELF-CENTERED AND SO UNSATISFIED? 

(I am thinking of a new bumper sticker for my chariot: “Hebel happens.” Or something like that.)

King’s Log, Entry 2 (Ecclesiastes 2)

Okay, I gave it my best shot.  I am really trying to find a way to make this life meaningful. 

You would not believe how much I studied.  I tried to learn as much as I could about as many things as I could find.  It was like chasing the wind.  I never quite caught it, and even if I would have, what’s the point?   

I hired all the best comedians, They were stupid. Nothing is funny anymore.  A man can walk into a bar only so many times.  Good humor is based in reality, and reality is hebel. (Have I said that already?)

Did I mention I drank a lot of wine?  And it wasn’t the cheap stuff in a box?  I didn’t just do it to get drunk. I tried to do it purposefully, as an experiment.  Nothin’.

I built a ton of stuff.  I had over 100,000 people working on just the temple and my palace.  I built vineyards and gardens and blah blah blah.  One day they will all crumble, thanks to that sun and rain I mentioned last time..

So I went shopping.  I bought everything I wanted.  Now, even the singing fish on my wall is getting old.

 I hired musicians and started Solomonpalooza.  It was boring.  There is only so much you can do with a harp and a zither.  And nobody had a bass player, so whom was I supposed to pay for the pizza?

So…I got some more wives.  If they looked good at all, I brought ‘em home.  I probably should not have done this when I was experimenting with the wine. I can’t believe I’m writing this, but they bored me too.  (I recently re-read that Song about love I wrote when I was a LOT younger, and I think I may have overstated my case). Bottom line? 

“ I became great and increased more than all who preceded me in Jerusalem. My wisdom was well known. All that my eyes desired I indulged in. I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure... I considered all my activities which my hands had done and the labor which I had exerted, and behold all was vanity and striving after wind and there was no profit under the sun.”   (Ecclesiastes 2:9-11)

(Bumper sticker idea; “He who dies with the least hebel wins.”  I hope people don’t mess with this one like they did with “Hebel  happens”.)

King Log, Entry 3 (Ecclesiastes 3-4)

I think I have nailed the problem: Everything is in flux, everything changes, and it’s unpredictable.  And I can’t stand unpredictability.

I understand you have to have change: One day you are born, one day you die.  One day you kill, one day you heal. One day you laugh, one day you mourn.  One day you war, one day you have peace. One day you marry, the next day you shop.  

There is a season for everything.  Fine. Why can’t I know what season is coming up, or why I just had the season I did? Is it too much to ask for a “heads up”?  I know my chariot has to break down….I know I’ll probably get sick from green figs…my wives and I will disagree…my son will one day want to be king…I just want to know when.  I want to be able to prepare. I WANT PREDICTABILITY!!!!!

God, in my clearer moments, I know you plan the right seasons of life for the right time – that predictability I complained about in nature makes that possible.  I get it.  I just wonder why you can’t show us what you have planned from the beginning to the end. The seasons of the year are predictable; why not life?

We’ve got tons of information directly from you about what seafood not to eat, and how not to yoke an ox with a donkey. Would it be too much to talk about life – specifically, my life - with me?  At this point, the best I can conclude is that people should be happy with what they have. It is what it is. My friends don’t have answers, and neither do politicians. No one can help anyone else understand what’s to come.

   I used to be  angry at how futile and unfair life is; now, I’m just a fatalist. 

(New T-shirt idea:  It will say, “I’m with hebel” and have arrows pointing all around.)

King’s Log, Entry 4 (Ecclesiastes 5)

I’ve been trying hard to find a way to live a meaningful life in spite of how I am feeling about everything.

Here is what I have seen to be good, to my best definition of good:  eating, drinking wine, and enjoying yourself during the few years of this brief life you have given us; as far as I can tell, this is our reward in this life.  If you allow people to have stuff, you must want them to enjoy it.  It’s a reward for hard work.  This isn’t a bad thing; it’s a gift from you. And since we can’t take it with us, we might as well enjoy it now. 

If we can just embrace what we are given, and focus our attention on what’s right in front of us, we won’t worry about what’s going to happen, or how long we have to live.

Maybe this is how you offset our ignorance about life.  You wants us to enjoy life, to seize the day and the things in it. For whatever reason, You can’t let us see everything you see – but you expect us to enjoy what we have.  Anything less would be…uncivilized. And let’s be honest, I kind of like this approach, because I have a lot :)

God, you give us a few unpredictable years. I’m still not happy about that “unpredictable,” but I’ll take the years and enjoy what I’ve got.  

(Wow, that T-shirt really tanked.  I’m thinking of another bumper sticker, “Life is like a box of fig dates – sweet.  Or rotten.  Eat em’ up anyway.”)

King’s Log, Entry 5 (Ecclesiastes 6)

I heard a guy say recently, “All a man’s labor is for his mouth and yet the appetite is not satisfied.” I get that now.  I was feeling good about my new embrace of life, but… how do I know what’s good for me during this lifetime, during the few years of this vaporous life?   I mean REALLY, truly good for me?  I have seized day after day, I’ve tried to enjoy what you have allowed me to have, and I still feel empty.  I feel this overwhelming guilt like I am still wasting something that is already so fleeting.  

I know you gave me something substantial – my life – and you gave me this new desire to maximize my days (whee!)…but I feel like I am wasting them because I don’t think I actually know what true enjoyment looks and feels like.  I am experiencing a shadow of the real thing.  I’m playing at the mud puddle when I should be at the ocean, but I don’t know where the ocean is.

Someone should write a song: “If it makes you happy, why are you so sad?”  

King’s Log, Entry #6 (Ecclesiastes 7)

Feeling a little better for this reason:  I believe I now know what it takes to focus me, to center me, to help me see life for the precious gift it is.  

 Feeling a little worse for this reason: I believe this new appreciation for life was found by looking into the face of adversity. I thought maximizing my personal happiness and trying to overlook the harshness of life would help me appreciate life, but it turns out that confronting the reality of death, and entering into mourning and sorrow  - these are  the  things that make us take life seriously. The more I grasp that one day life will end, the more I appreciate that the life I have has not. I tried to drown Hebel in pleasure.  Bad move. Maybe now I will starve it with pain.  (But even as I write that, I think I’m still missing the point). 

HOWEVER…. I also feel a little better for this reason:  I used to think you messed up the world, and that my disillusionment was your fault. Bad God!  But I have been reminded again that you made the world good; we messed it up.  I need to stop blaming you for something we did.  What’s the problem with the world?  We are.  Wait…I am.  The sickness is myself.  Oddly enough, that’s comforting.  I couldn’t fix you to my liking, and that was depressing. But you can fix me to your liking and to mine, and that’s not depressing at all J

King’s Log, Entry #7 (Ecclesiastes 8)

 Wow. Sometimes I am overwhelmed by what I see and hear as king.  Clearly I was right: we are the problem.  It weighs on me, but it also gives me perspective.  

I’ve seen evil people get away with a hundred atrocities and still live a long life.  That used to make me question your justice, but over time I have seen that the truly good life is reserved for those who fear you, and who aren’t ashamed to let people know. Evil people might live long, but that’s not the same as living well.  They fear things to – just not you – but that doesn’t make them better people at all.  Those who fear you build towering lives that cast a long shadow: people find shade and rest close to them.  

But the Others, the evil ones…they cast a small shadow, or no shadow at all. They are nothing, even if they think they are.  What they do and how they live is truly hebel, no matter how long their life lasts.

But those with the good life….hmmm…..  They live well – their reputation covers the land - because they fear you.  It’s not the work of adversity and pain in their life that casts this shadow; it’s not their enjoyment of the wealth you gave them either. This is different. There is nothing hebel about them.

I’m trying to understand how their fear of you nourishes them.  I don’t usually associate fear with well-being.  Honestly, I’ve been afraid of a lot of things, but never you.  I have been afraid of boredom, and loneliness, and emptiness, and poverty…but not of you.  None of those fears served me well, which is why I need some help on this one. 

I read somewhere “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.”  Where was that again?  :)

King’s Log, Entry #8 (Ecclesiastes 9-10)

I want wisdom more than anything.     

 I’m struggling with the unpredictability of life again. I have looked everywhere, and I can’t figure what you are ultimately doing on this earth.  I have been having these great revelatory insights about you, I have learned to embrace the hard times and the good times, I have been getting a handle on “the good life” – I thought I was really doing well.   I’m back to the beginning again.  Back to the basics.  

    Premise 1: All of us will die (and pay taxes, one of those comedians said.)

    Premise 2: I can’t figure you out. 

    Premise 3:  I can’t figure life out.  

    Premise 4: If all the news I get in court is true, the swift don’t always win the race; the warriors don’t always win the battle; the wise and noble don’t always prosper; no one knows when they will die.  The deck is stacked; Time and Chance are the house, and the house always wins.   

   Conclusion:  Whatever I do, I’ll do it well until time and chance overtake me.  I’ll eat happily and drink cheerfully; clearly, if you bless me with stuff, you want me to enjoy it. I’ll dress up and put on cologne, and enjoy life with my spouse.  Spouses. (What was I thinking?!?!)  This is what I have worked for and earned. And if I can be wise instead of stupid, I will do even better.

 Life is fleeting and temporary, so I will enjoy it with gusto.  

This is the best I can do with the wisdom you have given me.  But you know what?  At one time that would have upset me, but it doesn’t anymore. Oddly enough (for me), I’m good with this.  I am content to know just this much.  It is enough.  If this is how God made this life to be, I accept it. 

King’s Log, Entry #8 (Ecclesiastes 11)

Sorry I haven’t written in a while.  I tend not to write when life is good.  After I “gave up” last time, something settled inside me.  I recently realized there have been a couple cool changes in me.

I don’t live in fear. I don’t understand the wind, but I still sail and do business on the seas.  I prepare for the unexpected  - I send boats out 8 different directions, so that if storms sink one, the other still go on. I don’t know when it will rain, but I don’t stop planting.  I just plant at different times. I don’t understand how babies are formed in the womb, but I still have children. I don’t understand how you work any better now than I did then, but that’s okay.  Wind, rain, and life are in better hands than mine.

 Life is sweet. I have finally stopped looking to this world to give my life meaning, and have started looking to God. I’m learning to appreciate the good years I have had, while not forgetting I had some bad years too – and I will have more of both. 

Nothing has fundamentally changed about the world.  I could still complain like I did before.  I have changed. And that makes all the difference, come hebel or high water. 

Kings Log, Entry #9 (Ecclesiastes 12)

 If I were to give the younger me some advice now, I think it would be this.

 Live boldly. You won't be young forever; your youth is fun, but it’s a vapor. Make the most of your youth and vitality. Be bold; go after good things. Don’t live in fear! But…. know also that at some point you will have to answer to God for every last bit of what you do, so make sure it’s truly good things you pursue, not just things that look good. Choose wisely.     

Fear God. Commit yourself to love, serve, and be in awe of Him while you are still have energy and enthusiasm. If you do this, you will live a meaningful life; the towering life you build will cast a long shadow. You will never fear anything else. You will not fear the future, or uncertainty, or loneliness, or poverty, or boredom. None of them can control you.

Revere God, because if you don’t, you will revere something else that does not deserve your worship.  If you revere God, you won’t put so much weight on fleeting pleasure to meet your needs, and you can avoid the addictions of overindulgence. If you revere God, trials and adversity will be trusted to him rather than hoarded inside as you turn cynical, bitter, and despairing.

Keep His commandments.  That which we fear and revere will control us, for better or worse.  God’s commandments are good and true (Thanks, Dad, for writing some good stuff on this in your psalms). The more they guide your life, the better off you will be. 

Serve God… Worship God… Obey His commands. 

It is here we find rest.  

* * * * * 

Remember how John described those who overcome in Revelation? They hold fast to the testimony of Jesus, and keep His commandments. There is rest in surrender and obedience to Jesus.  

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-29)

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[1] The title means “one who addresses an assembly.” The word he uses for God is Elohim, which – more than other words he could have used- focused his audience on God as a Creator, and us as the created. Solomon is apparently wanting to address a wider audience than just the Jewish people.

An Interlude: Revelation 14

We are getting into the part of Revelation where your eschatology (view of the End Times) is going to have a big impact on how you interpret what is happening. I mentioned in Message+ last week that you are probably not going to hear me land on any one view. I’m going to try to get to the underlying truths that are present no matter the view. 

The Song of the 144,000

Then I looked, and here was the Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with him were 144,000, who had his name and his Father’s name[1] written on their foreheads.  I also heard a sound coming out of heaven like the sound of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder.[2] 

Zion

• In Psalm 76  Zion symbolizes the defeat of God's enemies and the salvation of his people.

• Zion is the entire city of Jerusalem (Isaiah 4:3–4; 52:1–2) or the temple mount, considered the dwelling place of God 

• In Hebrews, Zion is viewed as a heavenly city where God, angels, and the church reside (12:22–23; also 2 Esdras 2:42), and Christ has begun his messianic reign (Psalm 2:6).[3]

• The 144,000 are destined for the celestial city with a wall of 144 cubits (21.16–17),[4]suggesting Zion here could be the church.[5]

 So is it a geographic location, a symbol for heavenly realities, the church? Sure - as long as the conclusion is that the crucified and resurrected Lamb is enthroned, and those who follow him repeat His victory over the dragon and the beast by following the commandments of God and holding fast to the testimony of Jesus 

Now the sound I heard was like that made by harpists playing their harps, and they were singing a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders. No one was able to learn the song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth.

This is a new song of redemption[6] sung by those who have been redeemed.[7] It is a hymn to the Lamb (Christ) who has inaugurated the new age (see also 21:1, 5), rescuing people by his death so that they could participate in God’s purposes as ‘kings and priests’ in the world. No one else can sing it, not even the 4 living creatures and the elders: they aren’t human beings who have experienced the glorious redemption Jesus provides.  

[The 144,000] are the ones who have not defiled themselves with women, for they are virgins. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever he goes. These were redeemed from humanity as firstfruits to God and to the Lamb, and no lie was found on their lips; they are blameless.[8] 

The 144,000

Numbers in Revelation are weighed rather than counted; I suspect a lot of descriptions are the same – they should be treated as symbols rather than literal descriptions. Revelation is apocalyptic literature, and pretty much everything is an icon we click to take us to a deeper reality. 

• The 144,000 males were first introduced in Revelation 7:4 as "sons of Israel."[9]  We talked then about it being a census for the mustering of an army. A battle is going on in Revelation; these are the people who signed up.

• Taken literally, it’s 144,000 male virgins. So the ability to follow the Lamb wherever he goes would be limited to 144,000 men who have not had sex.  Since the Bible nowhere else suggests that having sex ruins the holiness of a person,[10] I’m going to opt for seeing this as a symbolic group. What does virginity symbolize?

• The 7 churches were not to cheat with Jezebel or "Babylon the Great, the Mother of Prostitutes" (17:5), who "made all the nations drink the maddening wine of her adulteries"(14:8; compare 17:1-6). They have not defiled themselves through spiritual fornication. Paul once wrote, "I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him" (2 Corinthians 11:2).

• Communities are personified as women in Revelation: the church is a mother (chap. 12), Babylon is a prostitute (chap. 17), the church is a bride (chap. 21). Personifying redeemed individuals as male and redeemed communities as female says nothing about their actual gender. [11]

 So this group should be weighed. It’s a group of faithful followers of Jesus[12] who are the firstfruits…..

Firstfruits

“Firstfruits” point toward the much greater harvest to come (think of the first portions of the harvest given as an offering to God in Exodus 23:16 and Nehemiah 10:35, for example. A couple examples:

• Paul used ‘firstfruits’ to describe Israel as the spiritual root of the church (Rom. 11:16), as did James (1:18) and Jeremiah (2:3)[13] 

• Paul described his first converts in Asia and Achaia as the ‘firstfruits’ (Romans 16:5; 1 Corinthians 16:15)

• James said that God “gave us birth by the word of truth so that we would be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.” (James 1:18)

• “But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep… For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.  But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him.” (1 Cor. 5: 20-23) 

 John presents the 144,000 as the first installment of redeemed humanity,[14] along with the "great multitude that no one could count" from 7:9-17.[15]  This is sometimes seen as those redeemed from Israel (the faithful remnant[16]), and then the multitude of Gentile converts. However you want to parse that out, it’s faithful followers of Jesus whose entrance into heaven is the beginning of a much greater harvest.

So far…. Jesus is enthroned; the faithful, the firstfruits of the redeemed, are having a glorious time. 

Three Angels and Three Messages

Then I saw another angel flying directly overhead, and he had an eternal gospel[17] to proclaim to those who live on the earth—to every nation, tribe, language, and people.  He declared in a loud voice: “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has arrived, and worship the one who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water!” 

A second angel followed the first, declaring: “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great city![18] She made all the nations drink of the wine of her immoral passion.” 

 A third angel followed the first two, declaring in a loud voice: “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and takes the mark on his forehead or his hand, that person will also drink of the wine of God’s anger that has been mixed undiluted in the cup of his wrath, and he will be tortured with fire and sulfur in front of the holy angels and in front of the Lamb.[19]   

And the smoke[20] from their torture will go up forever and ever, and those who worship the beast and his image will have no rest day or night, along with anyone who receives the mark of his name.” 

This requires  the steadfast endurance of the saints—those who obey God’s commandments and hold to their faith in Jesus.  Then I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write this: ‘Blessed are the dead, those who die in the Lord from this moment on!’” Yes,” says the Spirit, “so they can rest from their hard work, because their deeds will follow them.”

Then I looked, and a white cloud appeared, and seated on the cloud was one like a son of man! [21] He had a golden crown on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand. Then another angel came out of the temple, shouting in a loud voice to the one seated on the cloud, “Use your sickle and start to reap, because the time to reap has come, since the earth’s harvest is ripe!” So the one seated on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was reaped.

 Then another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle.  Another angel, who was in charge of the fire, came from the altar and called in a loud voice to the angel who had the sharp sickle, “Use your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of grapes off the vine of the earth, because its grapes are now ripe.” 

So the angel swung his sickle over the earth and gathered the grapes from the vineyard of the earth and tossed them into the great winepress of the wrath of God.[22]  Then the winepress was stomped outside the city, and blood poured out of the winepress up to the height of horses’ bridles for a distance of almost 200 miles.[23]

Judgment

Those who drink Babylon's wine cup of idolatry will eventually drink the cup of God’s wrath.[24] Considering that during this time God’s people are called to “patient endurance,” and that later we will see this cup is filled with the blood of the martyrs, I tend to see the primary (though not only) reason for God’s anger as the killing of his children.[25]  Those who poured out the blood of His people will reap what they have sown; [26] “Those who live by the sword will die by the sword.”[27] What was planted will be harvested. 

Apparently – since this cup is unmixed - the cup of God’s wrath is usually diluted. I think (?) this means that throughout human history, God has diluted the full strength of judgment. He has not intervened as maximally as He justly could have: 

• Egypt (though idolatrous) could have avoided God’s anger and carried on if they hadn’t enslaved God’s people. 

• God could have destroyed violent Ninevah instead of warning them about the upcoming punishment for their violence.

• The nations Israel fought in Canaan had to have “their cups full” of evil doing before God brought judgment to them. 

Historically, God let cups get pretty full before people drank the wine of their own brewing. Eventually, “the time has come to destroy those who destroy the earth” (Revelation 11:18). It’s grim. 

“thoroughly corrupt, totally degenerate; waste away by the decaying influence of moral (spiritual) impurity; utterly corrupt; becoming morally depraved all the way through’ (‘utterly decayed’).”  (HELPS Word Studies)

 As they did unto others, it will be done unto them. They corrupted others; they encouraged them toward depravity; they decayed them. God will make Babylon drink her own mixture, experienced as the wine of his wrath in retribution for her immoral deeds.[28]  [29] [30]  One of the most sobering things God can do is “give them over to themselves” (Romans 1).[31] We’ll see this later when the nations mourn that Babylon the Great has fallen even while they are the one tearing her apart.  

The wording of ‘those who worship the beast’ suggests not only that they worship the beast, but they “persist in worshipping him, even to the end. This characteristic is so strongly marked that they are here represented as keeping it even after their death."[32] Sometimes we get what we want - and it’s a terrible thing.[33] 

[Babylon’s] sins are piled up to heaven, and God has remembered her crimes. Give back to her as she has given; pay her back double for what she has done. Pour her a double portion from her own cup... God has judged her with the judgment she imposed on you.” (Revelation 18:5-6; 20)”[34]

Now, to the bloody imagery. This was how people of that time consistently described times of judgment and death.

• Ancient descriptions of wars spoke of rivers flowing with blood. 

• Blood obstructed ships; trees dripped with gore dropped on them when satiated birds grew weary of feasting on corpses. 

•  In 1Enoch, sinners’ blood covers chariots; horses walk up to their chests in the blood. 

•  rabbis lamented horses drowning in blood and blood rolling huge boulders 40 miles out to the sea.[35] 

This passage says blood will stretch out for 200 miles - on a flat plain. It’s clearly not literal.  It is, however, devastating and final.

Fire and Smoke[36]

Throughout Revelation, fire has been a symbol of judgment: 1:14, 2:18, 3:18, 4:3, 8:5, 15:2, 19:12.[37]  The language is drawn from the description of the overthrow of the cities of the plain under the rain of brimstone and fire; cf. Gen. 19:24, 28; Isa. 34:9 f.; Jude 7.[38]  It also draws from Isaiah 34:9-10, the judgment of Edom:

Edom’s… dust will turn to brimstone, and the land will ignite with burning pitch. Edom’s fiery judgment will burn day and night for all time; the smoke from it will ascend forever.[39] For generations to come it will be a wasteland, and no person will make it their home ever again…When God measures the land, desolation will be its width and chaos will mark its length. (Isaiah 34)

Notice what the fire does and for what the smoke stands as a memorial: utter desolation and chaos (or emptiness, as some translations say). And this note of desolation, chaos and emptiness brings us to our final point.  

Rest vs. Restlessness (for their deeds will follow them)

In Revelation 6:11, the souls of the martyrs were told to "wait" (literally "rest") until their number was complete. In both passages those who die in Christ are said to be at rest, in contrast to the worshipers of the beast, for whom "there is no rest day or night" forever (14:11).[40] “Those who worship the beast and his image….have no rest day and night” is an almost verbatim repetition of how the cherubim worship God in heaven.[41]

While the Bible uses vivid imagery to describe hell as a place you don’t want to go and heaven as a place you do, the role of rest stands out to me in this particular passage. The Bible is thick with the discussion of rest.

•  Ex. 33:14 And he said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”

• Jeremiah 6:16  “Thus says the Lord: ‘Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls.’”

• Psalm 116:7  “Return, O my soul, to your rest; for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you.”

• Jer. 31:25  “I will satisfy the weary soul, and every languishing soul I will replenish.”

• Matthew 11:28-29 “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.[42] Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

• Matthew 12:43; Luke 11:24 “When an unclean spirit comes out of a man, it passes through arid places seeking rest[43] and does not find it.”

• 1 Corinthians 16: 17-18 “I rejoice at the coming of [a few dudes]; they have made up for your absence, for they have refreshed[44] my spirit and yours.”

• Philemon 1:7; 20  “Your love has given me much joy and comfort, my brother, for your kindness has often refreshed[45] the hearts of God’s people... Yes, brother, let me have some benefit and joy from you in the Lord; refresh my heart in Christ.”

• Hebrews 4:9-11  “There still remains a place of rest, a true Sabbath, for the people of God because those who enter into salvation’s rest lay down their labors in the same way that God entered into a Sabbath rest from His. So let us move forward to enter this rest, so that none of us fall into the kind of faithless disobedience that prevented them from entering.”

 If the righteous rest from their hard work because their deeds will follow them, then the unrighteous can’t rest, because their deeds have followed them also. 

“But the wicked are like the storm-tossed sea, for it cannot be still, and its waves churn up mire and muck.” (Isaiah 57:20)

What if, in the next life, we have chosen a path to a place where our wants and needs and desires are never satisfied? What if we can never rest?  

• That affirmation we crave? Never happens. 

• That sense of self-worth? Eternally elusive. 

• The pleasure of actually feeling good enough? Never felt. 

• Rest from needing to earn the love or admiration of others? Failure after failure. 

• The desire to be seen and known? Not going to happen in a world of the relationally blind. 

• Moments of tranquility and peace? Ever elusive. 

• Being loved? Never. 

• The relentless, addictive nature of sin? Unrelenting. 

• The gnawing sense that there is another person who can make me happier than the one I am with, another job that will fulfill me, another house in which I will be happy, another vacation that will finally relax me…. “How much money does it take to make a man happy? Just one more dollar.” — John D. Rockefeller.

• The despair of hopelessness? Every present. 

• Every increasing cravings with ever diminishing returns? Constant.[46]

“Our heart is restless until it find its rest in thee.” – Augustine

That is in sharp contrast with those who have rest. The deeds that followed them were that they kept God’s commandments and clung to the testimony of Jesus.  There is a Someone standing between us and that curse. The trajectory of a life that finds its fulfillment in Christ in the end has already begun.  We find rest now when… 

• we accept that Jesus affirms our status as image bearers and children with dignity and worth. We don’t have to earn that; God has given us that

• we realize Jesus grounds our identity in Him as redeemed and made holy when Jesus gave us love simply because He loved us; we don’t have to be good enough to be loved; we are loved because God is good enough to love even us. 

• we accept that Jesus fully know us and fully loves us; nothing is hidden, yet grace is still offered

• we experience the peace of God keeping our hearts and minds in the storms of life; they may be hard, but we are never alone 

• we discover that Jesus is enough to satisfy us in the midst of our lack – his grace is sufficient for us even when stuff around us crumbles

• the light of the empty grave illuminates the darkness at the end of our despairing tunnels. 

 There will be a day – the ‘not yet’ -  when everything that we experienced in part we will experience in whole as we drink fully from the cup of the love of Jesus.  

 _______________________________________________________________________________

[1] The names written on the foreheads fulfills the promise given to the victors (3:12). 

[2] The sounds of judgment. We’ve heard this sound several times already in Revelation.

[3] Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary of the New Testament

[4] NRSV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible

[5] Orthodox Study Bible

[6] This song was sung in Chapter 5 also.

[7] Zondervan Bible Commentary (One Volume)

[8] In contrast to the Beast and those who follow it, who spew lies.

[9] Well, not Dan, but Levi steps in to take Dan’s place. It’s complicated.

[10] See Song of Songs. Sex was God’s idea. He intends for it to be a wondrous thing within His design.  

[11] IVP New Testament Commentary Series

[12] The Lamb was first seen as if "slain" or "slaughtered" (5:6), and to follow the Lamb wherever he goes is to be "slain" as he was and for his sake (6:9), [12] suggesting the 144,000 are martyrs (6:11). This seems to suggest (?) the song may be even more specific than simply the song of redeemed: it may be that those who have given their lives for the sake of their faith have had such a terrible experience on earth transformed into a uniquely glorious experience in heaven. 

[13] Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary of the New Testament

[14] Zondervan Bible Commentary (One Volume)

[15] IVP New Testament Commentary Series

[16] Isaiah 10:20, Jeremiah 31:7, Micah 2:12 and Zephaniah 3:13

[17] Reminder: it was said that Augustus “was the beginning for the world of the good tidings (euangeliōn; gospel) that came by reason of him.” This directly challenges that claim notion: it is God who is the source of euangelion,not the emperor. The angel flying in mid-heaven seems to correspond with Matthew 24:14: “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.” Expositor's Bible Commentary (Abridged Edition): New Testament

[18] “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great…” is from Isaiah 21:9, which adds, “and all the carved images of her gods [God] has shattered to the ground.” In Daniel 2, the kingdom made without hands is the kingdom of God that shatters the other kingdoms. This was inaugurated by Jesus. Its inevitable demise is now in progress. Again, this is the “already, but not yet” sort of thing that you see going on in the New Testament. (Michael Heisser)

[19] This suggests this is still part of temporal judgment rather than eternal. There is no other indication in Scripture that those in eternity with Jesus are aware of what is happening to those who are not. 

[20] In Chapter 7, the smoke is “the prayers of the saints.”  In Chapter 15, the temple is filled with the smoke of God’s glory and power. There is something about the smoke that is an icon for a message ‘behind’ the smoke. 

[21] “The language is derived from Dan. 7:13 (and Rev. 1:13).

[22] Wine was sometimes called the “blood of grapes” (Gen 49.11) NRSV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible

[23] Writing against the background of America's own Civil War bloodbath, Julia Ward Howe captured something of the spirit of this graphic vision in her famous lines: “Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord; He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored; He has loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword; His truth is marching on.” IVP New Testament Commentary Series

[24] Expositor's Bible Commentary (Abridged Edition): New Testament

[25] This would correlate with the Horsemen as being primarily (though not only) about what Christians will experience in terms of persecution.

[26] There is an ironic parallel between Christ (through his angels) treading the bloody winepress of God's wrath here, and Christ enduring God's wrath against sin on the cross by shedding his own blood. The further irony that both this judgment and the judgment of sin at Jesus' crucifixion took place outside the city (see Hebrews 13:12 and perhaps Mt 21:39) may well be intentional. IVP New Testament Commentary Series

[27] Matthew 26:52

[28] Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary of the New Testament

[29] Joel located this final judgment in the valley of Jehoshaphat (Joel 3:2), or Hinnom, which lies south of Jerusalem. This was the traditional valley of judgment in the Old Testament (Jer. 7:31–32; 19:5–6) that was the model for Gehenna seen in Jewish intertestamental literature (cf. 2 Esdras 7:36) and the New Testament (Matt. 5:22). Later traditions believed it to be the valley as the Kidron, east of Jerusalem. John places the location outside of the city of Babylon: basically, outside of the secular city in a broader sense. Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary of the New Testament

[30] Yet the remark that the vintage was trodden outside the city may remind us of one who absorbed in His own person the judgment due to mankind, and did so outside the city (cf. Jn 19:20; Heb. 13:12)Zondervan Bible Commentary (One Volume)

[31] “Revelation does not contain two competing Christologies and theologies—one of power and one of weakness—symbolized by the Lion and the Lamb, respectively. Revelation presents Christ as the Lion who reigns as the Lamb, not in spite of being the Lamb. This means also that Revelation presents God as the one who reigns through the Lamb, not in spite of the Lamb. All of this means that judgment by God/Christ in Revelation must be an expression of divine identity that is not in conflict with Lamb power. The judgment of the world originates in its failure to believe and be faithful to this God. When it creates its own deities, it suffers the natural consequences of deifying the non-divine. In this sense, judgment proceeds from the throne of God and from the Lamb (6:16–17) because the rejection of the divine gift of life carries with it inherent deadly consequences…when humans reject Lamb power they experience it as imperial disaster—disordered desire, death, and destruction. The first tidal wave of violent imagery expresses the apocalyptic insight that the world’s suffering is allowed by God, but is more fundamentally a result of sin. We would of course be misguided not to see these also as divine punishment, similar to the snowball effect of sin unleashed in the world according to Paul in Rom 1:18—32. The question “human sin or divine punishment?” presupposes a false dichotomy and asks for an unnecessary choice; the answer is of course, “both.” (From Reading Revelation Responsibly)

[32] Pulpit Commentary, https://biblehub.com/commentaries/revelation/14-11.htm. Check out C.S. Lewis’s book The Great Divorce for a novelized version of this idea.

[33] We may sow the wind, but who can stand the whirlwind? See Hosea 8:7

[34] “Sometimes, God’s judgment in Revelation takes the form of imperial practices themselves, or the consequences of such practices. War, famine, pestilence, death, injustice in the marketplace, and rebellion are all…human evils rather than cosmic events… We would be misguided not to see these also as divine punishment, similar to the snowball effect of sin unleashed in the world according to Paul in Rom 1:18-32. The question “human sin or divine punishment?” presupposes a false dichotomy and asks for an unnecessary choice; the answer is of course, ‘both.’” Michael Gorman, Reading Revelation Responsibly

[35] NRSV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible

[36] Smoke shows up everywhere: there are constantly smoky things rising to God. 

·      Smoke means the glory (greatness) of God (Revelation 15:8).

·      The smoke of the incense purified the prayers of the saints, ((Revelation 8:4)

·      A symbol of destruction (Revelation 9)

·      A sign of spiritual pollution (Revelation 9)

[37]  “The heads of the horses looked like lions’ heads, and fire, smoke, and sulfur came out of their mouths. A third of humanity was killed by these three plagues, that is, by the fire, the smoke, and the sulfur that came out of their mouths.” (Revelation 8) 

[38] Zondervan Bible Commentary (One Volume)

[39] In the context of Edom, ‘forever’ either means ‘people will never forget this’ or ‘it stretched so high into the sky it looked like it went on forever.” Or both. 

[40] IVP New Testament Commentary Series

[41] Revelation (Beale)

[42] HELPS Word-studies: 372 anápausis – inner rest (tranquility). “Rest, cessation from labor, refreshment.” 

[43] Ibid

[44] HELPS Word-studies 373  completing a process…" properly, to give (experience) rest after the needed task is completed; to pause (rest) "after precious toil and care."

[45] Ibid

[46] HT C.S. Lewis for that phrase