Monthly Archives: June 2015

Created For Stewardship – Not Tyranny

Teaching, ,

Every member of the human race is confronted with the question of their relationship to the other living creatures upon this earth that we commonly inhabit. As for this and all other questions of our ultimate purpose and responsibilities, we find the answer in the Holy Bible, the Word of the Living God.

Genesis Chapter 1 – Creation

In the creation account in Genesis chapter 1, we find the awesome account of the original creation. In verses 20 through 25 we have the account of the creation of the living creatures:
“And God said, ‘Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creatures that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. 21 And God create great whales and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good. 22 And God blessed them, saying, ‘Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth. 23 And the evening and the morning were the fifth day. 24 And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so. 25 And God made the beast of the earth after his kind: and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.”

Creation of Mankind – His Mandate

Next we have the account of the creation of Mankind: “26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. (27) So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them. (28) And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth,” Genesis 1:26-28.
Then we have the statement of God’s will for their food, verses 29-31:
29 “And God said, ‘Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed, to you it shall be for meat. 30 And to every beast of the earth and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so. 31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.”

To Sum It Up

Revelation 4:11 sums it up: “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.”

And to this I say, “Amen.”

Note two things from this account:
1. We know from this creation story that the animals and all other living creatures are not in the same class as people; neither are people in the same class as animals, for Mankind was created in the image of God. Since God created Mankind in His image and for His pleasure we know that it is His pleasure for us to exercise the dominion for which we were created: we are to be stewards of the creation and shepherds of the beasts.
2. At this point God gave Mankind the herbs bearing seed, and the fruit of trees yielding seed for food. For the beasts, the fowls and the creeping things, He gave the green herbs for food.

Genesis Chapter 2: Creation of Adam – The Breath of Life

Here we have the full account of the creation of the first man, Adam, and his wife, Eve, and the beautiful garden of Eden. God created this Man by forming him from the dust of the earth, then breathing into his nostrils the Breath of Life, making him a living soul. This ‘Breath of Life’ is the Holy Spirit of God, [Hebrew ruah], which gave Man the image of God Who is a Spirit. This clearly places Mankind in a separate class from the animals. He is not brought forth by the earth nor by the sea as was the animals, but was uniquely created by God.

The Garden of Eden And Man’s Free Will

God planted the garden of Eden and made it to grow. Verse 16: “And the Lord God commanded the Man, saying, ‘Of every tree of the garden thou mayest eat: 17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.’” Here we see the origin of Mankind’s prerogative to obey or not to obey God, his free will.

Chapter 2 continues with the account of the creation of Eve and the marriage of Adam and Eve.

Genesis Chapter 3: Temptation, Sin, and Death

This gives the account of the temptation by the serpent and their sin of disobedience by eating of the forbidden tree and the awful consequences of expulsion from the garden. It is this original sin that brought about death, not only of Mankind, but also of the rest of the natural world, the necessity for bringing forth more children to replenish the earth, and hard labor to bring forth food.

Chapters 4 Through 8 – The Consequences of Sin

In Chapters 4 through 8 we read of the awful consequences of Adam’s sin and the death that it brought. Sin and death prevailed even unto the time when the whole earth was filled with such violence that God, Himself, was greatly grieved. He saw that He must destroy the whole family of Mankind, as well as the creatures.

Genesis 6:8: “But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.” And God directed him to build an ark, so that he and his family could survive the flood that was coming upon the whole earth to destroy it. They also were to take two of every creature into the ark to preserve the lives of the creatures.

Chapter 9: After the flood – Meat Is Permitted

“And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth. 2 And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered. 3 Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things. 4 But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat.”

In this account, we find that God not only reiterated His commission that Mankind should take dominion over the creatures, but also that now He could use them for food, with the prohibition that they should not eat them with the blood thereof.

The Privileges And Responsibilities of Dominion

How, then, are we to exercise this amazing divine directive to take dominion over all of the living creatures? God is the Great Shepherd, Who sets the example for us. We can best understand our privileges and responsibilities to the creatures by observing how our Father, God, in Whose image we are created, relates to us in body, soul and spirit. It is not a relationship of a tyrant over his slaves and subjects, but the relationship of loving care and companionship.

God is the Father of our Spirits, Hebrews 12:5-11. As a loving Father, He disciplines us for our good, chastening us in order to develop us in the ways of His righteous and peaceful Kingdom. Being in His image, He wills that we should, in turn, discipline, chasten, and teach our children for their good.

He is the Saviour of our bodies, Ephesians 5.23 and I Timothy 4:10. We are to be good stewards also of our own bodies, also training our children to respect and cherish their bodies. After all, our bodies are flesh and must be ruled by our spirit.

He is the Shepherd of our souls. As the Great Shepherd, He teaches us and models the role of how we are to exercise our dominion over the living creatures. It does not allow for neglect or abuse, but rather for nutrition, shelter, and good management. Psalm 23 gives us the perfect picture of the life of the animal under the care of a Good Shepherd; they are ‘pets.’ In this relationship, the shepherd’s fold is a sanctuary.

Jesus describes His own role as the Good Shepherd in John 10:11-18. This is one of the greatest descriptions of the love relationship between a shepherd and his sheep. The Good Shepherd gives His life for the sheep. The Good Shepherd is contrasted with the hireling, one who cares for the animals only for what he can profit from it. The hireling can neglect or abuse the animals, but a good shepherd will risk his own life to save His sheep.

This clearly teaches what our attitude should be to the animals: “A righteous man regardeth the life of a beast: but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel,” Proverbs 12:10.

A Symbiotic Relationship

In the Biblical record, the relationship is symbiotic; that is, it is advantageous and necessary for both the man and the animal. The animal receives good and proper sustenance, protection from predators and weather, treatment for diseases, parasites and injuries, and careful breeding. The man receives food, shelter, clothing and companionship.

The Lord is our Good Shepherd. Let us submit willingly to His tender care and joyfully to our ability to bring blessings and joy to Him.

Voice Like A Trumpet Saying ‘Write’

Revelation Commentary, , , ,

Voice Like a Trumpet

Revelation 1:10; 4:1: “A loud voice like a trumpet,” RSV.

This voice seems to be the same voice in both Revelation 1:10 and 4:1. It identifies the speaker as “Alpha and Omega,” which we know from verse 8 is the Lord Jesus.

This voice foreshadows the Seven Trumpets that are sounded later in the book.
The voice of the Lord is a most awesome experience as witnessed by the children of Israel at Sinai, Exodus 19:6, 16-19, and cited in Hebrews 12:19-26.*

The trumpet used for proclamations was the shofar. The trumpet used for proclaiming the new moon, changing of times, etc., was the yowbel. This word carries the connotation of being borne along as with a stream. It is the source of the word translated “jubilee,” and was used for proclaiming the jubilee year. It indicated the sense of marking a definite point in an endless stream of time.

Revelation 1:11 “Write what you see.”

Here in verse 11, the Voice commands John to write what he sees to the Seven Churches. In verse 11, the words “which are in Asia,” are inserted at the translators privilege and are not in the original Greek text. However, In verse 4, the words “which are in Asia,” are in the original Greek. This may be significant, as I explain in my Commentary on verse 4, (which see).

God-Given Scriptures Were Written

The authoritative Scriptures were written, as opposed to the traditions of the Jews who claimed that the Law given to Moses at Sinai was in two parts, one of which was written and the other was handed down orally. The Pharisees taught that the “oral law” was of equal authority with the written law. However, Jesus used the written Scriptures to refute the scribes and Pharisees, (Matt. 5:21-48; John 10:34, etc.), and also against the devil, (Matt. 4:4, 6, 7).

The other New Testament writers also quoted the Scriptures as authoritative by saying: “It is written,” (Rom. 11:8; 1Cor. 1:31; 2 Cor. 4:13, etc.).

Indeed, it is recorded that God Himself also wrote, Exodus 31:18; Deuteronomy 9:19. Many of the prophecies given to Old Testament prophets were first given orally to be proclaimed orally to the people. They were first told to “speak”, (Jer. 1:17; 7:27; 13:12; Ezekiel 2:7; etc.) But afterwards their words were written down.

The apocalyptic genre of literature is identified by being written rather than spoken.

*See Part 2 of my Book, Revelation In Context, “Bible Referents”, Revelation 1:10 for further references to the experience of hearing the voice of the Lord.

This lesson is an edited excerpt from my book, Revelation in Context, available locally at the Living Word Bookstore in Shawnee, Oklahoma or www.Amazon.com, orwww.XulonPress.com.
Free downloads are also available at www.revelationincontext.sermon.net.

Being Turned

Revelation Commentary, , , , , ,

Revelation 1:12: “Being turned I saw seven golden candlesticks.”

Praying Toward Jerusalem

John was in the isle of Patmos. The Jews in exile from the land of Judea were taught that they should pray toward Jerusalem according as Solomon had prayed at the dedication of the temple:

“Yet have thou respect unto the prayer of thy servant, and to his supplication, O LORD my God, to hearken unto the cry and to the prayer, which thy servant prayeth before thee to day: 29 That thine eyes may be open toward this house night and day, [even] toward the place of which thou hast said, My name shall be there: that thou mayest hearken unto the prayer which thy servant shall make toward this place. 30 And hearken thou to the supplication of thy servant, and of thy people Israel, when they shall pray toward this place: and hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place: and when thou hearest, forgive.” (1 Kings 8:28)

We know that Daniel followed this tradition while Israel was captive in Babylon:

“Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.” (Daniel 6:10)

“Being Turned” Away From the Fallen Jerusalem

We can understand, then, that John was praying toward Jerusalem and the Temple. From the Isle of Patmos, he would have been facing in a southerly direction. Upon hearing the Voice, John turned. He would then have been facing north. It was as he was facing north that he saw the seven golden candlesticks, (KJV), or “lampstands,” (RSV). John’s “turning”, then, symbolized turning away from the old Judaism to the Church of Jesus Christ, visually represented by the north polar constellations, sometimes known in the Hebrew culture as the Menorah, or seven-branched candlestick of the Temple.

THE CHURCH HAS BECOME THE MENORAH

The “seven golden candlesticks” are the seven churches of Asia, Revelation 1:20: “The seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.”

These same seven are also the seven spirits of God, Revelation 4:5. These same seven spirits are also the seven eyes of the Lamb, Revelation 5:6.

(See also my Commentary at 1:4 “Asia”.)

In Revelation 1:20 the seven stars are the fire upon the top of the lampstands: “The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches.”

These angels are spirits, Psalm 104:4 and Hebrews 1:7, 14. Therefore, in this writing, these are all synonymous and interchangeable to some degree: Lampstands, Churches, Spirits, Eyes of the Lamb, Angels and Stars.

How the Natural is Analogous to the Spiritual

It is probably helpful to understand that there is a natural reality that corresponds to, or is analogous to, the spiritual reality. “For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse,” Romans 1:20.

For example, the “Angels” of the seven churches of Asia are spiritual entities that inhabit the natural pastors or leaders of the earthly churches. However, the earthly churches are merely the counterpart of a heavenly reality, the Eyes of the Lamb and the Seven Spirits of God. As in all use of analogy, the analogy only holds for certain parts of the entities represented. The two figures are not identical in every respect.

This lesson is an edited excerpt from my book, Revelation in Context, available locally at the Living Word Bookstore in Shawnee, Oklahoma or www.Amazon.com, orwww.XulonPress.com.
Free downloads are also available at www.revelationincontext.sermon.net.

Day Of The Lord

Revelation Commentary, ,

Revelation 1:10: “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day.”

Day of the Lord = “The Lord’s Day.”

The term “the Lord’s Day” does not necessarily mean the Sabbath. “The Lord’s Day” is equivalent to “the Day of the Lord.” The “Day of the Lord” was a time that had been appointed from many centuries before. Several of the prophets had foretold it, both in the Old and New Testament.[1]

What John saw and experienced was the events of “the Day of the Lord,” as foretold by the prophets. We may understand that it was literally “The Day of the Lord” and that he saw what was happening in Jerusalem at that particular time “in the Spirit,” although he was physically in the isle of Patmos. Or, we may understand that he was “in the Spirit” and saw the events of “The Lord’s Day” as something about to happen immediately.[2] The latter case seems to fit the writing more precisely. He wrote as one who is recording something seen while in an altered state of consciousness, such as a dream, but in his case, a vision. He is saying: “In my vision, (while in the Spirit), it was the Day of the Lord.”

The “Day of the Lord” in the Old Testament

Some of the referents for the term “the Lord’s Day”, or “Day of the Lord,” are to be found in the Old Testament Psalms which celebrate the pageantry and feasts of the enthronement of the King. Jesus announced that it was “the acceptable year of the Lord,” that is, the year of jubilee. In the oriental cultures the enthronement of the king was re-enacted each new year celebration. There was a recitation of the mighty deeds of the king according to the days of the year past, which is the “his-story” of the year. In this sense, the chronicles of the days verified the accuracy of the calendar and served as a verification of the heavens’ “amen.”

The great Day of the Lord was the day when the books were opened and recompense for deeds was meted out. It was a day of rewards for the faithful but a day of vengeance and wrath for the enemies of the King. Jesus had foretold that the day of His coming would be joyous for believers, but a day of vengeance for His enemies, Luke 21:22.

Isaiah had also foretold that the day of the Lord would be a comfort to the righteous but a day of vengeance for the wicked, Isaiah 13:9; 34:8; 61:2; 63:4.

Jeremiah had prophesied of the day of wrath and vengeance, Jeremiah 46:10; 50:15, 28. Zephaniah had also seen the Great Day, Zephaniah 1:14-16. Paul had fully understood the nature of the Great Day as foretold by the prophets: (Rom. 2:5-10).

As Ezekiel in Babylon Saw the Destruction of Jerusalem

It is possible that John saw, through this spiritual vision, the events that were taking place in Judea and Jerusalem at the time of, or very near the time, of their occurrence. The precedent for this experience is found in Ezekiel. As Ezekiel was with the captives in Babylon the Word of the Lord came to him and he saw and told the people that Jerusalem was being destroyed, (chapter 24). He was stricken dumb and remained so until a fugitive from Jerusalem arrived, about three years later, to report the news of the fall of the city, (Ezek. 24:27; 33:21-2).

John, too, although a captive on the isle of Patmos, may have seen the destruction through the Spirit. There is an immediacy to his message that suggests an eyewitness account, even as in Ezekiel.

Like Ezekiel, too, there is a great personal, emotional involvement with the events witnessed. There is probably no more traumatic experience than seeing the institutions, ceremonies and sacraments that represent the outward expression of one’s faith fall into perversion and disgrace. Ezekiel suffered this trauma in his personal life as a symbol for the people. As a sign of the death of God’s beloved wife, Israel, Ezekiel’s wife died. She had been “the delight of his eyes,” but God commanded him not to grieve openly, for it was, as the symbol of Israel, the certain result of sin.

Like Ezekiel’s, John’s message was not directed to the literal Jerusalem, for it was too late for her to repent. John’s message of warning as well as of hope was to the faithful remnant, the universal Church. They were not to boast in themselves, for even though they were the golden lampstands in the very presence of Christ in the heavens, (Revelation 1:20), they too could fall and their light be removed, as was happening to the literal Jerusalem.

Jerusalem’s Fall A Warning to the Churches

In context, the message to the Churches has the force of pointing to what happened to the literal Jerusalem as an example of what will happen to them also if they fail to repent. The natural Israel, the wife of God, the delight of His eyes, had fallen into an adulterous relationship with the fleshly (beastly) nations and was suffering the consequences of her sins.

A referent for the phrase “in the Spirit” is found in John 16:13:
“Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, [that] shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.”

Revelation Is the Work of the Spirit

Jesus had foretold that the Spirit would lead into “all truth” which is equivalent to “revelation.” So here is John’s guide, his Paraclete, ‘one who walks alongside,’ his melits, an interpreter. Jesus had also said that the Spirit would speak, (i.e. interpret) what He heard, as one who hears one language and interprets into another language. Throughout the book of Revelation we see the Spirit interpreting the symbols and walking alongside John.

In the passage John 16:7-15 Jesus had foretold that the Spirit would reprove the world, that is, convince or convict, of sin and also of righteousness, i.e. what is right, and of God’s judgment. He would convince them through the revelation and glorification of Christ: failure to believe on Him is the essence of sin, and God’s righteous judgment is upon sin. It is this work of the Spirit that we see in the book of Revelation.

John 16:14-15 says the Spirit was to “receive of mine” and “all things are mine”, therefore, “he shall take of mine and shall show it unto you.” In the book of Revelation we see the Spirit taking the things, the words, attributes and deeds of Christ and showing them. Each of the messages to the seven churches closes with the admonition to “hear” what the Spirit, the interpreter, is saying to them.

“I Was in the Spirit”

In Revelation 1:10 and 4:2 it is expressly stated that John was “in the Spirit.” In 17:3 the Spirit carries him away to show him the harlot Babylon. In 21:10 he shows him the New Jerusalem the Bride of the Lamb. The Spirit guides and interprets throughout the book, (14:13 and 20:17).

[1] The following Scripture references will serve to set the stage for the idea of the “Day of the Lord.”

Isaiah 2:12, 17; 13:6, 9, 13; 28:5; 34:8; 61:2; 63:4; Jeremiah 46:10; Ezek. 7:19; 13:5; Joel 1:15; 2:1, 2, 11. 31; Amos 5:18, 20; Obad. 15; Zeph. 1:7-16; Mal. 4:5. Romans 2:5, 16; 1 Thess. 5:2-4; 1 Pet. 2:12; 1 John 4:17; Jude 6.

The book of Enoch 92.2 also says: “Let not your spirit be troubled on account of the times; For the Holy and Great One has appointed days for all things.” (Charles, Enoch, 129.) The “Day of the Lord” may be thought of as one of the appointed days.

[2] ZPBD, p. 720 divides the Book of Revelation into four great visions, each of which is introduced by the phrase ‘in the Spirit.’ These are: 1:10; 4:2; 17:3; 21:10.

This lesson is an edited excerpt from my book, Revelation in Context, available locally at the Living Word Bookstore in Shawnee, Oklahoma or www.Amazon.com, or www.XulonPress.com.
Free downloads are also available at www.revelationincontext.sermon.net.

Patmos

Revelation Commentary, ,

Revelation 1:9. “I was in the island called Patmos … for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.” KJV

Patmos

Many interpreters accept the statement of Zondervan’s Pictorial Bible Dictionary which says: “Patmos was the site of a penal colony, where political prisoners were condemned to hard labor in the mines.” (p. 721.)

However, there is some room for disagreement with this statement.

Leonard Thompson disagrees that Patmos was a penal colony at all. He says:

“The language of [Revelation] 1:9-10 does not give a hint of a suggestion that John was banished, deported, relegated, or imprisoned on Patmos; nor is there any evidence from Roman sources that Patmos was a prison settlement. Nor was it a deserted, barren isle, as is sometimes suggested; it had sufficient population to support a gymnasium two centuries before the Common Era, and around the time of John an inscription refers to the presence of the cult of Artemis.”[1]

The actual KJV text states: “I, John, … was in the isle of Patmos for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.” Thompson’s grammatical analysis of this passage finds that John and his fellow Christians shared the life of Christ, not necessarily His persecution, and that they were suffering, with Christ, the necessary hardships in order to preach the Gospel on the isle of Patmos.

Dating the Writing of Revelation

Thompson, however, accepts the date of the writing as being in Domitian’s reign, ( 96 AD), although he shows that there is no evidence of widespread persecution under Domitian (ibid., 153). So this does not prove that the writing was in Domitian’s reign.

[1] Thompson, Analysis of Tribulation, 150, citing Saffrey, H.D. “Relire L’Apocalypse à Patmos”. RB 82:393-407.

This lesson is an edited excerpt from my book, Revelation in Context, available locally at the Living Word Bookstore in Shawnee, Oklahoma or www.Amazon.com, or www.XulonPress.com.
Free downloads are also available at www.revelationincontext.sermon.net.