A DIVINE PARADOX

 

“a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief . . .” (Isaiah 53:3)

“God, Your God, has anointed You With the oil of gladness more than Your companions.” (Psalm 45:7)

The Gospels do not record that Jesus laughed. We may assume that he did, but it would be just an assumption. The fact is that God did not inspire the Gospel writers to record moments of laughter or glee on the part of Jesus. Other emotions are recorded. Jesus “marvelled” (or “was amazed”) at the faith of a Roman centurion (Mark 8:10) and at the unbelief of his countrymen in Nazareth (Mark 6:6). Jesus was angry and grieved at the Pharisees’ hardness of heart toward a crippled man (Mark 3:5). Jesus wept with grief over the unbelief in Jerusalem (Luke 19:41) and with compassion at the tomb of his friend Lazarus (John 11:35).

A couple of things come to mind as I ponder the absence of laughter in the Gospel accounts of Jesus's life.

First, the Gospels were not intended to be full biographies of Jesus. John wrote that if all that Jesus said and did were recorded, “I expect that even the world itself would not contain the books that would be written.” (John 21:25) The Gospels have a redemptive purpose. Events and discourses were selected under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to accomplish that purpose. And that purpose left no room for mirth. It was serious business. That’s why Isaiah prophesied that Jesus would be “a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.”

The second thing I notice is the important distinction between joy and laughter or mirth. Jesus had joy, as the psalmist said, even in the midst of sorrow and grief. Some Christians confuse these things. They think that if one doesn’t display and “happy” countenance, one lacks joy. That may be an unwarranted judgment. One may have a heavy heart for any number of reasons, including grief on behalf of another, and still have the joy of the Lord abiding in the heart. In fact, the person who can “weep with those who weep” (Romans 12:15) is close to the heart of Jesus.

Solomon noted that “a merry heart does good like medicine” (Proverbs 17:22); “But,” he warns, “the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.” For many people, laughter is drug to ease the pain of their empty life. “Even in laughter the heart may sorrow, And the end of mirth may be grief.” (Proverbs 14:13) The “house of mirth” is an attempt to escape reality, which is a vain pursuit. Reality awaits just outside the door of the comedy club!

I have friends who are going through severe trials. And though they may not always display a cheerful countenance, I know they have the joy of the Lord in their hearts. For them, Jesus has encouragement:

"Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Matthew 5:11-12)

 

THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT AS AN AGENT OF CHANGE

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. (Galatians 5:22-23)

Often the above passage is used as an exhortation (weapon?) to bring about change in another person. If you’re feeling down one day, you might hear, “The fruit of the Spirit is joy!” Unintentional or not, the implication is that you are not “walking in the Spirit” (Galatians 5:16). You’re certainly not “filled with the Spirit . . . . . . singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord!” (Ephesians 5:18, 19). So now you can add to your blues the guilt of spiritual failure!

In my sixty-one years of being a Christian, and my nearly forty-seven years in the ministry,  I have not noticed people being changed because they were told they fall short of the fruit of the Spirit. In fact, it seems highly unlikely that any Christian fully manifests every character quality of the fruit of the Spirit at any given time. Paul is simply pointing out that these good things come from the Spirit of God, while the bad things are “works of the flesh” (Gal. 5:19-21). And the Christian life is always a warfare, “so that you do not do the things that you wish.” (Gal. 5:17) (See also Romans 7:18-21)

Since I have been in the Philippines, however, I have seen how the fruit of the Spirit has worked to change people’s lives—including my own. The Christians here have treated me with love, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, and gentleness, and that has brought out better things in me.

I have seen that “the fruit of the Spirit” can indeed be an agent of change. It is through manifesting those spiritual qualities toward others, especially those most irritating. After all, how can we show “longsuffering (patience)” except to those who try our patience? Christians struggling with stubborn sins, need love and gentleness. They need to see goodness in action.

So the agent of change in others is not the imposing of the fruit of the Spirit on them, but the modeling of the fruit of the Spirit in us.

 

WITH JESUS IN PARADISE

 And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:42-43)

What Jesus promised the repentant thief is wonderful in several particulars.

First, the thief, recognizing that Jesus was the King, the promised Messiah, asked to be remembered when Jesus assumed the throne of that kingdom. He could hardly have expected that it would be soon since the King was on a cross! But he must have believed also in the resurrection. Jesus honored the man’s repentance and faith and made him a promise he did not expect: “Today, you shall be with me in paradise.” This very day!

Paradise is a Persian word that means “a walled garden, a place of pleasure.” The word occurs three times in the New Testament, where it always refers to heaven. (Luke 23:43; 2 Corinthians 12:4; Revelation 2:7). The word is also used eleven times in the Greek version of the Old Testament, where it refers to the Garden of Eden.

I’ve seen some lovely gardens in my life, from London, England, to Hanover, Germany, to Baguio City, Philippines. In all their well-tended beauty, they are but faint hints of what God’s Garden is like. Our cursed ground bears thorns and thistles and weeds. Insects destroy our loveliest blossoms. But in “The Garden of God” all is unblemished beauty.

Heaven is a place of pleasure, greater than any we can imagine here. Some writers on heaven have diminished the richness of heavenly pleasures by imposing our limited earthly experiences on the heavenly. If we are to use our imagination, as one popular writer urges, why can’t we imagine that God will so transform and elevate our sense of pleasure to a spiritual level we have never before experienced?

As king, David indulged in earthly pleasures—to his sorrow and disgrace. But the contemplative shepherd David knew that, “in Your presence there is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” (Psalm 16:11) Alister McGrath points out that to see God is the greatest hope of every godly person:

“To speak of heaven is to affirm that the human longing to see God will one day be fulfilled—that we shall finally be able to gaze upon . . . the most wondrous sight anyone can hope to behold.” (A Short History of Heaven, Alister McGrath)

Yet the greatest part of the promise Jesus made to the thief was this: “you will be with Me!” Ponder that thought! In the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus, “The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham's side” (a place of comfort). But Jesus, dying on a cross, promises this thief His own glorious presence as they both pass into paradise!

In this life, at home in the body yet absent from the Lord, “we walk by faith, not by sight.” (2 Corinthians 5:6-7). But when God calls us home, surely the greatest joy will His presence:

“Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.” (2 Corinthians 5:8)

If you have received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you have Jesus’s promise, “You will be with Me in paradise.” There is a home for us.

“And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.” (John 14:3)

 

DEPART FROM ME

 

But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord." (Luke 5:8)

Then you will begin to say, 'We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.' But he will say, 'I tell you, I do not know where you come from. Depart from me, all you workers of evil!'  (Luke 13:26-27)

In these two passages in the Gospel of Luke, we see two contrasting attitudes: one that leads to salvation and everlasting life, and the other that leads to exclusion and everlasting death.

 The first attitude is demonstrated by Peter. He and his fishing crew had just finished a whole night of fishing and had caught nothing. As they were washing their nets, Jesus came aboard and asked to use their boat as a pulpit to teach the Word of God. After the teaching, Jesus told them to launch out into the deep water and cast the net. In spite of Peter’s misgivings, he obeyed. A miracle occurred! Jesus’ presence brought such a multitude of fish that the net could not bear the load!

 That miracle prompted Peter’s humble confession: “I am a sinful man, O Lord!” His words, “depart from me,” expressed his sense of unworthiness to be in the presence of the Holy One. That attitude is the prime prerequisite for salvation. And with that attitude, we need never fear rejection, for the Lord has said: “whoever comes to me I will never cast out.” (John 6:37)

 But contrast this with the ones who ARE cast out! (Luke 13:26-27) They felt that they had a right to enter the Master’s house! “Hey, we ate and drank with you! You taught in OUR streets!” Note: “our streets,” as though Jesus should have felt privileged to teach in THEIR streets. Well, they will not enter HIS kingdom. Note too: Jesus was speaking to the religious people of His day, the ones who trusted that they were acceptable because of their religious activities. But Jesus says, “Depart from me!” All their self-righteous religion Jesus called “evil.” Compare this passage with Matthew 7:21-13, given on another occasion. Jesus calls the self-righteous "workers of lawlessness."

That expression, "Depart from me," is an allusion to Psalm 6:8 --

Depart from me, all you workers of evil, for the LORD has heard the sound of my weeping. 

David, as God's anointed, foreshadowed His Greater Son, Jesus. As David's enemies oppressed him, Christ's enemies sought to destroy Him. Religious as those enemies were, they were "workers of evil" and "workers of iniquity." 

So it comes down to this: If we feel Peter’s sense of unworthiness to be in the Lord’s presence, if we, as the repentant tax collector, refuse to even lift up our eyes toward heaven, saying, “God be merciful to me a sinner,” we will find acceptance with God and will be welcomed into Christ’s kingdom. We will never hear His “Depart from me.”

 

TWO VIEWS OF REVELATION – SIMPLIFIED

 In this short summary, I am trying to present only the most essential features of the two most prominent views of what theologians call the Millennium – the thousand-year reign of Christ. To keep it simple, I have not included all the details of the two views, only the major points.

 Historical Perspective

 From the very first publication of John’s Apocalypse, or The Book of Revelation, there have been two major views[i] of the book among good and godly Christians, focusing particularly on Chapter 20.

 Justin Martyr wrote in about AD 140 that many Christians were expecting a literal 1,000 year reign of Christ on the present earth based on Revelation 20:1-5.  But he acknowledged that some equally godly Christians saw the 1,000 year-reign of Christ as figurative of the church age, culminating in the return of Christ to judge the ungodly world and to bring in the new heavens and new Earth.

 Augustine of Hippo, the noted fifth-century theologian, at first held to the pre-millennial view, that is, that Christ would return and set up His millennial kingdom on earth. But the sack of Rome by the Visigoths in AD 410, and Christians’ reaction that this was a “sign” that the second coming of Christ was near and the Millennial Kingdom, with all it’s delights, was about to begin, caused Augustine to reexamine his view of Revelation 20 in a figurative way.

 In the centuries since Augustine’s publication of City of God, widely varying views of the end times and the 1,000 years of Revelation 20 have continued to emerge. The tendency to see “signs of the times” in current events is irresistible to some Christians and prophecy enthusiasts.

 It is regrettable that since the mid-1900's, only one interpretation of Revelation and “end times” doctrine in general has been accepted as “fundamental” truth by evangelical and fundamentalist denominations. Yet it has only been since the 20^th century that the pre-tribulational rapture of the church and other Dispensational details have been included in denominational statements of faith.

Two Views Simplified

 Dispensational Pre-Millennialism (as distinct from historical pre-millennialism)

·        Two distinct peoples of God with distinct destinies: national, ethnic Israel (God’s “earthly people”), and the Church (God’s “heavenly people”).

·        The Church Age as a “parenthesis” in God’s plan for ethnic Israel, the “70 weeks” of Daniel 9.

·        The Rapture of the Church before the seven-year Great Tribulation at which time God will return to dealing with ethnic Israel. Most of the Book of Revelation, according to this view, does not pertain to the church.

·        Two final battles, Armageddon (Revelation 19) and Gog and Magog (Revelation 20:7-10).

·        Physical, earthly reign of Christ from Jerusalem over His earthly people Israel for 1,000 years, during which time all the promises of the land covenant will be fulfilled. Christ’s heavenly people, the Church, will rule with Him. (Revelation 20:4)

·        Two resurrections: the resurrection of believers and the resurrection of unbelievers, separated by 1,000 years. (Rev. 20:4, 5; 1 Cor. 15:23). The “first resurrection” is divided into two events, the rapture of the Church and the resurrection of believers martyred during the Great Tribulation (Rev. 20:4-5).

·        After the Battle of Gog and Magog, God creates a new heaven and new earth, the old heaven and earth having been destroyed. (Rev. 21:1). Then the two peoples of God will be one in the eternal kingdom of the Father (1 Corinthians 15:28).

 

Basic Amillennialism

·        There is one true people of God, the spiritual Israel, those who worshiped God from the heart in Old Testament times, and were the faithful remnant awaiting the Messiah in the New Testament. Gentile believers are “grafted” into the Abrahamic promise, and thus Jew and Gentile become one people in Christ. (Romans 9:6; 11:17; Galatians 3:7-9)

·        The promises to Israel are fulfilled in Christ, who is presented in Scripture are the embodiment and culmination of Israel, God’s Servant. (Isaiah 42:1-3; 52:13-15; chap. 53. Compare also Hosea 11:1 and Matthew 2:15) Those who are “in Christ” by faith are heirs with Him of the promises. (Romans 8:17) The “land” promise will be fulfilled in a greater way on the new earth.

·        The visions in the Book of Revelation give differing views of the church age, focusing on different aspects and details. The end of that age is depicted in the “victory songs” in Rev. 5:9-14; 7:9-12; 11;15-17; 15:3-4; 19:1-6.

·        Revelation 20 again deals with the church age and the final battle is the same as the one at the end of Chapter 19. Chapter 19 and Chapter 20 both have allusions to the same battle in Ezekiel 38-39. (Compare Rev. 19:17-18 with Ezek. 39:17-20 and Rev. 20:8 with Ezek. 38:2) The 1,000 years are figurative of a very long period of time.  (See 2 Peter 3:8; Psalm 90:4)

 

Here are some Scriptures that influenced me to adopt the Amillennial view:

•               The entire book of Hebrews, showing clearly the foreshadowing in the Old    Testament of New Testament truth in types and figures.

·        “But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.” (2 Peter 3:13) Peter doesn’t say he was waiting for Christ’s kingdom on this earth.

·    And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but is coming to an end. But no one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. Then indeed he may plunder his house.  (Mark 3:26-27) The word for bind it the same as in Rev. 20:2. (See also Matthew 12:29 and Luke 11:21-22)

 

For further study, I recommend:

Four Views on the Book of Revelation, C. Marvin Pate, ed.

Understanding Dispensationalists, Vern S. Poythress

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[i] A third view, Post-millennialism, also enjoyed a period of popularity in 18^th-century America and is held by some today, but the other two have been dominant.

OUR DAYS ARE NUMBERED

In those days Hezekiah was sick and near death. And Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, went to him and said to him, "Thus says the LORD: 'Set your house in order, for you shall die and not live.' " Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall, and prayed to the LORD, and said, "Remember now, O LORD, I pray, how I have walked before You in truth and with a loyal heart, and have done what is good in Your sight." And Hezekiah wept bitterly. And the word of the LORD came to Isaiah, saying, "Go and tell Hezekiah, 'Thus says the LORD, the God of David your father: "I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; surely I will add to your days fifteen years. (Isaiah 38:1-5)

It wasn’t a doctor who gave Hezekiah the prognosis for the illness that had broken out into a painful boil – it was a prophet. And no less of a prophet than Isaiah! Hezekiah’s reaction was quite understandable. I’ve heard preachers criticize the king for his weeping and pleading, but Hezekiah was only thirty-nine years old! It was Moses, in Psalm 90, who said a man’s years were seventy or even eighty. Hezekiah’s ancestor King David lived to be seventy.

So Hezekiah was planning on many more years to serve Yahweh his God as king over Judah. Now he’s told it’s all coming to an end. “Set your house in order, for you shall die and not live.”

In light of God’s answer to Hezekiah’s prayer, it might seem that Isaiah’s declaration was just a test. (That’s what I penciled in the margin of my Bible!) It was, indeed, a test for Hezekiah, but it was also literally true. Hezekiah still had a death sentence upon him, but it was postponed for fifteen years. He would still die at age fifty-four!

How much we take for granted in this life! What precious moments we squander! I’m reminded of a poem a heard many years ago:

“Lost, one golden hour,

Set with sixty diamond minutes.

No reward is offered;

It’s lost forever!”

So teach us to number our days,

That we may gain a heart of wisdom.

(Psalm 90:12)

HEAVENLY RELATIONSHIPS ARE BETTER

The Gospel of Luke records some words of Jesus in response to the Sadducees that might seem troubling to those who have lost a beloved spouse:

Jesus said to them, "The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage, but those who are considered worthy to attain to that age and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage; for they cannot even die anymore, because they are like angels, and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection. (Luke 20:34-36)

A close examination of this passage reveals that the relationships of those who have trusted Christ as Savior and Lord will be infinitely better after the resurrection in the heavenly kingdom.

The Sadducees taunted Jesus with the Old Testament law that provided for a widow by requiring the deceased’s brother to marry her (Deuteronomy 25:5), and thus they hoped to discredit the doctrine of bodily resurrection. In answering the Sadducees, Jesus referred to the marriage customs of the time. Arranged marriages were common, young women were “given in marriage.” Though we speak today of the father “giving away” the bride, it is hardly the same as it was then. What’s more, young widows were expected to remarry for practical reasons. Jesus’ answer revealed that the resurrection life in the age to come will be radically different – and better—than life in this fallen world of death and bereavement.

First of all, Jesus says that “those who are considered worthy to attain to that age and the resurrection from the dead” will enter into a new relationship with those they love, a relationship infinitely higher than the cultural norms in our fallen world. Marriage was instituted by God to provide companionship (primarily for the man, who seems to have had the greater need) and to propagate the human race (Gen. 2:18; 1:28). The need to propagate the race will no longer exist in the eternal kingdom, and need for companionship will be fulfilled in a greater way than we can imagine. There will be no loneliness in heaven!

Second, that new relationship is a relationship of pure love. As resurrected “sons of God,” we will share God’s character, free of sin, and therefore free of selfishness. “God is love” (1 John 4:8, 16), and so we will know and show that pure love toward our departed loved ones, toward others, and most importantly toward God.

Third, that relationship is a permanent relationship: “for they cannot even die anymore: (Luke 20:36). The emphatic words in this statement are striking: “even” and “anymore,” The subordinate conjunction “for” implies that this resurrected, immortal new life is the reason for the new relationship. In this fallen world, the traditional marriage vow is “till death do us part” or “as long as we both shall live.” Death ends that relationship as every widow or widower painfully knows. In this life, death hangs over every relationship. Christ came to free us from that dread by securing eternal life for everyone who trusts in Him:

Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.

(Hebrews 2:14-15)

 In the age to come, our relationship of pure love will have no end!

So, far from being a disappointing declaration, Jesus’ answer to the Sadducees unveils a new relationship of love in the heavenly kingdom that is pure and everlasting. We will see them again, indeed, and it will be infinitely better than before!