Our God as Judge

Our God as Judge From Psalm 50

Psalm 50 gives us a good example of the language that the Old Testament uses in reference to God as judge.

 3 Our God comes; he does not keep silence; before him is a devouring fire, around him a mighty tempest. 4 He calls to the heavens above and to the earth, that he may judge his people: 5 ”Gather to me my faithful ones, who made a covenant with me by sacrifice!” 6 The heavens declare his righteousness, for God himself is judge!

I’d like to point out some parallel verses in Matthew 24

30b …they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

Both these passages give us a picture of the common language used regarding the judgment of God.  And both passages indicate that judgment happens when God comes to visit his people.  Another commonality between these passages is a gathering of God’s elect.  This gathering, often misinterpreted in the New Testament as a rapture, is a reference of God’s people coming together in times of trial.  Instead of falling away, God’s elect stand firm in the face of tribulation. God’s people rally together.

Just one more instance of Scripture interpreting Scripture.

-Luke Barrett
image via noyava

End of the Age, Part 3

I usually hear a couple of questions when I talk to people about the importance of a proper interpretation of the End Times: Why does it matter? Won’t it all pan out? Questions like these, however, undermine the need for diligent study of difficult Biblical passages. We wouldn’t ask those dismissive questions after reading about the resurrection of Christ or Paul’s conversion. I don’t believe we should ask those questions of Apocalyptic passages either. Instead, we should study!

Two crucial issues are at stake: Biblical interpretation and the duty of Christians today.

Careful study of the End Times is very important because our view of the End has a direct correlation to how we live our lives in the here and now. Any view of the End carries with it presuppositions of how we as Christians interact with the world. If we are to believe the way most evangelists teach about the End Times, the world will get progressively worse, the antichrist will take over and Christians will have to be raptured out before they all get killed. This type of teaching carries with it an air of hopelessness for Christian outreach. After all, if we know how it’s going to end, there is little incentive for outreach. Thankfully, this hopeless ending is not what Jesus taught. In fact, what we find is the Kingdom of God will continue to grow on earth.

The clear teaching of Scripture reveals that the Kingdom of God was inaugurated with Jesus’ first coming, will grow continuously and be consummated and finalized at Jesus’ final appearing at the end of history when sin and death are finally dealt with.

Jesus himself compares the Kingdom of God to a mustard seed. It starts off very small yet grows into one of the largest garden trees. He also compares it to dough with a few pieces of leaven. When those nuggets of Truth get lodged in our culture, like leaven, the culture will rise! (13) When the 70 returned to Jesus telling them of their success in spreading the Gospel, Jesus tells them “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.” (14) Satan was dealt a fatal wound when Jesus came to earth the first time. Are we to believe that Christianity will progressively fizzle out until the end of history? No! In fact, as the Scriptures show, Jesus himself says his kingdom will start very small and become very large! And look, it started with 12 disciples and has grown now into billions.

This is important: If we as Christians claim to have the Truth then we should expect nothing less than the Truth to CONTINUE to be spread throughout the world! Truth, by it’s very nature, spreads and overcomes lies and darkness.

So, let’s put away the End Times pessimism that is so rampant in Christianity today. As Adam was told to be fruitful and multiply, the Christian’s responsibility is to do likewise for the Kingdom of God. Isaiah 11:9 says that the “earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea!” Colossians 1:13 says that “Christ has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins!” We are to pray “Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

As the Body of Christ, we have our work cut out for us. We are not to hunker down hoping for the best, but expecting the worst in a world that needs Christ. We are to stand up and spread the Good News!

So, let’s get the Word out! When Christ does come back, he will come to an earth in which the Gospel has been progressively spreading not shrinking! While Satan still has some power, he was dealt a huge blow with Christ’s first coming. When Christ comes back at the end of history Satan will be dealt with finally and fully. Sin and death will be done away with. Christ will usher in a new heaven and a new earth! How beautiful!

13. Matthew 13:31-33
14. Luke 10:18

-Luke Barrett
image via Ozyman

Winding down summer

I stepped out my front door this morning into a surprising and refreshing wall of cool crispness. Momentary excitement coursed through my mind… “Surely it’s too soon,” I muttered. Nevertheless, I couldn’t help crack a smile at the thought. With anticipation, I inhaled deeply, the fresh frosty air icing my lungs. With my lungs at capacity, I pursed my lips and as if blowing out a candle exhaled with expectation. The billowing vapor cloud leaving my mouth was exactly I what I was looking for. After all, seeing one’s breath can mean only one thing…

Christmas is coming!

-Luke Barrett
image via Zach Schwoebel

God’s peace in life’s storms

I’ve been reading the book of Philippians over the past day or two. Talk about someone who went through it all. Paul experienced more persecution and anxiety in one day than most of us will experience in a lifetime. Despite that, Paul wrote to encourage followers of Christ.

I don’t know about you, but when life gets to me I tend to want to focus on the problem and worry. But worry is simply faith turned inside out. If you can worry, you can have faith.

In any case, here’s Paul who has every right to be anxious and concerned but instead of worrying about himself, he is encouraging others! It is clear that he sees life from such a different perspective. He is so soaked in the long term perspective of the Kingdom of God that his life’s purpose is for Christ. And while many fear death, Paul optimistically says he’d get to be with Christ if he died.

As someone who has experienced anxiety, I just continue to pray that I can get a fraction of Paul’s awesome and peaceful worldview.

This is some beautiful Scripture:

Philippians 4
4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice
6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

9 What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me-practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

19 And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

It would be one thing for some random guy to say that. Sure, it’s still the Truth. But Paul’s background makes his statements just amazing. He went through hell on earth and maintains that life is only worth living if it is for Christ.

We will experience life’s storms. Use Paul’s example and God’s Words to give you the proper perspective in times of trouble.

-Luke Barrett
image via Stuck in Customs

The End of the Age, Part 2

After the disciples heard the incredible news that Jesus told them, they wanted some signs leading up to the destruction of the temple and Jerusalem. Jesus proceeded to tell them about wars, earthquakes, famines and troubles that were going to take place (6). When modern readers look at these warning signs, they immediately apply them to themselves as “signs of the times.” They overlook the fact that Jesus was answering the disciples regarding a specific question about a specific event in history that, historically, has already occurred. After all, the destruction of the temple and the invasion of Jerusalem in 70 AD did occur within a generation (40 years) as was prophesied.

Jesus tells his disciples that they will go through tribulation, they will be put to death, they will be hated, but that those who endure will be saved (7). The rest of the New Testament attests to the persecution of the early church. So, it makes sense that Jesus would address His disciples and not some future generation thousands of years later.

Next, Jesus tells his followers how they can avoid this tribulation. He told them that when they see these terrible things happen… to flee! (8) For historical reference, walled cities were the best place to be during war time as they were the most secure. For that reason Jerusalem was busting at the seams with Jews who assumed it was safer there during the Roman invasion. So, what Jesus tells his disciples is counter intuitive. However, it saved their lives! Unfortunately for those who didn’t heed Jesus’ words, 1.1 million Jews were killed in the invasion of Jerusalem. Jesus was protecting the all-important early church by telling them to flee the false security of the city.

Now this is where it gets crazy…

Next, Jesus tells the disciples about cosmic disturbances that will take place. The sun, moon and stars are to be shaken and the Son of Man is to be seen coming in clouds. (9) Up to this point, Jesus’ prophecy was looking good! Jesus was dead on with the destruction of the temple and invasion of Jerusalem. But now he’s talking about cosmic things happening and the Son of Man coming in clouds. He was doing so well!

Fear not! This is where we get to dig into the Word!

To interpret scripture properly, we should not rely on the latest commentator or pastor or series of end times books. And we certainly should not give up. We should rely on scripture. And scripture always interprets scripture!

So, what is Jesus saying when he prophesies that the sun will be darkened and the moon will become blood and the stars will not give their light? What does the sign of the Son of Man coming on clouds mean? The key is to look up other moon/blood/stars references or Son of Man/clouds references anywhere else in Scripture. If we find other occurrences of the same idea in another portion of Scripture, that passage may shed light on this passage. And when we do that we see that these cosmic references are rooted in Old Testament prophecy. Of course Jesus, the ultimate prophet, would use prophecy in the same style of the prophets that preceded Him.

This was eye-opening to me. Here are some great examples…

Isaiah received a prophecy from God regarding the destruction of Babylon. Immediately a parallel can be drawn because both Jesus’ prophecy and Isaiah’s is about the destruction of a city. Now, the destruction of Babylon was a real, historic event about which was prophesied in Isaiah 13. “The oracle concerning Babylon which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw.” “Wail, for the day of the Lord is near.” “Behold, the day of the Lord comes, cruel, with wrath and fierce anger.” “For the stars of the heavens and their constellations will not give their light; the sun will be dark at its rising, and the moon will not shed its light.” “Therefore I will make the heavens tremble, and the earth will be shaken out of its place.” (10)

Already, we see some similarities in style and content between the destruction of Babylon as given by Isaiah and the destruction of Jerusalem as given by Jesus.

Here’s another prophetic judgment from Joel which says “For the day of the Lord is at hand; it shall come as destruction from the almighty.” “A day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, like the morning clouds spread over mountains.” “The earth quakes before them, the heavens tremble; the sun and moon grow dark, and the stars diminish their brightness.” (11)

Again, similar patterns.

Finally, Ezekiel prophesies destruction in Egypt when he says, “For the day is near, even the day of the Lord is near, it will be a day of clouds…” (12) And in one of the most explicit uses of the word “coming” in reference to judgment, the Lord comes in clouds in Isaiah 19:1 to Egypt: “Behold, the Lord rides on a swift cloud, and will come into Egypt.”

Daniel, Isaiah, Ezekiel and many other prophets used this same fantastic literary style in reference to real world judgments that already took place. So, if this type of imagery is used in events that already took place and nobody noticed the sun ACTUALLY turn dark or the moon ACTUALLY turn to blood, then what happened? We are to understand that stylistically, this is the way prophetic judgments were given in all their wonderful, sometimes scary, power poetry!

Why use that type of language in the first place? All these awesome elements are poetic expressions and earthy anthropomorphisms of God’s beautiful power. This type of literary style is one that is not very well understood in our culture of hard facts, rigid scientism and a general lack of creativity.

While we may not use quite a varied literary style nowadays, we do have some examples of exaggeration that are still used in common parlance. “Everyone is getting in trouble today!” “Whew, its raining cats and dogs!” I’m sure you can think of others. As far as the sun, moon and stars darkening, even today we may say today something like, “The quarterback is out for the season, DARK DAYS are ahead for the team!”

So, you see, these types of literary hyperbole become much more understandable 1) in light of Scripture and 2) in light of the fact that we use the same types of hyperbole in OUR everyday speech. We would be wise to allow Jesus and the prophets preceding Him the same courtesy.

Now, back to Jesus. When the ULTIMATE prophet is prophesying the judgment and destruction of Jerusalem, He would OF COURSE use language that his readers would be familiar with and OF COURSE follow the established pattern of previous prophets. That means we need to be intimately familiar with the Old Testament. Unfortunately, modern day readers aren’t nearly as familiar with the style of the Old Testament literature as Jesus’ hearers were.

So, what does this mean for us today? Our viewpoint on the end directly affects our presuppositions regarding the Kingdom of God.

Tune in for the third and final piece of the puzzle soon.

-Luke Barrett
image via code poet

6. Matthew 24:6-7
7. Matthew 24:9-13
8. Matthew 24:15
9. Matthew 24:29-30
10. Isaiah 13:1,6,9,10, 13
11. Joel 2:1,2,10
12. Ezekiel 30:3-4

Do All Religions Lead to God?

All religions lead to God! There are many paths to the top of the mountain! While the “feel good” thoughts espoused in those statements are very idealistic and altruistic the reality is they crumble when we shine the light of logic on them.

Looking at some world religions we see that Moses taught there was only one God. Krishna believed there were many gods. Buddha was agnostic and believed nothing could be known about God. Many other examples from many other religious leaders could be summarized. Logically speaking each of them could be wrong, but they can’t all be right.

Religion is an attempt by fallen humans to reach up to God through what we try to do. Christianity, on the other hand, is a gift based on what Christ has already done. After all, Christ was able to do what no one else did - live the perfect life. And he offers that perfection to us as a free gift. Jesus Christ taught, “I am the way the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). But what makes his claim any more valid than any other religious leader? The fact that Jesus died and then rose from the dead. That fact alone validates his claims.

The opinions of all other religious leaders are equally valid and equally worthless. They all died and are still dead. Jesus is the only one who had the power to lay down his life and take it up again. He’s worth listening to.

-Luke Barrett
Adapted from: Bible Answer Book by Hank Hanegraaff
image via nobleIgnoble 

The End of the Age, Part 1

Eschatology is the study of last things. Among Christians today there is very little consensus. This is an “in house” discussion about which we should continuously debate in search of Truth, but never divide over.

Let’s look at Matthew 24 in which Jesus himself describes the “End of the Age.”

As Jesus and his disciples were leaving the temple in Jerusalem and walking towards the adjacent Mount of Olives, the disciples were admiring the view of the beautiful temple grounds. Shockingly, Jesus proceeds to tell them news that would be horrifying for a first century Jew to hear. He informs his disciples that the temple and Jerusalem would be destroyed(1). Not only that, but he put a timer on it by saying: “Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place”(2). For reference, a Hebrew generation is 40 years.

From a historical perspective, this prophecy is arguably one of the strongest cases for Jesus’ prophetic reliability because it was very clearly fulfilled in 70 AD with the Roman siege of Jerusalem. And it even took place within one generation as Jesus said! It really is an amazing scripture. What should be one of the foremost texts to which we as Christians can point as evidence for Biblical validity is ignored because of the context in which Jesus is speaking. The reason it is ignored is because in the same conversation He tells of the destruction of Jerusalem He also talks about His coming in clouds of glory and other cosmic things. Well, this is problematic because while we have seen one prophecy take place with great accuracy (the temple and Jerusalem were destroyed within one generation), we obviously have not seen any return of Christ in clouds of glory or cosmic disturbances.

In fact, many prominent atheists point to this very passage as evidence that Jesus failed in his prophecy and therefore was not deity.

I’m certainly not willing to go that far! And as always, Scripture interprets scripture. So, how are we to understand this?

Let’s put ourselves in the disciples shoes… or sandals if you will. When the disciples heard Jesus say that Jerusalem would be invaded and the temple would be destroyed, they had two questions: “When will these things be?” and “What will be some signs of your coming” and of “The End of the Age”? (3)

It is very important that we notice the disciples paired the “End of the Age” with the destruction of the temple and Jerusalem. The question then becomes why did the disciples assume that the destruction of the temple was “The End of the Age”?

What will help in understanding is painting a “big picture.” Again, going back to scripture will provide us the answer. While some would say the disciples asked that question out of ignorance, I believe there is ample Biblical evidence showing that equating the destruction of the temple with the end of the age was exactly what they meant. And I believe they understood correctly. Think about it… from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob until the time of Jesus, God’s Shekinah glory either resided in the tabernacle or the temple. For thousands of years priests offered lamb sacrifices as types and shadows pointing forward to an ultimate sacrificial lamb that was to fulfill those types and shadows. And now, the One who casts the shadow was in the presence of the disciples. Jesus was here. And the disciples understood exactly who he was. They understood that he was the image in whom all the types and shadows of the Old Covenant were fulfilled. Therefore, the end of the only age the world had known, the Jewish age, was upon them. Jesus, as the embodiment of God, was the prophesied Messiah. Years and years of prophecy and foreshadowing led up to this. He was here. And because He was here, the need for a temple and temple sacrifices was rendered useless. Jesus underscored this very point telling the Samaritan woman, “The hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth…” (4)

The need for Jewish sacrifices was over. And thus, the end of the Jewish Age was at hand. Indeed, to continue to offer lamb sacrifices to God at the temple was a slap in the face of the Lamb of God in their midst. Sadly, the very generation to whom Jesus was speaking had the privilege of seeing the Messiah come and at the same time was convicted of the greatest guilt in Jewish history because they rejected Him. Matthew 23 clearly speaks of the Judgment that will befall this evil generation(5) - the generation to whom Jesus was speaking. Indeed, the whole New Testament is replete with warnings to this generation and time frame references of the nearness of impending judgment on Jerusalem.

And if the Jews weren’t going to stop sacrificing, then God certainly made his point by putting an end to it in 70 AD by utterly laying waste the temple. No temple, no sacrifices.

More to come…
1. Matthew 24:1-2
2. Matthew 24:34
3. Matthew 24:3
4. John 4:21, 23
5. Matthew 23:36

-Luke Barrett
image via code poet

Importance of Biblical Eschatology

Eschatology is a fancy word that simply means the study of last things. Things that come to mind may be the apocalypse or the Antichrist or 666 or Revelation. Within Christianity, teachers vary widely on viewpoints regarding the end times. It’s a topic that has intrigued me since I was a little boy. And with the popularity of the Left Behind series, apparently I’m not alone. Over the past several years I’ve really delved into the study of eschatology. Really, I’ve been interested in the topic since I was a teen. It seems that for as many books there are on the topic, there are just as many viewpoints. The more popular viewpoints nowadays, however, have some serious conflicts with Scriptures. Yet, some of the less popular views are deemed unorthodox at best or at worse, blasphemous. As I studied, I figured there had to be a reasonable viewpoint that, unlike the popular views today, actually jive with Scripture.

Even though pastors and teachers tend to avoid teaching Revelation, they nevertheless carry an eschatological viewpoint. And for the majority, that viewpoint is a typically pre-tribulational, futurist view. Strangely, for such a strongly held viewpoint, most Bible teachers and pastors only have cursory knowledge of apocalyptic Scripture. And many ignore teaching it at all saying “it’ll all pan out.” To me, that is very unsatisfying. We treat no other book of the Bible with that much apathy. Surely apocalyptic Biblical literature deserves the same attention to detail that we give to other books. Yet, except for a few notable exceptions, the book of Revelation is pretty much ignored by modern day evangelical teachers.

While the pre-tribulational viewpoint is within the realm of orthodoxy, it carries with it some pretty strong presuppositions. Are we, as Christians supposed to believe that the Antichrist will rise from the dead? After that, are we supposed to believe that he will take over the world at the end of history? Are we to suppose that the Kingdom of God on earth will fail in the long run and God will have to rapture out the few that are left?

Obviously, how you view Scripture affects your view of history. But, is that what Scripture teaches? Is the Kingdom of God on Earth going to fail? Will the antichrist rule the world at the end of history? If the Antichrist is capable of rising from the dead as Jesus did, doesn’t that discount Jesus’ resurrection?

It may be redundant, but it’s true… the key to understanding Scripture is to use Scripture to interpret Scripture. Our goal should be to get better acquainted with Scripture everyday. So, over the coming days, I hope I will be able to shed some light on some of the end times confusion. Not by my own interpretation, but by using Scripture to interpret Scripture.

-Luke Barrett

The Kingdom of God

The Kingdom of God: A Present Reality and a Positive Future

“Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.”

What are we doing? What are Christians supposed to be doing? If we would heed the prayer of Jesus Christ we are to bring the Kingdom of Heaven to earth. Immediately we realize that while the Kingdom of God is a heavenly reality, it is an earthly goal. Jesus spoke parable after parable after parable about the Kingdom of God. With each parable we see a picture of the purpose and progression of the Kingdom of God and our responsibilities as followers of Christ to usher it in.

A perspective of eternity must be kept in mind. The everlasting things of God will grow ever brighter and the things of the world will grow dim. True repentance is a mark of a brother or sister in the Kingdom of God. That is why there are such dramatic stories of former drug addicts, prostitutes and homosexuals. The Holy Spirit is the power that changes people. At the same time the Bible says that there are impostors who proclaim the Kingdom of God, but in the end Jesus peels away their facade, “Depart from me, I never knew you.”

A premium is put on righteousness and holiness in the Kingdom. God has always wanted a people that are set apart. Jesus says that the most important commandment is to love the Lord God with all of our being and also to love one another. The New Testament also reveals that we are to exercise spiritual disciplines like love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control as illustrated by fruit growing in us via the Holy Spirit. Paul tells us to put on the armor of God: salvation, righteousness, truth, peace, scripture, and faith. It may sound like a tall order, but with Christ all things are possible. We should constantly self-evaluate ourselves and our motives. We are to take captive our thought life. Thankfully, as we grow closer to God we are daily transformed to be more and more like him. As Christians go, so goes the culture.

Thankfully, scripture tells us that the Kingdom of God is like a mustard seed which is a very tiny seed but when planted grows to become one of the largest garden plants! Wow! Indeed, originally it was Jesus. And then it was the twelve. And then hundreds. And then thousands. Millions. And now billions. The Kingdom is also compared to dough that has leaven in it. The leaven also has an impact on the dough like Christians have an impact on the culture. The Kingdom is to infiltrate the culture growing it larger and conforming it to the will of God. When Christians become like Christ, the culture has no choice but to rise. What a beautiful picture of how the Kingdom of God will ever grow until Christ’s appearing at the end of history.

So, Why the End Times Pessimism? Many eschatology teachers insist that the world will get progressively worse until the Antichrist takes his reign on the planet. The world is to become a hell on earth and Christians will have to be raptured out. However, the clear teaching of scripture reveals that the Kingdom of God was inaugurated with Jesus’ first coming, will grow continuously and be consummated at Jesus’ final appearing at the end of history when sin and death are finally dealt with.

Revelation 1:5 says that Jesus is “ruler over the kings of the earth.” He is the ruler of the kings of the earth now. Daniel 7:13 and 14 say that the Son of Man came to the Ancient of Days. He is seated at the right hand of God which is a designation of power. Indeed, he was given dominion and glory and a kingdom that all nations and languages serve him. The Kingdom of God is worldwide! His dominion is an everlasting one and will not pass away and will not be destroyed. Indeed, throughout the ages Christianity has had an attitude of hope and victory. God sent the Son to redeem the world and Jesus will get what he paid for. I John 4:4 pushes the issue: “For he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world!”

Now we can believe that the Kingdom of God REALLY IS good news. Let’s put away the end times pessimism that is so rampant in Christianity today. As Adam was told to be fruitful and multiply, the Christian’s responsibility is to do likewise for the Kingdom of God. Isaiah 11:9 says that the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea!” Colossians 1:13 says that Christ has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins! What good news!

Since the Bible speaks with authority on the continuous growth of the Kingdom of God, how does the world end? As I said earlier, an errant eschatology has been popularized in today’s Christianity. Future articles will be dealing specifically with this issue.

“For yours is the kingdom and
the power and the glory, forever.
Amen!”

Image via MUNEDA