Confessions of a Bibliophile

By Keith Mathison 2/1/2011

     According to the Oxford English Dictionary, a bibliophile is “A lover of books; a book-fancier.” Although this is a helpful definition, I’m not entirely sure I want to refer to myself as a “fancier” of anything. I’m from Texas. We either like something or we don’t. We don’t “fancy” things. It’s…unnatural.

     However, I do love books, or perhaps, I should say more precisely, I love to read. Always have. When I was a child, I devoured books. Tom Sawyer, the Hardy Boys, anything I could find. When visiting relatives, I would read whatever they happened to have on the shelves, whether Reader’s Digest or Dr. Seuss. I enjoyed them all, but I was especially in love with offbeat stories.

     It was not only children’s fiction that interested me. My family owned an old set of the World Book Encyclopedia. I used to sit and read the articles in those volumes for hours on end. When I was maybe ten or eleven, I found an old copy of the complete works of Edgar Allan Poe. I don’t remember what the first story in the book was, but it was odd, and that appealed to me. Looking back now, as interesting as Poe may be to a person attracted to offbeat stories, I wouldn’t recommend reading his complete works straight through. Side effects may include nightmares.

     Sometimes I have read books for the wrong reasons. During my first semester of college, I ran across a three-volume work titled The Gulag Archipelago by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, a harrowing, often firsthand account of the Soviet Union’s concentration camp system. When I took it to the counter to check it out, the librarian said to me in a rather obnoxious way that no one who started that book ever finished all three volumes, and then he informed me that I would never finish it either. I took that as a challenge and proceeded to plow through two thousand pages of dense narrative on a very unpleasant subject. Although I finished it simply to prove someone wrong, it turned out to be a great book.

     Our sovereign Father ultimately used my love of reading to bring me to faith and repentance. As a teenager, I was pathologically shy and withdrawn and depressed (perhaps another reason not to read the works of Poe at the age of ten). I was a complete nihilist without being aware that there was a term for my worldview. I don’t remember exactly when, but at some point during my last years of high school, an elderly gentleman from Gideons International was on campus handing out pocket size New Testaments. He gave me a red one. I put it in my backpack and later tossed it in my desk. A year or so later, when I had just about reached the end of my rope, I saw that little New Testament in my desk and decided to read it. I stayed up all night reading and re-reading it. That night I placed my faith in Jesus Christ.

     My love of reading did not change, but from this point forward, the content of my reading shifted. I read and re-read the Bible. I went to Christian bookstores and began reading Christian history and theology. For many years, I did not read fiction (unless it was assigned for a class) because I was so busy reading other things. Because I was not led to Christ by another Christian, I was on my own for a while and did end up reading a lot of Christian books that led me down some dead-end paths. God worked this for good too, however.

     Our God is a God who has revealed Himself in a book, in words. We learn about God and His will, therefore, by reading. We learn by reading and reflecting on His Word. We also learn by reading and thinking with the church. This means we read and reflect on the insights of our brethren, those who are still with us and those who have gone on before us. We may also learn by reading with discernment the works of those who have spent time “reading” God’s general revelation. This includes works of science, philosophy, history, poetry, and literature.

     If I might offer a word of advice and encouragement to my fellow bibliophiles, it is this: As Ecclesiastes reminds us, “Of making many books there is no end” (12:12). Millions of books have been published, and thousands more are published every year. We cannot read them all, so it is best to read the good ones. If you don’t know which books are the good ones, seek the advice of mature Christians. Find recommended reading lists by churches and ministries you trust.

     Finally, while we read to learn about our God and His works of creation and redemption, we must not allow a love of reading to supplant our love for Christ. If we do, our books, even our Christian books, become nothing more than idols. All the reading in the world, if it does not ultimately promote our love of Christ and our brethren, is nothing but futility.

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Per Amazon, Keith A. Mathison (MA, Reformed Theological Seminary; PhD, Whitefield Theological Seminary) is dean of the Ligonier Academy of Biblical and Theological Studies and an associate editor of Tabletalk magazine at Ligonier Ministries. He is editor of When Shall These Things Be: A Reformed Response to Hyper-Preterism and associate editor of The Reformation Study Bible. He lives in Lake Mary, Florida, with his wife and children.

• 1     Postmillennialism: An Eschatology of Hope
• 2     The Shape of Sola Scriptura
• 3     Given for You: Reclaiming Calvin's Doctrine of the Lord's Supper
• 4     From Age to Age: The Unfolding of Biblical Eschatology
• 5     Dispensationalism: Rightly Dividing the People of God?
• 6     A Reformed Approach to Science and Scripture
• 7     Not a Chance: God, Science, and the Revolt against Reason
• 8     When Shall These Things Be?: A Reformed Response to Hyper-Preterism

Vehicles for Giving the Self: An Interview with Michael Card

By Michael Card 2/1/2011

     Tabletalk: Please tell us a little about the sort of ministry you are involved in these days.

     Michael Card: The ministry I am involved with these days is fundamentally the same one that’s been going on for thirty years: trying to facilitate biblical understanding through any means available to me. In the past this has been primarily through music, but increasingly I have more opportunities to simply teach, often in connection to concerts.

     TT: What project(s) are you working on currently?

     MC: I am currently working on volume 2 of a series on the Gospels called “The Biblical Imagination Series.” The project derives its direction and method from William Lane’s statement: “We must engage with Scripture at the level of the imagination.” In my own small way I am trying to advance and develop that idea by working through the gospels.

     TT: What are your reasons for composing, recording, and performing music?

     MC: I am involved in creating music because I sense a call on my life to do this. My community, a small bi-racial church, originally confirmed the call while I was attending the University of Western Kentucky. Ever since, brothers and sisters who are close have encouraged me. I suppose I will continue in this ministry until they advise me to do something else. I have always felt the community is vital in determining our specific calls.

     TT: If someone asks you what you do for a living, how do you respond?

     MC: When someone asks what I do for a living, I generally respond that I write. That pretty well covers the full range of what I do.

     TT: Do you listen to music that has been written by professed unbelievers? Why or why not?

     MC: I listen to all kinds of music. I don’t know for certain if any of my favorite musicians are “professed” unbelievers, but many of them certainly are not followers of Jesus. If you take the notion of general revelation seriously, that is that everyone possesses the image of God to some degree — and creativity is a part of that image-bearing — then people who do not know Him yet still bear His image can produce art that is meaningful as well. The creative rain falls on the just and the unjust.

     TT: As you consider the music being written and performed today within the church, what are you most thankful for and what are you most concerned about?

     MC: I am most thankful today when I see young writers coming on the scene whose songs clearly demonstrate a devotion to Christ and His Word. It is deeply encouraging to me to sense that His faithfulness is seen through all generations.

     TT: What word of counsel would you like to offer those involved in the ministry of writing, recording, or performing music and to those who are church musicians?

     MC: If I had a word of encouragement for anyone coming into music ministry, I would say invest yourself in community. Writing and performing music can be an isolating experience and we were meant to create in the context of community. This does not mean exclusively a community of creative or musical people. I especially mean a wider community of people who are not like you, people who live at the level of poverty, people who have a different culture, who are a different color.

     TT: Although there are many, is there one lesson the Lord has taught you that you would care to share with us?

     MC: One of the most important lessons the Lord has taught me is that you are not your gift. That is, you are not defined by what you do or create. Jesus is a wonderful example of this. He would not allow the crowd to define Him by His considerable gifts, even though they tried to do so. Jesus always points away from Himself and His gifts and thereby wins praise for the Father. We are not our gifts. We are called to give more. Like Jesus, we are called to give ourselves. That is the real purpose behind our gifts; they are vehicles for giving the self.

     TT: What has the Lord been teaching you recently (and how has that shaped your recent musical endeavors)?

     MC: I am currently working my way through the Gospels. I am seeking to develop a feeling for the flow of the ministry as it is portrayed in the various Gospels. In Mark I am seeing for the first time that at one point (around chapter 7) Jesus’ ministry gets somewhat out of control. Maybe this is not a new idea for some people, but I have never understood it this way. And this is new for me. His followers become almost a mob, reaching out for His gifts and not Him. All of His attempts to focus their attention on the gospel seem to fail. The idea of Jesus’ ministry “failing” in one aspect is new for me.

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• 1     A Sacred Sorrow: Reaching Out to God in the Lost Language of Lament (Quiet Times for the Heart)
• 2     John: The Gospel of Wisdom (Biblical Imagination)
• 3     A Fragile Stone: The Emotional Life of Simon Peter
• 4     Luke: The Gospel of Amazement (Biblical Imagination)
• 5     Matthew: The Gospel of Identity (Biblical Imagination)
• 6     Mark: The Gospel of Passion (Biblical Imagination)
• 7     Scribbling in the Sand: Christ and Creativity
• 8     Sleep Sound in Jesus: Gentle Lullabies for Little Ones and Inspirational Devotions for Parents
• 9     THE WALK
• 10     A Violent Grace: Meeting Christ at the Cross
• 11     A Better Freedom: Finding Life as Slaves of Christ
• 12     The Hidden Face of God: Finding the Missing Door to the Father Through Lament
• 13     Immanuel: Reflections On the Life of Christ
• 14     Tell Me Why: Eternal Answers to Life's Timeless Questions (Tell Me Series)
• 15     Joy in the Journey Through the Year (Through the Year Devotionals)
• 16     Parable of Joy: Reflections on the Wisdom of the Book of John
• 17     The Promise: A Celebration of Christ's Birth
• 18     Close Your Eyes So You Can See: Stories of Children in the Life of Jesus

Rejoice with Trembling

By John Piper 2/1/2011

     “Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.” (Ps. 2:11–12)

     Serve the Lord with fear…

     This command does not cancel out Psalm 100:2: “Serve the Lord with gladness.” Serving the Lord with fear and serving the Lord with gladness do not contradict each other. The next phrase from this selection will make that plain (“rejoice with trembling”). There is real fear and real joy. The reason there is real fear is that there is real danger. Our God is a consuming fire (Heb. 12:29). Yes, the elect are safe in Christ. But examine yourself, Paul says, “to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you — unless, of course, you fail the test?” (2 Cor. 13:5). “Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall” (1 Cor. 10:12). Confidence in Christ is not careless. Our security is rooted in God’s daily keeping, not our past decisions. “[He] is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory” (Jude 1:24). Part of how He keeps us is by awakening the vigilance to rest daily in Christ and not in ourselves.

     …and rejoice with trembling.

     Fear does not rob us of our joy for two reasons. One is that it drives us to Christ, where there is safety. The other is that even when we get there the part of fear that Christ relieves is the hope-destroying part. But He leaves another part — the part we want to feel forever. There is an awe or trembling in the presence of grandeur that we want to feel as long as we are sure it will not destroy us. This trembling does not compete with joy; it is part of joy. People go to terrifying movies because they know the monster cannot get into the theater. They want to be scared as long as they are safe. For some reason it feels good. This is an echo of the truth that they were made for God. There is something profoundly satisfying about being “frightened” when we cannot be hurt. It is the best when the trembling comes from the grandeur of holiness.

     Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way…

     God is jealous for His Son. “You shall worship no other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God” (Ex. 34:14). His anger is kindled when the affection designed for Him is given to another. Of course, there is a Judas kiss, but that is not what He has in mind here. The kiss here is the kiss of adoration and submission — perhaps a kiss on the feet as we bow before Him. There is no playing games with God. If we love each other more, we will perish. He will be our highest treasure, or He will be our enemy. The safest place in the universe is at the feet of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ. If we choose to turn from Him for another treasure, His wrath will be against us.

     …for his wrath is quickly kindled.

     The word quickly may not be the best here. The word can mean quickly in the sense of suddenly. Repeatedly in the Bible, God is said to be “merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness” (Ex. 34:6). Not “quick to anger” but “slow to anger.” Therefore, I am inclined to think Psalm 2:12 means “His wrath can break out suddenly.” In other words, don’t trifle with Him in His patience, because suddenly it may run out and you will be overtaken in wrath. If you go on kissing His creation and not His Son (Rom. 1:25), suddenly you will find the fangs of a serpent in your lip. Don’t presume upon the patience of God (Rom. 2:4).

     Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

     The only safe place from the wrath of God is in God. Everywhere outside of His care is dangerous. He is the only hiding place from His own wrath. If you see Him as frightening and try to run away and hide, you will not find a place to hide. There is none. Outside of God’s care there is only wrath. But there is a refuge from the wrath of God, namely, God. The safest place from the wrath of God — the only safe place — is God. Come to God. Take refuge in God. Hide in the shadow of His wings. This is where we live and serve with joyful trembling. It is terrible and it is wonderful. It is like the eye of a hurricane — terror all around, and totally beautiful and calm. Here there is sweet fellowship. Here is quiet, loving communion. Here we speak to Him as to a friend. Here He ministers to our deepest needs. He wants you to come.

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Does the Church Know Her Commission?

By Denny Burk 2/1/2011

     Have you ever wished you could have a do-over? Have you ever looked back on a situation in which you know that you really botched the job and you just wish you could have another crack at it? That is the way I often feel when I reflect back on some of my less-than-fruitful efforts at evangelism when I was in college. Back then, I was (to say the least) a little wet behind the ears in terms of my theological convictions. I had a basic understanding of Christ’s substitutionary atonement but little appreciation for how His lordship should inform evangelistic appeals. Anyone watching my approach to evangelism would have been well within his rights to label me an antinomian. Unfortunately, I simply did not know any better. So when I had the opportunity to share the gospel with my frat brother Mark, I really botched it.

     I was a Christian, and Mark knew it. Mark was not a Christian, and he knew that as well. Nevertheless, Mark had a kind of respect for me and my faith, and was often curiously probing about spiritual things. I thought he was ripe for the picking. I can remember the night that I had my opportunity to share the gospel with him and to tell him that he needed to believe the gospel and trust Christ for forgiveness and eternal life. Mark responded to my appeals with apparent ambivalence. But after a bit of conversation, it became clear that he was not interested in trusting Christ. When I asked him why, he simply responded that he did not want to make that kind of commitment of his life to Christ. He was very happy with his life, and he did not want to muck it up with a new obligation to follow Jesus.

     Now I was curious. Here was a guy who had no intellectual objections to the facts of the gospel — Jesus’ vicarious death and resurrection. He just did not want to give his life to Christ. How could this be? I did not want his lack of enthusiasm about following Christ to keep him out of heaven, so I counseled him as any unwitting antinomian would. In so many words I told him, “Don’t worry about following Christ as Lord. Just repeat this sinner’s prayer after me, and you can be saved. Perhaps sometime later, God can help you to see Jesus as your Lord.” Mark did not budge. My counsel did not ring true to him, as he sensed that there had to be more to being a Christian than what I was selling. He was right.

     In the years subsequent to my conversation with Mark, God worked a Copernican revolution in my own theological outlook. I came to see the solas of the Reformation as more faithfully capturing what the Bible says about salvation. I repented of my antinomian darkness and came to see that I had evangelism all wrong. My antinomian error had blinded me to the particulars of the Great Commission: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations by baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and by teaching them to obey all that I commanded you” (Matt. 28:19–20, my translation). I thought I knew the Great Commission, but I really didn’t. I had it all wrong.

(Mt 28:19–20) 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”   ESV

     Often when I hear Christians speak about the Great Commission, I wonder whether they are making the same mistake I made. Even those who do not embrace an antinomian point of view (as I once did) often speak as if the Great Commission is merely about scoring converts — getting people to make a profession of faith in Christ. Of course, the Great Commission certainly calls Christians to make converts. Biblically speaking, however, there is much more to it than that. At the heart of the commission is the imperative to “make disciples.”

     What does it mean to make a disciple? Matthew’s gospel is filled with Jesus’ teaching as to what a disciple is, but probably the seminal text is from Matthew 16. Jesus defines a disciple in no uncertain terms: “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” (16:24–25). Jesus calls His disciples to His cross — not a metaphorical cross, but a real one. That means that Jesus calls His disciples to be willing to follow Him to the death.

     The implication of this truth for our understanding of the Great Commission is massive. He summons us to invite the nations to treasure Christ in such a way that even if they lose everything — even their lives — it is okay so long as they have Him (13:44). That is why making disciples involves not just the entry-level rite of baptism but also the obligation of “teaching them to obey all that I commanded you.” Where this framework is missing, so is the Great Commission.

     Does the church understand this as her commission from Christ? I certainly did not as a college student, but the church of the Lord Jesus Christ must do better than that. The Great Commission excludes the easybelievism and pseudo-gospels of pop spirituality precisely because it commands repentance from sin and faith in Christ crucified and raised for sinners. This is the message the church has been commissioned to preach, and it is the message that the world desperately needs to hear.

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• 1     What Is the Meaning of Sex?
• 2     Articular Infinitives in the Greek of the New Testament: On the Exegetical Benefit of Grammatical Precision (New Testament Monographs,)

The Institutes of the Christian Religion

Translated by Henry Beveridge

     There are three kinds of civil government; namely, Monarchy, which is the domination of one only, whether he be called King or Duke, or otherwise; Aristocracy, which is a government composed of the chiefs and people of note; and Democracy, which is a popular government, in which each of the people has power.

BOOK 1

1. The true wisdom of man consists in the knowledge of God the Creator and Redeemer.

2. This knowledge is naturally implanted in us, and the end of it ought to be the worship of God rightly performed, or reverence for the Deity accompanied by fear and love.

3. But this seed is corrupted by ignorance, whence arises superstitious worship; and by wickedness, whence arise slavish dread and hatred of the Deity.

4. It is also from another source that it is derived namely, from the structure of the whole world, and from the Holy Scriptures.

5. This structure teaches us what is the goodness, power, justice, and wisdom of God in creating all things in heaven and earth, and in preserving them by ordinary and extraordinary government, by which his Providence is more clearly made known. It teaches also what are our wants, that we may learn to place our confidence in the goodness, power, and wisdom of God, to obey his commandments, to flee to him in adversity, and to offer thanksgiving to him for the gifts which we enjoy.

6. By the Holy Scriptures, also, God the Creator is known. We ought to consider what these Scriptures are; that they are true, and have proceeded from the Spirit of God; which is proved by the testimony of the Holy Spirit, by the efficacy and antiquity of the Scriptures, by the certainty of the Prophecies, by the miraculous preservation of the Law, by the calling and writings of the Apostles, by the consent of the Church, and by the steadfastness of the martyrs, whence it is evident that all the principles of piety are overthrown by those fanatics who, laying aside the Scripture, fly to revelations.

7. Next, what they teach; or, what is the nature of God in himself, and in the creation and government of all things.

8. The nature of God in himself is infinite, invisible, eternal, almighty; whence it follows that they are mistaken who ascribe to God a visible form. In his one essence there are three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

9. In the creation of all things there are chiefly considered, 1. Heavenly and spiritual substances, that is, angels, of which some are good and the protectors of the godly, while others are bad, not by creation, but by corruption; 2. Earthly substances, and particularly man, whose perfection is displayed in soul and in body.

10. In the government of all things the nature of God is manifested. Now his government is, in one respect, universal, by which he directs all the creatures according to the properties which he bestowed on each when he created them.

11. In another respect, it is special; which appears in regard to contingent events, so that if any person is visited either by adversity or by any prosperous result, he ought to ascribe it wholly to God; and with respect to those things which act according to a fixed law of nature, though their peculiar properties were naturally bestowed on them, still they exert their power only so far as they are directed by the immediate hand of God.

12. It is viewed also with respect to time past and future. Past, that we may learn that all things happen by the appointment of God, who acts either by means, or without means, or contrary to means; so that everything which happens yields good to the godly and evil to the wicked. Future, to which belong human deliberations, and which shows that we ought to employ lawful means; since that Providence on which we rely furnishes its own means.

13. Lastly, by attending to the advantage which the godly derive from it. For we know certainly, 1. That God takes care of the whole human race, but especially of his Church. 2. That God governs all things by his will, and regulates them by his wisdom. 3. That he has most abundant power of doing good; for in his hand are heaven and earth, all creatures are subject to his sway, the godly rest on his protection, and the power of hell is restrained by his authority. That nothing happens by chance, though the causes may be concealed, but by the will of God; by his secret will which we are unable to explore, but adore with reverence, and by his will which is conveyed to us in the Law and in the Gospel.

__________________________________________________________________

     Christian Classics Ethereal Library / Public Domain

     Institutes of the Christian Religion

Why The Gospels Are Embarrassing

By Wesley Huff 2/11/2017

     You may have never thought about it before, but if you have ever read the biblical Gospels, they're actually quite embarrassing. Not that the gospel itself is embarrassing, but that the four biographies of Jesus' life (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) are embarrassing. But while that might sound a little controversial to the Christian ear, it's actually not. The fact that the four biblical Gospels are embarrassing, that is, their content would have made the early church a little uncomfortable, actually testifies to their reliability and authenticity.

     This is what is referred to as the criterion of embarrassment. In other words, this criterion is a measure that historians use to establish the truthfulness of written historical accounts.(1) It can all be boiled down to this one fact - generally, when people fabricate, exaggerate, or embellish stories they don't tend to incorporate facts that would make them look foolish or leave room for the loss of their credibility. The fact remains that on the whole, when people lie, they don't generally tell falsehoods that drag their character through the proverbial mud.

     This remains just as true in the 21st century as it did in the first century. The tendency in ancient writing was to smooth-over the not so pleasant details. It was common practice to omit, leave out, or generally swing the information in order to make the community of the author look a little more polished. Especially concerning material that would bring shame on the author or those associated with him/her. Ancient historians made their leaders (and the nations those leaders ruled) look as good as possible.

     It was common practice to display reminders of great victories. A good example of this is an object known as the Victory Stele of Naram-Sin (2254-2218 BC) The depiction of the battle is literally carved in stone, a relief made from pink limestone that sits six feet high. It depicts the King of the Akkadians, Naram-Sin Hardly, defeating the armies of the neighboring civilization of Lullubi (not to be confused with the civilization of Lullaby - all they did was sleep all day).(2) Very rarely, if ever, do we find any examples of great losses being recorded or written down by the losing party.

     It all comes down to the fact that more or less, people want to be perceived in the best possible light. We put our best quality traits on our resumes, try to encourage our ideal strengths, and so on. How much more would we expect this in the first century in the case of a fledgling faith like Christianity. (3) After Jesus' death the first Christians were desperate to get his message out to the world, why wouldn't we see records of the amazing, great, and wonderful things that he did (and has done). And it is not to say that we don't find those things in the Gospel records, however, we also find a good deal more. There are some rather embarrassing and hard to explain things recorded by the New Testament authors that if the story was fabricated, seem rather hard to explain.

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Read The Psalms In "1" Year

Psalm 79

8 Do not remember against us our former iniquities;
let your compassion come speedily to meet us,
for we are brought very low.
9 Help us, O God of our salvation,
for the glory of your name;
deliver us, and atone for our sins,
for your name’s sake!
10 Why should the nations say,
“Where is their God?”
Let the avenging of the outpoured blood of your servants
be known among the nations before our eyes!

11 Let the groans of the prisoners come before you;
according to your great power, preserve those doomed to die!
12 Return sevenfold into the lap of our neighbors
the taunts with which they have taunted you, O Lord!
13 But we your people, the sheep of your pasture,
will give thanks to you forever;
from generation to generation we will recount your praise.

By John Walvoord

Judgment on Idolaters

     Ezekiel 14:1–23. Those who practiced idolatry and then went to a prophet would be judged by the Lord (v.  1–5 ). God exhorted them, “Turn from your idols and renounce all your detestable practices!” (v.  6 ).

     If an Israelite served idols and sought a prophet, God would destroy him and also the prophet if the prophet would not resist the enticement to utter a prophecy (vv.  7–11 ). God declared that His judgment on Israel could not be avoided even if Noah, Daniel, and Job would intercede (vv.  13–14 ). The reference to these historical characters is very significant. Noah and Job lived many years before Ezekiel, but Daniel was a contemporary. Though liberal scholars have attempted to destroy the historicity of Daniel, this reference is a significant confirmation that Daniel was in Babylon serving King Nebuchadnezzar during the time of the captivity. The arbitrary declaration of some scholars that this reference cannot be taken at face value is without justifiable reason. It would have been natural for Ezekiel to have heard of Daniel, an important Babylonian official.

     After God amplified His declaration that these three notable men could not save Israel, He declared that if wild beasts went through the land, even these men would not be able to save their own sons and daughters, that only they would be saved (vv.  15–16 ). He stated the same thing concerning the sword or plague passing through the land (vv.  17–20 ). The names of the three men were repeated (v.  20 ). Then God declared that judgment against Jerusalem would be terrible, including sword, famine, wild beasts, and plague (v.  21 ). There would be some survivors, but most of the people would be destroyed (v.  22 ). This was fulfilled in the Babylonian captivity ( 2 Chron. 36:11–15 ).

Jerusalem as Useless as a Fruitless Vine

     Ezekiel 15:1–8. In the revelation given to Ezekiel, signs were used to indicate the coming disaster ( 12:1–20 ), then a series of five messages followed ( 12:21–14:23 ). This chapter is the first of three parables confirming the fact that Israel could not escape her coming judgment. By nature a vine is useful only if it is fruitful. As wood, it is useful for nothing (vv.  1–5 ). Because of this, God would cast the vine into the fire to be consumed and “will make the land desolate because they have been unfaithful” (v.  8 ). This was fulfilled in the Babylonian captivity ( 2 Chron. 36:11–15 ).

Jerusalem as an Unfaithful Wife

     Ezekiel 16:1–63. Jerusalem was described as an unwanted baby cast out to die (vv.  1–6 ) but rescued by God. Eventually the baby became a beautiful woman. God said that He cared for her and dressed her in fine linen and beautiful jewelry. Her beauty was such that she became a queen (vv.  8–14 ).

     Having received all these favors, Jerusalem became a prostitute and used her jewelry to make idols. The food that God gave her was offered as incense to idols. The sons and the daughters who were born were sacrificed to idols (vv.  15–21 ).

     Because of these detestable things, God declared judgment on Jerusalem (vv.  22–29 ). Even the heathen nations of Babylon and Egypt were shocked at her adultery. Because of her continued brazen conduct, God would judge not only her but also those who committed adultery with her (vv.  30–38 ). Her lovers would destroy her shrines, strip her clothes and fine jewelry, and leave her naked (v.  39 ). “They will bring a mob against you, who will stone you and hack you to pieces with their swords. They will burn down your houses and inflict punishment on you in the sight of many women. I will put a stop to your prostitution, and you will no longer pay your lovers. Then my wrath against you will subside and my jealous anger will turn away from you; I will be calm and no longer angry” (vv.  40–42 ).

     God declared that Jerusalem had become like Israel’s mother, who was described here as a Hittite with her father an Amorite (v.  45 ). Her older sister was compared to Samaria and her younger sister to Sodom (v.  46 ). According to God, Jerusalem became more depraved than any other nation (vv.  47–52 ).

     God promised to restore Sodom and Samaria, but Jerusalem would be scorned by Edom and the Philistines (vv.  53–58 ). God declared, “‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will deal with you as you deserve, because you have despised my oath by breaking the covenant’” (v.  59 ).

     God promised, however, to remember the everlasting covenant He made with Israel (v.  60 ). But as she received His grace, she would be ashamed of her conduct (vv.  61–63 ).

The Parable of the Two Eagles and the Vine

     Ezekiel 17:1–24. This third parable setting forth God’s judgment on Israel described a situation in Israel when Zedekiah was ruling (around 592–591 BC). God described a great eagle that cut off the top of a cedar and carried it to a distant land where it prospered with abundant water (vv.  1–5 ). It became a spreading vine (v.  6 ).

     God then described another eagle that attracted the vine to send out its roots and branches toward the second eagle. God declared that the vine would not prosper.

     Explaining the parable, God compared the first eagle to Babylon, which conquered Jerusalem in 605 BC and carried off many of its leaders and inhabitants in 597 BC. After this, Zedekiah was placed by Babylon over all that was left of Israel in the land. The second eagle described the enticement of Egypt, which caused Zedekiah to rebel against Nebuchadnezzar and rely on the armies of Egypt (vv.  9–15 ). Jeremiah had warned Zedekiah that it would result in disaster if he rebelled against Babylon ( Jer. 38:17–28 ). When Zedekiah tried to escape, he was caught by the Babylonians and had to watch as his sons and nobles were killed. Then Nebuchadnezzar blinded Zedekiah and took him to Babylon ( Jer. 52:10–11 ). This corresponded to the word of the Lord in  Ezekiel ( Ezek. 17:11–21 ).

     Following Zedekiah’s downfall in 586 BC, in fulfillment of this prophecy of  Jeremiah, God declared in  Ezekiel that He Himself would take a shoot from the top of the cedar, plant it on the mountains of Israel, and it would grow and prosper (vv.  22–24 ). Ezekiel, who had been carried off captive, probably in 597 BC, recorded this prophecy, which was fulfilled in the fall of Jerusalem in 586 BC. Again and again in  Isaiah, Jeremiah, and  Ezekiel the literal fulfillment of prophecy was illustrated.

Judgment on Those Who Sin

     Ezekiel 18:1–32. God asked a question about their interpretation of the proverb, “The fathers eat sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge” (vv.  1–2 ). The point of this prophecy seems to be that the children of Israel were claiming that their punishment was because of their fathers’ sins, not their own. God declared by way of rebuttal, “As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, you will no longer quote this proverb in Israel. For every living soul belongs to me, the father as well as the son — both alike belong to me. The soul who sins is the one who will die” (vv.  3–4 ). The proverb that God repeated was also quoted by Jeremiah ( Jer. 31:29–30 ). In the Ten Commandments the principle was indicated that punishment sometimes goes to the third and fourth generation (cf.  Ex. 20:5; 34:6–7; Deut. 5:9 ).

     In the present case, however, God declared that He was judging the children themselves for their sinfulness and urged them to repent to avoid His judgment ( Ezek. 18:3–4 ).

     God itemized the sins of the wicked (vv.  5–9 ) and declared that if a righteous man would not do these things, he would live (v.  9 ). By contrast, the wicked person who does these things would not live (vv.  10–13 ).

     If one was a son of such a wicked person, however, and would not follow in his wickedness, God declared, “He will not die for his father’s sin; he will surely live” (v.  17 ). In the particular case of Israel, with whom God was dealing in judgment, a son would not inherit the sins of the father nor the righteousness of the father, but each would be judged on the basis of his own actions (vv.  18–23 ). God defended His actions as being just in contrast to the charge of some that He was unjust (vv.  25–29 ).

     The final appeal of the Lord was for Israel to “repent!” (v.  30 ). God declared, “For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign LORD. Repent and live!” (v.  32 ). This was fulfilled in the Babylonian captivity ( 2 Chron. 36:11–15 ).

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Every Prophecy of the Bible: Clear Explanations for Uncertain Times

The Continual Burnt Offering (Luke 22:28-29)

By H.A. Ironside - 1941

July 30

Isaiah 53:11 Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied;
by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant,
make many to be accounted righteous,
and he shall bear their iniquities.

And there with Thee we shall rehearse the story,
Thy faithful love in desert scenes below;
And walking with Thee in that cloudless glory,
To Thee our endless praise shall ceaseless flow.

Until that day, Lord Jesus, keep us faithful
To Thy blest Word and not deny Thy Name!
Oh, shield Thine own from every harm and evil,
Content to suffer loss and bear Thy shame!
--- J. W. H. Nichols

Isaiah 9:6 - Everlasting Father

By S. Michael Houdmann

     “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6, ESV).

     In context, this verse is proclaiming the redemption of Israel and the activities, titles, and blessings of the Messiah who is to rule the earth and usher in a reign of blessing and peace that will have no end. One of His titles is “Everlasting Father.”

     The Hebrew phrase translated “Everlasting Father” could be translated literally “Father of Eternity.” For this reason, some have suggested that the title means that this coming Messiah is also the creator of everything: He is the father of time and eternity, the “architect of the ages.” While we know this to be true from the New Testament (John 1:1–3, Colossians 1:16–17), that is not the emphasis in Isaiah. In the Hebrew construction of the phrase, father is the primary noun, and everlasting (ESV, NIV, KJV) or eternal (NASB) is the term that describes His fatherhood. He is Father forever.

John 1:1–3 (ESV) 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.

Colossians 1:16–17 (ESV)
16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

     The Hebrew word translated “everlasting” has the idea of “in perpetuity” or “without end.” Indeed, the next verse says of the Messiah, “Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end” (Isaiah 9:7). The emphasis is forward looking, so “everlasting” is probably a better translation than “eternal,” which not only indicates “without end” but also “without beginning.” (Again, from the New Testament we may argue that the Messiah is without beginning, but that is not the emphasis of this term in Isaiah.)

     So, as the Everlasting Father, the Messiah will be a father, and His fatherhood will be without end. Some have objected that this designation as father seems to confuse the roles within the Trinity, calling “Father” the one who is really “the Son.” Some in the Oneness movement use this verse as a proof text to show that Jesus really is the Father and that there is only a Unity, not a Trinity. In both cases, the interpreters are reading New Testament concerns back into the Old Testament. Neither Trinitarian nor anti-Trinitarian concerns are being discussed in Isaiah 9:6.

     Many rulers in ancient times were considered “father of the country.” Americans who read this term might immediately think of George Washington who is called “the father of his country.” It was Washington’s determination and leadership that led to victory in the Revolutionary War and his support of a strong national government that led (at least in part) to ratification of the U.S. Constitution. Without Washington, the United States might not exist today, or it might exist with a far different form of government. However, if some of the interpretations discussed so far are guilty of reading New Testament theological concerns into Isaiah in an anachronistic fashion, using George Washington as an interpretive clue to the meaning of the phrase is also anachronistic. The most appropriate analogy is far more universal.

     In ancient times, the “father of the nation” was viewed in much the same way as the father of a family. It was the father who was to protect and provide for his children. In the same way, this Child to be born will become a king who will be a father to the children of Israel—He will protect and provide for them. And His role as protector and provider will not be limited by aging or death. His role as father (protector and provider) will continue in perpetuity. Just how this will come about is not revealed in Isaiah’s prophecy. The full identity of the Messiah—that He is God in the flesh, the second Person of the Trinity who would protect and provide for His people by His death and resurrection on their behalf; and that Gentiles could also be grafted into the family of Israel—may be hinted at in Isaiah, but God’s people would have to wait almost 700 years to see the Messiah revealed in the “fullness of time” (see Galatians 4:4).

Galatians 4:4 (ESV)
4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law,

The Church

By Robert Jeffress 2023

     Robert Frost wrote, “Home is the place where, when you have to go there, they have to take you in.”1 That same begrudging attitude seems to be the stance of many people toward the church. If they were to describe their relationship status with the church on social media, they would likely choose “It’s complicated.”

     On the one hand, if you’ve spent any quality time in a congregation with other believers, you probably can give a testimony about how God used the church to minister to you. Maybe you recall when someone in the church took an interest in your spiritual growth or led you to faith in Jesus Christ. Perhaps a pastor or Sunday school teacher opened your eyes to a truth in Scripture you’d never seen before. Maybe church members supported you during a time of need or loss in your life. Or perhaps you can just look back week after week and thank God for the spiritual refreshment you received when you gathered to worship with other Christians.

     On the other hand, if you’ve spent any quality time in a congregation with other believers, you’ve likely witnessed your share of power struggles, petty disputes, hypocrisy, and other un-Christlike behavior. At some point, you may have looked around the congregation and realized you have little in common with your fellow worshipers. But the strangeness of the bedfellows is what makes the church so uniquely potent. There must be supernatural forces at work, because there’s no other explanation for why the church has thrived for two thousand years.

     To properly understand this eighth core belief of Christianity, we need to know why the church started, what it brings to our lives, and what our responsibilities are as members of Christ’s body.

     1 Robert Frost, “The Death of the Hired Hand,” in North of Boston (London: David Nutt, 1914), 3–10.

Discovering Our Roots

     Few things can trace their existence to a single moment in time. For example, the United States didn’t suddenly spring into being when the last Founding Father signed his name to the Declaration of Independence. Electricity didn’t announce its presence for the first time when lightning struck the key tied to Benjamin Franklin’s kite. Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups weren’t born the instant one person accidentally dipped some peanut butter into someone else’s chocolate.

     One exception is the church, which can trace its existence to a single moment in time — a moment God made sure was recorded in detail. In Acts 2, Luke placed his readers in just the right place — a house in Jerusalem — at just the right moment to witness the birth of the church.

     According to Luke’s description, a noise that sounded like a violent wind filled the house. Tongues of fire appeared over the heads of everyone present. The Holy Spirit arrived, just as Jesus had promised in John 14. And with Him came a new institution, a new framework for continuing Christ’s work in the world. The Holy Spirit’s presence bound believers together in ways they had never experienced before.

     The church was born. And in its founding and early years, we see the purposes for which it was created and the roles God intends it to play in the lives of His people.

Training Ground

     The Holy Spirit uses the church as a conduit to pour His power into believers’ lives. That means  we cannot experience the Spirit’s full power in our lives without being connected to a local church.  Lord, you know this grieves me so much. I so much love your word, but it is so difficult to connest with your people. I am sure the fault is all mine, but I do not know how to correct it. After all, the church is the body of Christ, and each of us is a member of that body (1 Cor. 12:27).

     Without that connection to the church, we are like severed limbs. If you were to separate my hand from the rest of my body, that hand would quickly atrophy. The same thing happens spiritually when members of the body of Christ are separated from the church. Our relationship with the Lord withers. God created the church not just to carry out His purpose in the world but also to supply spiritual power to individual believers.

     As you read through Luke’s account of the birth of the church, you’ll discover that all 120 people present that day (Acts 1:15) suddenly gained the ability to communicate in a foreign language. This literal godsend proved to be extremely valuable, because these events took place during the Jewish festival of Pentecost, and hundreds of thousands of God-fearing Jews had made the annual journey to Jerusalem for the celebration. Many came from distant lands, where foreign languages were spoken.

     Obviously, this created a communication barrier for the believers gathered that day, who had the good news of Jesus’s death and resurrection to share. God solved the problem by giving individual believers a special gift — the supernatural ability to speak in languages they had never spoken before.

     The Jewish celebrants who heard them were intrigued when they recognized their own languages being spoken so far from home. As they gathered to take in the spectacle, the apostle Peter seized the opportunity and delivered a powerful sermon. According to Acts 2:41, the result was that three thousand people gave their lives to Christ that day.

     A closer look at God’s strategy that day gives us a glimpse of His purpose for the church. He could have given the Jewish celebrants of Pentecost the miraculous ability to understand one person — Peter — and cut out over 99 percent of the middlemen. But that’s not His vision for the body of Christ. Instead, God gave each believer a specific gift to use — perhaps it was one language or dialect per person.

     That being the case, one believer on his or her own probably wouldn’t have made much of an impression. Someone suddenly speaking Phrygian in Jerusalem may have attracted a passing glance, but probably not much more than that. Instead, it was the chorus of languages and dialects, rising together from people who had no reason to be speaking them, that attracted people’s attention. It was the body of believers, working as one, that made a difference. That’s how God intends the church to work.

     There’s another important takeaway from this account. As far as we know, everyone who received the Holy Spirit’s gift that day used it — to great effect. But what if one person had resisted? What if a single believer had chosen not to use the gift, perhaps out of fear, shyness, laziness, or indifference?

     Percentage wise, the impact would have been negligible. One out of 120 still puts the participation rate well over 99 percent. Yet what if the believer who chose not to exercise the gift was the one person able to speak Parthian that day? An entire group of people would have been left wondering what all the fuss was about. The Parthian visitors would have shrugged their shoulders and walked away. Every believer’s gift mattered at Pentecost, just as every believer’s spiritual gift matters today.

     As we learned in our study of God the Holy Spirit, when we are saved, the Holy Spirit gives each of us a spiritual gift, which is both a desire and a unique power to be a part of God’s ministry. The church serves as a training ground for Christians in honing our spiritual gifts, discovering how we can apply them, and maximizing their impact. The church is where we find our place in the body of Christ and learn to work with our fellow body parts.

Shelter from the Storm

     My late mentor Howard Hendricks used to say, “The church is a lot like Noah’s ark — if it weren’t for the storm on the outside, you couldn’t stand the stench on the inside.” 2 Certainly, there are occasional odors that emanate from churches, as will happen whenever imperfect people gather. But there’s also a relentless storm beating against us — a storm that began at just about the same time the church did.

     Those early church members at Pentecost soon discovered that not everyone would respond to their message in the same way the masses did on that first day. Two powerful entities lined up against them, determined not only to prevent the spread of their message but also to punish anyone who dared to speak it.

     Jewish leaders recognized the threat that Christianity posed to their own religion. Every Jewish convert to Christianity was a direct loss for Judaism. At the same time, Roman authorities feared that the growth of Christianity might lead to political upheaval. So both factions committed to stamping out the Christian faith.

     History shows that Christian persecution intensified during the first century. Followers of Christ were hassled, arrested, tortured, and killed because of their faith. Alone, they were vulnerable. But together, they were a force to be reckoned with. The church provided a shelter from the storm of persecution. Believers found comfort, strength, encouragement, and motivation with other believers.

     The church still provides shelter today. The consequences we face for our faith may not be as intense as those the first-century believers faced, but they are just as real. And alone, we are still vulnerable. God has given us the church to surround and protect us from the forces that war against us.

     2 Howard Hendricks, as quoted in Robert Jeffress, “A Winning Church,” sermon, First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas, August 14, 2011.

Launch Pad

     The church also functioned as a launch pad for ministry and evangelism. In Acts 11:22, Luke said, “The church at Jerusalem . . . sent Barnabas off to Antioch.” The congregation selected Barnabas to serve as a missionary. According to Acts 13:1–4, while believers in the church at Antioch were fasting and praying, the Holy Spirit said to them, “Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them” (v. 2). In response, the church members fasted, prayed, and laid hands on Barnabas and Saul, and then they sent them on their way.

     Acts 18:5 suggests Paul was able to devote himself to full-time ministry after Silas brought him a substantial financial gift from the church in Philippi. In passages such as 2 Corinthians 11:9 and Philippians 4:15–16, Paul noted the importance of the Philippians’ financial support of his ministry.

     Christianity spread rapidly throughout the Roman Empire — and beyond — thanks to the work of the church. And the spread continues today.

Unity in Diversity

     Perhaps even more impactful than its support of missions is the church’s unity in diversity. Paul said, “By one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit” (1 Cor. 12:13). The members of the Corinthian church to whom Paul was writing were a divided bunch. They were divided over their favorite pastor. They were divided over political philosophies. They were divided over their beliefs about spiritual gifts.

     Yet note how Paul addressed the divisions in the church. He didn’t say, “I want you to strive for uniformity. I want you to talk alike, think alike, and believe alike in everything.” Paul didn’t call for that because God doesn’t call for the church to be uniform. He calls for us to be unified. He calls for us to have unity in diversity.

     If you’re a part of a church where everyone is in the same age group, is of the same race, is from the same economic background, drives the same cars, and dresses in the same clothes, guess what? You’re in a country club. God didn’t call us to be a country club; He called us to be a church. And that means people of different ages, of different backgrounds, from different walks of life, coming together to worship Jesus Christ. There’s a powerful witness in that coming together. The diversity of the church is one of the greatest testimonies to the might of God.