What is eternal life? According to Jesus in John 17:3, it is “knowing the only true God, and Jesus Christ”.
John 17 is often referred to as “Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer”. Here we see Jesus praying for the deliverance of his disciples (that they remain in God’s name) and for them to have unity, the same kind of unity that Jesus has with God, his Father.
John 10:29 quotes Jesus saying, “I and the Father are one”, and I see John 17 as giving that some context. God and Jesus are not one person, they are not one entity, they are not members of a godhead. They are one in purpose. They are united through the will of God and Jesus’ obedience to that will. There is clear subservience to God in Jesus’ words here, but God has also elevated and glorified him. They have a special relationship as we see through Jesus’ prayer life and language.
Jesus wants his disciples to have that same kind of unity in purpose and in relationship. Jesus also points out that this is not just for the inner circle of his disciples; this unity and deliverance that Jesus is praying for extends to us. All those who came to faith because of the testimony of the Apostles.
There is also an exclusivity claim here. Eternal life is dependent on knowing the true God and his Messiah, Jesus. There are not many paths that lead to God, only one.
Jesus emphasizes the importance of truth in 17:17-19. As Jesus’ father is the only true God, Jesus recognizes him as the source of truth. He says, “Your word is truth.” Jesus has been the truth bearer throughout the course of his earthly ministry, but soon, his disciples will be bearing that mantle of truth bearers. Jesus is sending them out into the world, just as God sent him into the world. This ties into the Helper that we looked at yesterday.
The Spirit of Truth, the power of God, God’s operational presence, the finger of God. There are a few ways that the spirit is described or defined. But it comes alongside, and that is in Jesus’ mind as he prays for the well-being of his friends and followers. God keep them safe, not from man, but from falling away.
Reflection Questions:
1. What jumps out at you from today’s reading? Is there anything here that has been particularly impactful in your faith?
2. How should the unity that God and Jesus have impact the unity that we have as believers? If our oneness is supposed to be like theirs, how do we navigate disagreements?
3. You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free. I think we read that recently. How does the truth of knowing who God and Jesus are and having the word of truth from God motivate you? Do you often consider the importance of truth in this age of lies?
I love a good hyperbole. The standards like “I could eat a whole elephant.” The things you ask kids like “how much money does the president have?” ”A million billion dollars!” They reply. Or getting to more beautiful like the hymn “The Love of God.” “Could we with ink the ocean fill, and were the skies of parchment made; were ev’ry stalk on earth a quill, and ev’ryone a scribe by trade; to write the love of God above would drain the ocean dry; nor could the scroll contain the whole, though stretched from sky to sky.” That last one is beautiful, and maybe not completely a hyperbole; God’s love for creation *is* beyond words.
Today, we are going to see how Daniel uses hyperbole in chapter 8. After reading the chapter, we can put together vision and interpretation to understand what is going on. There are two kingdoms, the kings of Media and Persia (8:20) represented by a ram with two horns. (8:3-4) Then a male goat (8:5-7), explained to be the Kingdom of Greece (8:21), comes along and destroyed the Kingdoms of Media and Persia. The first great King of 8:21 is Alexander the Great, the conqueror of the ancient world. Notice that the horn is broken into four horns, just like the Kingdom of Alexander was broken into four kingdoms after his death (8:22), and just like the horn of the fourth, terrible beast grows, so the horn of 8:9 starts small and grows in power.
After Alexander’s death (323 BC), much later (215-164 BC), there is a man, Antiochus IV, who grew in power, who stopped the sacrifices of the people of God, who with a “bold face” decided to put his face on the statue of Jupiter and set it up in the sanctuary. Who sacrificed a pig on the altar, we put down those who opposed him and killed those who followed the law or who circumcised their children. (8:23-24) Antiochus even is judged by God and killed, not with human hands, but with a sudden sickness (8:25)
By now, you might be asking, “Why do I need the history lesson?” Because when we read about this, Daniel is told not to worry because this will be “for the time of the end” (8:17, 19) and again that this will occur “many days from now.” The first thing you need to see is that prophecies aren’t ALWAYS about the future. We should *know* this, because December and Christmas is the fulfillment of multiple prophecies to the people of God about the Messiah. There is a time when every prophecy will be fulfilled, some of those in our world, and some of those at the end. But, what I also want you to see is that Daniel looked at this time of Antiochus, and the coming of the Maccabean Kingdom and the Hasmonean dynasty which ended Greek rule in Judea, and he was told that it was like the end. God gave his people a kingdom, he gave them power, he gave them a thrown. They cast out their enemies. But, and this is the final point, Jesus points to the future with some of the language here. Jesus talks about, from his perspective a future “abomination of desolation” or “transgression that makes desolate”. Clearly, from our point of view the temple was destroyed, but immediately after those days, the world did not come to an end. Maybe it was, again, a type. It would not be impossible for God to fulfill a prophecy multiple times and more perfectly each time. (A young woman gave birth in Isaiah; but Jesus was truly born to a virgin. (See Isaiah 7:14))
What I want you to see is that Daniel, Jesus, and John the Revelator were not necessarily speaking only for the far future. Of the end times. Daniel’s message was important to the people of the 160s BC, Jesus meant something in 70 AD, John clearly imparted wisdom for the 90s and 100s. But that is not the end of their story. The command to remain faithful in the midst of chaos and challenge, to look for the coming of the Son of Man and not fall prey to false Messiahs, and to be faithful unto death, each of those messages matter every day. Maybe the reason hyperbole works so well is that it shakes us to our core, wakes us up to the message. “The world is ending today!”… maybe; but my world could also be after I finish this devotion. Am I awake to the Lord? Did I live my mission and my purpose faithfully? Isn’t that a question we should all ask ourselves? Maybe, when we can say yes, a day will come when we can finally sing full and true the love of God, because we will live forever.
Luckily, there is no hyperbole to “eternal life.”
-jake Ballard
Questions:
Does Biblical hyperbole scare you or make you uncomfortable? Why or why not? If the Bible is really literature, and in literature we use hyperbole, shouldn’t we expect to see it in the Bible? As a thought it might be helpful to remember the genre when thinking of hyperbole. “A log in your eye” is a teaching, and not to be taken literally; Jesus feeds 5000 is narrative of the miracle working Christ and *should* be taken literally.
Understanding the history of the people of God between 400 and 0 BC is very helpful. While I couldn’t go in to depth here, what does this brief overview show you?
What is keeping you from being awake to the Lord? To live your life and purpose faithfully, so that one day you may live forever? Are you talking to anyone about those things that are holding you back? May you be blessed by sharing those this advent season.
The title of this post is unassuming. Two words: a noun, the subject, and a verb in the future tense.
I am in the business of speaking, teaching, training, sermonizing. And sometimes (less often than I’d like to admit) I may have a sermon that God uses in spite of all my failures and faults. But if I were to have all the power of the greatest speakers, the powerful conviction of Billy Graham, the clarity and precision of Andy Stanley, the dedication of pastors from Martin Luther to Martin Luther King Jr. and beyond, more than a thousand eloquent sermons could not compare to the truth of the future of the world summed up in these two words.
God wins.
I don’t want to take away from that truth, but I do want to flesh it out a bit.
In the earlier parts of Revelation, the beheaded souls have been calling out from beyond the grave to the God who will give them justice (Rev. 6:9-11). God promised the victors that they would have reward upon reward (Rev. 2:7, 11, 17, 26-28; 3:5, 12, 21). When God wins, those who placed faith in God above even their own lives have the incredible promises. For time out of mind (1000 years) they will reign with Christ, they will not be hurt by the second death. While the language of two resurrections is not common in the rest of the NT*, the truth is that they are SO ASSURED of their salvation its as if they cannot possibly be brought to judgment. The joy of this resurrection is that we who are powerless, weak, poor, and oppressed will one day win, be victorious and live forever with God and his Christ, because God wins.
And Satan can’t win. The dragon’s wings are clipped, and the serpentine body is prepared for the flames. In this world, God has power to throw the serpent of old, the devil and Satan, and bind him for 1000 years. During that time, his temptation and power are cast down. In the end, the devil who deceived the world was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone. This is a threat and a promise. Moreover, Satan KNOWS this is his end. The battle between God and Satan is not a cinematic, climactic masterpiece. There is no worry about who will win. Satan is not trying to win, because he can’t. He IS trying to make YOU LOSE, because that is a possibility. But God will help you overcome sin, fight temptation, and come through faithful. God can protect you from the defanged, declawed, clipped-wing dragon, because God wins.
In some sense, part of the glory of God, part of his winning, is allowing humans to choose their outcomes. God allows people to determine their final state. While we are only and forever able to be saved by the glory and grace of God, God both does not force his salvific will upon us and does not preclude us from choosing him. God gives people what they desire. The books are opened; the dead are judged. Christ is our hope (Col. 1:27), our peace (Eph. 2:14), our resurrection and life (John 11:25). If any person has rejected Christ, what have they done but rejected peace with God and people? Rejected hope of eternal life? Rejected the resurrection and the life? God gives them exactly what they demanded. God doesn’t put up with those who were rebellious against him in this life. Because…
God wins.
No ifs, ands, buts.
No amount of persuasive words will make it less true.
No force of hell can stop Him, not a dragon or an atheist.
The promise is true:
God wins.
– Jake Ballard.
* There are hints of two resurrections in the rest of the NT, but nowhere is it explicitly stated like here in the apocalyptic work of Revelation.
(originally posted Dec 5, 2022 for SeekGrowLove)
Reflection Questions
How significant is the phrase “God wins” to you? To elaborate, in what areas of your life are you losing? Temptation and sin? Suffering and pain? Anxiety, depression, stress? What would it mean for you to stop trying to fix it all yourself, and let God win, allowing him to be victorious where you haven’t been yourself?
In the ultimate sense, Satan is powerless. While we might be attacked, tormented, and tempted by evil today, that is not the way the world will be forever. How does it make you feel to know that all evil and wickedness are going to be overcome by the power of God? Will you allow God to protect you, so the battle is one-sided in your favor today?
There is no peace, hope, resurrection or life without Christ. Have you given him control of your life, allowing him to be your savior and lord?
1 My heart is not proud, Lord, my eyes are not haughty; I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me.
When reading through this, I had two thoughts on this first verse from different perspectives.
Do we sometimes try to understand things that we just really can’t understand? There are some people who want to know the answer to everything. And searching for knowledge isn’t inherently bad. But does it become so much of a priority that it is leading you toward pride?
On the other hand, do we let this become an excuse to just say “well, I guess we can’t know” and give up on the pursuit of truth and knowledge?
I think there probably has to be a balance between these two things. When I don’t know the answer to something (that I believe to be unanswerable – not like a math problem that has a clear answer), it just doesn’t bug me. I know other people who just have to know and they spend so much time searching and studying and still not finding answers which frustrates them. But I do let that be an excuse at times to not search for an answer and give up on something that I could know more about.
The passage goes on to say, “But I have stilled and quieted my soul […] O Israel, put your hope in the LORD both now and forevermore.”
That’s the key. Our hope shouldn’t be found in knowledge. Our hope should be in the LORD. We should be at peace with the things that are above our understanding. But I also think we should try to know the LORD as best as we can with our human minds. In John 17:3, it says, “Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” Eternal life is to know God and His Son Jesus. And we can’t know Him if we don’t spend time pursuing Him even if we can’t have all the answers.
So we should be doing what we can to know and understand God, but also let go of our desire to have the answer to everything, humble ourselves, and live in peace knowing that God’s ways are greater than our own.
~Stephanie Fletcher
Reflection Questions
Is there some information you are content not knowing? Like what?
Have you ever found yourself struggling with pride because of what you do know? How can you practice humility instead?
What do you think God wants us to know about Him and His Son?
Do you ever misplace your hope and put it in yourself and all you know and can do – instead of in God? What is the remedy?
Suppose you were given the task of building a team that was responsible for learning some teachings and convincing everyone else in the world that those teachings were true. What kind of people would you pick for this team? I would go with an all-star team of doctors, lawyers, scholars, politicians, successful business people, and someone famous. Jesus had this same task, but he built an all-star team of fishermen, a tax collector, a zealot, probably some tradesmen, and more fishermen. These were the occupations of the twelve disciples. Think about how unremarkable this group was, and yet they were chosen to carry out probably the most important job in the history of mankind, to spread the gospel to the whole world. They were ordinary people on an extraordinary mission.
And guess what…the mission is not over, especially considering there are about seven billion people alive today that were not living a couple thousand years ago. I’m pretty sure all of the disciples died so they are not able to help with the work anymore. God needs a team now to carry on the mission and I suspect he is still counting on ordinary people to join the team. Yes, I am talking about you. God wants you to help preach the gospel to all of the nations.
But what is the message? In Matthew 10:12, Jesus said he wanted them to go out and preach about the kingdom. He wanted to make sure that everyone knew about the coming kingdom. Is everyone going to accept the message? Absolutely not. Jesus said if they don’t accept the message, shake off the dust of your feet and move on to the next place. It might seem odd that Jesus was sending them to places where they would be rejected, but he still thought it was important that everyone should hear the message so they can make the choice themselves. If someone doesn’t hear about the kingdom, they don’t have a chance to accept the kingdom message.
Is it going to be easy? Nope. Jesus said we are like sheep in the midst of wolves. He told us that it won’t be easy, and in fact, it could be dangerous. Moreover, if you choose to be on this team, the message is not always viewed favorably and your own family may hate you for it, even to the point of your own family having you killed. Jesus said in Matthew 11:11 that no one was ever greater than John the Baptist, yet his life ended when they chopped off his head. However, Jesus tells us the good news in Matthew 10:39, “He who has found his life shall lose it, and he who has lost his life for my sake shall find it.”
In Matthew 12:19, it talks about Jesus’ approach. He won’t quarrel or cry out, and nobody in the streets will hear his voice. I believe this is our model of how to spread the gospel message. We are not looking for a fight. We don’t have to get angry with people because they disagree with us. We do not have to stand on street corners and scream at people that they are going to hell if they don’t repent. We just need to speak the truth in love. Explain to people what is going to happen in the future, especially what happens to them after they die. Tell them about the kingdom and how to attain salvation. If they are not interested in what you are saying, move on. There is no need for a heated debate and there is no need to keep pestering them. Just shake off the dust and move on. You can feel good that you gave them a chance for eternal life. The only time you should feel bad is when you had the opportunity to talk to someone and kept silent. What if they would have embraced the gospel message, but nobody ever gave them that chance? That would be a tragedy to let someone die eternally without ever trying to save them.
Fortunately, it is not our responsibility to make sure others attain salvation. It is only our responsibility to make sure they hear the gospel message. Don’t put any pressure on yourself for results. It is only your job to make sure that people have a choice and they don’t have a choice unless someone tells them about the choice. Matthew 12:50 says that whoever does the will of Jesus’ Father is a brother, sister, or mother of Jesus. That is a family I hope you want to be a part of.
-Rick McClain
(originally posted April 30, 2017 for SeekGrowLove)
Reflection Questions
Do you consider yourself a part of Jesus’ family – why or why not? What do you think Jesus would say?
How do you do at telling others of the choice they have? What can you do this week to tell someone else – who, how, when?
Mema Ballard owned a set of Encyclopedia Britannicas … or is it Encyclopedias Britannica? That is exactly the kind of question one my be tempted to look up in an encyclopedia. Technically, it’s the latter, but she only owned one Encyclopedia, with multiple volumes. It felt like no matter what question we wanted answered, all we had to do was look in the Encyclopedia and boom! Question answered. Crisis of unknowing averted. “All’s right in the world.”
When I entered college, I thought of the Bible much the same way. One library of books, containing multiple works, and if I came with a question, I would have it answered as soon as I learned to know where to look.
It sure would be nice if the editors of the Bible just put it all into easy-to-read statements of fact and doctrine. Why use all this narrative, all these stories, all these symbols? Poetry; why, couldn’t that lead to interpretation, discussion, and, horror of horrors, more questions?
Obviously, it does.
And yet God did not inspire an encyclopedia. He inspired a library of books that pokes and prods and needles as much as, or much more than, it answers and comforts and assuages.
If we are asking, “what can we know about death and the Kingdom at the end of the age”, and we turn to Revelation 20 (conveniently at the end), suddenly a lot of questions crop up.
Which angel comes down and binds Satan?(20:1) Why does Satan need to be released? (20:3) Why is this the only chapter where the dead in Christ are raised in a resurrection apart from the rest of the dead (20:5), and why is this the only chapter where the 1000 year reign of Christ is spelled out in clear detail (20:4, 6)? How could people who saw immortals ruling over them, as is implied, think that they stood a chance, and join forces as “Gog and Magog,” against the “camp of the saints and the beloved city”? (20:8-9)
I think these questions do have answers; for some, they are complicated, and for others, I don’t know them.
Should I say that again?
I don’t know everything.
Questions unanswered, hurtling directly into the unknown, and I feel the anxiety all around.
Do you sometimes feel the same way? That you don’t know everything and the things you do know you aren’t sure about?
You don’t have to know everything, because we can’t.
But we can know one thing with absolute certainty,
We know the ONE who does know everything.
Which angel? An angel sent by the God who controls all things and cannot lose to Satan. Satan is ALREADY defeated, one day he will be bound.
Satan’s release and turning away of the nations? God gives everyone a choice to believe, and people can make the choice to not believe.
The 1000 year reign and two resurrections?
I don’t know everything, but I know that if we place our hope in Jesus, we receive eternal life. (John 17:3) We can and should argue, teach, and debate theological and doctrinal points, because they are important.
But those are secondary to trusting in the Messiah for salvation, and living the way Jesus showed us to live. Because those who do not give in to the sins of this world, and live for the will of God (20:4), they will be blessed. And they are blessed in this way : “Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.” (Rev. 20:6)
Do you believe? Because if you do believe, there is just one more thing I know.
Revelation 21:3-4 “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.”
I know I want that experience.
No death.
No grief or crying.
No pain.
Every tear of sorrow wiped away.
God with us.
I know I want that for you.
And, even with all your questions, you know you want that too.
Because that is good news.
That’s gospel message.
That’ll preach.
Amen.
-Jake Ballard
Reflection Questions
Describe the ONE that you know with absolute certainty. What do you learn about Him in His words? What do you still want to learn about Him?
Why do you think God inspired the Bible as it is, rather than to be like an encyclopedia?
How often do you think about what happens at/after death or what will happen at the end of this age? What is the benefit of studying what the Bible says about these topics?
Jake Ballard is pastor at Timberland Bible Church. If you’d like to hear more from him, you can find Timberland on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/TimberlandBibleChurch/ ) and on Instagram (https://instagram.com/timberlandbiblechurch?igshid=t52xoq9esc7e). The church streams the Worship Gathering every Sunday at 10:30. Besides studying and teaching God’s word, he is raising three beautiful children with the love of his life, is a big nerd who likes fantasy (right now, Harry Potter), sci-fi (Star Trek), and board games (FrostHaven). If you’d like to reach out to talk Bible, talk faith, or talk about your favorite nerdy things, look Jacob Ballard up on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/jacob.ballard.336 ) or email him at jakea.ballard@yahoo.com. God bless you all!
Bible Trivia : The Apocalypse is an apocalypse; the genre of Revelation is not “prophecy” in the strictest sense, but a genre called “apocalypse”.
There is a LOT of prophecy in Revelation. I think Revelation shows us a picture of the future of the cosmos and the end of this age. However, “apocalyptic literature” is a genre that details events, both of the current day and in the future, with a ton of metaphor and allegory. Apocalypse uses symbolism to teach people that God is acting in history. The authors of this genre also usually view this world pessimistically and declare that a new world is coming quickly.
In fact, along with Revelation (which we will talk about tomorrow), the book of Daniel is also considered “Apocalyptic”, especially the visions, chapter 7 forward. At the very end of this book, we see a glimpse into the end. I won’t try and explain in a daily devotional the significance of the archangel Michael, the two men speaking at the River, or the specific length of days at the end. (And to be clear, if I had a large book to write to explain it, there is a lot of disagreement and debate about the full meaning of some parts of this book; all my thoughts are just another disciple adding their musing to what the church has said for centuries.)
But there are a few things I would like to point out about chapter 12 that I can say with much more confidence.
First, in verse 2, the author uses a common expression, “many”, to mean “everyone.” In the end, all will be raised. This one resurrection pictured is to be raised to life and raised to judgement. Everyone’s life will be opened up on display before the Messiah. In Hebrews 9:27-28, we read “And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.” After death comes judgment for all, but those who eagerly wait for Christ will be saved. Some will come up to life, those who have done good will come out to the resurrection of life. (John 5:29) Some will come out to everlasting shame and contempt, those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment. (John 5:29, again) Those who do not receive life, who do not do the work of God by believing in the name of Jesus (John 6:29), will receive the opposite of life. Those of whom the Messiah is ashamed, whom God contempts, they will not receive the life of the Messiah, or be in the presence of the God who is the source of life.
Second, those whose name are written in the book will be delivered. (12:1) To experience this, you must be numbered among the wise. After the coming of the Messiah, it is not being wise on our own, and certainly not being wise in our own eyes, but being wise by trusting in Him who is the wisdom of God. (1 Corinthians 1:24) Not only should we trust in the Jesus the Messiah, but we should “turn many to righteousness”. (Daniel 12:3) We turn many to righteousness when we preach the message of the Kingdom, when we “make disciples by going into the world, baptizing them, and teaching them all Jesus has commanded.” (Compare Matthew 28:19-20, Mark 16:15-16, Acts 1:8)
Third, and finally, you can be like Daniel. Daniel was told point blank by the angel “you will rest” (die) “and then at the end of the days you will rise to receive your allotted inheritance.” (Daniel 12:13) My friend, if you place your trust in Jesus, if you believe that he died to bring you into relationship with God, that he reigns from heaven at the right hand of God over the church, and that he is coming to reward those who follow his will by the power of the spirit he gives, the words spoken to Daniel, “you will rise to receive your allotted inheritance”, are spoken to you. You WILL have eternal life, the promise of God, given by Christ (Romans 6:23), and confirmed by the Spirit. (Ephesians 1:14)
And that is anything but trivial.
-Jake Ballard
Reflection Questions
Does the order of events matter – in a story, criminal trial, math problem or God’s plan of salvation?
Is the information given to Daniel (including the order of events) widely accepted and believed today? Why or why not? What is different from many ideas held today? What is not mentioned in Daniel 12? Why do you think it is not mentioned?
Are you prepared for the return of Jesus the Messiah? Why or why not? Is there anything God wants you to do before you rest, rise and receive? If so what? And when, where, how will you do it?
I find euphemisms to be imprecise. Usually, they are used to make taboo topics a bit easier to discuss in public, because saying words with plain meanings are just too forward.
There’s the innocuous “over the hill.” (People just get old, and that’s OK. “Gray hair is a crown of glory” Prov. 16:31)
There are quite a number of euphemisms to describe the most intimate act of marriage, which are understandable, because sex is often uncomfortable to talk about.
My least favorite are the ways we try to cover over the fact of death. “Passed on” and “crossed over” both imagine death as a journey. When I’m gone, please say “Jake has kicked the bucket”, because that phrase is stupid and I love it.
But the Bible, strangely, does something similar. Death, the cessation of life, the moment when our bodies cease to self-renew, our brains cease to function, and we cease to exist … is called sleep.
And this is not uncommon. At the death of David, he was said to sleep and join his fathers. (1 Kings 2:10, compare Acts 13:36) Daniel speaks of those “who sleep in the dust of the earth.” (Daniel 12:2) This is extremely common in the New Testament, starting in the life of Christ, where he speaks of those whom he is about to raise as sleeping and waking up, when they clearly died, like the young woman (Matthew 9:24, Mark 5:39, Luke 8:52) or Lazarus (John 11:11). Some saints, at the death of Christ, were raised to life again, after mentioning that they were sleeping. (Matthew 27:52) The language of sleep is continued by the early church. Stephen, dying a violent death of martyrdom, “falls asleep.” (Acts 7:60) Peter uses this euphemism in 2 Peter 3:4; Paul, in 1 Corinthians 15:6, 51, and 1 Thessalonians 5:10.
But, the Bible as the word of God and Christ as the Word of God, teach us something even while using this euphemism. Instead of concealing death from what it is, the Bible and Christ use this as a metaphor that makes more clear what death entails, not less.
In 1 Thessalonians 4, Paul is instructing his dear friends who were grieving the death of loved ones. He wants them to understand their situation, so when he uses the phrase “those who have fallen asleep,” it is used to bring MORE clarity to the subject of death. But, how does it bring this clarity? What does sleep teach us about death? In sleep, when we are at our most tired, we do not dream; we just go down and wake back up, with no memory of the time between. It seems that this is what the lessons we have been going through this week teach us. In Ecclesiastes 9, there is no memory, no work, no knowledge. Death is the cessation of a person but one that is sleep-like. The brain stops firing. Humans are not a kind of spirit-being inside their body but intimately connected to it. So when we die, we cease to be. That is why Lazarus could not tell us about his “afterlife” experience. There was none. And why is it such good news that Jesus was attested by God and raised to life (Acts 2) and how Paul can prove this by the word of over 500 people, and by his own experience, and the continued experience of the church (1 Corinthians 15). Death is not a passage on to a better place, but a time of cessation. When Christ is raised to life, he comes back. That’s good news.
Death is like a sleep we don’t remember.
Sleep is resting and waiting.
For some, it is waiting for reward; for others, punishment.
Daniel 12:2 says in it’s fullness “And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.” Yes, death is a sleep, but like sleep, human death is a sleep from which all will be awakened. But not to a human life again and again, as in Eastern reincarnation, nor a spiritual life in some other place, as with many Western Mythologies. Daniel promises that all people will be raised and judged. We know now that those who are in Christ are those who will receive the gift of eternal life (Acts 2). We are told that whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord (Romans 14:8), and the reason can be found back in 1 Thessalonians 5. Paul twists together the metaphor of being awake with both being alive and being holy, and the metaphor of sleep with both being dead and being unholy. But whether we live or die, whether we are awake or asleep, let us remain spiritually awake and holy (5:9-10), and when the trumpet call blasts out across the cosmos (4:16), we will be raised or we will be changed. That’s good news.
When I have lost family members or friends, people tried to encourage me with the idea of them partying among the angels, or, less vividly, at perfect peace. Very often, people were saying (without meaning to say it), “If you grieve, you wish your loved ones weren’t happy.” However, 1 Thessalonians 4 says that we will not grieve AS THOSE WHO HAVE NO HOPE. Because we know the reality and pain of death, that those who have died are gone from us in sleep, that death was never meant for any of us but a curse from a fall, that it is an enemy that will be defeated, we can live like Jesus.
At the grave of our friends and loved ones, we can cry.
Jesus gets that.
And then, we can take encouragement in the truth that they will one day hear the call of the trumpet, the voice of the archangel, and their Lord, their Savior and their Friend will pull them out of the grave.
Death could not hold him.
Death can not hold our loved ones in Christ.
And, in Christ, death cannot hold you.
So let’s trade our euphemisms for the euangelion;
Trade our “nice words” for the Good News.
-Jake Ballard
Reflection Questions
Can you think of some euphemisms for death that are not supported by Scripture? Where do those ideas come from?
Why does Paul want to correct ignorance regarding death, resurrection and the return of Jesus? Why does it matter what one believes about these topics?
Some may be tempted to think the burden of living a Christian life just isn’t worth it. Life is boring, you can’t have any fun, and all the rules make life almost not worth living. If someone ever thought that, Romans 5 is for them. This is an exciting chapter in an exciting book.
Romans 5 talks about justification – which refers to how a person can be declared righteous before God through faith in Jesus Christ. The first half of Romans 5 talks about the benefits of being justified, and the second half tells how justification is possible.
You might think the benefits are just for the future, limited to eternal life in God’s future kingdom. Think again. There are real benefits to living a life completely sold out to God right here and right now.
Romans 5:1 starts out in the past tense, “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Chapter 4 pointed out that being justified before God has always been through faith, not through works.) If we’re living the life God called us to live, and we are living by faith, we have been reconciled to God through Jesus. If we meet the criteria, whatever else we have done in our past is forgiven, and we have been declared righteous.
We’re told the alternative in Isaiah 48:22, “There is no peace, says the Lord, for the wicked.” Peace with God versus no peace. Let me think, which should I choose? I want peace! When you live a life of sin, you’ve declared war against God. If you’re currently at war with God, how’s that working out for you? Consider peace.
Romans 5:2a continues by talking about the present, “through whom [speaking of Jesus] we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand.” In the Old Testament, Jews didn’t have direct access to God. Only priests could even enter the tabernacle, and only the high priest could go into the Holy of Holies only once a year. And Gentiles couldn’t even come into the inner courtyard. Through Jesus, we have gained access to God’s grace, and ultimately to God. And this is for today, not just in some distant future. We can boldly approach His throne of grace, and pray directly to God in Jesus’ name.
Romans 5:2b tells of the future “And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.” When Jesus returns, the faithful will live eternally with God. That’s not just a “hope” in the ordinary meaning of the word, that is our assurance. And in the assurance for our future, we can rejoice today – no matter what problems today may bring. Again, I want that tangible benefit today. Especially when times are tough.
The next passage points out that we won’t be immune from suffering, just because we have a great relationship with God. But instead of destroying us, that suffering will be for our benefit, building Christian character, and making us more firm in our future hope.
Romans 5:5 finishes this paragraph by saying, “And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.” As we wait for our future hope, we also have the love of God in our hearts today (that goes right along with the peace above).
The next section tells us that God loved us so much, that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. We didn’t deserve it. In fact, since we were at war with God, we deserved only death. That shows how much God loved us, even when we were in open rebellion against Him. So since we have been justified, we have been reconciled with God, and He will save us from His coming wrath through Jesus’ blood.
I’d say all of this is a powerfully compelling reason to live a Christian life today, completely sold out to God. Even if there wasn’t a future reward (which there is!).
The rest of Romans 5 tells us how we are justified, but first, it reminds us how sin entered the world. Adam sinned, and all of his descendants inherited his punishment – death. You might think that isn’t fair. Honestly, God was gracious in establishing this pattern, and I’ll explain why. If each of us had the opportunity of never dying in this current age if we just didn’t sin, we’d still all sin, and all die. So the result would be the same as inheriting our punishment from our first ancestor. But since God established the pattern of one person earning something, and many others inheriting that… God was able to use the same pattern to have Jesus live the only perfect life, and to have his spiritual descendants inherit His reward.
This shows God’s incredible grace. One sin caused innumerable deaths, even for those before Moses (when the law was given) who didn’t break a specific law of God. But Jesus’ one act of obedience – paying the penalty for sin with his perfect life – was after a seemingly infinite number of sins. Romans 5:19b says, “…so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.
The bottom line is this: Only Jesus deserves eternal life, because only Jesus lived the perfect life God requires. Jesus wrote us into his will with his blood, leaving his reward (eternal life) to those who would believe in him and live the life God called them to live. Jesus died to put the will in effect. He now lives, and is distributing some of the benefits of that will to believers today including:
Peace with God
Access to God’s grace and to God himself
Hope today for a future in God’s kingdom
Building Christian character through suffering
God’s love in our hearts
The final distribution of Jesus’ will will be at the Great White Throne Judgement when Jesus will judge the living and the dead. Those whose names ARE NOT found in the book of life will be thrown into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death. Those whose names ARE found in the book of life will have God “wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain.” (Revelation 21:4) And will get to live with God and Jesus in paradise forever.
So, is it worth it to live a Christian life? As for me, absolutely! Sign me up!
What do you think?
-Steve Mattison
Reflection Questions
Is it worth it to you to live a Christian life? Why? What benefits do you receive? What is the alternative and the consequences?
What do you know about God from your reading today? Thank Him.
One more song this week – 1 John 5:4-5 “for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.”
Those two verses are the song, but verse 4 picks up in the middle of a sentence & thought, so backing up a couple verses:
This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. 3 In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, 4 for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.
When we have faith, we can overcome this world. Our faith that Jesus is the son of God gives us victory and makes God’s commands not burdensome thereby helping us to keep His commands. And by keeping His commands, we can love one another – the children of God.
Verse five is also a reminder that the victory is exclusionary. Who overcomes the world? Only those that believe that Jesus is the Son of God. We have to strike a balance in our love for others. Because if we love based on the world’s terms, we accept anything. But to do that would not be love. Because onlythose who believe that Jesus is God’s son overcome this world. So if we in our “love” just leave our friends alone because we don’t want to make them feel uncomfortable, or we don’t want to feel uncomfortable, we put them in a position of not having that victory. That isn’t real love.
We give a lot of reasons not to share the love of God with other people and I think fear forms the basis of a lot of it – fear of rejection, fear of being ostracized, fear of losing money/power, etc…
But when we read verses like this, we should be reminded that we have to push through that fear. To show our love in actions (chapter 3), we need to share with others that while we have been separated from God, God provided an atoning sacrifice for our sins (chapter 4), and with this sacrifice, if we believe, we can overcome and have the victory (chapter 5).
And what is that victory? As he wraps up his letter, John tells his audience – 13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.
We need to believe in Jesus as the Son of God to be a part of that eternal life, and if we are loving others, we should be telling them so they can have that victory too.
~Stephanie Fletcher
Reflection Questions
1.”Who is it that overcomes the world?” (1 John 5:5a – see 5b for the correct answer). Who thinks they are overcoming the world? What are they missing? Do you fall into the overcoming category?
2. Who do you know who does not believe that Jesus is the Son of God? How can you truly love them?
3. What is the victory that you have to share? How would you explain it? How will you share it?
Seek Grow Love 