Tag: Satan

Judgment: The Positive and The Negative

Old Testament: Ezekiel 33 & 34

Poetry: Psalm 105

New Testament: Revelation 20

     Revelation 20 involves God’s judgment, and it may make sense to put 19:20-21 in your mental image of the passage so the beast, the false prophet and their armies are in there. Verse ten reiterates the judgment of the beast and the false prophet, pairing them with the devil they had served. I see the passage with alternating sections of negative and positive references to judgment (19:20–20:3, 7-10, 15) and (20:4-6; 11-14). Grouped this way the text has every use of “lake of fire” (a different phrase appears in 21:8).

     After 19:20-21 establishes the punishment of those who served the dragon, chapter 20 opens with very satisfying language about the serpent not being able to deceive the nations. He is chained and sealed away for a thousand years.

     The description of the saints’ resurrection which follows in verses four to six may seem notably out of sequence. The first resurrection takes place at the last trumpet, in the twinkling of an eye (meaning in the time it takes to blink; 1 Corinthians 15:52). At Christ’s return the dead in Christ rise first, at the sound of the trumpet, and his servants who remain alive rise to meet him just afterward (1 Thessalonians 4:14‑17). That happens before Jesus fights the armies of the antichrist. It seems that the first resurrection was skipped over in Revelation 19. It also seems questionable for there to be an evaluation of the martyrs like is described in the vision. God knows all about them – they are raised because of who they are. It seems that the evaluation was described just for the sake of the vision, and what this passage presents as “judgment” clearly would need to be a fully positive judgment.

     Recognizing all of that, I think God wanted this text here, after a description of what happened to the devil. It contrasts what happened with those who accepted the mark of the beast (dead) and the leaders of the conspiracy (burning) and the one who inspired that conspiracy (imprisoned for a thousand years) to those who stood firm against it (they come to life and reign with Christ for a thousand years). Considering what these martyrs suffered, God wants to emphasize their acceptance and glorification, although that called for it being addressed out of sequence.

     In verses seven to nine Satan is again free, for a short time. Perhaps this represents a winnowing of the nations before God makes the next big change in the status of earth. Satan again deceives the nations who are willing to be deceived and assembles them for judgment (even if he doesn’t understand that is what he is doing). And this time judgment comes on him as well. God is closing out the books, after this there won’t be anyone else around able to be tempted. God could have left this entire story unmentioned, but He wanted us to know this part of the future, to be aware that our enemy will be permanently dealt with. (Not that Genesis 3:15 didn’t already indicate it.)

     I like the imagery in verse 11, as though perhaps God’s majesty surges up, and all that is nearby is not holy enough to remain. “Earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them” (v. 11). We continue to be reminded that this is a vision, as the lake of fire is still present for the later part of the vision and did not flee away. Maybe this is looking toward the next part of the story, that God is in the process of replacing heaven and earth (2 Peter 3:12). The description of death and Hades being thrown into the lake of fire is very positive (v. 14), but also serves as another reminder that we are reading about a vision (as it is hard to figure how John knew this happened except by being made aware of it).

     Elements of both the positive judgment scenes (v. 4-6, 11-14) can be found in Daniel 7:9ff, with the thrones, the books, and the fire, but they are mixed. It is a common statement that prophets of the Old Testament saw future events like we might see a distant mountain range, unable to tell very well how large a valley was between the peaks. Events from Christ’s first coming and second coming could be discussed right next to each other in a passage. With Daniel 7, making distinctions relevant to the existence of multiple resurrections wasn’t purposeful. And with Revelation John could not see and appreciate all the things happening in fully accurate order.

     I questioned whether to think of the judgment in Revelation 20:11-15 as neutral, or to break it between a positive first four verses and a ‘negative’ verse 15, because it raises the idea of someone’s name not being found in the book of life. It is interesting to think that verse 15 involves a resurrection too late in history to be relevant for the reader and so may not be intended as a warning for us. But I suppose it will be a warning to people during the millennium.

     Lord, your judgments are true. Thank you for offering your mercy. Please open my heart to accept your gracious offer, for myself, and for others. Don’t allow me to remain burdened with the past. Don’t let me be held back by refusing to forgive. Lord, let me listen so well to you now that I will not be deceived by the evil one or accept any of his lies. Let me seek your truth, and love it. In the name of your beloved son, Amen.

-Daniel Smead

Reflection Questions

  1. What do you think it will be like for people in the millennium to read the Bible?
  2. How does it make you feel to think that God is eager to praise those who have faithfully served Christ?
  3. The text refers to “priests of God and of Christ” who will “reign with Him for a thousand years” (v. 6) – have you given much thought to what that might involve?
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The Thing I Know

Death and Kingdom: Revelation 20
Old Testament: 2 Kings 1 & 2
Poetry: Psalm 127

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

  1. 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?
  2. Why do you think God inspired the Bible as it is, rather than to be like an encyclopedia?
  3. 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!

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God wins.

Revelation 20

Monday, December 5, 2022

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. 

Reflection Questions

  1. 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?
  2. 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?
  3. 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?
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Yellow Skittles and Suffering

Job 2

Saturday, July 2, 2022

Do you like skittles? It seems like everyone has a favorite color and a color they dislike. For me, I dislike the yellow ones. If someone were to give me a pack of skittles, I would simply pick out the yellow ones and eat the colors that I do like. Life, however, is not like this. We cannot pick and choose what we like and don’t like. Our lives are not as simple as pulling weeds out of a garden.

In this chapter of the book of Job we find him in the aftermath of losing everything. To make matters worse, Job is now being afflicted with painful boils. Destroying everything in Job’s possession did not persuade him to curse the name of God, so Satan has now turned to physical attacks.

            Even Job’s wife believes that Job should give up. His wife has also lost everything. The children whom she carried in her womb are dead. The life she knew- gone. She was in great turmoil as well. Her grief causes her to go out to her husband, who is sitting among the ashes, and plainly tell him to curse God for the calamity that has befallen them. And then she says that Job should die. For all that Job has endured certainly there is no reason to continue. No reason to attempt treating himself for boils, which is what he is attempting during this conversation.

            Job’s response is a great reminder. He says in verse 10, “Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity?”

            Such an attitude can be extremely difficult to cultivate in times of such pain. Even Job’s friends, when they first see him in this chapter, weep at the sight of him. Even amongst his pain Job refuses to curse God. Job was unable to cherry pick what was happening in his life. It was out of his power to dispose of his yellow skittles in life.

            It is impossible for us too. We are not promised a perfect life in this fallen world. As a result of the fall of man and sin entering the world, we live in a corrupt world where bad things happen. We are given many good skittles, but that does not mean we will never have taste of a yellow one. But we have hope that one day if we put our trust in God that we will taste eternal life. Every tear and pain from this fallen world will be wiped away and what was imperfect will be made perfect.

            So, until that day comes, let us trust God and know that the taste in our mouth that the yellow skittle leaves is not forever. Remember Job’s words, “Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity?”

-Hannah Deane

Questions for Reflection and Discussion

  1. What have been the yellow Skittles in your life? How did you respond to them? More like Job did? Or his wife? The next time you encounter a great trial or suffering how would you like to envision you will respond? What could you do now to prepare for this response?
  2. What good have you accepted from God? Thank Him for them!
  3. How does keeping an eternal perspective give you strength and hope through the difficulties?
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A Most Challenging Day

Job 1

Friday, July 1, 2022

            Take a moment to think about your life? Is there a particularly bad day you can remember having? A day where everything that could possibly go wrong does? Maybe that day is today or maybe it was 10 years ago. Regardless of when, though, those kinds of days are challenging.

I have had quite a few days like this. From having a high fever during final exams and then having my laptop shut down in the middle of the final exam or learning that my older sister had passed, life can be very challenging. There are ups and there are downs. And usually it is on the way down when we begin to ask where we are going. Most often we don’t know, or at least not in the moment.

            The book of Job is quite interesting. Some Bible scholars have even argued about it being included in the biblical canon. However, the book of Job has nonetheless become a favorite book for many who are in the midst of hardship. It is a book that a struggling Christian in the fallen world can relate to. It also offers insight into the struggles we face in life.

            In this very first chapter we find Job living a prosperous life. He is beyond wealthy and has everything anyone at that time, and probably today, could ever want. Yet in one singular day it all comes crashing down. No matter how bad of a day I have had in my life, I don’t think any could quite top Job’s. One servant after another comes to tell him that they are the lone survivor of terrible tragedies. From his sheep being burned in the fields to a building falling in on and killing his children, the heartbreak and nausea he must have suffered in that moment is unthinkable.

The introspective we have into the calamities that have befallen Job is not a luxury that Job had. He, like us in our own hardships, did not know why this was happening. He didn’t know that Satan himself was attacking him and baiting him to curse the name of his God. He was not able to witness the conversation between God and Satan and say, “Oh, ok that’s why this is happening.” He was genuinely shocked and grieved by this unexpected course of events that rattled his life.

            In the midst of all this suffering, though, Job did not lose his faith. In fact, we are told that he worshipped God despite this. However, this does not mean he was not grieved and filled with a deep sorrow. For we are also told that he tore his robes, shaved his head, and fell to the ground. He was broken, but he worshipped God in his brokenness. Sometimes it is that moment of being broken that the light of the love of God warms our cold and tired hearts through the newly formed cracks. So, like Job, lets worship God in our brokenness. 

-Hannah Deane

Questions for Reflection and Discussion

  1. Describe Job. What impresses you the most about him?
  2. Why do you think God allowed Satan to test Job?
  3. What can it look like to worship God in our brokenness? Have you been there before – or are there now?
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False Advertising

2 Corinthians 11

Tuesday, June 28, 2022

Have you seen anything advertised lately that you really wanted to try? Keep this in mind. We will revisit it at the end…

     Paul in this section of the letter to the Corinthians is defending his apostleship- not by means of hearsay, but through the proof of his testimony to Christ. Through the actions of his ministry, he has demonstrated his devotion to his faith. In the latter part of the section, Paul lists out the persecutions he has suffered. He does this not for the sake of attention or for puffing up his chest. He does it to demonstrate what the life of a true follower of Christ can look like. He does so to prove through his actions, and not the empty clanging of his voice, that he is an apostle of Christ.

     Paul does make a point to call attention to the “false advertising”, if you will, of others. He even makes the statement in verse 14, “…for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.”

Both before and after this powerful statement of warning, Paul also mentions the servants of Satan and the deceitful workers disguising themselves as apostles of Christ and servants of righteousness. Their beautifully spun words are to create an illusion that they are something that they are not. They are to deceive and steal away those who would come to Christ.  

Going back to that product you saw advertised, what about the product appealed to you? Was it the products testability that spoke for its reliability? Or was it the colorful design and exaggerated wording? We are in a world that is saturated in advertising and overrun with so many products trying to steal our attention from the others.

It is the same with who we put our trust in. Sometimes the advertisements of Satan are much more appealing. It can be difficult to choose the beautifully created bowl of fruit over the decadent devil’s food cake. But in the end, one nourishes and sustains us and the other satisfies us for only a moment.

-Hannah Deane

Application Questions

  1. In what ways do you see Satan working to convince the world and Christians that what God said is good is actually bad, and what God said is bad is actually good? How does evil try to look good – masquerading as an angel of light?
  2. What lies of Satan have you believed?
  3. How can we protect ourself from being deceived by Satan as Eve was?
  4. What role does knowing and loving the truth play in fighting temptation? What truths do you find in Scripture that can help you be strong and wise against temptation?
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The Final Enemy

1 Corinthians 15

June 16

When I was a kid, I amassed a pretty good collection of action figures.  I had a lot of He-Man and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle toys.  I even had a few from the lesser known franchise Silverhawks.  Transformer toys (the cars and trucks that convert to robots and visa versa) were popular then, too.  I didn’t have many officially licensed Transformers, but several of the toys I did have, could be rapidly changed from one configuration to another in some way.   With just a squeeze of the figures legs, a flip of a switch or a dip in hot or icy cold water and the figure’s costume or facial expression might change.

It seemed easier to tell the difference between heros and villains in the 80’s than it is now.  For example, The evil Skeletor was He-Man’s  enemy.  You could tell just by looking at Skeletor, “he was a bad dude”.  He had a face like a skeleton and always dressed in all dark clothing.   In the cartoons on Saturday mornings, he would cackle with delight at the misfortune of others while I ate Cap’n Crunch.

I still have most of my toys from when I was a kid, but especially those action figures.  I didn’t destroy stuff like some kids do; like MY KIDS do.  (Remember a few days ago, “puddles” and “Whacko”.) At this point I figure I’d better save those old toys  just in case I don’t ever find that savings bond, or my pension fails to keep up with inflation.  Sometimes old toys have a lot of value.  Sometimes the value isn’t monetary.

My toys helped me explore the differences between good and evil and imagine epic battles.  They helped me envision how just when the world seems to be at its darkest possible moment and we feel powerless to the evil closing in around us, our Messiah will return and save the day.

1 Corinthians 15 is one of my three favorite Chapters of the whole Bible.  It paints a vivid picture of a war story more intense and dramatic than any Hollywood blockbuster.  The chapter is chocked full of memorable quotes such as:

“The last enemy to be destroyed is death.”

1 Corinthians 15:26 NIV

“Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed—in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.

1 Corinthians 15:52 NIV

“Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?””

1 Corinthians 15:55 NIV

So often, people seem to forget that the Bible calls death the enemy, not the reward.  It is in fact the LAST ENEMY to be destroyed.  It is like the “boss” at the end of a video game.

My favorite restaurant in my hometown, DeKalb, Illinois is Pizza Villa. 

In the basement of Pizza Villa there is a small arcade.  Some of their video games have changed over the years but for as long as I can remember two have been the same. 

They have always had a plastic egg dispenser that has a Fred Flinstone inside that spins around slowly when you put a quarter in it.  Fred says “Yab ah Dab Ah doo. Yab ah Dab Ah doo” twice and a little plastic “Dino egg” falls out with some cheap prize inside.  Maybe it’s a plastic spider ring or an old tootsie roll.  The prizes aren’t worth a quarter but the nostalgia of the experience is priceless.  Then there is  a four player Teenage Mutant Ninja “Turtles in Time”  game.  It’s pretty much a “must play” every time I’m there.  As you may already know, the Ninja Turtle’s final enemy is “Shredder”.  Before you get to face Shredder in the video game though, you have to beat several other opponents that gradually increase in formidability.  Among them, is a huge fly character that I’ve never known the name of, a giant humanoid hippo named Bebop and a rhinoceros named Rocksteady.

I can’t tell you how many quarters my Dad, my buddies and I have plunked into that machine over the years trying to beat Rocksteady.  We could definitely get that horn nosed beast blinking and jumping around faster (a sign that he was taking on damage).  We feverishly thrashed the joy stick and hit “A B B A A B” over and over, desperately trying to deliver just the right combination of bow staff blows and ninja kicks.  I would bargain for more quarters as a kid.  Now,  when my kids get to that spot in the game, they will beg me for “just one more quarter?!” as they watch the final seconds tick away.       There never seems to be enough “pizza power” or pocket change to finish him off.  I’ve never seen anyone beat the game.

Some people seem to think that Satan is God’s final enemy and death is just one of his attack moves. They act like we can put on some kind of invincibility shield by saying the promise of eternal life means we don’t really even die, that we just go somewhere else, maybe even “a better place” immediately.   (Remember the Bingo card I wish I had?).

Satan’s first lie was that Adam and Eve would not really die.  He tried to put a positive spin on sin.  He made it appear as though sin was a pathway to a higher consciousness of some kind; an avenue to special powers or secret knowledge; a way to become almost an equal with God. 

What Satan was actually doing was setting up an ambush by the enemy of death.  In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve had access to the tree of life.  As long as they ate from it, they would continue to live.  They were protected from death.  Satan knew he needed to get them out on their own and away from the tree of life for them to be vulnerable to death.  The plan worked. 

Separation from God and the life sustaining properties of the tree of life was the wage of their disobedience (sin).  That separation resulted in death.  Their flesh decayed and they returned to the dust from which they were made.  Absolutely predictable, scientifically repeatable decay takes place when a human body dies.  The changes a dead body goes through are EXACTLY what God said they would be.  Every time.

Without obedience to God we cannot be in his presence.  Without being in his presence we do not have access to the tree of life.  Without access to the tree of life our bodies will grow tired and weak and we are vulnerable to be overcome by the enemy of death.  We spend our lives fighting off gradually more formidable foot soldiers of death that attack when we are isolated by our disobedience.  You know the ones: loneliness, poverty, obesity…when we get to the end we have no energy left to fight off the final enemy- death.   I can’t tell you how much money people have spent trying to keep fighting off death.  Sometimes we make bargains with our father at the last minute for just a little longer. Nobody beats the game. Death wins every time.

It stings to realize that. 

I vividly remember my first bee sting.  I was about 6 years old.  I was helping my dad clean out a little ski boat we had on a trailer in our driveway. I moved a pile of life jackets and disturbed a bee.  It was like life switched to slow motion for a minute.  I saw the little thing wiggle it’s bottom against my arm as it deposited its dagger.  I felt the pain pulsing up my arm.  I cried and gnashed my teeth.  I flailed my arm, but the damage was already done.  It stung me.  My dad removed the stinger and I held an ice cube against the spot to numb it.  Eventually the sting was gone, but the memory wasn’t.  Every time I hear the word “sting” I think of that incident.  As a Funeral Director and a Deputy Coroner,  when I meet with a grieving family, I often see the sting of death in their eyes.  I can almost feel it.  Death stings.  The enemy of death has not been destroyed. 

1 Corinthians 15 tells us there is a day coming when things will be changed faster than a transforming action figure.  We will be made imperishable and the sting from the enemy of death will be no more.  Death itself, the final enemy, will be defeated.

Let us cherish these truths more than our most beloved childhood toys.  Like a box of favorite action figures, let us pass these promises on to our children and their children.  When their savings bonds and pension plans fall short may their hope in Christ sustain them.

-Brian Froehlich

Application questions:

  1. What was your favorite Saturday morning Cartoon? Did you ever have any of the corresponding toys? Do you still have them?
  2. Besides a bee sting, or the sting of death what are some other things that “sting”?
  3. What comes to your mind when you hear the word “enemy”?
  4. How do you define the word “destroy”?
  5. What will it mean for the enemy of death to be destroyed?
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There’s a War Out There

Matthew 4

January 4

Deserts are dangerous places! Wild animals, extreme temperatures, lack of water, and don’t forget the devil, the tempter or Satan – he goes by many names – even in our short desert passage in Matthew 4 (vs. 1, 3, 10).

But, dangerous deserts aren’t his only hang-out. He was also spotted in an other-wise perfect garden giving a tantalizing advertisement for forbidden fruit. And, oh the trouble he caused there! The spiraling, echoing repercussions of which we can still feel and see and hear today. The darkness. The evil. The distance from God and His will and His way.

Don’t assume that if you don’t see a crafty red fellow with horns and a spiked tail or a wily talking snake that you are free from temptation and the spiritual battle between good and evil. Paul says it well in Ephesians 6:10-18. I encourage you to read the whole passage, but here I will include verses 11-14a

“Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then…”

Jesus shows us how to Stand Firm against the devil’s schemes. Adam and Eve show us how to crumble, reject God and His truth, listening instead to Satan’s lies and pursuing selfish gain and ultimately paying the consequences – which lasts for generations to come. Let’s not follow in Adam and Eve’s footprints as they take the serpent’s bait and then try to hide from God in their guilt.

Let’s look again at Jesus’ victorious example in Matthew 4:1-11.

It is interesting that Jesus had just completed a 40 day fast in the desert when Satan appears ready to tempt him with food. Certainly a fast of this length would make you hungry, so at first it seems maybe Jesus will be weakened by his current circumstances. However, keep in mind that a fast is NOT just not eating, an extreme diet plan. It is rather giving up typical food, schedules, conveniences, practices, self to instead focus on seeking God and drawing near to Him. 40 days of seeking God, sacrificing self “needs” to focus on His desires. Jesus’ stomach was empty but his spiritual tank was full up and ready for battle. He was armed with all the ingredients necessary for a successful stand against Satan. Truth. Righteousness. The gospel of peace. Faith to extinguish ALL the flaming arrows of the evil one. Salvation. AND interestingly the only offensive piece of equipment in the armor of God – the Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God. He was prepared to not just protect himself but he was also prepared to do battle with the forces that wanted to tear him from God and His will. He was armed with Scripture. He knew it well and he knew how to use it to rebuke Satan’s attacks.

That, is what I want. I want to stand firm in victory over Satan because armed with God’s armor and using God’s word has power over evil. I want to know and love and be practiced in God’s word so I can use God’s light from His words to scatter the darkness. And, that is what I want for you, too. Let’s suit up with the armor of God and His Word!

Questions for reflection and discussion

  1. On a scale of 1-10 how aware are you of the spiritual battle being waged right now? In Scott Deane’s class on Daniel and Revelation for Atlanta Bible College, he often said, “What happens in the spiritual world affects what happens in the physical world.” Do you see evidence of this in Scripture? Do you see evidence of this in our world today?
  2. When do you feel weak against evil and Satan’s attempts to pull you from God and His will? When do you feel spiritually strong? How can you make changes to increase the amount of time you feel more spiritually prepared to face the devil’s schemes?
  3. What was Jesus’ message when he began preaching (Matt 4:17)? Where did we hear this before? (Matt 3:2) Do you think we will hear it again in Matthew? Is it a message we still need to hear today?
  4. Who did Jesus call to follow him and fish for men in Matthew 4? What did they give up to follow Jesus? What are you willing to give up in order to have more time and resources to follow Jesus and fish for men? How are your fishing for men skills? How can you develop them more? Who do you know who is currently in darkness and in need of being caught for Jesus? What can you do this week to share Jesus with them?
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A Center for Ants?!

Job 41-42 and Psalm 89

I struggle with the book of Job. I come to the end of it anticipating answers. I’ve read it before, and I didn’t find answers then, so why would I expect answers this time? Maybe I will read it enough times that the key to all of it will suddenly spark into my understanding. But I could be asking the wrong questions. What if the author of Job wasn’t trying to answer the questions I care about? Is it still fair for me to excavate it for the answers I want?

If I was going to judge the book of Job like I would a television series, I would say it got canceled and they had to scramble to figure out a way to end it in the last episode. But there were too many details and connections to squeeze into one episode. There are only so many options in that situation, and none of them are good. So the producers of The Job Show, driven by the fans’ need for closure, opted for the fairy tale ending where some magical element swooped in out of left field and restored Job to his former glory. Then nothing really had to be explained. It was tied up with a bow without the need to craft all the right connections.

Somehow having two Ferraris to replace the first and getting a replacement family doesn’t feel like closure or justice to me. Really, I’m happy that Job had a great life after all of that, but that doesn’t wipe away the lingering questions.

Probably the biggest question everyone has about the book of Job is how a good and loving God can allow such terrible suffering. In Job, it is even more problematic, because God is making some kind of wager with the accuser and giving him permission to take everything from him. It doesn’t really take God off the hook to say that technically he didn’t do anything to Job. It sure sounds like Job was a chip being pushed out into the middle of the table during a divine poker game.

Another uncomfortable question is about the satan/accuser. The assumption might be that he is the bad guy, and that if justice is done, he should be dealt with. But he isn’t dealt with. He’s not important enough to even mention as the story comes to a close. It isn’t clear at all from the text that he is supposed to be understood as being evil. It sounds like he is just fulfilling a role of someone on God’s staff responsible for playing devil’s advocate, to enact checks and balances against God’s policies.

Short of having good answers for these questions, the next best thing I can do is suggest that they were probably not on the radar of Job’s author. The book of Job is not really about why we suffer or where suffering comes from, although Job’s suffering is like the emotional setting of the story. It isn’t about who or what the satan is, nor about his relationship to God. Not that these are not important questions! It’s just that the author of Job didn’t set out to address them. I think the real questions on the table are more about God’s wisdom and justice, and that the events at the beginning of Job serve to propel us into a hypothetical situation where we can sandbox the questions with Job and his friends.

In all the haste to bring the series to a close, there was time for a good bit about Leviathan. He’s a chaos water-dragon type of creature that we are apparently completely powerless against. You could take him to be a representation of our deepest fears and unknowns. How do we face such absolute terror? And if God is his creator, how much more terrifying must God be? Just imagine that we are like ants to Leviathan, but Leviathan is just a tadpole to God. Just a tadpole in a drop of water on a rock orbiting a star, somewhere within a galaxy of billions of stars, somewhere among billions of other galaxies. Do you feel insignificant?

After reading Job, we are left feeling small and with more questions than we had before reading it. Our status is upset from expert to beginner. This is a good place to be. This is humility that can lead to wisdom. God didn’t inspire the author of Job to answer all of our questions or connect all the dots for us. God is prompting us to ask bigger and better questions.

God trusted that Job would endure the most severe unrest and still serve him. Job was somehow able to trust that God was a God of justice even though he didn’t have the evidence we’d all require to do the same. Can I really trust that ultimately God will set everything right? Am I willing to accept that I most likely will not see all of this happen in this lifetime? Can I accept that God has the wisdom to enact true justice in his time, to his standards? 

Little did Job know that having his riches restored was only a small taste of God’s restorative justice. Our ideas of what justice, goodness, and love look like are so tiny compared to the true versions of these that come from God.

“Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; steadfast love and faithfulness go before you.” (Psalm 89:14)

-Jay Laurent

Today’s Bible reading passages can be read or listened to at BibleGateway at Job 41-42 and Psalm 89

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A Captive in Sin

2 Chronicles 5-6

As much as I could go on and on repeating exactly what Paul says in Romans 2, I have much more to add and apply from the Chronicles passage, so focus your reading on those chapters. Mostly, I’ll be looking at chapter 6. Solomon has just built the amazing perfect temple that David definitely did not build (even if he prepared all the materials, drew the blueprints, and basically left only the annoying part of building a building to Solomon). And in chapter 6, Solomon is dedicating this temple to God. Take a look at verse 14, the opening of Solomon’s prayer where he addresses God. Notice, there’s almost a lesson in that God’s faithfulness is kept with those who “walk before [Him] with all their heart.” Of course, Deuteronomy 6:5 says more and Jesus even more of how much of you should be dedicated to God on a daily basis (hint: it’s literally all of who and what you are, Mark 12:28-31). But I mostly want to look at verses 36-39.

“36 “When they sin against you—for there is no one who does not sin—and you become angry with them and give them over to the enemy, who takes them captive to a land far away or near; 37 and if they have a change of heart in the land where they are held captive, and repent and plead with you in the land of their captivity and say, ‘We have sinned, we have done wrong and acted wickedly’; 38 and if they turn back to you with all their heart and soul in the land of their captivity where they were taken, and pray toward the land you gave their ancestors, toward the city you have chosen and toward the temple I have built for your Name; 39 then from heaven, your dwelling place, hear their prayer and their pleas, and uphold their cause. And forgive your people, who have sinned against you.” – 2 Chronicles 6:36-39 – NIV

Reread those verses and think for a second… You may be saying “How does this apply? Isn’t this just an ironic prophecy about Israel’s inevitable collapse and occupation by Babylon?” And, yes, it probably is. But the beauty of the Bible is taking historical accounts and creating life lessons from them, so hear me out. When you’re buried in sin, and truly lost, it almost feels like you’re a captive in enemy land. And, in some spiritual sense, you are. Sin is the land of the world and of Satan, not of God. And you feel far and cut off from everyone, but look at 37. Then 38. Because if you pray to God, he will hear you, and if you truly wish to repent – to turn in your ways – and return to God in all of your heart (and soul, and mind, and strength) then God will forgive you.

“…Now, my God, please, let Your eyes be open and Your ears attentive to the prayer offered in this place…” – 2 Chronicles 6:40

-Liam Johnson

Today’s Bible reading passages can be read or listened to at BibleGateway here – 2 Chronicles 5-6 and Romans 2

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