Are All of Our Works, “Filthy Rags?”

—An Evangelical misunderstanding of works—

Question: Why do evangelicals view works of faith as unimportant?

Before we dive into the answer, I want to clarify, I am not saying you can earn salvation. The Bible teaches salvation is a gift from God received through faith. Got that straight? OK. Let’s go…

The reference to “filthy rags” comes from the old testament (Isaiah 64:6), and is an ancient reference to ceremonially unclean rags, (basically used maxi-pads). At that time in history, Israel had been committing atrocities so egregious that the Lord was ready to utterly wipe them out. At that point no outwardly “righteous” act (such as sacrificing a bull) could save them from this advanced state of impending judgement. The “filthy rags” description was the strongest comparison the prophet could make to the Israelites’ horrendous practice of doing empty rituals to Yahweh whilst simultaneously sacrificing their children in the fire and performing perverted acts with male temple prostitutes and unspeakable Satanic worship to Baal etc.

This analogy should not be used to describe a new testament Christian who is following his conscience and attempting to offer service to the Lord out of sincere gratitude.

It also would not apply to an ancient gentile who is attempting to offer sincere works of faith to the observable God of the Universe (See Romans 1:20). When Paul spoke of how he counted it all “loss” compared with the surpassing worth of knowing Christ (Phil 3:8), he was referring to his zeal as a pharisee, his hypocritical adherence to the law, his outward circumcision and inward murderous rage while persecuting the church. This ceremonial adherence to outward laws without true faith or love for God was displeasing to Yahweh, though perhaps not as horrendous as the Israelites’ acts described above. In my reading, throughout Paul’s letters, he draws a distinction between the “doers of the law” who are following their conscience and performing works motivated by true faith (Romans 2:6-7), and the “works” of outward adherence, such as circumcision and ceremonial animal sacrifice, or not eating certain foods (Rom. 2:27 “he who is physically uncircumcised but keeps the law will condemn you who have the written code and circumcision but break the law”). Note: it is possible to adhere to an outward ritual while breaking the actual moral code in your heart. Paul points out that God always disdained this sort of hypocrisy and desired a people with his law written on their hearts so that they could finally actually do his will! I believe a people who would finally “image” (verb) God on earth and do “thy will as it is done in heaven” was really the whole point! (far from being secondary and unnecessary). Jesus, in this sense came not to abolish the law, but to fulfill it!

Believers walking in the light with the Holy Spirit, can now actually perform works of faith consistently. But even before this, you have examples, such as Cornelius (Acts 10:2), who was neither a Jew, nor a Christian. And did God say, “your alms have arisen as ‘filthy rags?’” No. He was commended (Acts 10:4), and an Apostle was sent to save him and his entire household (see Acts 10:44-48). The Centurion (Mat. 8:5-13) was also commended for acting in faith when he asked Jesus to heal his servant from a distance by using his authority as the son of God. Indeed, Paul stated this concept in Romans and in Acts by acknowledging that “circumcision is of the heart” (Romans 2:29) and that those acting in faith are pleasing God. Even if they do not yet understand Yahweh fully, they may “feel their way toward him” by their awareness of his divine attributes observed in nature (see Acts 17:27, Romans 1:20). This sort of “work” has always been pleasing to God (those acting morally) above those who have the outward law, yet do not follow it. How did Jesus respond to those who did the “work” of bringing him a paralytic on a mat? (Mat. 9:1-8). He immediately recognized it as a display of true faith! If they had not brought him the paralytic, their “faith” would have been worthless, meaningless and still-born (dead on arrival). There would be no healing without acting… in faith.

There are many examples in scripture of sincere faith-motivated works being pleasing to the Lord, and false outward empty ritual “works” being reprehensible to him. Yet, modern Evangelical theology dismisses all work as somehow at odds with being saved by “faith alone” (as though faith can exist without obedience to God). As a result, it downplays the importance of living the Christian life with discipline. But it goes further than that, many in the Calvinist vein subscribe to Christian fatalism, saying we are so depraved that God must make us choose him, and that we have no free will of our own, not even enough to grab a life raft to escape drowning.  **We are essentially dead bodies floating in the water until God zaps us with a salvation ray, after which we can live like demons. Our works of faith are not only unecessary, they are compared to “filthy rags!”

I find this teaching repulsive.

This false theology assumes that somehow our free will diminishes God’s sovereignty and ignores the fact that God sovereignly chose to give us free will. Therefore, even a gentile can choose God and display this in moral works of faith. And this faith is pleasing to God, for it is real!

What is Real Belief?

“He will render to each one according to his works” A study of Romans 2:6-8

- What does this mean??!!

“To those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury.” …“For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified.” (Romans 2:7-8 and 13).

Thesis: Belief must be lived out in order to be real.

When it says, “He will render to each one according to his works” it is clearly not a simple “rewards passage” as some might assume. It is not referring to Christians who, having made it into heaven, are then given more honor and responsibility (the “icing on the cake,” so to speak) as a reward for their righteous acts. No, this passage clearly contrasts those who are justified and given “eternal life” with those who are subject to “wrath and fury!” If this final state is contingent upon their works (Rom 2:6), it would appear, at first glance, to support a salvation by works viewpoint. But we know that the same author, i.e. Paul, asserts vehemently in Ephesians 2:8-9 that we are saved by God’s grace through faith, not by works. How then can we reconcile these seemingly opposing concepts?

Let us start this discussion with a question: does Paul’s theology in the book of Romans contradict the theology of the book of James? Or do they both agree perfectly with Jesus’ teaching in Mathew?

Now let us examine the meaning of this passage...

In Romans 2, verse 7, Paul introduces the concept that “to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life.” This is not saying one can earn salvation, but it is what I would call a “real faith” statement. In this passage, Paul is confirming that the gentile who acts righteously is demonstrating his faith, and would therefore be covered (in faith) by Jesus’ blood. Such a hypothetical gentile would thus be justified. Paul is pointing out that simply being Jewish (as a state of being apart from any living heart-obedience to God) does not save. We are (and always have been) saved by God’s grace through faith in Yahweh. But how must we define faith then in this context? Paul clarifies that the one who does not know the Jewish law, and yet acts in faith will be justified over the one who knows the Jewish law and does not follow it. Romans 2:13-16 “13 For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified.” The sense here is that “well-doing” is like the breath of life to the body of “belief.” A body without the rûaḥ (spirit) is dead. Similarly, faith without action is dead. I submit to you that, contrary to everything you may have been taught by modern Protestantism, dead faith is, in fact… nothing! It is not saving faith. Look at James 2:26 “26 For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.” (see Genesis 6:17, rûaḥ is the breath of life, the spirit that animates the body). Does Paul agree? Let us see…

Romans 2:13-16 “13 For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified. 14 For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. 15 They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them 16 on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.”

This then is proof that Paul, in Romans, does not contradict, but rather agrees with James 2:17 that “faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” For the “works” Paul speaks of here are works of faith! Otherwise, they would be outward only and not salvific. By acting in faith, those whom he speaks of here prove their living relationship with the True God. And that is what saves them. They are connected to the Vine and therefore have eternal life. They follow their God-given conscience, thereby showing the eternal law - which is observable in the fabric of the universe itself (what C.S. Lewis would call “the Tao”) - is written on their hearts. This moral code is described by Paul as honorable, selfless, and patient in well-doing (Rom 2:7). We will see that this faith-action is actually the whole point (rather than being of zero value or “filthy rags” as our misguided teachers preach frequently).

Why do I say this? Let us look back at Biblical history. From the beginning God wanted the sons of Adam to “image” [verb] his Devine nature “on earth as it is [imaged by the spiritual ‘sons of God,’ i.e. - the loyal Elohim] in heaven.” Paul is not laying out a theoretical framework here that no one could follow. (Supposing that “if” someone could do good throughout his life, then he could be saved, while simultaneously assuming that is impossible). No, he is saying that actually it is possible… if one has true faith in the True God. His point throughout Romans is that we are saved by faith. And those who follow their conscience and are led by God are acting in faith. This faith is in the True God. The God whose attributes they can plainly see displayed in creation. Since Jesus is the Word responsible for establishing that created order, they are by nature expressing their faith in Jesus, and would thus be saved from wrath on the day God judges the “secrets of men by Christ Jesus!” (Rom 2:16). How else could he say that “9 There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, 10 but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good.” Only through the blood of Jesus, and the gift of His Spirit, do we finally have the power to fulfill Adam’s original mission, to subdue the earth until all things under heaven are actually done in accordance with God’s will. And though we carry this out imperfectly, if we act in faith, we know that Jesus completes our deficiency with His perfection.

When we faithfully image [verb] God’s Devine nature on earth, we show ourselves to be part of God’s family and are granted the privilege, through Jesus, to become devine beings ourselves, to be revealed as “sons of God” on earth, and eventually glorified like unto, yet even above the Elohim! (“Do you not know we shall judge angels?” 1 Cor 6:3).

[footnote - The Elohim or, the “heavenly host,” are referred to as the “sons of God” and we were given the right to also be glorified one day as “sons of God.” Jesus is the only Unique Son of God, in that he is the only Elohim that is the eternally existent embodiment of Yahweh. So it is important to note: we will be glorified into a state of being “sons of God” above even the angelic “Elohim,” but we are, and always will be, infinitely inferior to Yahweh Himself.]

Therefore, those who call themselves “Christians” and then presume on God’s kindness by living unrepentant lives are storing up wrath for themselves on the Day of Judgement! - (see Romans 2:5). We cannot be perfect, but living a holy life, staying connected to Jesus and repenting when we sin is vital.

Rather than being completely useless and utterly secondary to belief, heart-action (works flowing from true faith) should actually be understood as the very definition of “belief.”

Let’s explore this further. After careful study of the Bible, it is apparent to me that knowledge and action are linked in the Jewish mind. If you are not convinced, ask yourself, what happened when Adam “knew” his wife, Eve in Genesis 4:1? Answer: she became pregnant! And, what happened in Exodus 2:24 when God “remembered” his covenant with Abraham? He immediately sent Moses to deliver them from Egypt. And when David (in 2 Sam 9) is implied to have remembered his friend Jonathan, he immediately invited Jonathan’s son to dine at the king’s table. And when Abraham “believed” God, he raised the knife to sacrifice Isaac.

Belief is Abraham lifting the knife to slay his son.

There is no separation between thought and action in the Jewish mind. Any need to explain this did not appear to come along until Jews were trying to articulate this to the Greeks and Romans. (Greeks had a way of viewing abstract concepts as separate from action, just as the “forms” were separate from the physical universe https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theory_of_forms ). But this seems alien to the Old Testament, and by extension, to the Apostles who quoted it.

So, what exactly is belief?

Belief is obedience inspired by Trust in the Word of God - both his spoken commands, and also the Embodied Word revealed to us in the second person of the Trinity (Jesus). It includes relational devotion, not mere understanding. All those who express this belief by persistence in acting righteously (thereby seeking, in faith, the rewards of glory, honor, and immortality from the One True God) will be saved from God’s eternal wrath by their living faith in Jesus. (Romans 2:7). Our faith is not in our works, but in Jesus himself to make up what we lack. Yes, rigid adherence to a set rules and rituals without any loving faith-connection to God does not save us. (See Hosea 6:6 “For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice.” Paul also confirmed this when he said, “for whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.” - Romans 14:23). But, a life exhibiting no righteous action at all would suggest such a person never truly believed in the first place.

Therefore there is no boasting, there is no earning… but there most certainly is doing! For doing is the act of believing, just as consummation is the act of marriage.

So, we are not saved by outward and empty ritual works when our hearts are not devoted to God, but living heart-action is demonstrative that true belief is active in our lives. Action is the spirit and vibrant energy that animates belief, and belief in Jesus is what saves us from God’s wrath.

In closing, let us not forget that all of this is in the context of a relational connection to Jesus, without which we are powerless to act in faith. All of our faith, all of our action is for love of a person: namely Jesus. For, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5)

Below are excerpts from Matthew supporting this thesis both from John the Baptist and Jesus’ own words. Ask yourself, did Jesus consider following his commandments to be optional and secondary, or essential and married to true belief? Emphasis added by me.

John the Baptist:

Mat 3 “8 Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. 9 And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. 10 Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”

Jesus:

Mat 6

“Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name.

10 Your kingdom come,

your will be done,

on earth as it is in heaven.”

Mat. 7:19 “Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire” in the context of fruit (words) showing the contents of a rotten heart.

Mat 7:21. “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. ”

24 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock”

Mat 12. “35 The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. 36 I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, 37 for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

Mat. 19 “If you would enter life, keep the commandments.”

Matt 5:17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 19 Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven,”

Mat. 22

“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” Note: love is not a feeling, it is an action —> Jesus clarified this in the parable of the Good Samaritan.

Mat 21

“43 Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits.”

Mat 25

“34 Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.”

Who Will Ascend into Heaven? And a Discussion of Faith vs. Works Theology

Abraham demonstrates his true faith by obeying God in Genesis 22.

“Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down) “or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). Romans 10:6-7.

What does this mean??!!

In Romans 10:6-7, while discussing Israel's unbelief, Paul expresses a confusing idea that I have long wondered about. What is all this about ascending to heaven to bring Christ down? To me, at first glance it sounded like Paul was caught up in an insane rant. But a closer reading reveals that it actually hits at the very heart of Paul's message throughout the entire book of Romans.

As we have seen before, in order to understand an ancient Jewish person's perspective on a particular issue, it is important to look at the Bible they were using: the Old Testament. In this case, Paul quotes from Deut 30:11-14. In that chapter, Moses is addressing the congregation of Israel and reminding them that God wants them to obey from their hearts out of true faith:

 “For this commandment that I command you today is not too hard for you, neither is it far off. 12 It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will ascend to heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ 13 Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ 14 But the word is very near you. It is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can do it.

15 “See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil. 16 If you obey the commandments of the LORD your God that I command you today, by loving the LORD your God, by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments and his statutes and his rules, then you shall live and multiply, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to take possession of it. 17 But if your heart turns away, and you will not hear, but are drawn away to worship other gods and serve them, 18 I declare to you today, that you shall surely perish.

Here we see Moses telling the people that obeying God's command is not difficult, obscure, or far away. Instead, he says the word is so near to each of them that it is in their very heart and mouth. And the true danger to them is not found in lack of outward action, but if they were to allow their hearts to turn away (vs 17). Even Moses never asked the people to observe outward ritual without any deep relationship with their God. Obedience is simply the true expression of a deep love for the Lord. So what is the truly important thing?  To Love the Lord your God.  Then the actions that flow from that heart of faith will not be too hard for you. ...and Paul agrees.

Interestingly, Paul reveals that the "Command" or "The Word" of God that Moses spoke of is actually Jesus himself! By the Holy Spirit, Jesus is actually in our heart through belief, and in our mouth, through confession of our faith in him. "For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved." (Romans 10:10).  Jesus is the embodied Word of God, and has never been far off. That is why he is the fulfillment of the Law (Matthew 5:17). So, Paul says we don't have to go searching for Jesus in heaven to bring him down and explain these things to us. We don't have to go to the abyss of the sea and bring Christ up (as though he were hiding from us!). It is not hard, far away, or obscure, because pleasing God has always proceeded from true faith, a deep personal relationship with our Lord, not through outward cold religious adherence to a written moral code. As Jesus said in John 15:5, "I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing." And John 15:10 confirms, "If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love."  We cannot keep his commandments if we do not stay connected to him, and if we are connected to him we will, by nature, keep his commandments.

By this, we see that Paul and Jesus are in perfect unity. They both teach us that through a deep personal love-connection with the Word of God (Jesus) we can finally obey the commandments of God from our hearts, out of  true faith rather than trying to perform outward "works" of cold adherence to endless rules.  Paul then acknowledges this is really the whole point of his Epistle to the Romans (and indeed Paul's Gospel wherever he preached it) "that is, the word of faith we proclaim." The "Word of Faith" that Paul refers to is the idea that we are, and have always been saved by true faith in Jesus. Even those who followed the Old Testament law were only saved if they followed it with their hearts, and even that was only effective because the law was looking forward to the final sacrifice of Jesus on the cross!  This is because sacrificing animals was never able to take away sins. See Hebrews 10:4-5, "4 For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. 5 Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said, 'Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body have you prepared for me;'"

Many in the modern evangelical movement including those of the Free Grace persuasion simply get this wrong.  It stems from a confusion about the meaning of "works." Works, as defined by Paul, are merely outward acts of the old written code. Paul contrasts this with the true obedience springing from the deep connection of love and faith I described above. Paul draws this distinction again in the passage we are discussing: Romans 10:5-8 "5 For Moses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that the person who does the commandments shall live by them. 6 But the righteousness based on faith says, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down) 7 “or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim);" 

Let us illustrate this point:

If I were Jesus and I said to you (as you stand in front of me), "hey, you need to step three feet to your right, or else a piano will fall on your head and crush you." And, if you are a close personal friend of mine who both loves and trusts me implicitly, your natural response would be to step three feet to your right and avoid being crushed!  If you did not step to the right, we could make some logical assumptions:  Either you believe me and want to be crushed by the piano, or you do not believe me at all. If you want to be crushed, you would be in the category of the demons who believe in God and shudder. (see James 2:19). If you do not believe me, then you must not love or trust me enough to actually believe a piano is about to fall on you. When it falls, you would be crushed by your unbelief because you did not actually love or trust me. Now this stepping three feet to the right is not a pointless "work" as Paul describes it. Rather, this would be an expression of true faith.  You would be demonstrating that you actually love and trust me. However, it would be quite different if, after this act of faith, your descendants established the "Church of the Holy Side-Steppers" and performed empty rituals where the congregation would step three feet to their right every Sunday without any belief that the one who told them to do this even exists or that pianos exist, much less that a piano is going to fall on their heads if they don't do this "work." Do you see the difference? This is really the whole point. We don't obey God to somehow "earn salvation" but if we have true faith, we will walk with Jesus, allowing him to move in us while keeping our hearts connected to him. And, in so doing, that deep and abiding relationship will undoubtedly spring forth in an abundance of faith-motivated actions which confirm the validity of the faith we profess. These are not empty outward “works” like circumcision (or animal sacrifices from people who could care less about their God). Rather, these faith-motivated actions are a pleasing aroma to God, as we live, walk, and abide in Jesus as "living sacrifices" to him! (Romans 12:1).

I ask you, in the example above, was it belief or action that would save a person from being crushed by the piano? Think about that.  You can see that belief is not able to be separated from action because as soon as you break them apart, it is no longer actually belief. This was the main point of the James in 2:21 "Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar?" Without Abraham's action, his profession of belief would be invalid. But, on the other hand, the fake "Church of the Holy Side-Steppers" is equally invalid. They have outward action without any belief whatsoever. This is the main point of Paul's teaching on salvation by faith in Romans 4:2 "For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God." and Ephesians 2:8-9 "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast."  Paul is saying Abraham was not saved by the outward act of being circumcised, but rather the fact that he believed God. And how did he express that true belief? By lifting the knife to slay Isaac! Lifting the knife was an act of faith. Circumcision was an outward "work" given to him as a sign that he was marked as the father of faith. So, you see Paul and James are speaking about two different things when they use the word "works." Yet, they are in perfect agreement. God wants true believers who show they believe by obeying him.  In Abraham's case, in a sense God was convinced of this true faith when Abraham acted. We know this because God said, "now I know" (See Genesis 22:12). So James and Paul agree perfectly on this point, both agree that we are saved by true faith, not by outward ritual works.

In conclusion, let us remember that with the Holy Spirit, his commands are not too hard for us. We do not need to ascend to heaven and ask Jesus to come down and explain this to us. We just need to walk with Jesus and let him transform our hearts and minds. He is near to us, as close as the breath in our mouths. Let us not draw a false dichotomy between Paul and James by misunderstanding "works" and thinking that Paul says you are saved by "faith alone" while James says you are saved by faith expressed in works.  Both agree that Abraham was justified by faith.  Moreover, both agree that true faith is never separate from heart-connected trusting relational obedience to our Lord.

The Rapture

I have changed my mind on the doctrine of the rapture. Here is my meditation on Matthew 24:29-31

In 24:21, he describes these end times events as the great tribulation. The most severe tribulation ever in human history. He goes on to say, in verse 22, that if this tribulation continued, everyone would be destroyed and no one would be delivered from it. But he promises to cut it short “for the sake of the elect.” So, clearly, the elect are still here at the END of the tribulation. The end of the tribulation is at the close of Daniel’s seventieth week. After this, says Jesus, we will witness the famous end-of-the-world signs in the heavens, including the “sign of the Son of Man” - the unmistakable brightness of his coming that he has just indicated would be impossible to miss (like lightning).

And only THEN will he “gather his elect” from the four winds. This is the same event Paul describes as being “caught up” when the final trumpet sounds in 1Th 4:16 (as Jesus confirmed) in which the dead rise first followed by those of us (believers) who are still alive. We will fly up to meet the Lord in the air. He has said this happens at the very end of the tribulation, and his appearing marks the end since the great tribulation is, at that point, halted (or “cut short”). If Paul thought this was a pre-trib rapture, he would NOT have said, “those of US” who are still alive, which would include himself and all believers (had Jesus come back prior to Paul’s death). Paul clearly makes his statement to all Christians, not just Jews who accepted Christ after this mythical “pre-trib” rapture. The Pre-trib rapture flies in the face of Jesus’ clear teaching, as well as Paul’s (In 1Th 4:16). It creates two events where there is only one mentioned. The only reason to hold on to it is to preserve the false doctrine of “imminency,” which supposes that the rapture could happen at any time and is not preceded by events that could be recognized by the wise and alert Christian.

Look at 1Th 4:16-18, “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.” The Pre-trib crowd says, that it is “not very comforting” to go through the great tribulation. However, Paul was not giving them comfort that they would not face persecution and death. Instead, he was speaking to burdened Christians who had just seen their loved ones die, and he was telling them that they could have hope in the resurrection, that they would see their loved ones again! Moreover, they could have comfort that their current trials, though severe, are nothing compared to being with the Lord FOREVER! THAT is the comfort. To toss the Bible’s teaching on the post-tribulation rapture aside on such a weak argument is flippant and irresponsible. Again, Jesus himself confirms in Matthew 24:29, that his glorious second coming happens immediately AFTER the great tribulation, and this event includes a trumpet and the gathering (being “caught up”) of his elect. End of story! We either believe Jesus, or we don’t, but don’t twist his words!

Lightning and The Coming of the Son of Man

~Matthew 24:27

Lightning is clearly NOT a reference to the suddenness of his return, but rather to how OBVIOUS, it will be. Some may get hung up on suddenness, but that is not the point of Jesus’ analogy. Instead, Jesus is contrasting the SECRECY of false messiahs in back rooms, to the unmistakable and conspicuous nature of his return. This is similar to the analogies section in an SAT test, “A is to B as C is to ____.” You must identify how lightning is “unlike” the former examples of false christs in secret rooms, and how Jesus’ return will instead be “like” lightning. The opposite of secrecy is revelation; illumination… brightness. Lightning is the perfect example of this. Therefore, Jesus’ return will be “like” lightning, in that it will be resplendent, obvious, and visible from a distance. You will not have to go search it out in a secret place. So, we may conclude that his return, (which is only ONE event in the Bible) is most assuredly NOT as a “thief in the night” in terms of secrecy. Yes, it may be shocking and unexpected to those who are not awake and watching for it, but the point here is that it will be completely obvious and unmistakable to everyone (both believers and unbelievers) when it happens.

JESUS WANTS OUR HEART: SINCERITY, HUMILITY, AND SERVICE

My meditation this Sunday morning is on Matthew 23:2-12

Excerpt:

“The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat, 3 so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice.”

Jesus here is saying that he is more concerned with the heart. He does not want us burdened with endless rules to follow. Instead, our works should be sincere, often anonymous, and always done for the Lord. (Note: he does NOT say we should not do works in keeping with our faith. Rather, he says not to do hypocritical works like the Pharisees). He goes on to criticize any title that leads people to desire positions of power between the layman and God. He is skeptical of any position such as “father” or “instructor” that lends more authority to a mere man, and tempts him to elevate himself above others. Once again -I think for the third time in Matthew- he reminds us that the “first shall be last.” He wants sincerity and humility expressed in service, not outward rule-following with pride - expressed with domination.

Yet, Paul called us to have teachers and deacons etc. The disciples appointed levels of authority in the early church. So, as we have seen before in Matthew, it seems Jesus is using strong verbal assertions (sometimes he also will use hyperbole) to emphasize a point in opposition to the corruption of his contemporaries. Yes, he condemns setting up intermediaries between the people and God. However, I believe he would still allow some levels of authority to organize the church - so long as the leaders are selected for their humility and servant’s heart, and it is remembered that, in the sense of equality before God, we are all brothers. He would not tolerate power struggles and strict hierarchy, or the idea that some are “better” or more holy than others due to outward acts… and he dislikes pompous clothing signifying one’s position and status. The bottom line, again, is that he hates hypocrisy and pride. He wants sincerity and humility lived out.

…He wants sincere works of love to be performed. He never said not to express our devotion in service to Him! Just that we should NOT do it like the Pharisees.

“Belief”

“The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man” -Acts 17:24.

My meditation on scripture for today is entitled “Belief”

Read Acts 17:24-31. Paul’s presentation of the Gospel is a model for presenting the Gospel in America, a country of mostly Gentiles. Paul’s sermon covers the following points

1) Who is God? He does not live in our silly temples, he is transcendent

2) Who is man? Mankind was made by God and under his authority was directed. God directs as God is the ruler of space (boundaries) and time (seasons)

3) What is mankind’s purpose? To seek and find God. He is near to us, wanting to be found by all mankind.

4) God is personal. Logic to support this statement: If we are persons and we are his offspring, then it follows that God is more like a person than an idol, and indeed he came as a person, a man: Jesus Christ.

5) The important facts that must accompany a true presentation of the real Gospel of Jesus are included: Christ came as a man, died (implied) and was resurrected proving his power over death. He will soon judge the world.

6) Note, he doesn’t mention belief in this sermon, he says the time of “ignorance” is over, it is time to repent of our ignorance. Before Jesus came to earth ignorance was possible, but now we live in the age or generation which no longer has ignorance as an excuse. We live in “This wicked, unbelieving generation” which Jesus said would continue for an age, until he returns (Matthew 24:34).

In other sermons in Acts people are instructed to “believe” Acts 16:31. Why didn’t Paul use that word here? I submit to you, it is because repentance cannot be separated from belief!

If we give up our silly notions of God as an idol and turn away from that ignorance, instead replacing that lack of knowledge with complete confidence that Christ is God in the flesh, the one who died and rose again for our sins, we will be saved. You cannot believe two contradictory ideas at the same time. So “belief” means you no longer believe these falsehoods (you have repented or turned away from your ignorance) and turned to God instead. …You have changed your mind such that your actions will be altered. This is the essence of repentance, and a good working definition of what the New Testament calls “belief.”

So the obvious question (which my sons asked me) is whether there is a difference between a believer who is going to heaven, and a hard core Satanist who knows Christ is Lord… and shudders with fear? They both know Christ is Lord, right? Is that the same as the knowledge of Christ that saves? If so, is the satanist who hates God going to heaven?!…

Absolutely not! There is a distinction. It is called “belief.” The distinction is between “knowing” and “believing,” as the New Testament defines these terms. “Believing” involves humble repentance followed closely by devotion. You have in one action flipped the coin over from rejection of God to acceptance of him. Among those who have not believed, there may be honest truth seekers who are at this moment still deceived—we pray they will find God and believe—however, there are also those who, like the demons, know full well that Christ is Lord and yet love evil more. An evil person can simply love evil. Never forget that. This catagory of people “loved darkness… because their deeds were evil.” John 3:19. It is not so much that they don’t know the truth, it is that they love their evil deeds and thus cling to a state of willful denial known as “UNBELIEF.” This is their religion. So, deep down they know Christ is Lord, but dishonestly choose not to believe what they know to be true. “21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.” (Romans 1:21).

This willful unbelief is so obviously illogical, it is little wonder that sin is justified and applauded in an evil culture in the most absurd ways. “28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done… they not only do them [unrighteous actions] but give approval to those who practice them.” (Romans 1:28, 32). It should also be noted that while God wants all people to find him, God does not want to be found by people that do not want to find him. People who cling to unbelief will eventually be given over to their own self-delusions, leading to ever greater sin and ultimately death. Sound familiar? Thus, those who know and yet do not turn away from their ignorance (i.e. repent/believe) are in a state of unbelief. Matthew 13:12 “For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.” It is not that these people do not know the truth, it is that, by an act of free will they CHOOSE not to believe what they know is true. God wants to be found by those honest truth seekers who persistently seek him in faith.

To willfully reject him is to be aligned with the nature of evil! And those who are evil will end up in hell. Only repentant/belief in Jesus will save us from that fate. The repentance that Paul presented to his Gentile audience does not mean we will instantly stop sinning, but it does mean we will turn away from our ignorance and idolatry and instead place our trust in God/Jesus. That is the definition of “believing.” And once we go down that path our actions will reflect our choice.

We must therefore be careful not to derive an entire doctrine saying “belief” is the only prerequisite for salvation unless we first understand what belief is. Belief involves turning to God. Jesus and John the Baptist began their ministry with the sermon, “Repent! for the Kingdom of heaven [God] is near!” They did not mention belief in those early sermons. Do you now see why?

United With Fellow Believers at the Resurrection

A study on 1 Th 4 and 5

Jesus once responded to a man who came to him saying, “I will follow you, but first let me go and bury my father.” And Jesus replied, “Let the dead, bury their own dead.” Mat 8:22.

In Chapter 4 of 1Th, Paul begins with a discussion of the resurrection of physically dead believers. Near the end of chapter 5 he closes with that exact same format. Sandwiched in between these is a passage outlining the distinction between those who “belong to the day” and are “awake” (i.e. spiritually alive) and those who belong to the night and are “asleep” (i.e. spiritually dead, as Jesus himself pointed out in the verse above). If we are SPIRITUALLY awake, then we are alive and can never die (we have partaken of the “living water” that Jesus introduced to the woman at the well - John 4:14. A concept that he reminded Mary of at the death of Lazarous - John 11:25). In contrast, if we are SPIRITUALLY asleep, then we are dead and our physical body will soon match the state of our spirit when we take our last breath. He addresses only the former (spiritually awake audience) by saying, “God has not destined YOU for wrath.” The “YOU” refers to those who belong to the day. Thus, the spiritually alive will continue to live with Christ in eternity whether they are physically “awake/alive” or “asleep/dead.” Now, note the exact framework Paul uses to sandwich these two concepts:

* Chp 4:14, and part of 17 and 18, “14 For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep… 17 [we who are physically awake/alive] will be caught up together with them [those believers who were physically asleep/dead] in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.”

* And then near the end of chapter 5:9-10 “…Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. 11 Therefore encourage one another and build one another up.”

So, although the word for “asleep” is different in chapter 4 (koimaō) than the word he used in chapter 5 (katheudō), the concept of spiritual death is consistent. When you view the exact repetition of the original thought above, it becomes clear that Paul is teaching that death, for the believer is nothing but a temporary separation, for our spirit is alive in Christ and our bodies will soon join our spirit in that state. Similarly, as stated above, those who are spiritually “asleep” are already dead, and their bodies will soon join the state of their spirits in death. Those in that state (asleep in the spiritual sense) will be surprised by his return and will be destroyed (1 Th 5:2-3), while those who are alive will NOT be taken unaware, and will be given resurrection bodies and will instantly enter into eternal life with there deceased fellow believers and Jesus - 1 Th 4:17 and 5:4,9). What a comfort!

But, he is certainly NOT teaching that those who are “out of fellowship with God” when Christ returns can have confidence that they too will be raptured since they are not “destined” for destruction, and that it doesn’t matter whether they are awake and alert, or asleep and indifferent when he comes back. Although I am sure he will have grace for the coincidental state of holiness any individual believer finds themselves in at the moment he returns, that is not at all what Paul is teaching here. To read that into the text would be ignoring the contrast Paul is making between believers and non-believers. Yes, he does admonish his audience of believers not to behave like children of darkness, but he is NOT contrasting active believers with backslidden believers here. To see it that way, you would have to read the text as though he were saying, “the Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us so that whether we are SPIRITUALLY ALIVE AND WALKING IN LOVE AND HOPE or SPIRITUALLY DEAD AND WALKING IN DRUNKEN DEBAUCHERY, either way, rest assured, we will still live with him.” That is a DISTURBING distortion of this text. It would change the meaning entirely from deriving comfort that believers who have died will be reunited with us, to instead deriving comfort from the fact that we will be raptured even if we have turned our back on Christ and are living in darkness like demons. And in essence that is what some would teach about this verse. I echo what Paul said: May it never be!!!! (Romans 6:2). This is a wicked and vile twisting of scripture.

On the contrary, the implication in his admonishment is for believers NOT to behave like the children of darkness. We are not destined for wrath, so we should not act like those who are. Instead, we are to steadfastly hope in the resurrection and be comforted that we will be reunited with our fellow believers who have died. If anything, the implication here is that we must make some conscious effort to walk in love and hope lest our hearts be turned away from God to complete apostasy before he returns.

Again, although I’m sure there would be grace for a true believer who is a repentant, yet repeat sinner (as we all are), we should not view this passage as a comfort to sin all you want. It is a comfort that true believers who walk in the light (and are still physically alive at Christ’s return) will be resurrected with other true believers who walked in the light but physically died before his return.

Matthew Chapter 5: The Beatitudes - “Poor, Mourning, and Meek” - what does this mean?!

In reading over this sermon of Jesus, it is apparent that it has been subjected to frequent and drastic warping from its original meaning. So, here are my thoughts on this important passage:

The first three declarations (regarding the “poor in spirit,” “those who mourn,” and “the meek”) are all related. I believe these are references to humility, and the idea is repeated three times to emphasize importance. As this is the central prerequisite to approaching God, it must come first before Jesus can teach the other lessons. In the old testament, those who truly had remorse for sin, would clothe themselves in sackcloth and ashes, an outward demonstration of their mourning and contrite hearts (see Neh. 9:1-2). This was how they drew near to God when their need was great. Jesus would say later that the blessing of justification before God is more likely attained by the tax collector crying, “have mercy on me! A sinner!” than it is by the proud and self-righteous (Luk. 18:13). Before we can be blessed or forgiven, we must understand that we are desperate and broken! Thus, the sermon begins in verse 3 with the “poor in spirit.” True faith starts here, and only true faith is commended by God. It is first of all HUMBLE, then honest and sincere - resulting in real action. For, “he who is forgiven much, loves much.” - see Luk. 7:47 (And remember, love is an action, not a feeling, see the parable of the good Samaritan - Luk. 10:25).

In verse 4 he blesses those who “mourn.” This is clearly not a reference to those who are depressed in general, but rather those who MOURN FOR THEIR SIN. In other words, those whose hearts are contrite before God. As stated above, wearing sackcloth was a sign of this type of mourning in ancient Middle Eastern culture (often accompanied by fasting).

Then, in verse 5 we have the INCREDIBLY misunderstood statement where Jesus blesses the “meek.” In context, this is another reference to humility and pliability before Yahweh, the opposite of being a “stiff necked people.” (see 2 Chron. 30:8). If we are too proud to accept God’s forgiveness, we cannot be justified. And if we are too proud to follow God’s plan it will DESTROY our ability to execute his will on earth as it is done in heaven. This is NOT a proclamation against the masculine quality of confidence and assertiveness. Instead, meekness is an expression of faith, knowing that good will result when we trust God and “lean not on our own understanding.” (Pro. 3:5). Indeed it is from this position that we are not tempted to “take matters into our own hands” like Abraham did when (presumably, out of pride, fear and impatience) he slept with his concubine rather than trusting God to bring him a son in his old age (Gen. 16:4), or like David did when (rather than repenting) he murdered Bathsheba’s husband to cover up his sin (2 Sam. 11:15). With a humble spirit before God, we can trust him with our impatience and look for his solution. We can trust him with our anger, and not murder. We can trust him to satisfy our desires and not lust, - indeed all the exhortations that follow in The Beatitudes and the rest of Jesus’ sermon in Matthew chapter 5 (about being pure, peacemakers, enduring persecution, and shining our light) hinge on our ability to remain humbly looking to God and not acting in The Flesh. It cannot be overstated that the masculine qualities of confidence and assertiveness ARE IMPOSSIBLE absent the moral fortitude that springs from humble faith. This humble faith is an essential requirement in order to resist the temptations and pitfalls that even giants of faith like Abraham and David succumbed to in the examples above.

Awareness of our own sinful state keeps us humble befor Yahweh, so that we can submit to his will. Again, this is most emphatically NOT a command to be a pushover and a coward in the face of evil! On the contrary, it is a command to RESIST EVIL by NOT being stubbornly prideful toward God!!! We should be stubborn AGAINST evil, not meek TOWARD IT. We should be MEEK TOWARD GOD, And STUBBORN against evil. It takes courage to stand against this world and its evil. Jesus is NOT calling us to be cowards and weaklings, for cowards will NOT enter the kingdom (see Rev. 21:8 “the cowardly…their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire). You see, cowards have no faith, and without faith it is impossible to please God (Heb 11:16). For every action that does not proceed from faith is sin (Rom. 14:23). Again, Jesus is NOT commanding us to be pushovers! Did I mention that Jesus is NOT telling us to give in to evil and let it rule? Does this finally make sense now? We are broken and humble vessles of clay, to be molded by the potters hand (Isaiah 64:8) into warriors of light who courageously fight against the darkness… typically resulting in persecution and death! As king Théoden said in The Lord of The Rings, we may have no reasonable hope of victory against the darkness, but in faith, WE WILL MEET THEM IN BATTLE NONTHELESS!! Does this sound “meek” the way you have heard it? Who do you think wants you to be a weakling and a pushover? Who wants you to be passive, scared and uncertain, allowing evil to triumph in your life and in this world? God or Satan? You decide.

Matthew 22:14 “Many are called, but few are chosen.” (Both bad and good?) - What does this mean?!

Note: An except from this parable is printed at the bottom of this post for context.

It seems to me that in this parable, God first called his servants, but they were unworthy and didn’t want to come. His servants would appear to be the Jewish people (see Romans 11:25, “a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.” and John 1:11-13 “He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.”) So, then he extended the invitation to everyone (the Gentile nations), including even people of various moral (and social) standing (both “bad” and “good”) with the only requirement that they were clothed with a wedding garment (true belief/faith). So after eliminating those who didn’t want to attend, and those who did want to attend but did not come wearing a wedding garment, there were few left; relative to the original amount that were called. This minority flies in the face of current popular culture. (According to our modern concept of salvation, one would conclude that “narrow is the path that leads to DESTRUCTION, and few will find it” rather than the converse in Matthew 7:13-14).

In any case, these few left would have been foreknown to the Lord and would now be revealed as his “chosen.” Although it is not explicitly stated, the wedding garment must be true faith. Jesus describes three categories of people: 1) There are those who hate the Lord and don’t even show up. 2) Then, there are those who pretend to love him and show up, but don’t truly believe/have sincere faith. 3) Finally, there are those who show up and also have sincere faith.

There are other related examples of this in Jesus’ own life on earth. In the context of his disciples, he said “follow me” and those who decided to follow were his “chosen” except one, namely Judas, who betrayed him and was a pretender. This seems an unmistakeable parallel to the second category above. If you compare this with the rich young ruler, Jesus said to sell all he had, then “come follow me” but he went away sad. He was not “chosen” so he would fall into the first category. Judas presumably was called as were Jesus’ other disciples (though I’m not aware of the story of his calling). We assume he accepted the call and we know he became a disciple (even one of the twelve!). But he was a “devil.” (see John 6:70-71). So, here you have both categories represented in Jesus’ own experience during his life on earth (the overt rejecters, and the covert pretenders) and Jesus is saying after eliminating these two categories, the minority left will enter the Kingdom (which is synonymous for salvation). Among those who are left, there are various levels of moral “good,” but they all wear the wedding garment. Remember, we cannot be good enough to enter heaven on our own. Thus, the wedding garment is required. Jesus minces no words for pretenders. Judas walked with Jesus and shared meals with him, but he was a crook and a liar (see John 12:6), and his fate was, as Jesus said, to be “cast into outer darkness” with those who pretend, but do not possess true faith.

Conclusion: Jesus’ blood paid for all our sins, whether many, or few. True faith is all that is required to be saved. Yet, after eliminating those who overtly reject this gift and those who covertly pretend to accept it, there are relatively few left with humble and sincere faith to enter the Kingdom. Once these people are revealed, they are then known to be “chosen.” This is a hard teaching in our current world, but it is what Jesus said.

“9 Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.’ 10 And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests.

11 “But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment. 12 And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. 13 Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ 14 For many are called, but few are chosen.”

Matthew 7:1 “Judge not, lest you be judged.” What does this mean?!

Is this a teaching against discernment or against prideful hypocracy?

Now we come to arguably the most misunderstood statement of Jesus throughout all of history. How often have you heard people justify outright evil by stating, “didn’t Jesus say, ‘you should not judge?’” Yet, if you read this passage carefully, this is not a prohibition against discernment. It is a warning against pride expressing itself in self-righteous condemnation.

As we examined previously, Jesus is concerned with our hearts, and values humility toward God as the most important prerequisite for all other virtues. So, this teaching should be viewed as yet another exhortation to humility. Our focus should be on keeping our hearts right before God, not pridefully pointing out the faults in others. And should we be tempted to misunderstand his statement, we would do well to note that later in the very same chapter, Jesus warns us to “beware of false prophets.” How could we be wary of them, if we cannot first identify them? Wouldn’t that take some “judgement?” Yes, indeed, identifying false prophets would require “judgement” in the form of “discernment.” So, clearly, Jesus is not commanding us to foolishly applaud and accept evil people for being evil, or to allow them to corrupt us.

Let’s put this in context: Remember the Pharisees of Jesus’ day were following a set of empty rules and rituals, then pronouncing judgement on others for not following the rules as well as they did - (…often their rules actually NEGATED the spirit of the Law as handed down from Yahweh - see Mark 7:13 “making the word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down. And many such things you do.”). And let us also define a word: “Judgement.” In this context, it is more like “condemnation.” The Bible is clear that there is only one who is righteous and wise enough to pronounce condemnation upon anyone - namely, God. He is the ultimate judge who will determine with perfect justice what each person deserves - “‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’” (Romans 12:19). If we deem ourselves worthy to pronounce condemnation, we are, in essence, making ourselves to be God.

Throughout this gospel, Jesus has pointed out over and over that he wants humble and sincere faith, not prideful and hypocritical outward adherence to empty rituals with no vibrant relational connection to God. A humble person would realize he is every bit as much of a sinner as the person he is observing. So wisdom would dictate some honest reflection as opposed to hypocritical condemnation. Paul sums this attitude up well in Romans 12 where he reminds us in verse 9 to “Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.” We cannot abhor what is evil, if we cannot first identify evil using discernment. But our attitude toward others should be one of radical forgiveness, generosity and hospitality. Paul echos what Jesus taught by saying in verse 14 “Bless those who persecute you” and in verse 16 “Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight” and in verse 21 “do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” All of this is only made possible with love. Love for our family, love for our church, even love for our enemies. If we first humbly recognize our own fallen state, and our deep need for forgiveness, we may then have the capacity for compassion toward fellow sinners.

Does that mean we cannot recognize sin? Not at all. Does that mean we embrace and even applaud sinful actions? Never! Let us not forget that pride itself is the worst sin, so rather than pronouncing a prohibition against discerning good from evil, Jesus is actually teaching us to avoid the worst evil of all: pride.

In conclusion, what Jesus is actually warning against is hypocrisy and a judgmental and condemning spirit that flows from pride. He NOT warning against discernment or encouraging us to embrace sin. We should remember this the next time we hear someone flippantly quote this verse out of context in an effort to justify whatever sin may be in view, saying, “didn’t Jesus say, ‘do not judge?’” I believe it is helpful to reread an example Jesus gave us showing how this concept is applied. The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant in Matthew 18:23-33 (reprinted below). Could this shed light on why he taught us to pray, “forgive us our sins, AS WE FORGIVE those who sin against us.”? (Luke 11:4). We should never neglect discernment, and we should abhor and resist evil with our entire being. But, at the same time, if we refuse to forgive, and instead pronounce condemnation upon others (for sins we ourselves commit), we prove ourselves to be deceived by the worst sin of all: pride. And we are placing ourselves in the role of God, which is a very precarious position to be in.

23 “Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. 24 When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. 25 And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. 26 So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ 27 And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. 28 But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii, and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay what you owe.’ 29 So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ 30 He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt. 31 When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their master all that had taken place. 32 Then his master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. 33 And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’”

An Alternate View of Jesus’ Use of the Phrase “This Generation” in Matthew 24:34.

The Age of Wicked Unbelieving Israel

 Introduction

              This paper represents an attempt to put to rest what many view as a "controversial" statement of Jesus.  Namely, his apparent prediction of his return within the 1st century.  This is a point of contention that may lead some to dismiss the faith and others to warp the statement or adopt the Full Preterist viewpoint which wrongly assumes that Jesus has already returned. Even C.S. Lewis has been quoted as saying he believed Jesus may have spoken in error due to his own limited knowledge while he was here on earth (see Essay "The World's Last Night" 1960) – found in The Essential C.S. Lewis. The statement of Jesus occurs in Matthew 24:34-35 where Jesus declares, "Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.  Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away."  The "things" he refers to encompass many end-times predictions (including his glorious Second Coming) as well as some things that were at least prefigured at the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70.  A quick search online suggests that there are at least three commonly held views of this passage, and one (heretical) fourth view:

1)     That "all these things" refers only to the destruction of Jerusalem which already occurred and does not refer to his Second Coming.

2)     That "This Generation" refers to the generation alive at the time that the end-times predictions begin to come to pass.  In other words, "This Generation that I was just referring to in my last end-times statement will not pass away until all these things I am predicting take place."

3)     That Jesus used the term "This Generation" to refer to the Jewish people.  The Jewish people would continue to exist until his return. 

4)     Full Preterism (Heretical): Jesus has already come back and everything he predicted took place while the generation he was speaking to was still alive in the 1st Century.

              The first explanation just doesn't seem very convincing because he really does appear to be referring to all of his Matthew 24 predictions, not just some of them.  And, while I appreciate their honesty in trying to take Jesus at his word (as they understood it, or misunderstood it), I reject the fourth (Full Preterist) view.  The notion that he has already returned is clearly unbiblical for many reasons that we will not get into here. 

              So, we are left with options two and three above.  While these two appear to be satisfactory explanations, I do have some objection to them, and would like to offer an alternate view.  It is similar to the Jewish people interpretation, but a bit more nuanced.  Moreover, I believe it is an elegant solution that ties together all Biblically relevant uses of the term.  This view developed as I read the many references that Christ made to "This Generation" throughout the gospels.  However, it did not solidify until I discovered an Old Testament reference to “This Generation” (…in Deuteronomy of all places!). 

              As I read Jesus’ many utterances of the term “This Generation,” I was struck by the sense that this phrase held some special significance to Christ.  Was he citing something his Jewish audience might have recognized?  And, in any event, it seemed unwise to isolate Matthew 24:34 as though that were the only time he used the phrase.  As we will see, there are many other notable examples of this phrase that others who have studied this passage have largely ignored.  We would do well to examine these before making a final determination about Matthew 24:34.

Why Bother?

              Why bother to spend so much time on this passage?  Well, for starters, if Jesus wrongly predicted his first century return then the Bible itself would identify him as a false prophet and worthy of the death penalty.  That is a serious matter!

Deuteronomy 18:20-22: “But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in my name that I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that same prophet shall die. And if you say in your heart, 'How may we know the word that the LORD has not spoken?'--when a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if the word does not come to pass or come true, that is a word that the LORD has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously. You need not be afraid of him.” 

Furthermore, even if the two remaining interpretations are somewhat satisfactory, they left me with the feeling that something was missing. For example, when referring to the Jewish people in Luke 21:23, he states "there will be great distress upon the land and wrath to this people [laos].  If "This Generation" referred simply to Jewish people regardless of their place in the epoch or their state of belief, then perhaps he would have said "laos" instead of "genea."  And, although I was impressed with the scholarship and arguments presented in one article I read on "This Generation" referring to the generation that is alive when all “these things” begin to take place, I could not shake the feeling that there was more going on here.  As stated above, Jesus’ use of the phrase wasn’t limited only to Matthew 24:34, so shouldn’t we review his other references to it before making a final judgement?  Also, if we accept that “This Generation” in Matthew 24:34 refers only to the generation alive during the Tribulation, it would be one of the few times that Jesus used the term in that sense, for he spoke this phrase to people and about people standing directly in front of him all the other times he used this term.  In those cases, it was clearly directed to people he was interacting with in the first century.  So, either these people are representatives of a larger group of people spanning an Age (as I have defined in this paper) or he is using “This Generation” in an entirely different sense in Matthew 24:34.  Given the number of times he used this term, it seems unlikely that he would use it in a totally different way in Matthew 24:34.  It is for this reason, I believe the definition of “This Generation” presented in this paper is more consistent with the entirety of its usage by Jesus throughout the gospels.

              Take a step back and look at the way Jesus frames it:  After making a series of dire predictions you can imagine him pausing, making eye contact with his audience, and then uttering the mysterious phrase: “Truly, I say to you, 'this generation' will not pass away until all these things take place."   One who has read through the Gospels is instantly reminded of his comments about eating his body and drinking his blood (John 6:53), or to beware of the “yeast of the pharisees,” (Mark 8:15) or to destroy “this temple” and I will rebuild it in three days (John 2:19), or that one must be “born again” (John 3:4).   These are all concepts that can be easily misunderstood unless we look at Jesus’ intended meaning when he uses a defined term - especially if that term is pulled from an Old Testament passage in its first usage. 

              Warning!  Beware when Jesus introduces a concept by saying “Truly, I say to you!” for what follows will often be a spiritual mystery and may require spiritual insight and/or persistence to properly discern.  See: http://jesuscentricchristianity.typepad.com/the_seven_mysteries/2007/03/the_rabbinic_te.html  Jewish rabbis often employed teaching methods such as the Mashal and Nimshal: where a parable (Mashal) is told containing a treasure of wisdom that can only be understood rightly when you are presented with the Nimshal (key) to unlocking the meaning of the parable (an early example occurs in the parable told by Nathan in 2 Samuel 12 where David did not immediately grasp that the parable was about himself!). Similarly, these defined phrases of Jesus invite further examination. For example: the phrase "Son of Man" comes from the book of Daniel, and it would greatly impede our understanding of Jesus’ intended meaning if we ignored where it came from. In these instances, we can determine what Jesus was thinking when he uses a certain phrase by looking at all the times he uses the phrase in the New Testament and what (if any) Old Testament passages it may mirror. In addition, some of the Epistles may give a glimpse into what the Apostles thought he meant by certain things, and these should not be overlooked since the Apostles were filled with the Holy Spirit and Jesus spent years explaining these things to them. Could “This Generation” then be viewed as one of Jesus’ defined terms to which he attached special significance?  I believe so, and it is for that reason that I have capitalized the phrase throughout this paper.

So, What Did He Mean? 

              After careful study, I believe Jesus' use of the phrase "This Generation" is not merely a reference to the Jewish people, but rather it is defined as The Age of Wicked Unbelieving Israel.  This Generation is thus characterized by Israel’s willful and crooked unbelief that began when Messiah was physically present on earth, and that will continue from that point until Israel finally accepts him (at the end of the current Age).  His declaration in Matthew 24:34 could then be restated as follows, “Truly, I say to you, The Age of Wicked Unbelieving Israel will not pass away until all these things take place."  That would flow and it would be an elegantly simple solution to all the strife, would it not?  This also fits perfectly with a pre-tribulation Rapture.  Who would be left behind at the Rapture?  Unbelieving Israel.  Who would need to heed Jesus’ watchfulness warnings in the Olivet Discourse?  Israel (who is by that time converting to belief in their Messiah). These unbelieving descendants of Jacob will turn to Jesus after the Rapture and will be faithfully watching for the Second Coming.  To be sure, those alive during the Tribulation will be the ones to see “all these things take place” but they are also part of the entire “Age of Wicked Unbelieving Israel,” for they shared in This Generation’s “crooked and blind” nature until after the Rapture occurred.  Once these End-Times Jews are saved and any remaining unbelievers are judged, then This crooked Generation (which spanned over 2000 years) will have finally “passed away.”  So, this view does not directly contradict the “Jewish people” or the “alive when these future things take place” interpretations, but rather expands and clarifies them while also supporting a pre-tribulation Rapture.  To further support this The Age of Wicked Unbelieving Israel interpretation, we will look at all of the relevant passages, starting with the Old Testament.  Remember, Jesus was a Jew, speaking to Jews, so any defined term would likely come from the Old Testament.  And indeed it does!

The Birth of “This Generation” as a Defined Term of Significance to Christ

              First, we must go all the way back to the book of Deuteronomy.  In Deut 18:15-19 we have one of the earliest Messianic prophesies from Moses himself,

“15 The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you – from your fellow Israelites; you must listen to him. 16 This accords with what happened at Horeb in the day of the assembly. You asked the Lord your God: ‘Please do not make us hear the voice of the Lord our God any more or see this great fire any more lest we die.’ 17 The Lord then said to me, ‘What they have said is good. 18 I will raise up a prophet like you for them from among their fellow Israelites. I will put my words in his mouth and he will speak to them whatever I command. 19 I will personally hold responsible anyone who then pays no attention to the words that prophet speaks in my name.”  (emphasis added).

Since Deut. 34:10 confirms there has never been another prophet “like Moses” whom the LORD dealt with face to face, only Messiah could fit that description.  And Jesus took up this mantle when he stated, “48 The one who rejects me and does not accept my words has a judge; the word I have spoken will judge him at the last day. 49 For I have not spoken from my own authority, but the Father himself who sent me has commanded me what I should say and what I should speak.”  John 12:48-49 (emphasis added).  Jesus was the prophet that Moses predicted would come and speak to the people of Israel the exact words of God.  Therefore, not to listen would be an act of wickedness against God himself.  Sadly, in the Song of Moses (what some would call the “National Anthem” of Israel) Moses also predicted what would happen when that prophet arrived.  His people would “[pay] no attention to the words that prophet [spoke].” (Deut. 18:19). And so Moses warned them about their future rejection of Messiah: “His people have been unfaithful to him; they have not acted like his children - this is their sin. They are a crooked and twisted generation.” (Deut. 32:5).  And, “He said, ‘I will reject them, I will see what will happen to them; for they are a perverse generation [dor h1755], children in whom is no faithfulness.’” (Deut 32:20).  Keep those words, “crooked,” “twisted,” “faithless” (in the sense of being disloyal), and “perverse” in mind - we will come back to them soon.  Similar to Moses, John tells us that he [Jesus] came to his own and his own did not receive him (John 1:11).  You can hear the heartache and even exasperation of Jesus toward his own, “You people have never heard his voice nor seen his form at any time, 38 nor do you have his word residing in you, because you do not believe the one whom he sent. 39 You study the scriptures thoroughly because you think in them you possess eternal life, and it is these same scriptures that testify about me, 40 but you are not willing to come to me so that you may have life.” (John 5:37-40).  And again in Matthew 23:37-39, (just prior to his end-times predictions!), “37 ‘O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those who are sent to you! How often I have longed to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you would have none of it! 38 Look, your house is left to you desolate! 39 For I tell you, you will not see me from now until you say, ‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!’’” 

              Thus, we have identified two very important keys to understanding Jesus’ use of the term “This Generation”:

1)     It is a reference to a disposition toward the crookedness, perversity, and willful blindness of Israel that Moses predicted in his Messianic prophecies.

2)     And we also have a hint as to when the unbelieving state of Israel will end – i.e. when they say, “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!”

Moses had given them covenant instructions to watch for and accept Messiah as he would be “a prophet like me,” speaking the exact words of God. And though the very Word of the God stood incarnate right in front of them, they had still rejected him! They were truly the crooked and perverse, prophet-rejecting generation Moses had spoken of.

              Now we know from studying the book of Revelation that the unbelief of Israel ends in chapter 7 when Israel will turn to Jesus: 144,000 as from each Tribe of Israel will believe in him.  If “This Generation” refers to The Age of Wicked Unbelieving Israel, then “This Generation” will necessarily persist until all of Israel accepts the Messiah during the midpoint of the tribulation and for a short time after that until all unbelievers are destroyed from the earth. At that point, “This wicked generation” will “pass away” as all the things Christ predicted (including his return) will have taken place – and the new generation (one could even say the “re-generation” of Israel) will no longer have a heart of stone (Ezekiel 36:26), but will finally accept Jesus!  This reconciles the events of AD 70, the extended length of the church age, and all of the Great Tribulation predictions without the need for grammatical interpretations or to fret about the end times events not taking place while those individuals he originally spoke to were still alive. Paul echoed this in Romans 11:25 stating that “Israel has experienced hardening in part until the full number of Gentiles has come in.”

Not Convinced? Let us Delve Even Further to Support this Hypothesis

              Perhaps you are beginning to agree that defining “This Generation” as having an evil and unbelieving disposition makes sense (and I have more quotes from Jesus to support that below), but let’s say you are not quite on board with the concept of “This Generation” being an entire age of the world.  For that, let’s look at Psalm 71:18.  The Hebrew word for “This Generation” is "dowr" (which we also saw in Deut. 32:5).  “Dowr” is defined as a period, age, or generation (period of time).  In this Psalm David states "I declare Your strength to this generation, Your power to all who are to come.”  I use a Hebrew example because I believe Jesus would have been speaking in Hebrew or Aramaic, so it is possible he used a word like “dowr” which was later translated into Greek “genea” when the Gospels were written down.  David parallels “This Generation” with “all who are to come” – confirming the interpretation of this Hebrew word as an “age.” For a first century Jew like Jesus, the use of a term for “generation” to mean an “age” would thus be established.  Jesus also attributes the Pharisees’ demand for a sign in Mark 8:12 as a request by the entire generation.  A few individuals ask for a sign and Jesus identifies this as an encounter with the whole “generation” – thus making the Pharisees who were alive at that time into an archetype of This Generation comprising an entire age of willful blindness.  One could argue that those Pharisees only represented the generation alive at that time, but there is no reason view “This Generation” that narrowly.  From an eternal perspective, every child of Israel from the time Jesus entered the world as God in the flesh till the end of the age who likewise rejects Messiah would be part of the same crooked generation Moses predicted, just as all children of Adam partake in Adam’s sin.  In a sense, Israel may have also extended that rejection to the future when they said, “Let his blood be on us and our children!” (Matthew 27:25).

Now We Can Take a Look at Jesus’ other Uses of the Term “This Generation”

              This section provides further support for the evil/faithless/blind disposition of “This Generation.”  Jesus’ references to this phrase are literally everywhere!  In Mark 8:12 the Pharisees have come to Jesus to argue with him.  They were seeking a sign from heaven to test him.  "And he sighed deeply in his spirit and said, ‘Why does this generation seek a sign?  Truly, I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation.’"  In the parallel passage in Matthew 16:1-4 Jesus rebukes the Pharisees for being blind to the signs already clear to those who were looking, and after he makes reference to an "evil and adulterous generation" he states flatly that the only sign he will give them is his resurrection from the dead (here cryptically referred to as the sign of Jonah). There were many signs of the times to which they were blind (The fulfillment of Daniel's prophesy of the weeks, the healings he had already performed, the star and possible other heavenly signs that heralded his birth to the wise men, the voice from heaven at his baptism and many others). And the fact that they missed the obvious signs seems to exasperate Jesus! - See Luke 12:54  “You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky. How is it that you don't know how to interpret this present time?” These missed signs are a topic for another study, but for our purpose let us take note of the things that Jesus associates with "This Generation" in Mark 8:12 and Matthew 16:1-4

1) It exasperates Jesus, - makes him sigh deeply like a parent who has just found a child with his hand in the cookie jar for the 40th time this week.

2) It is characterized by evil and adultery

3) It is blind to the signs of the times. So, in a word, a "blind" (perhaps willfully blind) generation.

4) Faithless or unbelieving - a person who has already witnessed proof would only ask for additional proof when that person doesn't want to believe.  It is this persistent commitment to unbelief that is evil, not necessarily the honest unbelief of a "doubting" Thomas.

Matthew 12:43-45

              This is a very similar passage in which the Scribes demand a sign from Jesus to which he responds "An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah."  He then goes on to state that the men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.  The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it… for something greater than Solomon is here.  From this passage we can pull out the following definitions of "This Generation"

This Generation is...

1) Evil and adulterous

2) It is more stubborn in its refusal to repent or to believe and show the proper awe and respect for "Something greater" than the men of Nineveh or the queen of the South were.  See also, Hebrews 3:3 "For Jesus has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses - as much more glory as the builder of a house has more honor than the house itself."             
3) This wicked generation will be condemned at the judgment for the above mentioned faults.

Note: this does not contradict the generation-is-an-age hypothesis since those Jews whom Jesus physically interacted with in the 1st Century are merely ambassadors for all who have lived after Christ’s incarnation. All of us who live in the post-incarnation age have benefitted from seeing the “sign of Jonah” i.e. Jesus death and resurrection.  And we have the Bible as well as the testimony of multiple witnesses of Christ’s life and teachings to rely on (which the men of Nineveh did not have).  So, this post-incarnation age has no excuse for stubbornly rejecting Christ even though his signs and his glory are greater than the wisdom of Solomon or the preaching of Jonah, or even the law of Moses.

 Matthew 12:43

              Here we have cryptic reference to what happens after an unclean spirit comes out of a man.  It goes and brings with itself seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter the man and dwell there, "and the last state of that person is worse than the first. So also will it be with this evil generation."  Jesus point here appears to be that it would have been better for the Jews to have lived in ignorance than to see and understand that Messiah has come and yet remain willfully blind.  Once again we see that This Generation is characterized not by its position in time, but by its wickedness: it is evil, and willfully blind.  Compare II Peter 2:19-21, speaking of false teachers, “the last state has become worse for them than the first.  For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them”

Mark 8:38

              "For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels."  From this passage we can further define "This Generation" as follows:

1) This Generation is adulterous and sinful.  This Generation is like a wayward wife, it has forsaken the true God and his Son for a false god of self-worship and worldly rewards.

2) Christ will be ashamed of those in This Generation who are ashamed of him.  Here there is a hint of the contrast in Jesus mind between A) the present state of Israel (evil generation) and B) the future state of Israel when Jesus comes in the glory of his Father. 

Mark 9:19

              "O faithless generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you?"  Again, we see that This Generation is defined by being “faithless.” Jesus asked this question directly after he was told that his disciples were not able to cast out an evil spirit.  In this context, at first it appears Jesus is referring to the lack of faith of those on earth during his ministry.  But, once again we will see that this can be expanded to the entire Age.  He defines This Generation as those that he is "with," and "bearing with" and he alludes to the fact that his time is short and there will come a time when he is not "with" This Generation (on earth). For some background, see John 16:28: “I came from the Father and have come into the world, and now I am leaving the world and going to the Father.”  It is important to understand that Jesus was always cognizant of the fact that his physical time here on earth was limited and that he would only bear with This Generation for a while.  His title Emmanuel "God with us" applies here literally. But notice that the timespan that is temporary here is the time Jesus was allotted on earth, however, his statement does not in any way indicate that "this faithless generation" is of the same limited time span.  Jesus implies that while he will choose to "bear with" this faithless age of Israel for only a short while longer, then this faithless generation will be deprived of his physical presence and "This Generation" (by contrast) will continue on without him for an unspecified amount of time.  See Figure 1 below for an Eternal Perspective on how God interacted through Jesus with an entire Age during his short time on earth.

Eternal Perspective: Figure 1

Luke 11:50-51

              "so that the blood of all the prophets, shed from the foundation of the world, may be charged against this generation, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who perished between the altar and the sanctuary.  Yes, I tell you, it will be required of this generation."  So, now we see that this is a murderous generation.  And, although he was speaking foremost to willfully blind Jewish leaders it is not limited to their position, or their specific time.  It appears his accusation that they are just like their fathers who killed the prophets was confirmed when, following in their father's footsteps the unbelieving chief priests and the elders of the Jewish people of Jesus day delivered Jesus to Pilate demanding his crucifixion in Matthew 27.  They state in Matthew 27:25 "His blood be on us and on our children!"  By putting to death the final and perfect prophet of God, they confirm that they are of the same evil spirit as their fathers who killed the prophets and by calling down the blood curse upon themselves and their children, they are in essence making themselves and all succeeding offspring guilty of the murder of all of the prophets since the foundation of the world!  The original prophet killers may not have been as guilty because of their ignorance, but “This Generation” (epitomized by the Jewish leaders) knows the full truth, has seen the Light and has rejected it!  Hell is the second death, and death is the penalty for prophet murderers.  So by suffering the second death, “This Wicked Generation” including the Jewish leaders and all those in this age who cling to its evil (refusing to “save themselves from this wicked generation” by believing in Jesus) will be held accountable for the murder of the prophets.  Jesus confirmed this in Matthew 21:33-44 in the parable of the tenants.  He tells the story of a master of a house (God) who planted a vineyard (the vineyard representing the Kingdom of God and all of his revelation of himself etc. to bless the earth) he leases it to tenants (God entrusted his law and revelations/the Kingdom of God to Israel, and more specifically to the chief priests and teachers of the law) but instead of yielding to God and producing fruit, the tenants kill all of the Master's servants (the prophets) that he sends to get his fruit.  Finally, after killing all of the servants, they kill the son and heir in an attempt to steal the inheritance for themselves.  The result is that the tenants are destroyed, and the vineyard is given to other tenants (the Disciples of Christ). Matthew states that the Pharisees perceived that he spoke this parable about them (not against all Jews) and lest we jump to the conclusion that all Israel has been excluded and the “other tenants” are Gentiles, Paul sets us straight in Romans 11.  Paul concludes that Israel stumbled in order that the Gospel would be spread to all the world (Gentiles), but that God has not rejected them.  "A partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. " (Rom 11:25).  Their unbelieving state will continue until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.  Jesus said the Gospel will be preached to all the world and then the end will come.  After the time of the Gentiles is complete, Paul quotes an Old Testament passage: "The Deliverer will come from Zion, he will banish ungodliness from Jacob" so that Israel will be grafted back into the Kingdom of God and in the end will be saved.  So from this I will conclude that although it appears at first that “This Generation” is meant to apply only to the Jewish leaders in Jesus' day who persist in unbelief, it's definition is not limited to their time, or their position as leaders.  This Generation can continue to be understood to apply both to the Pharisees of Jesus day, and to their children (by their own blood curse and by virtue of the fact that they represent the entire Age).  Indeed, punishment came in AD 70 and has resulted in other terrible judgements which will culminate in the destruction of any remaining unbelievers during the tribulation.  But when he banishes ungodliness from Jacob, then “This Generation” will pass away.

Acts Chapter 2 – This Generation Defined Outside the Gospels

              In Acts Chapter 2, Peter addresses the "men of Israel (vs 22) and calls them "brothers" (vs 29), saying "let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified" and he exhorted them saying, "Save yourselves from this crooked generation." - (vs 40).  In this passage it would appear that Peter is defining "This Generation" much the same as Jesus did.  Peter identifies "This Generation" as "crooked" and calls his Jewish "brothers" to save themselves from it by repenting and being baptized into the name of Jesus for the forgiveness of their sins.  The promise, says Peter is for you and for "your children," suggesting that the crooked generation that they can save themselves from will continue into the lives of their offspring for an undefined amount of time.  Hebrews Chapter 3 Echoes Peter’s sermon.  In Hebrews 3:13 the writer declares “But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called today, that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.” And in Heb 3:9-10 he states "...your fathers put me to the test and saw my works for forty years. Therefore I was provoked with that generation, and said, 'They always go astray in their heart; they have not known my ways.”  The author of Hebrews exhorts his brothers not to behave like “that generation” which was characterized by their ignorance of God and propensity to go astray.  The “day” we are currently in (called “today”) is the “year of the Lord’s favor” as proclaimed by Jesus when he read from Isaiah 61:2 in the Synagogue (Luke 4:21) at his first visitation to earth.  This day will continue until God brings in the Day of the Lord’s vengeance at the end of the age when Jesus returns to carry out God’s wrath as the rest of Isaiah 61:2 indicates.   In Heb 4:7 the author states that God "...appoints a certain day, 'Today,' saying through David so long afterward, in the words already quoted, ‘Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.’"  So both Peter and the author of Hebrews call on their brothers in Israel to save themselves from This Generation by believing in Jesus.  In Heb 9:8-9 "the way into the holy places is not yet opened as long as the first section [of the holy places in the temple] is still standing (which is symbolic for the present age)."  Thus, when Jesus died for our sins and the curtain in the temple that separated us from the Holy of Holies was torn in two, we were granted a doorway from the fate of “This evil Generation” into the very presence of God.

So, to Piece it all Together, “This Generation” is Described Below

In Character:

1)          faithless,

2)          evil,

3)          adulterous,

4)          sinful,

5)          blind,

6)          similar to a twice demon possessed man who is worse off than if he had never been delivered of the original demon,

7)          exasperating to Jesus.

In Time:

An age of Israel contrasted in time against the men of Nineveh and Queen of the South (past), but which will continue after Jesus is removed from it for an unspecified amount of time (current) and will pass away when he returns again (future).  The distinguishing factor between the two time periods is the appearance of Jesus (something greater than Jonah) – separating Israel’s time into two eras: Before Christ and After Christ (with the “After Christ” portion being known as “This Generation”). 

Represented by certain archetypes including:

1)          Chief priests

2)          Elders, Pharisees, Teachers of the Law and leaders of the 1st Century Jewish people (and by the blood curse extended to their offspring),

3)          Jesus’ own Disciples (on at least one occasion when they acted faithless).

An Unrelated but Confusing Passage

              Before moving on to some other passages outside the Gospels, we should examine one more scripture:  Mark 9:1.  Initially this appeared to be another reference to This Generation, but most troubling to me was the fact that Jesus made it absolutely plain that he was talking about those 1st century people who were standing there with him, and not about a time or age of Israel.  However, after further study it is clear that the passage in Mark 9:1 is NOT a “This Generation” passage, nor is it a reference to his Second Coming. In Mark 9:1 Jesus says, "Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power. Note the words "come" and "power." This should not be confused with his "This Generation" phrase.  This passage never uses the term "This Generation" and in the very next verse Jesus is transfigured and glorified in the presence of some of his disciples.  The Transfiguration literally happened while "some here" had not tasted death.  (Isn’t it interesting that when Jesus wants to refer only to those standing around him, he uses different terminology altogether?)   Jesus is the King, so when he was glorified, those standing with him on the Mount of Transfiguration had seen the Kingdom come in power.  Peter himself was there and describes this event in II Peter 1:16-17 "…we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ…we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, 'This is my beloved Son, which whom I am well pleased,' we ourselves heard this very voice…" 

So, Peter indicates that the Transfiguration was an event that demonstrated the power and coming of the Kingdom (Jesus).  In essence the Kingdom of God had come in power. 

Some Other Biblical Insights from Scriptures Outside the Gospels

              Let’s examine a few other scriptures to back up the position that “This Generation” represents an age of Israel. 

In Genesis 6:9-12 - Noah was "blameless in his generation" vs. "all flesh" on earth which was "corrupt."  It is interesting that the Ark of Noah prefigures the salvation of Christ and Noah was found blameless in his generation, quite literally saving himself from his crooked generation by his faith and obedience to simply step into the ark.  Jesus indicates the current corrupt state will continue until his return: see Matthew 24:37-As were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.  In this analogy, we gain insight again into the implied identity of This Generation.  Although Jesus does not use the phrase here, through the implied affinity with the pre-flood era, we understand that this "wicked generation" is similar to Noah’s era because his return will be unexpected to those who belong to This Wicked Generation of the Israel, and by extension to all unbelievers.  Although not explicitly stated, it is interesting to note that the current state of “all flesh” on earth in “This Generation” has been repeatedly described by Jesus in other verses as evil or "corrupt" (which Paul confirms in Romans 3:23: “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” ).  I believe the similarity continues: As in Noah’s Age, we have been provided an “Arc” of salvation from the coming destruction and God, in his mercy, delays the coming wrath not wanting any to perish (2 Peter 3:9).  This delay was not overlooked by Jesus; in fact, it was vehemently anticipated and was the subject of Jesus’ warnings (Matthew 24:44 “Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”) Jesus knew many would view the delay as a license to become complacent.  If he anticipated such a delay, why would some people assume his “This Generation” statement to be an incorrect prediction of his 1st Century return?

1 Cor 2:5-8 – More Support for the Generation-is-an-Age Hypothesis

              The following is a quote from 1 Cor 2:5-8.  I am placing my commentary on this verse in brackets to highlight how This Generation is used as a synonym for this age: "that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.  Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age” [Note the word ‘aion’, is used but we can insert “This Generation”] “...or of the rulers of this age [Pharisees/teachers of the law/chief priests and Pilot of the Gentiles were archetypes of  the  entire Age/Generation], who are doomed to pass away [evil generation along with its representatives and demonic overlords will pass away with the current heaven and earth as Jesus predicted in Matthew 24:34].  But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God [The Gospel], which God decreed before the ages [anticipated for all eternity] for our glory.  None of the rulers of this age [Archetypes of this evil generation] understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory."  Note that this passage uses the same terminology as Jesus used about “This Generation” when it states that this age will “pass away.”  This enforces the idea that “This Generation” can be viewed as an age of the earth.  If those who put Christ to death are “rulers of this age” then it follows that any statement or rebuke Jesus directed toward them was a statement spoken to an entire age of the earth.  Also, the “rulers of this age” may refer more broadly to the satanic principalities pulling the strings of the earthly rulers.  Those satanic rulers are behind the evil of “This Generation” and will also pass away when Christ’s kingdom is established.

Galations 1:3-4

              "Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age [aion]."  Here, Paul uses a phrase reminiscent of the description of "This Generation" that Jesus often used. He calls it an "evil age" and uses the word "present" as if to imply that there will be a future age that is not evil.  Although the word used is "age," it seems similar in usage to “generation” both in the context of being evil and in terms of being present vs. future. It mirror’s Peters use of “This Generation” in Acts Chapter 2, and Jesus also mirror's this understanding in Matthew 12:32 "And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age [aion] or in the age to come"

Luke 19:11

              To those who would accuse Jesus of wrongly predicting his first century return, he even told a parable to make sure we were not misunderstanding him: “As they heard these things, he proceeded to tell a parable, because he was near to Jerusalem, and because they supposed that the kingdom of God was to appear immediately.” In this parable Jesus likens himself to a nobleman who went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and then return.  Since he told this specifically to combat the belief that the kingdom was to appear immediately, and because he would be like one going to a “far country” it would be absurd to assume that “This Generation” was limited to the life span of his audience. Also, see Luke 21:24 where Jesus declares, “Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.”  The first century destruction of Jerusalem was clearly only the beginning of the Time of the Gentiles not the end of it.

Closing Thoughts

The time of the Gentiles has been a long period (from our limited perspective).  However, it may be drawing to a close.  Over the past 2,000 years we have always had earthquakes and wars, (and we are seeing even more of them), but we have not had Jews back in Israel until recently.  It appears that we are very near the end of This Generation.  The Age of Wicked Unbelieving Israel will soon close and all of God’s people will then have his laws written on their hearts.  I hope that you have found this deep exploration edifying and that it presents a viable explanation for Jesus’ often misunderstood statement in Matthew 24:34.

Epilogue

One final interesting way of approaching this passage that I have not seen discussed.  This is rather cerebral, but Jesus is brilliant so read on!

              The statement in Matthew 24:34 would say something like this, “This Generation Age of Wicked Unbelieving Israel will not pass away until all these things [that my WORDS have predicted] take place.  Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away."  Careful examination of the structure of Jesus Matthew 24:34 statement may provide another compelling argument for the Age of Wicked Unbelieving Israel interpretation.  As I studied the passage, it became clear that, like a riddle, Jesus may have hidden the answer within the statement itself!  Let me explain:  this entire sentence could be similar to a Hebrew Poetic device known as synonymous parallelism.  This passage is not a poem or psalm, but given the parallel structure, I am theorizing that it perhaps it is a rabbinical device similar to a synonymous parallelism.  A synonymous parallelism is a Hebrew Poetic device used to drive home a point.  With poetic rhythm, a thought is stated and then elaborated. A parallelism may be described as the recurring of symmetrically constructed sentences, the several members of which usually correspond to one another. In this poetic device, logical rhythm is distinguished from rhythm that is merely verbal. Psalm 71:18 listed above is a perfect example where the thought in the first line “your strength” is paralleled in the second line by “your power” and “This Generation” in the first line is parallel to “all who are to come” in the second line. [see http://www.bible-researcher.com/hebrew-poetry.html].  So, going back to Matthew 24:34, “This Generation” corresponds to “Heaven and Earth”  - thus implying that This Generation extends to the end of the Age.  And “all these things” which Jesus predicted correspond to “my words.”  But it is even more profound, for Jesus has also buried something like an Antithetic Parallelism in the phrase in which the second member of a line (or verse) gives the obverse side of the same thought, e.g. Proverbs 10:1: “[i] A wise son gladdens his father, But [ii] a foolish son grieves his mother”

So, “gladdens” is the opposite of “grieves,” and “father” is the opposite of “mother.” And “Wise” is the antithesis of “foolish.” Similarly, our Matthew 24:34 passage contrasts what “will pass away” with what “will not pass away.”  In the first line, Jesus is telling us that This Generation WILL NOT pass away until his words/predictions WILL take place, and in the second line, it is reversed but has the same meaning in an antithetical way. Now we see that… his words WILL NOT pass away, but heaven and earth WILL.

In other words: “This Generation” [Concept A] is related to “Heaven and Earth [Concept A-expounded]  which WILL [positive form] pass away [Concept C].  And “all these things” [Concept B] is related to “my words” [Concept B-expounded] which will “NEVER” (antithetical negative) pass away” [Concept C].  This is in line with John’s revelation of the end times, see Rev 21:1 “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away…”  There is also an implied question and answer in this statement.  It is as though Jesus is telling us in the first line that This Generation will not pass away until all his words are fulfilled, and then anticipating a question, “why would your words outlast This Generation?” and the answer is that This Generation of heaven and earth may seem like it is lasting a long time, but that this age is indeed temporary, while his words (in contrast) are permanent and certain to be fulfilled.  His predictions will be fulfilled, and his teachings will still be true in the New Heaven and New Earth.  This very concept of his words being permanent, even more permanent than heaven and earth itself, both enforces the certainty of his predictions and the implied length of the time span of This Generation (which will last until the end of the age and then pass away while his words remain).  Of course there will be a 1,000 year millennial reign starting at the end of the age before heaven and earth finally pass away, but “This Generation” will cease when that millennial kingdom begins and that kingdom will last forever.

What Can We Do?

“…let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” ~ Mat. 5:16

Lately, I have been troubled by a reoccurring question: what can I do?  All around me, evil seems to be spreading, Truth is obscured, people are suffering, and the world seems to have lost its collective mind.  There is such darkness, I keep asking:  what can I do to stop this?  Surely, there must be a solution, and I want to be a part of it! I have also heard others express the same sentiment.  In a world that is collapsing around us, where evil seems to be on the rise, we can no longer afford to sit back and watch. 

The question is, what is the most effective way for Christians to engage?

Before we get into the direct answer to that, I think there is some baggage behind this question that should be unpacked first. When I ask this question, I sense within me a yearning to change the world back to the way it was - to instantly impact the universe I inhabit with some grand scheme that will restore everything to normal so that I can go back to the comfortable life I used to live.  My spirit tells me that may not be a worthy motive, or an attainable objective.

So, can I do something that will actually make a dent in this evil? 

Is it foolish to think I can single-handedly drive back the darkness?  For starters, I am only one person, and I am bound by my own limited power, fame, and influence.  For another thing, the world has already changed and it is never possible to turn back the clock to a time that is gone.  Also, I recognize that this question may betray latent slothfulness on my part.  Why do I want to jump into the arena?  If it is just to restore normalcy, do I really want to go back to sleep?  To return to a meaningless world where the overt pain I feel in the face of real obstacles is shoved back under the surface to simmer in the subtle stew of indolence?  Real challenges, after all, produce real character, and it is in these times that we find out what we are truly made of. 

On the other hand, if his motives are true, one person can accomplish a lot and impact things in ways he never imagined - like a ripple from a pebble tossed onto the still surface of a lake.  And even if each person is quite limited in his individual influence, it still stands to reason that if many people take action simultaneously, their combined diligence can move mountains.  More than that, God possesses an overabundance of the power needed to make up for our limitations if we walk with him.  But even if one person will make little difference, it is important to acknowledge that the result of my faithfulness is not up to me.  The results of our faithfulness are outside of our control. 

All I can do is to be trustworthy with the gifts Jesus gave me. Whether that actually impacts the world is irrelevant.  It is my duty.

Nevertheless, I do believe that one person can make a difference when that person’s motives are pure and his ally is God, so let’s look at what specifically can be done to combat the evil of our time.

First, (I say this to myself more than to you) - We must pray! 

If we are not begging the one who created reality to help us change reality, how far are we really going to get?  Satan is the god of this world, his power and influence are great, and as the hymn (A Mighty Fortress is our God) says, “armed with cruel hate, on earth is not his equal.” So, it is silly for us to think that we can win a spiritual battle against such a foe with purely human and earthly means.  We must all pray earnestly and frequently. “if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ.” ~ 2 Cor. 4:3-4.

Second, we should impact the closest sphere of our influence and then extend outward. 

I must start each day by getting back in fellowship with God - reminding myself to be thankful for the blessings I still enjoy, confessing my sins, and asking humbly for his help.  Each day I wake up and still breath is a gift.  

1. So, the first sphere of influence is myself. I must separate myself from evil before I can hope to defeat it in the world. This involves exposing my mind to to the words of the Bible daily so that it can be shaped and transformed - (and protected!). Also, I think each person must find his or her ultimate purpose. God has given each of us gifts and we should find out what those are and use them.

2. The next sphere, is our family. If I am a poor husband and father, I am already contributing to the downfall of society by having priorities that are distorted. I must raise the next generation in the ways of God, or they will likely turn out to be little hedonists, and the Devil will crush them.

3. After that, is my church. It is important to find a church that truly believes in Jesus and that has real tangible strategies to spread the gospel and speak the truth. I can support this church with my time, gifts, energy and funds. Each church is a lamp in the darkness, without which the evil in our world accelerates unchecked. The church is a platform to spread the gospel which is the power of God to destroy the works of the Devil. This Gospel is our most important weapon against the present darkness!

   Only the kingdom of God activated in men’s hearts will change the actions of individuals and nations.

4. The last sphere is the marketplace. This includes all of our daily interactions with others in our work and while running errands etc. If we are walking with Jesus, we will identify and use opportunities to share the hope that is in us with our friends and acquaintances. Just be ready to tell others what Jesus has done for you. That is the power of our individual testimony. The marketplace also includes active citizenry. If we have grown in the Word of God, it will be clear to us who to vote for, because we can evaluate what candidates and propositions align with God’s laws. This final sphere is vital, for if we spend all our time on our personal growth and do not impact the world we live in, we are not effective. We are not being the “salt of the earth” that Jesus spoke of (Mat. 5:13). We must live out our faith in real action, we can no longer afford to keep our lights hidden (Mat. 5:14). That action should not stop with voting. Many of us should volunteer to be poll watchers, sit on boards and committees and run for political office. Those of us who can’t should support those who do. Churches should help to organize these efforts rather than being passive and neutral. Through organized efforts, the power of one can be multiplied through a hierarchy of influence.

So, what can we do?  I think we can each do something. And, collectively, we can do a lot to combat evil if our motives are pure, our priorities well ordered, and our purpose is clear.  When we find the purpose God put us here for and start living that out, the power unleashed is difficult to overestimate.  Indeed, that is what I’m trying to do by writing this: using my platform and gifts of writing and music to encourage you, so that together we can take back the ground that was lost during the years of the church’s complacency.  We will never go back to “the way things were,” but we can live in victory as we look to a future full of hope.  Each day is a battle with real evil, but we walk hand in hand with The One who has already conquered it.  We will either take back this ground now, or we will experience a temporary delay and soon return to see him conquer all evil in the blink of an eye at the final trumpet (1 Cor. 15:52-58).

“Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.” ~ 1 Cor 15:58.

Become who you were born to be.  Resist evil. Do not comply.  Overcome darkness with the power of God in each of the spheres of your life and you will no longer need to ask “what can I do?” for you will know you have done all that you can and that is enough. Your conscience is clear.

The result is up to Jesus.

~ Joshua

Should We Continue to Resist Evil in the Last Days?

“Let us not grow weary of doing good“ ~ Gal. 6:9

As we have seen the world coming apart at the seams in the past couple of years of the pandemic, I have heard (and also thought to myself in one form or another) the following sentiment: “if the world we know is coming to a dreadful end very soon - and evil is only going to increase as the ancient prophecies proclaim - then, why should we waste time resisting that which is inevitable?  To put it another way: “if the bad guys are prophesied to take over the world before the final rule of Christ (when he returns to eradicate sin and death) why not just let the evil-doers win, thereby hastening Christ’s return?” 

I can certainly understand the thought process behind this question, and I believe many are asking it.  It appears obvious that we are coming to the End of the Age, and evil is so all-consuming and pervasive, it seems insurmountable.  And anyway, didn’t the book of Revelation indicate that the world will eventually be ruled by the Antichrist in the end times? 

Why should we resist world government when it is pre-ordained to happen?  

Let me give a few of reasons why I think giving up is not a good idea or a viable option: First, we are still here!  Jesus has not come to rapture his church which is probably the main thing standing in the way of the unmitigated spread of evil and resulting empire of the Antichrist. Prophecy was given to us so that we might know who wins the final battle and have hope in the worst of times so that we might not give up, but instead persist with all vigilance!  To derive any other motive from the prophets would be entirely missing the point.  Indeed, to conclude we should stop resisting evil would be the opposite of their intended purpose.  In the case of Christ’s return, it was not given to us to know the exact time so that we could see the “writing on the wall” and fall into passive compliance. Jesus admonished that none know the time of his return as he will come like a thief in the night:  “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven,” - Matt. 24:36.

Second, even if we did know the exact time of his return, we are still called to be salt and light in this rotting and dark world (Matt. 5:13).  

It is against the very nature of a Christ-follower to ignore or go along with evil, for we cannot help being the light that we were created to be until Jesus takes us home or comes back for us.  

Moreover, there have been many times in history when God relented from his imminent plans for destruction after his people repented, and punishment was delayed or reversed.  See 2 Kings 20 - where Hezekiah prayed earnestly and God added fifteen years to his life and also delayed the destruction of Judah when it was threatened by the invading army of Assyria.  Or look at Exodus 32:10-12, when God said he would destroy the people and start over with Moses, but relented when Moses interceded for Israel.  It may well be that if Christians across the world rise up and resist evil, we will see a time of peace and blessing again.  But, in any case, it is never a good idea to let evil spread, as it always leads to suffering and the death of many vulnerable people (including children) whom we are called to protect.   

To allow evil to persist unchecked is itself a form of wickedness.  

There have been times in history when people swore it was the end of the world.  For example, when Islamic forces invaded Christendom around 700 AD, horrible death and destruction was wrought.  Catholics were tortured and churches were desecrated.  It was really bad, but it was far from the descriptions of apocalyptic destruction brought to us by the book of Revelation.  

So, while we must be ready for the end at any moment and watchful of the season we are in, we should never be too quick to assume that the end is going to happen in our lifetime in the sense of using that as an excuse for inaction.

Finally, even if resisting evil ends up to be a losing battle for the Church of our time and the end does occur within our lifetime, we may still provide a life boat to the poor passengers on this sinking Titanic we call earth.  By spreading the gospel, praying for positive change, and participating in civic activities to foster Biblical standards in society, we can still shine the light of salvation and take millions of souls with us to heaven before the curtain of the Age is drawn and Christ returns in power to remove evil once and for all.  

Christ wins.  That is the only inevitable truth.

Gal. 6:9-10 “9 And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. 10 So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone.”

So, don’t give up.  Instead, shine the light like never before.  His light is coming quickly.

~Joshua

Jesus’ Primary Attribute: Love

“The earth is full of the steadfast love of the LORD.” ~ Psalm 33:5

We have spoken before of the fact that Jesus embodies a combination of dissimilar attributes and that this union should inspire our astonishment and admiration.  However, in the mingling of these characteristics of Jesus, there is one part of his nature that illustrates the sum of his glory, and that is love.  

Jesus is, and declared himself to be, God in the flesh, so let us look at the first time God came to earth to communicate his nature in spoken and written words to mankind when he met Moses on Mount Sinai.

Exodus 34:6-7

“5 The LORD  descended in the cloud and stood with him [Moses] there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD. 6 The LORD passed before him and proclaimed, ‘The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love [chesed] and faithfulness [emeth], 7 keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.’”

The very first thing God spoke about himself and his nature was that he is merciful and not just slightly loving, but “abounding” in steadfast love.  This suggests an overflow of love, more love than is even needed (if that were possible).  In John 3:16 Jesus uttered the unforgettable phrase that “God so loved the world that he gave his only son.”  

His love is deep and passionate. It pursues until it finds us like a hunter in the field.  Except in this case, rather than killing his prey, this hunter is willing to die just to capture us with his love.  

There are other attributes of Jesus that people like to focus on, (such as his power and sovereignty, or, when thinking of God - his justice) but if we lose sight of that which he labels his primary attribute, then I believe we come away with a distorted view of his nature.  And if our goal is to be like Jesus, we would do well to understand his primary descriptor fully so that we can emulate it.

At this point, we need to take a step back though, and define “Love” since this is probably the most misunderstood word in the English language.  The Greek language has multiple words for Love, which I think is wise, but let’s look at the Hebrew language as that was the language of the Old Testament.  The word here translated, “steadfast love” is an interesting word in Hebrew - “chesed.”  

I first encountered this word in Psalm 33:4-6 

“4 For the word of the LORD is upright, and all his work is done in faithfulness [emuwnah]. 5 He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the steadfast love [chesed] of the LORD. 6 By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host.”

Now Jesus was identified by John as the Word of God, and in John 1:1-3 he confirmed that Jesus, as the Word of God, was with God in the beginning and that the Universe was made through Jesus: “all things were made through him.”  Paul agrees with this in Colossians 1:15-16, “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible.”  So, by the Word of the LORD (who is Jesus), the universe was made, and he is a God of steadfast love. Therefore, it follows that the God of Love would have left the imprint of his primary nature on all of creation.  The whole earth then is necessarily full of steadfast love.  This word, translated “steadfast love” is “chesed” and indicates covenant love including goodness, kindness, mercy, and faithfulness. It is the word used for love after taking the marriage vow vs. “ahava” which is used for love before the marriage vow.  Both Psalm 33 and Exodus 34:6-7 also make reference to faithfulness “emuwnnah” or “emeth” - both carry the sense of firmness, fidelity, steadfastness, and steadiness.  Remember that Jesus is God: the author of reality, and Truth is that which conforms to reality. So, “emeth” carries that weight of firm truth.

God works assuredly, he does not falter, his word can be trusted, it conforms to reality and does not change.  

His firm and trustworthy love of justice and faithfulness is shown in creation.  The orderliness of the heavens, the structure of the continents and oceans (the existence of mathematics!) show that he is a God of order, power and absolute law. When he speaks, things ARE. There is no wavering, no doubt. His word is real, firm and True, just like the laws that govern nature.  And his love is unwavering, it can be absolutely relied upon.  Moreover, his love is shown in this world to the just and the unjust - even those in deep sin can awaken to a glorious sunrise and eat fruit cultivated by his generous rain.

As you can see, the God who loves righteousness and justice and who’s love and unwavering reality is reflected in the very laws ordering all of creation, must love in a different way than we tend to think of love.  There is acceptance, yes, but also his love pursues and changes us.  

Jesus loves us to much to let us remain in sin, doing that which he knows will harm us.  

Today, we might call this “tough love” - a love that looks for the best in us and is not satisfied to let us go our own way to our detriment.  A parent showing tough love might allow a child to really struggle to accomplish something that the child didn’t think he could do, and then smile with great pride when the child finds that he can.  The same parent would not overlook discipline, knowing that through discipline, the child will learn right from wrong and will avoid painful consequences from poor decisions later in life.  Jesus loves in this way, and his love is a promise, it does not depart like romantic love.  Jesus will continue to love as an act of faithfulness, and his love is expressed in actions toward us, not just a feeling.  Finally, chesed is sacrificial.  There is no covenant love without a sacrifice.  In this case, Jesus sacrificed his own life to seal his unremitting love-covenant with us. 

It is actually because of Jesus’ love (not in spite of it) that he cannot tolerate sin, and his judgement will be dealt out against sin in his world.  Jesus wants us to spend eternity with him because he knows that is where we will be truly happy.  He also knows that sin separated us from that eternal relationship with him, so he sacrificed his own life on the cross to pay the penalty for our sin and restore us to relationship with him.  It is because of this that he can be a God who hates sin, loves justice and is also full of the most incomparable, all-consuming love.  Indeed it is this love that is the pinnacle of his varied and glorious attributes.

That is the Jesus we worship.  That is the Jesus worth admiring.

~Joshua

Has America Rejected the Wrong Jesus?

Since I was very young I have read the Bible and heard it preached... a lot.  All of my life, I have been struck by the many incongruities between what people say about Jesus, and what the Bible says about him.  Watching movies as a kid, I saw Heaven pictured as a place of clouds and light where we float around in endless boredom.   I saw paintings of Jesus on the wall that portrayed him as a gentle, almost effeminate man hugging children.  Is heaven boring?  If so, I would not want to go there.  Is Jesus unmanly? If so, I would not want to be like him.  (That is of course, assuming we have a good definition of what it is to be “manly” - showing virtuous strength, but not vulgarity).  

You see, the thing that makes Jesus a singular object of wonder, is a combination of disparate attributes.  

He is not merely gentle, he is also immensely powerful.  He is God and man, justice and mercy, laughter and sorrow in equal measures.  Yet, the Jesus that I think many people have grown accustomed to falls into a couple of very unappealing categories:  either he is an emotionless unblinking (kind of weak) saint with almost no personality (as he is painted in some movies), or he is my “best friend forever,” an unbearably trite caricature of a childhood imaginary friend.  Neither of these pictures inspires my undying devotion... or even passing respect.  

There are also inaccurate pictures of Jesus painted by religion in its various forms: from the hyper-focus on ritual embodied by certain denominational traditions, to the “health and wealth gospel” of the modern era replete with televangelists asking for money and the fairly frequent church leader caught in egregious sin falling spectacularly from the pinnacle of his carrier with some scandal or other.  With regard to ritual, I am not saying that meaningful ceremonies are, in themselves, bad provided they retain their meaning and are linked to a sincere expression of faith. Nevertheless, America looks on with boredom, suspicion and disgust at many of these manifestations.  For the casual observer, it is difficult to separate the varied sins of the Church from the character of Christ. As Paul said in Romans 2:23-24, “You who boast in the law dishonor God by breaking the law.  For, as it is written, ‘The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.’” 

Americans grew up associating Jesus with the uncomfortable process of putting on their “Sunday Best” combing their hair, and sitting through two or three hours of talking when they would rather be out doing something fun.  

This has only become harder as younger generations are exposed to entertainment in the form of video games and movies that shorten their attention spans. What’s more, the push to dress up made people feel like they had to have it all together in order to come to church, and they felt like they might be judged for being anything less than presentable.  

I am not going to lie, I have felt all of these things.  

I have felt boredom, I have fallen asleep in church, I have been depressed by the monotony, turned off by the superficial “hello, how are you?” Uncertain if getting together to sing a few pop-rock worship songs is really doing justice to an Almighty Transcendent being.  And at the end of the day, I have often wondered if I should invite someone else to share these unpleasant experiences with me.

I think what the world is looking for right now is Truth.  So, before we share our faith, we should ask ourselves, do we actually believe it?  Are we genuine?   Americans are getting offered some new sales pitch 1,000 times a day, they don’t want to be bothered with anything that is boring and disingenuous.  The good news is that we have just now entered a time where we really cannot be that way anymore!  This nation is slipping down a dark slope into the abyss, and I think many of us know that.  So, we can use the shear terror of the present to spur us into real action.  

I think that action starts with us - Individually and as families.

We cannot influence the world until we first influence ourselves and our families.  We should make a commitment to pray every day, and if we are married, we should pray with our spouses.  We should become students of the Bible, and not be satisfied with superficial knowledge, or anything that waters it down.  We cannot get by if we only read the Bible when we are in church.  If you get into the Bible for real, it is not a boring document, it is wonderful!   If we start to honestly live like we believe the Bible, then people will sense our integrity - that although we are not perfect, we are honest and try to keep our word.  

Then, when we do reach out to the world, we should speak the Truth in Love.  

We simply cannot afford to speak the Truth in condemnation anymore (but we also cannot withhold the truth to spare people’s feelings).  Wherever the truth is spoken, it will be offensive; however, we can speak it eloquently - with diligence, authenticity and passion. And when people are acquainted with Jesus, the True Jesus - awesome beyond measure, omnipotent - with power to create a trillion, trillion suns - and yet able sigh with enjoyment at the flight of a single sparrow... then perhaps Americans will accept Him.  I’m not convinced that they really understood the Jesus they thought they were rejecting.

One last thought: I hope that when genuine Christians gather, we will begin to find ways to embody the true spirit of Jesus so that our worship will not be boring or superficial.

This is one reason I have been creating epic music and video directed at presenting Jesus in his glory and highlighting points from the Bible.  I want people to experience that the Bible is exciting, and that Jesus is indescribably worthy of our adoration. I think when we encounter Transcendent Reality, our response should be unadulterated awe, because Jesus is beyond glorious!  (I hope we can do this in our churches sometime before public worship becomes illegal).  God, please help us in this.  We need to be genuine, give us a picture of who you really are so that we can share your wonders with this fallen world, and in this fallen country.  Please work through us so that America will see the real Jesus... and believe in him.  Amen.

~Joshua

What is Wrong with America?

What is Wrong with America?

I little over a year ago, I was blissfully going about my normal life.  Things were not great, but things were not bad either.  I had normal American concerns, household projects, stress at work, what should I do for entertainment this evening etc.  Then, like millions of others, I was suddenly plunged into a never-ending nightmare world.  Literally everything changed overnight.  One day I was at work and going to the gym, the next day I was at home feeling out of shape, out of kilter, and wondering how long this was going to last.

I started searching for answers, listening to news, podcasts, researching everything I could find.  Prior to the CCP virus, I had been able to shut myself out of the world for several years.  I didn’t usually get around to voting, and I couldn’t care less about the latest headlines (in fact, I didn’t want to know).  I had enough concerns of my own (or so I thought) and didn’t have time to waste paying attention to what was going on in another state, let alone another country.  So, when I began paying attention again, I ran across things that I had utterly missed, “Wow, I had no idea that pro athlete died in a helicopter accident! What a tragedy.”  It took me quite a while to get caught up, and I guess it is no surprise that you can only hide from the world for so long before the world will find you. 

Things that happen in other places often wind up making real, tangible changes to our own personal lives.  These things cannot be ignored forever.

One thing I discovered in my frantic searching, was that the cultural degeneration of America was far worse than I had realized.  Within the past four to eight years, the country I thought I knew had been changing drastically, and the rate of change increasing perhaps exponentially.  The seeds of these changes, I found, had begun to take shape over 100 years ago, and there were warning signs perhaps 45 years ago, but the past decade or less had seen truly massive shifts.

Rewind to over 100 years ago.  As near as I can understand it, around the time Darwin wrote his Origin of Species, people started to get very skeptical of religion in general and Christianity in particular.  The Sciences were helping humanity to make great discoveries, and mankind began to feel quite proud of our accomplishments and quite disdainful of old “superstitions.” Logic and the scientific method were adequate tools for discovering truth, and we no longer needed to posit the existence of some all-powerful being.  In any case, if we could explain how something worked, that took some of the wonder and mystery out of it, and brought it down to our playing field.  Books like the Bible came under increasing scrutiny and were subjected to “higher literary criticism.”  Proclaiming ourselves to be wise, mankind became rather puffed up and foolish.  “The sun is nothing more than an immense ball of gas, utilizing a process of nuclear fusion and floating in an eternal universe” - we said, while ignoring the staggeringly immense power it would take to make even one sun, let alone trillions upon trillions.  Somehow, the great unknown cause of all this matter and order was not worth talking about, so long as we could explain how most of it worked.  Of course, it doesn’t follow logically that if one can explain how something works, that somehow it means the object in question just popped into existence all on its own and is not astonishingly glorious.  And furthermore, who made the laws by which these things function…? these laws which we only discover, but do not invent? Strangely, none of these questions seemed to bother us too much.

During the first half of the 20th century, this foolishness continued.  As C.S. Lewis described in his book, The Abolition of Man, this “scientific” doubt about the existence of a Transcendent Being lead to a general doubt about anything Transcendent at all.  All of life must be explained as merely individuals reacting to their surroundings within a purely material universe without any overall purpose or meaning.  The example he used was from a schoolbook in which the writers had begun the subtle indoctrination of young schoolboys to believe that if they observed a beautiful waterfall, it was not actually beautiful.  It would be just a feeling that the observer has about the waterfall.  There is nothing inherently True, or beautiful, or worthy of honor in and of itself, but only our interpretations of things.  While doing their English Prep work, these philosophical suggestions were being implanted in the schoolboys minds  predisposing them to think (without even remembering where they got the idea) that all value judgements are purely subjective and trivial.  By removing the Transcendent, and explaining away everything, the education systems of England (and America soon afterward) were creating young men without passion or purpose.  Even in 1944, the modern educators were eradicating emotion and sentiment, reducing the world to something unbearably mundane.  As C.S. Lewis put it, “The task of the modern educator is not to cut down jungles but to irrigate deserts.  The right defense against false sentiments is it inculcate just sentiments.  By starving the sensibility of our pupils we only make them easier prey to the propagandist when he comes.  For famished nature will be avenged and a hard heart is no infallible protection against a soft head.” (The Abolition of Man, pg 27).  He also pointed out that removing all emotion from a student’s life will relegate them to a “slumber of cold vulgarity.”  A religion of materialism was being promulgated (the belief that what we see is all there is and there is no transcendent reality worthy in itself of our awe and wonder).  By doing these things, he pointed out on page 25 that the educators, “may be intending to make a clean sweep of traditional values and start with a new set.” And that, “while teaching him [the student] nothing about letters, [the modern educators] have cut out of his soul, long before he is old enough to choose, the possibility of having certain experiences which thinkers (of more authority than they) have held to be generous, fruitful, and humane.”  

What we see here in 1944, was the beginning of a concerted effort in the educational systems of Western Civilization, to create generations of men “without chests” - in other words, passionless, soulless men who do not believe in objective Truth, and view any emotional response to transcendent reality as “contrary to reason and contemptible.”  We are three-part creatures consisting of the head/intellect, the chest/soul, and the body/flesh.  Lewis reminded us that “Without the aid of trained emotions the intellect is powerless against the animal organism.”  Without this “chest” or soul, men will weaken, give in to animal instinct and cannot be virtuous.  It is not abstractions that inspired men to storm the beaches of Normandy, but passionate courage. Indeed, in my experience, there is a certain lack of genuineness when a man can speak only facts with no passion.  One wonders if he really believes what he is saying if it is delivered in monotones.  Moreover, to truly believe something, one must be grounded in objective reality.  As C.S. Lewis finished his first chapter, “We make men without chests and expect of them virtue and enterprise.  We laugh at honour and are shocked to find traitors in our midst.  We castrate and bid the geldings be fruitful.” (Pg 37). It was during this time that the “intellectual” first became a soulless animal.  But, mercifully, this festering disease had not yet become widespread in the population.  

...For that, it would need years more in the “educational system” and a world-wide information distribution platform...

So, here we are in 2021, we have seen the gradual and then sudden outflow of this destructive degeneration of philosophy develop into a fully grown specter of evil. Our post-modern “intellectuals” are utter fools, for not only have they given up on Objective Truth (& sentiment as a thus valid response to it) but they have debunked reason itself!  Furthermore, through the internet, smart phones, and social media, these destructive ideas have been spread rapidly - thereby completing our descent into insanity.  Suddenly, we find ourselves in a world where there is no truth, there is simply power, and the will to possess it. The “educators” have finally gotten their wish and created an entire generation of humans who want to abolish humanity.  In 2020, COVID-19 was added to the mix, and you have churches shut down thus closing the door to one of the only places people could go to be reminded of traditional values.  There is a push to replace those traditional values which again Lewis foresaw, “They claim to be cutting away the parasitic growth of emotion, religious sanction, and inherited taboos, in order that ‘real’ or ‘basic’ values may emerge.” (Pg 43).  A correct understanding of the human condition (or a brief reading of The Lord of the Flies) would suggest that these “basic” values are to be shunned, not embraced!

So, what is wrong with America?  

I believe we have accepted a false and destructive philosophy long taught in our schools, and then spread through our devices, and we are currently near the bloody end of the process of trying to make ourselves “better” - by destroying ourselves.  

“The rebellion of new ideologies against the Tao [ultimate Truth] is a rebellion of the branches against the tree: if the rebels could succeed they would find that they had destroyed themselves.” (The Abolition of Man Pg. 56).  And what we will end up with is just what the Book of Revelation predicted would happen - a totalitarian World State.  “What we call Man’s power over Nature turns out to be a power exercised by some men over other men with Nature as its instrument.” (Pg 67).  

Why did Americans allow this to happen?

America may never have been exactly a “Christian” nation in the sense of being governed by a “Christian” government, but it was was undeniably founded on a Judeo-Christian ethic.  The early colonists were largely comprised of Pilgrims and others who fled Europe to find a place where they could practice their denomination of Christianity in peace.  Thus, the early republic elected leaders who reflected the shared values of those deeply religious people.  

Over time, the influx of other cultures and religions with people who all claimed to know that their particular religion and culture was “True” caused people to recognize that they could not all be true, and therefore to question if anything was true.  Also, we were victims of our own success.  In our riches, we gave in to self-indulgence and moral compromise.

When a society loses belief in a shared Truth and begins to doubt that reason is a useful tool for finding it, then some form of “truth” must be imposed externally through coercion or the society will splinter into factions and civil war.  

Once objective Truth is removed from the equation, insanity results.  Without Truth, concepts like freedom and equality can be re-defined.  Freedom no longer means removing obstacles so that we can live virtuous lives, it becomes a continual push to remove all rules and boundaries even to the extent of total anarchy.  It becomes freedom to do whatever we want, all the time, with no consequences.  (Wisdom would remind us that this is actually a form of slavery to self-indulgence, and not true freedom). See Romans 6:16 - “Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?”  

Equality is redefined from equality of value before God and equality of opportunity, to equality of outcome.  We are all equal in value, and in America we should have similar opportunities, but clearly we have different abilities and aptitude’s and make different choices (some poor, and some good).  In a world where Truth and Reason rule, it can be agreed upon that equality of value is self-evident, (all men are created equal) and equality of opportunity is worthy goal. On the other hand, equality of outcome is unjust because it necessarily means government must rob those who make good choices (and/or have more ability) and distribute to those who make poor choices (and/or have less ability).  Distorted views of fairness, for example, would dictate that a four foot six inch man should be allowed to play professional basketball regardless of his skill etc.  In a functioning society, it is the role of a compassionate church to minister to the unusual circumstances of those less fortunate and who did not choose their difficult circumstances. The Church would also influence those making poor choices, to make better choices.  But it would be lunacy to reward those making poor choices, hooked on drugs, and homeless with the same outcome as, say, a highly successful businessman.  You would be reinforcing their pathology and actually damaging them, perhaps irreparably.  

Without truth and reason, there is injustice and lawlessness.  America is imploding.

I will close by pointing out that this was all, in a way, quite predictable.   In our attempt to create a free society, we welcomed all ideas and viewpoints and there were no safeguards on Truth.  In that type of society, it is a valid question to ask why the Ten Commandments are posted in a public courtroom.  If the society was not founded on the Ten Commandments, and does not agree that they are True, why not remove them?  If the majority of people no longer hold those to be True, then the system in America was designed to allow them to be questioned and removed by a vote.  Once America gave up the Truth and God, the clock was ticking on the its inevitable collapse.  

There can be no freedom without Truth.  There can be no free countries without God.  

At this point, it would take a miracle of God to turn this trend around, for the Bible tells us that the heart of man is desperately wicked and that only a few will find the path of righteousness. That is an accurate view of the human condition.  Left to our own devices, our self-destruction is just a matter of time.  With man, our recovery is impossible, but with God, all things are possible.  I am personally praying for a miracle.  Perhaps millions of Christians will wake up, like I am beginning to, and start acting like their choices matter. But regardless of the outcome, we who know Jesus must still follow Him and share the good news of what he has done with others.  We must be unashamed to stand up for objective Truth, and unafraid to respond with humble awe when we encounter Transcendent Reality. We are called to be salt and light in this dark world, slowing the process of decay until we are taken home, or Jesus returns for us.

The time is short.

The Truth is Under Assault

Before we can deal with anything else, we must start with the foundation: Truth.
The Truth is under assault in our nation.

These days, to be alive is to be lied to... repeatedly, persistently, and from many directions. With the Information Age has come an increase in sources of information and (predictably) an increase in false information. In the past, this could have been filtered by a mind that believed Truth still existed and that there were ways to determine the difference between Truth and falsehood. But we in America have taken this to a whole new level.

Now we have largely accepted the idea that Truth is subjective, so filtering it understandably becomes a nonsensical pursuit. For example: If you are reading this and you don’t believe objective Truth exists, you may as well stop reading because you have already admitted that words are meaningless and that the combination of them cannot possibly get you closer to any worthy goal. You have already fallen into a sort of fatalistic madness.

I warn you: that mindset will lead inevitably to hopelessness, depression, and suicidal thoughts. As the author of Ecclesiastes said, “all of it is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.” (Ecclesiastes 2:17). The statement “there is no Truth” is nonsense because it purports to be true while asserting that nothing is true. Truth must exist, we cannot deny it without accepting an actual contradiction. Certainly oxymorons are OK, because they are only apparent contradictions (we must be a slave to practice piano so that we are free to perform in concert), but actual contradictions (2 + 2 = 4... and 5) cannot be accepted or we lose touch with reality. If you go that rout then you have embraced insanity and may as well stop trying to understand anything. All you are left with is to “eat drink and be merry... for tomorrow we die.” The greater pursuits of finding Truth and Meaning in life are lost to you. Hedonism ensues... in short - you have the current state of America. You also have a Truth vacuum that demands to be filled with tyranny.

I have observed that Social Media, especially Twitter, has encouraged people to pass on information that may or may not be true. It seems to encourage falsehood by rewarding a shocking (and most often fabricated) tweet with more shares and likes simply because of its provocative, controversial, or unusual nature. People will pass these tweets without checking to see if they are factual (and even if they checked, who knows if they will find reliable confirmation!). If it supports their point, the validity is irrelevant. And even people I respected, and largely agreed with, have been guilty of this. Pictures and video are often taken out of context or even altered to get more likes and shares. This is, without a doubt, a very unhealthy trend for any society. Moreover the decay of Truth has been accelerated almost exponentially by such practices.

But let us talk about Truth for a moment. Why should we believe in objective Truth? How can we know that anything is True? When we are children we enter the world a blank slate, not knowing anything about truth. We live based on experience. We accept blindly that we exist and we begin to find what works, what does not work, and certain consistencies in outcome that form the framework of our understanding of Truth. For example: a child learns that lake water is generally cold. If he forgets this, he will be reminded the next time he puts his foot in the water. It feels wet and cold. That is a consistent experience, even during various seasons of the year. He has already accepted as self-evident that he exists and that water exists and that his nerve endings can be trusted to give him accurate information about the water. If he didn’t accept these things, he would be either in an insane asylum or he would be a University Professor. Nevertheless, even if we could have some healthy doubt about the trustworthiness of our senses, and could logically accept that consistent outcomes do not necessarily prove that something will always be True, we must still accept as self-evident that Truth exists in order to derive any meaning from life.

The best example is mathematics. 2 + 2 = 4. Math has proven beyond any reasonable doubt that it represents certain unchangeable facts about the nature of reality. With math we can predict with intricate detail the exact mass and momentum needed to get a rocket to Mars. Math is close to the heart and very definition of Truth, since Truth is defined as “that which conforms to reality.” Should it surprise us then that there are those in our country (at least so I have heard from what I consider reliable sources) who actually suggest that math is nothing more than an expression of “racism?” As though European white males have a monopoly on the fabric of the Universe. If 2 + 2 = 4 cannot be trusted as truth, then we may as well embrace madness and be done with it. What’s more, we should not expect any degree of unity or agreement for mankind, because we have just blown to smithereens any semblance of order that people of diverse races and backgrounds could agree upon.

The Bible describes God as a God of order, not of Chaos (see 1 Cor 14:33). One should ask who stands to benefit if mankind is fighting itself unable to agree that anything is true... even math!? This rejection of Truth, at its heart, is a rejection of the God who created reality and ordered it such that we can (at least to some degree) understand it.

In closing, I have always considered myself fairly skeptical and not easily taken in. But the lies I have encountered in the past year were so convincing, so passionately and persistently perpetrated on my psyche, that I admit, I was taken in for a time with certain things I have since found not to be true. In the age of information, we must remember that the people we are seeing on our screen are not our friends. We know very little about them. No matter how sincere they appear to be, it could end up that their intent was merely to fleece us of money and have a nice vacation. To believe these “talking heads” on the screen is to accept their word as authority in finding Truth. Sure they may seem very kind, and wise, and trustworthy, but just because they say that they are telling you the truth and seem to share your particular values, does not mean that we should believe them. It would behoove us to remember that we know very little about these people. We have never actually met them, and should not underestimate just how devious (or misled) they may be. Complicated algorithms are at work through our electronic devices bringing us content that we are psychologically inclined to believe. These algorithms exploit our hard-wired tendency to accept people who look like us and who present themselves as part of our established value system (or religion). Beware!

The way in which we determine what is true is a whole topic of its own called “epistemology” - the study of how we know what is true. We have spoken of truth that is obtained from authority. First-hand experience is another means that we use to determine what is true. But we seldom have first-hand knowledge of any fields outside our own particular realm of experience and must therefore accept many things on authority combined with discernment. That is why it is vital that we vet the sources of authority that we trust before we forget where we heard certain “facts” and find ourselves repeating nonsense. For those of us who believe in Truth, now is the time to stand up for it. Truth is under attack, and we must be very careful in what we say and what we pass on, so that we will not contribute to deception. And for those who do not believe in Truth and have read to the end of this, I humbly submit to you that you may be lying to yourself. Deep down, you know that there must be Truth and you are looking for it.

Blessings,

Joshua

Welcome!

Hello and welcome to TheWonderofJesus.com - thank you for visiting.

The main goal of this website is to share the wonder of who Jesus is with America through inspirational posts, music and video. (And if you are not from America, you are certainly welcome too).

I believe that when people truly experience who Jesus is and what he has done for us, it should evoke a sense of wonder. That sense of wonder has been diluted in a never ending sea of banal drivel, that (I pray) is now coming to an end as we meet cold, hard reality.

This blog is for believers and non-believers alike.

For those who have accepted Jesus as their savior, it will provide encouragement, inspiration and conviction to be bold and active. For those who have not yet accepted Jesus, it will bring you (hopefully) a more accurate picture of who he is so that you can make up your own mind if you want to follow him. Jesus is many things, but, mundane and boring are not accurate descriptions of him.

We will also deal with current events and analyze them from a Biblical perspective.

There is evil rising in this country. Have you sensed it? There is deception at all levels - have you noticed it? However, there is also objective Truth, quite outside of ourselves, unchanging... immutable - do you want to find it? What is the role of This Generation in the current age as Jesus defined it? (The answer may surprise you). And just what exactly has gone wrong with America?! It seems something is horribly distorted and we are being bombarded with a cacophony of information, but few answers. I will be seeking to provide a framework for understanding what is going on and how we should recognize that Jesus is our only hope.

Why would I want to bring the gospel to America, you might ask? Hasn’t America sent missionaries overseas to share the gospel with remote tribes? Are we not a “Christian Nation?” - Well...

I have observed lately that there are a number of reasons why America needs the gospel now more than ever. Things have come full circle and the country that once was so proud and strong is being humbled. We will deal with this and also discuss what we can do about it. But for now, I want to suggest that many have rejected the wrong Jesus. If we still think he is out to get us, then we do not have an accurate picture of him. And many who have seen imperfect Christians may have a dim view of the Jesus that the tepid church in America so inaccurately portrayed.

I think you will agree that things are changing faster than ever, and the time has passed that we could afford to sit back and watch as things spiral out of control. The rubber has met the road, and it is time for Christians to engage the culture, or face a fairly rapid decay followed by annihilation.

... And on that happy note, here is one last thought for today: this blog may challenge you, but not in a judgmental or belligerent way. Jesus is about Grace. That does not mean the Truth can bend to our will, but it does mean that there is a God who has saved us from the objective reality of our own fallen state. The Truth will be presented in a loving way. Can we not be strong warriors who are firm in conviction, yet winsome in word? The enemy is deceit, but we cannot fight lies by attacking people who are made in the image of God. Conversely, we cannot win any battles if we never stand up for the Truth. I posit that we can do both, and in the mean time we can focus on Jesus through music and inspirational videos to continually remind ourselves that Jesus is, well... Awesome! (He is awesome for so many reasons, not the least of which is because he has infinite patience to extend unlimited forgiveness to our pitiful souls).

We’ll talk again soon.

Joshua