Good thing, God’s thing
Matthew 19:16-30
16Now a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?”
17“Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, obey the commandments.”
18“Which ones?” the man inquired.
Jesus replied, ” ‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, 19honor your father and mother,’ and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.'”
20“All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?”
21Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
22When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.
23Then Jesus said to his disciples, “I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
25When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?”
26Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
27Peter answered him, “We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?”
28Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. 30But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.
(Message)
16Now a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?”
The man came up to Jesus was in the pursuit of the eternal life. His question was “What good thing must I do to get eternal life?” (16)
This man wanted to do good thing. He thought that’s the way to get eternal life.
This is very common misconceptions in regard to eternal life, heaven or salvation.
What is the answer of Jesus? See v17.
17“Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, obey the commandments.”
Jesus corrected his question first by teaching him that only God is good. Deed itself cannot be defined as good deed without God.
There is no ‘good thing’.
There is only God’s thing, who is good.
Being good by doing good thing may be taught by other religions but it misleads you seriously because they miss out God. Jesus reminds you that only God is good. We will never be ‘good’ like God is. We can only reflect the goodness of God when we are aligned with God who is good.
After this, Jesus answered to his question. “If you want to enter life, obey the commandments.”(17b)
Jesus asked him to obey the commandments. The commandments are from God. Therefore the object of obedience is ‘God’. Jesus shifted spotlight from “doing good thing” onto “obeying God”.
They are
Do not murder,
do not commit adultery,
do not steal,
do not give false testimony,
honor your father and mother
love your neighbor as yourself. (18b-19)
The young man said that he had kept all these. He asked “What do I still lack?”
See v21.
21Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
Based on v22, he was a very wealthy man.
But Jesus’ answer tells us that this man was not perfect because of his wealth. In fact, the possession of a man can possess him. When we have a lot of furniture and white ware, it is hard to move from one house to the other. We loose mobility and freedom from the possession. So Jesus asked him to sell them and give to the poor.
And then, Jesus invited and accepted him as his follower.
But the young man went away sad because he had great wealth (22).
In this occasion, the possession didn’t become blessing but trap.
While Jesus had no place to lay his head (Matthew 8:20), he might have a nice house to live and many properties to lease. While Jesus came to serve (Matthew 20:28), he might have many people to serve him. They love the comfort and luxury the money gives. Many people do not want to go out of their comfort zone. They rely on the security and protection of their money. With their love of money, they would even exploit the poor.
Jesus said at v23 that “It is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.
Getting rich means getting hard to give up the wealth.
At v27, Peter asked Jesus “what will there be for us who have left everything to follow you?”
See v28-29.
28Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.
In summary, what they get are hundred times compensation of what they gave up, plus eternal life.
See v30.
30But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.
[1] The inevitable reversal of fortunes to come is illustrated by the proverbial slogan: many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first. The saying may have a twofold purpose: On the one hand, while the world gives preferential treatment to the wealthy and powerful, in the eschaton those who are deemed of little worth (i.e., disciples) will be exalted to a place of priority. However, the saying may also be intended as a warning to the disciples not to think of themselves too highly, because as the following parable (Matthew 20:1 – 16) illustrates, God’s rewards are not based on length of service.
References
[1] Chouinard, L. (1997). Matthew (Mt 19:30) Joplin, MO: College Press.
Humility before God and Confidence in His Grace
Matthew 15:21-28
21 Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22 A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly.”
23 Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.”
24 He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.”
25 The woman came and knelt before him. “Lord, help me!” she said.
26 He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”
27 “Yes it is, Lord,” she said. “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.”
28 Then Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed at that moment.
Message
Jesus went from Gennesaret to the region of Tyre and Sidon (21). There, a Canaanite woman came to Him and cried out. She said, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly.” (22).
Based on Mark 7:26, this Canaanite woman was a Greek and born in Syrian Phoenicia. Tyre and Sidon were the two principal cities of Phoenicia. Both were Gentile cities in a Gentile country. The woman there was desperate for help in a horrible situation. Her daughter was demon-possessed and terribly suffering. Only Jesus could solve this problem. She cried out to Jesus. What was the response of Jesus? See v23a.
But Jesus did not answer a word to her. Why did Jesus not answer her request?
When disciples of Jesus urged Him to send her away (23b), Jesus answered to her.
“I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.” (24)
This means His personal mission was to the Israelites. The Gospel was first offered to the Israelites and then to all by His apostles.
But the woman didn’t give up but came and knelt before Him and persistently asked His help. “Lord, help me!” (25) This shows that she still believed that Jesus would help even though she was not physically an Israelite. In fact, the Bible teaches us this is possible by faith. By faith, we become descendants of Abraham.
At this point, Jesus insulted her by saying, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”
In the Bible, dogs are used to describe dirtiness, folly and greed.
Matthew 7:6 says, “Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet and then turn and tear you to pieces.”
If you give God’s word to dogs, they will trample it under their feet and then turn and hurt you. That is how dogs are.
Proverbs 26:11 says, “As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his folly.”
Philippians 3:2 “Watch out for those dogs, those men who do evil, those mutilators of the flesh.”
Bread is not for dogs but children. If you stay as dogs, you are less important in God’s eyes. If you want to live in His blessing, you better live not as dogs but as children of God.
At His word, she was humble enough to admit her identity as a dog. But she didn’t despair or retreat. Instead, she continued to ask for help by saying, “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.”
We are attached to Israelites by faith. But it is important to maintain our humility. Romans 11:20, 21 say, “(Granted. But) they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but be afraid. For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either.”
At her humility and confidence in His grace, Jesus recognized she had “great faith” and granted her request.
Proverbs 3:34 says, “He mocks proud mockers but gives grace to the humble.”
Hebrews 4:15, 16 say 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. 16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
What is your past? What foolish mistake did you make? But do not despair. Do not give up God’s mercy & grace. God’s heart is moved by humility & confidence in His grace.
I invite you who need desperate help, whether spiritual, financial, mental, physical, or social.
We all need help. Let us cry out for God’s grace with humility and confidence! Oh Jesus, have mercy on us!
Let us pray.
<Prayer>
Thank you, Jesus, for your amazing grace. Once, our hearts were touched by your love and forgiveness. Today our hearts are deeply touched again by the depth and width of your grace shown toward this Canaanite woman. Like this woman, let us be humble, confident in your grace, and receive your mercy today and every day. Amen.
[Other bible verses about ‘dog(s)’]
It was ‘dogs’ that crucified Jesus:
Psalm 22:16 Dogs surround me, a pack of villains encircles me; they pierce my hands and my feet.
Psalm 22:20 Deliver me from the sword, my precious life from the power of the dogs.
Warning to believers:
Galatians 5:15 If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.
Warning:
Revelation 22:15 Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.
Seek First His Kingdom and His Righteousness
Matthew 6:19-34
Key Verse Matthew 6:33 “But seek first his kingdom and righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”
19“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
22“The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. 23But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
24“No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.
25“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
28“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
I. Treasure in heaven (19 – 24)
See v19a. “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth,” Jesus says the reason at v19b. “where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal.” Here, moths are a major agricultural pest, which cause severe damage to forests and fruit farms. Also moths destroy clothing by eating holes in it. Rust is iron oxides, formed by the reaction of iron and oxygen in the presence of water or air moisture, which destroys iron metal. Someone may say gold and silver are treasures that are not destroyed by moth or rust. But thieves may break in and steal such treasures.
Storing treasures on earth gives us great frustration, affliction and anger.
Have you been frustrated because you try to store up treasures on earth?
Then what does Jesus command us to do? See v20. He asks us to store up our treasures in heaven, where there is no moth, rust or thieves.
See v21. “21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. “
It’s obvious that the place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being. So if the heaven is the place you most want to be, store treasures in heaven. If you want to end up in heaven, store treasures in heaven. It’s for you. Your treasures in heaven are safer than on earth. Your work for God is more rewarding than anything you invest in the world.
The lamp of the body (22 – 23)
Jesus says in v22a, “The eye is the lamp of the body.” If your eyes are good, your body has good lamps and is full of light. But if your eyes are bad, your body has bad lamps and is full of darkness. If we have good knowledge in the Bible, we can have good biblical point of view. This will be like light in our lives. If we have poor knowledge in the Bible, we may have incorrect point of view. Some people make other source rather than the Holy Bible as their knowledge base. Many people believe and follow falsehood. Many people believe in the power of money. This is like making darkness as their light. Jesus warns “If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!” When they follow false lights, their darkness is great.
Two masters (24)
See v24. Jesus says “No one can serve two masters.”(24a). The reason is “Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.” Then, what are the two masters in our lives? Jesus says “You cannot serve both God and Money.” They are God and Money.
Some people think they can manage their lives without recognizing God. So they don’t believe God. To them, money looks practical and first. Their master is money.
Some people believe God but serve money as master. The Pharisees are such examples.
When Jesus said “You cannot serve both God and money.” in Luke 16:13, it is written in Luke 16:14,
“14 The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and were sneering at Jesus.
The Pharisees were religious leaders. But they were devoted to money and despised the son of God, Jesus.
When they loved money, they were against God and they were evil.
Paul says “The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.”
See 1 Timothy 6:9,10.
9People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. 10For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
1 Timothy 6:6-8 teaches us to be content.
6But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. 8But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.
Solomon, the king of Wisdom said in Ecclesiastes 5:10-20,
10 Whoever loves money never has money enough;
whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income.
This too is meaningless.
11 As goods increase,
so do those who consume them.
And what benefit are they to the owner
except to feast his eyes on them?
12 The sleep of a laborer is sweet,
whether he eats little or much,
but the abundance of a rich man
permits him no sleep.
13 I have seen a grievous evil under the sun:
wealth hoarded to the harm of its owner,
14 or wealth lost through some misfortune,
so that when he has a son
there is nothing left for him.
15 Naked a man comes from his mother’s womb,
and as he comes, so he departs.
He takes nothing from his labor
that he can carry in his hand.
16 This too is a grievous evil:
As a man comes, so he departs,
and what does he gain,
since he toils for the wind?
17 All his days he eats in darkness,
with great frustration, affliction and anger.
18 Then I realized that it is good and proper for a man to eat and drink, and to find satisfaction in his toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given him—for this is his lot. 19 Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work—this is a gift of God. 20 He seldom reflects on the days of his life, because God keeps him occupied with gladness of heart.
II. Do not worry about life (25 – 34)
See v25a. “…do not worry about your life” and Jesus says the reason at v25b-32.
Jesus showed example of birds that God feeds them even though birds do not sow, reap or store. We are much more valuable than birds. Also he showed example of lilies that God clothes them even though they do not labor or spin. Jesus says God clothes them, which could be here today and tomorrow thrown into the fire, then how much more will he clothes us. Our heavenly Father knows that we need food, drink and clothes.
Food, drink and clothes are our basic needs. So if we don’t have faith in God and worry about them, our priority of life will become ensuring these things. But instead, what does Jesus ask us to do as the first priority? See v33.
33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
This word teaches us priority of our life. What is the highest priority in your life each day? It is “seeking God’s Kingdom and God’s righteousness”. This is the 1st priority among all other things everyday. If you do so, Jesus promises “all these things will be given to you as well.” (33b) This is a promise of God.
While you will experience frustration if you try to store up treasures on earth, you will experience God’s provision if you seek first His kingdom and His righteousness.
I pray everyone here today seek first God’s kingdom and God’s righteousness everyday, live on God’s amazing provision everyday and store treasures in heaven everyday!
Women in the Genealogy of Jesus
Matthew 1:1-17
The Genealogy of Jesus the Messiah
1This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham:
2 Abraham was the father of Isaac,
Isaac the father of Jacob,
Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers,
3 Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar,
Perez the father of Hezron,
Hezron the father of Ram,
4 Ram the father of Amminadab,
Amminadab the father of Nahshon,
Nahshon the father of Salmon,
5 Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab,
Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth,
Obed the father of Jesse,
6 and Jesse the father of King David.
David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife,
7 Solomon the father of Rehoboam,
Rehoboam the father of Abijah,
Abijah the father of Asa,
8 Asa the father of Jehoshaphat,
Jehoshaphat the father of Jehoram,
Jehoram the father of Uzziah,
9 Uzziah the father of Jotham,
Jotham the father of Ahaz,
Ahaz the father of Hezekiah,
10 Hezekiah the father of Manasseh,
Manasseh the father of Amon,
Amon the father of Josiah,
11 and Josiah the father of Jeconiah and his brothers at the time of the exile to Babylon.
12 After the exile to Babylon:
Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel,
Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,
13 Zerubbabel the father of Abihud,
Abihud the father of Eliakim,
Eliakim the father of Azor,
14 Azor the father of Zadok,
Zadok the father of Akim,
Akim the father of Elihud,
15 Elihud the father of Eleazar,
Eleazar the father of Matthan,
Matthan the father of Jacob,
16 and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, and Mary was the mother of Jesus who is called the Messiah.
17 Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Messiah.
Message
Genealogy does not include women usually. But the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew 1:1-17 included five women including Mary. Four of them were either a Gentile or immoral or both. Matthew deliberately included them in the genealogy.
They are
Tamar (3): a Canaanite. Gave birth through father-in-law (Genesis 38:1-30)
Rahab (5a): a Canaanite, Was a prostitute (Joshua 2:1-24 & Joshua 6:1-27)
Ruth (5b): a Moabitess (Ruth 1:1-22, Ruth 2:1-23, Ruth 3:1-18, Ruth 4:1-22)
Uriah’s wife (Bathsheba) (6): a Jew, committed adultery with King David (2 Samuel 11:1-27)
They are written in the 1st chapter of the 1st book in the New Testament.
This is not to encourage us to be immoral or scandalous.
Then, why are they included?
This does indicate women and the Gentiles are included in the mission of Jesus.
Also this does indicate God can use anyone, who is not perfect, has faults & mistakes.
Jesus said in Matthew 9:12-13,
12 On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 13 But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
In the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25–37), the good neighbour was a Samaritan. Samaritans were people despised by Jews. The Samaritan in the parable might be a drinker because he had & used wine to sanitize the scars of the injured man. Thus, he could be not a religious person. But he had mercy & humanity in contrast to a priest & a Levi in the parable.
Jesus our Savior sees what we don’t see. For example, depending on your situation, Jesus may be more concerned about your health, wellbeing and happiness than how many hours you make commitment. What I mean is it is case by case and personal. In other words, He is a Good Shepherd (John 10:11), who calls His own sheep by name (John 10:3).
Let’s read Matthew 9:13 again,
13 But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
How can a young person stay on the path of purity?
Psalm 119:9-16
9 How can a young person stay on the path of purity?
By living according to your word.
10 I seek you with all my heart;
do not let me stray from your commands.
11 I have hidden your word in my heart
that I might not sin against you.
12 Praise be to you, Lord;
teach me your decrees.
13 With my lips I recount
all the laws that come from your mouth.
14 I rejoice in following your statutes
as one rejoices in great riches.
15 I meditate on your precepts
and consider your ways.
16 I delight in your decrees;
I will not neglect your word.
Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done.
Revelation 22:1-21
Eden Restored
1 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2 down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. 3 No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. 4 They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5 There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.
John and the Angel
6 The angel said to me, “These words are trustworthy and true. The Lord, the God who inspires the prophets, sent his angel to show his servants the things that must soon take place.”
7 “Look, I am coming soon! Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy written in this scroll.”
8 I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I had heard and seen them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who had been showing them to me. 9 But he said to me, “Don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your fellow prophets and with all who keep the words of this scroll. Worship God!”
10 Then he told me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this scroll, because the time is near. 11 Let the one who does wrong continue to do wrong; let the vile person continue to be vile; let the one who does right continue to do right; and let the holy person continue to be holy.”
Epilogue: Invitation and Warning
12 “Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.
14 “Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. 15 Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.
16 “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.”
17 The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life.
18 I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this scroll. 19 And if anyone takes words away from this scroll of prophecy, God will take away from that person any share in the tree of life and in the Holy City, which are described in this scroll.
20 He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.”
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen.
A New Heaven and a New Earth
Revelation 21:1-27
A New Heaven and a New Earth
1 Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
5 He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”
6 He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. 7 Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children.8 But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”
The New Jerusalem, the Bride of the Lamb
9 One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” 10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. 11 It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. 12 It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. 13 There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south and three on the west. 14 The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
15 The angel who talked with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city, its gates and its walls. 16 The city was laid out like a square, as long as it was wide. He measured the city with the rod and found it to be 12,000 stadia in length, and as wide and high as it is long. 17 The angel measured the wall using human measurement, and it was 144 cubits thick. 18 The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass. 19 The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, 20 the fifth onyx, the sixth ruby, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth turquoise, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. 21 The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of gold, as pure as transparent glass.
22 I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23 The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. 24 The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. 25 On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there.26 The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it.27 Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.
Revelation Chapter 20
Revelation 20:1-15
The Thousand Years
1 And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. 2 He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. 3 He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time.
4 I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 5 (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection.6 Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.
The Judgment of Satan
7 When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison 8 and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth—Gog and Magog—and to gather them for battle. In number they are like the sand on the seashore. 9 They marched across the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of God’s people, the city he loves. But fire came down from heaven and devoured them. 10 And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
The Judgment of the Dead
11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done. 14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death.15 Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.
His name is the Word of God (Revelation 19:13b)
Revelation 19:11-21
11 I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war. 12 His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. 13 He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. 14 The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. 15 Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.” He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. 16 On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written:
king of kings and lord of lords.
17 And I saw an angel standing in the sun, who cried in a loud voice to all the birds flying in midair, “Come, gather together for the great supper of God, 18 so that you may eat the flesh of kings, generals, and the mighty, of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, great and small.”
19 Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to wage war against the rider on the horse and his army. 20 But the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who had performed the signs on its behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. 21 The rest were killed with the sword coming out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh.
Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great!
Revelation 18:1-24
% Following interpretation to be used as reference
% Quoted from [REFERENCE] shown in the end of this post
What Is Seen Is Temporary
It is easy for us to believe that life as we know it will go on forever. We are, of course, aware of the ebb and flow caused by war and natural calamity. By and large, civilization as a whole seems to make progress. The Renaissance gave way to the Age of Reason. The Enlightenment paved the way for the Industrial Age. The twentieth century—interrupted by two world wars—ultimately reaped great harvest in areas such as medical and communications technology. Despite problems such as crime and terrorism, world civilization appears able to march on forever.
The message of Revelation 18 is that what is seen is temporary and subject to the judgment of Almighty God. On the one hand, Babylon the Great provides power, privilege, and prestige to those willing to be seduced by her spell. Monarchs, merchants, and mariners are among those who taste her pleasures and lament her demise. On the other hand, Babylon moves forward on the misery of human slavery, moving people away from true religion into impurity. She is always hostile to the things of God; in fact, the blood of all Christian martyrs drips from her hands.
If this is true, then Christians of every age need to evaluate the call to “Come out of her, my people.” Only those who refuse to share her sins will not receive any of her plagues. Two exclamations summarize the two opposing responses to Babylon’s death. On one hand are those who cry “woe,” because they, too, have been condemned. On the other hand are those who cry “hallelujah,” (19:1) because the martyrs have been avenged at last. The choices we make now will determine whether one day we cry “woe” or “hallelujah.”
PRINCIPLES
• While wealth and luxury are not inherently evil, they often come at too high a price: human slavery and hostility to God’s ways.
• Boasting and arrogance are sure indicators of a coming downfall.
• World rulers tend to be more concerned about luxury and power than about helping their subjects.
• Both the merchandising and transportation industries illustrate the ease with which people may be led astray into false security.
• When God finally judges sinful human civilization, the condemnation will be total and eternal.
APPLICATION
• Determine the ways in which you must “come out of” any close alliance with culture and civilization.
• Recognize that Christians who are political and business leaders must especially beware of the seductions of Dame Civilization.
• Enjoy the fine things of life only if you are sure they do not come to you through immoral or unjust means.
• Be willing to pay the price of martyrdom if “Babylon” requires it of you.
• Rejoice that God will someday judge “Babylon” for all her crimes
[REFERENCE]
Easley, K. H. (1998). Revelation (Vol. 12, pp. 337–338). Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
