Enoch walked with God

So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him. – Genesis 5v23-24

Enoch is one of those intriguing characters. He is only mentioned three times in scripture yet he leaves us an amazing example and a wonderful testimony. He is not one of the big names of the Bible like Abraham, Joseph, Moses, David, Mary, or Paul but still his is a name that most Bible students would know.

‘Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him.’ From Jude we know that Enoch was a prophet who foretold the coming of the Lord with a vast multitude of His saints. According to Hebrews 11 Enoch had this testimony – ‘that he pleased God.’ That same Hebrews passage tells us that God took Enoch to spare him facing death.

Enoch pleased God with His life. Enoch was God’s prophet who foretold the (what we now know is the second) coming of Christ. Enoch walked with God.

Enoch challenges me. Do I please God like he did? Do I proclaim God’s word like he did? Do I indeed walk with God?

Apart from the calling up of the saints God is not going to just take me without facing death. But how about today, the 20^th of September 2009? Will I please God with my life today? Will I walk with God this week? When I die will it be said of me that ‘Roger pleased God with his life’ or ‘Roger walked with God?’

What a challenge.

In the likeness of God

This is the book of the genealogy of Adam. In the day that God created man, He made him in the likeness of God. – Genesis 5v1

The concept of the ‘likeness’ or ‘image’ of God is a fascinating one. It does no disservice to the word to say that God made man ‘god-like.’

Saying that almost causes discomfort, doesn’t it? I for one certainly don’t see myself as god-like. When I consider my thoughts, my actions, my attitude, and my behaviour I don’t see much of God.

But there it is – ‘He made him in the likeness of God.’

So how are we god-like? A little explanation is needed here before we look at us.

God created man in His likeness. At creation man and God could walk side by side in the garden. They could have sweet, uninterrupted fellowship. There was no barrier; there was nothing to separate God and His god-like creation.

But then Adam and Eve blew it – one fatal sin, one stupid choice, one selfish act – and the god-likeness was gone. Moral decay and human destruction came on our mortal race. The likeness of God was replaced with the likeness of sin.

Ever since then man has found himself the captive of sin. Death came with sin and death was passed on to all men. The fellowship that came with god-likeness was broken. A chasm appeared where once there was fellowship and unity.

Then, while we were still without the strength to be like God, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. Whereas one man’s sin brought death, separation, and ungodliness, another Man’s life brought life, union with God, and godliness.

Godliness, or god-likeness if you will, means righteousness, holiness, and justification with God. All that was lost at one tree. Praise God Jesus made it possible to be restored at another tree.

‘In the likeness of God’ – gone through Adam - but restorable through Christ.

There is a challenge for those of us who have had that image restored on the Cross. When people see us do they seen godly men and women who reflect the likeness of God in this world, or do they see just more of the filth of the world?

May others see the ‘likeness of God’ in our Christ filled lives today.

Men began to call on the name of the Lord

And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and named him Seth, "For God has appointed another seed for me instead of Abel, whom Cain killed." And as for Seth, to him also a son was born; and he named him Enosh. Then men began to call on the name of the LORD. – Genesis 4v26

After a history of Cain’s family the narrative returns to Adam and Eve’s family. God gave Eve a son in the place of Abel. This son Seth had a son named Enosh and when he was born men began to call on the name of the Lord.

Things can get really confusing here if we try to think on a timeline. The Bible does not necessarily always flow in a smooth historical chronological narrative. We are also not privy to all the details of all the events. Obviously somewhere along the line Adam and Eve had daughters who married their sons. Hundreds of years may have passed by. I read one commentator who said that the birth of Enos happened 240 years after Creation, but I have no idea how he came up with that figure.

Anyway, back to the story. When Enosh was born men started to call on the name of the Lord. Something happened here. There seems to be a monumental shift in humankind here. People already acknowledged God. Eve did so when God gave her children. So acknowledging God was nothing new. But with the birth of Enosh they began to call on Him.

I am not totally sure about all that is going on here, but I can’t help but remember the verse that says, ‘Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’ Don’t get me wrong, I don’t know if Adam and Eve were saved or not, but with Enosh’s birth there is a shift from acknowledging God to calling on Him.

There are plenty of people who acknowledge God today. Most people in fact would probably give Him some sort of acknowledgement. But there is a huge difference between that and calling on Him. There are millions out there who would acknowledge Him, but refuse to call on Him for salvation. The mindset seems to be, ‘It’s nice that God is there, but I really don’t want Him involved in my own life.’

Ignore God, acknowledge Him, or call on Him. Only one of those options has hope for eternal life.

Am I my brother’s keeper?

Then the Lord said to Cain, "Where is Abel your brother?" He said, "I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper?" – Genesis 4v9

Notice how long it took for ‘looking out for number one’ to be a part of human culture. Cain brutally kills his brother because of his jealousy. The sin that ‘laid at the door’ and sought to rule over Cain won out. He chose poorly, he chose his own way instead of God’s way.

Able’s blood lay on the ground as evidence of Cain’s sin. ‘Where is Able? God said? “How should I know, am I in charge of Able?’ Cain replied. Cain acted like the only one he had to watch out for was himself. What did he have to do with Able?

No wonder that we have to be reminded over and over and over again in the Bible about our responsibility toward each other. When it comes right down to it we really want to focus on us, but what does God say?

Just one example will suit. What did Jesus say when He was asked to summarise the Law? ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heats and soul and strength.’ Okay, that’s grand. That makes sense. But He did not stop there – ‘…and love your neighbour as yourself.’

It is not good enough to just ‘watch out for number one.’ While I can’t control everything ‘my brother’ does there is a sense where I am his keeper. Like it or not God puts us in families and societies. Even if we wanted to we cannot close ourselves off and ignore others.

Although chances are pretty slim that we would actually murder anyone, we often do terrible harm to those around us when all we care about is us. If they make me look bad, I want to ‘get them back.’

Cain meant the question as rhetorical. “Am I my brother’s keeper?’ Well, in a very real sense, the answer is ‘Yes.”

Sin lies at the door

If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it." – Genesis 4v7

I read this passage this morning. Then I made a big mistake – I read a couple of commentaries to see what others thought. When I was done I realised that there really is no consensus to what is talked about here. Different Hebrew scholars all have different views. So, I am going to just record what I saw in the verse this morning.

Cain was furious at God. His sacrifice had been refused while his brother Able’s sacrifice was accepted by God. Cain’s response was to go to God with it. God’s response – ‘Why are you complaining? If you do the right thing it will be accepted. If not, then sin lies at your door.’

We are not told why Cain’s sacrifice was not acceptable, but it is obvious that Cain did. Maybe his sacrifice was not a blood sacrifice. Maybe it was because it was not from the best of his crops. Maybe he just had a bad attitude. God told him, basically, ‘if you had done the right thing it would be obvious, but if not the sin is just as obvious.’

If we are honest we have to admit that we know when we do wrong. Try as we might to mask it, we know. Our sin is right there at the door as clear as it can be. We really can’t play games with it.

The last phrase in the verse is greatly debated. I was happy to see that several scholars agreed with my first opinion. Here it is, take it or leave it.

God knew Cain’s heart. He knew that sin sought to rule over Cain. He knew that anger was seething and was Cain was capable of doing. And yet, God tells Cain – ‘You should rule your sin, don’t let it rule you.’ God gave Cain a choice – let sin rule over you or you rule over it. It is a choice a lot like the choice Adam and Eve had.

Sin still seeks to reign today. For those of us who are believers sin lost its power when Christ conquered death. We may attack and be critical of Cain’s upcoming choice, but we have a power over sin that he did not have.

Our sin choice is even more appalling than his.

Dust to dust

In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread Till you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken; For dust you are, And to dust you shall return." – Genesis 3v19

“Ashes to ashes – dust to dust.’ That doesn’t sound like much of a summary of life, does it? Yet that is what we often here at funerals. Sadly, there is a truth to it, When it is all said and done we will return to the dust that man came from.

Although life spans are stretching out, we still must deal with that fact that unless Jesus comes back we are all going to end up back in the dirt. We can’t do anything about that.

There is something we can do something about though. What are we doing on the meantime? What are we doing during the ‘to’ in ‘dust to dust?’

Much of scripture speaks of the brevity of the span between dust and dust. Life is like a vapour, it appears for a little and then vanishes. It is like the wild flowers in a field which appear and then wilt away.

‘For all our days have passed away in Your wrath; We finish our years like a sigh. The days of our lives are seventy years; And if by reason of strength they are eighty years, Yet their boast is only labour and sorrow; For it is soon cut off, and we fly away.’

That passage from Psalm 90 really ties this in with yesterday’s thought. Seventy, eighty years, maybe a few more, and it is all done. I am not an old man, but the seventy year mark is much closer than birth now.

What have I done with years I have before I return to the dust? I have redeemed those precious few years?

A few weeks ago I mentioned a Twilight Zone episode where a man lives for 2000 years. The story ends when he finally dies, his body decays quickly, and at the end the wind blows away the dust that is left. That image has a sense of finality to it. I am not going to live 2000 years. Chances are, even at the best, I will be returned to the dust before this century is half way over.

I can’t fix what I have done with the fifty some years that have passed. What will I do with the rest?

Labour

To the woman He said: "I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; In pain you shall bring forth children; Your desire shall be for your husband, And he shall rule over you." Then to Adam He said, "Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, 'You shall not eat of it': "Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it All the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, And you shall eat the herb of the field. In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken; For dust you are, And to dust you shall return." – Genesis 3v16-19

Labour. The very sound of that word sends shivers up and down some of our spines. If you are reading this in the morning you are probably ‘looking forward’ to labour of some sort. Labour means work. Whether it is physical labour or mental labour it just means work. For some it means straining muscles and for others it means straining brains or emotions. For the vast majority of us there is always work to be done.

Then I think of a different kind of labour, and this one I hesitate to mention. For most mothers who read the title of this thought this morning another image probably came to mind. Thankfully I have never had to go through that, but I have been there for six labour and deliveries and been around loads of women in labour. My thoughts go back to when our first child was born way back in 1978. Talk about labour! Mary struggled for almost sixteen hours with her first labour. This was real effort. It was hard work getting that boy delivered. Even I was worn out and I didn’t have the baby! With our second the labour was tough because our son was quite large. At one stage I joined hands with a nurse and we pushed on the baby to help Mary deliver him. ‘In pain you will bring forth children’ rings true.

I remember some jobs I have had. One was installing heating and air conditioning systems. It involved crawling in dirty smelly crawl spaces and in incredibly hot attics. In other job I cleaned nasty, stinky, foul toilets. I understand the ‘sweat of your face.’

I am not a gardener, but recently I had to cut back some rose bushes in our front garden. Not because I wanted them pruned, mind you, but because I could not get in the car without getting scratched. That was a week ago and I still have scratches from the thorns and for several days could not work one thorn out of my thumb.

It’s obvious that all that is said here is true. Why do we have all those things to deal with? Because actions have consequences. All Eve thought about when she took that fruit was what she thought it might do for her. She did not consider all the implications. She and Adam suffered and all of us ever since have suffered as well.

The next time we are involved in some serious and heavy labour, let it remind us that sin has consequences.

Sadly, labour is relatively minor part of the consequences of choosing sin.

The first gospel

And I will put enmity between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel." – Genesis 3v15

Did you ever notice how theologians like big words? Think about it – every major Bible truth has a big, foreign sounding word. I wonder why we do that?

Sorry, I got distracted there. Well, here is an example of what I mean by theologians liking big words. Genesis 3v15 is often referred to as the protoevangelium. How is that for a big word? Literally, I think, the word means ‘first gospel.’ At least that is what it looks like. I think for those of us who speak English that is a great way to describe this verse.

After the fall, and in the midst of God’s curse on Satan, humans, and the earth itself God interjects some good news. The day will come when Satan will bruise the heel of Eve’s Seed. Sounds like bad news, not good news. But there is more. Her Seed would crush Satan’s head.

What is He talking about here? The answer is in Galatians 4v4-5 – ‘But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.’

Note that God did not tell Satan that ‘their seed’ would be the centre of this bruising, but ‘her seed.’ From the very start the concept of the virgin born Christ was set in place. Eve’s seed, the virgin born Jesus Christ would one day indeed have his heel bruised on the cross. It would seem like a terrible blow, and if Satan did not remember this proclamation he may have ‘revelled and howled at the war he thought he had won.’ But in the back of his mind he must have wondered at the words that completed the prophecy ‘and He shall crush your head.’

In all those years Satan had never seen God fail to fulfil a promise. Deceive himself as he might he knew reality and he knew that God was not going to be wrong. But maybe, just maybe this time…

But no. ‘But then, in the dark of the grave the stone rolled away in the still of the dawn on the greatest of days.’ Jesus took the ‘breath that shattered all death with His life!’

Suddenly, with one breath the battle of was over. The Bruised Seed became the Crushing Seed.’ The words of the First Gospel came to fruition.

Thank God for the protoevangelium, or the first gospel, or whatever you choose to call it! The great fact is that it was fulfilled!

It’s Not My Fault!

And He said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?" Then the man said, "The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate." And the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate." – Genesis 3v11-13

Have you noticed how nothing ever seems to by anyone’s fault? I heard of (not verified) a teenage girl who became pregnant. When her parents confronted her she said “I don’t know how this happened!’ I don’t know if the story is true or not, but I would not be surprised.

Modern counsellors, psychologists, and such seem to think that the most important thing is that person feels good about himself and not feel guilty for what he does. I watched a programme yesterday about teens that were on their way to serious trouble. They were not willing to take the blame and either were their parents. ‘He’s a good boy,’ one mother wept, ‘he just got in with the wrong crowd!’

I will admit that people do affect our choices. We can get in with the wrong crowd who can influence us, but at the end of the day only one person is responsible for our choices.

I don’t know why people think they need to convince others that they are not to blame for their choices. From the very first sin people have made excuses. Pardon my parrowphrase of the passage above.

God: Adam, what have you done? Who told you were naked? Did you eat from The Tree?

Adam: God, You gave me that woman! And she gave me the fruit, so I ate it. Its not my fault!

God: Eve, what have you done?

Eve: It’s not my fault – the serpent tempted me and I ate. It’s not my fault!

This is the ultimate ‘pass the buck’ scenario. ‘It’s not my fault, it’s hers!’ As long as people have this mindset nothing is ever going to get sorted and society will continue to ‘wax worse and worse.’

More on this later, but sin has results. Our sin has consequences for us and for others. The sooner we realise that the better.

Hiding from God

Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings. And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. Then the LORD God called to Adam and said to him, "Where are you?" – Genesis 3v7-9

Anyone who has dealt with children knows that there is an age where their first response to doing something wrong is to try and hide from mum and dad. They think that maybe, just maybe, that if they can’t be found they won’t get in trouble. They don’t think about the fact that they have to come out sometime and face the consequences. They don’t realise that no matter how hard they try to hide there are consequences for their wrong doing.

Adam and Eve were no better than those bold children. They sinned and they knew it. They saw their nakedness. They realised that they were busted. So they tried to hide from God, the same God who created them and the garden where they were hiding.

That’s even sillier than the bold child. They tried to hide in the place that God had made. How foolish was that?

It is easy for us to sit back and chuckle at that bold child hiding from mum and dad. It is easy for us to look at Adam and Eve and wonder how they could be so foolish to think they can hide from the God who created them.

But hold on a second. Who are we to talk? Do we really think that we can hide our own sin from God? Maybe since a lot of our sins, or mine at least, are sins of the heart and mind they are different?

Think about that for just a second. God created my heart, my soul, and my mind just as surely as He created the trees and bushes where Adam and Eve hid themselves. We can no better hide our inner sins from God than Adam and Eve hid their sin or the bold child can hide from parents.

Hiding from God? Sorry, but it just can’t be done.

When will we ever learn?

So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. – Genesis 3v6

Okay, the song that brought this question to my mind this morning has nothing at all to do with the topic at hand, but perhaps the question does.

We find Eve talking to Satan. He has already questioned God’s authority. He has already questioned God’s word. And there in front of Eve is the original Forbidden Fruit. She saw that the fruit would be good food. She saw that it was lovely. And she saw that it would make her wise. The temptation was just too much. She took it, had a bite, then she passed it on to her husband.

And so it all begins. The world would never be the same. Forbidden fruit does indeed seem the taste the sweetest, or so we are led to believe. The same things that appealed to Eve draw us today. The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life are still the things of the world that Satan uses to draw us into sin. These are things that we are told not to love, but we do. We still reach out, grab the forbidden fruit, and eat it.

You would think we would learn, wouldn’t you? You would think we could look back at Eve and say something, ‘Wow! That was really dumb. I am not going to act like her!’

But we do. Every day, over and over the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life scream out and draw us away from God’s way.

When will we ever learn?

You will be like God

Then the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." – Genesis 3v4-5

I remember one of the original Star Trek episodes about a young, spoilt, capricious god who caused all kind of problems for Capt. Kirk and the Enterprise. At the end this god’s parents have to sort things out and restore order so that the crew can live for the next episode.

This is only one example of many where an appeal is made to man’s desire for godhood. Literature from virtually every culture in history has noted stories about how man acquires attributes of deity. Most of the time man ‘blows it’ and we see the vanity of man achieving godhood.

Yet the desire remains. It is part of our make-up. Satan used that desire in trying to convince Eve to sin. ‘You won’t die if you eat that fruit,’ he says, ‘God knows that if you eat that fruit you will be just like Him.’

How that must have appealed to Eve. From our perspective we can see the foolishness of her choice. We have hindsight, the word of God, and the literature of the ages to mould our thoughts. Surely, we know that we would fail as god just like the boy-god in the Star Trek episode.

But do we really ‘get it?’ Let’s try a test. How often do you and I think we could do a better job than God is doing? When things are going wrong and we can’t figure it out we can be tempted to wonder if God really knows what is going on. When babies die and great tragedies strike we can sometimes join the world and ask ourselves why God allows this to happen.

The problem is simple – we are not God. When we think that we are no better than Eve. ‘If I were God I would not let that happen!’ It is Satan’s same deception that continues on today. It worked with Eve. It is sad that it still can work with us.

More cunning

Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, "Has God indeed said, 'You shall not eat of every tree of the garden'?" – Genesis 3v1

What is the first thing that come s to mind when I saw ‘the devil?’ Chances are that the mental image is of a little angry guy with red skin, horns, pointy teeth, a pitchfork, and a long tail with a point on the end. He is probably surrounded by flames and has an evil and lascivious grin on his face.

In The Wizard of Oz the good witch was beautiful, sweet, and tender. The wicked with was ugly, bent over and cruel. We have this idea that evil is synonymous with ugly and beauty is synonymous with good.

The sad thing is that it simply is not true. If Satan had appeared to Eve as above, we would not have the problem with sin. If evil always looked like the bad witch no one would want it.

But Satan doesn’t do it that way. He is more cunning and subtle than any other creature. He is sly, beautiful, and alluring. If the Wizard of Oz were shot using the reality of good and evil the bad witch would be just as pretty as the good witch. Dorothy and Toto would have never been afraid her and she could have tricked Dorothy out of her ruby slippers.

One of the greatest lessons we need to keep in mind is the truth that Satan is not going to be ugly. Sin is going to look appealing. Don’t watch out for the guy with the pitchfork. Watch out for most appealing things that come across your path. There is where the evil tends to cunningly hide.

It is not good that man should be alone

And the Lord God said, "It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him." … Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed. - Gen 2:18,25

I am one of those guys who can really indentify with the phrase ‘it is not good that a man should be alone.’ I do not like to be alone at all. If I have to take the car into the mechanic, about a 20 minute drive, I want some one to go with me. I don’t like being at home alone for more than a couple of hours. I just don’t like alone-ness.

Not all are as bad as I am, but we are social beings. God knew this on the sixth day when Adam was all alone naming the animals (that must have been a busy day). So, in this recounting of the sixth day of creation we learn that God created Eve from Adam in order to solve the dilemma.

Before sin ever entered into the world God established the very first human institution, the home. ‘A man shall leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife and the two shall be one flesh.’ God’s plan for society is based on the home. While sin has messed that up and tragically far too many homes have been destroyed, this is still God’s plan. We know that is true because the New Testament repeats the same instruction. We have seen over and over that when families are weak society is weak.

I look back over the years since God gave me my ‘helper.’ There have been times when we were ‘alone.’ However, the truth is that when that happens we are alone together. Now matter where we have gone or what we have done in those years we have had each other.

I could not be more grateful for my ‘helpmeet.’ Thank God that He had a way to deal with the aloneness.

A thing so lovely as a tree

And out of the ground the LORD God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil…And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, "Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die." – Genesis 2v9,16,17

‘I think that I shall never see a thing so lovely as a tree…’ I think most of us can indentify with that sentiment. There is something special about a tree. As we walk Mary and I talk about trees ‘with character.’

One of those trees is in front of the estate where we live. We simply call it ‘The Big Tree.’ Our kids have grown up with memories of The Big Tree. ‘I’ll meet you at The Big Tree’ rang out through the years. We don’t hear much of that anymore, but The Big Tree is till there.

In the very beginning we find that man’s first dilemma involves trees. God put loads of beautiful trees in the garden. There were good to look at and their bore fruit that was good to eat. (Hmm, on a side thought, does that mean that all trees bore tasty fruit before the fall?) Amongst those trees were two special trees, the tree of life and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. One of these, the tree of life, obviously would do what is said – give life. The other tree is the tree of knowledge of good and evil. What was the result of eating the fruit of that tree? ‘The day you eat of it you will die.’

Two choices – life and death. It seems like the choice would be clear.

But, stay tuned.

God breathed

And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being. – Genesis 2v7

Adam is different from all the rest of creation. All the rest of creation was. Well, created. We read something more about Adam though. God formed him out of the dust of the ground. I have read, but not researched, that man is indeed composed earthly elements. So God formed man. There he is, nothing more than a lump of clay.

Then something different happened. God ‘breathed into his nostrils the breath of life.’ Adam’s lungs filled with breath, his heart started beating, he stood up, and the human race began.

Physical life started when God’s breath entered Adam’s lungs. Without the breath of God they would have been no life.

God’s breath gave far more than just physical life. In 2 Timothy 3v16 we read of God’s breath again. ‘All scripture is given by inspiration of God…’ The word ‘inspiration’ of course refers to the breath of God. Just as Adam’s physical body would have been useless without the breath of God, our spirits would have stayed dead and useless apart from the impact of God’s word.

Praise God that He not only did He breath physical life into Adam, but through His word He breaths eternal life today.

God rested

Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. – Genesis 2v1-2

God rested. Now there is something to think about. God finished up His work, and then He rested. Why did He have to do that? Why would a God with all the might and power and strength in the universe stop and rest?

This is just the first mention of rest in the Bible. Moses father-in-law had to come to him and encourage him to rest because he was taking too much on himself. God will later use this example to make rest a part of His law. Jesus Himself had to come apart and rest.

But God, why did He rest? Simple, He knew about us and He set a pattern for us. He knew that rest is vital. A lack of rest will wreck us emotionally, physically, and spiritually. That, of course, does not mean that we can be lazy and waste the time He gives us. We do need to remember the need to take care of ourselves and part of that care taking is rest.

Balance is a theme that runs throughout the word of God. Work hard, be diligent, fight the fight, and redeem the time. But at the same time don’t forget to rest. If we forget that we become useless to ourselves, our families, our workplace, our church, and even to God.

It was very good

Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day. – Genesis 1v31

One of the reasons I love living in Ireland is that I love the scenery. I love the places where the countryside is untouched and unspoilt. Sometimes we can come across places that are so pristine it looks like we might the first people to ever see it, well accept for the road of course.

When I drive to the youth centre where I teach literacy I avoid the motorway and drive over the foothill of the Dublin Mountains. There is a place where you round a bend and have a marvellous view of Dublin harbour. I think what it must have been like for the first people who saw that view, long before Dublin filled the plain. It must have been amazing. Before Dublin grew out to Tallaght and created Tallafornia there were fantastic views of the Dublin Mountains. I could go on and on.

As I read this passage this morning I tried to put myself in Adam’s shoes (well, his bare feet I guess). . When he first woke up he did so to all the beauty of God’s perfect creation. There were no buildings, no roads, and not the slightest hint of pollution. There was no buzz of overhead wires and no traffic noise. He saw quiet, absolute beauty. Then, to top it all off, God gave him Eve.

Can we get just a glimpse of why God would say “It was very good.’ Only one thing could possibly mar the picture. Hidden in the deep recesses of Adam’s heart was the ability to make his own choices, but more on that later.

‘It was very good.’ But, what else could it be? Everything God does is good, because He is the essence of good. He is good everyday, all the time. There is nothing ‘not good’ in or about Him.

It was very good – but sadly there is another side to the story.

Let there be light

The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. And God said, let there be light… – Genesis 1v2,3


Interesting, isn’t it that the story of creation starts with darkness? There was no form or shape, nothing but darkness. This was a darkness that we cannot even imagine. I guess the closest we can get is when we are on a cave tour and the guide turns off the lights. That kind of darkness is almost palpable. There is a great relief when then light comes back on.

So the Bible starts in darkness and ends in light and hope. Out of that primordial empty shapeless darkness comes God’s voice. ‘Let there be light’ and from then on everything changes.

It is interesting that at the very end the light comes from God because there is no sun, moon, or stars. When we go back to the very beginning we find out that God gives light without those same bodies. The sun, moon, and stars don’t come around for a few more days.

God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all. When He begins His work the light appears. I contend that man lost this light when Adam and Eve sinned in the garden. Though the sun, moon, and stars continued to shine, this beginning light was gone.

There is, of course, a spiritual application for this truth. The whole world is lost in the darkness of sin. Without the Light there would be no hope. Man would be forever trapped in his darkness.

John 1 is something of a spiritual equivalent to Genesis 1. It even starts with ‘In the beginning…’ At the very start of John 1 we also read about light in the darkness. Jesus is the true light that come into the world, but the world did not comprehend it.

‘Let there be light,’ God said at the very beginning. Today He says the same thing, but the world rejects His true Light because it prefers spiritual darkness that hides its deeds and its sin.
When we were saved we received the Light. Our job now is to let that light shine in a world still trapped in darkness.

God created the heavens and the earth

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. – Genesis 1v1

Andrew Peterson sings folk music with a Christian slant. I enjoy it. It is quiet, peaceful, relaxing, and greatly thought provoking. One of his CDs is called ‘Love and Thunder.’ The first song on the CD is about the faith of Sarah and Abraham. It speaks of faith and of the truth that God is in control. The last song on the CD speaks of the truth when it is all sad and done, love will still be left. The interesting thing is that at the very end of the last song he ties in the theme of the first song. It is an intriguing tool to tie the whole CD together.

I was reminded of that CD this morning as I returned to Genesis. The last section of Revelation speaks of the new heaven and new earth. As I read through that I was amazed at the similarity to the first heaven and first earth. The theme of the very end ties right back into the very beginning.

‘In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.’ There is a lot packed right into that simple phrase. It deals with the whole question of origins. In the beginning God was already there. Eternality is hard to grasp because we don’t live in that realm. God’s presence is not debated or discussed. He was just ‘there.’ Take it or leave it, believe it or not, He is just there.

God created the heavens and the earth. That answers all the questions. If we can’t trust the very first sentence in the Bible how can we trust the rest? If we can’t trust this first line we might as well throw all the rest of it away because the Bible is based on one big, fat lie. If we can’t trust Genesis 1v1 how can we trust Revelation 22v20,21?

Like Peterson’s CD the whole package ties together. The end sends us right back to the beginning. Unlike Peterson’s CD, where I can pick and choose the songs I want to listen to, the Bible is the whole package. I can’t just grab what I like and reject the rest.

My reaction to the rest of the Bible is based on a simple question; do I have the faith to trust the very foundation?

Amen

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. – Revelation 22v21

I started this journey through the Bible on the 1st of May 2005. This is the 1.590th entry in my journal. Fifty-two months have passed. A lot has happened since then. We have added a daughter-in-law, a son-in-law, and three more grandchildren. I started this partly because I was a relatively new grampy and I wanted to leave a legacy for my family. For my family I call these devotions Grampy’s Gleanings.

Well Grampy’s Gleanings I has come to a close. It is time to get them proof read, corrected, printed, and bound. Grampy’s Gleanings II start tomorrow.

What can I say in conclusion of this first volume? I can’t think of a more fitting word that John’s Holy Spirit inspired word at the very end of Revelation. That simple word is ‘amen.’ Amen is a ancient word that crosses cultures and religions. Whether sung in a classical aria or modern song, shouted in agreement, or printed in a book it means the same thing. Whether pronounced a-men, ah-men, or aaaaa-MEN it means the same thing. Amen means ‘so be it.’

So what better way to wrap it up? God says, so what more can we say than ‘so be it?’ Any other response is futile. I used to see a bumper sticker that read ‘God said it, I believe, and that settles is for me.’ That’s a nice thought and a simple statement of faith. I think however that to be more accurate we might say – “God says it; that settles it, so I believe it.’

Amen and amen!

Even so, come Lord Jesus

He who testifies to these things says, "Surely I am coming quickly." Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus! – Revelation 22v20

I try to imagine what it was like for John when he wrote these words. He was an old man now, probably in his 90s. It had been more that fifty years since the angels had told him and the others that Jesus was coming back. Jesus had promised to be with them no matter what happened.

A lot had happened since then. History, admittedly with some tradition, tells us that he had at some point been dipped in boiling oil as persecution for his faith. He had been exiled to Patmos for being a Christian. He had seen the intense persecution of the church. Thousands of believers had died at the hands of Rome. By the year 100 things were pretty much a mess for the Church.

And where was Jesus? Why wasn’t He coming back? Here Jesus tells John, ‘I am coming quickly.’ If that was the case, where was here? Almost two thousand years later we might be tempted to wonder where He is now.

I was doing some reading on St Patrick who came to Ireland in the 5th century to preach the gospel. In his Confession he gives something of his spiritual background and beliefs. At one point he writes, ‘We look for the soon advent of our Saviour.’ John wrote 70 years after Jesus left, Patrick wrote another 400 years later, and all through time Christians have waited for His return and looked for His coming.

Well, where is He? Our problem is that we think and operate in a different realm than He does. He works out time. He is coming, and it will be in His perfect time. In the sense to eternity what is two thousand years? There is no such thing as ‘too long’ in the scope of eternity.

No matter what we can still echo John’s words. Few reading these words will have it as bad as John did, but life is tough at times. My physical life is not bad. I have a nice place to live; I have clothes to wear and food to eat. I have far more than I need when it comes to ‘stuff.’

Still though, I can relate to John’s words. It is not that my living is that bad. The worst thing about my living is that I have to live with me. My wicked flesh still cries out and demands attention. I can blame the world all I want. I can blame Satan all I want, but I can’t to anything about them. I can only deal with my own flesh, and I am tired of living with it and fighting it.

Who can deliver me from my flesh? Only Jesus.

Even so, please come Lord Jesus.

Drinking freely

And the Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come!" And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely. – Revelation 22v17

I don’t think I have ever truly been thirsty. I have probably said before, ‘I am dying of thirst,’ but I doubt that I have ever truly been really thirsty. When you read about being truly thirsty it is a terrible thing, After the dry, cottony mouth that we have all experienced comes fatigue and fevers or chills. The lips and tongues swell and crack. Our bodies depend on water so they begin to rob it wherever it can be found in our systems causing severe pain. Thirst kills quickly. After only 3-4 days with no water, we die.

Now wonder that the Bible so often speaks of water, thirst, and quenching that thirst. Most of us in the modern western world have no concept of how important water was to the people in Bible times. We go to the tap, turn on the cold water, and there it is. Some folks go to the door of their fridge and stick the glass and it fills up with water and ice. In some places we don’t even have to pay for water. In the last few years it has become the in thing for everyone to carry their bottle of water with them wherever they go, even into church. We just don’t get this thirst thing.

I remember a day years ago when I was working in heating and air conditioning in Alabama. It was August and it was hot! I was working in an attack where the temperature was about 60C (140F). We knew to work in 10 minute shifts in that heat, but I only had a little more to do, so I told the guy I was working with to go ahead and work on something else and I would be right out. Right after that I stopped sweating. My body was thirsty and needed that water. My own internal ‘air conditioner’ shut down. I was dizzy and disorientated. My head and my stomach ached. Somehow I made my way to the ladder going into the attic and stumbled down. There was a bathroom down the hall so I literally crawled there. I could not stand to the sink, and all they had were tiny little children’s paper cups. I filled and drank and filled ands drank and filled and drank. Finally I made my way outside and rested under a shade tree until my body could recover.

I had a taste that day of what it meant to be thirsty, but thankfully I had a solution. I can’t imagine being thirsty and having no water, or even being rationed to one of those tiny kiddie paper cups of water.

Thirst was a part of life for most people in Jesus’ day. A good part of their lives was spent in a struggle similar to mine for those few moments, but theirs went on day after day after day. They saw the picture that we can miss.

Saying that, there are times in our lives when we experience a spiritual thirst. A crisis comes along that shakes us and our confidence. We can’t seem to get an answer from God. We are dry and parched and we craving something from God to refresh us. Finally, the answer comes and we are able to move on.

On the new heaven and new earth there will be no more spiritual thirst. Every day we will be vibrant, renewed, and refreshed. The water will flow freely and we will indeed never thirst again.

Come

And the Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come!" And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely. – Revelation 22v17

All the way to the very end the invitation continues. Here we are only a few verses from the close of the Bible and still Jesus is saying the simple, single, salvific word - 'come.'

My thoughts this morning when I read this verse were from the original Disney animated film ‘Cinderella.’ The whole kingdom was aflutter waiting to see who would be invited to the Royal Ball. When the courier arrived the stepsisters tore into the note to see if they were invited. There was great excitement when they saw that they were. The bad thing is that the wicked stepmother told Cinderella she had to stay home.

But she was invited – all the single women in the house we invited. The price was saying to all of them, including Cinderella, ‘Come to the Royal Ball’ and despite the difficulties even Cinderella was able to go.

Jesus is offering an open invitation to the ultimate Royal Ball. Everyone is invited, even the ‘Cinderellas’ of this world.

‘Come’ is a wonderful word. In the American South you might hear the phrase ‘Y’all come.’ Here when someone is at the door we say, ‘Come in, I’ll put the kettle on.’ My house growing up was an open house – people just came on in. Our house is the same. We might as well have a ‘Come on in’ sign on our front door.

Greater than all this is to hear Jesus saw ‘come.’ Notice that the Bride also says ‘come.’ Are we doing our part to invite others?

THE Bright and Morning Star

"I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star." - Revelation 22v16

The term ‘bright and morning star’ is not one that is exclusive to Jesus. From what I have read it can refer to anyone who offers hope of a new day. The ‘morning star’ refers to Venus which in certain seasons and certain places rises in the east to herald in a new day. When Venus rise she may do so beautifully, but that is no indication of what the day may actually bring. In the same manner the title ‘Morning Star’ does not always mean that it is going to be a good day.

Here though Jesus says, ‘I am the Bright and Morning Star;’ We can’t see it in print, but I do not think we do it injustice to say ‘I am THE Bright and Morning Star.’ Even the Great Morning Star of the Reformation, John Wycliff, cannot compare to THE Bright and Morning Star. Eosphorus, the dawn-bearer of Greek mythology, and even Lucifer (Latin for day-star) have also been called by this same title.

What makes Jesus different? Simple enough, all of the others may seem like the harbinger of light for a great new day, but only Jesus delivers on the promise of a bright new day.

The day that He heralds will outshine them all. There will be no more darkness or death or sorrow or weeping. Venus rising gives us just a hint of the brightness of a new day. At the moment all we see in Jesus is the glimmer of hope for the eternal new day. It reminds me of Paul’s point about seeing things today ‘through a glass darkly,’ but one day face to face.

If all we have of Christ today is just the morning star promise, can you imagine what it will be like when we have it all?

Root and offspring of David

"I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star." - Revelation 22v16

Why is this little phrase about the ‘Root and Offspring of David’ thrown in here? This is the question that crossed my mind when I first read it. Then I started thinking about another similar passage.

Paul quotes Isaiah in Romans 15v12 when he wrote, ‘And again, Isaiah says: "There shall be a root of Jesse; And He who shall rise to reign over the Gentiles, In Him the Gentiles shall hope.’

The Root of David and the Root of Jesse are one and the same because Jesse is David’s dad. Isaiah made it clear that the Root of Jesse is the reason that we as Gentiles have hope for eternity. In Ephesians 2 we read that Jesus broke down the ‘wall of partition’ between Jews and Gentiles so that all now have access to Him.

Without the Root of David we would have no hope. God’s people would include only the Jews.

Jesus says. ‘I am the Root and Offspring of David’ and with Paul’s words he is saying, ‘I am the hope of the Gentiles.’ Praise God for our Only Hope!

The blessing of the tree

Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city. - Revelation 22v14

I am not to sure all that is involved in the tree of life. I suspect from putting two and two together in my head that the tree of life is the tree of eternal life. It was in fact in the Garden of Eden. I conjecture that if Adam and Eve had only eaten from that tree instead of the tree of knowledge of good and evil they would still be alive today. I suspect that is why God sent an angel who ‘guarded the way to the tree of life’ so that they could no longer eat from it and they would indeed die.

Eternal life is quite a thought. One of my favourite episodes of the old Twilight Zone is ‘Long Live Walter Jameson.’ Walter is a college history professor who is about to marry a colleague’s daughter. In the course of the story we discover that Walter is, in fact, over 2000 years old and received an eternal life potion from one of the Greek scholars. Poor Walter has lived through all of history. He fought in the American Civil War. He has had many wives who he marries and watched them grow old and die. The key line, when his colleague talks about how wonderful it would be to live forever is simply, ‘I am tired.’

In all of the eternal life stories the same truth comes out. Eternal life in this sin cursed world is not all that it is cracked up to be. It would be horrible to watch your friends and people you love grow old and die time after time after time. I don’t think I have any interest in living forever here.

In the new heaven and new earth things will be different. Remember, there is no death there. No sorrow, no crying, and no tears. The way to the tree of life will be unblocked and we will eat freely of it. The right to eat from that tree, taken away in the Garden will be restored. Matt mentioned this morning that a preacher said that things come full circle from Genesis to Revelation. I like that wording. It is indeed a new heaven, a new earth, and a new blessing of eternal life.

I like fruit. I was at a market Saturday and the owner of one of the fruit stands let me sample kinds of fresh sweet fruits. I loved it, but I know that one day I will really love eating from the fruit of the tree of life!

My reward is with me

"And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work. – Revelation 22v12

The speaker switches from the angel who has presented most of Revelation back to Jesus. This final section is Jesus last plea and call to come to him.

The love of Christ is clear to the very end. His plea carries on even after the final pictures of the future have been seen. It is obvious that His desire is for everyone to come to Him. What amazing love this is. Jesus pleas for the world to turn to Him even though there has been nothing but animosity and rejection for thousands of years.

This is an interesting statement. Jesus says, ‘I am coming quickly.’ No real problem with that, His return will come without warning or notice. ‘I have my reward with me to give every one according to his work.’ Let me cover the last part of that sentence first. The phrase ‘according to his works’ might seem troublesome, but I think that is because of our definition of ‘works.’ Works is not just what we physically do; works are all that is manifest in us. They are our emotions, our feelings, our attitudes, our responses and so on. The truth is that our works are a reflection of what we really are and what we really are is ultimately based on our relationship with Christ. Faith works and it is the works produced by faith or lack of it that will bring rewards.

I like the fact though that Jesus says, ‘I am bringing my reward with me.’ When parents go away on a trip and they come home their children will often ask them, ‘Did you bring me anything?’ Here Jesus tells us before we even ask that He is bringing rewards with Him. When we have put our faith in and follow Him was can be assured that rewards are coming.

I might not see many rewards here, but I have to say I am looking for to what Jesus is bringing me!

It's Too Late

He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; he who is righteous, let him be righteous still; he who is holy, let him be holy still." - Revelation 22v11

'I'll get around to it,' is that attitude that a lot of us take when it comes to dealing with anything serious. I was talking to my son just the other day about this and how much I hate dealing with anything 'official.'

The problem is that sometimes we have to deal with this stuff before it is too late. We have deadlines that we just have to meet. If we don’t meet those deadlines we have to pay the consequences. As much as I might not want to do, eventually I must do the things I don’t want to do. The bad thing is that most of the time they are nothing to fear, I just don’t want the hassle of doing it.

Sadly, there is an eternal deadline. The rest of the book here tells the world what to do before this deadline gets here, but right hear the angel explains the finality of it all. The unjust will remain unjust. The filthy will remain filthy. The righteous will remain righteous and the holy will be holy. If it has not been dealt with by now it is too late. The second, third, fourth, fifth chances are over. It is eternally too late.

This is a deadline that people can’t afford to mess with. Christ of going to give one more explanation of the gospel in the last few verses. We will see that in the next few days.

As much as I hate deadlines and dealing with things it is always a great feeling when I get it done early. We would do well to deal with this deadline in plenty of time.

When I heard and saw these things…I worshiped

Now I, John, saw and heard these things. And when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel who showed me these things. Then he said to me, "See that you do not do that. For I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren the prophets, and of those who keep the words of this book. Worship God." – Revelation 22v8-9

I like this little section here. First, it is good to know that even guys like John don’t always get it right the first time. Second, despite that – he had the right heart even though we got it wrong.

Imagine being there in John’s sandals. He has just seen and heard all the prophecies of the book that we know call Revelation. He was overwhelmed and when he ‘saw and heard these things’ he ‘fell down to worship before the feet of the angel’ Some might be tempted to roundly criticise him for doing so – ‘Bless God John oughta know better! He must be getting senile! How sad to see the man of God acting like that!’ And, to be honest, the critics would have a point. John should have known better than to worship an angel. The angle corrected him and told him simply ‘Don’t do that. I am a fellow servant. Worship God.’ Still though, John had the right heart when he was exposed to God’s word – he knew that he should worship.

I think the lesson for us is clear. Our response to God’s word should always be one of worship. After all God allows us to see to His very heart when He allows us have His word. Anytime a person writes you see a part of that person. With God’s word we see all of Him.

Our daily time in His word should always be our time of day to worship Him for all that He tells and shows us.

No more curse

And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him. - Revelation22v3

I am starting to enjoy the 'no mores' of New Jerusalem. Today's is another goodie.

If we look back to Genesis we come we remember what we generally call 'The Curse' which came as a result of Adam and Eve's sin. Among other things man was forced to live by the sweat of his brow, there would be pain in childbirth, there would be a constant battle of submission, agriculture would be difficult, and Satan would be a constant bother, and man would no longer have joy in the precense of God. In general living would be much tougher in the sin cursed world.

Ever since that day we have had to live under the curse of sin. Things don't go well. Work is hard. It is a troublesome world and the people who are in it are troubled with troubles almost every minute (than you Dr. Suess). Life can be a bit challenging and sometimes those curse caused challenges can overcome us.

One day all the results of the curse will be gone. Sin will no longer reign. We will be able to serve the Lamb instead of sin. Until then though we might as well get used to it. Life is just going to be tough.

No defilement

But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb's Book of Life. – Revelation 21v27

I just finished reading Frank McCourt’s Angela’s Ashes. The book is an account of growing up in Brooklyn and Limerick. As I read this verse this morning a word stuck out that I think summarises the book. What could that one word be? Defilement.

Everything about McCourt’s life involved defilement. He was defiled by poverty. He was defiled by his father’s drunkenness. He was defiled by the literal filth of his world. He was defiled by the death of his brothers and sisters. He was defiled by fear and hopelessness. He was defiled by cruel family members, classmates, neighbours, schoolmasters, and employers. He was defiled by disease. He was defiled by his church. He was defiled by rampant immorality. To be frank reading the book leaves one feeling defiled.

Young Frank’s worst defilement, the one that really dominates the book and runs throughout every page, is the defilement that comes from within. He blames the defilement on his church and neighbours and the ‘guilt’ they impose, but it goes much deeper. He battles with the desire to do right and the fleshly defilement that leads him to do wrong.

As I read the book I am grateful that I could not really personally identify with the abject filth and poverty he grew up with. Though we have had plenty of times of ‘doing without’ we never did without food, clothes, and heat.

I have to admit though that I can identify with the defilement of the world and flesh. Part of the feeling of defilement in reading is the realisation that my own flesh has dealt with, and even now deals with, some of the same or similar battles.

McCourt’s desire in the book is to go back to America. He finally makes it, but even there the sense of defilement continues. He still can’t escape the sense that he is doing wrong. Some may blame what is here called ‘Catholic guilt’ but it goes much deeper. I contend that he had a real sense of his own sin nature and battled to deal with that.

Defilement is part of life. Sadly we get used to it. Of all that I have read in Revelation the last few days the promise of ‘nothing that defile’ has a real appeal to me. I long for the days of clean hands, a clean heart, and a clean mind. I long for the day when the defilement of the world and flesh is finally gone.

Praise God for the promise of ‘nothing that defiles.’

No sun or moon

The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, a for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light. - Revelation 21v23

Ever since the very beginning of time we have been dependant on the sun and moon. The sun to rule by day and the moon and stars to rule the night. Every morning the sun rises in theveast and every night it sets in the west. Once about every four weeks the moon goes around the earth. A lot changes, but the sun and moon keep on keeping on.

Why? The sun and moon have continued on because we need the light. Without them we would be totally lost.

In New Jerusalem though we will no longer need the sun and the moon. There are not part of the new creation.

The reason is that we will have perfect Light. God is light and in Him there is darkness, at all. Today light is not perfect. There are shadows and dark corners where the light cannot penetrate. In the darkness it is easy for sins and wrongs to go unchecked.

One day, when The Lamb is The Light we will no longer have to fear the perils of darkness.

No temple

But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. – Revelation 21v22

Temple worship must have been really something, especially in Solomon’s temple. It was a marvellous building complex. Gold was everywhere. If the artist conceptions I have seen are accurate this massive structure dominated everything. It would have been truly awe inspiring and, I suppose rightly so, since it was God’s dwelling place.

The next temple was not nearly as extravagant. The people wept when it was built because it does not match up to the temple the old people remembered.

In 70 AD even that temple was destroyed.

There will be another temple built in the last days, but in New Jerusalem there will be no temple. Why is that? Why will the New Jerusalem be missing a feature that was such a part of the earthly Jerusalem?

Because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple. God’s glory will make any earthly temple pale in comparison. No temple worship where only the High Priest could go into the Holy of Holies once a year to meet with God we will all have free access to Him. God with us, us with God; He as our God and we as His children. We will have all things as our inheritance.

We simply won’t need a temple, because we will always and everywhere be with Him.

100%

He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. – Revelation 21v7

I am still waiting to hear about my supposed earthly inheritance. My mom’s first cousin died a few years ago. We have been getting sporadic updates from the attorney handling the estate. I think my portion of ‘Uncle Carl’s’ estate is 1/102, in other words, about 1% of his estate after the attorney’s and the state get their cut. I have no idea what 1% of Uncle Carl’s estate is. I have no idea if or when I will see my share. It is really not a very hopeful inheritance.

But I have another inheritance to look forward to. My share of this inheritance is 100%. What makes this inheritance special is that not only is my share 100%, but all those who overcome will also receive 100% of the inheritance.

‘Overcoming’ can be a bit intimidating though, can’t it? What happens if I slip up and don’t overcome? Good question, but the answer if as clear as it can be in 1 John 5v4 – ‘For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith.’

So overcoming is not dependent on us once we have put our faith in Christ. The overcoming has already been accomplished. I became an overcomer when I became a child of God. I became a part of Uncle Carl’s estate when I was born into that family. While I am only going to get 1% of that estate, all of us who were born in God’s family are each going to receive 100% of His inheritance.

Praise God that the overcoming is accomplished. I am looking forward to my 100% inheritance!

Free water

And He said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. – Revelation 21v6

I have recently become interested in the water pumps that dot virtually every village and town in Ireland. Some of them are fascinating and even beautiful. When I was up North with Matt a couple of weeks ago we found a geocache hidden in one of them. That was fun and it further stirred my interest in them. Before in home water people would go to these pumps and get their water for drinking, washing, and cooking. The water was there, it was free, it was refreshing, but they had to go get it.

Slowly but surely the water lines we laid and now water flows freely in Irish homes. Instead of going down to the pump, all you have to do now is turn on the tap. The same water, it is still free, but now it is right at your fingertips.

Of course, no earthly analogy is perfect, but I think this is something like our access to the water of life. Before we were saved there was a constant thirst for that ‘something.’ When we were saved, like the woman at the well, we had full access to the water of life, but we have to go to the well and get it. It is our job to pray, go to church, read the word of God, and meditate on Him. As we do that, we enjoy all the benefits of the water of life.

The day is coming though when the water is going to come right into the house. The water will always be there. The access to it will be free and easy. The water of life will be a constant part of our lives!

It is going to be a great day when the water of life gushes forth for us constantly. For now let’s keep trekking to the water pump – it is well worth the trip.

Sin sin!

And He said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. – Revelation 21v6

A few years ago an Irish radio host closed his daily programme with the words ‘sin sin (pronounced shin shin).” The phrase means ‘that’s that’ and is a shortened version of ‘Sin sin! Tá sé déanta’ (taw shay daynta) meaning ‘that’s that, it is done.’

I have loved the phrase ‘sin sin’ ever since and often, when I get done with a job or a task I will brush my hands together and say ‘Well, sin sin.’ I love the feeling of ‘The job is done, that’s all, it is finished.’

Here at the close of Revelation we read the words ‘It is done.’ I think there is only one other time when God says these words is when Jesus said ‘it is finished’ from the cross.

At that time He was saying that all the work of redemption was done. Here He is more conclusive. Now there is finality to it all. The work that began ‘In the beginning’ has come to a conclusion and God says ‘It is done.’

From now on evil is finished, sin is conquered, and Satan is defeated. For all eternity there will now be perfect union and peace with God. All the junk we are dealing with today will be gone.

Sin sin, it is done. Time for a whole new programme!

No more tears

And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away." – Revelation 21v4

A few years ago Johnson’s Baby Shampoo ran an ad where the slogan was ‘no more tears.’ It had a lot of appeal because one of the worst things about washing a baby’s hair is the crying when the shampoo gets in their eyes. The impact of the ad was fantastic and it really hit home to parents.

Here is Revelation 21v4 we have our own 100% guaranteed ‘no more tears’ promise and I have to tell you that it has great appeal. I am far from old yet, but am beginning to see the reality of life and death. My mom and dad are both gone several years now as they died quite young, but now I am beginning to see my friend’s parents die in a pretty regular basis. Just last week I got word that a dear older friend had passed away. He was a man I worked for and I became very close to him and his family. It kind of caught me off guard. I was quite moved and tears came to my eyes. I received an email from his wife this morning and I was once again moved to tears. I know that as the years go by, should the Lord tarry and I live on, this is only going to get worse.

Death and sorrow and crying and pain are sadly a part of our lives. I still sorrow at times when I think of my own mom and dad and little sister. To my mind they left far too soon and I miss them. Even now as I type tears are coming to my eyes again.

People talk about ‘getting over’ the death of a loved one. I don’t think we ever do ‘get over it.;’ at least not while we are here. But the day is coming when we will no longer have to bear those tears and hurts and pains.

One day God is going to wipe away every tear from our eyes. All the ‘former things’ will be done away with and we will not have to deal with our tears, death, sorrow, crying, and pain. I have to say that I am really looking forward to that aspect of eternity.

“No more tears’ is an appealing promise.

God Himself will be with us

And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. – Revelation 21v3

We often use the phrase ‘I’ll be with you in spirit’ when we cannot physically be with someone for a big event. What we mean is that we will be thinking about them and hopefully praying for them. That can really be special at times. We have all sensed times when we knew people were praying for us and it ‘felt like’ they were tight with us.

Being the ‘in spirit’ is not quite the same is it? Even when it comes to God we find something of the same feelings. It is true of course that He is well and truly literally with us in a different way than just ‘in spirit.’ But lets be honest, it does know always ‘feel’ like He is here does it? Or maybe it is just me, but sometimes He can feel very far away. When then happens, of course it is my fault because He is right there.

One the other hand, isn’t it nice when that friend is not just there in spirit, but in the flesh? When there are here in the flesh I can see them, sense them, and touch them. It is far more real than when they are only with me in spirit.

I know the analogy is not perfect, but what is it going to be like when God is with us ‘in the flesh,’ right there in our presence? When that day, to our minds finally, gets here there will no more ‘through a glass darkly,’ but then face to face.

These words from a favourite old hymn really sum it up:

Only faintly now I see Him,

With the darkened veil between,

But a blessed day is coming,

When His glory shall be seen.

Face to face I shall behold Him,

Far beyond the starry sky;

Face to face in all His glory,

I shall see Him by and by!

New Heaven and New Earth

Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. – Revelation 21v1

This is one of those thoughts where I really don’t know what to make of it all, but did not feel like I could just skip over it either. So bear with me today as I mull this one over.

To be honest I sort of have mixed feelings. I like familiarity. I don’t like change even when I am pretty sure that it is going to be a change for the better. Something could always go wrong, after all.

On the other hand this is different. This change is in God’s hand and is according to His plan so it cannot go wrong. We are talking here about a total redo, free from the curse of sin.

Even now there are times and places when I marvel at the beauty of God’s creation. There are moments when I literally have to stop the car and gaze at the intense glimpses of His glory. I was driving to work a few weeks ago through the Wicklow and Dublin mountains. I came to a turn and there was an expanse of sunlight in the midst of a cloudy and drizzle day. Right where the sun shone was a group of trees and the sunlight on the wet leaves made them explode into a brilliance that was almost blinding.

As beautiful as this scene was, an as amazing as so many things that we see today, I can’t even imagine a heaven and earth where there is no curse of sin.

New heaven and new earth? Sounds pretty good to me!

The Lake of Fire

And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire. – Revelation 20v15

I am afraid that today’s thought is not a pleasant one. Yesterday we saw the joy and comfort that comes from the knowledge that, for those of us who have put our faith in Christ, our names are written in the Book of Life. No matter what else might happen, we are okay because our eternity is sealed.

But what about the people that we see everyday? What about our friends and neighbours and loved ones and co-workers and others that we come in contact with whose names are not written in the Book of Life? What is going to happen to all those people who make our life what it is who have never accepted Christ as their own Saviour?

In the previous verses we read that after Satan’s captivity, release, and ill fated rebellion he is going to be cast into the Lake of Fire where he will be tormented day and night forever and ever. Certainly no one could question that he deserves it.

Tragically Satan is not the only one who is going to be there. Anyone whose names are not written in the Book of Life is going to join him. From the other occurrences of the ‘Book of Life’ in the Bible it is obvious that the names written there are all those who are saved, who have put their faith in him accepted His free gift of salvation.

This is hard to grasp, and I for one don’t like to think about it. What it means is that all those people we care so much about; that neighbour who we can always count on, that co-worker who we have struggled with in task after task, that mechanic who we have been friends with for years, that quirky, loveable uncle, and that precious family member who has never been saved will spend eternity in the Lake of Fire along with the Devil.

The sad thing is that we have the message that they need. Sure, they must accept it and all we can do is share and life the gospel, but how often do we neglect to do even that?

This is certainly not intended to out anyone on a guilt trip. However, as we go through today may God give us a vision and remind us of the eternal fate of all those who are not written in that precious book. May we be willing and open to share the gospel. And just as importantly, may we show them Christ in us day after day after day.

The Book of Life

And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire. – Revelation 20v15

I love books. I always have. Though my library is small, only about 700 volumes, I really do like it. My favourite book is ‘Robinson Crusoe’ and I think I have 4, maybe 5, copies of it.

Books are important to God. He gave us His word in a book. Even if we read it now on a computer screen or a portable device of some sort, it is still a book in a different form. Praise God His word is in a book, that way we can read and use it any time we want.

But there is another set of books. As we look into heaven here is Revelation we see the Book of Life, and ‘other books.’ I don’t know what those other books are, and I am not going to speculate on them. I guess that the most important book of all alongside the Bible is this Book of Life. Folks have speculated if the book starts out blank and names are added as people get saved or whether everyone born is entered there and names are wiped out if the person does not get saved. I have my own point of view, but that is not the issue here.

The issue for the Book of Life is that anyone whose name is not written down there will be cast into the Lake of Fire to face eternal suffering. Folks on earth are always trying to make a name for themselves here, but most forget that there is only one place where it is important that our names are written down. Most of our names are never going to be recorded in books. Most of us will never even be in newspapers or magazines. That doesn’t really matter though does it? The only thing that really matters is if our names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. That only happens when we accept Him as saviour and seek His forgiveness of our sins.

I am grateful that my name is recorded in the one Book that really counts!

That old serpent

He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; - Revelation 20v2

One of the first characters we meet when we start to read through the Bible shows in Genesis 3, right after the creation account. ‘Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, "Has God indeed said, 'You shall not eat of every tree of the garden'?"’

Ever since then, all through the word of God, that old serpent has been causing trouble. He is referred to as a dragon, a snake, a roaring lion, the deluder, the deceiver, the father of lies, and so on and so on.

Sometimes it seems that he is winning. Sometimes it seems that he has won. 1,184 chapters after we first met the serpent we now see the beginning of his demise. Yes, he will pop up again after 1,000 years, but that will be a fruitless effort.

He hissed and slithered and wove his way throughout human history. We still must deal with it for a while. We can however take encouragement from the fact that his doom is sealed.

His name is King of Kings and Lord of Lords

‘And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: King of Kings and Lord of Lords.’ – Revelation 19v16

Third name is given here, fourth if we count the one that only He knows. This one is different in that it is written on both His robes and His thigh.

For almost two thousand years now the world leaders have imagined that they are in control. Kings and masters have carried on like there is no one who will hold them accountable.

They should have had a hint when Jesus replied to Pilate who was bragging that he had the power to say a word and decide Jesus’ life. Jesus replied that Pilate had no power that He did not give him.

Human leaders have their power because Jesus permits it. But on the day when He mounts up on the white horse He will, finally in our minds, establish and accept His place as King over all the kings and Lord over all the lords. He will be the President over all presidents and Prime Minister over all prime ministers.

It is going to be tough in the meantime. But we can look forward to the day when our King and Lord will take His place on His throne.

His name is the Word of God

He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. – Revelation 19v13

Just before this verse we read that Jesus has a name that ‘no one knows but Himself.’ While that may be intriguing, it would only be conjecture to try and guess what that name might be so we move on to the next name.

His name is called the Word of God. That is an interesting one because the word ‘word’ is interesting in itself. The word is logos in Greek. When we think of the word ‘word’ on the surface we may think of something printed on a page or spoken by our lips. That aspect of word is only a part of it.

There is an old saying that, frankly, more people need to understand – words have meaning. To put is roughly when we say that we read the word of God we really mean that we read the ‘meaning of God.’ When we read that Jesus is called the Word of God what we are saying is that He is the very Meaning of God himself.

When we read that one of the names of Jesus in ‘the Word of God’ we can be assured that He is everything about God. He is all of God in every single aspect.

One day we will see the Word of God in the flesh. In the meantime we can still read and study the ‘Meaning of God’ in His written word. What a privilege. What an honour. What an opportunity.

It is a shame that we don’t take more advantage of it.

His name is Faithful and True

Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. – Revelation 19v11

We get a glimpse into heaven here where Jesus has mounted a great white horse for His long awaited triumphal return to earth. Before that return we read a description of His based on a few names or titles. The first of this mentioned is the name ‘Faithful and True.’

No matter how hard we try or how good our intentions we are all going to fail in faithfulness at some time or another because we are not always in total control of every situation and all the circumstances. Try as we might sometimes we all let people down.

There is only One that we can always count on, no matter what. Jesus is called Faithful and True because that is part of His very essence. He is always able to carry out what He says first of all because He is incapable of lying. He can’t make a false promise. Secondly, He can carry it out because He is all powerful – no circumstances or situations can keep Him from doing what He says He will do.

Praise God for the One, and only One, who is truly Faithful and True.

Blessed are they who are called to the marriage supper

Then he said to me, "Write: 'Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!' " And he said to me, "These are the true sayings of God." – Revelation 19v9

A wedding is nearly always something of a celebration. For the Jews this was especially true. Weddings were a massive celebration. Not only husband and wife, but families celebrated their unity. There would be music, dancing, and feasting in celebration of the great event. These were, and from I understand, still are times of great joy.

This is the picture that we are looking forward to as the bride of Christ. Right now we are waiting in anticipation of the great event. Like the bride we are, or should be, primping and grooming. We should be getting ourselves ready for the great event. Whereas the human bride is concerned about her dress and shoes and all that, our concern should be of a different kind of attire.

Our instruction throughout the New Testament is to prepare and adorn ourselves in holiness so that when the great day comes we are ready and not ashamed. The amazing thing is that Jesus has already prepared us by making us holy, but if we are not careful our daily living does not match up to it.

The illustration is not perfect but bear with me. It is something like a bride being presented with the perfect makeover for her wedding. Everything is done, the dress, the shoes, the hair, and the nails. Instead of keeping herself for the wedding she decides to go bog snorkelling. She grabs her goggle and jumps in the bog water to try and win the race. When she is come she is of course filthy. She still has the dress, shoes, hair, nails, and make-up, but they are all filthy. Is that any way to present herself to her groom?

As the bride of Christ how do we want to show up at our wedding feast?

The Lord God Omnipotent Reigns!

‘And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, "Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns!’ – Revelation 19v6

Revelation chapters 16-18 are discouraging words. They are not pretty and they are not seemingly edifying. They are full of blood and gore and death and destruction and rebellion and violence. They are hard to read.

The problem is that in those verses we read of the total destruction of the world system and man’s response to that destruction. From an earthly perspective it certainly is a time of doom and gloom.

But when we get to chapter nineteen the scene changes. If we were watching a sporting event on the telly the camera would pan from the dejected losing side to the winning side. Instead of showing despondent fans with the heads held low or glaring in anger we would see the cheering fans on the victorious side jumping up and down and shouting in jubilation. Scenes of defeat are replaced by total victory. An extra time goal changes the whole scene. Victory is snatched from the jaws of defeat.

In chapters sixteen through eighteen we see the end time events from a human earthly perspective. In chapter nineteen we see them from a heavenly perspective. Instead of the crushing judgements on the earth and its people we see the Lord God Omnipotent reigning in all of His power and glory.

We have a lot to look forward to. The match may seem hopeless and we may look like our defeat is sure, but the victory is already assured – the Lord God Omnipotent reigns and one day we will reign with Him!

King of the Saints

They sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying: "Great and marvellous are Your works, Lord God Almighty! Just and true are Your ways, O King of the saints! - Revelation 15v3

No one can deny that this world is a political mess. Very few countries can lay claim to having a godly leader who places an emphasis on the word of God and governs according to godly principles. Godly political leadership is surely an oxymoron.

Christians all over the world, but especially in the US, seem to be infatuated with human politics. If you visit any number of Christian internet discussion forums you will find politics on the hot list. You go to church and, especially in election years, politics is at the forefront of the discussions. In many churches the gospel must share pulpit time with politics. Christian friendship and fellowship can be determined by political stands.

It is a sad state of affairs when the body of Christ is divided over politics. It is tragic when brothers and sisters in Christ fight who they voted for and why. My mind starts wondering when I think of wars like the American Civil War where members of the body of Christ killed each other on the battlefield over political differences.

I think we have a key to why this happens in this section of scripture. Sometimes we can forget who our King is. I was recently reminded of a portion of a message preached by S.M. Lockeridge. This section has been converted into a video clip readily available on You Tube. It is called. “That’s My King!’ and he preached the message in 1976. I am not going to reproduce it here, but I would encourage you to look it up.

Bro. Lockeridge reminds us of who our King really is. While we are enjoined to submit to, honour, and pray for our political leaders we must remember that they are only our leaders because of where we live geographically. Yes, we must obey the laws and respect our leaders to be a good testimony amongst others, but our King reigns on a whole different level.

Jesus is the King of the Saints. We are unified as His subjects. While we must live in two realms, let us be careful that we don’t let the earthly kingdoms and our views on that divide us who are united under the King of the Saints!

Just and true are your ways, O King

They sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying: "Great and marvellous are Your works, Lord God Almighty! Just and true are Your ways, O King of the saints! – Revelation 15v3

God’s way is always right. It has a nice ring to it, but why is it that sometimes it doesn’t seem that way? How do we answer people when they ask us why God does this or that or allow horrible things to happen?

There is a lot to consider here. Sometimes the answer is that horror and tragedy are just nature taking its course. Sometimes God gets the blame for what wicked men do. Sometimes these things are just the result of mistakes and human error.

To be honest we are not always have the answers. It is important though that by faith we trust a certain truth – God’s ways are always just and always based on truth. Our human knowledge and ken can sometimes fall short of comprehending the whys and wherefores.

Once again we have an opportunity to exercise faith and trust. We can trust our own understanding, limited and sin cursed as it is. Or we can trust the perfect word of God as it describes the ways of an infinitely loving and holy God.

Which makes more sense?

All nations shall come and worship

Who shall not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy. For all nations shall come and worship before You, For Your judgments have been manifested." – Revelation 15v4

This is one of those messages that when I first read it my response can almost be one of scepticism. “All the nations shall come and worship? All of them?’

That hardly seems feasible in the light of what we are facing today. In my relatively short 54 years on this earth the world seems destined to do the opposite. At one stage of my life a healthy worship of God was not only acceptable, but almost expected. Even the worse of men would hardly mock God or His people. For most of the world, at least my part of the world, God was a part of society. People prayed in school and at sporting events. Political leaders quoted the Bible regularly and speeches were filled with scriptural references.

But now all of that is gone. Some try to say that we in the west have outgrown God. We have evolved past our need for Him. He has been turned out of every aspect of our society.

One day however every nation will come and worship before Him. Those nations who have always kept God out and those who have only recently begun to do so alike will come before Him in worship and praise.

So where does that leave us? Do we join them now in their exclusion of God from our everyday lives? I trow not! (Sorry – I love that word :) - it means ‘think’ )

Instead, why don’t we go ahead and get a head start on them? Lets go ahead and make worship a part of our lives every day and every waking moment so that we can lead the way when the whole world starts to do so!