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In the following article, the biblical text is in CAPS, while commentary is in lower case.

Studies in Revelation

by Dr. John H. Roller

Chapter 9

Introduction

Revelation 9 continues John’s report of the vision of the seven trumpets, begun in Revelation 8:2. As I stated in the Conclusion to last month’s study, I believe that what is prophesied in Revelation 9 is God’s judgment against the wicked people of the Arab world (those people who occupied the Middle East after the Roman Empire was destroyed). During what we call the “Dark Ages” in Europe’s history, the lands of the Bible – the countries that are now Israel, Jordan, Syria, Turkey, Iraq, and so on – were conquered by the armies of the false prophet Mohammed, who claimed to receive the “revelations” from “Allah” that are recorded in the Qur’an. He gathered a band of followers who not only supported his religion, but also his efforts to take control of that part of the world, and went out to conquer all of that territory. He and his successors built an empire that reached its peak right at the time when Europe was at its lowest point.

Revelation 9:1

THE FIFTH ANGEL SOUNDED (his trumpet), AND I SAW A STAR FROM THE SKY WHICH HAD FALLEN TO THE EARTH. THE KEY TO THE PIT OF THE ABYSS (the place in “the depths of the earth” where demons are imprisoned until their final punishment) WAS GIVEN TO HIM.

Revelation 9:2

HE (the “star”) OPENED THE PIT OF THE ABYSS, AND SMOKE WENT UP OUT OF THE PIT, LIKE THE SMOKE FROM A BURNING FURNACE. THE SUN AND THE AIR WERE DARKENED BECAUSE OF THE SMOKE FROM THE PIT. A “smoke screen” is an expression for the way that you can prevent people from understanding the truth by “covering it over” with so much confusing falsehood that they can’t “see” the truth that is buried in it. Having read several different English translations of the Qur’an, I have to tell you that my impression of that book is that it is a giant smoke screen, filled with so many confusing and conflicting assertions that if there is any truth in it, it’s awfully hard to see it. Many times, after reading several surahs (chapters) of the Qur’an, I had the feeling that I was in a room that was thick with smoke and couldn’t feel my way around.

Revelation 9:3

THEN OUT OF THE SMOKE CAME FORTH LOCUSTS ON THE EARTH (the original armies of Mohammed were so large – because they involved all of the adult men from the communities that Mohammed ruled – that as they went around the countryside conquering, those who were conquered by them often compared them to the “invading armies” of locusts that covered that part of the world every so many years and ate up every form of vegetation that there was), AND POWER WAS GIVEN TO THEM, AS THE SCORPIONS OF THE EARTH HAVE POWER. Scorpions have the power to inflict pain, and even to kill, by their sting – and Mohammed’s armies had the power to inflict pain on, and even to kill, those who refused to submit to their claim of authority.

Revelation 9:4

THEY WERE TOLD THAT THEY SHOULD NOT HURT THE GRASS OF THE EARTH, NEITHER ANY GREEN THING, NEITHER ANY TREE (as literal locusts would do), BUT ONLY THOSE PEOPLE WHO DON’T HAVE GOD’S SEAL ON THEIR FOREHEADS (non-Christians in the Middle East quickly fell prey to Mohammed’s new religion, and became Muslims; only those who knew Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior were able to stand up against this onslaught – by maintaining their faith in Jesus – and many of them were martyred).

Revelation 9:5

THEY WERE GIVEN POWER NOT TO KILL THEM (destroy their communities altogether), BUT TO TORMENT THEM (reduce their population, wealth and influence) FOR FIVE MONTHS. 5 times 30 days is 150 days. Each day represents a year; so we’re talking about a period of 150 years. The initial Muslim conquest of the Middle East took place in the 150-year period beginning in AD 636 and ending in AD 786. THEIR TORMENT WAS LIKE THE TORMENT OF A SCORPION, WHEN IT STRIKES A PERSON.

Revelation 9:6

IN THOSE DAYS PEOPLE WILL SEEK DEATH, AND WILL IN NO WAY FIND IT. THEY WILL DESIRE TO DIE, AND DEATH WILL FLEE FROM THEM. People groups who lived in the Middle East had a tendency to give up, in despair, when confronted by the conquering armies of Islam. They accepted the new religion and the domination of their communities by Mohammed’s armies rather than be killed; then they found that life under Muslim domination was so bad that they wished that they had chosen death instead, but the Muslims wouldn’t kill them as long as they submitted to the Muslim claim of authority.

Revelation 9:7

THE SHAPES OF THE LOCUSTS WERE LIKE HORSES PREPARED FOR WAR. That statement, if nothing else, should be a “clue” that John isn’t reporting a vision of a literal locust plague. ON THEIR HEADS WERE SOMETHING LIKE GOLDEN CROWNS, AND THEIR FACES WERE LIKE PEOPLE’S FACES. The “locusts” in the vision were symbols of actual people – men riding into battle on horses.

Revelation 9:8

THEY HAD HAIR LIKE WOMEN’S HAIR (as far as I know, the only armies in the history of the world that have allowed their male soldiers to wear long hair have been the armies of the Arab peoples), AND THEIR TEETH WERE LIKE THOSE OF LIONS. Once caught in such “teeth,” the victim has very little chance of ever escaping, especially not unharmed.

Revelation 9:9

THEY HAD BREASTPLATES, LIKE BREASTPLATES OF IRON. THE SOUND OF THEIR WINGS WAS LIKE THE SOUND OF CHARIOTS, OR OF MANY HORSES RUSHING TO WAR. In a sense, John is “interpreting” his own vision for us – he tells us that the “locusts” aren’t literal locusts. They represent the “cavalry” of the Muslim armies.

Revelation 9:10

THEY HAVE TAILS LIKE THOSE OF SCORPIONS, AND STINGS. IN THEIR TAILS THEY HAVE POWER TO HARM MEN FOR FIVE MONTHS (AD 636-786, see verse 5, above).

Revelation 9:11

THEY HAVE OVER THEM AS KING (literally, the first “king” of the Muslims was the false prophet Mohammed, who, for part of his life, was actually the King of Mecca; later, the caliphs were the “kings” of the Muslims) THE ANGEL OF THE ABYSS (“behind” Mohammed and the caliphs, John, in this vision, sees a demonic spirit “pulling the strings” on this whole operation). HIS NAME IN HEBREW IS “ABADDON,” BUT IN GREEK, HE HAS THE NAME “APOLLYON” (both of these names, translated into English, mean “the destroyer” – one of the things that Mohammed and his armies succeeded in doing was destroying the culture that had existed in the Middle East before his conquests; of course, after this destruction, the Muslims then built their own culture, including such impressive creations as the Mosque of Omar, which sits on the site formerly occupied by the Temple, in Jerusalem).

Revelation 9:12

THE FIRST WOE (corresponding to the fifth trumpet) IS PAST. BEHOLD (“Look!”), THERE ARE STILL TWO WOES (corresponding to the sixth and seventh trumpets) COMING AFTER THIS (both in the text, and in the order of chronological fulfillment).

Revelation 9:13

THE SIXTH ANGEL SOUNDED (his trumpet). I HEARD A VOICE (coming) FROM THE HORNS OF THE GOLDEN ALTAR (one of the items of “furniture” that John had seen in the earlier vision recorded in Revelation 4) WHICH IS BEFORE GOD,

Revelation 9:14

SAYING TO THE SIXTH ANGEL WHO HAD ONE TRUMPET, “FREE THE FOUR ANGELS WHO ARE BOUND AT THE GREAT RIVER EUPHRATES!”

Revelation 9:15

THE FOUR ANGELS WERE FREED WHO HAD BEEN PREPARED FOR AN HOUR AND A DAY AND A MONTH AND A YEAR (on our “scale” of a day for a year, that would come to a little over 396 years – just about exactly the time between January 18, 1057, and May 29, 1453 – see my comments on verse 16, below), SO THAT THEY MIGHT KILL ONE THIRD OF MANKIND (that is, 1/3 of the people living in the region being discussed, not 1/3 of all the people living on the entire planet).

Revelation 9:16

THE NUMBER OF THE ARMIES OF THE HORSEMEN WAS TWO HUNDRED MILLION. This number astonishes anyone who tries to put the interpretation of this prophecy into the present time or any time in the near future. What country could field an army with 200,000,000 mounted troops? According to the 2009 World Almanac, on June 30, 2008, the United States had a total of 1,385,122 troops on active duty. At no time in history was that number ever higher than the 8,266,373 that it reached in 1945, near the end of World War II. The People’s Republic of China – a country with over four times the population of the United States – had only slightly more troops, in 2008, at 2,105,000. Only three other countries – Russia, North Korea and India – had over 1,000,000. The total number of soldiers in the whole world, today, isn’t anywhere near 200,000,000. So whose huge army is this? The answer, I believe, is that it is the composite number of all of the soldiers that served in the Turkish Muslim armies, which conquered most of the Middle East, and almost half of Europe, between January 18, 1057, when they first began their assault on the region, and May 29, 1453, when they were defeated at the very gates of Vienna, Austria, whereupon their empire began to dwindle down. Today the whole “empire” only amounts to the country of Turkey. I HEARD THE NUMBER OF THEM (and saw them, in the vision, as if they were all gathered together on the battlefield at one time, although, in reality, the fulfillment of the vision took place over a period of nearly four centuries and involved many separate generations of soldiers).

Revelation 9:17

THUS I SAW THE HORSES IN THE VISION, AND THOSE WHO SAT ON THEM, HAVING BREASTPLATES OF FIERY RED, HYACINTH BLUE, AND SULFUR YELLOW (those were, in fact, the colors of the flag that was flown by the Turkish army in those days, though the modern country of Turkey uses a simpler red flag with a white star and crescent); AND THE HEADS OF LIONS. OUT OF THEIR MOUTHS PROCEED (teachings that have the characteristics of) FIRE (which is destructive), SMOKE (which is confusing), AND SULFUR (which is offensive) – that is exactly how the nominally-Christian Europeans felt about the teachings of Islam (and, particularly, its Turkish form).

Revelation 9:18

BY THESE THREE PLAGUES WERE ONE THIRD OF MANKIND (again, that is, 1/3 of the people living in the region that is being discussed – the Middle East and Eastern Europe – not 1/3 of all the people living on the planet) KILLED: BY THE FIRE, THE SMOKE, AND THE SULFUR, WHICH PROCEEDED OUT OF THEIR MOUTHS (ultimately, the source of the devastation that occurred was not the military might of the armies, but the destructive, confusing and offensive teachings of Islam; and, ultimately, the devastation itself was not the death of so many millions of people, but the enslavement of the hundreds of millions who remained, and of the billions who have since been born under the domination of this false religion).

Revelation 9:19

FOR THE POWER OF THE HORSES IS IN THEIR MOUTHS, AND IN THEIR TAILS. FOR THEIR TAILS ARE LIKE SERPENTS, AND HAVE HEADS, AND WITH THEM THEY HARM. The Turks were the only people in history ever to develop the idea of shooting an arrow behind them. Everybody else held their bows out in front and shot their arrows in the direction in which they were facing; but the Turks learned how to hold their bows backwards and shoot their arrows at whoever was chasing them. This thoroughly confused their enemies, who would think that the Turks were running away when, in reality, they were attacking. They killed a lot of people that way. Eventually, of course, their enemies learned that the one thing to avoid seeing in battle was the rear end of a Turkish horse.

Revelation 9:20

THE REST OF MANKIND (that is, the rest of those people who lived in the region under discussion – the Middle East and Eastern Europe), WHO WERE NOT KILLED WITH THESE PLAGUES, DIDN’T REPENT OF THE WORKS OF THEIR HANDS, (so) THAT THEY WOULDN’T WORSHIP DEMONS, AND THE IDOLS OF GOLD, AND OF SILVER, AND OF BRASS, AND OF STONE, AND OF WOOD; WHICH CAN NEITHER SEE, NOR HEAR, NOR WALK (the writers of the Bible often made fun of the false gods that were worshipped by those people who didn’t worship the true God, on the basis of the fact that the false gods were impotent, whereas the true God is omnipotent).

Revelation 9:21

THEY DIDN’T REPENT OF THEIR MURDERS, NOR OF THEIR SORCERIES, NOR OF THEIR SEXUAL IMMORALITY, NOR OF THEIR THEFTS. These last two verses contain the main point of the entire chapter. The main point is not the delineation of the time frame during which Mohammed’s Muslim armies would establish their hegemony over the Middle East and parts of Europe. The main point is that God was judging the peoples of that part of the world for their idolatry and wickedness, and that He was doing it by allowing those peoples to be invaded, conquered, killed and subjugated by the Muslims. And the proof that He was acting rightly in doing so is found in the fact that their troubles didn’t lead them to turn away from sin to Him. That leads me to wonder if there might not be a contemporary application to this historical prophecy. “Western” Christendom survived the Muslim onslaught of the seventh through fifteenth centuries; but have the peoples of Europe and North America maintained a true reliance on God, or are we still worshipping idols and engaging in sinful practices? Have you repented of the works of your hands (“doing your own thing”), or are you still worshipping the “American idols” of gold and silver (money), brass, stone and wood (material things), murders (like abortion), sorceries (the word literally means “drug abuse”), sexual immorality (which is any sexual activity outside of the sacred bond of marriage) and theft (which includes “petty” crimes like cheating on your income tax and doing personal stuff on company time)?

Conclusion

So far, we’ve covered six of the seven trumpets. As in the vision of the seven seals, there is now a “pause” extending all the way from Revelation 10:1 to Revelation 11:14. Before we get to that seventh trumpet, we need to see what was predicted to happen between AD 1453 and the Second Coming of Christ.

In the following article, the biblical text is in CAPS, while commentary is in lower case.

Studies in Revelation

by Dr. John H. Roller

Chapter 8

Introduction

In his letters to the seven churches (Revelation 2-3), Jesus didn’t mention the Second Coming as an event that would take place during one of the church ages. The last letter simply concluded with the last church age and the statement, “If you have ears, listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.” That closed the vision; there was no mention of the Second Coming; John went on to tell of another vision (the vision of the seven seals). Now, in this second vision (the vision of the seven seals), when John reaches the seventh seal, he gives us just the briefest little hint of the Second Coming. As we go through this book, we will see that, cycle after cycle after cycle, each time we build up to the Second Coming, he gives us a bigger picture of the Second Coming, until, finally, in the last vision, it all sort of bursts through, and he devotes a whole chapter to telling us what that Coming itself will be like, and then he goes on to tell us what will happen after it. But, in Revelation 8:1, for the first time in the book, we have a hint being given. We will see a very strange, kind of anticlimactic, kind of suspenseful way of putting the Second Coming of Christ, because John really isn’t ready, at this point in his book, to unload the whole picture of the Second Coming for us.

Revelation 8:1

WHEN HE (Jesus) OPENED THE SEVENTH SEAL, THERE WAS SILENCE IN HEAVEN (because all the “action” is on Earth; when this prophecy is fulfilled, Jesus will have left the heavenly scene and returned to Earth, and the important things that will be happening then will be happening on Earth, where He will be, not in Heaven) FOR ABOUT HALF AN HOUR (1 Corinthians 15:52 describes this same “time period” using the expression “in the twinkling of an eye” – in either case, I’m not sure that the expression should be taken literally; in both cases, I believe, the point is that the Second Coming will take place very quickly – we have similar expressions, like, “in no time at all” and “it’ll all be over before you know it”). This verse marks the end of John’s vision of the seven seals. Revelation 8:2 begins another vision (note the words, “I saw,” which often mark the beginning of a new vision). Like the vision of the seven seals, this vision of the seven trumpets will portray events that take place on Earth between the time of the first coming of Jesus and the time of the Second Coming.

Revelation 8:2

I SAW THE SEVEN ANGELS WHO STAND BEFORE GOD (I am not aware of any other reference in the Bible to these “seven angels who stand before God,” but there is a reference to them in one of the books of the Apocrypha – see Tobit 12:15, where Tobit, the main character of that book, encounters an angel named Raphael, who says that he is “one of the seven angels who stand before God” – evidently, that “bit” of information happens to be true, since John refers to it as true in Revelation 8:2, even though we wouldn’t be able to know if it were true or not based only on our finding it in a book that wasn’t inspired by God, as Revelation was), AND SEVEN TRUMPETS WERE GIVEN TO THEM. In this vision, the angels themselves aren’t of much interest; it is the trumpets that are of interest, particularly, what happens on the Earth when the angels blow them. In biblical prophecy, trumpets are often used as symbols of judgment, because trumpets would be sounded before a battle, and a battle was often viewed as a judgment of God, the outcome of the battle being determined by God, not by the relative strengths or weaknesses of one or the other of the battling armies. So these seven trumpets will represent seven judgments of God that were predicted to come on the Earth during the Church Age.

Revelation 8:3

ANOTHER ANGEL CAME AND STOOD OVER THE ALTAR (in front of God’s throne in John’s vision of Heaven), HAVING A GOLDEN CENSER (incense container). MUCH INCENSE (which was used in Old Testament temple worship services as a symbol of prayer, because, as is easy to see, the rising toward the sky of the smoke produced by burning the incense was a visual representation of the rising toward God of the prayers being spoken by His people on Earth) WAS GIVEN TO HIM, THAT HE SHOULD ADD IT (the incense) TO THE PRAYERS OF ALL THE SAINTS (believers in Jesus) ON THE GOLDEN ALTAR WHICH WAS BEFORE THE THRONE (of God).

Revelation 8:4

THE SMOKE OF THE INCENSE, WITH THE PRAYERS OF THE SAINTS, WENT UP BEFORE GOD OUT OF THE ANGEL’S HAND. The idea is that God’s people, experiencing all kinds of trials and persecutions at the hands of their enemies here on Earth, respond to those trials and persecutions by praying to God, and their prayers come to God’s attention, and the judgments that He pours out of the Earth are His way of answering those prayers.

Revelation 8:5

THE ANGEL TOOK THE CENSER (incense container), AND HE FILLED IT WITH THE FIRE OF THE ALTAR, AND THREW IT ON THE EARTH (fulfilling the “wish” that Jesus had expressed in November of AD 29 – see Luke 12:49). THERE FOLLOWED THUNDERS, SOUNDS, LIGHTNINGS, AND AN EARTHQUAKE (generalized symbols of the approach of judgment).

Revelation 8:6

THE SEVEN ANGELS WHO HAD THE SEVEN TRUMPETS PREPARED THEMSELVES TO SOUND. As the angels blow the trumpets, we will see another series of historical events portrayed in symbolic form, just as we did with the vision of the opening of the seven seals. In this case, the symbols are not as obvious – not as easy to interpret – as were the symbols in the previous vision. I could certainly be wrong in my interpretation of them, but, to the best of my ability to do so, I’ll give you what I believe to be the correct interpretation.

Revelation 8:7

THE FIRST (angel) SOUNDED (his trumpet), AND THERE FOLLOWED HAIL AND FIRE, MIXED WITH BLOOD, AND THEY WERE THROWN TO THE EARTH (which is often used in biblical prophecy as a symbol for the land of Palestine, just as, in reverse, the land of Palestine is often used in biblical prophecy as a symbol for the whole Earth – in both Hebrew and Greek, the word translated “land” is the same word that is also translated “Earth” and you can only tell the difference by analyzing the context to see which translation makes more sense in a given passage). ONE THIRD OF THE EARTH (Palestine, representing, in turn, the Jewish people, who were living in Palestine at that time) WAS BURNT UP (destroyed), AND ONE THIRD OF THE TREES (often used in biblical prophecy as a symbol for national leaders) WERE BURNT UP (killed), AND ALL GREEN GRASS (often used in biblical prophecy as a symbol for the common people) WAS BURNT UP (killed). This verse speaks of a judgment against the Jewish people (as a nation) for rejecting Jesus as their promised Messiah. When Jesus stood before the Roman Governor of Palestine, Pontius Pilate, and was accused of leading a rebellion against Caesar because of His “claim” to be the King of the Jews, the Jews responded to a question from Pilate by shouting, “We have no king but Caesar!” Forty years later, in AD 70, God’s judgment fell upon them in the form of an invasion by Roman armies, led by a general named Titus (who would later become a Roman Emperor). Buildings, including the Temple in Jerusalem, were destroyed; leaders were killed or taken into captivity, and most of the population was either killed or scattered throughout the Roman Empire in what later became known as the First Jewish War (at the time, of course, it was simply called “the Jewish War” – just as what we now call “World War I” was called “the World War” at the time when it happened, and only became known as “World War I” when World War II happened, a couple of decades later). Much of what Jesus Himself had predicted in His “Olivet Discourse” (Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21) was fulfilled in AD 70 as well.

Revelation 8:8

THE SECOND ANGEL SOUNDED (his trumpet), AND SOMETHING LIKE A GREAT BURNING MOUNTAIN (the great mountain representing the entire Jewish community, worldwide; and the fact that it was burning representing another great judgment on them) WAS THROWN INTO THE SEA (the sea, in biblical prophecy, often represents the entire world of Gentile nations). ONE THIRD OF THE SEA (the scattered places in the world where Jewish people lived at that time) BECAME BLOOD (was affected by this judgment),

Revelation 8:9

AND ONE THIRD OF THE LIVING CREATURES (representing the Jewish people) WHICH WERE IN THE SEA (scattered throughout the world) DIED. ONE THIRD OF THE SHIPS (on which people traveled from place to place throughout the world in those days) WERE DESTROYED. I believe that this prophecy was fulfilled in the Second Jewish War of AD 135, in which 580,000 Jews (about 1/3 of the total world population of Jews at the time) were killed. This war was started when a man named Simon, who called himself “Bar-Kochba” (which means “Son of the Star”), claimed to be the Messiah (in fact, the leading Jewish Rabbi of the time, a man named Akiba, actually proclaimed Simon to be the Messiah, the only time in all of Jewish history when a leading rabbi proclaimed a man to be the Messiah) and led a worldwide revolt against Rome, which, of course, was completely smashed, and the Jews who survived the war were scattered so thoroughly that they never reorganized as a fighting force until after World War II, more than 1,800 years later.

Revelation 8:10

THE THIRD ANGEL SOUNDED (his trumpet), AND A GREAT STAR FELL FROM THE SKY, BURNING LIKE A TORCH, AND IT FELL ON ONE THIRD OF THE RIVERS, AND ON THE SPRINGS (the sources) OF THE WATERS (water, in biblical prophecy, often represents the Bible itself – or, more exactly, the message that is found in the Bible – the “word of God” – Scriptural truth).

Revelation 8:11

THE NAME OF THE STAR IS CALLED “WORMWOOD” (sometimes translated as “Bitterness”). ONE THIRD OF THE WATERS BECAME WORMWOOD (bitter). MANY PEOPLE DIED FROM (drinking) THE WATERS, BECAUSE THEY WERE MADE BITTER. If water is a symbol for the truth of God’s word, then this bitter water is a symbol for the “poison” of false teaching. I believe that this “star” called “Wormwood” represents the rise of false teachings within the Church which took place around AD 300. Of course, there had been false teachers around ever since the first century. There were some even during the Apostle Paul’s lifetime, and there were even more after his death, before the death of the Apostle John. Cults continued to grow, and to spread false teachings, all during the second and third centuries, too, at times even seeming likely to overwhelm the true Church, so that more people in some areas of the world had received the false gospel than had received the true Gospel. But, throughout those times, the true Church had always rejected those false teachings and done what it could to combat them. Toward the year 300, though, something different took place. False teachers (most of them known as “Gnostics” – which, literally, means “people with special knowledge”) arose within the true Church, and the same false teachings that had been rejected by previous generations of Christians were now accepted by the generation living at that time, and “incorporated” into their view of Christianity. “Wormwood” was God’s judgment against the Roman Church of that time for accepting these false doctrines. Many (if not most) of the Christians in the Roman Empire “died” spiritually (lost their spiritual vitality) because they followed these false teachings. Many others literally died in the terrible persecutions of AD 303-313 (see Revelation 2:10).

Revelation 8:12

THE FOURTH ANGEL SOUNDED (his trumpet), AND ONE THIRD OF THE SUN WAS STRUCK, AND ONE THIRD OF THE MOON, AND ONE THIRD OF THE STARS, SO THAT ONE THIRD OF THEM WOULD BE DARKENED, AND THE DAY WOULDN’T SHINE FOR ONE THIRD OF IT, AND THE NIGHT IN THE SAME WAY. I believe that the “light” described in this verse (and the sun, moon and stars that “carry” that light) represents what was good about the Roman Empire: its ability to bring a measure of peace to the territories under its control, its provision of useful public works such as roads and aqueducts (which made spreading the Gospel easier than it would have been in a world without Roman leadership), and its eventual recognition of Christianity as its “state religion” (which at least made it easier for Christians to do the work that God had called them to do than it had been during the days of pagan persecution of the Church). But, under this trumpet, we are seeing God’s judgment against what was bad in the Roman Empire, in the form of a diminishing of that “light” (a diminishing of the Empire’s power). I believe that this “diminishing” took place between AD 410 (when the city of Rome was “sacked” by barbarians) and AD 476 (when the last Roman Emperor was replaced on his throne by a coalition of barbarian kingdoms).

Revelation 8:13

I SAW, AND I HEARD AN EAGLE, FLYING IN MID HEAVEN, SAYING WITH A LOUD VOICE, “WOE! WOE! WOE FOR THOSE WHO DWELL ON THE EARTH, BECAUSE OF THE OTHER VOICES OF THE TRUMPETS OF THE THREE ANGELS, WHO ARE YET TO SOUND!” This is a warning that we are stepping into an even greater phase of God’s judgment against wicked people than we have seen in the demolishing of the Jewish nation (under the first two trumpets) and in the demolishing of the Roman Empire (under the second two trumpets). The fifth and sixth trumpets, which contain much longer stories, are so intertwined that, in a sense, they have to be viewed almost as if they are one judgment that comes in two phases, and I believe that it refers to the Arab world (those people who occupied the Middle East after the Roman Empire was destroyed). What became of the lands of the Bible – the countries that are now Israel, Jordan, Syria, Turkey, Iraq, and so on? What went on in those places during what we call the “Dark Ages” in Europe’s history? What went on is that the false prophet Mohammed claimed to receive the “revelations” from Allah that are recorded in the Qur’an, gathered a band of followers who not only supported his religion, but also his efforts to take control of that part of the world, and went out to conquer all of that territory. He and his successors built an empire that reached its peak right at the time when Europe was at its lowest point. Some of that is what is prophesied in Revelation 9.

In the following commentary, words in CAPS indicate the biblical text, while words in lower case indicate the commentary on that text.

Studies in Revelation

by Dr. John H. Roller

Chapter 7

Introduction

Chapter 7 is an interlude between the sixth seal (most, if not all, of which has already been fulfilled) and the seventh seal (which relates to the Second Coming itself and certainly has not been fulfilled). This interlude is a description of two groups of people. The people in both groups are saved and will be in the Kingdom of God, but there are some differences between the two groups. These are descriptions of two different groups of people within the true Church of God.

Revelation 7:1

AFTER THIS, I SAW FOUR ANGELS STANDING AT THE FOUR CORNERS OF THE EARTH (we know, and John, the author of this book, knew, that the earth doesn’t literally have “corners” – it’s not a square; it’s a sphere – but this is a common way of speaking, and we use it ourselves, just as he used it, to mean “all around the world”), HOLDING (back) THE FOUR WINDS OF THE EARTH (the north wind, the south wind, the east wind and the west wind), SO THAT NO WIND WOULD BLOW ON THE EARTH, OR ON THE SEA, OR ON ANY TREE. This statement speaks of a pause – a delay – in the vision. Before we move from the sixth seal to the seventh seal, the angels are commanded to hold back the winds of judgment and keep everything calm while the next few events take place.

Revelation 7:2

I SAW ANOTHER ANGEL (in addition to the four angels mentioned in verse 1) ASCEND FROM THE SUNRISE (the east), HAVING THE SEAL OF THE LIVING GOD (in his hand). HE CRIED WITH A LOUD VOICE (shouted) TO THE FOUR ANGELS TO WHOM IT (the power) WAS GIVEN (by God) TO HARM THE EARTH AND THE SEA (by releasing the winds and allowing them to blow),

Revelation 7:3

SAYING, “DON’T HARM THE EARTH, NEITHER THE SEA, NOR THE TREES, UNTIL WE HAVE SEALED THE BONDSERVANTS OF OUR GOD ON THEIR FOREHEADS!” We will hear more about people being “marked” with a “seal” on their foreheads in a later chapter, but there it will actually be a parody of what has happened in this chapter. There, it will be the Antichrist who demands that a “mark” (or “seal”) be placed on the foreheads of his followers, but God was there first (here in chapter 7), putting a “mark” (or “seal”) on the foreheads of His servants. The forehead, of course, is closely related to the brain, which has to do with the processes of thought. A “seal” (or a “mark”) on the forehead indicates a protection of one’s thought processes and beliefs. These are people whose mental capacity is under God’s control and is directed toward Him. These are true believers. They are known to be true believers by this “seal” on their foreheads, which is a feature of John’s vision, not a literal, visible seal that people in this world can actually see.

Revelation 7:4

I HEARD THE NUMBER OF THOSE WHO WERE SEALED, ONE HUNDRED FORTY-FOUR THOUSAND, SEALED OUT OF EVERY TRIBE OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL:

Revelation 7:5

OF THE TRIBE OF JUDAH WERE SEALED TWELVE THOUSAND, OF THE TRIBE OF REUBEN TWELVE THOUSAND, OF THE TRIBE OF GAD TWELVE THOUSAND,

Revelation 7:6

OF THE TRIBE OF ASHER TWELVE THOUSAND, OF THE TRIBE OF NAPHTALI TWELVE THOUSAND, OF THE TRIBE OF MANASSEH TWELVE THOUSAND,

Revelation 7:7

OF THE TRIBE OF SIMEON TWELVE THOUSAND, OF THE TRIBE OF LEVI (this is a bit of a surprise, since the Levites were not usually included in the lists of the twelve tribes that we find in the Old Testament; correspondingly, for some unknown reason, the tribe of Dan is omitted from this list) TWELVE THOUSAND, OF THE TRIBE OF ISSACHAR TWELVE THOUSAND,

Revelation 7:8

OF THE TRIBE OF ZEBULON TWELVE THOUSAND, OF THE TRIBE OF JOSEPH (usually called “the tribe of Ephraim” in the Old Testament) TWELVE THOUSAND, OF THE TRIBE OF BENJAMIN WERE SEALED TWELVE THOUSAND. Who are these people? What does John mean when he says that they are from the twelve tribes of Israel? Why the emphasis – again and again and again – on each specific tribe? Most of the book of Revelation is very obviously symbolic, and we interpret the things in it symbolically; we figure out what is indicated by any given symbol. We see horses; we hear souls crying out from under an altar; we see stars falling; and we try to figure out what these things mean. I think that these few verses are written in this unusual way to “clue” us not to try to do that. The specific reference to each tribe in these verses is there to tell us to keep the emphasis on the tribes of Israel. These people are really exactly what it sounds like they are – Jewish Christians – people who can literally trace their ancestry back to one of the twelve tribes, but who have received the Lord Jesus Christ as their Messiah and Savior. I think it’s interesting where this pause in the vision is placed in relationship to the fulfillment of the prophecy. We’ve been saying all along that these seals are fulfilled in chronological order. We’ve seen them work their way from AD 30 almost up to the end – almost to our own times. In fact, we’re just about ready for the seventh seal and the Second Coming of Christ when the “pause button” is pressed and now the subject of Jewish Christians is mentioned, right here. At what time in history have large numbers of Jewish people ever turned to Jesus Christ for salvation? Since the first century, that hasn’t happened in any century until the middle and late twentieth century and the beginning of the twenty-first century. We have suddenly seen a dramatic increase in the number of Jewish people who have accepted Jesus as their Savior. When my father, who was Jewish, became a Christian (in 1943), it was very rare – almost unheard-of; and when he went to New York City to preach to the Jewish people that they should receive Jesus as their Messiah, he was thought to be crazy (the Yiddish word that they called him is “meshuggeneh”). Most Jews didn’t believe in Jesus. My father found just a tiny handful of other Jewish believers in Jesus in New York to fellowship with. But, now, we have Jews For Jesus, the Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations, Chosen People Ministries, Messianic Jewish Ministries and several other such major national and international organizations of Jewish Christians. It’s been estimated that there may be close to 500,000 Jewish Christians in the world, so that 144,000 is too small a number to represent them, instead of too large a number, as it would have been in my father’s time. The 144,000 then is a somewhat symbolic number, representing the full number of Jews who would turn to Christ at the time the prophecy is speaking of. It seems striking to me that this reference to what appears to me to be literal Jewish Christians should come at the very point in the prophecy that is being fulfilled in our own times, precisely when I would expect it to be. If I had been living back in 1900, and had held this interpretation, I would have been saying, “Chapter 6 has been fulfilled, but we haven’t seen this great turning of Jews to Christ. I expect that it will happen sometime within the next 100 years.” And I would have been right, because it has indeed happened.

Revelation 7:9

AFTER THESE THINGS I LOOKED, AND BEHOLD (“Look!”), A GREAT MULTITUDE (an enormous crowd), WHICH NO MAN COULD NUMBER (that sounds to me like many times more than 144,000; it’s easy enough to count 144,000 people – there are more than that in many hundreds of American cities), OUT OF EVERY NATION (not just the Jewish nation, but every Gentile nation, from Croatia to South Africa to the Philippines to Japan to Canada and the United States and every other country in the world) AND OF ALL TRIBES (not just the twelve tribes of Israel, but every one of the 500 American Indian tribes, and all the “tribal” people that live in the backwoods parts of India and Afghanistan and New Guinea and China and dozens of other countries), PEOPLES (“nations” that have no “country” of their own, like the Kurds and the Uyghurs and the Chechens and the Basques), AND LANGUAGES (there are over 12,000 different, mutually unintelligible languages in the world, and every one of them is represented by at least one person in this crowd), STANDING BEFORE THE THRONE (of God) AND BEFORE THE LAMB (Jesus), DRESSED IN WHITE ROBES, WITH PALM BRANCHES IN THEIR HANDS.

Revelation 7:10

THEY CRIED WITH A LOUD VOICE (shouted), SAYING, “SALVATION BE TO (rather, “comes from”) OUR GOD, WHO SITS ON THE THRONE, AND TO (rather, “from”) THE LAMB (Jesus)!” These are people who are saved because they understand and believe that salvation comes only from God and from Jesus, God’s Son, and they have put their trust in Him.

Revelation 7:11

ALL THE ANGELS WERE STANDING AROUND THE THRONE, THE ELDERS, AND THE FOUR LIVING CREATURES (described in chapter 4); AND THEY FELL ON THEIR FACES BEFORE HIS (God’s) THRONE, AND WORSHIPED GOD,

Revelation 7:12

SAYING, “AMEN (‘So be it!’)! BLESSING, GLORY, WISDOM, THANKSGIVING, HONOR, POWER, AND MIGHT (seven separate things!), BE(long) TO OUR GOD FOREVER AND EVER! AMEN (‘So be it!’).”

Revelation 7:13

ONE OF THE ELDERS (described in chapter 4) ANSWERED (responded to this statement), SAYING TO ME (John, the author of the book of Revelation), “THESE WHO ARE ARRAYED IN WHITE ROBES, WHO ARE THEY, AND FROM WHERE DID THEY COME?” I’m sure we would like to know the answer to that question, and I’m sure it was on John’s mind, as well, when he received this vision.

Revelation 7:14

I (John) TOLD HIM (the elder), “MY LORD, YOU KNOW (implying, ‘I don’t know’).” HE (the elder) SAID TO ME (John), “THESE ARE THOSE WHO CAME OUT OF (or, ‘safely through’) THE GREAT TRIBULATION (or, ‘terrible persecution’ – but I have to tell you something about coming safely through a terrible persecution. It’s not as comfortable as it may sound to us at first glance. We tend to think that the phrase ‘come safely through the terrible persecution’ means that while the persecution rages all around us, and thousands of other people are tortured and killed, somehow God protects us, and it’s quiet right where we are, like in the eye of a hurricane; and, at the end of it all, we emerge untouched. That’s not at all what the elder meant. He went on to explain what happened to ‘those who came safely through the terrible persecution’). THEY WASHED THEIR ROBES, AND MADE THEM WHITE IN THE LAMB’S BLOOD (They maintained the purity of their faith in the midst of the terrible persecution. Every martyr who has ever been burned at the stake – anyone who has ever given his life for Christ, no matter what torture, or what kind of death, they experienced – can be said to have ‘come safely through the terrible persecution’ – not ‘safely’ physically, but ‘safely’ spiritually. If you persevere to the end, and your faith is not diminished, and you do not give up because of the persecution, and you die in that condition of faith, you have ‘come safely through’ – that’s what he really means).

Revelation 7:15

THEREFORE (because they have maintained their faith, right up to the end of their lives, even despite the suffering that they have endured as a result of doing so) THEY ARE (standing) BEFORE THE THRONE OF GOD (in this vision), THEY (will) SERVE HIM DAY AND NIGHT IN HIS TEMPLE (in eternity). HE WHO SITS ON THE THRONE (God) WILL SPREAD HIS TENT OVER THEM (not while the persecution is going on, but after they have ‘come safely through’ it, there will come a time – after the resurrection, and in the new world – when God will protect them and there can be no further persecution – or any suffering at all, for that matter – as we will see both in the next verse, and in the final chapters of the book).

Revelation 7:16

THEY WILL NEVER BE HUNGRY (I can barely appreciated the significance of that promise. The moment my stomach gives me the slightest indication that I’m in need of food, I can quickly run to the refrigerator, or to a restaurant, and within minutes I have all the food I can eat, and I can’t be hungry again for several hours. But there are people in this world who are constantly hungry, day and night, all of their lives, who never get enough to eat to satisfy their hunger at any meal that they ever eat. I am sure that this promise means a lot more to them than it does to me!), NEITHER THIRST ANY MORE (the same could be said about thirst that is said about hunger); NEITHER WILL THE SUN BEAT ON THEM, NOR ANY HEAT (Where I live, if it gets too hot, I just go indoors and turn on the air conditioning; it’s hard for me to appreciate what a wonderful promise this is! There are many, many people who have to endure whatever tortures the weather throws at them, because they don’t have the kind of equipment, to shelter them, that I have);

Revelation 7:17

FOR (all of this is true because) THE LAMB WHO IS IN THE MIDST OF THE THRONE (Jesus) SHEPHERDS THEM (think of Psalm 23:1), AND LEADS THEM TO SPRINGS OF WATERS OF LIFE (think of Psalm 23:2). AND GOD WILL WIPE AWAY EVERY TEAR FROM THEIR EYES.”

Conclusion

I believe that this “enormous crowd” is a picture of the total Church of Jesus Christ – all the people throughout all the world at all times and in all places who have ever trusted (or will ever trust) in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior and “come safely through” whatever experiences they have had (or will have) in life, dying (at last) in faith, looking forward to the Second Coming of Christ, and includes also those who will never die, because they will still be alive when Jesus returns. Someone has estimated that perhaps 10% of all the people who have ever lived have accepted Christ and have followed Him. How they made that estimate is beyond me, but it’s a figure that Billy Graham quotes, and I quote it quoting him. Someone else has estimated that since the creation of the world, approximately 140,000,000,000 people have been born and lived, and all but the last 7,000,000,000 of them have died. The “enormous crowd” of people that we have in the world today (about 7,000,000,000 people) are just all that is left of the 140,000,000,000 people that have lived at one time or another since the creation of the world. The other 133,000,000,000 are already dead. If it’s true that 10% of all the people who have ever lived have followed Christ, that means about 14,000,000,000 born-again Christians, and we expect to see them all on that great resurrection day that we so often sing about. “What a Gathering” that will be! Twice as many people as are alive in the world today will be raised from the dead to live forever. That’s an enormous crowd. It includes Jewish believers (those symbolically referred to as the “144,000”) who, in these last times, have turned to Christ, and also Jewish believers of previous eras and those Jewish believers who lived at a time when they could only look forward in faith to their promised Messiah. But the crowd is predominantly made up of the Gentile Christians from all over the world who have lived in the last couple of thousand years.

I’m sure that there are many other interpretations of chapter 7, but that’s mine, and I know that I haven’t dealt with every word or every verse in the chapter, but I think it fits in, and it’s an appropriate place to introduce the two pictures that we have of the people of God, because, chronologically, the 144,000 people of Israel come to faith in Jesus after the sixth seal and before the seventh, and the enormous crowd has been collecting all these thousands of years and is only completed just before the seventh seal and the Second Coming of Christ, so that the very next thing that we should expect to read about is the Second Coming of Christ itself. In Revelation 8:1, we will see a very strange, kind of anticlimactic, kind of suspenseful way of putting the Second Coming of Christ, because John really isn’t ready, at this point in his book, to unload the whole picture of the Second Coming to us.

In the letters to the seven churches, he didn’t mention the Second Coming at all. The last letter simply concluded with the last church age and the statement, “If you have ears, listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.” That closes the vision; there is no mention of the Second Coming; John goes on to tell of another vision. Now, in this second vision, when he reaches the seventh seal, he gives us just the briefest little hint of the Second Coming. As we go through this book, we will see that, cycle after cycle after cycle, each time we build up to the Second Coming, he gives us a bigger picture of the Second Coming, until, finally, in the last vision, it all sort of bursts through, and he devotes a whole chapter to telling us what that Coming itself will be like, and then he goes on to tell us what will happen after it. But, in Revelation 8:1, for the first time in the book, we have the first hint being given.

John 13:6 vs. John 16:5 - A Contradiction in the Bible?

by Matthew Elton

copyright 2009 Matthew Elton

Question:

In John 13:6 Simon Peter asked Jesus "whither goest thou?" but in John 16:5 Jesus says "none of you asketh me, Whither goest thou?"  Did Jesus not hear Peter's question?

Answer:

Here are the two verses in their entirety:

Simon Peter said unto him, Lord, whither goest thou? Jesus answered him, Whither I go, thou canst not follow me now; but thou shalt follow me afterwards.

--John 13:6

But now I go my way to him that sent me; and none of you asketh me, Whither goest thou?

--John 16:5

There is no contradiction here. If we read the record through chronologically, by the time we reach John 16:5, a few entire chapters have elapsed since Peter asked Jesus "whither goest thou?"

The key is that Jesus uses the present tense verb "asketh" (or "ask" in other translations) instead of the past tense "asked". If he had said "none of you asked me" that would be a contradiction. But that's not what Jesus said! By using the present tense form, he is saying "none of you are asking me right now." Obviously Peter had asked him, but that was a few chapters ago... probably several hours ago!

Therefore there is no contradiction because Jesus is using the present tense to speak about the present, and at that time in the present no one was asking him "whither goest thou?" Peter's question occurred in the past, several chapters earlier.

God Loves You

by Matthew Elton

copyright 2009 Matthew Elton

I don’t know about you, but there have been times in my life when I felt like God really didn’t care. I’m not gonna lie... there have been times when I’ve wondered if he’s even there. In Psalm 8:4 it says “What is man that you take thought of him, and the son of man that you care for him?” I thought that from God’s perspective, the whole world must just seem like a little speck of dust, and I really did not feel very significant.

The reason I felt this way is because I didn’t really grasp just how much God values us. We’ve all heard the phrase “God loves you” a million times. I’ve seen it on t-shirts, magnets, coffee mugs, stickers, bumper stickers. It’s everywhere. And we’ve heard it so much that it’s easy to take it for granted. But if God does love you... that’s a big deal.

People get so excited when they fall in love with another person, but no matter how much another person might love you, that’s nothing compared to how much God loves you. We need to put things in perspective. We’re talking about the God who made the universe, loving and caring about you. No matter how insignificant you may feel, the truth is that you are valued by God. That’s a big deal.

Do not ever forget how significant you are to God. Because if you do, it will really put your faith in danger. The fact that God loves and values each one of us is the very foundation of our faith. It’s expressed in the number one most quoted verse of the Bible:

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

--John 3:16

This is the proof that God loves us. He sacrificed his only begotten Son for us, and his Son willingly went to the cross to take the punishment we deserve for our sins upon himself, so we can receive forgiveness if we follow him.

For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

--Romans 5:6-8

What this is saying is that when Jesus died on the cross, it was the ultimate expression of God’s love for us, manifested through his Son Jesus Christ. The God of the universe sacrificed his only begotten Son for you. The Son willingly went to the cross to pay the penalty for your sin, out of love for you.

It says here that “peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die” or in other words, maybe if you really loved someone, you would be willing to die in order to save them... if it came to that. And that’s the ultimate expression of love - what more can you do for someone than give up your whole life for them? And there have been times in history when people have sacrificed their lives to save a friend. It’s happened before.

But God’s love is even greater than that, because Christ died for us while we were still sinners and in fact, it says in verse ten that “when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son.” Maybe you would dare to die to save your best friend, if you had to, but how many of you would die to save the life of an enemy? That’s the kind of love that God showed us through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Jesus died to save sinners who were enemies of God, not because they deserved to be saved, but because he loved them.

For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

--Romans 8:38-39

Neither death, nor life... that pretty much sums up everything in existence right there, doesn’t it? But it goes on to list all these other things that will not separate you from the love of God.

Remember when I told you at the beginning that there was a time in my life when I didn’t think that God cared about me? That seems ridiculous now that I just read these verses. I thought, as it says in Psalm 8:4, “What is man, that you are mindful of him?” but the very next verse says “you made him a little lower than the angels, and crowned him with glory and honor”!

The Bible makes it so clear that we are significant to God. How could I lose sight of it? I lost sight of it because I was relying on other people to feel good about myself, and the truth is, there will be times when other people are going to let you down. In your life, you’re gonna have friendships that you think are going to last forever, and they’re not. People change. Life is hard. If you rely solely on other people for support, there will be times when you’re going to be disappointed. People aren’t perfect. But the love of God is perfect. God loves you more than your friends love you. He loves you more than your family loves you. He loves you more than your boyfriend or girlfriend loves you. Don’t ever forget that you are valued by God. You are significant. He loves you and he has a plan for you. It says in Matthew 10:30 that God has every hair on your head numbered. He knows everything about you. He knows you better than anybody else. He knows you better than you know yourself. He knows your likes and your dislikes, he knows your secrets, he knows your abilities and disabilities, and he has a plan to use you to accomplish his work, if you only choose to follow him.

Even though I went through some difficult times that weakened my faith at first, in the end my faith was strengthened because I learned to rely on God, and I became a stronger person. Don’t ever forget how valuable you are to God. Because if you can grasp just how infinite the love of God is, you will have strength through even the most difficult trials. You will have confidence that you never knew you had, because it won’t matter anymore what other people think of you, if you know what God thinks of you. Romans 8:31 says “If God is for us, who can be against us?” Even if everyone else abandons you, and even if no one else loves you, you can still be confident, and be strong, and be joyful, because God loves you, and that matters more than anything else because God can provide fulfillment in your life that no one else can, ultimately leading to eternal life with him.

I don’t know about you, but this motivates me. It motivates me more than any fire and brimstone sermon ever did. Because if you really grasp how much God loves you, and how significant you are to him, the natural response is to want to love God back, and serve God. Just think of the ultimate expression of God’s love that was manifested to us through the ultimate sacrifice Jesus made on the cross. Imagine that you’re about to be shot, and your best friend jumps in front of you and takes the bullet for you. And in his dying breath, he gives you a command. Wouldn’t you follow his command, whatever it is, just out of respect for your friend, and the incredible sacrifice he made for you? That’s how we should live as Christians. In other religions, people follow a bunch of rules and rituals so they can get to heaven or nirvana, or whatever the reward may be. But we follow the teachings of Christ not for selfish gain, but because Christ sacrificed so much for us - it’s the least we can do for him. Jesus sacrificed his life for us, so it’s only reasonable that in return we should sacrifice our lives for him, not by dying, since really wouldn’t achieve anything, but by living for him. We don’t live for ourselves. We live for him. As it says in Romans 12:1, “present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable, unto God, which is your reasonable service.”

You are significant. Don’t ever let anyone tell you that are you are not significant, because even if no one else ever values you, you are valuable to God.

---

Have questions, comments, corrections, criticisms, or concerns?

Email the author at matt@faithfirstmedia.com

Conquering Evil by Doing Good

by Matthew Elton

copyright 2009 Matthew Elton

Unless otherwise stated, scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

I wrote this article in response to the claim made by an anonymous individual that Christians should "take justice into their own hands" by leading a "vigilante-style armed revolution" against abortionists.  Such a claim is, obviously, extremely unchristian, even satanic.

Instead of following the world's twisted concept of "justice" (which is really just revenge in disguise) we should offer help to those who sin by following Christ's model of forgiveness and instruction in righteousness, trusting that God will, in the end, establish perfect justice upon the Earth at the Final Judgement when he judges with far greater justice than any man could achieve.

"If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother. But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses ever fact may be confirmed. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.

--Jesus, in Matthew 18:15-17, NASB

Our goal should not be to punish those who sin, but to help them understand why their sin is wrong, with a motive of compassion, so they can make the choice to seek forgiveness and repent. Whether or not a murderer "serves their time" in jail is irrelevant. What matters is that they realize that they have sinned not only against man but against God, and that they seek forgiveness and repent of their sins in their heart and actions.

The worst thing we can do as Christians is seek revenge. Did Jesus ever go "vigilante style" when confronting sinners? No! Instead of punishing those who sinned, he ate with the sinners, he healed them, died for them, showed them compassion, and instructed them in righteousness. By doing so, he won them over like no punishment (judicial or vigilante) ever could!

The idea that we should punish those who sin comes from the Law, which the Apostle Paul described as the law of sin and death (2 Corinthians 3:6-8). Jesus freed us from this law and instructed us to a higher calling of forgiveness.

"But now we have been released from the law, for we died to it and are no longer captive to its power. Now we can serve God, not in the old way of obeying the letter of the law, but in the new way of living in the Spirit."

--Romans 7:6

We should follow the example of the Amish man in the newspaper a few years ago, whose son was killed by a gunman. The Amish man did not make any attempt to defend his son through violence. When the gunman later took his own life, an entire Amish congregation attended the gunman’s funeral and visited the gunman’s family in order to comfort them. The Amish forgave the gunman for the murder he committed and told the gunman’s family that they were sorry for the gunman’s family’s loss. I guarantee that such love and compassion is far more powerful in changing even the most vile of hearts than any judicial punishment could ever be!

“You have heard the law that says the punishment must match the injury: ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say, do not resist an evil person! If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also. If you are sued in court and your shirt is taken from you, give your coat, too. If a soldier demands that you carry his gear for a mile, carry it two miles. Give to those who ask, and don’t turn away from those who want to borrow. You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that. But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.”

--Jesus, in Matthew 5:38-48

Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone. Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say,

“I will take revenge;

I will pay them back,”

says the LORD.

--Romans 12:17-19

Dear brothers and sisters, I close my letter with these last words: Be joyful. Grow to maturity. Encourage each other. Live in harmony and peace. Then the God of love and peace will be with you.

--2 Corinthians 13:11

Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord.

--Hebrews 12:14

But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere. And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness.

--James 3:17-18

Now, who will want to harm you if you are eager to do good? But even if you suffer for doing what is right, God will reward you for it. So don’t worry or be afraid of their threats. Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it.

--1 Peter 3:10-15

God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps. He never sinned, nor ever deceived anyone. He did not retaliate when he was insulted, nor threaten revenge when he suffered. He left his case in the hands of God, who always judges fairly. He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross, so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By his wounds you are healed.

--1 Peter 2:21-24

"Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good."

--Romans 12:21

Sadly, the modern church seems to have forgotten these teachings, yet the early church took Christ's commands concerning forgiveness and nonviolence very seriously!

"For the Christians are distinguished from other men neither by country, nor language, nor the customs which they observe. For they neither inhabit cities of their own, nor employ a peculiar form of speech, nor lead a life which is marked out by any singularity... But, inhabiting Greek as well as barbarian cities, according as the lot of each of them has determined, and following the customs of the natives in respect to clothing, food, and the rest of their ordinary conduct, they display to us their wondeful and confessedly striking method of life. They dwell in their own countries, but simply as sojourners. As citizens, they share in all thing with others, and yet endure all things as if foreigners. Every foreign land of their birth as a land of strangers. They marry, as do all others; they beget children; but they do not destroy their offspring. They have a common table, but not a common bed. They are in the flesh, but do not live after the flesh. They pass their days on earth, but are citizens of heaven. They obey the prescribed laws, and at some time surpass the laws by their lives. They love all men, and are persecuted by all. They are unknown and condemned. They are put to death, and restored to life. They are poor, yet make rich; they are in lack of all things, and yet abound in all; they are dishonored, and yet in their very dishonor are glorified. They are spoken evil of, and yet are justified; they are reviled, and bless; they are insulted, and repay the insult with honor; they do good, yet are punished as evildoers. When punished, they rejoice as if quicked into life; they are assailed by the Jews as foreigners, and are persecuted by the Greeks, yet those who hate them are unable to assign any reason for their hatred."

--Mathetes, c. 130, Letter to Diognetus, 5:1-7

"For it is not in war, but in peace, that we are trained. War needs great preparation, and luxury craves profusion; but peace and love, simple and quiet sisters, require no arms nor excessive preparation."

--Clement of Alexandria, c. 195, The Instructor, book 1, chapter 12

"Shall it be held lawful to make an occupation of the sword, when the Lord proclaims that he who uses the sword shall perish by the sword? And shall the son of peace take part in battle when it does not become him even to sue at law? And shall he apply the chain, and the prison, and the torture, and the punishment, who is not the avenger even of his own wrongs? Shall he, forsooth, either keep watch-service for others more than for Christ, or shall he do it on the Lord’s day, when he does not even do it for Christ himself? And shall he keep guard before the temples which he has renounced? And shall he take a meal where the Apostle has forbidden him? And shall he diligently protect by night those whom in the daytime he has put to flight by his exocrcisms, leaning and resting on the spear the while with which Christ’s side was pierced? Shall he carry a flag, too, hostile to Christ?... Then how many other offenses there are involved in the performances of camp offices, which we must hold to involve a transgression of God’s law, you may see by a slight survey. The very carrying of the name over from the camp of light to the camp of darkness is a violation of it. Of course, if faith comes later, and finds any preoccupied with military service, their case is different, as in the instance of those whom John used to recieve for baptism, and of those most faihful centurions, I mean the centurian whom Christ approves, and the centurion whom Peter instructs; yet, at the same time, when a man has become a believer, and faith has been sealed, there must be either an immediate abandonment of it [military service], which has been the course with many; or all sorts of quabbling will have to be resorted to in order to avoid offending God, and that is not allowed even outside of military service; or, last of all, for God the fate must be endured which a citizen-faith has been no less ready to accept."

--Tertullian, c. 211

"A soldier of the civil authority must be taught not to kill men and to refuse to do so if he is commanded, and to refuse to take an oath. If he is unwilling to comply, he must be rejected for baptism. A military commander or civic magistrate who wears the purple must resign or be rejected. If an applicant or a believer seeks to become a soldier, he must be rejected, for he has despised God."

--Hippolytus, c. 215, The Apostolic Tradition of Hippolytus of Rome, 16:17-19

"And to those enemies of the faith who require us to bear arms for the commonwealth, and to slay men, we can reply, “Do not those who are priests at certain shrines, and those who attend on certain gods, as you account [call] them, keep their hands free from blood, that they may with hands unstained and free from human blood offer the appointed sacrifices to your gods; and even when war is upon you, you never enlist the priests in the army. If that, then, is a laudable custom, how much moreso, that while others are engaged in battle, these too should engage as the priests and ministers of God, keeping their hands pure, and wrestling in prayers to God on behalf of those who are fighting in a righteous cause, and for the king who reigns righteously, that whatever is opposed to those who act righteously may be destroyed!” And as we by our prayers vanguish all demons who stir up war, and lead to the violation of oaths, and disturb the peace, we in this way are much more helpful to the kings than those who go into the field to fight for them. And we do take our part in public affairs, when alongwith righteous prayers we join self-denying excercises and meditations, which teach us to despise pleasures, and not be led away with them. And none fight better for the king than we do. We do not indeed fight under him, although he may require it; but we fight on his behalf, forming a special army - an army of piety - by offering our prayers to God."

--Origen, c. 248, Origen Against Celsus, book 8, chapter 73

"For since we, a numerous band of men as we are, have learned from His teaching and His laws that evil ought not to be requited with evil, that it is better to suffer wrong than to inflict it, that we should rather shed our own blood than stain our hands and our conscience with that of another, an ungrateful world is now for a long period enjoying a benefit from Christ, inasmuch as by his means the rage of savage ferocity has been softened, and has begun to withhold hostile hands from the blood of a fellow-creature. But if all without exception, who feel that they are men not in form of body but in power of reason, would lend an ear for a little [while] to his salutory and peaceful rules, and would not, in the pride and arrogance of enlightenment, trust to their own senses rather than to his admonitions, the whole world, having turned the use of steel [for swords] into more peaceful occupations, would now be living in the most placid tranquility, and would unite in blessed harmony, maintaining inviolate the sanctity of treaties."

--Anobius, c. 305, The Seven Books of Arnobius Against the Heathen, book 1, chapter 6

“You just need to look at what the gospel asks, and what war does. The gospel asks that we feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, welcome the homeless, visit the prisoner, and perform works of mercy. War does all the opposite. It makes my neighbor hungry, thirsty, homeless, a prisoner, and sick. The gospel asks that we take up our cross. War asks that we lay the cross of suffering on others.”

--Dorothy Day, 1896-1980

Eternal Conscious Torture in Hell vs. Annihilation in the Lake of Fire

What Does the Bible Really Teach?

by Matthew Elton

copyright 2009 Matthew Elton

The concept of hades as a place of eternal torture for the immortal soul has its origins in Platonic philosophy and Greek Mythology, and is foreign to the Bible. The Old Testament Jewish Scriptures are very clear that the human soul is not immortal, and the New Testament confirms this. The Bible teaches that the dead are quite literally dead, not alive in heaven or in hell. However, there will come a day when Jesus will return and the dead will rise and be judged - some to eternal life in the Kingdom of God, and others to destruction in the hell fire of the Lake of Fire. The Bible teaches that the unrighteous who do not accept Jesus as Lord will be thrown into the Lake of Fire, where they will die. Common sense dictates that anyone who is thrown into a fire will burn to death. The only way that the unrighteous could burn for all eternity is if they were granted eternal life, which the Bible clearly states is only going to be granted to the righteous who accept Jesus as Lord.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

--John 3:16

As of right now, the King of kings is the only person who possesses immortality!  His followers will receive eternal life later at the resurrection of the righteous.

Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen.

--1 Timothy 6:15-16

This proves that there is no one except Jesus currently living forever in heaven, and there is also no one living forever in hell!

According to the Bible, death is like sleeping. It is simply awaiting the future resurrection and judgement. In fact, Jesus used the words sleep and death interchangeably: 



After he had said this, he went on to tell them, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up." His disciples replied, "Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better." Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep. So then he told them plainly, "Lazarus is dead”


--John 11:11-14 



Those that are dead are not in heaven or hell! They are "asleep" in the "dust of the earth" awaiting the coming resurrection that will occur when Christ returns to judge the world: 



Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt.

--Daniel 12:2


When you are dead, you are not conscious. You don't know anything. You are not tortured for all eternity in some underground cave. You are quite literally dead.

For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing; they have no further reward, and even the memory of them is forgotten.

--Ecclesiastes 9:5

The Bible tells us that King David did not go to heaven!  If King David didn't go to heaven, what chance do you have of going to heaven?  Are you any better than King David?

For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand

--Acts 2:34

Jesus is the only person who has ever gone to heaven:

No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man.

--John 3:13

When you die, nothing happens. There is no activity or planning or knowledge or wisdom when you are dead: 



Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.


--Ecclesiastes 9:10 



When David was fleeing Saul, he was afraid he was going to die. He pleaded with God, saying: 



No one remembers you when he is dead. Who praises you from the grave?

--Pslam 6:5

If David had thought he was going to heaven, he would not have said this, since he would certainly be able to praise from heaven.



The dead cannot think, act, or communicate. They remain in a dreamless sleep, awaiting the return of Christ, when they will be resurrected, and judged (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17) Since there is no consciousness in death, there is no sense of time. When you die, the next thing you will know will be the resurrection and final judgement (commonly referred to as "Judgment Day") in which the righteous will enter the Kingdom of God (also known as the Kingdom of Heaven, see Matthew 19:23-24) on a new and perfect earth and dwell there forever, and the unrighteous will be thrown into a lake of fire where both their bodies and their souls will be destroyed in hell fire. If your body and your soul are both destroyed, there is nothing left to torture! This proves beyond the shadow of a doubt that the unrighteous will not be tortured for all eternity - they will die in the lake of fire, and remain dead forever. They will not receive the eternal life in the paradise of the Kingdom of God that is promised to those who follow Jesus as Lord.

And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

--Matthew 10:28

The wages of sin is death - not eternal life in hell!

Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.

--Ezekiel 18:4

The wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

--Romans 6:23

Finally, another common misconception about hell is that the unrighteous will not be tortured, but be cast in hell where they will be “eternally separated from God.” Such a doctrine is completely unbiblical. The Bible teaches that God is omnipresent, which means that he exists everywhere - on Earth, in heaven, and even in hell:

If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.

--Psalm 139:8

Have questions, comments, criticisms, or concerns?

Email me at: Matt@faithfirstmedia.com

The Problem of Evil

by Matthew Elton

copyright 2009 Matthew Elton

matt@faithfirstmedia.com

How could a loving God allow evil to exist?

Evil was brought into the world through sin (disobedience to God) not by God’s will, but by human decision.

Why didn’t God stop Adam and Eve from sinning?

Because he gave them free will.  God wants us to choose to obey him out of our own free will, not compulsion.  This requires that we are able to obey or to disobey God.  Adam and Eve chose to disobey, and every human since has also disobeyed, except the Lord Jesus Christ.  Disobedience to God is obedience to the devil.  It has given the devil free reign over the Earth until the day when the devil’s reign over the Earth will be brought to and end - when "the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God" (Romans 8:21).

If God didn’t want Adam and Eve to sin, why did he give them the ability to sin?

If God so chose, he could have created robots that had no free will but followed set and predetermined laws instead of making their own choices.

Oh wait, God already did that.  They’re called rocks.  Some of them can fit in the palm of your hand.  Others are quite large, like Mars, Venus, Mercury, and Luna.  All of them follow set and predetermined laws that govern all of their movements (i.e. laws of physics such as gravity, inertia, etc.).  God gave us free will because the alternative would be a universe of nothing but rocks.

A universe with nothing but rocks would be just plain boring.  Rocks follow God's commands blindly, like robots.  God created living intelligent humans so we could follow him from our own free will.  Giving us free will requires giving us the ability to reject God and bring sin (and it's brothers evil and death) into the world.  Having "free will" but not being able to disobey and only being able to obey is hardly free will at all, because obedience would not be a choice, it would be a compulsion.  God already created plenty of rocks that follow the laws he set for them out of compulsion.  He wanted something more - living, breathing, intelligent beings who are able to obey or disobey, but choose obedience out of free will.

Why did God put the tree of the knowledge of good and evil into the Garden of Eden to begin with, if he didn’t want Adam and Eve to eat from it?

He didn’t want Adam and Eve to eat from it, but he put it there to give them the choice between obedience and disobedience.  If the tree wasn’t there, then Adam and Eve would have no way of disobeying God, and therefore their “obedience” might not be from their heart.  Having "free will" but not being able to disobey is hardly free will at all.  God wants us to be able to choose between obedience and disobedience, and to choose from our own free will obedience.  In order to have that choice, we need to have the ability to disobey, and many have (indeed, all except for Jesus) have sinned, thus bringing evil and death into the world.  The consequences have been devastating.

Why do good things happen to bad people, and why do bad things happen to good people?  Why does it seem like evil dictators are rewarded while other people seem to be punished for no apparent reason?

If every good action immediately generated a reward, and every evil action immediately generated a punishment, then people would choose good actions out of a selfish desire for immediate gratification.  But God wants us to chose good over evil regardless of whether we receive a reward or not.  We should do good because of the goodness of good itself - or to put it simply, because it's the right thing to do.  Choosing good in order to receive a reward or escape a punishment is the wrong motive, but this is precisely what people would logically do if the ramifications of our actions operated according to a perfect system in which good actions immediately produce good rewards, and evil actions immediately produce evil rewards.  In such a world, everyone would logically choose good actions over evil ones, in order to receive rewards and escape punishment.  But their actions would have the wrong motive!  To teach us to pursue righteousness for its own sake rather than for selfish gain, God created a world in which good actions are not always immediately rewarded, and evil actions are not always immediately punished.  In the end, perfect justice will be established, but for now, there are many who suffer for doing right.  They choose to pursue righteousness because it's the right thing to do (which is a pure motive), not because it makes their life any easier (which would be a selfish motive).  This pleases God, who will richly reward them in the age to come.

If sin has caused so much evil, why doesn’t God do something about it?

The good news of the Gospel is that God made atonement for our sins by offering his son Jesus on the cross as a sacrifice, to pay the price for the sins of mankind.  Jesus willingly took the punishment we deserve for our sins upon himself, so we don't need to be punished if we follow him.

Jesus commands us to "be perfect, as your heavenly father is perfect."  Have you ever lied, stolen something (even something small), used God's name in vain, gotten angry at someone else, failed to forgive someone who wronged you, or looked at a woman with lust?  Even these "small" sins make us guilty before God.  To deserve eternal life in the paradise of the Kingdom of God (also known as the Kingdom of Heaven, see Matthew 19:23-24) you have to be perfect.  Eternal life is an infinite reward, and therefore it's only fair that only the infinitely good should receive it.  Even the smallest sins make us ineligible.  But the good news of the Gospel is that God understands that we have all sinned - I've sinned, you've sinned, etc.  God wants us to enter the Kingdom of God, which is why Jesus took the punishment that we deserve for our sins, and he placed it upon himself.  The punishment has been served.

Imagine being found guilty in a courtroom, and being sentenced to death, but then Jesus walks in and agrees to die in your place so that you can live and be forgiven instead of punished.  If we accept that he is the Son of God and follow him as Lord, we can receive the forgiveness that he paid the price for.  Following Jesus as Lord means following his teachings to love one another, even to love our enemies, and not to ever seek revenge, but to always forgive.  If we live this way, showing love to everyone and forgiving one another, God will forgive us, and we'll be greatly rewarded in the Kingdom of God.

There will come a time when God will restore the world the world to perfection and destroy the devil.  This will occur when Jesus returns to Earth to judge the living and the dead.  All who have ever lived will be judged - the righteous who follow Christ will receive eternal life in the Kingdom of God on a new and perfect earth.

It's been almost two millennia and Jesus hasn't returned.  What's taking so long?

To put it simply, he's waiting for you.  God wants you to be saved.  By putting off the Final Judgement a little bit longer, he gives you a chance to accept Jesus as Lord and be saved, before it’s too late.  It is out of God's longsuffering and compassion that he has held off the Final Judgement this long.

Why didn’t God destroy the devil in the beginning, instead of allowing him to reign terror on the Earth for thousands of years?

Remember the “free will” issue discussed earlier?  Consider this, for a moment: if God erased the devil immediately, don’t you think a new one would rise up to take its place?  The devil was originally an angel of light, who rebelled against God (thus demonstrating that angels have free will too).  God could have stopped the rebellion 0.001 seconds after it started, but instead he allowed evil to exist, in order for the world to understand just how horrible evil really is.  This ensures that no more angels will ever rebel against God.  They’ve seen and continue to see the terrible destruction it’s caused, and how Lucifer, who used to be an angel, is now forced to crawl around on his belly and eat dust.  It serves as an example, something that we can witness and see the effects of what evil really is. Some people are enticed by it, and some are revolted by it. If we really have a choice, don’t you think it’s fair to know something about what we’re choosing?

But if God is good, why has he allowed evil to exist for even one second, let alone thousands of years?

All the millennia of human history are a mere fraction of a second in comparison to the eternity that the followers of Jesus will enjoy in the Kingdom of God.  It is well known that any finite number appears to be infinitely small when compared to infinity.  Imagine looking at the 6000 years of human history on a timeline, then “zooming out” and watching that period of 6000 years appear to be smaller and smaller and smaller in comparison to the much larger scale of the timeline around it.  What if you zoomed out for all eternity?  Eventually the period of 6000 years would be lost in the world of the infinitesimal; it would seem to not even exist at all.

Anyone who has handled higher level mathematics should understand that even 6000 years becomes nothing when compared to infinity.  Being forced to wait for ten minutes seems like an eon when we’re young children, and when we’re older months seem to roll by in the blink of an eye.  How long to you think a 70 year lifespan will seem if you’ve lived 10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 years?

Why would a good God allow evil to exist for even one second?  The answer is simple.  God has not allowed evil to exist for even one second, if we measure “seconds” from God’s eternal, infinite point of view.

In the grand scheme of things, evil (and death, which is its natural result) is going to be destroyed pretty soon.  But for the moment, it’s still here.

The Dual Death of Goliath: A Contradiction in the Bible?

by Matthew Elton

copyright 2009 Matthew Elton

matt@faithfirstmedia.com

Question:

Everybody knows about the fight David versus Goliath. The young David kills Goliath with his slingshot.

1.Samuel 17,4-50:

"A champion named Goliath, who was from Gath, came out of the Philistine camp...

His spear shaft was like a weaver's rod, and ...

So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him."

David killed Goliath.

But Elhanan killed Goliath, too:

2.Samuel 21,19

"In another battle with the Philistines at Gob, Elhanan son of Jaare-Oregim the Bethlehemite killed Goliath the Gittite, who had a spear with a shaft like a weaver's rod."

Of course, Goliath can't be killed by both since a person can't die twice.

With a certain amount of fantasy one could imagine that the Philistines had another warrior in their rows who fit to the same description (a man named Goliath, born in Gath, so huge that he had a spear like a weaver's rod).

But to be honest, it looks like an obvious contradiction and the writer of the book 1.Chronicles, which appeared about 500 years later, probably agreed. In 1.Chronicles the same story is retold, except that Goliath has been exchanged for his brother Lahmi in order to vanish the mistake (Goliath's dual death):

1.Chronicles 20,5

"In another battle with the Philistines, Elhanan son of Jair killed Lahmi the brother of Goliath the Gittite, who had a spear with a shaft like a weaver's rod."

In contrast to what we were told in 2.Samuel 21,19, we are told now that Elhanan killed Goliath's brother instead of Goliath himself - another obvious contradiction.

Some Bible translations of our time even correct this "phenomenon" on their own by changing the text. They just exchange Goliath for his brother Lahmi in 2.Samuel 21,19 as well for the story of Samuel not to contradict the story of Chronichles (King James Version, Webster's Bible Translation, American King James Version). In doing so, they confess that there is a mistake in the original scripture. They correct the "word of god".

Answer:

There shouldn’t be any confusion here since the Bible makes it very clear that these are indeed different Goliaths!  One Goliath is “from Gath” and he is the one who David killed - the one who made the name “Goliath” famous.

The second “Goliath” is not from Gath, but rather, he is a “Gittite”.  His legal name is Lahmi, but he is nicknamed “Goliath” because he takes after his brother, the infamous “Goliath from Gath”.

By stating where these two Goliaths are from, the Bible makes it clear that they are not the same, thus clearing up any confusion that might arise because of the shared names.

Now that this “contradiction” has been cleared up, let’s take a look at how the King James Version translated these verses.  It is only common sense that the Hebrew scriptures were intended to be read in chronological order.  2 Samuel was written shortly after 1 Samuel (they were originally two parts of the same one book) but Chronicles was was written 500 years later!

If we read the books in the order they were written, we first see David slaying Goliath from Gath in 1 Samuel.  In 2 Samuel, we read of Lahmi slaying “Goliath” and indeed, the Hebrew does not contain the word “brother of”.  This phrase was added by the Authorized Text translators and put in italics so that English speaking readers know that the phrase is not found in the Hebrew.

The addition of the phrase “brother of” was not, however, an attempt to “correct” the text.  It was only an attempt to make clear for English-speaking readers what was already readily apparent to Hebrew readers.  We must remember that the text was meant to be read in order, just like any other book.  Earlier in Samuel we already read that David slew “Goliath from Gath”.  It is therefore clear that the man Elhanan slew was another “Goliath”.  Even today, it is not uncommon to use the name “Goliath” to refer to any powerful enemy!

The omission of the phrase “the brother of” is not a textual error, since Hebrew scribes had a very effective method of ensuring the accuracy of every copy of the Hebrew scriptures by adding the total of the numerical values of every Hebrew character in every line and column of the copied text, and checking those values to make sure they match up with the numerical values inscribed in the source text.

Therefore, the omission of the phrase in the Hebrew text was not a copyist error, since the system used by Hebrew scribes ensured that such errors were virtually impossible.  The Hebrew scriptures have been preserved with incredible accuracy, and every last pen stroke matters.  For example, there is one verse in the Bible where a Hebrew word appears to be misspelled, but this “error” was actually done on purpose in order to utilize the numerical values of the Hebrew characters to encode the exact value of pi into the Hebrew word for “circumference”.  This demonstrates how apparent “mistakes” in the Bible are often codes for even deeper and more profound levels of meaning - exactly what one would expect from a God-inspired book.  See here for the details.

Since a copyist error is virtually impossible, we must therefore conclude that the phrase “the brother of” in 2 Samuel 21:19 was meant to be omitted.  This may seem strange to native speakers of English, but we must remember that in Eastern and Middle Eastern languages (and even in English sometimes) it is perfectly acceptable to omit words and phrases that are already understood by both the speaker and the listener (linguist calls these “pragmatically inferable” phrases).  As a speaker of Japanese, I can appreciate the simplicity of this approach to language.  Let’s compare some basic sentences in English and Japanese to demonstrate how pragmatically inferable information can be omitted in non-Western languages:

(make sure your computer supports Japanese text!)

English:

I am Matthew Elton.  I am a Christian.  I am a writer.

Japanese:

私はエルトン＊マットです。キリスチャンです。ライターです。

Watashi wa Eruton Matto desu.  Kirisuchan desu.  Raitaa desu.

Literal translation:

I am Matthew Elton.  Am Christian.  Am writer.

After the initial “I am” in the first sentence, the reader knows that I am talking about myself.  It is therefore unnecessary for me to repeat the pronoun “I” in the following sentences, since the reader already knows that I am talking about myself, and they will continue to assume that I am talking about myself until I use the subject-marking particle wa in reference to someone else.  Proper English requires that I repeat the pronoun “I” at the beginning of every sentence (saying “Am Christian” by itself sound silly in English) but in Japanese, there is no need to repeat Watashi (I) at the beginning of every sentence (saying “Am Christian” by itself sounds perfectly natural in Japanese)!

Most Eastern and Middle Eastern languages allow for some omission of pragmatically inferable phrases, though not always to the extent of Japanese.  I did some research to see how much omission is allowed in the Hebrew language, and I discovered that a “moderate” amount of omission is allowed.  Hebrew doesn’t go so far as to omit common pronouns (as Japanese does) but phrases already understood by both the speaker and the listener (or the writer and the reader) can be safely omitted.

We must remember that at the time Samuel was written, the slaying of Goliath from Gath was probably the talk of the town, so to speak.  Any Jew would know that David slew Goliath from Gath, and indeed anybody who reads Samuel in order (just as we would read any other book) would have already read about the event by the time he or she read about Elhana slaying “Goliath” (the Gittite).

Since everyone knows that David slew the infamous Goliath from Gath, it literally goes without saying that the “Goliath” Elhanan slew was a different Goliath.  In 2 Samuel 21:19, the word “Goliath” is used as we would use it today - to refer to any powerful foe.  There was no need for the writer to include “the brother of” in the text, since that was pragmatically inferable information.  It was common knowledge that David slew Goliath from Gath, and the fact that Elhanan slew the brother of Goliath was probably also common knowledge among the Jews (these are major military victories we’re talking about - any Jew living at that time would know about them).  Therefore there would have been no confusion at all as to who “Goliath the Gittite” really was, even with the omission of “his brother”.

The book of Chronicles was written 500 years later.  When Samuel was written, the events were fairly recent, and everyone would have known about them.  When Chronicles was written, the events were ancient history.  To put things in perspective, how much do you know about 1500s history?  Most Jews living at the time Chronicles would have some understanding of their history, but they probably wouldn’t know the details of Goliath’s family tree.  What was pragmatically inferable to the Jew living 500 years prior was pragmatically inferable no longer.  This is why the writer of Chronicles goes into more detail about the identity of the “Goliath the Gittite” slain by Elhanan.  Chronicles takes what used to be pragmatically inferable, and states it outright.  “Goliath the Gittite” was Lahmi, the brother of Goliath from Gath.  Lahmi was called “Goliath” in a figurative sense, the way we use the phrase “a Goliath” today.  It could be said that Lahmi was a “representational Goliath” or a “replacement Goliath” or simply “a Goliath” which the dictionary defines as any “very large, powerful, or influential person or thing.”

Thousands of years after the slaying of the “Goliaths”, the King James translators did in 2 Samuel what the writer of Chronicles did: they took what used to be inferred information, and stated it outright.  This was done for the sake of modern readers who are not familiar with Jewish history, or the non-Western conventions of the Hebrew language.  With great respect for the Hebrew text, the King James translators placed their addition in italics to indicate that it was omitted in the Hebrew.  This was not an attempt to “correct” the text or to change its meaning in any way.  The translators were simply seeking to make clear to English-speaking readers what would have already been readily apparent to the ancient Jews who lived at the time when Samuel was written.

Was God Unjust in 2 Samuel 24?

by Matthew Elton

copyright 2009 Matthew Elton

Question:

In 2.Samuel 24 God commands King David to count Israel and Judah. After David follows his command God punishs [sic] him:

2.Samuel 24,1-17

"Again the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, "Go and take a census of Israel and Judah." So the king said to Joab and the army commanders with him, "Go throughout the tribes of Israel from Dan to Beersheba and enroll the fighting men, so that I may know how many there are."...

David was conscience-stricken after he had counted the fighting men, and he said to the Lord, “I have sinned greatly in what I have done. Now, O Lord, I beg you, take away the guilt of your servant. I have done a very foolish thing.”...

So the Lord sent a plague on Israel from that morning until the end of the time designated, and seventy thousand of the people from Dan to Beersheba died....

When David saw the angel who was striking down the people, he said to the Lord, “I am the one who has sinned and done wrong. These are but sheep. What have they done?* Let your hand fall upon me and my family.”"

*David realizes God being unjust in killing thousands of innocent people.

Of course, it doesn't make sence [sic]. God commands David to do something and punishs [sic] him for obeying - that is not just. The story of 2.Samuel 24 contradicts the claim that God is just. Therefore 1.Chronicles once more takes care of the problem and changes the story:

1.Chronicles 21,1-2

"Satan rose up against Israel and incited David to take a census of Israel. So David said to Joab and the commanders of the troops, “Go and count the Israelites from Beersheba to Dan. Then report back to me so that I may know how many there are.”..."

In 1.Chronicles 21 it's not God anymore who incites David but Satan. God was exchanged for Satan in order to justify God's punishment (which still isn't just since he kills thousands of innocent people because of one person's action). Thus a new contradiction is created though ("...the LORD...incited David...saying, `Go take a census...`..." <----> "Satan...incited David to take a census...").

Some theologians may say in 2.Samuel 24 it's God letting Satan incite David but we see clearly that this is not the case because it's written that God tells David what to do and since Satan has no influence on God, it's clear that God makes David count the people.

The book 1.Chronicles seems to function as the "white knight" for the books of Samuel in trying to vanish the "phenomenons" (mistakes/contradictions) contained.

Answer:

God has not killed anyone who he will not raise up at the Final Judgement to judge with perfect justice. Life is from God, and he can take it away, he can kill, but he will also resurrect and judge with perfect justice. God’s justice cannot be understood apart from the bigger picture of the future resurrection, judgement, mercy, and fulfillment of the Kingdom of God.

David was not “incited” but “moved” (as the Authorized Version reads).

2 Samuel 24:1 KJV

And again the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he moved David against them to say, Go, number Israel and Judah.

God did not “incite” David to do something, and then punish him for it. As an analogy, suppose I have a dog that I must train not to take food from others, since I feed it plenty of healthy food, and strangers might feed it something unhealthy or even poisonous. After training the dog to eat only my food, I will create a situation that will test it. I will “move” the dog to eat the meat from a stranger, and it will receive a punishment (the meat may be laced with hot peppers). The dog had the free will to choose whether to obey my command of “do not take food from strangers” but I still “moved” the dog to eat the meat by having a friend of mine tempt it with peppered steak. If the dog had refused the meat, it would not have been punished. There is no violation of free will, and therefore the punishment is not unjust.

In my aforementioned analogy with the peppered steak for my dog, how would I teach my dog not to accept meat from a stranger without using a stranger? God moved David to number the people by allowing Satan to provoke David. This isn’t a foreign concept. The same thing happened in the book of Job where God allows Satan to persecute Job, in order to test Job’s faithfulness to God (Job refuses to curse God even when faced with seemingly injust persecution, thus proving to be faithful - and for his faithfulness Job is richly rewarded).

Jacob's Family Tomb: A Contradiction in the Bible?

by Matthew Elton

copyright 2009 Matthew Elton

Question:

In Acts 7,15-16 Stephen tells us this:

"Then Jacob went down to Egypt, where he and our fathers died. Their bodieswere brought back to Shechem and placed in the tomb that Abraham hadbought from the sons of Hamor at Shechem for a certain sum of money."

Let's see. We are told: Abraham bought a tomb in Shechem from the sons of Hamor.

Stephen is talking about something that happened a long time ago. But let's see which story he actually means:

Genesis 23,17-20:

"So Ephron's field in Machpelah near Mamre--both the field and the cave init, and all the trees within the borders of the field--was deeded toAbraham as his property.

Afterward Abraham buried his wifeSarah in the cave in the field of Machpelah near Mamre (which is atHebron) in the land of Canaan...

So the field and the cave in it were deeded to Abraham by the Hittites as a "burial place."

Aswe see, Abraham didn't buy a tomb in Shechem from the sons of Hamor buthe bought it in Machpelah, near Mamre, from Ephron the Hittite. Jacobwasn't burried in Shechem like it is said in Acts 7. He was burried in Machpelah:

Genesis 49,1-33:

"Then Jacob called for his sons and said:...

..."I am about to be gathered to my people. Bury me with my fathers in thecave in the field of Ephron the Hittite, the cave in the field ofMachpelah, near Mamre in Canaan, which Abraham bought as a burial placefrom Ephron the Hittite, along with the field. There Abraham and hiswife Sarah were buried, there Isaac and his wife Rebekah were buried,and there I buried Leah. The field and the cave in it were bought fromthe Hittites.  When Jacob had finished giving instructions to his sons,he drew his feet up into the bed, breathed his last and was gathered to his people."

Why does Stephen say Jakob [sic] was burried [sic] in Shechem in a tomb which was bought from the sonsof Hamor? The story was mixed up with this one here:

Genesis 33,18-19:                                

"After Jacob came from Paddan Aram, he arrived safely at the city of Shechem ...

Fora hundred pieces of silver, he bought from the sons of Hamor, thefather of Shechem, the plot of ground where he pitched his tent."

In Acts 7 it is said that Abraham bought a tomb in Shechem from the sonsof Hamor but that is wrong. Abraham bought it in Machpelah (near byMamre, at Hebron) from Ephron the Hettite. Furthermore, we are toldthat Jacob was burried [sic] in Shechem but that is not correct. Jacobwas burried [sic] in the family tomb in Machpelah. About 63 milesbeeline lie between Machpelah (at Hebron) and Shechem. Both places arein the maps lying to the Bible.

Answer:

This alleged “contradiction” does not justify the dismissal of the Bible as false, since there are several very likely possibilities which clearly explain this apparent ambiguity.

Perhaps Jacob was buried Shechem, and later re-buried in the grave of Abraham. This is possible, but unlikely in light of the “Jewish tradition” cited by the PNT commentary, and Jerome’s claim that they still had their tombs. Another possibility is that Jacob was buried in two places at once. Again, this seems unlikely, but it is possible. Even today it is not uncommon to have empty tombs, tombs that contain only part of a body, or ceremonial tombstones with no body buried underneath.

However, the most likely explanation is simply that Jacob and “our fathers” were buried in two different tombs, just as the Bible describes. In other words, when Stephen says “he and our fathers died. Their bodies were brought back to Shechem” the ambiguous “their” could refer only to “our fathers” but not to Jacob, who was buried at Machpelah, as the book of Genesis states. This is almost certainly what Stephen meant, otherwise the Sanhedrin (who were very well-versed in Jewish history) would have corrected him.

Although it is unlikely (although possible) for one person to be buried in two different tombs, it is very likely that different family members will be buried in different tombs. Even though Jewish tradition favors burying family members in the same tomb, we must remember that the record covers generations of people who were migrating, at a time very early in Jewish history, before most established traditions.

Simply put, Stephen was speaking quickly to an audience who already knew the details of the story, so there was no need for Stephen to go into any great depth. We must remember that Stephen was speaking to the members of the Jewish council, who were already very well educated in Jewish history. Stephen was not telling them anything they don’t already know! He was simply reminding them of events in Jewish history.

that were already very well known to any Jew, but especially to those who were as well- versed in the Hebrew scriptures as the Sanhedrin. Stephen described the burial of Jacob and his fathers. The Sanhedrin (the most well-educated theologians of Stephen’s day) did not correct him on this point. They saw no contradiction between Stephen’s speech and the Hebrew scriptures.

In a mere fifty verses, Stephen summarized all of Jewish history from Abaraham to Jesus - a period of millenia. Because the council members were already well educated in Jewish history, there was no need for Stephen to go into any great depth elaborating on his meaning. He was simply reminding the council of things that were well understood by both parties. No one was confused, because it was apparent to any well-versed Jew that Stephen was speaking of two tombs - both the tomb purchased by Jacob of Shechem, and the cave that Abraham bought. Luke faithfully transcribed the actual dialogue word-for-word.

All of the Greek manuscripts agree as to the actual text, so preservation is not the question here. The purpose of this exchange was not to repeat every detail already recorded in the law and the prophets. Stephen’s exchange presumes intimate knowledge of the Hebrew scriptures - knowledge, I might add, that most Bible skeptics do not have. Who are we to claim that our understanding the Hebrew scriptures is superior to that of the Sanhedrin, or Stephen himself, who’s incredible knowledge of the Old Testament is demonstrated is his recalculation of the “70 souls of the house of Jacob” into “75 souls” with the addition of “Joseph... and all his kindred” which Stephen knew included five members who were not of the house of Jacob - a fact that only the most well-educated theological scholar would know.

In conclusion, Acts records the exact words that Stephen spoke to the Sanhedrin. The books of Genesis and Joshua record information on the sale of both of the tombs referenced by Stephen in his speech. There is no biblical contradiction if we understand that Stephen was speaking of multiple tombs in which multiple individuals (“he and our fathers” to quote the text) were buried.

The following is an excerpt from the book A Theology of Peace by Matthew Elton, copyright 2009 Matthew Elton.

A Theology of Peace

by Matthew Elton

copyright 2009 Matthew Elton

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

Introduction

One day as he saw the crowds gathering, Jesus went up on the mountainside and sat down. His disciples gathered around him, and he began to teach them.  “God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him,
for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.  God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted.  God blesses those who are humble, for they will inherit the whole earth.  God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice,
for they will be satisfied.  God blesses those who are merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.  God blesses those whose hearts are pure,
for they will see God.  God blesses those who work for peace,
for they will be called the children of God.  God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.  God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers.  Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way.”

--Matthew 5:1-11

“You have heard the law that says the punishment must match the injury: ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’  But I say, do not resist an evil person! If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also.  If you are sued in court and your shirt is taken from you, give your coat, too.  If a soldier demands that you carry his gear for a mile, carry it two miles.  Give to those who ask, and don’t turn away from those who want to borrow.  “You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy.  But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!  In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike.  If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much.  If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that.  But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.”

--Matthew 5:38-48

Christ’s “Sermon on the Mount” (recorded in the fifth through seventh chapter of the Gospel of Matthew) is widely regarded by theologians of all different backgrounds as one of the greatest moral teachings in all of Scripture. Even among those who do not believe that Jesus is the Messiah, and even among those who deny that Jesus existed, almost all agree that the teachings on non-violence found in the Sermon on the Mount were and continue to be important messages that a world plagued by seemingly endless wars could do well to learn from.

Even so, very few people actually put these teachings into practice, yet doing so is exactly what the Lord Jesus requires of all those who seek to be his disciples. Jesus taught that “no one can serve two masters” (Matthew 6:24, Luke 16:3). Being a Christian means putting oneself in submission to the lordship of Jesus Christ, which requires pulling oneself out of submission to any master whose instructions contradict those of Christ. As the King of kings and Lord of lords, Jesus is above all. A true follower of Jesus will make every effort to follow the teachings and commands of Jesus not only in church but in every aspect of life, and in every circumstance.

Yet the message of the Sermon on the Mount is so revolutionary – so radical – that it is sometimes difficult to apply to everyday life. Revenge is natural, and loving one’s enemies is not natural. Yet Jesus teaches his disciples to be supernatural beings who have risen above the natural state of man and its sinful nature. Everyone loves those who love them in return, yet very, very few people will love those who hate them. The few people who will are the followers of Jesus who are called to be set apart from the rest of the world and to live in accordance to standards much higher than those set by secular society – standards worthy of righteousness.

Although most people would agree that it is good to show love to all and to resist the temptation to seek revenge, actually applying these concepts in real life presents difficult challenges, and difficult questions. Is it right for a disciple of Jesus to serve in the military? Is it right for a disciple of Jesus to fight in order to defend his nation? What if he must fight in order to defend his family? What if he must defend himself?

There is a great deal of confusion in the Christian Church today regarding the answers to these questions, and much of an attempt to justify violence on the basis that God commanded His people Israel to go to war in the Old Testament. This is true, but such an argument ignores the fact that Jesus (to whom God has given “all authority in heaven and on earth” according to Matthew 28:18) has commanded us to the do the opposite. As it says in Ecclesiastes 3:8, there is “a time for war and a time for peace.” There was indeed a time for war when God commanded Israel to go to war. But now Christ has commanded us to live peacefully, showing love to all people. Unless this command changes, the time for peace has come.

Continued in: A Theology of Peace Part Two: The Kingdom of God

The following is an excerpt from the book A Theology of Peace by Matthew Elton, copyright 2009 Matthew Elton.

Continued from: A Theology of Peace: Introduction

The Kingdom of God

Moses once wrote in Exodus 21:23-25, “the punishment must match the injury: a life for a life, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a hand for a hand, a foot for a foot, a burn for a burn, a wound for a wound, a bruise for a bruise.” This teaching was the cornerstone of the Jewish conception of justice. The Jews followed this teaching diligently, repaying evil with the exact same quantity of evil. For thousands of years, revenge served as justice, but when the Messiah came, he called people to a higher standard. His first recorded teaching – the Sermon on the Mount – was so radical that it sparked not just a revolutionary change in Judaism, but a movement that would eventually become known as a whole new religion. Those who rejected Jesus viewed him as a madman, or as a teacher of strange ideas that conflicted with the traditional laws of Moses. Those who followed Jesus viewed him as the Messiah prophesied to rule the world and establish perfect peace and justice on Earth. Yet if Jesus is this Messiah, how then could he teach his disciples to repay evil with good? What kind of justice is this?

The key to answering this question is to understand the Jewish concept of the Kingdom of God – the central message of Christ’s ministry. Beginning all the way in the third chapter of Genesis – when evil entered the world through the sins of Adam and Eve – God promised that a descendant of Eve would one day crush the devil and therefore vanquish all evil from the world and restore the Earth to paradise. The many Old Testament prophecies regarding the Messiah are too numerous for this book to examine them in detail, but as history progressed God made promises to His chosen people that from them a king would be born who would rule the world forever. His kingdom would have no end, and under his rule the Earth would at last experience peace.

Through the prophet Nathan, God revealed to King David that one of his descendants would be this Chosen One of Israel who would establish God’s Kingdom on Earth:

“‘For when you die and join your ancestors, I will raise up one of your descendants, one of your sons, and I will make his kingdom strong.  He is the one who will build a house—a temple—for me. And I will secure his throne forever.  I will be his father, and he will be my son. I will never take my favor from him as I took it from the one who ruled before you.  I will confirm him as king over my house and my kingdom for all time, and his throne will be secure forever.’”

--1 Chronicles 17:11-14

King David himself was a sort of “prototype” for this coming Messiah, for under King David’s rule Israel enjoyed a golden age of peace and prosperity that had never been experienced before or since. Yet King David’s rule was only a mere shadow of the glory and the peace that the Kingdom of God will have when it is established on Earth by God’s chosen Messiah:

In the last days, the mountain of the Lord’s house will be the highest of all—the most important place on earth.  It will be raised above the other hills,
and people from all over the world will stream there to worship.  People from many nations will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of Jacob’s God.  There he will teach us his ways,  and we will walk in his paths.”  For the Lord’s teaching will go out from Zion;
his word will go out from Jerusalem.  The Lord will mediate between nations
and will settle international disputes.  They will hammer their swords into plowshares
and their spears into pruning hooks.  Nation will no longer fight against nation, nor train for war anymore.

--Isaiah 2:2-4

This concept of a future time when the whole Earth would be at peace was the hope which the Jews lived for. But after the death of King David, things started to go downhill for Israel. All of the other Israelite kings were wicked – worshipping idols and oppressing the weak. By the time King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon conquered Israel and enslaved the Israelites in Babylon, the Davidic golden age of Israel was almost forgotten.

It was during this time that God sent prophets including Ezekiel and Jeremiah to remind His people not to lose sight of their hope. King David was not the Messiah, nor was his rule the Kingdom of God. The peace and prosperity which Israel experienced under King David was a mere taste of the true Kingdom of God that was yet to be established by one of King David’s descendants – the Messiah still yet to be born.

Daniel – one of the exilic prophets – was brought before King Nebuchadnezzar to interpret a dream the king had had. Daniel told of a succession of ages during which the nations of the Earth would struggle against each other for power, but ultimately they would all come into submission to God’s Kingdom – a Kingdom that will rule the whole world forever.

“During the reigns of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed or conquered. It will crush all these kingdoms into nothingness, and it will stand forever.”

--Daniel 2:44

This was not the only time that Daniel prophesied regarding the coming Kingdom of God. He later foretold the coming of the Messiah who will rule the Kingdom of God forever:

As my vision continued that night, I saw someone like a Son of Man coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient One and was led into his presence.  He was given authority, honor, and sovereignty over all the nations of the world, so that people of every race and nation and language would obey him. His rule is eternal—it will never end. His kingdom will never be destroyed.

--Daniel 7:13-14

God eventually brought His people out of exile in Babylon. They returned to Palestine where they reestablished the kingdom of Israel. But in the centuries that followed, various kingdoms of the Earth fought for control of Palestine. Eventually it became the Roman province of Judea. When Jesus was born, the Roman Empire had already been controlling Judea for about sixty years. The Romans hated the Jews, and the Jews hated the Romans. The Romans enslaved many of the Jews, forcing them to carry military supplies for them. In Sepphoris (just two miles from the town of Nazareth where Jesus grew up) the Romans murdered thousands of Jews in one of the worst genocides in Roman history.

The Jews looked forward to the coming of the Messiah who would liberate them from Roman rule, crush the Roman Empire, and establish his everlasting rule over the entire world. But many Jews had given up hope that God would save them from Roman persecution. A growing new sect of Jews called zealots even took to fighting the Romans themselves, tired of waiting for the Messiah to come and liberate Israel from foreign occupation.

Then a new hope dawned when the angel Gabriel spoke these words to a virgin named Mary: You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus.  He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David.  And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!”

--Luke 1:31-33

These words declared that the son born to the virgin Mary would be the Chosen One of God who would be the Eternal King of God’s Kingdom, fulfilling millennium-old prophecies regarding the coming of the Messiah.

Jesus – a Jew – grew up in a cruel world of persecution under the Romans, yet his mother Mary and her fiancé Joseph believed the angel Gabriel’s words to mean that Jesus would somehow be the one would conquer the Roman Empire and liberate Israel, establishing Israel as God’s Kingdom forever. For thirty years, nothing happened. Then Jesus began his earthly ministry by going to John the Baptist for baptism. John was a well-known religious leader, but he predicted the coming of one greater than he was. This one who was to come would be the Messiah, God’s Anointed:

John answered their questions by saying, “I baptize you with water; but someone is coming soon who is greater than I am—so much greater that I’m not even worthy to be his slave and untie the straps of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.  He is ready to separate the chaff from the wheat with his winnowing fork. Then he will clean up the threshing area, gathering the wheat into his barn but burning the chaff with never-ending fire.” 

--Luke 3:16-17

The coming Messiah would judge the world – dividing the righteous and the unrighteous in the way a farmer divides the wheat from the chaff. John strongly believed that when the Messiah came, he would judge the entire world and bring down the evil power of the Roman Empire. The Messiah would forcefully bring all nations to their knees – bringing them under submission to the authority of the Kingdom of God, and destroying all evil powers forever.

Jesus agreed. Otherwise, he would not have accepted John’s baptism. Jesus did not change John’s message about the coming Kingdom of God. In fact, the Matthew uses the exact same phrase to summarize the messages of John and Jesus:

In those days John the Baptist came to the Judean wilderness and began preaching. His message was, “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.”

--Matthew 3:2

From then on Jesus began to preach, “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.”

--Matthew 4:17

Jesus Christ is the Messiah whose coming was prepared for by all of the great prophets including John the Baptist. This Messiah is destined to bring eternal peace to the whole world when he rules righteously over the Kingdom of God on Earth as king of kings and Lord of lords. Yet Jesus knew from the prophecies of the Old Testament that he would first have to be crucified as a sacrifice to atone for the sins of mankind. By the shedding of his blood, he would take the punishment that the rest of mankind deserved upon himself, so that the rest of mankind would be saved from that punishment.

Jesus willingly chose to die for our sins. Although he had thousands of angels at his command who could have taken him down from the cross at any time if he only gave them the order, he chose instead to suffer in our place, so that the Kingdom of God will be fulfilled.

Since Jesus knew ahead of time that he would have to be crucified before being glorified as king of kings and lord of lords, it must have been a great temptation to Jesus when the devil offered him dominion over the whole Earth for free, with no suffering required. The only catch was that Jesus would have to bow down to the devil.

“I will give you the glory of these kingdoms and authority over them,” the devil said, “because they are mine to give to anyone I please.  I will give it all to you if you will worship me.”

--Luke 4:6-7

These words of Satan are eerily similar to the prophecy of Daniel regarding a vision in which of the future in which:

He [the Messiah] was given authority, honor, and sovereignty over all the nations of the world, so that people of every race and nation and language would obey him. His rule is eternal—it will never end. His kingdom will never be destroyed.

--Daniel 7:14

Jesus knew that, as the chosen Messiah of God, his destiny was to establish the Kingdom of God on Earth. As the current ruler of the world, the devil offered Jesus a way to establish his rule as king of kings without having to fulfill the prophecies of his crucifixion. Jesus did not challenge the fact that the devil is the current ruler of this world and that he has the power to hand his rule over to someone else if he so chooses. John 12:31 calls the devil “the ruler of this world.” 2 Corinthians 4:4 calls him “the god of his world.” 1 John 5:19 warns us that “the world around us is under the control of the evil one.” Revelation 12:9 tells us that the devil is “deceiving the whole world.” Clearly the devil – pulling the strings of the governments of this world – is behind the chaos we see in international politics today.

Although the devil offered Christ a way to become the king of kings faster and without crucifixion, Jesus resisted the devil, refusing to disobey his Father and sin against God by worshipping Satan. Quoting the Old Testament, Jesus responded by saying, “You shall worship the Lord your God and serve him only.” Trusting that God’s Plan would eventually bring the Kingdom of God to fulfillment on Earth, Jesus resisted the devil’s offer of dominion over the world.

Because of this, the world has suffered through roughly two thousand years of war since Jesus spoke those words to the devil – “You shall worship the Lord your God and serve him only.” Although the last two thousand years of history would have been much, much better for everyone if Jesus had been ruling the world as king of kings, Jesus refused to adhere to an “ends justify the means” moral philosophy. Rather, he trusted in God’s timing for the fulfillment of divine prophecy.

In the wilderness, Jesus was tempted by the devil three times. Three times he resisted. Finally he emerged from the wilderness and traveled to Nazareth, where he taught one of his first recorded sermons. Entering the temple, he opened the scroll of Isaiah to this verse:

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor.  He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.”

--Luke 4:18-19

Then Jesus rolled up the scroll, and proclaimed, “The Scripture you’ve just heard has been fulfilled this very day!” This Scripture from the scroll of Isaiah served as the backbone of Christ’s message. Jesus had read the first two verses of Isaiah 61. The previous chapter of Isaiah tells of the coming Kingdom of God – of the righteous inheriting the Earth and of the world experiencing eternal peace and a permanent end to war. Jesus was anointed by not just to heal the blind and set captives free, but to bring the Good News of the coming restoration of the world! Jesus did not come into the world to work miracles, but to herald the coming Kingdom of God. The many miracles he performed only serve to prove to the world that he was the Messiah destined to make the Kingdom of God a reality on Earth. Jesus taught the same Kingdom message that John the Baptist taught. When the disciples of John the Baptist wondered if Jesus was perhaps the Messiah whom John had foretold, Jesus affirmed that he was, using the miracles he worked as evidence:

The disciples of John the Baptist told John about everything Jesus was doing. So John called for two of his disciples, and he sent them to the Lord to ask him, “Are you the Messiah we’ve been expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else?”  John’s two disciples found Jesus and said to him, “John the Baptist sent us to ask, ‘Are you the Messiah we’ve been expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else?’”  At that very time, Jesus cured many people of their diseases, illnesses, and evil spirits, and he restored sight to many who were blind.  Then he told John’s disciples, “Go back to John and tell him what you have seen and heard—the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is being preached to the poor.  And tell him, ‘God blesses those who do not turn away because of me.”

--Luke 7:18-23

Christ’s response not only echoes Isaiah 61 (the text he read aloud at the temple) but also another important prophecy about the Kingdom of God, from the thirty-fifth chapter of Isaiah:

Say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, and do not fear, for your God is coming to destroy your enemies.  He is coming to save you.”  And when he comes, he will open the eyes of the blind
and unplug the ears of the deaf.  The lame will leap like a deer, and those who cannot speak will sing for joy!  Springs will gush forth in the wilderness, and streams will water the wasteland.

--Isaiah 25:4-6

This was the hope that the Jews had looked forward to in eager expectation for thousands of years. They longed for the coming of the Messiah who would judge the world in God’s perfect, holy righteousness, and establish world peace in an everlasting, perfect Kingdom of God. The prophecies foretold that the coming of the Messiah would mark the beginning of an eternal Messianic Age in which the blind, deaf, and lame would be healed, the world would be restored to paradise, and war would never again be waged. When asked by the disciples of John the Baptist if he was the Messiah, he told them to simply look at the miraculous works he was performing. The blind were being healed, the deaf were hearing, and the lame were walking. These were more than just miracles. These were signs that “the year of the LORD’s favor” had come, and the Kingdom of God was at hand. Evil would soon be defeated forever.

When Jesus cast a demon out of a demon possessed man during a sermon in Capernaum, this too served as a Kingdom-heralding event. The demon understood that Jesus was the Messiah, and that the prophecies speak of the Messiah establishing the Kingdom of God on Earth and utterly destroying the devil forever. Knowing that the ushering in of the Messianic Age would mean the destruction of all the evil in the universe, the demon cried out to Jesus, saying:

“Go away! Why are you interfering with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One sent from God!”

--Luke 4:34

Later, Jesus cast demons out of many demon possessed individuals:

Many were possessed by demons; and the demons came out at his command, shouting, “You are the Son of God!” But because they knew he was the Messiah, he rebuked them and refused to let them speak.

--Luke 4:41

Although today we think of the Messiah as the one who died on the cross to take the punishment we deserved for our sins upon himself, first century Jews were expecting a Messiah who would rule the entire world as the King of kings, bringing about the fulfillment of the Kingdom of God by executing God’s judgment on the nations of the world, and establishing everlasting world peace. Although Jesus told his disciples that he was going to die, the Bible tells us that they did not understand. They were expecting Jesus the Messiah to begin his rule as King as soon as he reaches Jerusalem, which is why Jesus was greeted by cheering crowds as he entered the city, and why Peter asked, “Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?” As the Messiah, Jesus was expected to liberate Israel from oppressive Roman rule and make Israel into a kingdom that all other kingdoms would serve. The demons knew that Jesus was the Messiah, and they viewed Christ’s exorcism as a sign of the Kingdom that was coming.

The casting out of demons indicated that Jesus truly was the Messiah who was destined to be the King of kings. Jesus amazed crowds of people when he healed a mute and blind man who was possessed by a demon. The miracle was so obvious that the Pharisees could not deny that it had occurred. However, they denied that the miracle proved that Jesus was the Messiah. “This man casts out demons only by Beelzebul the ruler of demons,” the said. Jesus defended himself against this false charge with these words:

And if Satan is casting out Satan, he is divided and fighting against himself. His own kingdom will not survive.  And if I am empowered by Satan, what about your own exorcists? They cast out demons, too, so they will condemn you for what you have said.  But if I am casting out demons by the Spirit of God, then the Kingdom of God has arrived among you.  For who is powerful enough to enter the house of a strong man like Satan and plunder his goods? Only someone even stronger—someone who could tie him up and then plunder his house.

--Matthew 12:26-29

For Jesus, power over demons was a sign of the Kingdom of God. Jesus had overpowered “the strong man” (Satan) and was now going to “plunder” him by setting free those who were being held captive by demon spirits. According to Jesus, this exorcism was a sign that “the Kingdom of God has arrived among you.” Christ’s entire ministry centered around the Kingdom of God:

Jesus traveled throughout the region of Galilee, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And he healed every kind of disease and illness.

--Matthew 4:23

Jesus traveled through all the towns and villages of that area, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And he healed every kind of disease and illness.

--Matthew 9:35

But he replied, “I must preach the Good News of the Kingdom of God in other towns, too, because that is why I was sent.”

--Luke 4:43

The Kingdom of God is also known as “The Kingdom of Heaven”.

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “I tell you the truth, it is very hard for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. I’ll say it again—it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!

--Matthew 19:23-24

Jesus often spoke about the Kingdom in parables:

Here is another story Jesus told: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a farmer who planted good seed in his field.

--Matthew 13:24

Here is another illustration Jesus used: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed planted in a field.

--Matthew 13:31

Jesus also used this illustration: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like the yeast a woman used in making bread. Even though she put only a little yeast in three measures of flour, it permeated every part of the dough.”

--Matthew 13:33

The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure that a man discovered hidden in a field. In his excitement, he hid it again and sold everything he owned to get enough money to buy the field.

--Matthew 13:44

Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant on the lookout for choice pearls.

--Matthew 13:45

Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a fishing net that was thrown into the water and caught fish of every kind.

--Matthew 13:47

Then he added, “Every teacher of religious law who becomes a disciple in the Kingdom of Heaven is like a homeowner who brings from his storeroom new gems of truth as well as old.”

--Matthew 13:52

For the Kingdom of Heaven is like the landowner who went out early one morning to hire workers for his vineyard.

--Matthew 20:1

In preparation for the establishment of the eternal Kingdom of God upon Earth, Jesus chose twelve Apostles – one to rule over each of the twelve tribes of Israel. Jesus preached the Kingdom of God in incredible counter-cultural ways – reaching out to the poor, the blind, the oppressed, the lepers, the Samaritans, the prostitutes, and the tax collectors. While making it clear that the sinful must repent, Jesus also preached a new message of love and peace to all mankind – even the lowliest of sinners. His first recorded sermon is called the Sermon on the Mount.

Continued in: A Theology of Peace Part Three: The Sermon on the Mount

The following is an excerpt from the book A Theology of Peace by Matthew Elton, copyright 2009 Matthew Elton.

The Sermon on the Mount

The Sermon on the Mount is widely regarded by theologians as the greatest moral teaching in all of Scripture. But its message is so powerful and so radical that many people try to ignore it because they find it difficult to accept. The Sermon on the Mount marked a departure from orthodox Judaism, as Jesus “changed” some of the Laws of Moses, in accordance with the new way of living that he preached – the Kingdom lifestyle. With the End Times beginning and the fulfillment of the Kingdom of God on Earth coming very soon, it was time for people to stop living according to all of the laws of Moses, and begin living a lifestyle of repentance, nonviolence, and preaching of the gospel.

Matthew records Christ’s ministry in five distinct parts which share similarities to the five books of the Jewish Torah. The orthodox Jews of Christ’s day followed the Law of Moses very strictly. Moses had established this Law thousands of years beforehand as part of a holy Covenant between God and man, in which God promised blessings for those who followed the Law, but curses for those who strayed from the Law. One of the reasons the Sermon on the Mount was so radical was that it brought about changes in the Law – reversing some of the moral teachings of Moses in light of the soon coming Kingdom of God and in favor of the Kingdom lifestyle. As the only born Son of God, Jesus had the authority to make these changes in the Jewish moral code, for we know from Matthew 28:18 that “all authority in heaven and on earth” was given to Jesus by God. Jesus was in many ways a second Moses – establishing a New Covenant between God and man:

• When Moses was born, Pharaoh ordered that all male Hebrew babies be put to death, and Moses narrowly escaped.
• When Jesus was born, King Herod ordered that all male babies be put to death, and Jesus narrowly escaped.
• Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt.
• Jesus fled to Egypt to escape to escape King Herod’s infanticide, and then came out of Egypt to return to Israel, thus fulfilling the prophecy of Hosea (Hosea 11:1, Matthew 2:15).
• Moses wandered in the wilderness for forty years.
• Jesus went into the wilderness where he was tempted by the devil.
• Moses went up on a mountain to receive the Covenant of God.
• Jesus went up on a mountain to preach a New Covenant between God and mankind.

In the Sermon the Mount, Jesus quoted the Law of Moses multiple times, saying “You have heard it been said”. However, Jesus then went on to give a new moral code, stating, “But I tell you”. Jesus alluded to the Kingdom of God many times in the Sermon on the Mount, in addition to stating the Kingdom of God by name nine times. The moral teaching that he gave in the Sermon on the Mount was clearly not meant to be separated from the understanding of the coming Kingdom of God. In fact, many of Christ’s teachings in the Sermon on the Mount only make sense when viewed in light of the soon coming Kingdom of God.

Jesus preached that the Kingdom of God will bring about a great reversal:

But many who are the greatest now will be least important then, and those who seem least important now will be the greatest then.

--Matthew 19:30

“So those who are last now will be first then, and those who are first will be last.”

--Matthew 20:16

But many who are the greatest now will be least important then, and those who seem least important now will be the greatest then.”

--Mark 10:31

And note this: Some who seem least important now will be the greatest then, and some who are the greatest now will be least important then.”

--Luke 13:30

    3 “God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him

      for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.

    4 God blesses those who mourn,

      for they will be comforted.

    5 God blesses those who are humble,

      for they will inherit the whole earth.

    6 God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice

      for they will be satisfied.

    7 God blesses those who are merciful,

      for they will be shown mercy.

    8 God blesses those whose hearts are pure,

      for they will see God.

    9 God blesses those who work for peace,

      for they will be called the children of God.

   10 God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right,

      for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.

--Matthew 5:3-10

Those who are poor but have faith will receive the Kingdom of God when it comes. At that time, those who mourn now will be comforted then. Those who are humble now will inherit the earth then. Those who hunger and thirst for justice now will be satisfied then. Those who are merciful now will be shown mercy then. Those whose hearts are pure now will see God then. Those who work for peace now will be called the children of God then. Those who are persecuted for doing right now will receive the Kingdom of God then.

In contrast, those who are rich and do not realize their need for God now will not receive the Kingdom of God when it comes. Those who do not mourn now will not be comforted then. Those who are not humble now will not inherit the Earth then. Those who do not hunger and thirst for justice now will not be satisfied then. Those who are not merciful now will not be shown mercy then. Those whose hearts are not pure now will not see God then. Those who do not work for peace now will not be called the children of God then. Those who are not persecuted for doing right now will not receive the Kingdom of God then.

By drawing this contrast, we see just how radical and how powerful this message is. It might seem like it makes no sense to say that someone who is poor, mourning, hungering and thirsting for justice, and persecuted is “blessed”. But in light of the coming Kingdom of God it makes perfect sense because when the Kingdom of God is fulfilled on Earth, true and everlasting justice will finally be established.

Jesus went on to quote sections of the Law of Moses, and then make changes to them. These changes were made because of the soon coming Kingdom. The Kingdom of God is coming, and in light of this, Jesus called his disciples to adopt a new Kingdom lifestyle in which immediate justice is not necessary because we have true, perfect justice will soon be established when the Kingdom of God is fulfilled on Earth.

In each of the passages from the Sermon on the Mount quoted below, Jesus quotes the Law of Moses after the words “You have heard…” and then goes on to state the change he is making to that commandment after the words “But I say…”

“You have heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment.  But I say, if you are even angry with someone you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell.

--Mathew 5:21-25

“You have heard the commandment that says, ‘You must not commit adultery.’  But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.  So if your eye—even your good eye—causes you to lust, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.  And if your hand—even your stronger hand—causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.

--Matthew 5:27-30

“You have heard the law that says, ‘A man can divorce his wife by merely giving her a written notice of divorce.’  But I say that a man who divorces his wife, unless she has been unfaithful, causes her to commit adultery. And anyone who marries a divorced woman also commits adultery.

--Matthew 5:31-32

“You have also heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not break your vows; you must carry out the vows you make to the LORD.’  But I say, do not make any vows! Do not say, ‘By heaven!’ because heaven is God’s throne.  And do not say, ‘By the earth!’ because the earth is his footstool. And do not say, ‘By Jerusalem!’ for Jerusalem is the city of the great King.  Do not even say, ‘By my head!’ for you can’t turn one hair white or black.  Just say a simple, ‘Yes, I will,’ or ‘No, I won’t.’ Anything beyond this is from the evil one.

--Matthew 5:33-37

“You have heard the law that says the punishment must match the injury: ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’  But I say, do not resist an evil person! If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also.  If you are sued in court and your shirt is taken from you, give your coat, too.  If a soldier demands that you carry his gear for a mile, carry it two miles.  Give to those who ask, and don’t turn away from those who want to borrow.

--Matthew 5:38-42

“You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy.  But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!  In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike.  If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much.  If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that.  But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.

--Matthew 5:43-48

The Law of Moses had taught that murderers were to be tried in court, and then executed if found guilty. Jesus taught that anyone who is merely angry with his brother has already committed murder in his heart. The Law of Moses had taught that adulterers should be stoned. Jesus taught that anyone who merely looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery in his heart. The Law of Moses had taught that a man could divorce his wife if he found her to be “indecent”. Jesus taught that divorce is only acceptable in cases of marital unfaithfulness, and a divorced woman must not remarry. The Law of Moses had taught that oaths must be made to YHWH. Jesus taught that there is no need for oaths because we should have enough honesty in our speech that every sentence we say should have the integrity of an oath by itself, without any need to swear to God. The Law of Moses had taught that wrongdoings must be revenged with equal punishment – an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. Jesus taught that revenge is wrong no matter what the circumstance, and instead of repaying evil with evil, we should repay evil with good. The Law of Moses had taught that enemies are to be hated. Jesus taught us to love our enemies.

Jesus raised the moral bar, so to speak. He took the Laws of Moses to a whole new level. According to the Covenant that Jesus established between God and man, those who follow these new moral teachings will be blessed in the age to come, when the Kingdom of God is fulfilled. These include the “meek” and “those who work for peace.”

The dictionary defines “meek” as “Mild of temper; not easily provoked or irritated; patient under injuries; not vain, or haughty, or resentful; forbearing; submissive.”

Because the meek are so submissive, they are the last ones who would ever be expected to “inherit the Earth.” Rulers take advantage of the meek and oppress them, but in the age to come, it is the meek who God will be putting in charge of the world.

The phrase “Those who work for peace” is translated from a Greek word that literally means “peace-doer”. It refers not to those who “work for peace” by waging war and hoping that the war will result in a more peaceful world in the end, but rather, it refers to those who practice peace everyday. It does not refer to those who practice war in order to achieve peace, but rather, to those who practice peace even if doing so results in getting taken advantage of or oppressed by evil rulers. In this way, the word is similar to “meek”.

Those who practice peace – not those who practice war – will be called the sons of God. Although today it is the nations with the most powerful militaries that rule the world, in the age to come – when the Kingdom of God is fulfilled on Earth – those who practice peace and not war will be the ones who rule the world.

“You have heard the law that says the punishment must match the injury: ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’  But I say, do not resist an evil person! If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also.  If you are sued in court and your shirt is taken from you, give your coat, too.  If a soldier demands that you carry his gear for a mile, carry it two miles.  Give to those who ask, and don’t turn away from those who want to borrow.

--Matthew 5:38-42

Christ’s instruction in Matthew 5:28-42 is a significant departure from the Mosaic understanding of justice. The Law of Moses had given every man a right to seek revenge and repay an evil with an evil of equal value. Jesus, however, argued that we must give up this right in order to live a more holy lifestyle. “Be perfect,” Jesus taught us, “just as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

According to Jesus, evil is always evil, even if it is repaying a previous evil. A sin is a sin no matter what the context or circumstances. Violence is wrong no matter what, and the fact that it is in response to a previous violence does not do it any justification.

Obviously, this teaching presents major problems for the military. If the men and women of the armed services live by the teachings of Jesus, then they have effectively rendered the military useless. For this reasons, thousands of Christians who serve in the military have tried to rationalize Christ’s words, or simply ignore them.

Christ’s teaching regarding nonviolence, however, is central to the entire Kingdom lifestyle philosophy. It is clear that Christ’s teachings concerning nonviolence were taken very seriously by the first century church, for these teachings are repeated an emphasized throughout the New Testament:

“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.

--John 14:27

Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone. Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say,

   “I will take revenge;

      I will pay them back,”

      says the LORD.

--Romans 12:17-19

So then, let us aim for harmony in the church and try to build each other up.

--Romans 14:19

(But if the husband or wife who isn’t a believer insists on leaving, let them go. In such cases the Christian husband or wife is no longer bound to the other, for God has called you to live in peace.)

--1 Corinthians 7:15

Dear brothers and sisters, I close my letter with these last words: Be joyful. Grow to maturity. Encourage each other. Live in harmony and peace. Then the God of love and peace will be with you.

--2 Corinthians 13:11

But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

--Galatians 5:22

Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God.  Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.  Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.

--Ephesians 4:1-3

Dear brothers and sisters, honor those who are your leaders in the Lord’s work. They work hard among you and give you spiritual guidance.  Show them great respect and wholehearted love because of their work. And live peacefully with each other.

--1 Thessalonians 5:12-13

Now may the Lord of peace himself give you his peace at all times and in every situation. The Lord be with you all.

--2 Thessalonians 3:16

Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord.

--Hebrews 12:14

But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere.  And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness.

--James 3:17-18

For the Scriptures say,

   “If you want to enjoy life

      and see many happy days,

   keep your tongue from speaking evil

      and your lips from telling lies.

 Turn away from evil and do good.

      Search for peace, and work to maintain it.

 The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right,

      and his ears are open to their prayers.

   But the Lord turns his face

      against those who do evil.”

Now, who will want to harm you if you are eager to do good?  But even if you suffer for doing what is right, God will reward you for it. So don’t worry or be afraid of their threats.  Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it.

--1 Peter 3:10-15

Fortunately, there are some Christians who take these words seriously and life peaceful lives, even in the midst of serious oppression. One example is the Amish. When an Amish man’s son was killed by a gunman, the Amish man did not make any attempt to defend his son through violence. When the gunman later took his own life, an entire Amish congregation attended the gunman’s funeral and visited the gunman’s family in order to comfort the gunman’s family. The Amish forgave the gunman for the murder he committed and told the gunman’s family that they were sorry for the gunman’s family’s loss. This real life example of the love of Jesus serves to demonstrate just how radical Christ’s teachings concerning nonviolence really are.

Moses had provided laws that attempted to prevent evil by threatening vengeance against the evildoer. But for thousands of years, this system was only mediocre at best in terms of actually preventing evil. Jesus presented a new concept of self-sacrifice that does not stop evil from being done, but it challenges even the most fundamental assumptions of the evildoer. The moral system established by Moses was not successful because when a man commits evil, he already knows that others will seek vengeance upon him, and the evildoer comes to expect and prepare for the coming wrath of vengeance. But when a man commits evil but is shown love and forgiveness in return (instead of being shown vengeance) this shocking, radical concept of unconditional love towards even the worst of sinners has the power to change people’s hearts – leading to repentance, reconciliation, and, ultimately, peace.

Jesus commanded us to “do not resist an evil person.” Yet there are times in the gospels when Jesus himself resists evil people. This apparent contradiction arose due because certain connotations in the Greek text were unfortunately lost in translation. The word translated as “resist” in the command “do not resist an evil person” is the Greek military term antistenai. This term literally means “to stand against” but it has the connotation of violent resistance. Jesus did not command us to never resist evil, for Jesus himself resisted Satan’s temptations in the wilderness. Rather, Jesus commanded us to never violently resist evil. Because all violence is inherently evil, this goes hand in hand with another command of Jesus: “Do not repay evil with evil, but overcome evil with good.”

The following is an excerpt from the book A Theology of Peace by Matthew Elton, copyright 2009 Matthew Elton.

Turning the Other Cheek

“You have heard the law that says the punishment must match the injury: ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’  But I say, do not resist an evil person! If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also.

--Matthew 5:38-39

Christ’s command to “offer the other cheek” cannot be fully understood until it is viewed in light of the culture of first century Judea. At that time in history, Judean society was extremely divided between the three percent of the population who were wealthy and the ninety-seven percent of the population who were poor. A middle class was almost completely non-existent. The poor class was expected to bow to members of the elite upper class, held great political power.

It is important to recognize that in his example of turning the other cheek, Jesus described a specific type of assault – a “slap” on the “right cheek”. In first century Judean society, if a man slapped someone with his left hand, then the man doing the slapping dishonored himself. Physical assaults were almost always done with the right hand. Since the slap was landing on the right cheek, it is reasonable to assume that it was a backhanded slap that Jesus was referring to. While a standard punch was used in fights between equals, the backhanded slap against the cheek served to humiliate the one being slapped. It was a sign that the one doing the slapping was superior to the one being slapped.

Rather than fighting back against such an assault, Jesus offered a creative solution in which peace could be maintained without the one being slapped becoming like a doormat for all those who wish to oppress him. With the solution Jesus offered, the man being slapped could stand up for himself in a nonviolent way. By turning the other cheek, the man who was slapped could put the man who had slapped him in a very uncomfortable situation. The man who had done the slap could not repeat the backhand slap against the cheek, since the nose would be in the way. The man could easily punch the left cheek, but doing so would indicate that the man being punched is equal to the man doing the punching, since in first century Judean society, punches were only used between equals.

Contrary to popular belief, Christ’s command to “turn the other cheek” is not a command to be submissive, but a command to practice nonviolent resistance. By turning the left cheek to his attacker, a poor peasant would leave his elite attacker with no choice but to punch him as an equal, or simply walk away. In most cases, an attacker would be more likely to choose the latter option. If the attacker chose the former option, he has chosen to humiliate himself by showing that he is equal to a poor peasant.

The following is an excerpt from the book A Theology of Peace by Matthew Elton, copyright 2009 Matthew Elton.

Giving the Coat Also

If you are sued in court and your shirt is taken from you, give your coat, too.

--Matthew 5:40

A coat was an extremely valuable item in first century Judean society. For the average man, his coat was his most valuable possession. The average man owned only two pieces of clothing – a cloak (translated as “shirt”, this was the clothing that the man wore against his skin) and a coat, which he wore over his cloak to keep warm during cold weather. The coat also doubled as a pillow.

In first century Judean society, the three percent of the population that was wealthy acted very oppressively towards the ninety-seven percent of the population that was poor. The wealthy looked down upon the poor class and forced them to pay their taxes and their debts. If a poor man gave away all of his possessions but could still not pay off his debt, then he was mercilessly forced to surrender the clothes on his back. The only possession he was allowed to keep was his coat, so he would not be completely naked.

When viewed in historical context, Christ’s words in Matthew 5:40 are shocking. Today, clothing is mass produced, so it doesn’t seem like a big deal to give away a shirt and a coat. In Christ’s day, however, doing so would mean stripping naked before the court and willingly surrendering all of your clothing.

This radical concept presented a creative, nonviolent method of resisting the injustice that the poor suffered. By surrendering not only his shirt but his coat also, the debtor would thus leave the courtroom naked. Walking the streets naked, he would inevitably be stopped and questioned. This would then give him an opportunity to explain the injustice he had experienced – an opportunity he would not have otherwise, since the poor did not have the power to bring charges against the wealthy in court. Rather than seeking revenge, the debtor would reveal to society the injustice that existed. Imagine if hundreds of poor debtors heeded Christ’s words. The teeming mobs of naked individuals roaming the streets would disgust the wealthy creditor who had demanded their clothing. It would reveal to the creditor just how detrimental to society the oppression of the poor was.

The wealthy were very proud to be members of the Roman Empire – a nation they perceived to be the greatest in existence. If the practice of demanding the clothes of the poor was leading to crowds of naked people roaming the street – effectively reducing the Empire’s people to animals – then surely the wealthy creditors who were oppressing the poor would see firsthand how their evil practice was destroying the society in which they lived. They would therefore be likely to repent and give to the poor rather than stealing from them.

Once again we see that Christ’s teaching is not a command to be submissive, but to oppose evil through creative, nonviolent resistance that changes the heart of the evildoer, leading to repentance, salvation, and of course, peace.

The following is an excerpt from the book A Theology of Peace by Matthew Elton, copyright 2009 Matthew Elton.

Going the Extra Mile

If a soldier demands that you carry his gear for a mile, carry it two miles.

--Matthew 5:41

In first century Judea, the poor were oppressed under a practice called angareia – the involuntary drafting of peasants to carry the gear of Roman soldiers. Angareia is seen in the Bible when Simon of Cyrene was forced by Roman soldiers to carry the cross of Jesus. He was only forced to carry the cross part of the way, however, since the Roman government had ruled that the maximum distance a man could be forced to carry gear under angareia was one mile.

One mile might not sound very far, but Roman soldiers often carried at least seventy pounds of gear with them. If a man was asked to carry this gear for a mile and he resisted, he would be beaten, arrested, and imprisoned. If he surrendered to the Roman soldier’s demand, he would have to carry the gear for an entire mile. After one mile, the Roman soldier would tell him to stop, since carrying it further than one mile was a crime under Roman law.

The Jews hated angareia with a burning passion – it was a horrible injustice. But rather than attempting to resist it through violence, Jesus offers another creative form of nonviolent resistance. If a man was forced by a Roman soldier to carry gear for one mile, what would happen if he continued to carry the gear for more than one mile? The soldier would be placed in a very awkward position. If a peasant was drafted under angareia, Roman law dictated that the solider had to stop him after one mile. If anyone found out that the peasant had continued for two miles, the soldier could himself could be arrested and beaten!

Once again Jesus offers a creative method of nonviolent resistance that would repay the soldier for his oppression without resorting to violence on the part of the peasant. If enough peasants heeded Christ’s command, hundreds of Roman soldiers would be beaten by other Roman soldiers of higher rank. The “enemy” would thus destroy itself, with no need for violence on the part of the peasants. The entire system of oppression that existed under angareia would be comprised. Roman soldiers beaten for breaking the law would be much less likely to draft peasants under angareia again in the future. Once again we see that we can overcome evil not by repaying it with more evil, but by repaying it with good. By carrying the gear for an extra mile – an act of compassion rather than violence – the Roman system of oppression would be horribly compromised.

The following is an excerpt from the book A Theology of Peace by Matthew Elton, copyright 2009 Matthew Elton.

The Example of Christ

As demonstrated in the previous sections, when we view Christ’s words in their historical context, we see their true beauty like never before. Jesus teaches us that repaying evil with evil only brings you down to the low moral level of the one who committed evil against you. Jesus offers the alternative of repaying evil with good, and thus catching the one who committed evil against you off guard, and forcing him to seriously rethink his actions.

“You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy.  But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!  In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike.  If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much.  If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that.  But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.

--Matthew 5:43-48

Why would someone love their enemies? Even if this action is not successful in bringing about positive change in the world, it is worth doing, because it is what God does. The Law of Moses had already taught the Jews to love their fellow Jews. However, the Law of Moses had said nothing about loving those who were not Jews or those who lived in foreign nations outside of Israel. For thousands of years, Israel struggled against oppression from Assyria, Babylonia, Egypt, Greece, Persia, the Ptolemies, the Seleucids, and the Roman Empire. The Jews had hated these oppressors with a burning vengeance. But Jesus asks a very important question: “If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else?”

By loving their fellow Jews but hating the oppressive Romans, the Jews had sunk to the moral level of the Romans, who loved their fellow Romans but hated the Jews. In Christ’s day, a group of Jews called the zealots were attempting to liberate Palestine from Roman rule using military force. But Christ reminds his people that doing so only brings the Jews down to the low moral level of the Roman oppressors – who conquered Palestine with military force.

As discussed in the previous sections, Jesus instead offers an alternative to repaying evil with evil, and this alternative is the concept of repaying evil with good. For thousands of years, God repaid Israel with good by forgiving the Jews even after hundreds of times when they turned away from Him and worshipped idols instead. God could have justly destroyed Israel, but instead He revealed his patience, longsuffering, and loving kindness which peacefully led Israel to repentance. Jesus instructs us to follow the example of our heavenly Father by forgiving those who sin against us and praying for them. Even the most evil individuals show imperfect love to their friends. But Jesus instructs us to live at a higher moral standard in which we emulate the perfect love of God – a love that transcends war, nationalism, racism, sexism, and every kind of injustice.

Some Christians seem to have given up on the challenge of following Christ’s commands, claiming they are too radical, too idealistic, or too unrealistic for use in real life. But Jesus was not a hypocrite. He followed his own teachings, showing peace and love to even the most unlovable individuals. This is what separated Christ’s moral standard from the moral standards of the rest of the world. Even the most evil people will love those who are lovable. But Jesus commands us to love the unlovable.

Jesus said “Blessed are the those who work for peace,” and Jesus himself worked for peace when he calmed storms, cast out demons, and offered himself on the cross as a sacrifice that made peace between God and mankind. Jesus said, “Do not resist an evil person,” and when he was arrested by Roman soldiers, stripped naked, beaten severely for many hours, and left to die on a cross, he never fought back, but instead, in his dying breath, whispered, “Forgive them, Father, for they don’t know what they are doing.” Jesus had thousands of angels at his command that he could have easily called in to fight off the Roman soldiers. But if he had done so, he would only have been perpetuating violence. Instead, through self-sacrifice Jesus revealed to the Romans just how brutal and savage their ways were in comparison to his perfect gentleness, forgiveness, and compassion.

Jesus even washed the feet of his betrayer Judas, acting as a humble servant. It would be easy to betray and crucify an evil man, but when the Romans looked upon the perfect, sinless man who had never committed a crime dying on the cross, and when they heard him utter those incredible words, “Forgive them, Father, for they don’t know what they are doing,” the Romans must have wondered in their hearts, “What have we done?” The radical compassion that Jesus lived by has the power to convict hearts, challenge systems of oppression, and cause repentance that leads to salvation and peace. We are now called to live like Jesus. Just as Jesus suffered the injustice of this world but will one day return as the King of kings to establish true and everlasting justice and world peace, so we have been called to suffer the injustices and oppression of this world through self-sacrifice, knowing that it is wrong and it is useless to seek vengeance now, for Jesus is returning soon to set the world right again, and at that time Jesus will judge both the living and the dead (who will be resurrected) with a justice far more true and just than any form of “justice” mankind has ever known.

You have allowed me to suffer much hardship, but you will restore me to life again and lift me up from the depths of the earth. You will restore me to even greater honor and comfort me once again.

--Psalm 71:20-21

If we remain faithful, then at that time – when the Kingdom of God is at last fulfilled on Earth – we will rule the world with Jesus as co-heirs of the promise of the Kingdom of God.

Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death.  Only in this way could he set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying.

--Hebrews 2:14-15

Under the old system, the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a young cow could cleanse people’s bodies from ceremonial impurity.  Just think how much more the blood of Christ will purify our consciences from sinful deeds so that we can worship the living God. For by the power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins.

--Hebrews 9:13-14

If it seems we are crazy, it is to bring glory to God. And if we are in our right minds, it is for your benefit.  Either way, Christ’s love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life.  He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them.  So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view.  At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view.  How differently we know him now!  This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!  And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him.  For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation.  So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!”

--2 Corinthians 5:13-20

This letter is from John to the seven churches in the province of Asia.  Grace and peace to you from the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come; from the sevenfold Spirit before his throne; 5 and from Jesus Christ. He is the faithful witness to these things, the first to rise from the dead, and the ruler of all the kings of the world.  All glory to him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by shedding his blood for us.  He has made us a Kingdom of priests for God his Father. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen.

--Revelation 1:4-6

And they sang a new song with these words:

   “You are worthy to take the scroll

      and break its seals and open it.

   For you were slaughtered, and your blood has ransomed people for God

      from every tribe and language and people and nation.

 And you have caused them to become

      a Kingdom of priests for our God.

      And they will reign on the earth.”

--Revelation 5:9-10

With this glorious hope always in our minds and hearts, we are to live today according to the example of Jesus Christ:

Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace?  Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it?  Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death?  For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives.  Since we have been united with him in his death, we will also be raised to life as he was.  We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin.  For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin.  And since we died with Christ, we know we will also live with him.  We are sure of this because Christ was raised from the dead, and he will never die again. Death no longer has any power over him.  When he died, he died once to break the power of sin. But now that he lives, he lives for the glory of God.  So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus.

--Romans 6:1-11

For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children.  And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.

--Romans 8:16-17

Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.

--Ephesians 5:2

The following is an excerpt from the book A Theology of Peace by Matthew Elton, copyright 2009 Matthew Elton.

The Example of the Apostles

 21 For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps.

 22 He never sinned,

      nor ever deceived anyone.

 23 He did not retaliate when he was insulted,

      nor threaten revenge when he suffered.

   He left his case in the hands of God,

      who always judges fairly.

 24 He personally carried our sins

      in his body on the cross

   so that we can be dead to sin

      and live for what is right.

   By his wounds

      you are healed.

--1 Peter 2:21-24

This section of Peter’s first epistle was addressed to slaves who were being unjustly oppressed. Rather than encouraging them to fight back, Peter instructs them to follow the nonviolent example of Jesus Christ. That is the mark of a true Christian – resisting violence even if it means accepting suffering. Peter was not a hypocrite. When he was arrested and beaten by the Sanhedrin, Peter and his companions started “rejoicing that God had counted them worthy to suffer disgrace for the name of Jesus” (Acts 5:41). This is exactly what Jesus commanded us to do when we suffer persecution – “Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way” (Matthew 5:12).

The Apostles clearly understood Christ’s teachings concerning nonviolence. They took these teachings literally and seriously. Paul’s instructions to the Christians hiding from Roman oppression in the Roman capital are almost identical to Christ’s words in the Sermon on the Mount:

 14 Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them. 15 Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all!

 17 Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. 18 Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.

 19 Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say,

   “I will take revenge;

      I will pay them back,”

      says the LORD.

 20 Instead,

   “If your enemies are hungry, feed them.

      If they are thirsty, give them something to drink.

   In doing this, you will heap

      burning coals of shame on their heads.”

 21 Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.

--Romans 12:14-21

Paul’s words are very clear. We are to never pay back evil with more evil. We are to never take revenge. Such language leaves no room for exceptions. The Christian is called to a higher moral calling that trusts in God’s holy, perfect justice that will be established at the fulfillment of the Kingdom of God on Earth, rather than now seeking man’s twisted view of “justice” (which is often merely revenge – a repaying of evil with evil, resulting only in more evil).

This wasn’t just Paul’s teaching. In his first epistle, Peter also mirrors the words of the Sermon on the Mount:

 8 Finally, all of you should be of one mind. Sympathize with each other. Love each other as brothers and sisters. Be tenderhearted, and keep a humble attitude. 9 Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate with insults when people insult you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God has called you to do, and he will bless you for it. 10 For the Scriptures say,

   “If you want to enjoy life

      and see many happy days,

   keep your tongue from speaking evil

      and your lips from telling lies.

 11 Turn away from evil and do good.

      Search for peace, and work to maintain it.

 12 The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right,

      and his ears are open to their prayers.

   But the Lord turns his face

      against those who do evil.”

 13 Now, who will want to harm you if you are eager to do good? 14 But even if you suffer for doing what is right, God will reward you for it. So don’t worry or be afraid of their threats. 15 Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it.

--1 Peter 3:8-15

The disciple of Jesus must be compassionate, gentle, kind, and unwilling to ever repay evil with evil. This does not mean, however, that Christians must be so submissive that they are continually taken advantage of. We are called to make a defense regarding our Christian hope, but we must so with gentleness and respect rather than with violence.

History is filled with countless examples of “Christian” monarchs who attempted to use the threat of execution to force every citizen in their nation to convert to Christianity. Every one of these attempts failed epically. It is impossible for the Christian message to spread through violence. If violence is used to force others to accept Jesus as Lord, they will do so only outwardly in order to escape persecution. But while man looks at the outward appearance, God looks at the heart. Salvation comes not by conforming to some church-mandated rituals, but by accepting Jesus as Lord in the heart, through faith. The Christian hope cannot spread through compulsion. It must spread, rather, through conviction.

As Christians, we believe that the gospel message is powerful enough to convict even the hardest of hearts. When we show love to those who persecute us, it is a powerful thing. Such an illogical reaction to persecution greatly affects the persecutor both emotionally and psychologically. Even the most evil of individuals find it difficult to persecute those who make no effort to fight back. When a persecutor is shown love and compassion instead of the expected resistance, it greatly affects him. It shows him a living example of the kind of unconditional love that God revealed to us when He sacrificed His Only born Son as a holy offering for the atonement of a world that had rejected God. The message of God’s love for us is incredibly powerful – convicting the hearts of sinners and leading them towards repentance. There is no need to add force when preaching this message – the message is powerful enough on its own. In fact, force only weakens the message, for the message is designed to work through the convicting of human hearts, not through the force of compulsion.

We see a common theme in the virtues of the Beatitudes – love, gentleness, and forgiveness. This does not mean, however, that Christians are called to be passive. Both Jesus and the Apostles preached a call to action – to actively show compassion towards those who persecute us, to actively preach the Gospel message, and to actively pursue peace in everything we do.

The following is an excerpt from the book A Theology of Peace by Matthew Elton, copyright 2009 Matthew Elton.

The Resurrection of Jesus

The resurrection of Christ from the dead was a political event. He had been executed as a political criminal – charged with claiming to be “the King of the Jews.” Pilate had found nothing wrong with him, but had been pressured into crucifying him fro political purposes, having been told, “If you release this man, you are no ‘friend of Caesar.’ Anyone who declares himself a king is a rebel against Caesar.” Despite the Jewish prophecies that the Messiah of God would be the King over kings, when Jesus was crucified, it seemed that the Roman Empire had won.

But when Jesus was raised from the dead, the power of the Roman Empire was shattered. The Roman government relied on the threat of death to remain in power – it could execute anyone it wished. But suddenly a man executed by the Roman Empire had come back to life and was now walking among the living! The Jews believed that all of the righteous would – at the end of the age – be raised from the dead unto immortality in the Kingdom of God. But now Jesus had experienced the Kingdom resurrection early. The Apostles were constantly preaching the resurrection of Jesus, for it marked a divine act of justice. Jesus – who never repaid evil with evil but accepted the unjust persecution he suffered through – had been raised from the dead and exalted to the heavens by God. This proves beyond the shadow of a doubt that Christ’s words in the Sermon on the Mount are true. Even if we suffer extreme persecution, violence is not justified, for by repaying evil with evil, we stray from the way of Christ. Instead, we trust that, like Jesus, we too will one day be raised from the dead and exalted in the Kingdom of God.

As the Messiah, Jesus was resurrected unto eternal life early. All the other believers who died in faith will also be resurrected when Jesus returns at the end of the age. The resurrection of Jesus from the dead was more than a necessary follow-up to his crucifixion. It was a sign to the whole world that the coming resurrection of all believers is real and is certain to occur. From the perspective of this glorious hope, we see the world differently than those who have no hope see it. If we do not see justice now, we do not try to force justice by violent means, but rather, we rejoice, for we know that there is a day coming when God’s infinitely holy justice will prevail in all the Earth. On that day, the meek will inherit the Earth, the peacemakers will rule the world, and all those who practice violence will be no more. The world will be resorted to what it was meant to be in the beginning – a perfect paradise that knows no war or evil. This is the message that the Apostles preached everywhere in light of the resurrection of Jesus, which serves as a token for future resurrection that will occur at the end of the age when Jesus returns and the Kingdom of God is fulfilled on Earth.

“People of Israel, listen! God publicly endorsed Jesus the Nazarene by doing powerful miracles, wonders, and signs through him, as you well know.  But God knew what would happen, and his prearranged plan was carried out when Jesus was betrayed. With the help of lawless Gentiles, you nailed him to a cross and killed him.  But God released him from the horrors of death and raised him back to life, for death could not keep him in its grip.

--Acts 2:22-24

You rejected this holy, righteous one and instead demanded the release of a murderer.  You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. And we are witnesses of this fact!

--Acts 3:14-15

Let me clearly state to all of you and to all the people of Israel that he was healed by the powerful name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, the man you crucified but whom God raised from the dead.

--Acts 4:10

The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from the dead after you killed him by hanging him on a cross.

--Acts 5:30

“And we apostles are witnesses of all he did throughout Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a cross, but God raised him to life on the third day. Then God allowed him to appear,

--Acts 10:39-40

“When they had done all that the prophecies said about him, they took him down from the cross and placed him in a tomb. But God raised him from the dead!

--Acts 13:29-30

How the Roman rulers must have winced every time the Apostles spoke these words! Jesus was crucified in shame, but God had resurrected him unto glory, and the Roman authorities no longer had any power over him. By raising Jesus from the dead and seating him in the heavenlies, God had proclaimed Jesus as the King of kings. This was a big deal – and the Apostles traveled for hundreds of miles preaching this message in city after city. All who heard this message had to make a choice. Do they submit their lives to Caesar, the king? Or do they submit their lives to Jesus Christ, the King of kings? Those who chose the latter option understood that Jesus had been chosen by God to rule over all the nations of the world, and that Jesus – not Caesar – was the true Lord over all the Earth.

All the borders of the nations of this world are but invisible, imaginary lines that people like to pretend exist. No matter what nation we happen might to live in, that nation is not our own, but we are foreigners visiting temporarily. Our true nation and our true citizenship are found in the Kingdom of God – a nation that is currently not of this world. One day the Kingdom of God will be established on Earth, and all the nations of the world will be subject to its rule. From the perspective of this glorious hope, all of the wars that are fought to defend imaginary borders between the corrupt, human nations of this world seem like a horrible waste of human life and energy. As sojourners on the Earth, we are temporarily living in whatever nation we happen to live in, but our true allegiance is to the Kingdom of God. All of the great men of faith in the Bible lived this way – eagerly awaiting the coming Kingdom:

All these people died still believing what God had promised them. They did not receive what was promised, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it. They agreed that they were foreigners and nomads here on earth.

--Hebrews 11:13

Dear friends, I warn you as “temporary residents and foreigners” to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls.

--1 Peter 2:11