24 Pentecost

24 Pentecost - Sunday

first posted 11/13/04

Jonah 1:1-17a, Jonah’s call to preach
1 Corinthians 10:15-24, The Lord’s table
Matthew 18:15-20 Church discipline

The Lord told Jonah to go to Nineveh, the great city (capital of the Assyrian empire; 2 Kings 19:36; Isaiah. 37:37), and preach against it because of its wickedness. Instead, Jonah fled to Tarshish (probably in southern Spain; the farthest port to which Jonah could sail) from Joppa, away from the presence of the Lord. So the Lord sent a great storm, which threatened to sink the ship. The sailors were terrified and each prayed to his god, and they lightened the ship by casting the cargo overboard, but Jonah was asleep below deck. The captain came and woke him and told Jonah to pray to Jonah’s god that the ship and crew might be saved.

The crew cast lots to discover by divination who was the cause of their plight, and the lot fell to Jonah. The crew questioned Jonah to discover why they were having misfortune. Jonah told them he was a Hebrew and a worshiper of the Lord God of heaven, creator of sea and land. Jonah had previously told them he was fleeing from the Lord, so the sailors were afraid, and they asked Jonah what they could do to avert this trouble, and Jonah told them to throw him overboard. Still, the crew tried unsuccessfully to row the ship to land before they prayed to the Lord for forgiveness and then threw Jonah overboard. At once the sea calmed, and the men were greatly awed; they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows.

Paul warns against participation in pagan worship. Paul reminds believers that when they participate in the Lord’s Supper (Communion, Eucharist) they are participating (communing) in the blood and body of Christ. Individual participants become one body because they all share in the one bread of the Lord. That corresponds to the practice of Judaism, where those who eat the sacrifices of the altar are partners in the altar.

Paul’s point is that this also applies to pagan worship. Although idols are representations of gods which do not exist, there are demons behind the idols. When one participates in pagan worship one becomes a partner with demons. One cannot partner with demons and also be in the body of Christ; one cannot worship demons and also worship the Lord. The Lord will not tolerate divided loyalty, and he is much stronger than we.

Jesus taught his disciples that if someone sins against us we should privately tell that person about his sin. If he listens (hears and responds appropriately), the relationship is restored. If he does not listen, we should again talk with him in the presence of one or two others, so that the facts may be confirmed by two or three witnesses. If the person still refuses to agree, we should try to resolve the issue within the church. If the person refuses to agree with the church, he should be removed from fellowship within the church.

Jesus warned that what we what we do on earth will have consequences in eternity. Where two or three are gathered in Jesus' name, Jesus is present with them, and what they agree upon in prayer will be done for them by the Lord.

Jonah was a believer and worshiper of God, but he was disobedient to the Lord’s command. The Lord called him to preach against Nineveh, but Jonah didn’t want to, so he tried to avoid doing what God called him to do. God sent a storm to punish Jonah’s disobedience, and to provide an opportunity for Jonah to repent and become obedient. The crew learned that neither their idols nor their own efforts could deliver them from the storm. Only by submitting to God’s will were they able to avert disaster, and when they realized that, they converted to faith and worship of God.

Paul warns that we cannot worship God and also worship idols. One cannot truly be a Christian and disobey what Jesus teaches and commands his disciples to do. The Church must be careful who it permits to share fellowship.

Jesus taught his disciples how to administer Church discipline. The Church has an obligation to enforce discipline and membership standards.

Many churches today not only are not preaching against the “Nineveh’s” of this world, they’re promoting and endorsing them. Many people think they can worship God in Church on Sunday, and the gods of money and power in the temples of commerce and politics the rest of the week. Sins that would have been unimaginable in the First Century Church membership are tolerated not only among the members but also in the pulpits of the Twenty-first Century Church.

Many churches have failed to teach obedience to God’s word. Will we realize that we must throw the Jonahs overboard if we are going to survive the storm? Will we recognize that we must turn from idols and serve the Lord obediently if we expect the Lord to save us? Is Jesus your Lord? Are you Jesus’ disciple? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus? Have you received the Holy Spirit since you first believed (Acts 19:2)? Are you making disciples of Jesus Christ and teaching them to obey all that Jesus commands (Matthew 28:18-20)? Do you know with certainty where you will spend eternity (1 John 5:11-13; Ephesians 1:13-14)?

24 Pentecost - Monday

first posted 11/14/04

Jonah 1:17-2:10, Jonah in the whale’s belly
Revelation 11:1-14, Measuring the Temple
Luke 11:14-26 Jesus’ power

Jonah was the reluctant prophet who was called by God to call Nineveh to repentance. Instead Jonah fled from God’s call. God appointed a whale to swallow Jonah. Jonah was in the belly of the whale for three days and three nights. Then, in the midst of his distress, Jonah prayed to the Lord from the whale’s belly, and the Lord heard Jonah’s plea. Jonah reviewed his circumstances: The Lord had caused a great tempest into which Jonah had been cast. Jonah felt that he had been cast from God’s presence, and was afraid that he might never again be restored to God’s temple. The waters (of death) closed over Jonah; he was on his way to the land of the dead.

But the Lord brought him back from his very grave. As Jonah’s soul fainted within him, he remembered the Lord and called upon him. Those who worship useless idols forsake their true obligation of loyalty to the Lord. But Jonah promised to offer sacrifice to the Lord with thanksgiving, and promised to fulfill his vow to the Lord. Jonah acknowledged that deliverance is only through the Lord. The Lord caused the fish to vomit Jonah out onto dry land.

John had a vision of the measuring of the temple of God, the altar, and the congregation. The court of the Gentiles (or pagans) was excluded from measuring. The court would be given over to the Gentiles (pagans) who will trample over it for 42 months (1260 days; 3.5 years). During that period two witnesses would prophesy, calling for repentance. The two witnesses are “olive trees” and “lampstands” which serve the Lord. Anyone who attempts to harm them will be slain.

The two witnesses have power to withhold rain from the Earth during the period of their prophecy, and they have the power to turn waters into blood and afflict the earth with every other plague (like Moses commanded the plagues upon Egypt). At the end of the time of the prophecy of the two witnesses they will be killed by the beast (Antichrist) which will arise from the bottomless pit.

The bodies of the two witnesses will lie in the streets (where their Lord was crucified; i.e. Jerusalem; but also, the world) which is allegorically referred to as “Sodom” and “Egypt” for three and one half days and the people of the Earth will celebrate their death, because their prophecy had made the people of the world uncomfortable.

But after three and a half days, the two witnesses will be resurrected and caught up into heaven in a cloud, and the people of Earth who see their resurrection and ascension will be frightened. At that hour an earthquake will destroy a tenth of the city and destroy seven thousand people. The remaining inhabitants will be terrified and will give praise to God.

Jesus healed a man of a demon which had caused the man to be mute; unable to speak. When the demon had been exorcized the man’s ability to speak returned. The people were amazed, but some thought Jesus was casting out demons by the power of Beelzebul, “the prince of demons.” Others tried to test Jesus, seeking a sign from heaven (that his power was from God).

Jesus knew what they were thinking, and he told them that any kingdom which is divided against itself is destroyed. If Satan were divided against himself his kingdom would fail. Since they had suggested that Jesus cast out demons by Beelzebul, Jesus asked them if their sons (other Jewish exorcists) also cast out demons by Beelzebul. Thus they will be condemned by their own deeds.

Jesus left it up to them to decide if Jesus’ power was of God; recognizing that truth opens them to receive the kingdom of God. A strong man, fully armed, can guard his own palace; but if one who is stronger comes and takes away the man’s armor, the man’s possessions are taken from him. Those who do not work with Jesus work against him. When a person is healed of a demon and his life is put back in order, if he then invites other demons into his life, his last situation becomes worse than the first.

Jonah’s disobedience led to punishment and toward eternal death, but when Jonah remembered the Lord and called upon him in repentance and faith, the Lord saved and restored Jonah.

God’s judgment begins with the Church (1 Peter 4:17). John’s vision is the measuring of the Church during a period of three and a half years, while unbelievers are allowed to “trample” the outer courtyard (In Jesus’ lifetime, Gentiles were allowed in the outer courtyard, but not in the Temple proper.) The two witnesses’ obedience in preaching repentance leads to their physical death, but the Lord raises them to eternal life in Heaven.

Jesus has the power to heal us and deliver us from the dominion of evil into the kingdom of God. Each individual must make his own decision about who Jesus is, and each will receive the consequences of that choice. What we do in life will be evidence of the choice we have made. The realization that Jesus’ power and authority is from God (Jesus is God in human flesh: Colossians 2:8-9; John 20:28) makes it possible for us to receive the kingdom of God.

Will we go down to eternal punishment and eternal death because we refuse to repent and become obedient to the Lord? Those who oppose Jesus are working for evil. Nominal “Christians” who disobey Jesus are working for the enemy. Those who have been freed from bondage to sin need to stay away from sin to avoid being recaptured. The Lord uses tribulation to bring people to the realization that they need the Lord.

Allowing the disobedient to become or remain members in the church divides the church against itself and does no favor to the disobedient. The disobedient should remain outside of membership; the Church should not let it's house be polluted and it's mission divided.

Is Jesus your Lord? Are you Jesus’ disciple? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus? Have you received the Holy Spirit since you first believed (Acts 19:2)? Are you making disciples of Jesus Christ and teaching them to obey all that Jesus commands (Matthew 28:18-20)? Do you know with certainty where you will spend eternity (1 John 5:11-13; Ephesians 1:13-14)?

24 Pentecost - Tuesday

first posted 11/15/04

Jonah 3:1-4:11, Jonah’s second call
Revelation 11:14-19, Consummation of God’s kingdom
Luke 11:27-36 The sign of Jonah

After saving Jonah from the belly of the whale, the Lord again called Jonah to go and proclaim God’s word to Nineveh (the capital of the Assyrian Empire). Jonah went to Nineveh as the Lord had commanded. Nineveh was a large city; it took three days to travel from one end to the other. Jonah went a day’s journey into the city. Then Jonah began to proclaim that the city would be overthrown after forty days.

The people of Nineveh believed God, and they proclaimed a fast and everyone repented (sackcloth was the ritual garment of mourning and repentance). The king of Nineveh proclaimed a fast; every person and animal in Nineveh was to fast and pray to God, and forsake evil and violence, in the hope that God might turn from his anger and forgive Nineveh.

God saw their repentance and he forgave them and did not destroy Nineveh. But Jonah was unhappy that God had spared Nineveh. Jonah told the Lord that he had fled to Tarshish because he knew that God is “gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and repents of evil” (Jonah 4:2b). Jonah was so unhappy that he asked the Lord to take his life from him; Jonah didn’t want to live anymore. The Lord asked Jonah to consider whether it was right for Jonah to be angry at God.

Jonah went outside the city and sat there to see what would happen to the city. God caused a plant to grow overnight to give Jonah some shade to sit in. Jonah was happy to have the plant for shade. The next day God caused a worm to destroy the stem of the plant, so that it withered. God also caused hot weather so that Jonah was uncomfortable. Jonah again asked God to take his life, and God again asked if Jonah had a right to be angry with God over the plant. Jonah thought that he did, and God replied that Jonah had compassion for the plant, which Jonah had not labored for or created, which only existed for a day, and yet Jonah had been angry with God for having compassion on Nineveh’s hundred and twenty thousand people who had been living in ignorance of God’s will.

The third great woe (Revelation 8:13b), the seventh and final trumpet judgment is sounded, announcing the consummation of the eternal kingdom of God and his Messiah (Jesus Christ). Before the throne of God in Heaven, the twenty four elders worship and give thanks and praise to God. God will begin his reign. It is the Day of Judgment; the nations will be judged, the dead will be raised, the servants, prophets and saints of the Lord will be rewarded, and the evil will receive (eternal) destruction. God’s temple in Heaven is opened and the ark of his covenant is revealed within the temple, with great manifestations of supernatural power.

As Jesus was preaching, a woman in the crowd cried out that the woman who had borne and nurtured Jesus was blessed, but Jesus declared that it is, instead, those who hear and do God’s word who are blessed. As more and more people gathered around him, Jesus declared that the present generation is evil and seeks a sign from heaven to authenticate Jesus’ message, but that no sign would be given, except the sign of Jonah (see also entry for Tuesday, 2 Pentecost, even year). As Jonah was a sign to Nineveh, Jesus is a sign to this generation. This generation will be condemned by the queen of the South, who came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon (1 Kings 10:1-10; 2 Chronicles 9:1-9), and Jesus is greater than Solomon. Nineveh will also condemn this generation, because Nineveh repented at Jonah’s preaching and Jesus is greater than Jonah.

Would it be right for a prophet to be angry that his audience has heeded his preaching and repented? The purpose of God’s warning of impending judgment is to save us from destruction. God loves us and doesn’t want any of us to perish (John 3:16-17).What makes God and his prophets unhappy is when people refuse to heed the warning.

The vision of Revelation is the scene of the final trumpet, at the Day of Judgment. The days of warning will be over; there won’t be any further opportunity for repentance. Christ’s obedient servants will be rewarded; the rebellious and disobedient will be condemned to eternal destruction. (Matthew 7:21-24, 25:31-46).

Jesus warns that it is the “doers of the word” who will be rewarded (Luke 11:28; James 1:22). Jesus came to call us to repentance and obedience to God. Jesus is God’s only provision for our forgiveness and restoration to fellowship with God (Acts 4:12; John 14:6; see God’s Plan of Salvation, sidebar, top right). Have we recognized God’s wisdom in Jesus Christ? Have we heeded God’s warning to repent and to turn to Jesus in trust and obedience?

Is Jesus your Lord? Are you Jesus’ disciple? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus? Have you received the Holy Spirit since you first believed (Acts 19:2)? Are you making disciples of Jesus and teaching them to obey all that Jesus commands (Matthew 28:18-20)? Do you know with certainty where you will spend eternity (1 John 5:11-13; Ephesians 1:13-14)?

24 Pentecost - Wednesday

first posted 11/16/04

Nahum 1:1-14, Prophecy against Nineveh
Revelation 12:1-6, The woman, the child and the dragon
Luke 11:37-52 Jesus rebukes Pharisees and lawyers

Nahum was a Galilean prophet during the period of 626 to 612 B.C., between the death of Asshurbanipal, king of the Assyrian empire, and the fall of Nineveh to the Medes and the Babylonians (Chaldeans). Nahum warns that the Lord is an avenger of wrongdoing who will punish his enemies. The Lord is slow to anger, but has unlimited power. The Lord is just and will not let the guilty go unpunished. All creation is subject to his power (Bashan, Carmel and Lebanon are cited as examples of great fertility subject to the Lord’s power).

Remembering God’s overwhelming power, who can withstand or oppose him? The Lord is good to those who take refuge in him, but an overwhelming disaster to his adversaries. The Lord will completely destroy those who oppose him. Nahum prophesied that the Assyrians would be destroyed, and that the Assyrian domination of Israel would be ended; Israel would be released from Assyrian captivity.

The vision of the woman, the child, and the dragon represents the struggle between Christ (the Child) and Satan (the Dragon). The woman represents God’s People (Israel, from whom the Messiah came, and the Church, which represents the New People of God through Jesus). Satan was originally a member of God’s Heavenly court who rebelled against God and had been cast down to earth, taking with him one third of the angels who are his minions, the demons. Israel gave birth to the Messiah, God’s anointed eternal king. Satan tried to destroy Jesus, by crucifixion, but Jesus was raised up to eternal life in Heaven.

The woman (the People of God) fled into the wilderness (led by the Lord through life in this world, as in the wilderness experience of Israel) where she has a place of refuge (the Church) where she is led and sustained one thousand two hundred and sixty days, which equals forty two months (Revelation 11:2) or three and one half years (Daniel 7:25; 12:7 RSV), the period of the Great Tribulation preceding the rapture of the Church. [Three and one half years is also the period after the rapture of the church when the two “witnesses” (evangelists; Revelation 11:3) will preach, and the full remnant (symbolized as the one hundred forty four thousand; Revelation 7:4) will be saved.]

Jesus had been speaking to a crowd, and a Pharisee invited Jesus to eat at his house. The Pharisee was amazed to see that Jesus didn’t wash before eating. Comparing their situation to a bowl or a cup, Jesus told him that Pharisees emphasize outward cleanliness, but ignore inner purity. If, instead, they concentrated on inner cleanliness nothing would be unclean for them.

Woe to Pharisees who tithe regarding the smallest details but ignore obvious things of major importance like love and justice. One should do those things without overlooking the smaller details. Woe to Pharisees who like the seats of honor in synagogues, and acclaim in the market places. They are like unmarked graves: they are corrupt and they corrupt others who come in contact with them unaware.

A lawyer responded that Jesus was reproaching lawyers also. Jesus declared woe to lawyers, because they require others to bear the burden of law which the lawyers themselves wouldn’t attempt to bear. The lawyers celebrate the traditions of their ancestors, and it was their ancestors who killed the prophets. In a sense the lawyers have erected elaborate tombs to the prophets, and in that act they acknowledge and consent to the deeds of their fathers.

This generation will be held accountable for all the blood of the prophets which has been shed from the foundation of the world, from the murder of Abel to the death of Zechariah. The lawyers were condemned for obscuring the understanding of God’s eternal purpose (God’s plan of salvation through Jesus Christ, see sidebar, top right). The lawyers not only rejected God’s purpose for themselves; they were preventing others from accepting it.

We have God’s unfailing promise that he will be a place of refuge and mercy to those who trust and obey him, but that he will utterly destroy those who oppose and rebel against him. The Lord has promised that he will avenge wrongdoing and that he will not let the guilty go unpunished. Nahum proclaimed God’s word of judgment upon Nineveh, and that word was fulfilled.

Nineveh illustrates God’s plan of salvation. God has sent his prophets to call the world to repent and turn to the Lord in trust and obedience. Those who heed God’s Word will be saved and receive eternal life; those who reject God’s Word will receive eternal destruction (Matthew 7:21-24; Matthew 25:31-46).

The vision of the woman, the child and the dragon is an illustration of life in this world. It represents the struggle between Christ and Satan for the people God created. God has created a place of refuge for his people in the wilderness of this life in Jesus Christ. He promises to lead and sustain us through the wilderness into the Promised Land of his eternal kingdom. Satan was defeated at the cross, when Jesus rose from the dead and ascended into eternal life in Heaven, but Satan continues to fight.

The Lord has declared that this generation (we, today) will be held accountable for what we have done with God’s Word. Those who reject God’s Word delivered by his prophets at the cost of their blood will receive eternal destruction and eternal death. Jesus is the ultimate Word of God in the flesh (John 1:1-5, 14). Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s Word, and Jesus is the ultimate prophet (Hebrews 1:1-2), who has shed his blood for our salvation. We will either be saved by the blood of Jesus, or we will be accountable to God for it.

Only Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross can cleanse us on the inside (Hebrews 9:14, 22, 26b). Will we turn to the Lord in trust and obedience and seek to please him, or will we pursue worldly honor and success? Will we take refuge in Jesus Christ or will we pursue the worldly traditions of our ancestors? Are we practicing God’s command of love and justice for all, or are we trying to meet only the minimum requirements of civil law?

24 Pentecost - Thursday

first posted 11/17/04

Nahum 1:15-2:12, Overthrow of Nineveh
Revelation 12:7-17, Dragon thrown down
Luke 11:53-12:12 Encouragement of disciples

Nahum foresees the overthrow of Nineveh. The messenger brings good news to Israel proclaiming peace. The enemy is destroyed and will never again threaten them. The shatterer has come upon Nineveh. The Lord is restoring Israel, which had been plundered and stripped of its branches. Nahum visualizes the battle: the assembled armies; the walls of the city under siege; the gates broken down; the palace in disarray; women carried off. Nineveh is like a leaky pool whose waters run away. Their silver and gold and all their treasure is taken as plunder. The city is desolate and in ruins. Great fear and anguish are upon the people of Nineveh; they are carried off to captivity as prey is carried to the lion’s den.

Satan and his angels rebelled against the Lord in Heaven, and were defeated by Michael, the archangel, and the angels of the Lord. Satan and his angels were exiled to Earth. The kingdom of God and the authority of Christ have been established because Satan has been defeated by the blood of Jesus and by the confession of faith by believers, since they were willing to lay down their earthly lives for the faith. Therefore Heaven rejoices because Satan has been defeated, but Earth suffers because Satan is angry and desperate, knowing that he has only a limited time before he is restrained.

The Pharisees were putting pressure on Jesus in hope of finding something they could use to destroy Jesus. At this time the crowds gathering around Jesus were becoming so large and unruly that people were being trampled. Jesus warned his disciples to be wary of the sin of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy (feigning to be something other than what one is). Jesus said that nothing can be hidden that will not be revealed and known. What we say and do in private will become public knowledge.

Jesus told his disciples not to fear other people or even Satan and his demons, because although they may cause our physical death, they have no power over our eternal souls. The only one we need to fear is the God, because he alone has the power of life and death over our eternal souls; he alone has the power to cast into the fiery Hell of eternal destruction. Disciples need not fear God, because God knows the smallest details of his creation, and no one has been forgotten by God, who loves each one of us.

Everyone who acknowledges Jesus Christ before men will be acknowledged by Jesus to the angels of God, but whoever denies Jesus before men will be denied by Jesus to the angels of God. Speaking against Jesus can be forgiven, but blasphemy (speaking evil) against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. Jesus promised his disciples that when they are called upon to testify publicly to the Gospel, they are not to worry about what to say or how; the Holy Spirit will provide what they are to say at the moment it is needed.

The People of God had been under the domination of the Assyrians for a long time. The overthrow of Assyria was God’s judgment upon a wicked, disobedient nation, and it was good news to God’s People. Nahum’s prophecy was fulfilled at the destruction of Nineveh in 612 B.C. The destruction of Nineveh is an illustration of the Day of Judgment, when God’s armies will come against the kingdom of Satan in this world. It will be a day of rejoicing for the People of God, but a day of fear and destruction for the enemies of the Lord.

Satan and his minions have been defeated through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and in our individual lives by our confession of faith (trust and obedience) in Jesus. Those who trust and obey Jesus have entered into the eternal kingdom of God and the authority of Christ, our King. Although Satan can still cause trouble, we can rejoice that in Jesus we can be victorious over Satan and evil.

The Pharisees were hypocrites who feigned righteousness while plotting evil; they feigned love and obedience to God, while hating God’s Son and rejecting God’s will and plan of salvation in Jesus Christ. Jesus warns his followers to avoid hypocrisy. What we are will become known. The Pharisees didn’t fool Jesus and we won’t either. As long as our aim is to serve and please the Lord we needn’t worry about what the world thinks of us. Every other sin, including speaking against Jesus is forgivable, but blaspheming against the Holy Spirit is unforgivable, because the blasphemer rejects and cuts himself off from the means of forgiveness and salvation.

Nineveh represents the kingdom of Satan in this world. We all have been captives of Satan. Satan has been defeated in eternity by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. He still has power in this temporal world, but those who trust and obey Jesus are freed from Satan’s power. We are no longer enslaved by sin.

Jesus has promised that he is going to return with his angels to judge the world; to save Jesus’ disciples, and to destroy Satan and all those who have rejected and refused to obey Jesus (Matthew 25:31-46; 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10). Those who trust and obey Jesus and receive his indwelling Holy Spirit have been “born-again” (John 3:3, 5-8) into the eternal kingdom of God. Christians are called to be disciples of Jesus Christ, not to be Pharisees. Are we acknowledging Jesus before mankind by our actions and words, or are we denying him?

24 Pentecost - Friday

posted 11/18/04

Nahum 2:13-3:7, Nineveh overthrown
Revelation 13:1-10, The beast from the sea
Luke 12:13-31 The rich fool

The Lord condemns Nineveh. The Lord will destroy Nineveh’s military power; her armies will be destroyed, her empire will be torn from her, and her authority will be no more. Woe to the city built on lies and looting. The prophet foresees the tumult of battle in the city streets; heaps of dead fill the streets. Nineveh is condemned for her treachery and deceitful dealings with other nations. The Lord will reveal her nakedness and shame. The Lord will throw filth on her and treat her with contempt. Who will mourn her; or comfort her?

The prophet saw a beast rising out of the sea (representing worldly empire; the kingdom of Satan). The dragon (Satan) gave it his power, authority and throne. The people of earth worshiped the dragon and the beast. The beast blasphemed (spoke evil) against God and was allowed to persecute and overcome (kill) the saints for forty-two months (twelve hundred and sixty days, or three and a half years; Revelation 11:2-3). The beast had authority over every nation, people, tribe, and language; everyone who is not redeemed through faith in Jesus Christ will worship the beast. There will be captivity and death; the saints will need faith and endurance.

A man in the crowd asked Jesus to command the man’s brother to divide the family inheritance with him, but Jesus refused to be the man’s advocate. Jesus warned against covetousness, because life is not about accumulating possessions.

To illustrate, Jesus told a parable: A rich farmer’s land produced abundantly, and there wasn’t enough room to store all the crops, so the farmer decided to build a bigger barn. The farmer imagined that he could store up goods and live comfortably for a long time, but that night he died and someone else inherited his possessions. The man had thought only of material possessions and of himself, and had given no thought to God and spiritual preparations for eternity.

Jesus told his disciples not to be anxious about daily provisions such as food and clothing. God provides for his creation, and he cares for us far more than he cares for plants and animals. Worldly people seek all these material necessities, and God knows that we need them. But if we seek first the kingdom of God, we will have all these material things as well.

Nineveh was condemned for plundering the possessions of other people and nations. God provides for his creation. God judges people and nations who plunder the material blessings God intends for all to share.

The beast from the sea represents the worldly system; it includes everything which isn’t within the kingdom of God through trust and obedience to Jesus Christ. The world order will prevail for a time, but ultimately will be judged and punished by the Lord. Those who enslave others will be enslaved in eternity in Hell; those who kill others will die eternally in Hell (Revelation 13:10; compare Jeremiah 15:2; Galatians 5:15).

Jesus didn’t come to give us material blessings. Christians aren’t entitled to more resources than anyone else. Material wealth, worldly power and status are not signs of God’s approval. Don’t expect Jesus to give approval to nations and people who covet and plunder the resources of others.

Jesus tells us to seek God’s kingdom first; not after we have established a career, paid off the house, and saved up for retirement. If we don’t make seeking the kingdom of God our first priority, we’ll never get around to it; if we try to provide our material security first, we will never achieve it, because true security cannot be obtained through material possessions.

24 Pentecost - Saturday

posted 11/19/04

Nahum 3:8-19, The overthrow of Nineveh
Revelation 13:11-18, The mark of the beast
Luke 12:32-48 The thief in the night

The prophet asks if Nineveh (the capital of the Assyrian Empire) is any better than Thebes (the Egyptian capital which Assyria had captured in 663 B.C.). Thebes had the Nile and the sea as natural protective barriers, and Libya (“Put”) and Ethiopia on her flanks for protection. Nevertheless Thebes was carried off into captivity. Her little ones were dashed to pieces in the streets; her best and greatest men were bound in chains. So the people of Nineveh will be reeling and in shock. They will try to hide from their enemy, but their fortifications are of no avail; they will fall into the mouths of their enemy like ripe figs fall from the tree when shaken.

Nineveh’s troops are like women; the gates of the land are wide open to their enemies. Fire has melted the bars of their fortifications. “Draw water for the siege, strengthen your forts” (Nahum 3:14), make lots of bricks and mortar and build up your walls! (It won’t do any good!) There you will be destroyed with fire and cut off by the sword.

Multiply like locusts! You will be devoured as by locusts. Your merchants have multiplied more than the stars of heaven, your princes have multiplied like grasshoppers, your leaders are like clouds of locusts, sitting on fences on a cold day; when the sun rises they fly away and no one can find them.

The shepherds of Assyria are asleep; the nobles slumber. Your people are scattered like sheep upon a mountain, with no one to gather them. “There is no assuaging your hurt, your wound is grievous. All who hear the news of you clap their hands over you. For upon whom has not come your unceasing evil” (Nahum 3:19)?

The prophet foresees the rise of the "beast of the earth" (the "false prophet"; Revelation 19:20) who works great miracles to deceive the people, even calling down fire from heaven in public sight (compare Matthew 24:24). The false prophet made an image of the "beast of the sea" (the Antichrist; Revelation 13:1-10), and gave life to the image, so that the image was able to speak, and it killed all those who refused to worship the beast. It made every person on earth to be marked on the hand or on the forehead with the mark of the beast; no one could buy or sell without the mark of the beast. The mark of the beast is the number of its name which is six hundred and sixty-six.

Jesus told his followers not to fear, because it is God’s gracious will to give his disciples the kingdom of God. Disciples of Jesus are to sell their possessions and give to the poor. That way they provide themselves with treasure in heaven that does not fail or wear out, where thieves cannot get at it and moths won’t destroy it. Our hearts will be longing for whatever we regard as our treasure.

Disciples are to be prepared, like servants awaiting the return of their master from the wedding feast, so that they can open immediately when he knocks. Those servants who are awake when the master comes will be blessed. The master will reward his servants who are prepared and alert for his coming; he will honor them by seating them at his table and serving them. If he comes late in the night or early before the dawn and finds his servants ready they will be greatly blessed. But remember, if a homeowner knew at what hour a thief was coming, the homeowner would be ready and waiting, and would not let his house be broken into. So we also must be ready, because Jesus is going to return at an hour no one expects.

Assyria had risen to be a great empire on earth at the time. She had conquered Thebes and subdued all of Northern Asia. The Assyrians may have believed that no one could conquer them and do to them what they had done to Thebes and to their other neighbors in the region, but their confidence in their military, strategic and economic resources was misplaced. The Lord judged them and punished them for their social, economic and moral injustice. Nineveh was conquered in 612 B.C. and Assyria had ceased to exist as a nation by 609 B. C. Nahum’s prophecy had been fulfilled.

John, the revelator, had a vision of the rise of the worldly kingdom which is in opposition to the kingdom of God. The economic and political enslavement of the people would require them to deny faith in Jesus Christ in order to participate in the economy. Many believe that this is a vision of the final three and one-half years of the seven years of the Great Tribulation, after the Church has been raptured, before the final defeat of Satan at the Battle of Armageddon.

Jesus told his disciples that he would return to judge the earth, and to bring his disciples to him in his heavenly kingdom (Matthew 25:31-46; John 14:2-3). They were to be ready for Jesus’ return (Luke 12:40).

Nineveh should be a warning for us. Nineveh represents the secular world, and particularly America, today. The overthrow of Nineveh represents the Day of Judgment of the kingdom of this world and the Battle of Armageddon. The "shepherds" of Assyria (Nahum 3:18a) are the spiritual and political leaders.

There is no national or personal security apart from trust and obedience to God through Jesus Christ. “Star Wars” missile defenses won’t save us; Homeland Security won't save us; retirement savings accounts and gated communities won’t save us. Are we living in the age of the Great Tribulation? Doesn’t our economic system require increasingly greater commitment to anti-Christian values? Are you working for Jesus or are you working for the Beast? Jesus may return at any moment. Are you ready?