first posted 06/18/05

Exodus 6:2-13; 7:1-6,        Call of Moses and Aaron
Revelation 15:1-8,       Seven Bowls of God’s Wrath
Matthew 18:1-14      True Greatness

God is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob who had been known to them by the name El Shaddai (Almighty; High God). To Moses God revealed himself by a new name, the LORD (represented in Hebrew by only the consonants YHWH, probably pronounced “Yahweh.” In some versions of the Bible it is translated as “Jehovah” by using the vowels of a different word, but “Jehovah” doesn’t accurately represent any name for God ever actually used in Hebrew).

The LORD is the God of the Covenant with the patriarchs, who promised to give their descendants the land of Canaan for a possession and inheritance although the Patriarchs themselves were sojourners (nomads) in the land. The Lord told Moses that he knew the suffering of the Israelites under slavery to the Egyptians, and had not forgotten his Covenant with Abraham. God told Moses to tell the Israelites that God will deliver his people from bondage in Egypt, redeeming them by God’s great power, by many great acts of judgment.

God said that he would take Israel to be his people, and would be their God. Israel will know and remember that God is the Lord, who has delivered his people from slavery in Egypt. God will bring his people into possession of the land of Canaan, which God had promised the patriarchs to give to their descendants. Moses told the Israelites what God had said, but they didn’t listen to Moses because their spirits were broken by the conditions of their enslavement.

The Lord told Moses to go to Pharaoh and tell him to allow the people of Israel leave Egypt. But Moses told the Lord that the Israelites hadn’t listened to Moses, so why would Pharaoh, since Moses had “uncircumcised lips” (a speech impediment)? God told Moses that he would make Moses like God to Pharaoh, and Aaron, Moses’ brother, would be Moses’ prophet.

God gave Moses and Aaron charge of the people of Israel. Moses was to receive God’s directions and Aaron would communicate them to Pharaoh. God warned Moses that Pharaoh would refuse to let Israel leave despite many great acts of judgment upon Egypt, but God would finally reveal his power decisively and Israel would be delivered. God said that the Egyptians would come to realize God’s power when he had delivered his people from Egypt. Moses, who was then eighty years old, and Aaron, who was eighty-three, did as God had commanded them.

John, in exile on the island of Patmos, had a series of visions of God’s ultimate judgment. This is the revelation to John of the seven (symbolizing completeness) plagues of God’s final judgment, ready to be poured out on earth. John saw the martyrs in heaven who had overcome the “beast (Revelation13:1-10) and its image (Revelation 13:11-15) and the number of its name” (Revelation 13:16-18; 15:2). The martyrs “sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb (Jesus Christ; the ultimate sacrificial Lamb of Passover), acknowledging the Lord God Almighty, whose deeds are great and wonderful, and whose ways are just and true.

The Lord is King of eternity; he alone is Holy (perfect in righteousness and goodness; worthy of complete devotion and worship). All nations will worship the Lord because his judgments have been revealed.

Then the seven angels carrying the seven bowls of the plagues of God’s wrath were released to pour out God’s wrath at God’s command (Revelation 16:1). God’s great presence and power filled the temple, and nothing was allowed to happen until that Judgment was carried out; the judgment was unalterable and unavoidable.

Jesus had told his disciples for a second time that he was going to be crucified (Matthew 17:22-23). They were distressed when they heard this, but soon after they were arguing among themselves over whom among them was the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Jesus called a child to his side and told his disciples that unless they turned and became like children in their obedient trust in their heavenly father they would not enter the kingdom of heaven. The one who is humble like a small child will be considered great in God’s kingdom. Whoever receives such a true disciple in Jesus’ name receives Jesus, but whoever causes such a disciple to sin will wish he had died instead; his punishment will be far worse than physical death.

The world will receive the terrible consequences of causing and yielding to temptation. Temptation is a necessary part of creation (because God designed creation so that we would have choice and free will), but the person who tempts others or who yields to temptation will ultimately suffer profound disaster. A person would be better off suffering physical mutilation in resisting temptation in order to have eternal life in God’s kingdom, than to have perfect physical heath and beauty and spend eternity in the fire of Hell.

Jesus warns not to despise his disciples, because they will be in God’s presence in eternity (and those who despise them won’t). If a shepherd has a hundred sheep and one strays, he will leave the ninety-nine and seek the one that is missing, and when he finds it he is happier to have recovered the one that was lost than over the ninety-nine that never strayed. Similarly, God doesn’t want any of his disciples to perish.

God’s purpose has always been to create an eternal kingdom of his people who will trust and obey him. Creation was designed from the beginning to accomplish that purpose. We have all been created with eternal souls; God has prepared a place in his presence for his people, and a place of eternal misery and punishment away from him and his kingdom for those who refuse to trust and obey God's Word. God has created everything good in creation, but he has allowed the possibility of evil, and evil has come into the world through sin (disobedience of God's Word). Imagine what will be left when everything and everyone good in this world is led out and into God’s eternal kingdom.  

The meaning and purpose of this present earthly life is to seek and come to know God, our Creator (Acts 17:26-27). God has been incrementally revealing himself to his people. To Moses he revealed that he is not only Almighty God Most High, but he is also Lord of Creation and of the universe. God chose Israel to be his people, and agreed to be their God.

God began to reveal himself to Pharaoh through a series of great acts of judgment, the ten plagues. Pharaoh did not acknowledge that God was Lord until God’s ultimate act of judgment of the death of the first-born of the Egyptians (while “passing over” the first-born of the Israelites by the institution of Passover). It was God’s intention that Egypt would realize God’s power as Lord when they saw the Lord’s deliverance of his people from Egypt, and that Israel would also know and remember that God is the Lord who had redeemed them from slavery in Egypt.

The history of God’s dealings with Israel was intended to also be a parable and an illustration of life in this world. Jesus is the “Moses” through whom God redeems his people from slavery to sin and death in the “Egypt” of this world. Jesus is also the “Aaron” who is our High Priest who mediates on our behalf to God and who makes God’s Word and judgment known on earth.

John’s vision is of the Lord God Almighty who has ransomed his people from the power of Satan, the “Pharaoh” of the “Egypt” of this world, by the sacrifice of Jesus, the ultimate “Passover Lamb.” God is about to pour out the plagues of his Final Judgment.

Jesus is the fullest revelation of God to the world. The gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit whom only Jesus gives (John 1:31-34), only to his disciples who trust and obey Jesus (John 14:15-17), is the ultimate personal revelation of God the Father and Jesus Christ, God the Son, to us individually. Jesus is the name of the Lord our God (John 20:28). Jesus is God’s Word in human form (John 1:1-5, 14). In Jesus, God’s eternal plan has been fully revealed to all nations and people of the world.

Jesus had revealed to his disciples God’s will that Jesus would be crucified and raised to (eternal) life, but they didn’t understand what Jesus was saying. Instead they were arguing over who among them would have the most power, status and influence in the kingdom of heaven. Instead of learning to submit to God’s will they were arguing over who would submit to their will.

God’s creation allowed for the possibility for temptation and sin so that we could have free will and choice, but he also designed the Savior, Jesus Christ, into creation (John 1:1-5, 14). People will either be open and responsive to the disciples of Jesus or they will ignore or despise them. Those who respond favorably to Jesus’ disciples will receive Jesus. Jesus warns us of the eternally disastrous consequences of disobeying God’s Word and rejecting his free offer of forgiveness and salvation through faith (obedient trust) in Jesus Christ (see God’s Plan of Salvation, sidebar, top right).

Will we listen to God’s Word and trust and obey him, or will we wait until it is too late to be saved from his wrath to discover that he is indeed Lord and King of Creation and this Universe? The Day of Judgment will be the final and complete revelation of the Lord God Almighty. In that day nobody will have any doubt about who is Lord, but then it will be too late to change our eternal fate. Will we refuse to recognize the signs of God’s power and Lordship all around us until we stand before his throne of judgment and are separated eternally from his presence and paradise?

Is Jesus your Lord? Are you Jesus’ disciple? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus? Have you received the indwelling Holy Spirit since you first truly 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)?

5 Pentecost  - Tuesday

first posted 06/21/05

1 Samuel 2:12-26,       The Sons of Eli
Acts 2:1-21,        The Day of Pentecost
Luke 20:27-40       Question about the Resurrection

“The sons of Eli were worthless men; they had no regard for the Lord” (1 Samuel 2 12; Phinehas and Hophni; see 1 Samuel 1:3b).When people came to the sanctuary (which was at Shiloh at that time), to offer sacrifice, the priest’s servant would stick a three-pronged fork into the boiling pot of meat and take whatever came up on the fork. When someone was preparing a fat offering to be burned, the priest’s servant would demand a portion of the raw meat first, and would refuse to wait until the fat had been burned. He would threaten to take it by force if necessary. The sons of Eli treated the offering of the Lord with contempt.

Samuel was also serving the Lord in the temple. He wore a linen “ephod” (like an apron), which the priests wore. His mother, Hannah, would make him a robe each year and bring it to him at the annual pilgrimage of her husband, Elkanah, and his household. Eli would bless Elkanah and Hannah and would pray that the Lord would bless them with more children by Hannah, since the son she had “borrowed” from the Lord, she had “loaned” back to God’s service (a play on the Hebrew word which means “asked” or “borrowed”). The Lord did bless them and Hannah bore three sons and two daughters. “And the boy Samuel grew in the presence of the Lord” (1 Samuel 2:21b).

When Eli was quite old he heard how wickedly his sons were behaving, and he confronted them, telling them how evil their conduct of their duties was. He said, “If a man sins against a man, God will mediate for him; but if a man sins against the Lord, who can intercede for him” (1 Samuel 2:25). Since the sons refused to repent and amend their ways the Lord decided to destroy them.

On the day of Pentecost (the fiftieth day after Passover, the “feast of weeks,” from the “first fruits” offering to the completion of the grain harvest; Leviticus 23:9-14; later Jewish tradition regarded it as the day the Law was given to Moses on Mt. Sinai and the Covenant of Law established) the believers (about one hundred and twenty) were together in one place. There was a sound, like that of a great wind, which filled the house, and there were what appeared to be tongues of flame resting on each believer. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in many different languages by the power and inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

There were Jews in Jerusalem from every nation on earth. A great crowd gathered to the house because of the sound, and each one in the crowd heard their own native language being spoken by the believers. They realized that all the believers were Galileans, and were amazed that they were speaking in a wide variety of foreign languages, declaring the mighty works of God. The bystanders were amazed and wondered what this meant, but some thought the believers were drunk.

Peter stood and began to address the crowd, saying that the believers were not drunk, since it was only the third hour (9:00 A.M.). What had occurred was the fulfillment of the prophecy of Joel (Joel 2:28-32) of the Messianic age, when the Holy Spirit would be poured out on all flesh (the Holy Spirit had formerly only been given to certain individuals who were chosen prophets of God). Now all (believers) will be enlightened and guided by the Holy Spirit. All God’s servants will prophesy by the Holy Spirit. There will be signs and wonders and disruptions in nature in the days before the Lord’s return on the Day of Judgment, and whoever calls on the name of the Lord (in obedient trust) will be saved.

Some Sadducees (a faction of Jewish religious leaders who rejected belief in resurrection and existence after death) addressing him as “Teacher,” asked Jesus a hypothetical question about resurrection. The Law of Moses required a man to take the barren widow of a brother as wife in order to create heirs for his brother. Suppose that seven brothers had the same woman as wife, in fulfilling that obligation, each dying in succession without heirs. The Sadducees asked Jesus whose wife the woman would be in the resurrection, since she had been married to each of the brothers.

Jesus answered that marriage is a part of physical life in this age, but in the eternal life to come those who have been judged worthy of eternal life will not marry or be married, because they will no longer have physical bodies. They will have glorified bodies like the angels (and like Jesus’ resurrected body) since they will be sons (and daughters) of God, resurrected from death like Jesus.

Jesus used the scriptures to refute the Sadducees’ denial of resurrection. God is (not "was") the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. God is the God, not of the dead, but of the (spiritually) living, who live for and in him. Some of the scribes (teachers of the law; the Scriptures) addressed Jesus as “Teacher,” saying that Jesus had answered well. No one dared to question Jesus further.

Samuel is an example of a child of God, a “son,” growing spiritually and committed to God’s service, as compared to the wickedness and corruption of the sons of Eli. Eli’s sons were born into the priesthood but they were only interested in what they could personally gain from it materially.

Samuel was aware that his life and everything he had in this world was a “loan” from God, and that he would use it to serve God. The Lord blessed Hannah with many children, because she had given her “first-fruits” to the Lord.

There is a Day of Judgment coming when we will all be accountable for what we have done with our life and all the material and spiritual blessings the Lord has given us. Those who, like Phinehas and Hophni, who have used their lives to serve and please themselves, who treat the Lord with contempt, and who refuse to repent, amend their ways, and trust and obey the Lord will be eternally destroyed in accordance with God’s will and judgment.

Jesus is the only mediator (Acts 4:12; John 14:6) who can and will intercede to God on behalf of those who are in Christ (Romans 8:9-10) for the forgiveness of our sins and reconciliation with God (see God’s Plan of Salvation, sidebar, top right). Those who trust and obey the Lord can be assured that the Lord will mediate justice for themselves with other people; they can leave vengeance to the Lord (Deuteronomy 32:35-36; Romans 12:19; Hebrews 10:30)

The Day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit was given to believers marks the birthday of the Church. Pentecost signified the establishment of the New Covenant of grace through faith (obedient trust) in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9), replacing the Old Covenant of Law (Romans 8:1-8). Disciples of Jesus Christ, who trust and obey Jesus will receive the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit (John 14:15-17, 21, 23). But the Holy Spirit is given when the Lord, who knows our deepest innermost thoughts and attitudes, decides that we are committed to trusting and obeying him.

The believers who were "born-again” (John 3:3, 5-8) that first Pentecost by the gift of the Holy Spirit had been following and obeying Jesus for some time. The gift of the Holy Spirit is given to enable and empower us to serve the Lord, not just for ourselves.

The gifts of the Holy Spirit (Romans 12:6-8; 1 Corinthians 12:27-31a) are given to enable Christian disciples to accomplish God's will. The gift of “tongues” is the reversal of God’s act of confusing the language of the people at the tower of Babel (Genesis 11:1-9). The Holy Spirit is the “first-fruits” of eternal life; The Holy Spirit is the seal and guarantee that we are in Christ and that we have eternal life (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 8:9b, 11, 15-16).

The Holy Spirit is poured out on all flesh in the sense that the Holy Spirit is present in this world and active in convicting us of sin and calling us to repentance and righteousness (John 16:8-11). But the Holy Spirit only indwells those who have asked Jesus to come into their hearts in committed faith (obedient trust) in Jesus.

The Sadducees were sure that resurrection and existence after physical death was impossible and that they could prove why it wasn’t possible. They considered themselves experts and teachers of the Bible, but Jesus used the scriptures to refute them.

Each of us must decide for ourselves whether to believe Jesus and the Bible or not. Some will reject Jesus and God’s Word because their worldly “understanding” will make spiritual truth seem impossible. Some will have been born into the “Church” but won’t reverence, trust and obey the Lord. Some, as “members” of the “Church,” will continue sinful behavior without repentance and amendment, and will refuse to accept correction. Some will use “Christian” ministry as a "business" or "career" or as a way of manipulating God or people. Some will trust and obey Jesus and will receive the “first fruits” of eternal life through the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit, and will grow to spiritual maturity in personal fellowship with Jesus.

Is Jesus your Lord? Are you Jesus’ disciple? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus? Have you received the indwelling Holy Spirit since you first truly 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)?

first posted 06/22/05

1 Samuel 2:27-36,       House of Eli Condemned
Acts 2:22-36,        Peter’s Sermon on Pentecost
Luke 20:41-21:4       David’s Son and Lord

Eli had confronted his sons, Phinehas and Hophni, who were abusing their office of the priesthood, but they refused to repent and change their ways. A prophet came to Eli and told him that the Lord had revealed himself to Eli’s forefather, Aaron, in Egypt, when the Israelites were enslaved. The Lord chose Aaron from all the tribes of Israel to serve at the altar of the Lord, to burn incense, to wear the priestly garb. The Lord allowed Aaron and his descendants to eat the meat of the burnt offerings, but the sons of Eli had abused that gift by taking the best portions for themselves. God condemned Eli and his descendants for pursuing their own interests instead of honoring the Lord.

The Lord had promised Aaron that his descendants would serve as priests of the Lord forever, but now the Lord revoked that promise. The Lord declared that he would honor those who honor him, and despise those who despise him. The Lord declared that he would cut off the vitality of Eli’s descendants. His descendants would die young. The household of Eli will envy the prosperity of the other families of Israel. The only one to continue in the priesthood (Abiathar; 1 Samuel 22:18-23) would be spared only to grieve. As a sign of the truth of God’s prophecy, Phinehas and Hophni would die on the same day.

The Lord declared that he would raise up a faithful priest who would be obedient to God’s will. God will build him a sure house and his priesthood will continue for ever. The descendants of Eli who survive will beg for food and financial support and the opportunity to earn a living as priests.

Peter preached to a large crowd which had gathered to see the cause of the commotion caused by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the followers of Christ. Peter said that Jesus of Nazareth had been attested to by God through the miracles Jesus had done in their midst and which were public knowledge. But Israel had delivered Jesus to be crucified by lawless men (Gentiles), according to God’s plan and foreknowledge. But God raised Jesus up from the bonds of death.

Peter quoted David’s Psalm (Psalm 16:8-11) declaring that David honored the Lord and that the Lord was always with David to strengthen him, giving David joy and hope, believing that the Lord would not “abandon my soul to Hades, nor let thy Holy One see corruption” (Acts 2:27). The Lord had revealed the ways of life to David, and would fill him with joy in his presence.

Everyone knew that David had died long before, and where he had been buried. Peter said that David was a prophet who was speaking of the Messiah, whom God had promised would be a descendant of David. David therefore foretold the resurrection of Jesus, whom God did not abandon to the realm of the dead, and whose flesh did not decay in the grave.

Jesus had been raised from the dead and the congregation of believers had personally witnessed that fact (1 Corinthians 15:4-8). Jesus had ascended into heaven where he was made king and received the promise of the Holy Spirit, which he has poured out on his disciples, which the crowd was witnessing.

David hadn’t ascended into heaven, and in Psalm 110:1 David called the Messiah, a descendant of David, Lord. That psalm also prophesies that the enemies of the Messiah will be vanquished. “Let all the house of Israel therefore know assuredly that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified” (Acts 2:36).

The Sadducees (a faction of Jewish leaders who did not believe in resurrection and existence after death) and scribes (teachers of Jewish law and scripture), had challenged Jesus on the teaching on resurrection (Luke 20:27-40). Jesus used scripture to show them that they were wrong. The Scribes and Sadducees were afraid to ask him further questions. So Jesus asked why, if the Messiah is David’s descendant, does David call him Lord in Psalm 110:1, but they did not answer.

In the hearing of the whole crowd, Jesus told his disciples to beware of scribes (religious authorities) who like the public distinctions of their position, such as distinctive clothing and titles, who enjoy public honor and deferential treatment, who “for a pretense make long prayers” (Luke 20:47), but take advantage of the poor and needy. They will receive the condemnation they deserve.  

The Lord took the priesthood from Eli and his descendants because of corruption. The priests were using the priesthood for their own benefit; they weren’t honoring or serving the Lord but themselves instead. Jesus is the faithful priest God promised to raise up, who would be obedient to God’s will. Jesus was completely obedient to God’s will, including being crucified. God promised to make him a solid, eternal house (both a temple and a family) and his priesthood will be eternal. The descendants of Eli will be beggars, begging for a priesthood as a means of earning a living.

Peter, who on the night of Jesus’ betrayal was afraid to admit to a servant girl in the high priest’s house that he knew Jesus (Luke 22:56-57) was now boldly preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ to a large crowd, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit which he and the other believers had just received. Peter declared that David had believed in resurrection and existence after physical death, that David hoped in his own resurrection and life in God’s presence in heaven, and had prophesied the resurrection of the Messiah. The prophecy had been fulfilled and the one hundred and twenty believers (Acts 1:15) who had just received the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit were all witnesses to Jesus’ resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:3-8).

Paul (formerly “Saul”), the prototype of the modern, “post-resurrection” “born-again” (John 3:3, 5-8) disciple of Jesus Christ, is also included as a witness of Jesus’ resurrection (Acts 9:5) even though he had not known Jesus during Jesus’ earthly ministry, and did not encounter the risen Jesus prior to Jesus’ ascension into heaven (Acts 1:9-11). Every truly “born-again” Christian is also a witness to the fact of Jesus’ resurrection and eternal life.

Jesus’ resurrection proved that he was the Messiah (Christ; both mean “anointed” in Hebrew and Greek, respectively), God’s anointed, eternal King and Lord of heaven and earth. The gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit was the fulfillment of God’s Word and Jesus’ promise to his disciples (John 14:15-17, 21, 23; Joel 2:28-32).

The Sadducees and scribes (and Pharisees) were the corrupt priests of Jesus’ day. They were not serving and honoring the Lord, but were using their priesthood for their own honor and benefit. They claimed to be expert teachers and interpreters of scripture, but did not believe in resurrection, although scripture taught the resurrection of the dead and eternal existence. They couldn’t recognize that Jesus was the Messiah God had promised in his Word, and they didn’t honor and serve Jesus as their Lord, although David had called him his Lord. The prayers and piety of these corrupt religious leaders was a pretense, which they used to defraud widows, the poor and weak.

The “sons of Eli” are alive today and begging to make a living peddling the gospel (2 Corinthians 2:17), using religion for their own benefit and victimizing the poor and weak.
Parts of the nominal “Church” today look a lot like Judaism at the time of Christ’s first coming. Peter and Paul are examples of what Christian leaders and all Christians should be, and the gathering of the followers on the day of Pentecost is what the Church should be today.

Jesus has promised to return on the Day of Judgment to vanquish his enemies and receive his “born-again” disciples into his eternal, unshakable house in God’s presence. Christ's sacrifice on the Cross “has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God” (Revelation 1:5b-6) to be received by faith (obedient trust) in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9). Those who have trusted and obeyed Jesus will receive eternal life in heaven with the Lord, but those who have rejected Jesus as Lord or who have refused to trust and obey him will spend eternity in destruction in hell with all evil (Matthew 25:31-46; see God’s Plan of Salvation, sidebar, top right)

Is Jesus your Lord? Are you Jesus’ disciple? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus? Have you received the indwelling Holy Spirit since you first truly 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)?

first posted 06/23/05

1 Samuel 3:1-21,      God’s Call to Samuel
Acts 2:37-47,      The Call to Repentance
Luke 21:5-19       Destruction of the Temple foretold

Samuel was a still a boy, conducting the duties of a priest under Eli’s training and supervision. At that time prophetic revelation was not a common occurrence. Eli was quite old and had lost his eyesight. Samuel was sleeping in the temple. There was a lamp representing God’s presence which burned all night outside the veil (curtain) to the Holy-of-Holies, and the Ark of the Covenant was in the Holy-of Holies. Samuel heard a voice call his name and he went to Eli’s bed and asked what Eli wanted, assuming that it was Eli who had called. Eli told Samuel to go back to bed, because he hadn’t called. This was repeated, and then the third time, Eli realized that it was the Lord calling to Samuel.

Eli told Samuel to go back and lie down, and when the Lord called, Samuel was to answer “Speak Lord, for your servant hears” (1 Samuel 3:9). Samuel did as Eli had told him, and then the Lord told Samuel that he was going to do something which would amaze and awe everyone in Israel. The Lord told Samuel that soon he would carry out his judgment against Eli’s household (1 Samuel 2:31-34). God held Eli responsible for allowing his two sons Phinehas and Hophni to blaspheme God (by their irreverence and wicked deeds in their conduct as priests). God vowed that no sacrifice or offering would ever atone for the sins of the house of Eli.

Samuel arose in the morning and began his routine of opening the house of the Lord. Samuel was afraid to tell Eli what God had revealed to him. But Eli asked Samuel to tell him what the Lord had said without concealing any of it. Eli told Samuel that the Lord should do to Samuel the same judgment and more if Samuel concealed any of God’s Word from Eli. So Samuel told Eli everything that the Lord had said, and Eli acknowledged that God was Lord, and he accepted God’s judgment.

Samuel grew up with the Lord’s presence with him and none of God’s Word was wasted or unfulfilled. Throughout Israel, from the land of the tribe of Dan in the north, to Beer-sheba in the south, Samuel was recognized as a prophet of the Lord. The Lord appeared to Samuel at Shiloh and revealed himself to Samuel through his Word.

Peter had preached the gospel to a large crowd which had gathered because of the commotion resulting from the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Church in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost. The hearts of the observers were convicted of sin, and they asked the Apostles what they should do. Peter told them to repent (acknowledge their sins and change their ways) and be baptized in the name of Jesus for the forgiveness of their sins, and they would receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

The promise (of forgiveness and reconciliation with God through faith in Jesus Christ, and the gift of the Holy Spirit) is for all who will respond to God’s call. Peter urged his hearers to save themselves from God’s judgment upon their sinful generation. About three thousand people responded to Peter’s word and were baptized that day. “And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship (i.e., discipleship) and worship, participation in the Lord’s Supper (Communion; Eucharist) and prayer

Every Christian had godly fear (awe and respect for God’s power and authority) and many miracles were done through the apostles. All believers shared their possessions with one another and helped each other as any had need. They attended worship regularly and celebrated the Lord’s Supper in their homes, rejoicing and praising God. Their conduct, generosity and love for one another earned them respect in their community.

Some were admiring the beauty of the new temple, and Jesus told them the day was coming when the temple would be utterly destroyed. (The temple was built by Herod to gain political favor from the Jews; begun in 18 B. C. and not completed until 65 A.D.; destroyed in 70 A.D, forty years after Jesus’ prediction, and has never been rebuilt.)

The people asked Jesus when this would occur and what signs would foretell this destruction. Jesus warned them to be careful not to be misled by false “christs” and false prophets. Wars and uprisings, earthquakes, famines, and epidemic diseases will occur. There will be disruptions in nature. But before the end of this age, Christians will be persecuted, imprisoned, and judged by civil and religious courts. Judgment before worldly authorities will be an opportunity for disciples to testify to the gospel. Disciples are not to prepare beforehand what to say, because they will be empowered and inspired by the indwelling Holy Spirit at the time that they testify. The Lord will give them voice and wisdom which none of their adversaries can withstand or refute (I have personally experienced and testify to that truth).

Christians can expect to be hated and persecuted even by their own immediate families, relatives and friends. Some Christians will be executed for Jesus’ name. But Jesus assures his followers that they will not suffer the slightest loss spiritually and eternally, and that by faithful endurance they will receive true, eternal life.

Before the coming of Jesus, the fellowship and guidance of God’s Spirit was only given to a few who were chosen by God to be his prophets by that spiritual anointing. Samuel was one example of the kind of person God chose to be his prophet. Samuel trusted and obeyed the Lord. He had an obligation to proclaim all of God’s Word, both the promises and assurances and the warnings and judgments.

Samuel heard God’s call so clearly that he thought it was Eli’s voice. Samuel responded to God’s call in obedient trust; he acknowledged God as his Lord and himself as the Lord’s obedient trusting servant. The Lord revealed himself to Samuel through his Word and Samuel grew to spiritual maturity by the presence of the Lord’s Spirit. The result was that everyone in Israel came to recognize that Samuel was a prophet of the Lord.

Peter is an example of a “born-again” (John 3:3, 5-8) Christian disciple. On the night of Jesus’ betrayal Peter had been afraid to acknowledge to the high priest’s maid that he knew Jesus (Luke 22:56-57). Now, having just received the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit, he boldly preached the gospel, inspired and empowered by the Holy Spirit, to a crowd of over three thousand people, and it wasn’t a message that made them feel good. They felt guilty, convicted of sin. That conviction was needed to motivate them to acknowledge their situation and seek God’s forgiveness and salvation from eternal condemnation (see God’s Plan of Salvation, sidebar, top right).

Peter told them that the promise of God’s forgiveness and salvation and the gift of his indwelling Holy Spirit are available to all who respond to God’s call. Three thousand people heard God’s call that day and responded in obedient trust. Their lives were transformed by the indwelling Holy Spirit and the change was obvious to everyone who came in contact with them.

Church is not about beautiful buildings. It’s about proclaiming God’s Word faithfully, accurately and completely. It’s about making disciples of Jesus Christ and teaching them to know, trust, and obey all that Jesus teaches and commands (Matthew 28:19-20). It’s not about manipulating God to do our will, but learning to know and do God’s will. It’s not to give us false assurance and validate our worldly attitudes and behaviors.

There are many false “christs” and false prophets in the world today. It’s not about trying to know God’s timetable for return of Christ on the Day of Judgment (Acts 1:7). It’s about being a disciple now, seeking the fulfillment of the promise of the gift of the Holy Spirit, and growing to spiritual maturity in personal fellowship with Jesus through his Holy Spirit.

As we trust and obey Jesus we will receive his Holy Spirit (John 14:15-17, 21, 23), and he will reveal his love, power and faithfulness to us. We will learn that Jesus’ word is eternally true. Peter is an example of the fulfillment of Christ’s promise of the inspiration and empowerment of his disciples by his Holy Spirit to proclaim the gospel.

Is Jesus your Lord? Are you Jesus’ disciple? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus? Have you received the indwelling Holy Spirit since you first truly 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)?

first posted 06/24/05

1 Samuel 4:1b-11,      Philistines Defeat Israel
Acts 4:32-5:11,       Ananias and Sapphira
Luke 21:20-28       The End of the Age

Phinehas and Hophni, the sons of Eli, were corrupt priests of the temple at Shiloh. God had prophesied through Samuel that he was going to bring disaster upon the household of Eli, and that Phinehas and Hophni would die on the same day, as a sign that this was the Word of God (1 Samuel 2:34).

The Philistine army camped at Aphek and the Israelites assembled at Ebenezer in the middle of the coastal plain. The armies engaged, and Israel was defeated and four thousand Israelites were slain on the battlefield. When Israel returned to camp, they wondered why the Lord had allowed them to be defeated, and they decided to bring the Ark of the Covenant (a portable shrine representing the power and presence of God) from the temple at Shiloh, so that God’s presence among them would give them victory.

They sent messengers to Shiloh and brought back the Ark of the Covenant, with Phinehas and Hophni, the sons of Eli, who were priests at the temple in Shiloh. When the Ark was brought into the Israelite camp a great shout went up. The Philistines heard the commotion and wondered what was happening.

When they learned that the Ark of God had come into the camp they were afraid. They had never experienced such a thing before, and wondered who would be able to deliver them from the God of Israel. They had heard of the plagues God had brought against the Egyptians when he delivered the Israelites from Egypt. The Philistine leaders ordered their soldiers to be brave and fight like men if they didn’t want to become slaves of Israel.

When the battle was joined the Philistines defeated Israel in a great slaughter. Thirty thousand Israelite soldiers were slain that day, including Phinehas and Hophni, and the Ark of the Covenant was captured.

The Christians in Jerusalem were united in heart and soul, and shared every resource among themselves No one withheld anything as his own possession. The apostles testified to the resurrection of Jesus with great power, and great blessings from God were on them all. There wasn’t anyone among them who lacked anything, because whoever owned land or houses sold them and gave the proceeds to the apostles to distribute as needed.

Joseph Barnabas (“son of encouragement”), a Levite who had been born in  Cyprus, sold a field and gave it to the apostles, but Ananias and his wife Sapphira sold a piece of property and gave only a portion of the proceeds to the church, lying about the amount he had received (and appearing to be generous but inwardly selfish).

Peter, speaking by the Holy Spirit, knew that Ananias had lied, and confronted him publicly. Peter told Ananias that he had not been required to sell his land, and he had not been required to give the money to the church. Peter said Ananias had tried to lie to the Holy Spirit. At these words Ananias fell down dead.

Great fear came on all who heard about this. Young men from the congregation took Ananias’ body out and buried it. Three hours later, Ananias’ wife, Sapphira, came in, not knowing what had happened. Peter asked her the details of the land sale, and she repeated the lie her husband and she had agreed to say. Then Peter told her that she had lied to the Holy Spirit and would suffer the same fate as her husband, and she immediately fell dead at his feet. The young men returned, found her dead, and carried her out and buried her beside her husband. Great fear came upon the entire congregation, and everyone who heard about this.

Jesus had prophesied the destruction of the temple (not yet finished; built by Herod to win political favor with the Jews; Luke 21:5-9; and 19:41-44). People asked Jesus what signs would foretell the end of the age, and Jesus told them that when they see armies surrounding Jerusalem they will know that its destruction is near. Then they should flee from Jerusalem and from Judah, because those will be days of God’s vengeance to fulfill the scriptures.

It will be a very difficult time, especially for those who are pregnant or still nursing small children. “For great distress shall be upon the earth and wrath upon this people” (Luke 21:23). They will be slain, and made captives throughout all nations. Jerusalem will be trampled by the Gentiles until they have had opportunity to accept the gospel (Romans 11:25, Isaiah 63:18 Mark 13:10).

The day of Jesus’ return will be foretold by disturbances in the heavens and disruptions in nature on earth. Nations and governments will not know how to deal with these things, and people will be fainting with fear and dread. Then they will see Jesus coming in a cloud, with great power and glory. When these things begin, Christians should rejoice, knowing that their redemption is at hand.

Phinehas and Hophni were corrupt priests who used their priesthood to enrich themselves and manipulate people (1 Samuel 2:22-34; 3:13-14). Israel was facing an attack by her enemy and went to fight, expecting God to win the victory for them, although they were disobedient to God and spiritually corrupt; they didn’t honor and respect God’s power and authority.

The first engagement should have been a warning to them to examine their spiritual condition, to repent and change their ways, and seek the Lord’s help. Instead they thought they could manipulate God to do their will through their corrupt priests. God’s prophecy against the household of Eli was fulfilled.

Ananias and Sapphira thought they could use religion to enrich themselves and gain status through insincerity. They didn’t have a proper fear of God for his power and authority. Their mistake cost them their lives.

The Jews were very proud of their fine new temple, begun in 18 B.C. by King Herod the Great (the King who had attempted to kill the infant Jesus by slaughtering boy children in Bethlehem; see Matthew 2:1-18). Jesus prophesied the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple, and the dispersion of Israel throughout the world, and this prophecy was fulfilled in 70 A.D. by the Romans, five years after the completion of the temple and about forty years after Jesus’ prophecy. The Jews were scattered throughout the world, Israel ceased to exist as a nation, and the land was “trampled by Gentiles” until Jews began to return to their land following World War II. The temple has never been rebuilt.

Judaism effectively ended at Jesus’ crucifixion, when the veil of the temple (separating the Holy-of-Holies containing the Ark of the Covenant from the main sanctuary) was torn in two from top to bottom (Luke 23:44-45). The tearing of the veil symbolizes that Jesus has opened the way into the personal presence of the Lord, through obedient trust in Jesus, by the gift of his indwelling Holy Spirit.

The temple was the means of forgiveness and reconciliation with God under the Old Covenant of Law through animal sacrifices. The temple is no longer needed because Jesus is the only sacrifice acceptable to God, once for all time (Hebrews 9:24-28) for forgiveness and reconciliation with God, and Jesus is the mediator of the New Covenant of grace (unmerited favor) through faith (obedient trust) in Jesus (Ephesians 2:8-9).

At the time of Jesus’ first coming, the religious leaders had become corrupt like the sons of Eli. They were using their positions to gain status and to enrich themselves. They had become like the wicked tenants in Jesus’ Parable of the Vineyard (Luke 20:9-16). They didn’t honor and fear God. They liked worldly praise better than God’s approval.

Jesus foretold the destruction of Jerusalem, but he also foretold the Day of Judgment when he will return to separate the wicked, who reject and refuse to trust and obey Jesus, from the righteous, who do trust and obey Jesus (Matthew 25:31-46). Jesus will return in a cloud, just as his disciples saw him ascend into heaven (Acts 1:9-11).

Whether we are alive or have died physically when Jesus returns, we will be accountable to him for what we have done in this life (John 5:28-29). The destruction of Jerusalem and the temple ought to be a warning to the Church and to Christian nations, which are in very similar conditions today as Israel and Judaism were then.


Do we imagine that God will bless and protect us although we do not trust and obey him? Do we think we can manipulate God to do our bidding by participating in some religious ritual or by some symbol? Do we imagine that we can fool God by insincerity?

Do we choose religious leaders who tell us what we want to hear and do what we ask them to do? Are we using religion for material and social benefit? Do we continue to make the same mistakes, instead of heeding warnings and honestly examining our spiritual condition? When Jesus returns will we be ready, or will we be fainting with fear and dread?

Is Jesus your Lord? Are you Jesus’ disciple? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus? Have you received the indwelling Holy Spirit since you first truly 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)?