We celebrate Resurrection Sunday and revere Crucifixion Friday. But most often we just ignore Saturday, the in between day. And why should we pay attention to it? Is there any significance to this day, or is it just a pause or dash between the days of action. The Final Four tournament plays the semifinal games on Saturday and the finals on Monday. The “in between day” is just a time for sports fans to rest up for the big event. Ironically, the “in between day” is Easter this year. But I digress.
Saturday was basically a time to wait. Luke 26:56 reports the activities of the women who followed Jesus:
Then they returned and prepared spices and perfumes. And on the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment.
For Christ’s followers, the Sabbath, though a day for worship traditionally, seemed to just be a day of waiting. Notice that the “commandment” was to rest.
Charles Swindoll suggested some ideas about “Saturday activities.” I am copying some of his ideas.
The first thing that the Bible mentions as Saturday activities was the chief priests and the Pharisees gathering with Pilate. (Matthew 27:62) Have you ever thought of that? The CP and P were engaging in activity on the SABBATH! And look at the activity.
First, they met with the Roman ruler of Jerusalem. I am not sure if the “commandment” addressed that activity, but I would be pretty sure, based on the Sabbath regulations that had been promulgated over the years, that they somehow violated the the sacred day. And notice their appeal to Pilate. (Matthew 27:63)
“Sir, we remember that when He was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I am to rise again.’”
Is it not significant that they recalled, and believed what Jesus said? The disciples and other followers seemed to be oblivious of this promise/prediction. Either they forgot or disregarded the promise. And here comes the Sabbath activity of the CP and P. (Matthew 27:64)
“Therefore, give orders for the grave to be made secure until the third day, otherwise His disciples may come and steal Him away and say to the people, ‘He has risen from the dead,’ and the last deception will be worse than the first.”
Well, had they merely limited their Sabbath activity to this request, it is possible that they would have been “in compliance.” But look at their subsequent activity. (V. 66)
And they went and made the grave secure, and along with the guard they set a seal on the stone.
Notice who is conducting the “work.”
Well, the observation of the Sabbath seems to be limited to when Jesus was doing things that they opposed–like healing sick people. But I digress. Dr. Swindoll added a perspective that I had not previously considered.
The guard that they set to insure that no one took the body out most assuredly became eye-witnesses of the resurrection. You know that they did not “sleep.” The penalty for such dereliction of duty was summary execution. They were wide awake, but they probably feared that they were dreaming or having a vision. They might even have thought it was a hallucination.
But as the Risen Christ walked through the stone walls, I would imagine that, being a courteous Jew, Jesus hailed them, “Hi, guys! Wonderful day for a resurrection, isn’t it?” They witnessed this astounding event. They also saw the angel roll the stone away. (28:2-4)
And behold, a severe earthquake had occurred, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled away the stone and sat upon it. 3 And his appearance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. 4 The guards shook for fear of him and became like dead men.
Here is where they were “asleep.”
Later on, (v. 11-15) they reported to the chief priests and Pharisees what had happened. Now how could they have told the CP and P what happened if they had not seen it? There were four witnesses to the resurrection that are never appealed to by apologists.
Incidentally, they were given the excuse that they “fell asleep” and the disciples stole the body. First, how could they know it really was the disciples if they were asleep? As Swindoll said, “Sleeping witnesses do not produce believable testimony.”
But the CP and P did offer a significant benefit to the fledgling Church. There were at least four witnesses to this resurrection. Swindoll further speculates that perhaps one of the four were in the guard detail which accompanied Saul to Damascus for his fateful encounter with the same risen Lord. Proof could be in verse 7 of Acts 9.
The men who traveled with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one.
The Sunday events may have returned to his or their minds. This was just a few years later.
Why would Matthew include such seemingly mundane details? First, to explain how the CP and P were able to generate the fiction of body piracy. Without the soldiers in place, they would have had no evidence to support that. Ironically, the “evidence” most probably confirmed the resurrection and perhaps even contributed to Saul/Paul’s conversion.
Saturday is significant, even when it is just a day of waiting. HE is risen!
In case you do not get to hear this song this Easter, here is an extra bonus.
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=he%27s+alive&view=detail&mid=8BDCDACA24298934F9668BDCDACA24298934F966&FORM=VIRE
He is risen, indeed! Amen! Hallelujah!
Saturday, March 31, 2018
Monday, March 5, 2018
Rapture Timing
The Thessalonians were worried about having missed the rapture. Check 2 Thessalonians 2:2. V. 1 “Now we request...
that ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.”
Paul is writing to reassure them that they had not missed the rapture and that the Tribulation, the day of Christ had begun. Someone had written them a letter stating that the Tribulation had begun and signed it with Paul’s name. If we consider the assumptions involved here, we can see that they believed that the Rapture preceded the Tribulation. (Pre-Tribulation Rapture)
Paul explained: Verse 3
Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
The “falling away” or apostasy is also predicted, but we will pass over that right now. “That day” will not come until the man of sin is revealed.
Paul proceeded to explain that the Man of Sin (anti-Christ) is being restrained and he has to be released before the Tribulation begins. The Restrainer is the Holy Spirit, and He will not leave the Church. So When He stops restraining and leaves, the Church goes too. The language is that the restrainer will be taken out of the way. Thus we understand Paul’s reassurance that the Thessalonians are not, and will not be in the Tribulation. (Day of Christ)
Here is Paul’s arugment. V. 6-8
And you know what (Holy Spirit) restrains him (anti-Christ) now, so that in his time he (a-C) will be revealed. 7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains (HS) will do so until he is taken out of the way. 8 Then that lawless one (a-C) will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth....
Read on through the chapter and it becomes even more clear. The Tribulation is a time of punishment for not believing on Christ. So does it make sense that the Church, the ones who do believe on Him, would be punished for not believing? No, it does not make sense.
As our friend, Adrian Rogers, who is now with the Lord, used to say, “We are not looking for the Tribulation, we are looking for Jesus. Even so come, Lord Jesus.
Keep watching, working, and waiting.
that ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.”
Paul is writing to reassure them that they had not missed the rapture and that the Tribulation, the day of Christ had begun. Someone had written them a letter stating that the Tribulation had begun and signed it with Paul’s name. If we consider the assumptions involved here, we can see that they believed that the Rapture preceded the Tribulation. (Pre-Tribulation Rapture)
Paul explained: Verse 3
Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
The “falling away” or apostasy is also predicted, but we will pass over that right now. “That day” will not come until the man of sin is revealed.
Paul proceeded to explain that the Man of Sin (anti-Christ) is being restrained and he has to be released before the Tribulation begins. The Restrainer is the Holy Spirit, and He will not leave the Church. So When He stops restraining and leaves, the Church goes too. The language is that the restrainer will be taken out of the way. Thus we understand Paul’s reassurance that the Thessalonians are not, and will not be in the Tribulation. (Day of Christ)
Here is Paul’s arugment. V. 6-8
And you know what (Holy Spirit) restrains him (anti-Christ) now, so that in his time he (a-C) will be revealed. 7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains (HS) will do so until he is taken out of the way. 8 Then that lawless one (a-C) will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth....
Read on through the chapter and it becomes even more clear. The Tribulation is a time of punishment for not believing on Christ. So does it make sense that the Church, the ones who do believe on Him, would be punished for not believing? No, it does not make sense.
As our friend, Adrian Rogers, who is now with the Lord, used to say, “We are not looking for the Tribulation, we are looking for Jesus. Even so come, Lord Jesus.
Keep watching, working, and waiting.
Thursday, March 1, 2018
Compel
There is an interesting verse in the story of the lord who invited guests to his dinner. (Luke 14) After having the invited guests refuse to attend, he sent out his servants to “bring others in.” When the hall was not sufficiently filled, he commanded that they go out and “compel them to come in.” (Luke 14:23)
Does that phrase puzzle you? First, why would anyone want to compel guests to come to a celebration, and second, why would people not be there in the first place? As we put the story into its context, we will find both answers. And I think we will find an interesting meaning for “compel.”
The party to which Jesus is referring is the invitation of God to people to come to Him. And, specifically in this instance, Jesus was talking about the Jews, who had been invited to fellowship with God. They had and continued to refuse. Metaphorically, in this instance, they are invited to come to Christ who is offering, among other things the Bread of Life and the Water of Life. Ultimately, the invitation is to the wedding supper of the Lamb, and we see people ignoring that as if it were an unwanted parking ticket.
In those days, an ignored invitation was an insult, and the host did not want His attending guests to be embarrassed. So He “filled” up the hall. The Jews had refused to come and the offer was extended to the Gentiles, who accepted it.
The “odd” aspect is the “compel” addendum. Try this on for size. I woke up in the middle of the night and rolled over. I was not ready nor willing to leave the bed. But, before long, I was “compelled” to get up. You know what I mean. As we either get older or drink too much liquid, or both, we find that periodic treks to the closest bathroom become a common feature of our night time hours. So, even though I was not “forced” to go anywhere, I had an insistent urge to do so. I was under compulsion.
I can not see the sent servants grabbing people by the arm to drag them to the banquet, but instead offering a sample of the repast and describing how much more is available–at the father’s house. The Father does not force people to come to His banquet, but He does make it a very attractive destination, which has the effect of drawing us to attend. Not only is it for our good, it is good for us, both physically and spiritually. Time spent with God is never “wasted.” In fact, it becomes, over time, more joyful and rewarding.
The Westminster Shorter Catechism keeps coming to mind. “Man’s (our) chief end is to enjoy God and glorify Him forever.” The “joy” is self-perpetuating and even self-multiplying. The more time we spend with Him, the better it is and the more time we want to spend with Him. In a sense, He compels us to come because it is the most pleasant and rewarding option available. Another term we can use is, “drawn with cords of love.”
There is no nefarious motive of “forcing” people against their will to come. Instead, their wills are wooed and won by the attraction of this glorious God.
By the way, I’m going. I am compelled to go.
Does that phrase puzzle you? First, why would anyone want to compel guests to come to a celebration, and second, why would people not be there in the first place? As we put the story into its context, we will find both answers. And I think we will find an interesting meaning for “compel.”
The party to which Jesus is referring is the invitation of God to people to come to Him. And, specifically in this instance, Jesus was talking about the Jews, who had been invited to fellowship with God. They had and continued to refuse. Metaphorically, in this instance, they are invited to come to Christ who is offering, among other things the Bread of Life and the Water of Life. Ultimately, the invitation is to the wedding supper of the Lamb, and we see people ignoring that as if it were an unwanted parking ticket.
In those days, an ignored invitation was an insult, and the host did not want His attending guests to be embarrassed. So He “filled” up the hall. The Jews had refused to come and the offer was extended to the Gentiles, who accepted it.
The “odd” aspect is the “compel” addendum. Try this on for size. I woke up in the middle of the night and rolled over. I was not ready nor willing to leave the bed. But, before long, I was “compelled” to get up. You know what I mean. As we either get older or drink too much liquid, or both, we find that periodic treks to the closest bathroom become a common feature of our night time hours. So, even though I was not “forced” to go anywhere, I had an insistent urge to do so. I was under compulsion.
I can not see the sent servants grabbing people by the arm to drag them to the banquet, but instead offering a sample of the repast and describing how much more is available–at the father’s house. The Father does not force people to come to His banquet, but He does make it a very attractive destination, which has the effect of drawing us to attend. Not only is it for our good, it is good for us, both physically and spiritually. Time spent with God is never “wasted.” In fact, it becomes, over time, more joyful and rewarding.
The Westminster Shorter Catechism keeps coming to mind. “Man’s (our) chief end is to enjoy God and glorify Him forever.” The “joy” is self-perpetuating and even self-multiplying. The more time we spend with Him, the better it is and the more time we want to spend with Him. In a sense, He compels us to come because it is the most pleasant and rewarding option available. Another term we can use is, “drawn with cords of love.”
There is no nefarious motive of “forcing” people against their will to come. Instead, their wills are wooed and won by the attraction of this glorious God.
By the way, I’m going. I am compelled to go.
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