The Fight for Faith. A Journey through Galatians (Chapter 2 a)

Galatians 2

Paul in Jerusalem

In chapter two the main theme is the oneness of the gospel. Today there seems to be different teachings when it comes to the gospel. One church will preach one gospel with one way to Christ, and the church down the street will preach another gospel with another way to Christ. The trouble with this is that there can only be one gospel, and there is only one way to Christ. Someone must be right and someone must be wrong.

This controversy is something that Paul had to deal with in this early church. Was Paul’s gospel right or was these legalistic Jews gospel right? We will see in this chapter that the gospel Paul preached was right, and he was willing to confront those that opposed it.

Beginning in verse one Paul retells the story of Acts chapter 15. In Acts 15 we see a council taking place in Jerusalem. At this council the apostles meet together with one topic on their mind. They wanted to determine if all of them were preaching the same message, and if God was saving in other area by faith in Christ.

Paul tells us that when he attended this council he took Titus with him. The reason this is so important is because Titus was a Greek. At this council Titus was “exhibit A” and became an example of a person saved apart from keeping the Law.

From the way this chapter progresses it would seem that there were some false believers coming into the churches where Paul preached and spying on him. They had noticed that this young man Titus had professed Christ, but Paul at no time after his conversion compelled him to be circumcised. This was a topic these false believers brought up over and over trying to discredit Paul.

Circumcision was a rite of passage under the Mosaic system. Circumcision actually began with Abraham in Genesis 17. For a person to submit to circumcision meant that they were submitting to the entire Jewish law. What the Jews forgot was the circumcision was an outward expression of an inward experience. The same is true today with baptism.

Paul states that when he took Titus to the apostles in Jerusalem they did not compel Titus to be circumcised. They did not listen to these false believers. Under the leadership of the Holy Spirit these men rightly decided that they had no right to place someone under the bondage of the Law. In Jesus Christ there was liberty and they were not going to take that away from Titus.

If a person had to be circumcised to be saved then that meant Titus was lost. The fact is however that Titus had been saved by the grace of God, and by grace alone. There was no need to impose on him, or any other believer for that matter, something that Christ had delivered him from.

You may not see the importance of all of this. Let me bring it out in this light. These men were living in the very early days of the church. They did not have a complete copy of the New Testament. They were preaching things that were not only new to the congregation, but new to them as well. God was revealing new things to his men, and those men in turn were revealing these new things to the people. The reason that these men got together was to confirm that what they were being revealed to was the same as what everyone else had been revealed.

Today we don’t need a revelation from God. We have a bible that teaches us completely the will of God. If we want to know the mind, will, or plans of God we simply have to read His word. These men did not have this luxury.

No doubt it was a time of great rejoicing when they compared notes and saw that they were preaching the exact same thing and that God was blessing their works.

In the end of chapter three we see this principal put into action through an experience in Antioch. In our next blog we will look at an experience that took place between Peter and Paul. 

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The Two Witnesses, Who are they?

Revelation Chapter 11

The eleventh chapter of the book of Revelation is one of the most debated in the entire book. The identity of the two witnesses is something that has been haggled over by many men much wiser than me. In this post I intend to explain who these two men are, it seems pretty simple to me, and what their job will be.

Beginning in verse three we are introduced to these two witnesses. The bible teaches that they are to prophesy for 1,260 days. Doing the math that is equal to 42 months or 3 ½ years. These men will therefore prophesy for the last 3 ½ years of the tribulation period, commonly referred to as the “great tribulation.”

When these two men come, they prophesy of the coming judgment of God. In the Bible sackcloth and ashes always spoke of repentance, and that is exactly what God is demanding.

The big question is "Who are these two witnesses?" Well let me first say that these two witnesses are men. They are not systems, churches or a body of witnesses. These two are said to prophesy in sackcloth, which cannot be said for a system or church.

Elijah

Firstly we are told that these two have power to shut up heaven so that it does not rain during the days of their prophecy. I believe that this therefore can refer to none other than Elijah. Elijah had power to shut up heaven so that it did not rain in the days of Ahab. And you can guess how long he shut up heaven. That's right 3 1/2 years according to I Kings 17:1. This is the same length of time that these two witnesses are to prophesy.

“Elijah was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.”   James 5:17

This is nothing new. It is simply a repeat performance for Elijah. You will remember the first time Elijah shut heaven was for the purpose of proving who was God. Elijah and the prophets of Baal had a contest to prove who was God. Was Jehovah God or was Baal god. The same is true during this time. Who is God? Is Jehovah God or is Antichrist god?

The prophet Malachi also prophesied and told of the second coming of Elijah.

“Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the LORD, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.”   Mal. 3:1

“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:”    Mal. 4:5

Many say that the prophecy of Elijah was fulfilled in John the Baptist, so let us talk about that. It is very clear that since the prophet Malachi said that Elijah would come just before the "great and dreadful day of the Lord." John the Baptist did not fulfill this prophecy.

When John came we know that he preached the first coming of Jesus Christ, but after his preaching there was no great and dreadful day of the Lord. Therefore this coming of Elijah must still yet be future. The great and dreadful day of the Lord will follow the prophecy of these two witnesses.

Further proof that John was not Elijah is found by the words of John himself. When the Jews came to John they ask him "Who art thou?" As we see in the scriptures John confessed - "I am not the Christ." And then they asked him, "What then? Art thou Elijah?" And he said - "I am not." It is clear from John's answer to these questions that he was not Elijah.

According to Malachi's prophecy Elijah is to come and fulfill all things. This John did not do. This makes it abundantly clear that Elijah is yet to come. Elijah is to come just before the great and dreadful day of the Lord. Elijah will be one of the two witnesses and just as in the days of Ahab the king Elijah will shut up heaven and will not allow it to rain for 3 1/2 years.

Moses

Many say that Enoch will be the other witness. They say this because he was translated and did not die, like Elijah. They say that since he did not die he must come to earth so he can then die.

They say it could not be someone else who had already died. This is not good proof however, for if Lazarus could be raised from the dead and then die again then why could not someone else?

I believe the second witness will be Moses. The Bible tells us that these witnesses are to do two things. One they are to shut up heaven and not allow it to rain, and second they are to have power over the waters to turn them into blood and to smite the earth with plagues as often as they want.

We know from the scripture that Moses is the one that God allowed to turn the water to blood and smite Egypt with plagues. We are not told that Enoch had such power. These two witnesses will be Moses and Elijah.

It is worth noting that the title of these two is "my two witnesses." This seems to imply that the job of these two is witnessing. If you will recall on the Mount of Transfiguration there were two men that witnessed.

“And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elijah talking with him.”   Matthew 17:3

There were also two men (angels) that witnessed at the tomb of Christ to the women who came to anoint the body of Christ. They told the women that Jesus was risen. There was two men that witnessed to the Galilean crowd gathered watching Jesus ascend into heaven in the book of Acts. In all three occasions the men were clothed in shining garments. These men may very well have been Moses and Elijah. It seems that God has chosen them for the purpose of witnessing. Why not allow them to do what they have done on other occasions, witness?

The job to be done

These two witnesses are to prophesy for 3 1/2 years and we are told that during that time they will be immune to death. In fact if any man tries to harm them, the Bible says that fire will proceed out of their mouth and devour their enemies. Can you imagine large crowds gather around to hear these two men preach? From out of the crowd someone attempts to attack the witnesses, but before they can harm the witnesses fire comes from their mouths and devours them. I wonder how CNN will spin this.

While they are immune to death for 3 ½ years the scripture is clear that they will eventually be killed. When they have finished their work of prophesying the beast will overcome them, will kill them, and will leave them laying dead in the street for three days.

We are told that the Antichrist will make war with them and will kill them. Their dead bodies will lie in the streets for three and one half days. In these days Jerusalem will be called Sodom and Egypt because their character will be like that of Sodom in the days of Lot and Egypt in the days of Moses.

When these men die, the Bible says that they will not suffer their bodies to be buried. They will rejoice over them and send gifts to one another. The reason they are so happy is that these two men tormented them day and night by plagues and their testimony. These people will think that because they killed these men they also killed the law of God and therefore they cannot be punished for their sins.

No doubt this victory over the two witnesses will give Antichrist the added courage he needs to make war with Christ. If he can kill God’s witnesses he will feel like he can kill God himself.

The peoples rejoicing will be short lived. For at the end of three days and a half the spirit of life will come into these men and they will stand upon their feet and great fear shall be upon their enemies. A voice from heaven will be heard saying, "Come up hither" and they will be caught up into heaven in a cloud.

At this same time there will be an earthquake and a tenth part of the city will be destroyed and 7,000 of its inhabitants will die. The people will repent, but their repentance is short lived, like that of Pharaoh in the days of the Egyptian plagues.

The chapter ends with the blowing of the seventh trumpet. When this trumpet blows the earth will tremble and shake like it did when the seventh seal was broken, and like it will do when the seventh vial of judgment is poured out.

If you would like to watch this lesson taught live click the link:

http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/17353458

Woe, Woe, Woe

Revelation Chapter 9

As Revelation chapter 8 ends we witness an angel flying through the midst of heaven proclaiming three woes to the inhabitants of the earth. Beginning in chapter 9 we are given the first woe, and the beginning of the second woe. It will not be until chapter 12 that the final woe is come. Let us now look at some (in my opinion) most terrible judgments that will come during these seven years of tribulation.

First Woe (Fifth Trumpet)

When chapter nine begins we witness a “star” falling from the sky. The fact that this is not a literal star is pretty obvious. The fact that this star, or angel, falls from heaven does not imply that the angel is a fallen angel or Satan himself as some would imply. John simply is saying that this star descended from heaven at a rapid rate, so as to appear to be falling.

This is the same star angel found in chapter 20:1-3. The angel in chapter 20 is seen coming down from heaven with the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. The angel binds Satan and casts him into the pit for 1,000 years. The work of both angels is the same, to unlock and lock the bottomless pit.

There is a great deal of speculation as to who the angel of verse one is. I think that it is not important, and does not add to the importance of the scriptures. There is little doubt that this angel is not Satan, and I do not believe he is Christ. This more than likely is an angel that has been tasked with opening and sealing the bottomless pit.

The “bottomless pit” mentioned in these verses is not hell, nor is it Hades. This is a place where wicked, disembodied spirits are held. In the New Testament this bottomless pit is also referred to as the “abyss”. This place is so terrible that when Christ cast the demons out of the maniac in Luke 8 the demons begged Christ not to send them into the “abyss”. They would rather have embodied a group of pigs than to go to this terrible “abyss.”

When the angel opens the bottomless pit a group of demon locust comes forth. These are not ordinary locust. We know this because they were a combination of horse, man, woman, lion and scorpion.

These terrible creatures are instructed to torment those who do not have the seal of God on their forehead. This torment is so great that it lasts for five months. During this time of suffering men and women will be in so much pain that they will desire to die, but death will not be allowed. Can you imagine suffering pain so great that you wish you could just die and end it all, but death will not come?

These locusts have a king over them. The name of this king is “Apollyon” which means “The Destroyer.” Since Satan is not called by this name in the scriptures, this cannot be their king. Instead this demon is simply the king of the bottomless pit.

Second Woe (Sixth Trumpet)

When this trumpet blows four wicked angels are loosed. We know they are wicked angels because up until this point they have been bound. These four angels are the leaders of 200 million demonic horsemen. We can assume that they have been bound near the river Euphrates, where Satan’s seat was in ancient days, and where the New Babylon will stand.

Again these are not ordinary horses. Their heads were as the head of a lion, their tails like serpents and smoke, fire and brimstone comes out of their mouth. The invasion of this cavalry will leave behind millions of dead for they are commanded to kill 1/3 of all living. They will kill around one billion people. Men will die either by being burnt to death by fire, by suffocating on the smoke or by the sting of the serpent like tail.

They are sent to punish men for their idolatry, demon worship, murder, sorcery, fornication and theft. The staggering thing is that the men who are not killed still are unwilling to repent of their sins.

This is amazing for we have seen the release of 13 judgments, seven seals, and six trumpets. One would think that after experiencing these judgments men would begin to think of eternity, but this is not so, they continue to rebel. We are told in the word of God that men will not repent of their sins even after they have been placed into hell. In hell they continue to gnash their teeth and wail out against God. They are angry with Him and are not willing to repent.

These verses tell us of five sins that man would rather hold onto than turn to the Lord.

1.      Occultism – This will be a time of pronounced devil worship. We know that many will fall down and worship the image of the beast, but this is currently seen today. We see the same today however, on our street corners and televisions. What do you think psychics and astrologers are?

2.      Murder – In this day murder becomes a sport, it is pleasurable to them. Today we see the acts of terrorism and hate crimes that people commit without any remorse.

3.      Drug abuse – The word used for sorceries is “pharmicia” and is translated today as pharmacy or pharmaceutical. In all of the Old Testament and in the book of Acts the word sorcery is translated and means witchcraft and should be translated as such. There are five instances however in the New Testament where this word is translated differently.

These next two are interlinked. In an effort to support their drug abuse women will sell their bodies and men will steal.

4.      Fornication

5.      Stealing

What a terrible time to live in. I’m glad I will not be here. How about you?

The Rapture of the church! Revelation chapter 4

Chapter four begins the third division of this book. You will remember in chapter one that Jesus told John to write the things that “thou hast saw, the things that are and the things that will be hereafter.” This tells us that the book is written in chronological order, past, present and history.

John begins this chapter with the phrase “after this.” Well that brings up the question “after what”? After the time of the seven churches is fulfilled. After the church age is over John sees a door in heaven open and hears a voice from heaven cry “come up here.”

This cry is no doubt the rapture of the church. It will be at this time that the Lord will return to this earth and call away millions of believers who are upon this earth. This rapture will send the world into a state of panic. Millions of people will go missing. Airports, highways and hospitals will be shut down.

Husbands and wives will be missing from their beds. Workers will go missing from their job. Every child will be gone all at one time. This will open up the door for the man of sin to enter the scene with an explanation of what is going on in the world.

This rapture will be a literal return of Christ in bodily form to literally call believers to heaven. Many do not believe that Christ will come bodily to call away the church, but we are told in Acts 1:9-11 that Christ will return in like manner as He went away.

How did Jesus leave?

“Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.”   Luke 24:39

Jesus possessed a literal, physical body that could be seen, touched and heard. When Jesus returns He will have a body and those that are going to be called to meet Him will see him.

“Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doeth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.”    I John 3:2

This time that we call the rapture is the first stage of the second coming of Christ. Some will say that the rapture is not a Bible teaching because the word rapture is not mentioned in the Bible. Well the word Bible is not mentioned in the Bible, but nobody seems to have a problem with it. The rapture is different however than the revelation of Christ which is the second return of Christ.

Rapture                                                                Revelation

Described in chapter four                            Described in chapter 19

Precedes the tribulation                              Follows the tribulation

A meeting in the air                                       A return to earth

Removes the believer from the                Restores the believer after the judgment                           judgment

This call in verse one is the same call as in I Thessalonians 4:16-17. So this answers the question, “will the church be on earth during the tribulation hour?” The answer is NO! The church will not be on earth during the time of the tribulation. The church is mentioned 16 times in chapters one through three but is not mentioned in chapters 6 through 18, which deal with the tribulation judgments.

Why is the church not mentioned you may ask? First of all the tribulation is Israel’s judgment according to the scriptures.

“Alas! For that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble: but he shall be saved out of it.”   Jeremiah 30:7

“And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince that standeth for thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, everyone that shall be found written in the book.”      Daniel 12:1

Not only this but the first 69 weeks of Daniels vision was directed and spoke about the nation of Israel. If this is the case would it not make since that the 70^th week also be toward Israel.

“Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.”     Daniel 9:24

Let me therefore state again that the church cannot be seen in the book of Revelation between chapters 6 through 18. You do see however the Jew and Jewish terminology mentioned over and over again.

Well, you say, I believe that the call of verse one is a call for John only and does not apply to all of the church. Well if this be true then explain to me chapter 4:10. This verse states that the four and twenty elders fall down before the throne and begin to cast their crowns at the feet of the Lord.

When are the believers to be crowned? After the rapture of course.

“And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.”    Luke 14:14

“And when the chief shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.”     I Peter 5:4

It is obvious that the judgment seat of Christ must take place before the believer is crowned. If this be the case then when John sees these believers in chapter four they have already been raptured and crowned. And again these are the things that are to happen hereafter.

As John begins to see this vision the first thing that John sees in heaven is a throne. This throne was not vacant, but one sat upon the throne. Many may not agree with me on this but I believe that the scriptures teach that it is God the Father that is sitting on this throne.

Not only do we see the throne and the person upon the throne, but we also notice the rainbow around the throne. The first mention of a rainbow in the Bible is found in Genesis 9:13-17. In these verses God speaks to Noah and makes a covenant with him that He would never destroy the earth again with a flood. But this rainbow was only a semicircle. In fact the rainbow that you and I see today is a semicircle. The rainbow in heaven is a complete circle around the throne. In this world we only see half of things, but in heaven we will see the whole of things.

In Noah’s day the rainbow was a sign of a covenant based on the sacrifice of Noah in Genesis 8:20-22. The rainbow about the throne in heaven is also a sign of a covenant based upon a sacrifice. This is the sacrifice of Christ upon the cross.

Why is it so important for John to see this rainbow? This proves that God is a covenant keeping God. While he is about to bring great judgment upon the earth He will keep his promise made to Noah thousands of years before

Now notice these twenty-four elders. Who do they represent? We know that they are not angels or “living creatures.” These twenty-four represent those who have been redeemed from mankind. The name elder never is applied to angels in the Bible; neither does the Bible mention that angels will ever wear crowns or sit on thrones. Only redeemed men will wear crowns and sit on thrones.

I believe that these twenty-four represent the saints of the Old and New Testament. These are those who have been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. More than likely the twenty-four represent the twelve tribes of Israel and the twelve apostles, meaning that these represent all redeemed from the Old and New Testament. This I believe is a good possibility for when we see the New Jerusalem come down from heaven in chapter 21 we are told that there are twelve gates that have inscribed on them the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. This city also has twelve foundations each foundation having the name of one of the twelve apostles written upon it.

Lastly notice the living creatures. The word here used, “living creatures”, literally means living being. These are not angelic beings, for they are distinguished from the angels who are mentioned in a class by themselves in chapter five. Neither are these creatures’ redeemed men for they do not join in the song of redemption sung in chapter five.

                                               

These living creatures do not wear crowns nor do they sit on thrones. These creatures are the guardians of the throne of God and they accompany it any where it goes according to Ezekiel 1:24-28.

The first mention of these creatures is in the book of Genesis 3:24 where they are called cherubim’s. They are placed at the entrance of the Garden of Eden to prevent the reentrance of Adam or Eve.

Then when God gave the instruction to build the tabernacle to Moses He instructed Moses to build the Ark of the Covenant with two Cherubim’s upon it. These two were the guardians of the mercy seat or the place where the presence of God came down and meet with the people.

But it was not until Ezekiel’s vision that we are given a description of these creatures.

We also can gather from the scriptures that there must be some sort of order of living creatures. For example in Isaiah’s vision of the throne of God he saw a Seraphim or different order of living creature. This Seraphim had six wings and cried “Holy, Holy, Holy.” But they stood above the throne, while Ezekiel’s creatures stood under the throne and John’s stood in the midst of the throne.

In verses 9-11 the four beasts begin to rejoice and it causes the elders to break forth in praise. As they begin to praise the one on the throne they fall down upon their knees and begin casting their crowns before the throne. What a tremendous day this will be when the saved of all mankind fall down before the one sitting upon the throne and cast their crowns before his feet.

For more information on this chapter watch the lesson I taught live from Landmark Baptist Church.  http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/15911927

Is the Lord coming back on Saturday?

I guess I’ve had my head under a rock and haven’t heard, but obviously the Lord is supposed to return on Saturday. Well, that is if you believe everything you read on the internet. A pastor friend of mine put a post on Facebook this morning about a web site proclaiming that the coming of the Lord was May 21, 2011. This obviously has a lot of people upset and worried because they believe this “prophecy”. So, I thought I would take a minute and address this subject of the Lord’s return. There are certain things that we know about the Lord’s return and certain things that cannot know.

Here is what I know:

The Lord’s return is imminent. This means that Lord could return at any time. When the apostle Paul wrote to the troubled Thessolonian church about their loved ones who had passed away he made this statement, “then WE which are ALIVE and REMAIN shall not prevent them which sleep.” (Emphasis on words is mine.) These people were worried about their loved ones who had died before the rapture of the church. They were afraid that their dead family members would not be part of the rapture. Paul assured them that those who were alive would not be the only ones to go in the rapture. It is obvious that Paul believed that he would be one of those who were alive when Jesus returned. There was nothing preventing the return of the Lord in Paul’s day, and there is nothing preventing Him from returning today. I believe the next great event on God’s schedule is the rapture of the church.

There are no signs related regarding the return of the Lord. There is nothing that has to be fulfilled before Jesus can come back. Some have misunderstood signs concerning the second coming of Christ in His revelation with signs concerning the rapture of the church. These are two separate events and will happen at least seven years apart. There are signs about the revelation, but not the rapture. (A good example of this is Matthew 24.)

We should be ready. The Lord could come back Saturday, but he could just as easily come back today. Jesus goes as far as to tell us that “no man, nor the angels in heaven, nor the Son” knows the hour in which this will take place. Because of this we must be ready. Do not be one of those that will say “peace and safety” and then “sudden destruction” comes upon you. (1 Thessalonians 5:3)

Here is what we do not know.

We do not know the day when the Lord will return. The gospel of Matthew promises that it will be a time in which we are not expecting. No one knows when Jesus will come. There is no secret bible formula you can use to understand something that God promised you would not be able to understand.

We do not know the truth about history. The fact is that our world went through many years of darkness. During the days of the scriptures God would use godly men to keep track of days and seasons. After the bible was finished most of this work was placed into the hands of ungodly men. During this time calendars were changed, dates were not kept accurately and it is widely believed that the date we use today could be many years away from accurate. So, how can you calculate accurately when you don’t have accurate information to calculate with? You can’t!

To sum this up let me say that I’m not worried about the Lord returning Saturday. Could He come Saturday? Sure, but not because there is a secret formula that says He will. If He does come I’m ready.

People use the Mayan calendar to predict that the earth will come to an end in December 2012. I remember being in high school and hearing people predict that the Lord would return in 1993. Obviously there was a man who made a lot of money predicting the Lord would return in 1988, then again in 1989. We all remember the paranoia over the year 2000. (Remember how the Lord was going to return, banks would collapse, computers would crash, and everyone needed to stock up food and water?)

The point I’m trying to make is that you don’t know, and you cannot know. All you can do is be ready. What if today is the day the Lord returns? Are you ready to meet Him? We may have many more years. We may have mere moments. Whatever amount of time we have left should be used to for the glory of the Lord. Don’t be fooled by false prophecies, but at the same time be ready.

“But of the times and seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation. For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him. Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.”    1 Thessalonians 5:1-11

It’s Time to make your voice heard!

When you read through the book of Esther you see a development in the life of Esther. After she receives the news that the wicked Haman had plotted against the Jews she is nervous and afraid. As she develops she moves to prayer, steps out of faith in appearing before the king and now in this chapter the time has finally arrived when she must make her voice heard. God has set the stage for what we see in chapter seven.

Throughout the pages of the Bible God’s people are told to make their voices heard. We are told to make our voice heard in praise. During the triumphant entry of Christ, we are told that the people cried “Hosanna” “Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.” The disciples wanted to quite the crowd. Jesus told them that if they were to be quite the rocks would cry out.

We are told to make our voice heard in witnessing. Jesus gave the example of the man who made a wedding celebration for his son. Once the wedding was prepared he called for the guests. One by one the guests declined to come. Because of this, the man told his servant to go out into the highways and hedges and compel people to come in, so that his house would be full. What a great example of the witness we should be.

We are told to cry out against sin and the list goes on. The church has been silent too long. It is time make our voices heard.

Speak up before the king

In chapter seven we see the seventh banquet mentioned in the book of Esther. The three main guests at this banquet are the king, Esther, the queen, and Haman. I’m sure that when Haman goes to this banquet he does so with mixed feelings. He is happy to be the invited guest of the queen, but at the same time his pride is hurt because the honor he just had to give to Mordecai in chapter six.

As the king did on two other occasions he asks what the petition of the queen is. Once again he offers her up to half of the kingdom. (This did not mean he would really give her half of the kingdom. This was an expression used to demonstrate that the kingdom was willing to be generous.) It seems that this petition of Esther is something that has been weighing heavy on the kings mind. He does not waste any time in asking Esther about it. I’m sure this has been heavy on Esther’s mind as well. No doubt she has rehearsed this speech many times.

Her request was that her and her people be spared from certain doom. You will remember way back in chapter two that Mordecai had instructed Esther not to reveal her nationality when she entered the contest for queen. She has kept that secret this whole time. I’m sure this statement perplexed the king. I can see the shock in his face. “What does she mean her people?” “Is she not Persian?” “Has a secret been kept from me?”

It is now time for Esther to take her place with her people. For her to do this was to not only identify her nationality, but to reveal her religion as well. In this day to be identified as a Jew was much more than nationality. Having made her request it is now in the hands of the Lord.

Startled the king asked who the person was that would do such a thing. Either the king is looking for someone to blame or he does not even realize yet that Esther is a Jew. The king was already hit with one surprise when he found out that his queen was a Jew. He is going to be hit with another. He is about to learn that his number one man is the one responsible for this problem.

Speak up before it’s too late

I can see Haman’s mouth fall open. He has no words. He does not know what to do. Haman may not have known, but God has promised that no weapon formed against His people will prosper. God promised Abraham that he would bless those that blessed him, and curse those that cursed him.

The king is so shocked and enraged that he storms off from the table into the garden. We don’t know what was going on in the king’s mind. It may have been anger. It may have been embarrassment. It could be far more than these two things. Did Haman really want to slay the queen? If Haman wanted to kill the queen could it be that he was involved in the crime of Bigthan and Teresh? Could he want to kill the king as well?

I don’t know what the king thought but I know that it was not by chance that the king was just reminded that a Jew named Mordecai saved his life. If Esther was a Jew, and Mordecai, the man that saved his life was a Jew, then why would he want to kill the Jews? The king walks up and down in the garden trying to control his anger.

When the king returns to the room he sees Haman pawing at the couch of Esther. Haman knows that his last resort is to beg the queen for forgiveness. Seeing this, the king immediately accuses Haman of trying to molest the queen. This crime is punishable by death. The gallows that Haman constructed for Mordecai were convenient, so they take Haman and hang him on his own gallows. Apparently Haman had let it be known that he intended to hang Mordecai, because the people of the palace knew about the gallows he built.

The day before Haman led Mordecai around the city with royal apparel on. Now he is being led through the city with his head covered. No doubt Haman’s wife and his ten sons witness his execution.

“Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.”  Galatians 6:7

Haman sowed hatred against the people of God. Haman attempted to kill Mordecai by hanging him on the gallows. Now Haman is hanging 75 feet off the ground with a rope around his neck.

It's time to listen to the voice of God

Have you ever heard the saying “Today is the first day of the rest of your life”? Well that could not be said for Haman in Esther chapter 6. The fact is, as when chapter six begins it will be the last day of the life of Haman.

When I taught this lesson to my class at church I titled chapter six “It’s Time to listen to the voice of God.” If Haman would have listened to the voice of God this day may have went different. Before the chapter is over Haman will be warned many times about his wickedness, and on each occasion Haman will ignore God’s voice. Haman continues to run head first into his wickedness.

“Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?”   Ezekiel 33:11

The fact is that God has no pleasure in the death of a sinner. God does not want anyone to die lost and go to hell. The Father rejoices, the Son rejoices, the Spirit rejoices, and the heavens rejoice when a sinner is saved. If Haman would have turned to God he could have been saved. God would have loved to save Haman.

God speaks His will, verses 1-3

Many times God speaks to us without us even realizing it. We assume that when God speaks He does it in such a way that there is no way we can misplace His voice. This is not always true.  Sometimes God speaks in a “still small voice” as He did to the prophet Elijah. Sometimes He speaks through an event in our life. Sometimes He speaks through others. Maybe He speaks to us through something we read, or hear. In chapter six He will speak through a sleepless night.

I believe it is important that we train ourselves to hear the voice of God. There have been many times that God has spoken to me. Most of the time when God speaks He does it in a small way. A nudge saying maybe you should do this, or not do that. I try my best to listen.

This night in Shushan was a sleepless night. Haman is up all night supervising the construction of the gallows that he intends to hang Mordecai from. The king is up all night as well.  Shakespeare wrote, “Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown,” King Solomon agreed by saying,

“The sleep of a laboring man is sweet, whether he eat little or much: but the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleep.”  (Eccl 5:12)

I’m sure that the king had spent many nights awake. No doubt the king had many responsibilities and worries that kept him up at night. He worried about the finances of the kingdom. He worried that someone would try to take his life. Maybe he ate too much at the queen’s feast. We don’t know why he is awake, but God is keeping him awake for a purpose. This night however will be one of the most eventful in history.

Since the king is unable to sleep he orders one of his servants to read to him. Again, this is the hand of God working. The king had many forms of entertainment at his disposal. He could have called for a musician to play music or a troubadour to tell him a story in a song. He could have called for some of his officers to come play a game. He could have called for a woman to come to his chamber. Instead the king asks one of his servants to read to him.

The Persians had a strict order of honor and rewards. This kept the people loyal to the king. As the servant reads the account of something in the mind of the king clicks. It’s like a light going off. He realizes that nothing was ever done to honor Mordecai for saving his life.

You can almost picture the servant reading and the king sitting up in his bed asking, “You didn’t read what was done to honor that man. What did we do for him?” The servant looks over his notes and replies, “Nothing was done to honor him.” If Mordecai would have been honored 5 years before, the events of this day could not have occurred. There was a definite reason that Mordecai’s deed was wrote down, but no honor was given.

God speaks to the wayward, verse 4-14

God takes no pleasure in the unrighteous, but he also takes no pleasure in the unrighteous person’s death. The bible is clear that God does not bring judgment without first bringing a warning. Before Judas betrayed Christ he was warned. Paul tells us in his epistles to warn the unruly. God does not just judge someone without first giving them the opportunity to repent.

I have seen God warn people about their sin. I have also seen people ignore the warnings of God. To see someone ignore the warnings of God is one of the scariest things you can watch. In these verses we will watch Haman ignore the warnings of God. We will also see what happens to a sinner that continues to ignore the warnings of God.

Haman hasn’t slept this night either. He has been up all night supervising the construction of the gallows he intended to hang Mordecai on. Once they are built he goes to the palace early to get permission to kill Mordecai. I’m sure Haman thought that if he would get permission early then Mordecai would have to hang there all day, giving everyone the opportunity to see his dead body.

When Haman arrives the king hears someone stirring in the court so he asks who is outside. When he finds out that it is Haman he calls him into his bed chamber. Again, the hand of God is moving. Had Haman arrived an hour later the king may have already consulted with one of his other advisors. God wanted Haman to be the first one there. God wanted Haman to be the one that spent the day honoring Mordecai, not killing him.

When Haman is called for the king asks him a question without giving the background of the question. “What should be done to the man the king wants to honor?” Haman thought the king meant him. After all, he was the prime minister. He had been given the ring of the king. He was given permission to destroy the Jews. Surely the king was thinking of him. Little did Haman know that before the day was over the situation would be reversed. Haman would spend the day honoring Mordecai and the gallows that were meant for Mordecai would hold his body.

Imagine the sequence of events. First he has to go find Mordecai and bring him to the palace. He has to put the royal clothes on him and get him on the king’s horse. Next, he had to walk up and down each street of the city proclaiming that this was the man that the king wanted to honor. When all this was done he was to take Mordecai back to the palace, remove the clothes from him and send Mordecai away. This was quite a day.

When the day is over Haman heads home. He has his hood over his head like someone has died. He has been publicly humiliated and does not want anyone to see his face.  When he arrives home he again gathers his family and friends like he did in chapter five. What a difference a day can make. This time he does not call them to brag, but to share his humiliation. When he tells his wife and friends about the day he has had his wife speaks up. What she says is very interesting.

Basically his wife is saying that there is no way Haman can prevail over Mordecai. God is sending another warning to Haman. Had Haman repented of his deeds and asked for forgiveness, God would have forgiven him. This may have spared the lives of himself and his ten sons. I don’t know if she thought the day was a bad omen or if she knew the history of the Jews, and God’s promise to Abraham. She did know something was not right. Just as Pilot’s wife warned her husband not to have anything to do with Jesus because of the dreams she had the night before. Haman’s wife is warning him about bad things that lay ahead.

While they are discussing these things a knock is heard at the door. It is an escort come to bring Haman to the banquet Esther is making. As Haman leaves he has no idea he is headed to his last meal. Oh, how things would have been different if Haman would have listened to the warnings of God.

It's Time to take action

Esther Chapter 5

In the fourth chapter of Esther we read the account of Mordecai’s mourning. This mourning eventually comes to the attention of Esther. Mordecai explains to Esther the evil plot of Haman to destroy the Jews. Haman has convinced the king to sign into law a decree that allowed the Persian people to kill the Jews, take their possession, and the Jews were not even allowed to defend themselves. When Esther is presented with these facts she determines that she will go before the king (a potentially deadly decision) and beg for the lives of her people.

I have titled chapter five “It’s Time to Take Action.” Just to determine to help was not enough to save the Jewish people. If the Jews were going to be helped, Esther would have to act on what she had determined.

A church was praying one night that God would do away with the new night club that was built right next to it. While gathered around the altar praying the congregation heard sirens, ran outside and saw the night club burning up in flames. The congregation was so surprised that God had answered their prayers. Then the pastor notices one of his members running around the back of the church with a can of gasoline in one hand and a lighter in the other. The pastor asks what the member is doing. The dear sister replies “sometimes you have to put legs on your prayers.”

I’m not saying that you should do something this crazy, but I am saying that sometimes we need to put legs on our prayers. Just think what would have happened if David would have just prayed that Goliath would go away. What if Moses would have just prayed for God to make a way around the Red Sea? What if Jesus had have just prayed that God would provide a way for us to be saved? What if Esther would have just prayed for God to change the kings mind?

No doubt all of these people prayed, but each of these people put some legs on their prayers. Sometimes it is not enough just to pray that God will save your family. Maybe you will have to go after them. Sometimes it is not enough just to pray that God will restore your home. Maybe you have to make it happen. It is not just enough for you to pray for God to use you in His service. You have to get busy. Esther is about to get busy putting legs on her prayers.

Take Action on the things you Ask for

When chapter 5 begins we see the king sitting on his throne. No doubt he is surrounded by his attendants and officers. He is conducting some sort of official business. While the king sits on the throne, in an alcove stands a very nervous Esther. Esther had been preparing for this moment for three days. When she steps into the throne room the moment is dramatic. I can picture Esther stepping into sight and just standing their nervously waiting for the king to notice her. The question is will the king raise his scepter to her? We have no record of this, but I would imagine in that moment Esther prayed.

You can almost see as the king looks up and notices Esther. In the midst of the crowd of people around the king, he notices Esther. She must have been striking. In that moment the king’s heart is moved toward Esther and he raises his scepter to her. Can you see her smile? I can. She goes forward and places her hand on the end of the scepter.

He knows that she has come with a need. Something is troubling the queen, maybe she is trembling. Seeing this, the king wanting to make Esther feel comfortable, tells her that she can ask whatever she wants and he will give it to her. Instead of making her request known, Esther invites the king and Haman to a lunch. She wants Haman there when she lets the king know that he has tricked the king into the death of the Jews, her death.

The question is, “Why didn’t Esther just go ahead and tell the king Haman’s evil plot?” Dr. Wiersbe says there are at least four reasons.

1. It wasn’t the right time? The king was unprepared to receive this shocking news. It could have been that the king would have considered her accusation an act of treason, or maybe just gossip.
2. It wasn’t the right place. It would have been against palace etiquette for the queen to make her plea publicly.
3. Esther wanted Haman, and only Haman present when she told the king about the evil plot.
4. One more event had to occur before she could share her burden with the king. This will happen that very night. We will see this in the next chapter.

Take Action on your Attitude

The chapter ends with the wicked Haman calling his friends together and bragging about the day he has had. Haman is so excited. He was the honored guest of the king and queen. He has also been invited back the next day to another banquet.

“Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.”   Proverbs 16:18

There are a few things that men like to brag about. They like to brag about their riches, the money they make. They like to brag about their children, or grandchildren. Then they like to brag about their promotion or position. Haman boasted about all three of these things. Notice the number of times the word “his” is used. He is so full of himself.

The last thing men like to boast about is how great they are with the women. Haman is bragging that the queen invited him to lunch, and then tomorrow he will eat dinner with her. If Haman knew what the queen had in store for him, he would have turned down the invitation. Things are not going as well as he thinks.

But, all of these good things are meaningless as long as Mordecai will not bow to him. The size of the man can be determined by the size of the things that irritate him. Mordecai was only one man, a man that Haman should have ignored. Instead Haman complains that all the good things that have happened to him are meaningless because Mordecai will not bow to him.

Haman’s malice is so great that it has infected his wife and friends. It is suggested by Haman’s wife that they build gallows for Mordecai. So that night Haman had built gallows 75 feet tall. I would like to point out that the name Mordecai means “little”. Mordecai was a short guy. Why build gallows that tall? The reason that Haman does this is because of the hatred he holds in his heart. Satisfied with this plan Haman ends the night with construction of the gallows that will eventually end his life.