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The Comeback Kids (2 Chronicles 15:1-15)

August 24, 2025

In 2018, Washington Commanders’ quarterback Alex Smith dropped back to attempt a pass. The Texans sent a blitz and two defenders sprinted through with no one blocking. When they came down on Alex, they mangled his right leg. The replay is hard to watch. Alex suffered a spiral and compound fracture to his tibia and fibula.[1]

The injury would have been bad enough, but an infection set in. It developed into necrotizing fasciitis – death was spreading in Alex’s body. He went septic. Doctors suggested that an amputation might be his only option if he wanted to survive.

17 surgeries later, Alex still had two legs, but he had lost the nerve that gives you the ability to raise your foot.[2] Through hundreds of hours of physical therapy and the use of external bracing, and special shoes, Alex did learn to walk again. But the story gets better: In 2020, Alex returned to play in the NFL. And he won the last game of the regular season that year, clinching the NFC East. That year, he was named the NFL’s Comeback Player Of The Year. Get this guy a biopic!

2 Chronicles 15 is a historic, inspiring comeback story. One where God’s people overcame spiritual injury and infection. If you are familiar with this area of Scripture, it’s more losses than wins for God’s people. Kings and Chronicles catalog their slide into compromise, idolatry, war, defeat, and ultimately exile. But every once in a while, something wonderful happens: The leaders and the people realize that God is good, that He can be trusted, that He loves them, and they should throw off their idols and fall into His open arms.

This passage is full of reminders that should inspire us and calibrate our lives as we realize the good grace of God and His promise that if we seek Him, we will find Him.

2 Chronicles 15:1-2 – 1  The Spirit of God came on Azariah son of Oded. 2 So he went out to meet Asa and said to him, “Asa and all Judah and Benjamin, hear me. The LORD is with you when you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you abandon him, he will abandon you.

This story starts with God calling out to His people. Now, some very quick background: Just before verse 1, Asa and his army of 580,000 faced off against a Cushite army of a million soldiers. Asa cried out to the Lord for help and at the end of the battle, the Cushites had no survivors.[3]

The soldiers of Benjamin and Judah were carrying off a bunch of plunder when Azariah came and met them with this message from the Lord.

It was not only a message for Asa, not only a message for the priests. It was for everyone. God calls out to all of us with the message of the Gospel. That we have a choice between life and death. That He is willing to be our God now and forever if we are willing to believe Him and obey Him.

This message, “If you seek Him, He will be found by you,” was not some new arrangement. It’s what God said through Moses in Deuteronomy 4. It’s what God said through David to Solomon in 1 Chronicles 28. It’s what God would say through Jeremiah in Jeremiah 29. And it’s what Jesus still said in the New Testament. If you seek the God of the Bible, He promises you will find Him. And with Him you will find salvation for your souls, provision for your life, the Holy Spirit to indwell your heart and transform every aspect of who you are, your present, and your future. It’s an offer worth more than any battle plunder we could possibly imagine or compile.

But it’s is a choice. You can choose to seek God or abandon Him. You can refuse His offer and not believe that He is true, that He is trustworthy, that He is able to do what He promises. To go your own way, along your own path, toward goals of your own choosing. If you do that, you abandon this generous God of love and He will let you do it. As we learned Wednesday night, the Lord does not stay where He is not wanted. Not in a life, a family, a church, a community, or a nation.

Now this doesn’t mean that if you’re a Christian and you make one mistake, you give into one temptation or you make a poor choice, you lose your salvation or God abandons you. What we’re talking about here is a continuing state of rejection, moving away from the Lord.[4] Here God says, “Don’t do that. Let’s be together.”

2 Chronicles 15:3-4 – 3 For many years Israel has been without the true God, without a teaching priest, and without instruction, 4 but when they turned to the LORD God of Israel in their distress and sought him, he was found by them.

If God wants to be with us and makes these promises, then why had Israel been without Him for so long? Where did He go? Well, we see it right there: They turned their backs on Him to go their own way. As soon as they turned back toward Him, there He was! Ready to receive them. Ready to help.

Azariah says that the mistake they made which caused them to forsake the Lord was that they had no teaching priest and no instruction. Meaning, they didn’t know the Word of God and how it must be applied in their lives, in their communities, in their choices.

We see that process play out in Judges, in Kings, in Chronicles. When people turn from the Word of God and instead do what is right in their own eyes, the result is distress and ruin. A lack of theological understanding and devotion leads people to being swallowed up by their enemies. They left the study and obedient application of God’s Word and so were swallowed up by the culture, swallowed up by the foes around them, swallowed up by temptation and selfishness.

But when God’s people realized their mistake and called out to the Lord, He was faithful to rescue again and again and again. Because when we are faithless, He remains faithful.

2 Chronicles 15:5-6 – 5 In those times there was no peace for those who went about their daily activities because the residents of the lands had many conflicts. 6 Nation was crushed by nation and city by city, for God troubled them with every possible distress.

Azariah’s description “implies a condition of political upheaval extending beyond the borders of Judah.”[5] It was a time of bloodshed. Of war. Total lack of safety and decency.

Aren’t things similar today? We are in a world of distress. A world on the brink. Why? Romans 1 tells us why. When people or a nation consistently rejects God, when we exchange the truth of God for the lies of the world, eventually God gives us our way and hands us over to the desire of our hearts. He lets us have what we want. When that happens, the result is distress. Trouble. Penalty. Wrath.

Our world looks like that. Asa’s world was like that. One of the great encouragements of this chapter is that, in a world like that, we can live out our faith in a way that leads to rest, cleansing, spiritual power and purpose. We can be bright light in dark days.

2 Chronicles 15:7 – 7 But as for you, be strong; don’t give up, for your work has a reward.”

God challenges and commands them to live in His uprightness and not give up. But, pause for a moment and drink in the comfort of these 7 verses. A God Who loves us this way and this well and this patiently and powerfully.

The kindness and promise of God was not only for Asa, it was for every foot soldier, maiden, and servant. And it wasn’t only for them. God promises the same to His people today. Matthew 10, 1 Corinthians 3, 2 John 8. God commands and encourages us to continue in our faith, promising that His reward is waiting for us. A full, eternal reward.

There where it says, “Be strong,” the term means, “Be courageous. Take hold of it. Seize it.”[6] And that’s exactly what the people did.

2 Chronicles 15:8a – 8 When Asa heard these words and the prophecy of Azariah son of Oded the prophet, he took courage…

They could do what God commanded him to do. He said, “I’m commanding you to take courage,” and then it happened. It happened not by programs or pushups, but by faith. Right then and there they said, “Ok, we believe God.” And their courage wasn’t just a moment of passing emotion. It led to conviction and conduct. Look at their Godly courage in action as verse 8 continues:

2 Chronicles 15:8b – …[they] removed the abhorrent idols from the whole land of Judah and Benjamin and from the cities he had captured in the hill country of Ephraim. He renovated the altar of the LORD that was in front of the portico of the LORD’s temple.

It began with the purifying process of removing the filth from their lives. Not just a statue or two. This refers to all sorts of revolting or disgusting things from a religious standpoint.[7] They didn’t just give holiness lip service or do a symbolic clean up project. They covered every area of the land. And they removed what needed removal, even when it was very hard and personally costly. Asa had to even remove his own grandmother from her position because of her idolatry.

If you’re a Christian, you’re saved. Your sins have been forgiven. But that does not mean our lives don’t need purifying. God sanctifies us day by day. Cleansing our minds, cleansing our desires, burning off the dross. We still deal with a sin nature within us and a sin-soaked world around us.

Jesus described it as someone who has been washed, but whose feet pick up impurities as they move through life.[8] I need sanctification. You do too. The Lord wants to deal with the many issues we have which have been contaminated by sin. Shaping our hearts and lives in righteousness.

2 Chronicles 15:9-11 – 9 Then he gathered all Judah and Benjamin, as well as those from the tribes of Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon who were residing among them, for they had defected to him from Israel in great numbers when they saw that the LORD his God was with him. 10 They were gathered in Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of Asa’s reign. 11 At that time they sacrificed to the LORD seven hundred cattle and seven thousand sheep and goats from all the plunder they had brought.

This was a real work of God in many lives. We’d call it revival. And it was less about unbelievers getting saved than it was about believers being believers with real conviction.

Part of their conduct was to generously give to God from their plunder. It was a personal offering of thanks to God for what He had given to them. That’s the Bible’s perspective on giving. Not that it is compelled, but that it flows from a realization of all that God has done for me, and then my giving back to Him in gratitude, and contributing to His work so others can find out what He’s done, too.

Based on the timestamp we’re given, there’s a good chance these sacrifices were happening during the Feast of Weeks.[9] We call it Pentecost. In Israel, the Feast of Weeks was a harvest feast, where you would bring some of what you grew to the Lord in thanks and trust.

Here they’re harvesting holiness and hope and reliance on the Lord. They give from the plunder, knowing that God would make good on all He said. Showing that communion with Him was worth more than silver or gold.

But this revival wasn’t only about certain behaviors. From conduct they moved to covenant.

2 Chronicles 15:12 – 12 Then they entered into a covenant to seek the LORD God of their ancestors with all their heart and all their soul.

The covenant was not just that they would bring a certain number of lambs or burn down a certain number of altars. It was that they would seek the Lord. They listened when He said: Seek Me. They covenanted to seek Him, not just in word, not just in deed, but with all their hearts and souls.

2 Chronicles 15:13 – 13 Whoever would not seek the LORD God of Israel would be put to death, young or old, man or woman.

Seems a little harsh, right? Listen: Israel was meant to be a Theocracy. The Law of God was what set them apart and they must be distinct in order to be the delivery vehicle for the Savior of the world.

Now, we don’t put anyone to death for not seeking the Lord. But make no mistake: If you do not seek the Lord, death is the end. Jesus said those who do not believe in Him die in their sins. And they go on to eternal death to pay the penalty for those sins in the Lake of Fire. Jesus came to save you from that death. But He will not force you to be saved. You must believe to be saved.

2 Chronicles 15:14-15 – 14 They took an oath to the LORD in a loud voice, with shouting, with trumpets, and with rams’ horns. 15 All Judah rejoiced over the oath, for they had sworn it wholeheartedly. They had sought him with all sincerity, and he was found by them. So the LORD gave them rest on every side.

From calling to courage to conduct to covenant, now to celebration. Economically and culturally it might look as if they had lost a lot. Plunder, altars. But look at them sing! Look at their joy. They had not lost anything. They gained the Lord. He was found by them. And with Him came His grace. Rest.

That term refers to being settled in your place, with overtones of victory and salvation.[10]

In an explosive world, these people had joy, not fear. There was an eternal aspect to them that brought vitality and satisfaction to every area of their lives. It was a personal relationship with the Living God.

Outside, nations were warring, cities were crushing each other. But in Judah? Unity. Harmony. Worship. Joy. Rest.

This generation overcame the injuries their enemies had inflicted on them and the infection of idolatry. They made a remarkable comeback. But would it last? That was the choice the next generation would have to make. And the next, and the next. The same we can make today.

 

References
↑1 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alex_Smith
↑2 https://hangerclinic.com/blog/patient-stories/washington-post-alex-smith-custom-leg-brace/
↑3 2 Chronicles 14:8-15
↑4 Theological Wordbook Of The Old Testament
↑5 Robert Alter   The Hebrew Bible: A Translation With Commentary
↑6 TWOT
↑7 Victor Matthews, Mark Chavalas, and John Walton   The IVP Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament
↑8 John 13:10
↑9 Faithlife Study Bible Notes
↑10 TWOT

When Pigs Fly (Mark 5:1-20)

August 20, 2025

I had quite a scare recently. In the middle of the night, our dog started barking. It wasn’t her small chirp that lets us know she’s bored and would like to see what’s going on outside. No, this was as loud and tense as I’ve ever heard her – something had intruded.

I went out to the front room and there, in the shadows, I could make out a round, head shape at eye level, about 3 yards from me. It moved ever so slightly and I knew I had very little time to react. Instinctively, I turned on the light and now could see the intruder clearly: It was a birthday balloon that had wafted in from the other room when the A/C kicked on.

This section of Mark is fright night. I usually think of the encounter with the Gadarene demoniac as being a daytime event but Mark told us that it was evening when they got into the boat at Capernaum. Normally it takes about two hours to get to the other side of the sea.[1] Even assuming the storm slowed them down, there’s no reason for us to think it was yet morning.

Have you ever been followed at night? The disciples, who are already terrified as of chapter 4, verse 41, land on shore and see a grotesque man, bleeding, naked, staring them down as he ran toward them. Oh, and it’s all happening with a graveyard as the backdrop. Scary stuff.

Mark 5:1-2 – 1 They came to the other side of the sea, to the region of the Gerasenes. 2 As soon as he got out of the boat, a man with an unclean spirit came out of the tombs and met him.

The Gospel of Matthew and Luke both record this event. In Matthew we see there are two demon-possessed men. It’s not a contradiction, just a matter of story-telling perspective.

The Devil’s artillery failed to stop Jesus’ arrival, so he turned to troops. A legion of demons is dispatched to resist the Lord. Of course Jesus could have called down more than 12 legions of angels to protect Himself.[2] But Jesus Christ didn’t need bodyguards, even behind enemy lines.

The Gerasenes was Gentile controlled.[3] He’s in an unclean land, among unclean tombs, facing an unclean Gentile, full of unclean spirits. But, Jesus goes there so He might bring deliverance and preach the Good News. Exorcisms happened in the sacred synagogue and the Gentile graveyard.

Mark 5:3-5 – 3 He lived in the tombs, and no one was able to restrain him anymore—not even with a chain— 4 because he often had been bound with shackles and chains, but had torn the chains apart and smashed the shackles. No one was strong enough to subdue him. 5 Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains, he was always crying out and cutting himself with stones.

We want our heroes to be fantastically strong – Captain America, Wolverine, Mr. Incredible. Much different story when the monster next door has that kind of power. This guy had supernatural strength. When’s the last time you broke through metal chains? The whole community had tried to contain this menace with zero success. No one was strong enough to subdue him. You couldn’t bind him or stop him. In that description, Mark was using “as strong an expression as imaginable.”[4]

But now, let’s realize how horrible the situation was for the man himself. He was dying in slow motion. He lived among the dead. He was cast out to starve. He spent his days shouting into the dark and slicing his own flesh, his life ebbing away a little more each day.

If you’re not a Christian here tonight you need to know: This is you. I’m not saying you’re demon possessed, but you are dying in slow motion. You were born dead in trespasses and sins and no matter how strong you may feel, you are headed toward eternal death unless you are rescued and revived by Jesus Christ. There is salvation in no other name. But He wants to save you. That’s why He came to earth. To seek and to save the lost. He came to give you life.

Mark 5:6-8 – 6 When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and knelt down before him. 7 And he cried out with a loud voice, “What do you have to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you before God, don’t torment me!” 8 For he had told him, “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!”

Your version may say the man came and “worshiped” Him, but let’s not get confused about what’s happening here. The demons are not singing praises. In fact, their opening line was a colloquial saying that meant something like, “What have I done to You that You should do this to me?”[5] In Matthew’s account, the demons also say to Jesus, “What a minute – You’re early. You’re here ‘before the time.’” And, as we’ve seen before, it seems the demons Jesus encountered sometimes tried to gain an upper hand against Him by using invoking His earthly name and heavenly title.[6])

The demons also try to boss Jesus around, demanding that He swear to God in an oath that He won’t torture them.[7] It’s ironic: They’re worried about being tormented after all they had done to this poor man. They made sport of torturing him. Luke says he had been that way for a long time.[8]

But it’s interesting – they had some measure of understanding, they immediately recognized Him. They knew His name. They knew He had absolute power that could not be withstood. But they were simultaneously in the dark about many other things when it came to Jesus and His work.

So, they were not worshiping Jesus. But they could not help but pay Him the homage He was due as the Son of the Most High God. Philippians tells us that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue will confess Jesus Christ is Lord.[9]

A person may mock Jesus, rebel against Him, run from His commands, but one day, Christ will return, and then they, too, will be on their knees before the King of kings.

Let’s recognize one more thing: They knew that Jesus and His Father were both merciful. That He might not destroy them, though that’s what they deserve. Did their master, the Devil, show any mercy to Job? Had they shown any mercy to this man? But the God of the Bible is a God of mercy.

Isaiah 30:18a – 18 Therefore the LORD is waiting to show you mercy, and is rising up to show you compassion…

Jesus was willing to show these unclean spirits a measure of mercy. Now, He was not willing to allow them to continue what they were doing to this poor man. And remember, Jesus came to seek and to save the lost. And these demons were feeding on one of those Christ came to save. And so He would not fail to rescue this man and bring him from death to life.

Mark 5:9-10 – 9 “What is your name?” he asked him. “My name is Legion,” he answered him, “because we are many.” 10 And he begged him earnestly not to send them out of the region.

There is some suggestion that demons are assigned and attached to certain areas, but that doesn’t mean we need to start doing demon maps or anything like that. Nor do we need to learn how to extract the name of demons so we can command them. The demons tried to play that game with Jesus and He is demonstrating that they have no power over Him, whatsoever.

Now, at the time, a Roman legion was about 6,000 soldiers.[10] That’s not a specific count for how many demons are in this guy, but it was a lot. I find it ironic that they really want to stay in that locale, but don’t mind being all cooped up together in a single guy.

Mark 5:11-13 – 11 A large herd of pigs was there, feeding on the hillside. 12 The demons begged him, “Send us to the pigs, so that we may enter them.” 13 So he gave them permission, and the unclean spirits came out and entered the pigs. The herd of about two thousand rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned there.

You FFA folks might think, “Pigs aren’t really herd animals.” Mark is highlighting the cosmic conflict going on here by using military images. The word he uses was often used of a band of military recruits. And Jesus dismisses the legion, almost like a commander.[11]

There’s another image hidden here for the original readers: The wild boar was the emblem of the Roman legion stationed in Palestine.[12] So here’s Jesus, in Gentile land, facing a legion, and in the end the pigs are driven into the sea.

Remember: Mark was primarily writing this book to Christians living in Rome and elsewhere in Italy.[13] So here is a subtle reminder that Jesus not only had power over legions of demons, but also over the godless legions of Rome and every other human kingdom. In the end, Christ conquers all.

Now, this situation raises a number of questions – some of which we simply can’t answer with total certainty. First, why did the demons want to go into the pigs? Well, there’s some indication in the New Testament that these sort of spirits want to inhabit other living creatures. There’s a second possible reason we’ll get to in a moment.

The second question is: Why did Jesus allow this? Doesn’t He care about the pigs? God absolutely cares about animals. But this does highlight God’s priorities. A single human life is much more important than even thousands of pigs.[14] In Matthew 12, Jesus says outright, “A person is worth far more than a sheep.” That doesn’t mean it’s ok for people to mistreat animals, but when lives hang in the balance, God goes with the human every time. Because humans are created in His image. You are not the same as an animal. You are a human, and that is a unique being in God’s order.

Before we move on, one more quick reminder for us, especially anyone who is not a believer here. Take a good long look at the naked, bloody suffering of the demon possessed man. Try to hear the chilling screams of the pigs as they drown in the sea. That is the devil’s plan for you. That is what sin does every time. The road of sin leads to your grave. The road of salvation leads to life everlasting.

Perhaps Jesus allowed this so that this poor man would know he was really, truly safe. That the demons were gone and they would not return to trap him again. Because He wanted to remind us:

Micah 7:19 – 19 He will again have compassion on us; he will vanquish our iniquities. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.

That’s what Jesus does when He forgives us because He delights in His faithful love toward us.

Mark 5:14-17 – 14 The men who tended them ran off and reported it in the town and the countryside, and people went to see what had happened. 15 They came to Jesus and saw the man who had been demon-possessed, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. 16 Those who had seen it described to them what had happened to the demon-possessed man and told about the pigs. 17 Then they began to beg him to leave their region.

So, like the 12, these Gentiles were afraid. Terrified because they did not understand Who Jesus was. They don’t glorify God. They don’t think, “Maybe we should hear more from this miracle worker.” No, they go right to: “Would You please leave?”

We’d expect people to say, “Hey, I know this other person who is demon possessed,” or, “I’ve got this sick family member, let me go get them.” But they were not interested. And perhaps that is why the demons asked to go into the pigs. Maybe they knew these people well enough to know they cared more about their sows than their souls.

Now, turn from the crowd to the man. He has been totally transformed. He’s gone from screaming to serene. From naked to clothed. And we’ll see this wasn’t just him feeling a little better, but his mind is fixed. His desires and behavior are changed. Now he has strength for life not just death.

But there he is, seated and clothed. Jesus didn’t just deliver him, but also provided for him. Perhaps the cloak was Peter’s or John’s. Maybe it was Jesus’! But he was made well, from the inside out.

Mark 5:18-20 – 18 As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged him earnestly that he might remain with him. 19 Jesus did not let him but told him, “Go home to your own people, and report to them how much the Lord has done for you and how he has had mercy on you.” 20 So he went out and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him, and they were all amazed.

After all that, Jesus gets right back in the boat to go back to Jewish territory. You know, Jesus does not stay where He isn’t wanted.[15] When a nation, a community, a family, or a church says, “We don’t trust You, we’re not interested in Your opinion or Your leading,” then the Lord withdraws Himself. That should be a very sobering thought for us. It happened to churches in the New Testament. Instead of allowing pride or fear or misunderstanding to determine our relationship to Jesus, we should be like this Gerasene man. He begged to remain with Jesus.

That’s an interesting phrase – it’s exactly how disciples were described back in chapter 3. The 12 were those He appointed to be with Him and to be sent out to preach. This man was instantly filled with a desire for discipleship.

And Jesus says no?!? What in the world is going on here? Well, let’s remember: This is a Gentile. Jesus’ ministry at this point in time was not to the Gentile world – not yet. And bringing a Gentile into the group would’ve caused significant problems among the Jews. But did Jesus say this man couldn’t be a disciple? Actually, the Lord sent him out to proclaim the Gospel in the Decapolis as the Gentile world’s first missionary. To go and spread the word of God’s power and His mercy. And the man does it, fearlessly. The disciples were afraid. The crowds were afraid. But the one who was delivered had no fear. He became a proclaimer just like John the Baptist had been a proclaimer.

As we close, a couple thoughts about discipleship. On one level, it is shocking to us that Jesus would allow the demons to go where they wanted, but not allow this man to come follow Him. But, the Lord knows what is best and what is needful. One commentator writes, “Jesus’ answer [to this man] shows how impossible it is to have a stereotyped definition of discipleship. One person is taken away from home and family, another is sent back to them contrary to his own wishes.”[16]

Will we allow the Lord to set the destinations and directives of our lives? That’s what real discipleship is. To kneel before Him, not because we were compelled by His power, but because we are compelled by our love for Him. A love that trusts and obeys.

And second, notice Jesus did not send this man out with power to perform any miracles. What did he have? His transformed life was the demonstration of God’s power. The changes in his life were the visible proof of God’s mercy, of God’s love, of God’s truth, of God’s activity. Now, the Lord may do miraculous things through you, but that’s not what we really need to make a difference in the world. Your life, changed by the Gospel, is proof enough. Your heart, your mind, your attitude, your choices, your hope when transformed by the love of God is enough to make an unbelieving world marvel.

 

References
↑1 William Lane   The Gospel Of Mark
↑2 Matthew 26:53
↑3 The NET Bible First Edition Notes
↑4 Clifton Allen   Matthew-Mark
↑5 NET
↑6 David Garland   Mark   (see also Gaebelein, Witherington, Lane
↑7 Frank Gaebelein, D. A. Carson, Walter Wessel, and Walter Liefeld   The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 8: Matthew, Mark, Luke
↑8 Luke 8:27
↑9 Philippians 2:10-11
↑10 Morna Hooker   The Gospel According To Saint Mark
↑11 Ben Witherington   The Gospel Of Mark: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary
↑12 Witherington
↑13 Third Millennium Ministries   The Gospel According To Mark
↑14 Witherington
↑15 Gaebelein
↑16 Eduard Schweizer   The Good News According To Mark

Someday Your Prince Will Come (Ezekiel 43:13-46:24)

August 17, 2025

Are you one of those people who make guests remove their shoes before allowing them in?

After what I came across this week in my reading, I may soon be joining you.

Shoes track-in a smorgasbord of contaminates: E. coli, salmonella, staphylococcus, fungi, mold, pesticides, herbicides, gasoline, oil, anti-freeze, dead insects, pollen, mold spores, microscopic pests, viruses, and animal waste.

A University of Arizona study by Dr. Charles Gerba found:

  • The average shoe sole harbored over 421,000 units of bacteria, with 90% of the shoes tested carrying E. coli.
  • Shoes transferred bacteria from the soles to clean tile floors at a rate of 90% or higher.

You’ll be thankful to know that we have abandoned the 5 second rule in Kid’s Church.

Contamination is not just a physical problem. It is a serious spiritual problem. Charles Spurgeon wrote, “There is not one that has escaped contamination, not one who has come into the world clean…”

Let’s say God has a weekend home in Riverdale. He invites you over. You come just as you are. You knock, and when the door opens, the Lord bids you enter. But first He points upward to a sign on the doorframe: “Sandals off, clean feet.”

You refuse. In fact, you are angry. Your feet aren’t that dirty.  A lot of people have dirtier feet. Besides, you washed your feet before coming and could have only picked-up the tiniest bit of contamination.

The Lord indicates that you didn’t let Him finish. He “laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself. After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded” (John 13:4-5).

You cannot adequately “clean” your own feet. Your “unclean” is below the skin, embedded deep in your flesh.

“Clean” and “Unclean” are the underpinnings of our verses today. We read in Ezekiel 44:23, “And [the priests] shall teach My people the difference between the holy and the unholy, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean.”

Two characters who facilitate Millennial worship are prominent:

  • The word “priest” or “priests” occurs about 16x.
  • The word “prince” or its plural occurs about 17x.

We begin with the priests in Ezekiel 43:13, “These are the measurements of the altar…” The Millennial altar in Ezekiel 43 is a large, solid stone altar measuring 24’ square, 13½’ high, with four horns on its corners, an 18” rim around the top, and three steps only on the East side. The rim is a gutter to channel the blood of the sacrifice.

“Altars” are for sacrifice. There will be sacrifices in the future Millennial Temple; there will be blood.

Is that compatible with Jesus being the once-for-all substitutionary sacrifice for mankind on the Cross?

Yes. The sacrifices & offerings in the future Millennial Temple have nothing to do with salvation.

Matthew Henry wrote, “The sacrifices of the law were far from being of themselves sufficient to take away sin. They were a testimony that there was sin, and a picture of its removal, but not the real removal of it.”

During the one-thousand year Kingdom, the Earth will be inhabited by both mortals & immortals:

  • The resurrected immortals in the Millennium will be 1 the raptured & resurrected Church; 2 The Old Testament Saints; 3 the Martyrs from the Great Tribulation; and 4 the Highlander – Duncan McCloud of the clan McCloud.
  • All believers who survive the Great Tribulation will remain in their mortal bodies. They will be glorified later. Children born to them will be mortal. That’s the nicest way to say they will be born spiritually “unclean.”

The cloud called shekinah that inhabited the wilderness Tabernacle and Solomon’s Temple will return to inhabit the Millennial Temple. It is God’s observable, revealed, physical presence on Earth.

There is a problem: The most holy God is unapproachable for a mortal human being.

During the Exodus, Israel reached Mount Sinai, where God’s holiness required separation. Even touching the mountain meant death until God provided temporary cleansing through sacrifices and offerings.

The sacrifices and offerings in the Millennium are absolutely necessary in order for mortals to have fellowship with God.

The description of the altar continues through Ezekiel 43:17. Then, in 43:18-24, because men built it, the altar itself is “unclean” until the priests follow God’s method for declaring it clean.

Look at 43:25 “Every day for seven days you shall prepare a goat for a sin offering; they shall also prepare a young bull and a ram from the flock, both without blemish. Seven days they shall make atonement for the altar and purify it, and so consecrate it. When these days are over it shall be, on the eighth day and thereafter, that the priests shall offer your burnt offerings and your peace offerings on the altar; and I will accept you,’ says the Lord GOD.”

None of these rituals do anything to physically change the altar or the worshiper. They communicate the gap between the Most Holy God and fallen mankind. They teach “the difference between the holy and the unholy, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean.”

Priests receive and perform most of the sacrifices. A Temple priest must come from the tribe of Levi. Ezekiel 44:10-15 contrasts two priestly sons who were descendants of Levi: The sons of Aaron and the sons of Zadok.

Look at 44:10 “The Levites [the sons of Aaron] who went far from Me, when Israel went astray, who strayed away from Me after their idols, they shall bear their iniquity… But the priests, the Levites, the sons of Zadok, who kept charge of My sanctuary when the children of Israel went astray from Me, they shall come near Me to minister to Me; and they shall stand before Me to offer to Me the fat and the blood, says the Lord GOD.”

To be faithful, or not to be faithful; that is the question. Faithful is something you can be or become. It is a decision to seek the Lord, putting Him first, then following Him.

We love it when Jesus promotes us for faithfulness. He also demotes us. He demoted the sons of Aaron. Sin has consequences. I’m glad, however, that His demotions are merciful. The sons of Aaron had duties still to perform in the Temple.

Here is another scenario. You might someday demote yourself by taking a stand for the Word of God and thereby losing your position in the world. Daniel & his three friends went as far as they could in obedience to King Nebuchadnezzar. When he demanded that they join with, literally, everyone else and bow to his statue, they drew a line & took their stand.

I will grant you that your boss is like the wicked king, and that everyday you are thrown into some horrible fiery furnace. My counsel: Congratulations!

The priest drinks no wine while on duty. He may be called upon to judge disputes when not busy with sacrificial duties. He is married, but only to a virgin Israelite or a priest’s widow. He avoids defilement from the dead except for close family, purifying himself before returning to service.

Once the altar is consecrated, it’s time. At dawn, the priest will dress in pure linen garments, hair neatly trimmed, ready to serve in God’s presence. Entering the sanctuary, he offers fat and blood on the altar. Before leaving the inner court, he changes into ordinary clothes so the holiness of his garments isn’t carried outside. He receives no monetary remuneration, only the holy portions God provides to sustain him. The priest returns for evening sacrifices, ending the day in prayer before the altar (44:15-31).

In Ezekiel 45:4 we learn the priests live in this district. “It shall be a holy section of the land, belonging to the priests, the ministers of the sanctuary, who come near to minister to the LORD; it shall be a place for their houses and a holy place for the Sanctuary.”

A thread you might want to pull regarding the sacrifices and offerings is the fact that they are not the same as those in Solomon’s Temple. For one, The Day of Atonement and Feast of Weeks are not mentioned by Ezekiel.

Look at 45:21-24 and its description of Passover:

  • 45:21 The Prince will oversee the seven-day Passover beginning on the 14th of Nisan, encompassing Unleavened Bread and Firstfruits.
  • On day one, he will offer a bull for himself and the people as a sin offering (45:22).
  • Each day, he will provide seven bulls, seven goats, and a male goat for sin, plus a grain offering of one bushel with twelve pints of oil, a bull, and a ram (45:23–24).

What’s missing? There is no lamb. How can you celebrate Passover without the Passover lamb. Maybe because the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world is ruling & reigning. At any rate, you cannot get upset about animal sacrifices in the Millennium without actually checking them out.

************************************************

Before we talk about the Prince, let’s get a takeaway from the priests.

Following the LORD’s prescribed way of offering & sacrifice in the Millennium will not be hard. The sacrifices of bulls, rams, lambs, and goats; fine flour mixed with oil & frankincense. All will be abundant on the utopian Earth. The priests will do the bulk of the sacrificial work – slaughtering, sprinkling blood, burning offerings, and maintaining the altar.

Is the Christian life hard or easy? The answer depends on who is living it at the time:

  • Are you living it in the energy of your flesh?
  • Or is God living it by the power of the in-dwelling Holy Spirit?

************************************************

In Ezekiel’s Millennial vision, God re-establishes right worship and righteous leadership:

  • The priests maintain right worship.
  • The Prince maintains righteous leadership.

Who is this Prince?

We see him in Ezekiel 44:1-4 “Then He brought me back to the outer gate of the sanctuary which faces toward the east, but it was shut. And the LORD said to me, “This gate shall be shut; it shall not be opened, and no man shall enter by it, because the LORD God of Israel has entered by it; therefore it shall be shut. As for the prince, because he is the prince, he may sit in it to eat bread before the LORD; he shall enter by way of the vestibule of the gateway, and go out the same way.”

Let’s notice who is not the Prince:

  1. The Lord was talking to Ezekiel about the Prince. The Lord is therefore not the Prince.
  2. The “LORD God of Israel” is not the Prince.

The Prince is the resurrected King David. King over Israel, yet subordinate to Jesus, who is the universal King of kings, making it fitting to call David both King and Prince.

Ezekiel 34:23-24 is pretty clear. “I will establish one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them – My servant David. He shall feed them and be their shepherd. And I, the LORD, will be their God, and My servant David a prince among them.”

Ezekiel 46 describes worship regulations for the Millennial Temple. The prince enters the east gate on Sabbaths and New Moons, leading the people in worship. Offerings are prescribed for the prince and the people, including burnt, grain, and fellowship offerings. Rules are given for the prince’s inheritance to his sons, ensuring land remains in his family.

Wait; How can this be resurrected David if he can have sons? He doesn’t “have” sons while in the Millennium because he already has sons. David fathered 19 children during his lifetime.

At least two of his sons were saved & would be resurrected with their dad at the 2nd Coming. Who were they?

************************************************

Popeye the Sailor Man.

Raise your hand if you know who I’m talking about. In short cartoons from the 1930s through the 1950s, Popeye would face a problem or villain (often Bluto), do reasonably well for a bit, start getting clobbered or tied up, and only then, when he was on the verge of defeat, pull out his can of spinach. Once swallowed, he would experience instant super strength, quick victory, “and a jaunty closing tune.”

The Popeye Strategy sounds exactly like the approach believers take when it comes to God the Holy Spirit. Like Popeye without spinach, we often try to face life’s battles in our own strength. We end up beaten down because we are fighting spiritual forces with natural weapons.

We finally cry out for help. But God never intended His in-dwelling Holy Spirit to be our last resort. He is our constant supply.

The Holy Spirit doesn’t just give us a burst of strength in crisis, He indwells us to empower daily obedience, worship, and courage to take our stand. The difference between defeat and victory isn’t us “toughing it out,” but God’s Spirit within us, enabling us to live the life Ezekiel envisioned for God’s people.

R.A. Torrey: “Just stop and think what it means to have the inmost life of that infinite and eternal Being whom we call God, dwelling in a personal way in you. How solemn and how awful and yet unspeakably glorious life becomes when we realize this.”

Prophecy Update #828 – Have A Cow

August 17, 2025

I know exactly what you’re thinking: What happened in Israel regarding the five perfect red heifers?

The red heifer is an unblemished, completely red cow used in a unique purification ritual in the Jewish Temple. It was slaughtered outside the camp, its blood sprinkled toward the Tabernacle, and the entire carcass burned with cedar, hyssop, and scarlet yarn. The ashes were then mixed with water to make the “water of purification.” This water was sprinkled on those who had become ceremonially unclean through contact with a dead body. Unlike other sacrifices, the red heifer’s purpose was not atonement but cleansing from ritual defilement, making it essential for maintaining access to worship in the Sanctuary.

In September 2022, five red heifers were transported from Texas to Israel. These heifers were raised by Christian ranchers in Texas and were brought to Israel by the organization Boneh Israel, led by Byron Stinson. The heifers were imported as “pets” to circumvent Israeli livestock importation restrictions.

In August 2025, the Temple Institute in Israel announced that all five red heifers had been disqualified. However, there is some controversy about what actually occurred.

In a post on social media Byron Stinson, wrote that “This is the burning from July 1. It was not on the Mount of Olives and some Jewish leaders feel it does not pass all the requirements they support. But it was real and the first in 2000 years.”

So Stinson says the sacrifice happened but feel that is wasn’t valid.

The really big news Stinson dropped was, “We do have more pure heifers in Texas. So, in God’s time this will all happen. It is written. So it will happen.”

Skeptics & critics have relegated red heifers & Temple rebuilding as far-out conspiracy theories unfounded in reality.

Then October 7 came. The Times of Israel reported, “On January 17, 2024, Abu Ubaida (also spelled Abu Obaida), the spokesperson for Hamas’s military wing, delivered a rare televised address marking the 100th day of the war against Israel. In his speech, he cited the importation of red heifers from Texas to Israel as one of the primary motives for the October 7 attack, referring to it as “an aggression that reached its peak.”

Abu Ubaida’s speech highlighted the red heifers as part of a broader narrative that included alleged Israeli violations at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, settlement expansions, and other grievances. He framed the October 7th attack, which resulted in the deaths of approximately 1,400 Israelis, as a defensive response to these perceived provocations.

It’s no far-out, dark web conspiracy theory. Jesus quoted Daniel, both of them pointing to a Temple on the Temple Mount in the future 7yr Great Tribulation on Earth. It is what you would expect to be happening… And it is.

We believe that the resurrection and rapture of the church is an imminent event. Imminent means it could happen anytime therefore there is nothing that needs to happen prior to it.

The Great Tribulation is coming. It is designed to save all of Israel at the Second Coming of Jesus.

The Great Tribulation is not for us. It’s not a time for the Church to be purified. It is for Israel.

Revelation chapter 3 verse 10 indicates we will be kept out of that entire time of trouble; not protected through it, but kept out of it.

It begs this question – “Are you ready for the Rapture?” If not, get ready, stay ready, & keep looking up.

Ready or not, Jesus is coming!

The Calm After The Storm (Mark 4:35-41)

August 13, 2025

There’s a movie trope where the taxi driver picks up a passenger, not realizing who they really are. Usually that passenger is a scary character. The plot unfolds with twists and turns, and you wonder how the driver will escape. By the end, they have gone from passive occupant to active courage, taking charge of the story, and realizing they had more power within themselves than they realized.

Our text tonight starts off with a routine commute across the Sea of Galilee. The disciples don’t think much about it. But by the end of the night, their whole world has changed as they realize they don’t really know Who this powerful Passenger in the boat with them is.

In the last few sections, we’ve seen a number of parables stacked together. For the next few sections, we have four of Jesus’ miracles stacked together, to demonstrate once again that He was not just a wise man. He wasn’t just an inspiring teacher. No, we’ll see He had power over the creation and over demons and over disease and over death. But we’ll find people had a hard time understanding Who Jesus was even after seeing these things with their own eyes.

Mark 4:35 – 35 On that day, when evening had come, he told them, “Let’s cross over to the other side of the sea.”

There were so many people coming to hear Jesus and have Him perform healings for them that He would often have to be in a boat a little off shore so He could preach the Gospel without being crushed by the crowds.[1] His days in Galilee were jam packed full of action and interaction.

It’s hard to imagine what it would’ve been like to be one of the disciples. The miracles you saw. The truths you heard. To be with Jesus. But you also sense a growing jealousy and resentment from the Scribes and Pharisees. You’ve realized you can’t predict what Jesus might say or do next. And now He does another surprising thing: He says, “Let’s go over to Gentile territory for a bit.” That’s what was waiting on the other side of the sea.[2]

“Why would we want to go over there?” Jesus preached in Jewish regions and Gentile regions. He cast out demons in both territories. He performed a miraculous feeding miracle for a Jewish crowd and later a Gentile crowd. Jesus is the Savior of all people.

Mark 4:36 – 36 So they left the crowd and took him along since he was in the boat. And other boats were with him.

There’s a casualness here. Jesus was already in the boat, they don’t bother gathering more supplies or anything, they just head out. The language there says they took Him, “just as He was.”[3] The disciples weren’t concerned about the trip. They had at least four experienced fishermen in the group. It was their boat. They knew this sea. They were very used to sailing after sundown.

Notice the vivid details in this story. The time of day, how other ships were tagging along. How they remembered Jesus didn’t even get out of the boat after a teaching session. In a minute we’ll see reference to a cushion. All of this indicates that what we’re reading is a true, eyewitness account.[4]

Mark 4:37 – 37 A great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking over the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped.

Mark calls this a mega storm. Bible linguists use terms like hurricane,[5] or “a violent upheaval like an earthquake.”[6] It’s bad enough that we’ll see the seasoned veterans in the group are just as convinced they’re going to die as the land lubbers are.

Now, the Sea of Galilee was notorious for sudden storms,[7] but was this just a coincidence? There’s something unusual going on. Mark give us a few clues that there’s more than a low-pressure system behind this cyclone.

Remember: After Jesus overcame Satan in His wilderness temptation, Luke tells us Satan departed for a more opportune time to attack again.[8] And in chapter 5, as soon as Jesus lands He is confronted by a legion of demons. The devil knew He was coming to the region of the Gadarenes.

Linguists also point out that when Jesus calms the storm, He will use the same terms He did back in chapter 1 when casting out a demon. And Mark uses a word for storm which is the same word the Septuagint uses when describing the whirlwind Satan used to kill Job’s children in Job chapter 1.

All of that suggests that this was not a coincidence, but that it was satanic artillery fired against Jesus in an effort to stop Him from preaching and revealing Himself in Gentile territory.

But can the Devil really control the weather? Well, obviously he cannot do anything outside of God’s sovereign permission. But he is the prince of the power of the air.[9] And we do see him using natural, weather phenomena in the book of Job. But we don’t need to be afraid of that. A major theme of this story is that if you’re a Christian, you need not fear, even if the Devil himself has started shelling your little fishing boat.

With that said, this wasn’t an illusion. The boat was filling up. And they were already riding lower in the water than they’d want, having 13 people in this little boat. This is trouble with a capital T.

Mark 4:38 – 38 He was in the stern, sleeping on the cushion. So they woke him up and said to him, “Teacher! Don’t you care that we’re going to die?”

Are you a heavy sleeper? When I was a kid, I could sleep through a smoke detector going off. There, in this open boat, waves crashing, people yelling, wind howling, Jesus didn’t stir. He was asleep. There’s a suggestion in the vocabulary that they actually had trouble waking Him up.[10]

Was it because He had so much peace in His heart or because He was exhausted to His bones? Both were true. Jesus had a settled serenity, knowing He was being led by God the Father. Like David sang in Psalm 4, Jesus could lie down and sleep in peace because He trusted the Father. But also we should remember that Jesus was fully Man. He was tired. John 4 tells us of His weariness.

Pause to think for a moment of what an incredible thing it is that God was willing to take on all the aspects of humanity so that He could save us. He, an eternal Being with no weakness or limitation, was willing to take on fatigue, willing to take on exhaustion, willing to take on physical pain for you.

Now, contrast that kind, generous, self-sacrificing grace with how the disciples reacted in the moment. “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to die?” Their words were rough and indignant.[11] They’ve been translated and paraphrased like this: “We are in the process of perishing!”[12] And, “Teacher, are we to drown, for all You care?”[13]

They bring Him an accusation, not an appeal. It’s strange – they clearly have some belief, and yet it is a stunted belief. An unbelieving belief.

They wake Jesus up because, in their time of crisis, they feel like He must have something He could do. But notice how they address Him: “Teacher.” That title reveals something about their faith.

How has Jesus referred to Himself so far in this Gospel? As the Son of Man. Not just a great rabbi, but something much more. At His baptism, He was identified as the beloved Son of God. “Teacher, don’t you care?” Well, if He’s just a teacher, what’s He supposed to do about a hurricane?

And that’s the other sad part about their reaction. They rebuke Jesus.[14] They accuse Him of not caring enough to keep them safe. So not only is He just a teacher in their minds, but an unkind one.

Now, we’re scandalized by their lack of faith, but we have to be honest and admit that we do this to Jesus all the time. In our prayers, in our reactions, in our attempts to solve our problems, how often have we convinced ourselves that God is going to let us down? That there will be some moment of crisis where He will fail to keep His promises. “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.” “There’s a boy here with five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they among so many?” “If I don’t see the nail marks in His hands and put my hand into His side, I will never believe.”

The whole point of the Gospel of Mark is for us to answer this question: Who do we say that He is? Is He our Savior? Is He the Messiah? Is He Lover of our souls and the Lifter of our heads?

It will not do to have unbelieving belief. It will not do for us to have a partial trust in Jesus. If we convince ourselves that He will eventually let us down, then fear and frustration will come rushing in. And instead of rest in the storms of life, we’ll be in the kind of panic we see in this verse.

Mark 4:39 – 39 He got up, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Silence! Be still!” The wind ceased, and there was a great calm.

He didn’t have to be brought up to speed or briefed on the situation. He didn’t have to rev up His power. His command over the cosmos was total and immediate. Where there had been a mega storm, now there was a mega calm. Same word.

Where else have we read about a man asleep on a ship that encounters a terrible storm only to have him wakened and the storm suddenly calmed? There are many parallels to the Jonah story here. And they become all the brighter when in Matthew 12 Jesus makes the bold claim that He is greater than Jonah.

In Jonah’s case, he was running from his mission to preach to non-Jews, so God sent the storm. In Jesus’ case, He was headed to preach to non-Jews, and it seems the devil was trying to stop Him.

Jonah chose his own death rather than repentance – “Throw me overboard and God will stop the storm.” Jesus calmed the storm Himself, because He is God.

When Jesus spoke to the storm, He literally said to it, “Shut up. Be muzzled.”[15] The calm that resulted, scholars say, evokes the idea that the sea was so exhausted it had to lay down to rest.[16]

In His sleepy exhaustion, Jesus was instantly, absolutely, totally more powerful than the satanic storm, with all it’s fury and strength. With a word, it was over. When the Lord speaks, it is done.

But now, the Lord has something to say to the 12.

Mark 4:40 – 40 Then he said to them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

3 words for the hurricane, but 10 for His followers. It’s easy for us to think that our circumstances or our struggles are the problem when, often times, the real problem that needs fixing is in our hearts.

Jesus marveled at their fear. They woke Him up to rebuke Him, but He says, “No, here’s what’s really going on: You are cowards.”[17] If they really believed then there was no reason for them to be afraid. If God is with us, we need not fear. That doesn’t mean life is always easy, but He is not only the God of power, He is the God of peace.

Isaiah 41:10 – 10 Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will hold on to you with my righteous right hand.

Their lack of faith wasn’t in the idea that God could work a miracle. It seems like the 12 knew Jesus had power to do something. The problem was that they didn’t believe the Lord actually cared about them.

Now, in this day and age we don’t talk about fear as much as we do “worry.” I’m worried about this, that, or the other thing. That’s natural. But worry is just a fear that God is going to let me down. That He is not trustworthy. And the Bible commands us to not worry[18] just as it commands us not to fear.

If you’re worried or afraid of some situation in your life, answer Jesus’ question: Why are you afraid? The answer is going to boil down to that I don’t really think God cares that much about me.

Mark 4:41 – 41 And they were terrified, and asked one another, “Who then is this? Even the wind and the sea obey him!”

This is a remarkable ending to a dramatic scene. The wind was calm. The sea was calm. But the disciples? They were terrified. The Greek says they “feared a great fear.”[19] They still weren’t grabbing on to Who Jesus was. Look how they don’t talk to Him, they talk to each other. In Matthew’s account, they ask, “What kind of man is this?”[20]

There it is. He’s not some man. He’s the Son of Man. He’s the GodMan. He’s the Messiah. But they are still unwilling to settle that in their hearts. And so, they are left not calmed or comforted, but conflicted. The storm moved from outside the boat to inside their hearts. They’re wondering what they’ve gotten themselves into.

As we’ll see, they have a long way to go. And we do, too. We also struggle with doubt and worry and frustration and discouragement. When we do, we need to simply answer this question: “Who then is this?” Who is this Person Who has come into our lives? The GodMan in our boat. Do we believe Jesus really is Who He says He is? And if so, are we listening to what He says and how we can conform our lives to it? The journey might seem scary, but through faith comes rest, peace, power, growth – the calm and help we need to live a life with eternal value.

 

References
↑1 Mark 3:9
↑2 CSB Study Bible Notes
↑3 Robert Utley   The Gospel According To Peter: Mark And First & Second Peter
↑4 Frank Gaebelein, D. A. Carson, Walter Wessel, and Walter Liefeld   The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 8: Matthew, Mark, Luke
↑5 Marvin Vincent   Word Studies In The New Testament
↑6 Archibald Robertson   Word Pictures In The New Testament
↑7 Gaebelein
↑8 Luke 4:13
↑9 Ephesians 2:2
↑10 Clifton Allen   Matthew-Mark
↑11 Morna Hooker   The Gospel According To Saint Mark
↑12 Wayne Slusser   Jesus Stills The Storm
↑13 James Brooks   Mark Vol. 23. The New American Commentary
↑14 William Lane   The Gospel Of Mark
↑15 R.T. France   The Gospel Of Mark
↑16 Vincent
↑17 Ben Witherington   The Gospel Of Mark: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary
↑18 Philippians 4:6
↑19 Allen
↑20 Matthew 8:27

Ignite My Best Efforts (2 Peter 1:1-10)

August 10, 2025

In 1747, after decades of piracy and privateering with the Spanish treasure fleet, Captain Amaro Pargo passed from this life to the next. He left his heirs a fortune of land and money. But in his last will and testament he spoke of a secret box kept in a cabin. Inside was silver and gold, pearls and precious stones. The will said that everything in the box was itemized in a book, wrapped in a parchment, marked with the letter D.[1] But, it was never found. Nor was the cabin. For centuries, hunters have sought the box or the book. Nothing was discovered at the Pargo estate or in the cave Amaro would often use to stash goods.[2] And so, it seems the Pargo treasure died with him.

2 Peter is the apostle’s final testament to us. In chapter 1, verse 14, he says, “Jesus has made it clear to me that I’m about to die.” His closing message is full of instruction and warnings and reminders. But here in the opening verses, he speaks to us of a great inheritance – a treasure he’s hoping we don’t just read about, but lay our hands on.

He says, “Here’s the map that leads to everything you need for the rest of your life!” And after detailing the vast riches of Christianity, he says, “Make every effort to get this treasure.”

In Amaro Pargo’s story, the box is never found. The twist ending in Peter’s story is that, if you’re a Christian, you already have the treasure he’s talking about. The box was delivered to you! You don’t have to hunt for it, you simply get to inherit it, use it, and enjoy it if you are willing.

2 Peter 1:1 – 1 Simeon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ: To those who have received a faith equal to ours through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ.

Peter starts right off letting us know what we have received from God. We’ve received a faith from Him. Now, does that mean that God gives some people saving faith while denying others that gift?

While there are those who hold to that position, the answer is no. God is not a respecter of persons. He’s not willing that any should perish but that all would come to repentance. The Bible says that Christ is the Savior of all men, especially those who believe.[3] Jesus said He would draw all people to Himself so they could see the Light and believe in it and become children of Light.[4]

In Ephesians, Paul says that a person is saved by grace through faith, it’s the gift of God that is open to all who are willing to accept it. It’s not that this saving grace is irresistible to some, where they must be saved whether they ‘want’ to or not and others simply don’t get the gift. Instead, we hold to the doctrine of prevenient grace. That God, by His own power and through His own love for all the people of the earth, used His grace to free our wills so that we now have the genuine ability to choose whether we will receive God’s gift of salvation or reject it.

Now here’s what’s amazing on top of the fact that God has given us this gift: Peter says we have received a faith equal to his!

We see characters in the Bible and are inspired by their stories. But there is no fundamental difference between God’s saving work in your life versus Peter’s or Paul’s or any hero of the faith you love to read about. Different activities, but the same God working all of them in each of us.[5]

The Lord distributes to each of us a measure of faith[6] so that we can function as part of the Body of Christ on earth. There may be a difference in calling, but not in quality.

Every Christian has equal access to God.[7] Every Christian has equal standing and equal privileges.[8] Not every Christian has equal experience because God’s plan for our lives is unique. The situations we find ourselves in are personal. But God does not withhold power and grace from you and give extra to someone else because He thinks they’re better than you. In fact, Peter says:

2 Peter 1:2 – 2 May grace and peace be multiplied to you through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

God’s desire is that His grace and peace be filling your life to the fullest possible measure.[9] Grace and peace which cover the mistakes of the past, our present choices and situations, and our questions about the future.

Peter says grace and peace come through the knowledge of Jesus Christ. Now, as humans, we tend to gravitate more toward the experiential. We want to feel first. We want to see tangible proof before we believe. But that’s not the Biblical route to the power of God overflowing our lives. The Lord says if we want more grace and peace for life, the way to get it is to know Jesus more. To really know Who He is, what He has done, what He has commanded, what He has said to us.

The knowledge of God is a central Biblical theme.[10] That’s why God sent His special revelation – the 66 books of the Bible – so that we can know Him and continually grow in our knowledge of Him.

But, this is important: It’s not just academic knowledge. It’s not just intellectual knowledge. Yes, we must have intellectual understanding, but with the head knowledge must come heart knowledge. With the intellectual there must also be the personal and relational.[11]

Someone will say to you, “Do you know So-And-So?” And you’ll say, “Yeah,” but you only know that they exist and maybe their name. But do you have a personal, relational understanding and connection with that person? It’s two very different definitions of “knowing.”

I once met Alice Cooper. I spent a few hours with him and ate pizza with him. But do I know him? I know a few things about his history and what God has done in his life, but we have no relationship.

The question here is: Do you know Jesus in the way He wants you to know Him? You see, Jesus often said to people, “He who has ears to hear, let him listen and understand.” But the understanding He wanted was never just technical, factual understanding. Biblical understanding, Biblical knowing, is to hear and to obediently conform. To hear what God has said, to believe it, trust it, and change accordingly.

2 Peter 1:3 – 3 His divine power has given us everything required for life and godliness through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.

So, not only has God given us salvation as a gift, on top of that, He sent us a treasure chest of power so that we might have everything required for life and godliness.

How do we get it? Once again, through the knowledge of Christ. That we go to the Word of God, see Who He is and what He has done – that we realize more and more what God has saved us from and what He saves us for. That we grow from the basic knowledge of, “God exists,” to then, “I’m a sinner who needs to be saved,” to then, “I can be saved through faith in Jesus, Who will give me everlasting life,” to, “Oh, I have a new meaning and purpose in life and I have a hope and a future,” to, “Oh I have callings and opportunities right now to live out the power of God in the world around me,” to, “Oh now I know how God wants me to live this life.” We grow in knowledge.

And let’s not pass by without looking squarely at this phrase: Everything required. Everything! Now, there are temporal needs in life. You need air and food and clothing. But there is no question in your life that God’s word cannot answer. There is no problem you face that God’s power is insufficient to equip you. The question is not in God’s competence, but in our confidence.

2 Peter 1:4 – 4 By these he has given us very great and precious promises, so that through them you may share in the divine nature, escaping the corruption that is in the world because of evil desire.

So not only has God sent us salvation and grace and peace and everything required for yesterday, today, and tomorrow – not only do we have this life-changing spiritual information and all the helpful navigation for the lives we lead – God has also given us access to the Divine nature. He connects us to the power of His Spirit. And He promises to keep granting us that access.

AND, on top of all that, there’s yet another item on the list here. By the good grace of God, we now can escape the corruption of sin in this world. Meaning, God will repair what’s broken in us and protect us from the decay of sin and death which dominates the human experience.

One of the major works God wants to do in your life is to purify you. This world is totally polluted by sin and that pollution spreads to our thoughts, our attitudes, our natural desires. So God says, “As part of My salvation treasure, I’m going to heal your heart and purify you.” He rescues us from that corruption, as if we’re being healed of a deadly disease – because sin is a deadly disease.

Human beings generally have a yearning for purity, don’t we? If you are served a milkshake and when it comes to you there’s a big, thick hair in it, most people send it back. We want an unpolluted  milkshake. The same goes for the air we breathe and the water we swim in, our glasses’ lenses.

Now the Lord says, “I plan to purify your heart, your mind, your worldview, your reactions, your desires, everything, so that you can enjoy more and more of the goodness of God and the glory of His will in your life.” Think of inheriting an estate free of thorns or termites or mud puddles.

2 Peter 1:5a – 5 For this very reason, make every effort…

So, this gift God gives us is an incredible deal. We have the book, listing what’s inside, and that’s not even all of it. Peter’s last will and testament should make us say, “How do I lay hold of all this?”

That’s what comes next. Peter says, “Ok, here’s how you put this power into practice. Here’s how to not just have these riches in an account somewhere, but actively in your life.”

A number of years ago we got new bikes for the kids for Christmas. They opened up their other presents and then we said, “There’s one more present in the garage, why don’t you head out there to see it.” And then the kids had the choice to take hold of that gift or ignore it.

The Christian life is a life of movement toward God. It isn’t a passive faith, it’s cooperative. A faith that is exercised. A faith that takes the yoke of Christ on and then moves with Him, as He leads.

Peter says up front, “Make every effort.” That means we should diligently dedicate ourselves to…

2 Peter 2:5b-7 – …to supplement your faith with goodness, goodness with knowledge, 6 knowledge with self-control, self-control with endurance, endurance with godliness, 7 godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.

Benjamin Franklin famously made a plan for himself called the “moral perfection” project. He listed 12 virtues he thought were important and then would focus on them, one at a time, and try to master each one. He showed a friend the list and the friend said, “You realize ‘not being proud’ isn’t on your list, right?” So then Franklin upped it to 13 virtues. There was no charity or benevolence on the list. But, even with his own, custom made list, he failed his own test. Franklin said he was surprised to find himself “so full of faults.” In the case of humility, he settled for the appearance of it.[12]

Peter’s list isn’t like Franklin’s. It’s not a connect-the-dots, go-in-order list. I don’t try to master endurance and only then move on to godliness. So don’t worry about the order. Instead, look at the person described here. This, as John Stott noted, is what a productive Christian life looks like.[13]

Notice it starts with faith, it’s culmination is love. In-between, we see any aspect of life addressed.[14] Our behavior toward God and others and ourselves. Both internal and external virtue. Constant growth in heart, in head, in hand, all flowing from God and conformed into the image of His love.

There where he says, “supplement your faith,” he doesn’t mean we need new doctrines that are outside the Bible. It means we add doing to our knowing. A faith that works. A faith that operates.

Now remember verse 3: You have all you need for godliness. You don’t have to go out and discover mystical, hidden things that only a few Christians have ever figured out. You have it! You have love in your heart. You have the fruit of self-control. Will you use it?

2 Peter 1:8 – 8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being useless or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Did you know you can be a useless or unfruitful Christian? That’s a frightening thought, but one we should take seriously. The truth is, God expects and is looking for fruit in our lives. This is a major theme in the parables. Are we growing spiritual fruit in our lives? It’s not good soil He really wants, it’s the harvest from that soil. What good is all my knowledge and my spiritual gifts and God’s providence and all the promises God gives me if I don’t bear fruit in my life?

Instead, as God’s grace multiplies to me, my spiritual fruitfulness should increase toward Him.

2 Peter 1:9 – 9 The person who lacks these things is blind and shortsighted and has forgotten the cleansing from his past sins.

The person described here cannot see the world around them and they certainly can’t see what’s ahead.[15] And they have lost touch with why they were created and why God saved them.

Why were you saved? You know, there was a day when Jesus healed 10 lepers. They all went off and only one returned to thank Him and to worship Him and to follow Him. Jesus said, “Where are the other nine? Why don’t they give God the glory He deserves?”

If you are saved, you were washed, you are sanctified – set apart for certain purposes. You are called and specially gifted and appointed to be a part of God’s ongoing work.

2 Peter 1:10 – 10 Therefore, brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election, because if you do these things you will never stumble.

Peter is not suggesting that if we don’t “Christian” hard enough we’ll lose our salvation. Stumble here means to suffer misfortune or to experience a reversal in progress.[16]

So, here’s Peter, at the end of his race, about to finish. And he wants us to finish well, too. He says, “Listen, here’s the treasure that’s been left for you. Here’s how you not only experience power and purification and purpose and provision and all you need, but this is also the way to live out your faith so that you make forward progress, not backward regress as you run your race.” Backward is never the right way.

I was on my high school basketball team briefly. I was terrible, very rarely played in the games. Finally one game I was put in. And right after I went on the floor, they passed me the ball, I had a fast break, I ran and put in a layup, uncontested! It was uncontested because I ran the wrong way and scored for the other team.

That’s not how we want our spiritual lives to go. So Peter sent us this reminder – and that’s what it was, a reminder of what we know is true. A call to wake up and lay hold of what God has so graciously, so generously provided.

 

References
↑1 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amaro_Pargo
↑2 https://www.timelinefy.com/events/62860
↑3 1 Timothy 4:10
↑4 John 12:32-36
↑5 1 Corinthians 12:4-6
↑6 Romans 12:3
↑7 Frank Gaebelein, et al.   The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 12: Hebrews through Revelation
↑8 Thomas Schreiner   The New American Commentary, Volume 37: 1, 2 Peter, Jude
↑9 New American Standard Hebrew-Aramaic and Greek Dictionaries: Updated Edition
↑10 Gaebelein
↑11 Schreiner
↑12 Walter Isaacson   Benjamin Franklin
↑13 John Stott   The Message Of 2 Peter And Jude
↑14 Schreiner
↑15 Stott
↑16 Gaebelein

Honor One Another

August 10, 2025

From time to time we take a look at the “one another” commands in Bible. They given to us so we can know how to properly relate to each other in the church and so we can be built up, others can be built up, and our church can thrive in the love of God. Today’s command comes from Romans.

Romans 12:10b – Take the lead in honoring one another.

What does it mean to “honor” someone? Well, it means to respect someone, to value them.[1] To show appreciation and accord recognition.[2] Now, how does that square with the fact that we’re called to servanthood and humility and not thinking more highly of ourselves than we should?[3]

Quite honestly, we don’t do a lot of public recognition around church. We don’t name things after donors or bring people up front to talk about how great they are so we all can clap at them. We try to keep things more anonymous for a variety of reasons. One is that we believe service to the Lord should be done for Him, and not so I can receive accolades. When Jesus famously spoke about mustard seed faith, He ended that discussion by saying, “when you have done all that you were commanded, you should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we’ve only done our duty.’”[4]

Another reason why we don’t make a big show of commending people is because we live in the midst of a secular culture that thrives on selfish attention. That’s why social media exists. People often get very upset when they feel like they’re not recognized enough at work. Our human hearts want to be celebrated and, frankly, even when we are it’s never enough.

But are we neglecting this Romans 12 command to honor one another? Well, what are we being told to do? First, it’s not for me to be honored. The command is that I go out of my way to value Christians around me. To put them first. And not to do so so that I can then turn and say, “Ok it’s my turn.” In fact, this command is meant to keep our natural desire to honor ourselves in check.[5]

And, the respect and recognition we give is not based on the person, but on the work God has accomplished. The praise goes to the Lord, not the human.

So, as usual, this aspect of our faith starts with our perspective: That I value and respect the believers around and look for ways to make them important by the way I behave.

The tangible ways of carrying out this command is not about puffing people up or flattering them, but celebrating who they are in Christ, acknowledging the work God is doing in them. It means not demanding the first place in line, not walking up to someone and saying, “That’s my seat, you need to move.” Not behaving as if whatever I want to say to this person matters more than the person they’re already talking to.

We can honor one another in all sorts of ways today – real ways – and I hope we all diligently pursue that command as we interact with each other.

 

References
↑1 DBL Greek
↑2 Frank Gaebelein, et al.   The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 10: Romans Through Galatians
↑3 Romans 12:3
↑4 Luke 17:10
↑5 Robert Mounce   The New American Commentary, Volume 27: Romans

Mark 4:26-34 – Growing Gains

August 6, 2025

Do you remember those “grow in water” toys? They still sell them, but you don’t see them as much as we did in the 90’s. The packages promised unbelievable growth – that what you started with would expand to 50, 100, 1,000 in size. So you’d get out the little capsule or the tiny, shrunken dinosaur that looked like it came out of a Lucky Charms box, toss it in a glass of water, then wait a few hours, only to realize you were right to not believe the claims. Now, instead of a tiny, shrunken marshmallow you didn’t want to play with, you had a wet sponge that you didn’t want to play with.

Mark 4 shows us the way Jesus taught in Galilee. He predominantly used parables when speaking to the crowds. This chapter is a stack of parables, not necessarily given at the same time, but showing Jesus’ method and the content of some of these teachings.

The collection starts with the Parable of the Sower, which Jesus sets out as the key parable for understanding the others. Tonight we have two other parables that are similar in style and imagery, but with somewhat different points.

In the Parable of the Sower, the focus was the four types of soil. Tonight the main point is that even though Christ’s work began humbly and in obscurity, in the end the growth will be unbelievably huge – dominating the whole world with life.

Mark 4:26a – 26 “The kingdom of God is like this,” he said…

What does Jesus mean by “the Kingdom of God?” The truth is, Jesus doesn’t define the Kingdom of God. But He did describe it.[1] Does He mean the final phase when Jesus is on His throne, ruling in Jerusalem in glory? Or does He mean the spiritual reality – that though we’re still waiting for His forever Kingdom to arrive in full, the people of God live and operate with the knowledge that Christ already is King and we are citizens sent on His business during our pilgrimage home? Or is He referencing the redemptive work that the imperishable seed of the word of God does in individual lives as it is sown into our hearts and starts to transform us and bear fruit?

Looking at the parables we find all these elements. We see the final harvest of souls into eternity, we see the calling we all receive as Christians to join together in the global work of the Gospel, and we see how the Gospel penetrates and permeates our individual hearts and minds to change us, here and now. As one scholar noted, in this section of Scripture, “we have parables which imply that the Kingdom is present and yet not present, and which continue the…contrast between what is now hidden and what will assuredly be revealed.”[2]

Mark 4:26b-27 – …“A man scatters seed on the ground. 27 He sleeps and rises night and day; the seed sprouts and grows, although he doesn’t know how.

In the Parable of the Sower, Jesus is the first and foremost Sower and we imitate Him. But notice this sower: He sleeps and he isn’t all-knowing. He represents believers who have taken up the call to be a part of the work of God and the spreading of the Gospel.

This image assures of of several things: First, that the Lord will accomplish His work in this world. It cannot fail. Even though the people involved do so without total understanding and with no power of their own to bring a crop out of the ground. Even still, the seed will germinate. It will grow. The field will come alive for the harvest.

Second, there is – as always – a depiction of God’s generous grace toward us. This farmer has such limited knowledge. He has limited strength. He can’t work round the clock. If you’re talking about saving the world, he’s not the ideal candidate. But God includes us in His work despite our shortcomings. God is gracious toward us to include us in His redemptive mission.

As partners in that work, we should behave with humility. We should recognized that we don’t always know the mind of God – that we don’t always have the best ideas for how to do God’s work. And we should always remember that the power is not in our minds or in our scattering technique or in the supplements we put in the soil. The power is in the seed.

Sometimes churches feel like the Gospel needs some help. That the seed needs Miracle-Gro alongside it. That people we want to help need enticement before they’d be willing to accept the Gospel. But the Gospel is the power of God for salvation in and of itself.[3]

This farmer may not fully understand how this seed does its thing, but he believes it will. And so, not only is he faithful to do the work, but we see he does it in restful confidence – without worry.

But the fact that he isn’t worried does not mean he doesn’t care. He has dedicated himself to this seed, this effort, to growing this crop. Day by day focusing on that growth.

What would happen if this farmer grew no crop? What would happen to his family? To his community? They need the harvest for now and for the future. It’s essential.

In times of peace and prosperity, believers often stop caring about spiritual growth. We settle into a mentality that’s, “I’ve got a spot in heaven and that’s all I need.” But that’s not all we need. God wants growth in your life – harvests from your life. Not just once, but season after season.

Mark 4:28 – 28 The soil produces a crop by itself—first the blade, then the head, and then the full grain on the head.

There are times when the Lord works dramatically and suddenly, but in general, as God works in a life, in a church, in the world, it’s not instantaneous. There is gradual development and progression. The farmer isn’t done with the job the moment he scatters the seed. Then there is the watering. There’s watching for weeds, protection from pests, careful measurement of when the crop is ripe. The Christian life is about patience and dedication and faithfulness. It’s not just about us feeling a certain way all the time. There’s a book on Biblical discipleship with a great title: A Long Obedience In The Same Direction. That direction is where the Lord leads.

Now, as we wait on the Lord and walk faithfully with Him, God is – of course – even more faithful to do what He has promised. This seed grows by itself. The word there is “automatically.”[4] But the farmer dedicates himself to being a part of it.

The encouragement for us is to trust that the growth God wants to do in our lives is going to happen. It may be gradual, but it is unstoppable. And so don’t give up your place or activity in the Lord’s garden because you think there’s more action out in the world. Real, eternal power and change is not found in the political, it’s not found in the financial, it’s not found in the experiential. It’s found by following God’s designs which come charged with God’s power.

Mark 4:29 – 29 As soon as the crop is ready, he sends for the sickle, because the harvest has come.”

They say, “It’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey.” In this case, it’s not about the blade or the head, it’s about the crop. In the Parable of the Sower we see shoots that came up quickly but bore no fruit. That wasn’t a good thing. God wants fruit in your life, in our church, in this world.

And there are all sorts of different crops God wants to bring out of your life. All sorts of fruits of the Spirit. Just as olives served a different set of purposes than grain did, so each of our lives can glorify God and bring change into this world in a wide variety of ways.

But don’t just be a bag of rich soil. Actually bear fruit. If we were to drive down to any one of the nurseries in town, we would find pallets and pallets of perfectly good soil, bagged up and ready for use. But that soil won’t grow anything unless it’s worked.

Mark 4:30 – 30 And he said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable can we use to describe it?

Jesus wants us to be thinking about the Kingdom and to apply what we hear. We don’t learn everything about the Kingdom of God from these parables,[5] but they give us ideas to consider and meditate upon and accept with real action and obedience.

Mark 4:31-32 – 31 It’s like a mustard seed that, when sown upon the soil, is the smallest of all the seeds on the ground. 32 And when sown, it comes up and grows taller than all the garden plants, and produces large branches, so that the birds of the sky can nest in its shade.”

What is this parable about? That’s a question that has a wide set of answers from faithful, thoughtful students of God’s word. Each of the three interpretations offered tonight give us a lot to ponder.

The first and most common interpretation for this parable is that it’s simply about the fantastic growth of the Kingdom. That even though Christ came in the humblest form, the most modest of beginnings, look at what the final result is. The Carpenter from Nazareth, born in a stable, Whose message was absolutely rejected by the elite of Israel and Rome and Who died a criminal’s death – yet look at how the Gospel continued to spread, continued to change lives, continued to accomplish the impossible day by day through the centuries up to and including our lives today!

Other interpreters say, “Whoa, whoa, whoa – birds weren’t a good thing in the Parable of the Sower. In fact, they were devilish figures who ate the seed.” And they point out that this mustard plant has overgrown. For them the parable speaks of how as God does His work, there will be false growth mingled with it.[6] A worldly overgrowth that looks impressive and powerful, but where is the fruit? Instead of helping, there is a hindrance. We think of Simon the Sorcerer in Acts 8 who attached himself to the revival in Samaria, but he wasn’t a follower of Jesus. He saw it as a way to enrich himself and wield power over others.

There’s validity to this interpretation. It reminds us we’re not to judge hearts, but we are supposed to judge fruit. What crops are coming out of a life? In my own life, what is growing? Tangles and thorns and unruly overgrowth, or am I growing in my knowledge and obedience to Christ?

There is a third interpretation to consider. Why a mustard plant? Well because the seed is so small. Jesus liked to use the mustard seed as an analogy: “Faith like a mustard seed…”

By the way – at some point a skeptic might tell you that the mustard seed is not, in fact, the smallest seed, so there you go Jesus never existed. Rabbis during this time period used the mustard seed as the proverbial example of the smallest measure of size.[7] Think of how we use ants today.

But a mustard plant is not really what you would cultivate in your field. Listen to this ancient historian’s account: “Mustard…with its pungent taste and fiery effect…grows entirely wild, though it is improved by being transplanted: but on the other hand when it has once been sown it is scarcely possible to get the place free of it.”[8] In some sense, Jesus was saying that the Kingdom of God was, to some people, an invasive and noxious weed. And yet, in reality, it was a plant that produced flowers and oil and spice and aroma and flavor and medicine for life.[9]

The Pharisees thought of Jesus as an invasive weed. They did all they could to pluck Him and His followers out of their land. But once the Lord arrived, once the truth of the Gospel was sown, Light into the darkness, the darkness could not overcome it. And it kept growing and bearing fruit.

Mark 4:33-34 – 33 He was speaking the word to them with many parables like these, as they were able to understand. 34 He did not speak to them without a parable. Privately, however, he explained everything to his own disciples.

Do parables ever confuse you? They confuse me sometimes. Even this last mustard parable…scholars who know original languages and dedicate their lives to studying one area of Scripture aren’t all totally sure about the interpretation.

And that’s ok. The disciples also didn’t fully understand. But the point of the parables was to divide people into two groups: Those who wanted to understand and those who didn’t.

You know, Hebrews 4 says the word of God is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.[10] That’s exactly what the parables did. If you wanted to follow, you followed up.

Now listen, we have more resources than the disciples then did. We’ve got the whole canon of Scripture. We have many centuries of careful study that we can lean on. We’ve got more information than ever before. But we’re still supposed to be disciples who follow up. Because our faith in Christ and our understanding of His word is not math. It’s not, “I believed the right ten things and now that’s all I need.” It’s not, “I heard the parable once and that’s what was required.”

We’re called into an ongoing relationship of closeness and growth with the Lord. Called to keep going to His word and opening our lives before it and allowing it to be sown into our hearts so that it can do its work. And the truth is, the Word always has power to put down new roots in us.

I was talking to someone the other day who said, “You know, I’ve read that verse 1,000 times and it’s just been a sort of pass-it-by verse, but I read it today and it suddenly jumped out at me. It stuck in my mind.” And they were talking about how they weren’t sure what the Lord wanted to teach them about it, but they were thinking about it and it was bearing fruit in their minds.

There in verse 33 it says, “As they were able to understand.” The word understand is defined as, “Listening and conforming to what was heard. To receive news, believe it, and respond.”[11]

We don’t always immediately get what the Lord is trying to tell us, which is why we want to make hearing God’s word a lifestyle. The goal isn’t to just read the Bible once, but to continually have it sown into our lives, day-by-day, situation after situation, so that new roots can grow down to bear new crops for the Lord.

Verse 34 says that Jesus explained everything to His own disciples. What an amazing thing that Christ calls us His own. That He takes the time, the effort, the patience, the grace, the power, to cultivate our lives for His glory and His purposes. To grow fruit in us that changes the world.

Today there’s a lot of talk of low-skilled workers being replaced with robots, right? The Lord could do that. But He doesn’t. Because He loves us and calls us to His side and empowers us to be His hands and feet, because He has made us His own.

The Kingdom of God is an unstoppable work of grace, meaning, and fruitfulness. So, seeing that this Kingdom is operating now and will culminate in a dominion of life all over the world, shouldn’t we rush to be part of the harvest? Why wouldn’t we clear the fields of our hearts so that the King can sow as much seed into us as He possibly could?

If there are things we don’t understand about His truth or His leading, that’s ok. But don’t stay on the outside. Become an insider by pursuing the Lord and saying, “Jesus, I want to understand. I want to be conformed by what I hear from You. I want to be brought into the work You’re doing.”

Now is the time for sowing and for growth and for the reaping of spiritual fruit. Don’t be a bag of soil unused on the shelf. Grow according to God’s leadings and designs, starting right now.

 

References
↑1 The Lexham Bible Dictionary
↑2 Morna Hooker   The Gospel According To Saint Mark
↑3 Romans 1:16
↑4 Clifton Allen   Matthew-Mark
↑5 ibid.
↑6 See H.A. Ironside, Ray Stedman
↑7 R.T. France   The Gospel Of Mark
↑8 Pliny the Elder quoted in Ben Witherington   The Gospel Of Mark: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary
↑9 Encyclopedia Judaica
↑10 Hebrews 4:12
↑11 Dictionary Of Biblical Languages With Semantic Domains: Greek New Testament

There Will Be Blood (Ezekiel 40:1-43:12)

August 3, 2025

Have you ever told someone you love, “I need my space?”

It means you want time and distance away from the relationship, both physically and emotionally. It sounds reasonable enough. But what if we consider that advice with regard to our relationship with Jesus? Can you imagine Him saying to you, “Gene, I need My space?”

From Eden to Eternity, from Genesis to Revelation, the Lord wants you in His space.

Let’s call His space “sacred space.” It is anywhere that God has made a way for a sinner to enjoy fellowship with Him.

Eden was the first sacred space where humans walked with God. When they disobeyed God, they lost that fellowship. God immediately began working to restore it.

The penalty for Adam and Eve’s sin was death. God’s remedy was to become a man and substitute Himself as the once-for-all sacrifice for all who believe. He draws all people to the Cross, the Savior of all – especially those who believe.

This incredible incarnation would take a while. After Eden you see a string of sacrificial altars that were sacred meeting spaces.

Something extraordinary followed. God led Israel out of Egypt and gave Moses plans for a portable Tabernacle. It was a Tent of Meeting between God and man. When it was set up, the cloud representing the glory of the Lord filled it.

Almost 500yrs later, Solomon’s magnificent Temple replaced the portable Tabernacle. At its dedication the Temple was filled with the glory of the Lord, making it impossible for the priests to enter.[1]

Around 400 years later something exceedingly awful happened. On account of Israel’s centuries of unrepentant insubordination, idolatry, and immorality, Ezekiel watched as “the glory of the LORD departed from the threshold of the Temple” (10:18).

Ezekiel omits much Temple history:

  1. Since 70AD, the Jews have been without a Temple, dispersed all over the Earth.
  2. The next Temple they build will be the Tribulation Temple. They’re ready to build it right now. The glory of the Lord will not be in that Temple. It is the place where the antichrist declares deity and demands everyone worship him.
  3. We are discussing the Millennial Temple.
  4. After the thousand years God will create new Heavens and a new Earth where we will dwell with him for eternity. An angel told the apostle John, “There will be no Temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its Temple.”[2]

The Tabernacle, the OG Temple, and the Millennial Temple were & will be the Houses of the Holy on Earth.

Ezk 40:1  In the twenty-fifth year of our captivity, at the beginning of the year, on the tenth day of the month, in the fourteenth year after the city was captured, on the very same day the hand of the LORD was upon me; and He took me there.

Ezk 40:2  In the visions of God He took me into the land of Israel and set me on a very high mountain; on it toward the south was something like the structure of a city.

Ezk 40:3  He took me there, and behold, there was a man whose appearance was like the appearance of bronze. He had a line of flax and a measuring rod in his hand, and he stood in the gateway.

Ezk 40:4  And the man said to me, “Son of man, look with your eyes and hear with your ears, and fix your mind on everything I show you; for you were brought here so that I might show them to you. Declare to the house of Israel everything you see.

We call these ‘plans’ because the Temple has not been built. Ezekiel sees the completed Temple. This is a case of the prophetic perfect: A future reality described as already complete.

We could veer off here & discuss ourselves! When the Bible promises God has begun a good work in you,[3] the Lord is letting you know that He sees you as you will be in the future. You will be perfect.

The bronze man is most likely an angel. His super-power is accurate measuring. I’m going to summarize the Temple one section at a time.

Ezekiel 40:5-16 Describes the East Gate, sometimes called the Golden Gate. It is prominent throughout this description:

  • Ezekiel recorded the glory of the Lord leaving the Temple and the city through the East Gate.
  • When the Messiah returns to Jerusalem, He is expected to enter the city through the East Gate.

Ezekiel 40:17-19 describes the outer court of the Temple. 

Ezekiel 40:20-23 describes the northern gateway of the outer court.

Ezekiel 40:24-27 describes the south gate.

Ezekiel 40:28-43 describes the inner court.

Listen carefully: Inside the inner court, Ezekiel sees chambers and tables used for preparing animal sacrifices. In 40:41, “Four tables were on this side and four tables on that side, by the side of the gateway, eight tables on which they slaughtered the sacrifices.

But wait… Isn’t Jesus’ death on the Cross the once-for-all sacrifice for sin? It is, but there most definitely will be animal sacrifices in the Millennium.

The first step in getting a handle on this is to remember that animal sacrifices were never for salvation. People in every dispensation are saved exactly the same way: “For what does the Scripture say? ‘ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS ACCOUNTED TO HIM FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS.’ ”

One commentator wrote, “Animal sacrifices and Christ’s sacrifice were functionally different and therefore compatible.” Another wrote, “The function of sacrifices in the future will have nothing to do with eternal salvation.”

What is their function? They restore fellowship with God and the people of God when it is broken by sin.

The Great Tribulation ends with the Second Coming of Jesus. One of His first actions will be to separate survivors into two camps: The sheep & the goats.

  • The goats “will go away into everlasting punishment.”[4]
  • The sheep are the saved mortals we call Tribulation Saints. They “inherit the kingdom prepared for [them] from the foundation of the world.”[5]
  • All the believing mortal Tribulation survivors will be in the Millennium. All their children born, for one-thousand years, will posses a sin nature.
  • Also in the Millennium will be the Church, having been resurrected or raptured prior to the Great Tribulation.
  • Also in the Millennium will be resurrected OT saints.
  • And, of course, a vast number of other supernatural beings & creatures.

In that list, who will have a continual problem having fellowship with God & others?

That’s right; the mortals with their sin nature. See if this makes sense to you. Mortals will need to be saved. We will urge them to trust Jesus (whom they can see). When a human believes, it is accounted to them as righteousness. They receive the in-dwelling of God the Holy Spirit.

But something is still amiss. They remain in a perishing body of flesh with a propensity to sin. Jesus’ once-for-all sacrifice on the Cross at Calvary saves them – but they’re going to need something to restore fellowship with God until their eventual resurrection.[6]

The mortals in the millennium will be like we are today. Saved by grace through faith, in-dwelt by God the Holy Spirit, but still prone to sin.

Why do we, today, get a pass on blood sacrifices?

We are uniquely the church. We are a mystery throughout all the Old Testament, only revealed after the leadership of the nation of Israel rejected Jesus. We are the bride of Christ. The church is described as being in Christ Jesus. If we have a break in fellowship on account of sin, the Bible tells us to confess our sin directly to Him because “He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”[7]

We “present [our] bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God.”[8]

Let’s make a direct comparison between priests. The apostle Peter twice calls the Church a “priesthood” of believers.[9]

Touching or being near a dead body, on purpose or in ignorance, renders a mortal priest ceremonially unclean.[10] He  cannot serve in the Temple or enjoy fellowship with God or the people of God. The remedy was to wait 7 days, perform a ritual washing, and offer a sin offering the day he returned to the Temple. He would then be declared clean.

By contrast, We are resurrected and in our perfect glorified bodies in the Millennium. We cannot be rendered unholy. We are holy just as God is holy.

I see no difficulty with a mortal individual having to make a sacrifice in order to have sacred space restored.

The Millennial sacrificial system should be expected: It is necessary to provide sacred space for mortals. To put it another way – It would be weird for there not to be sacrifices.

Ezekiel 40:43-47 highlight God’s assignment of specific priestly chambers in the inner court.

Ezekiel 40:48-49 Describe a vestibule.

Ezekiel 41:1-26 describes the inner structure of the future Temple, focusing on the sanctuary and the Most Holy Place. The main hall and inner sanctuary, which is 20 cubits square, is reserved for God’s presence.

The inner sanctuary, or Most Holy Place, is described with great care. No furniture is mentioned, because the focus is on God’s presence in it.

Ezekiel 42:1-20 The man measures the 500-cubit-square Temple complex, walled off to separate the holy from the common.

A Messianic Jewish website describes the Temple: “The size of the structure to be built during the Millennium almost defies imagination. It will tower above the skyline of the city in the rising sun, golden in splendor, glistening in beauty. At dawn or sunset, noon or night, the Temple will be the focal point of Jerusalem. It will be the place where God dwells among His people. It will be the largest and most magnificent structure ever erected, and it will all be for the glory of God.”

The Millennial Temple will be approximately one mile square. That’s almost 28mil sq.ft. By way of comparison, the Pentagon grounds, and Central Park, are approximately that size.

Massive geological changes make room for it. Zechariah says the Mount of Olives will split, valleys will rise or fall, and Jerusalem will be elevated and reshaped.[11]

Now we come to it. Ezekiel gives us in words what he saw in wonder.

Ezk 43:1  Afterward he brought me to the gate, the gate that faces toward the east.

Ezk 43:2  And behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east. His voice was like the sound of many waters; and the Earth shone with His glory.

Ezk 43:3  It was like the appearance of the vision which I saw – like the vision which I saw when I came to destroy the city. The visions were like the vision which I saw by the River Chebar; and I fell on my face.

Ezk 43:4  And the glory of the LORD came into the temple by way of the gate which faces toward the east.

Ezk 43:5  The Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court; and behold, the glory of the LORD filled the temple.

I find it hard to define the glory of God. David Guzik calls it “the radiant outshining of His character and presence.” It is the visible, tangible representation of God –  the shekinah. It is found in many OT passages, described as “a cloud.” In the NT, the cloud is visible at key moments in the life of Jesus:

  • The cloud was present at the transfiguration of Jesus.[12]
  • The cloud received Jesus into Heaven at His ascension.[13]
  • The cloud will display the glory of Jesus Christ when He returns in triumph to Earth.[14]

Footnote: Jesus will not be able to enter the Temple immediately. It won’t have been built yet.

Before our next comments, let’s review the Doctrine of the Trinity. Here is a summary used by Dallas Theological Seminary:

“We believe that God is the all‑powerful Creator and Sustainer of all things visible and invisible, who eternally exists in three Persons – the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; and that these three are one God, having precisely the same nature, attributes, and perfections, and are worthy of precisely the same homage, confidence, and obedience.”

When Jesus comes through the East Gate, the cloud of glory accompanies Him (or He accompanies the cloud!). The cloud goes into the Temple, filling it with glory. The cloud represents God the Father.

Here are two reasons why this is probable:

  1. The glory of the LORD will dwell in the inner court during the Millennium. It’s hard to imagine Jesus spending 1000 years in a small cubicle
  2. In verse 7 the LORD says, “Son of man, this is the place of My throne.” In the meticulous plans for the Temple, there is no mention of a throne!God the Father dwells in the Temple, as He had before, while Jesus rules from a throne set up elsewhere.

Ezk 43:6  Then I heard Him speaking to me from the temple, while a man stood beside me.

Ezk 43:7  And He said to me, “Son of man, this is the place of My throne and the place of the soles of My feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel forever. No more shall the house of Israel defile My holy name, they nor their kings, by their harlotry or with the carcasses of their kings on their high places.

Ezk 43:8  When they set their threshold by My threshold, and their doorpost by My doorpost, with a wall between them and Me, they defiled My holy name by the abominations which they committed; therefore I have consumed them in My anger.

Ezk 43:9  Now let them put their harlotry and the carcasses of their kings far away from Me, and I will dwell in their midst forever.

Ezk 43:10  “Son of man, describe the temple to the house of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities; and let them measure the pattern.

Ezk 43:11  And if they are ashamed of all that they have done, make known to them the design of the temple and its arrangement, its exits and its entrances, its entire design and all its ordinances, all its forms and all its laws. Write it down in their sight, so that they may keep its whole design and all its ordinances, and perform them.

Ezk 43:12  This is the law of the temple: The whole area surrounding the mountaintop is most holy. Behold, this is the law of the temple.

This is a conditional promise. God will dwell with them forever so long as they “put their harlotry and the carcasses of their kings far away from Me.” Sadly, they won’t. We read in chapter 20 of the Revelation:

Rev 20:7  Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison

Rev 20:8  and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the Earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea.

Rev 20:9  They went up on the breadth of the Earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of Heaven and devoured them.

Rev 20:10  The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

There’s one more Temple: God the Holy Spirit dwells in every believer in the Church, making us individually and corporately the Temple of God.

God’s emphasis throughout the Bible & its stories is relationship. Rather than being deterministic, He is loving, responsive, and deeply engaged with His creation.

Personal exhortation: Choose a Systematic Theology that is by far more relational than deterministic.

If we are comparing ourselves to the previous Temples, we should be more portable than stationary.

Are you ready to be led by God in the wilderness of the world?

 

References
↑1 Second Chronicles 7:1-3
↑2 Revelation 21:22
↑3 Philippians 1:6
↑4 Matthew 25:41
↑5 Matthew 25:34
↑6 The Bible doesn’t tell us when Millennial mortals who believe will be resurrected. Probably in the time between the Millennium & Eternity.
↑7 1 John 1:9
↑8 Romans 12:1
↑9 First Peter 2:5&9
↑10 Ezekiel 44:25-27
↑11 Chapter 14
↑12 Luke 9:34-35
↑13 Acts 1:9
↑14 Revelation 1:7

Death Of The Party (Daniel 5)

July 27, 2025

Have you ever been invited to a party you didn’t want to go to? Have you ever gone to a party you weren’t invited to? Uninvited guests can make things real awkward, real fast.

There’s a wild party in Daniel 5. Two surprise guests show up and at the end of the night, not only is the party over, but the king’s life is over and his empire is over. Talk about closing the place down!

The two main character share almost the same name: Belshazzar and Belteshazzar. We know that second guy by his Hebrew name, Daniel. Their Chaldean names are their only similarity. Otherwise, they are presented in striking contrast. Today we can choose which party-goer we want to be like. We can accept the invitation to follow God, receive His power, and be used for His purposes, or we can choose to go the way of the world, ignoring God’s warning, and face certain death on our own.

Daniel 5:1-4 – 1 King Belshazzar held a great feast for a thousand of his nobles and drank wine in their presence. 2 Under the influence of the wine, Belshazzar gave orders to bring in the gold and silver vessels that his predecessor Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple in Jerusalem, so that the king and his nobles, wives, and concubines could drink from them. 3 So they brought in the gold vessels that had been taken from the temple, the house of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his nobles, wives, and concubines drank from them. 4 They drank the wine and praised their gods made of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone.

Belshazzar’s mother was Nebuchadnezzar’s daughter. He wasn’t actually the king over the empire – his father was. His father stayed in far off places, leaving Belshazzar to oversee things in Babylon.

On the night of this party, Belshazzar didn’t have a care in the world. As far as he was concerned, life was a big party and he had nothing better to do than to have a good time.

But understand that the danger was right there for Belshazzar to see. The Persian army was literally camped outside the walls of the city, laying siege. And several nearbynBabylonian cities had already been swallowed up by the Medes and Persians. Why wasn’t the king preparing for battle?

Well, the Babylonians had twenty years worth of supplies stored up within their city walls. They were absolutely convinced that no outside army could overcome their defenses. And, it’s true, a conventional attack wouldn’t topple Babylon. The city was strong, well-positioned, fortified. But a conventional attack wasn’t coming that night.

This is the first important warning for anyone who might be on the Belshazzar side of this example. You may have a great deal of success. You may be very distracted with exciting experiences and achievements. You may be convinced you have many decades of life left. But the truth is: You have no idea when your life is going to end. And one of the most important principles this text teaches us is that life is more that partying. Life is more than power. Life is more than pleasure. There is a spiritual and eternal aspect to your life because you are a spiritual being. You need eternal salvation much more than you need satiation of your physical appetites.

These first four verses go out of their way to highlight how drunk Belshazzar is. The writer vividly shows us the gold and silver vessels in the hands of these revelers.

In vivid contrast, Daniel will say that God holds Belshazzar’s life in His hands. Your life was created on purpose, for a purpose: To glorify God and receive His love and be part of His work. These gold and silver vessels that were taken from the temple in Jerusalem are a picture of what God wants to do in a greater, spiritual sense. God wants to set apart your life for particular, eternal purposes.

2 Timothy 2:21 – 21 So if anyone purifies himself from anything dishonorable, he will be a special instrument, set apart, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work.

What has God set your life apart for? He wants to reveal the answer to you as you walk with Him. And though I cannot tell you the specific plan He has for your life, I can say with all the authority of Holy Scripture that it is not to waste your life the way Belshazzar was wasting his.

Daniel 5:5-6 – 5 At that moment the fingers of a man’s hand appeared and began writing on the plaster of the king’s palace wall next to the lampstand. As the king watched the hand that was writing, 6 his face turned pale, and his thoughts so terrified him that he soiled himself and his knees knocked together.

The great hall of Babylon has been discovered and excavated, by the way. And archaeologists have verified that the walls were, indeed, made of plaster.

God wanted everyone there to know what He was doing. He wrote right next to the lampstand, for all to see. Now, they did not yet know what the message meant, but God reveals Himself and He would send a servant to explain things. He has given advance warning that judgment is coming.

For anyone who is here who may not be a Christian, you need to know that God has sent you a warning. The Bible explains there is none righteous, no not one, that all of us are sinners because we rebel against God and His moral law. And God says very plainly that the wages of that sin is death. Death is what we have earned for all the wrongs things we have done.

The Bible goes on to explain that there is a day coming for each and every person where they must stand before God and be judged. You have an appointment with death, and after death comes judgment. This is exactly what God is going to tell Belshazzar. And, like Belshazzar, if you’re not a Christian, the news of this judgment should cause you great distress and fear because you cannot buy your way out of your guilt, you can’t talk your way out of it, you can’t work your way out of it.

That’s why Belshazzar was so terrified. He knew, deep in his heart, that despite his power and his wealth and his success and his worldly security, he knew that none of those things could save him from death. He wasn’t nearly as all-powerful as he liked to tell himself and his friends.

Daniel 5:7-9 – 7 The king shouted to bring in the mediums, Chaldeans, and diviners. He said to these wise men of Babylon, “Whoever reads this inscription and gives me its interpretation will be clothed in purple, have a gold chain around his neck, and have the third highest position in the kingdom.” 8 So all the king’s wise men came in, but none could read the inscription or make its interpretation known to him. 9 Then King Belshazzar became even more terrified, his face turned pale, and his nobles were bewildered.

We laugh at the stereotype of weathermen not accurately predicting the weather. Not a big deal. But these guys – these mediums and Chladeans and diviners – this is literally their job! At least that’s what they got paid for! To supposedly know about these sort of mystical, spiritual things. But when they were truly put to the test, they come up empty.

It’s because their philosophies and methodologies were based on lies. Theories. Myths. When it comes to your life and the big questions like what is the meaning of life and what happens after we die, what is your worldview based on? Is it theoretical or actual?

Daniel 5:10-12 – 10 Because of the outcry of the king and his nobles, the queen came to the banquet hall. “May the king live forever,” she said. “Don’t let your thoughts terrify you or your face be pale. 11 There is a man in your kingdom who has a spirit of the holy gods in him. In the days of your predecessor he was found to have insight, intelligence, and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods. Your predecessor, King Nebuchadnezzar, appointed him chief of the magicians, mediums, Chaldeans, and diviners. Your own predecessor, the king, 12 did this because Daniel, the one the king named Belteshazzar, was found to have an extraordinary spirit, knowledge and intelligence, and the ability to interpret dreams, explain riddles, and solve problems. Therefore, summon Daniel, and he will give the interpretation.”

We often think of Daniel as a young man because he was probably a teenager in chapter 1, but there’s a gap of about 30 years between chapter 4 and chapter 5.  By now he’s in his 80s.

What was he known for? What was his reputation? He was a man full of the spirit of God. Though he was often in tense and dangerous situations because of his faith, we see he wasn’t someone who created problems, he solved them. And he solved them spiritually, faithfully, graciously.

Now, for the Christians listening today, one of the things Daniel teaches us is that we are often put where we are for the crisis. Maybe we won’t be the key player in a national situation like this one, but the crisis in your extended family, the crisis at work, the situations of life, you are put there for those moments because your job is to shine the light of God’s truth into the dark. You are the lampstand put in place to show the world what God wants to say and to do. The job is not to just be a worldly “expert” like the Chaldeans, but to bring real answers, real solves to those in need.

“Summon Daniel!” He wasn’t invited to this party originally, but now he was needed much more than the caterer, more than the DJ, more than the bouncer, because this man is full of the Spirit.

Daniel 5:13-16 – 13 Then Daniel was brought before the king. The king said to him, “Are you Daniel, one of the Judean exiles that my predecessor the king brought from Judah? 14 I’ve heard that you have a spirit of the gods in you, and that insight, intelligence, and extraordinary wisdom are found in you. 15 Now the wise men and mediums were brought before me to read this inscription and make its interpretation known to me, but they could not give its interpretation. 16 However, I have heard about you that you can give interpretations and solve problems. Therefore, if you can read this inscription and give me its interpretation, you will be clothed in purple, have a gold chain around your neck, and have the third highest position in the kingdom.”

Twice Belshazzar says, “I’ve heard about you.” What have your neighbors heard about you? You have opinions about the neighbors on your block, right? About your different coworkers? About that guy in your class that sits 2 rows away from you? What has a watching world heard about you?

Now, we can’t always control what’s said about us. Sometimes people do have wrong opinions. But as people who profess to follow a Savior Who is true and Who is able and Who is kind and Who is gracious and Who gives strength and peace and joy, would our reputations match as being people who really believe that? Is our faith actual or is it theoretical? Would the people around us say “Your faith has legs” the way Belshazzar says it of Daniel here? Not just philosophy but power for living?

Daniel 5:17 – 17 Then Daniel answered the king, “You may keep your gifts and give your rewards to someone else; however, I will read the inscription for the king and make the interpretation known to him.

Daniel demonstrates the kind of humility and contentment that a believer should have. He didn’t throw a tantrum and say, “Don’t you KNOW who I AM?!?” And he wasn’t desperate to get invited to this party – to be brought into the “elite” circle of the who’s-who of Babylon. He says, “I’m happy to help, but keep all your stuff.”

He is merciful and generous to Belshazzar. He didn’t respect Belshazzar. He didn’t have a relationship with him the way he did with Nebuchadnezzar. But he’s willing to give his time and come to tell him God’s truth. And he didn’t keep the truth behind a paywall. Be careful out there of Christians or ministries who keep everything behind a paywall.

Believers shouldn’t be desperate to gain position in the kingdoms of this world. We should be focused on our position in the Lord’s Kingdom.

In the next set of verses, Daniel gives Belshazzar a history lesson to contextualize what God had done and how God does things and why He does them. We should do the same when we talk about God. It’s doesn’t work when people say, “Well I just care about the Sermon on the Mount,” or to say, “I’m a red-letter Christian.” We need the entire context of Scripture. All 66 books.

After the backstory, Daniel gets to the issue at hand.

Daniel 5:22-24 – 22 “But you his successor, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, even though you knew all this. 23 Instead, you have exalted yourself against the Lord of the heavens. The vessels from his house were brought to you, and as you and your nobles, wives, and concubines drank wine from them, you praised the gods made of silver and gold, bronze, iron, wood, and stone, which do not see or hear or understand. But you have not glorified the God who holds your life-breath in his hand and who controls the whole course of your life. 24 Therefore, he sent the hand, and this writing was inscribed.

Belshazzar might have said, “I wasn’t ‘exalting myself against the Lord of the heavens.’ I was just having a good time. Why don’t you loosen up, Daniel?” But this is what we need to understand: Our sin against God and His commands are not silly little things that don’t matter. They are rebellion against the King of kings. It is treason against the One Whose puts breath in our lungs.

Now, Belshazzar knew that God had shown mercy to Nebuchadnezzar. He knew these stories. But he ignored the God of Israel all the same. And so now, here’s the Lord’s final message to him.

Daniel 5:25-26 – 25 “This is the writing that was inscribed: Mene, Mene, Tekel, and Parsin. 26 This is the interpretation of the message: ‘Mene’ means that God has numbered the days of your kingdom and brought it to an end.

For the non-Christians here today, you need to know your days are numbered. What are you going to do about the problem of death? There’s a lot of things we can overcome in life. We overcome diseases and viruses and things we’re born with and things that hold us back. But you can’t overcome death. That is a foe that only One Person has defeated, and that’s Jesus Christ.

For the Christians here today, remember that your days are also numbered. But we’re not worried about tomorrow. Instead, we focus on today because today is the day that the Lord has made. And He has put us in this day for His purposes with His power. Walk in it.

Daniel 5:27 – 27 ‘Tekel’ means that you have been weighed on the balance and found deficient.

Belshazzar’s life was found to be worthless. He may have had money and fame and prominence, but he had no moral value.  In ancient times, payments would often have to be rendered by weight. This many pounds of gold or silver. The kind of payments that Belshazzar, no doubt, received as ransom and tribute from many nations across his empire. But when the time came to pay his Creator, he was more than short, he had nothing with which to ransom his life.

At the end of human history, all those who don’t have saving faith in Christ will stand before God’s

Great White Throne. Books will be opened, lives will be measured, and each one will be found insufficient. And, like Belshazzar, you will be judged personally, so if you want to be saved, you must be saved personally. You can’t be saved corporately or culturally. You must have a personal relationship with the Savior, Christ Jesus.

In the mean time, as believers we’re told the Christian life works in us an “eternal weight of glory.” That when we stand before the Bema of Christ, our lives will be heavy with the greatness of Christ working in and through us.

Without Christ, life is wasted. The most powerful man in all the world is shown to be like weightless chaff in the light of eternity. And by this night, it was too late for him to do anything about it.

Daniel 5:28 – 28 ‘Peres’, means that your kingdom has been divided and given to the Medes and Persians.”

There does come a time when it’s too late to stop God’s judgment. Now, God is long-suffering, gracious, and compassionate. He is slow to anger and rich in love. But if you continue to reject Him, a day will come when it is too late. When the last drop of iniquity spills into the cup of God’s wrath, causing it to overflow. Don’t wait until that day. Fall on His mercy now.

Daniel 5:29 – 29 Then Belshazzar gave an order, and they clothed Daniel in purple, placed a gold chain around his neck, and issued a proclamation concerning him that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom.

After all he had seen and heard, Belshazzar still didn’t believe. He laughed and made his proclamations. He decided his strength was enough to protect him. It was one last, terrible mistake.

Daniel 5:30-31 – 30 That very night Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans was killed, 31 and Darius the Mede received the kingdom at the age of sixty-two.

History records that the Medo-Persian army diverted the river so they could enter the city underneath the walls. God’s word is always true and accurate.

So here’s Belshazzar. One of the most enviable people on the planet from the human perspective. But we can see that his was a wasted life. A life dedicated to the wrong purposes. Toasting gods who could not save him from death and destruction. Though warned about it, he laughed and acted like nothing bad would ever happen.

In 2013, a California hiker went missing after wandering off a trail. She was soon out of water and food. She started hallucinating. In an interview afterward, she said, “I didn’t even know I was missing, I didn’t know I was gone…I just thought I was in a big dream.”

Her story has a happy ending. What about you? If you’re not a Christian, you’re Belshazzar. You’re the lost hiker. You’re headed for death unless a Savior rescues you. He’s willing to do so, but not if you’re unwilling to be rescued.

On the other side we have BelTEshazzar – Daniel – who shows us the power of God in a simple life. Power and purpose despite all that had been stacked against him for decades. A life that was used for wonderful, heavenly accomplishment from youth through old age. It was possible because he was a man dedicated to the Lord his God. A man full of God’s Spirit. A man not enamored with the trappings of this world, but focused on the coming Kingdom full of God’s glory.

In the end, Daniel was the life of this party. A party he wasn’t invited to. But one God sent him to in the moment of crisis so that God’s word could be revealed and the power of His Spirit could be put on display. Choose today which life you’d like to have.