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Author: Pastor Greg Allen
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SUCH WERE SOME OF YOU: 1 Corinthians 6:9-11
Preached on Sunday, September 21, 2008
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Matthew 24:1-14Theme: God’s saving grace in Christ calls us to cease being characterized the sinful lifestyle practices that will have no part in His kingdom.
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GOD HAS SPOKEN: Hebrews 1:1-4
Preached on Sunday, September 7, 2008
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Hebrews 1:1-4Theme: God has revealed truth to mankind about Himself through His Son Jesus Christ.
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THE GUILTIEST GENERATION: Matthew 23:29-36
Preached on Sunday, August 31, 2008
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Matthew 23:29-36Theme: Religious hypocrisy brought ultimate guilt upon a generation; because it enabled it to honor God’s work in the past while rebelling against God’s call in the present.
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LESSONS FROM LEAN TIMES: Deuteronomy 8:1-6
Preached on Sunday, August 24, 2008
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Deuteronomy 8:1-6Theme: God sometimes brings His people through lean times in order to teach them to trust and obey Him.
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How Many Heavens?
A visitor to our website writes:
The Bible talks about more than one heaven. Please help me to understand where the first heaven and second, third, fourth heavens are at.
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Dear friend,
The passage of Scripture that I believe you’re drawing this question from is 2 Corinthians 12:1-6. Most New Testament scholars agree that Paul is speaking of himself in this passage; and is making reference to something that happened to him in which he was given a vision of heavenly glory. (I have often wondered if it was the stoning that he experienced in Acts 14:19-20; but since he doesn’t elaborate on it, perhaps its best not to speculate too much.) He was writing to the Corinthian church—seeking to defend his authority as an apostle to them; and so, it seems as if he writes in a sort of ‘back-handed’ kind of way. He writes;It is doubtless not profitable for me to boast. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord: I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago—whether in the body I do not know, or whether out of the body I do not know, God knows—such a one was caught up to the third heaven. And I know such a man—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows—how he was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter. Of such a one I will boast; yet of myself I will not boast, except in my infirmities. For though I might desire to boast, I will not be a fool; for I will speak the truth. But I refrain, lest anyone should think of me above what he sees me to be or hears from me (2 Corinthians 12:1-6; NKJV; emphasis added).
In the original language of his letter, Paul writes here of being caught up to tritou ouranou (“third heaven”). The word “heaven” (ouranos) can have several different meanings; and the context is what determines which meaning is intended.
For example, ouranos can refer to the atmosphere above the ground and as distinguished from the surface of the earth. In Matthew 6:26, Jesus says, “Look at the birds of the air . . .”; and the word used in the Greek for “air” is ouranos. In a similar sense, the word can be used of the “air” in a metaphoric sense. Jesus uses the word in this way in Matthew 11:23 when He says, “And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades . . .” In that case, the word is suggesting the idea of someone elevating themselves and boasting themselves up, as it were, into the sky over everyone else.
A second way this word can be used, broadly speaking, is in reference to what we today might call “space” in contrast to the earth—that is, that place far above the atmosphere in which the visible heavenly bodies (the sun, the moon, the stars, and the planets) are to be found. The plural form of the word ouranos is used in the Greek translation of the Old Testament (the Septuagint) in Psalm 8:3-4; “When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained, What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him?” I believe the same use of this word is intended in Psalm 19:1; “The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork.”
A third, and probably the most obvious way that ouranos is used is as the transcendent abode of God from which He rules over His creation, and in which dwells the angels and the glorified spirits of His redeemed people. Jesus says, “But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God’s throne; nor by the earth, for it is His footstool . . .” (Matthew 5:34-35). There may be some variations here or there; but mainly, those are the three different ways that the word ouranos is used: (1) in reference to the sky above the ground, (2) in reference to space, and (3) in reference to the spiritual realm in which God dwells.
In which sense, then, was Paul speaking of “heaven”? I believe that what he meant is made clear to us by a couple of clues. First, note that he wasn’t sure whether the person he was speaking of (again, probably himself) was “in the body or out of the body”; so we can eliminate the concepts of “sky” and “space”. And second, note that in the sentence after mentioning “the third heaven”, he refers to the same place as “Paradise” (which basically means ‘an enclosed garden’, a place of beauty; but which here refers to the place of transcendent blessedness). Jesus told the thief on the cross who was dying next to Him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise” (Luke 23:43); and this, of course, is a clear reference to heaven in the third sense—that is, the spiritual, transcendent realm into which Jesus was about to enter in glory.
Now; it isn’t likely that Paul is speaking of different levels of “heaven” in that third sense. There are some ancient Jewish, non-biblical writings that suggest a multi-layered heaven; and our ideas today of such a thing (that is “a seventh heaven”) are drawn largely from fiction and poetry (such as that which came to us from Dante). I believe, then, that (assuming that he was speaking of an experience he had) Paul was describing an experience in which he was given a view of heaven in that third sense (whether in the body or out of the body). Why did he call it “third” heaven? There’s a couple of possibilities that make sense. One would be that he was distinguishing this ouranos from the physical realms of the sky or space. Perhaps he was in a sense saying, “I was taken up to heaven”—not heaven #1 (the sky), or heaven #2 (outer space); but all the way up to heaven #3—the place we know as “Paradise”. Another possibility—and the one that I believe makes the most sense—is that he was saying “third heaven” as a way of saying “the most exalted, the most glorious, the highest all heavens”. The Bible sometimes uses the number “three” as a way of expressing the most exalted and perfect form of a thing (see Isaiah 6:3 for example; and the angelic cry, “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts . . .”).
In closing, let me affirm that it can be the confident expectation of any man or woman who trusts in Jesus that they will one day be in this place called “third heaven”. That was the promise Jesus made to that thief on the cross; and that thief is there even now! We may wish we could have heard more about this wonderful place; but Paul could not tell us. He “heard inexpressible words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter”. But those of us who have our faith in Jesus Christ know from the Scriptures that we have a hope laid up for us there (Colossians 1:5); and even now have our citizenship there (Philippians 3:20). What a glorious hope is ours in Christ—laid up for us in “the third heaven”!
Blessings in Jesus’ love,
Pastor Greg
Bethany Bible Church
(All Scripture quotes are taken from the New King James Version.) -
Subject of the Bible
A visitor to our website writes:
What subject is mentioned in the Bible the most?
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Dear friend,
That’s pretty easy. The subject most mentioned in the Bible is that of a loving God’s redemptive plan for fallen mankind. To be even more specific, it’s how He accomplished this plan to save fallen mankind through the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ on the cross for our sins (Isaiah 53:6; 2 Corinthians 5:21). Jesus is the key theme of the Bible. The Old Testament points forward to His coming and to what He would do (Genesis 3:15); and the New Testament points backward to the fact that He came and what He did (Revelation 22:21). The whole Bible is about Him (Luke 22:44; Revelation 19:10). I hope that you trust Him.
Blessings in Jesus’ love.
Pastor Greg
Bethany Bible Church
(All Scripture quotes are taken from the New King James Version.) -
12 Thrones
A visitor to our website writes:
I have a question about Matthew 19:28 – “And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” He was addressing his Disciples. Judas was among them, yet all of my life I have been taught that when Judas betrayed Jesus, and then later hung himself, he sealed his fate to spend eternity in Hell. How could Jesus tell the 12 they would set on 12 thrones, when He had to know that Judas was going to betray him and would not be in Heaven? This is NOT a “trick question”. I grew up and still attend a “Holiness” Church, and am having this discussion with a Baptist friend of mine. My own pastor has been unable to give an answer thus far, so I searched “Google” for ‘ask the pastor’ and found your website. Thanks & God Bless.
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Don,
Greetings from far-away Oregon. I know I should get over how amazing the internet is; but it still thrills me to know we have visitors to our website from the other side of the nation. You’ve asked a great question. I’ll do my best to attempt an answer.
First, I wonder if it helps to notice that, though Jesus mentions twelve thrones, He does not say, “Assuredly, in the resurrection, you specific twelve will sit on those twelve thrones.” He is, it seems to me, very careful to speak only of “you who have followed Me” (which, of course, Judas did not). It’s interesting that, in a similar passage (Luke 22:28-30); Jesus speaks in similar words after He had His last supper with the disciples, and after Judas had left to betray Him. On that occasion, He said, “But you are those who have continued with Me in My trials, and I bestow upon you a kingdom, just as My Father bestowed one upon Me, that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”
In other words, in the Matthew 19:28, Jesus seems to speak in a way that could exclude Judas even if Judas were present (““Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel”). But on that different occasion when Judas was no longer present, in Luke 22:28-29, He seems to speak in a way that would only include those to whom He was speaking (“But you are those who have continued with Me in My trials, and I bestow upon you a kingdom . . .”).
There were occasions when Jesus spoke to the twelve with Judas present; and yet seemed to deliberately isolate Judas in what was being said. In John 6:70-71, Jesus says, “‘Did I not choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?’ He spoke of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, for it was he who would betray Him, being one of the twelve.” And yet later, after Judas had been dismissed from the group to go and betray Jesus (John 13:27), Jesus told the remaining disciples something that would not have applied to Judas, “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you” (John 15:16).
So; it seems to me that, when Jesus says what He says in Matthew 19:28, though Judas is present, Jesus speaks carefully so as to exclude Him from the promise of “thrones” that the others received.
Now, of course, that leaves us with the question of why Jesus mentioned twelve thrones instead of eleven. It may be that this was something that even the eleven disciples were wondering when they were gathered together in Acts 1:15-26. Judas was gone–having gone out and hung himself. And Peter and the others felt compelled to (if I may put it this way) try and make it an even dozen. So they cast lots and selected a man named Matthias. Perhaps they were afraid that one of the thrones would now be empty.
While I’m sure that Matthias was a good, godly man, I don’t think that he was the Lord’s choice to complete the twelve. He was chosen before the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2; and he was chosen by lot–not by the command of the Lord. And in fact, we don’t hear from him any longer in Scripture. But I believe that God DID have someone in mind. I believe that the position of that twelfth throne was going to belong to the apostle Paul; who had not yet been saved and called, but soon would be. Later, Paul wrote, “For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am . . .” (1 Corinthians 15:9-10). But as unworthy as Paul considered himself to be, he nevertheless was still a called apostle; appointed by Christ (Galatians 1:1). And so, I believe that there WILL be twelve apostles sitting on the twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. Judas will not be one of them; but my strong suspicion is that Paul will be.
I sincerely hope this helps.
Blessings in Christ’s love,
Greg Allen, Pastor
Bethany Bible Church
(All Scripture quotes are taken from the New King James Version.) -
Sunday Sabbath
A visitor to our website writes:
I’ve just one question I’d like you to consider as your time and interest allows. The reward/ condemnation for failing to consider are eternal in nature. Why do you worship on and/or observe the Sabbath on Sunday? God clearly stated in Exodus 20 as the Fourth Commandment that the Sabbath (seventh day of the week Saturday) shall be kept holy, He blessed and sanctified the Sabbath.* * * * * * * * * *
Dear friend,
Thank you for writing. I am glad to answer your question.
Our church family believes – as I’m sure you’ll agree – that we are to live lives of worship to God at all times. But we gather together to corporately worship Him on Sunday primarily because of the example given the church by the apostles in the Scriptures.* * * * * * * * * *
The commandment of God regarding the Sabbath is found in Exodus 20:8-11. God Himself speaks and says; “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested in the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it” (Ex. 20:8-11).
I believe that there is a perpetual obligation upon all people to keep this commandment, and to honor God’s day of rest. I believe this because of the fact that the Sabbath commandment is based on the example of God’s own rest on the seventh day of creation. God Himself rested on the seventh day; and He expressly sanctified it and blessed it as a part of His creative work (Exodus 2:2) – and did so long before the Ten Commandments were given to Israel through Moses. All people are obligated by God’s word and example to observe His rest in accord with His pattern: that is, to work six days, and rest on the seventh. That pattern is intrinsic to God’s work of creation; and is a part of who we are made to be.
But it is also my conviction that it’s the keeping of the pattern – and not the specific day – that is called for in God’s creative act in Genesis. The keeping of the specific day as defined by the fourth commandment as given through Moses – that is, Saturday – was intended by God to be a sign to a specific people: Israel. We have no recorded incident in the Scriptures prior to the giving of the Law – that is, from the time of Adam’s creation to the time God gave this commandment through Moses – in which anyone is described as having either observed the Sabbath, or as having been sanctioned for having broken it. (This isn’t to say that the Sabbath wasn’t blessed by God, or that it wasn’t obeyed. It’s just to say that there’s no clear example that specifies a particular day of the Sabbath until the time of Moses.) But when the children of Israel were in the wilderness and were given instructions regarding the eating of mannah, God told them, “Tomorrow is a Sabbath rest, a holy Sabbath to the LORD” (Exodus 16:23). That day was Israel’s first appointed Sabbath day; and He specified that particular day to them as the Sabbath long after He created the world. In Ezekiel 20:12, He says, “Moreover I also gave them My Sabbaths, to be a sign between them and Me, that they might know that I am the LORD who sanctifies them.” God thus stamped the people of Israel as His own by giving them the specific Saturday Sabbath – among others Sabbaths – to keep.
I also believe that Jesus didn’t come to put that commandment aside. He didn’t come to put a single jot or tittle of the Law aside; but rather, He came to fulfill it (Matthew 5:17). As Hebrews tells us, “We who have believed [that is, upon the work of Christ on the cross] do enter that rest . . .” (Hebrews 4:3). And I believe that that’s why, when we come to the New Testament – after Christ has come and has completed His sacrifice for us – we see that the situation regarding the Sabbath is clearly different. The New Testament example is that of the man or woman in Christ observing the Sabbath on first day of the week rather than the last.
There is no New Testament “command” in the Scripture that says that we must now worship on Sunday. But we DO have the example, clearly endorsed by the apostles, of the believers gathering together on Sunday. This is clearly shown in two specific passages. In Acts 20:7, it says that Paul preached a long sermon to the Christians in Philippi “. . . on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread . . .” Also, in 1 Corinthians 16:2, Paul gives instructions concerning the collections made for poor Christians; “On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come.” The verse prior to that last one suggests that this was a command given not just to this one particular church, but also to the other churches of Galatia. And yet, the “Sabbath” (that is, the seventh day sabbath) was still spoken of as distinct from this day, since, for example, Paul reasoned with the Jews and Greeks in the synagogue “every Sabbath” (Acts 18:4; see also 13:14, 27, 42, 44, 15:21; and 16:13).
The first day of the week, then, began to be observed by the early Christians following the resurrection of Jesus and after Pentecost. Jesus is said to have risen on the first day of the week (John 20:1); and it was on this day that we find that the disciples were gathered together to have received the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost in Acts 2:1-4. (Pentecost was reckoned by counting fifty days from the Sabbath of the offering of the new grain on Passover [Leviticus 23:15-16] – making it the first day of the week.)
Many believe that, because it was the day on which the Lord was resurrected, Sunday eventually came to be referred to as “the Lord’s day” (Revelation 1:10). Though not authoritative, the late-first or early-second century “church manual” known as The Didache testifies to this as the accepted gathering day for believers when it says, “And on the Lord’s own day gather yourselves together and break bread and give thanks . . .” (paragraph 14).* * * * * * * * * *
Now, please know that if another brother or sister in Christ disagree with me on my view of a Sunday Sabbath, I certainly respect their right to do so. Saturday is their day to observe the Sabbath rest if they wish. But I don’t believe any Christian should be troubled by the suggestion that their soul is under eternal threat because he or she does not observe a Saturday Sabbath.
If one were to suggest that observing the Sabbath on any day other than Saturday was a sin of such a terrible nature, then they would have to be consistent with the implications that would follow. They would then have to say that the largest share of the professing church (which, for the past two-thousand years, has gathered together on the first day of the week) has been unspeakably negligent; having engaged in a sin that has put nearly all of its members at risk of eternal damnation.
You would also have to say that many of the leaders of the early church were dreadfully negligent – negligent in fact to the point of being culpable for the eternal loss of countless souls! This would be because they had gathered together in Jerusalem to settle the question of which aspects of the Jewish ceremonial law the believing Gentiles were required to keep; but they sadly neglected to mention a crucially important requirement – that they must observe the Sabbath on the last day of the week (Acts 15:1-35)! Yet, we see no mention of it at all.
What’s more, one of the guiltiest men in all of church history would have to be the apostle Paul. He told his brothers and sisters in Christ that they had liberty with respect to the day they chose (Romans 14:6-7). And what’s more, he told other Christians not to allow anyone to judge them “in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, which are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance is of Christ” (Colossians 2:16-17). You would have to say that his words have led untold millions throughout the centuries to neglect the Saturday Sabbath – and thus suffer eternal loss!
Of course, any such an idea is ridiculous! No, dear friend. The day we honor the Lord is something for which God has given us liberty. It’s about Christ – not about the specific day. And for my part, I will “stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free,” and I will not “be entangled again with a yoke of bondage” (Galatians 5:1).* * * * * * * * * *
Let me close with one more thought. If we rest our hope for salvation upon the full sufficiency of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross – and on Him alone – then we should not then judge and condemn another brother and sister in Christ who likewise trust His cross, but who feels led to observe a different day than we do. We would, in effect, be fighting a battle against the grace of God through Christ – and would be seeking to place people back under bondage to the Jewish ceremonial law.
Paul wrote these words with regard to a different matter of controversy; but I believe the principle would absolutely apply to the whole matter of the day of the Sabbath: “But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written: ‘As I live, says the LORD, every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall confess to God.’ So then each of us shall give an account of himself to God. Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother’s way” (Romans 14:10-13).
I say, let’s enter fully into the liberty we have in Christ; and concern ourselves instead with more important things than on what day another brother or sister in Christ worships. God has given them liberty in the observance of that day – whether it is Saturday or Sunday. Instead, let’s rejoice with them and encourage them in their day of worship. If we do so, we will be taking our stand on God’s grace – and that’s the only safe place to stand.
Thank you again for your letter.
In Christ’s love,
Pastor Greg
(All Scripture quotes are taken from the New King James Version.) -
THE LAST AND THE FIRST
Preached Sunday, January 6, 2008
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Matthew 19:30-20:160Theme: Knowing certain truths about the rewards for service in Jesus’ kingdom will help us keep a proper attitude in our labors.