There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn’t true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true. —Soren Kierkegaard. "…truth is true even if nobody believes it, and falsehood is false even if everybody believes it. That is why truth does not yield to opinion, fashion, numbers, office, or sincerity–it is simply true and that is the end of it" – Os Guinness, Time for Truth, pg.39. “He that takes truth for his guide, and duty for his end, may safely trust to God’s providence to lead him aright.” – Blaise Pascal. "There is but one straight course, and that is to seek truth and pursue it steadily" – George Washington letter to Edmund Randolph — 1795. We live in a “post-truth” world. According to the dictionary, “post-truth” means, “relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief.” Simply put, we now live in a culture that seems to value experience and emotion more than truth. Truth will never go away no matter how hard one might wish. Going beyond the MSM idealogical opinion/bias and their low information tabloid reality show news with a distractional superficial focus on entertainment, sensationalism, emotionalism and activist reporting – this blogs goal is to, in some small way, put a plug in the broken dam of truth and save as many as possible from the consequences—temporal and eternal. "The further a society drifts from truth, the more it will hate those who speak it." – George Orwell “There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn’t true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true.” ― Soren Kierkegaard
Lord, give me grace to deny myself, to take up my cross daily, and to follow Christ; Matthew 16:24(ESV) to discipline my body and keep it under control. 1 Corinthians 9:27(ESV)
Lord, keep me from being a lover of my own self, 2 Timothy 3:2(ESV) from being wise in my own eyes and leaning to my own understanding. Proverbs 3:5-7(ESV)
Lord, give me to seek, not my own good only, but also the good of my neighbor. 1 Corinthians 10:24(ESV)
And grant that I may not live to myself or die to myself, but whether I live or die, may I be the Lord’s, and live and die to him. Romans 14:7-8(ESV)
We must pray for humility and meekness.
Lord, give me to learn from Christ to be gentle and lowly in heart, that I may find rest for my soul; Matthew 11:29(ESV) and that herein the same mind may be in me that was also in Christ Jesus. Philippians 2:5(ESV)
Lord, conceal pride from me, Job 33:17(ESV) and clothe me with humility; 1 Peter 5:5(ESV) and put upon me the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in your sight is very precious. 1 Peter 3:4-5(ESV)
Lord, give me grace to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which I have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with others in love. Ephesians 4:1-2(ESV)
Let anger never lodge in my bosom, Ecclesiastes 7:9(ESV) nor the sun ever go down on my anger; Ephesians 4:26(ESV) but enable me to show perfect courtesy toward all people, because I myself was once foolish and disobedient. Titus 3:2-3(ESV)
Let me be clothed as becomes an elect child of God, holy and beloved, with a compassionate heart, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, Colossians 3:12(ESV) that being merciful, even as my heavenly Father is merciful, Luke 6:36(ESV) I may be perfect as he is perfect. Matthew 5:48(ESV)
12. Since then, by the righteous judgment of God, we deserve temporal and eternal punishment, how can we escape this punishment and be again received into favor?
God demands that His justice be satisfied,1 therefore we must make full satisfaction, either by ourselves or by another.2
1 Ex 20:5, 23:7; Rom 2:1-11; 2 Isa 53:11; Rom 8:3-4
13. Can we ourselves make this satisfaction?
By no means, on the contrary, we daily increase our guilt.1
1 Ps 130:3; Mt 6:12; Rom 2:4-5
14. Can any mere creature make satisfaction for us?
No. First, God will not punish another creature for the sin which man has committed;1 and further, no mere creature can sustain the burden of God’s eternal wrath against sin, and redeem others from it.2
1 Ezek 18:4, 20; Heb 2:14-18; 2 Ps 130:3; Nah 1:6
15. What kind of mediator and redeemer then must we seek?
One who is a true1 and sinless man,2 and yet more powerful than all creatures, that is, one who is at the same time true God.3
Speakers: Justin Peters · Jim Osman | Series: Sound Theology & Discernment
Show Summary
Can demons “attach” themselves to objects? Justin Peters and Pastor Jim Osman (author of Truth or Territory: A Biblical Approach to Spiritual Warfare) examine recent claims about “cursed objects” and respond with Scripture. They walk through Ezekiel 20 and Acts 19, clarify the difference between description and prescription in Acts, and show why superstition about items distracts from the sufficiency of Christ and His Word.
Elders and Deacons – Pastor Patrick Hines Sermon / Acts 6:1-7, Titus 1:9-15
[Acts 6:1-7 NASB20] 1 Now at this time, as the disciples were increasing [in number,] a complaint developed [on the part of] the Hellenistic [Jews] against the [native] Hebrews, because their widows were being overlooked in the daily serving [of food.] 2 So the twelve summoned the congregation of the disciples and said, “It is not desirable for us to neglect the word of God in order to serve tables. 3 “Instead, brothers [and sisters,] select from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in charge of this task. 4 “But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” 5 The announcement found approval with the whole congregation; and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch. 6 And they brought these men before the apostles; and after praying, they laid their hands on them. 7 The word of God kept spreading; and the number of the disciples continued to increase greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were becoming obedient to the faith.
[Titus 1:9-15 NASB20] 9 holding firmly the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, so that he will be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict [it.] 10 For there are many rebellious people, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision, 11 who must be silenced because they are upsetting whole families, teaching things they should not [teach] for the sake of dishonest gain. 12 One of them, a prophet of their own, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.” 13 This testimony is true. For this reason reprimand them severely so that they may be sound in the faith, 14 not paying attention to Jewish myths and commandments of men who turn away from the truth. 15 To the pure, all things are pure; but to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure, but both their mind and their conscience are defiled.
For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery, lest you be wise in your own estimation, that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fulness of the Gentiles has come in; and thus all Israel will be saved; (11:25–26a)
Paul had just warned Gentile believers about becoming proud and conceited because unbelieving Israel was cut off from blessing in order that it might be offered to Gentiles, explaining that “if God did not spare the natural branches [Israel], neither will He spare you [the Gentile church]” (Rom. 11:20–21). If in His sovereign grace He is now granting salvation to believing Gentiles, “how much more” will He bring His covenant nation Israel back to Himself in belief and for blessing and cut off the apostate Gentile church (vv. 24). God is not finished with His ancient chosen people, and even during this time when Jews as a nation are severed from God’s special blessing because of unbelief, anti-Semitism in any form is anathema to the Lord. Whoever harms God’s chosen people “touches the apple [pupil] of His eye” (Zech. 2:8). Doubtless with great joy and expectation, Paul tells believing Jews and Gentiles alike that he does not want them to be uninformed of a marvelous mystery. At the end of the epistle Paul defines mystery as being a revelation “which has been kept secret for long ages past, but now is manifested, and by the Scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the eternal God” (Rom. 16:26; cf. Eph. 3:5–7). Before Paul identifies and explains the particular mystery of which he is speaking here, he once again cautions Gentiles against pride, warning them to avoid construing the truths of that mystery as reasons for being wise in their own estimation. The first component of this mystery is that a partial spiritual hardening has happened to Israel. Partial does not modify mystery but Israel. That is, those who are hardened—the great majority—are totally hardened, but not every Jew has been or will be hardened. As always through the ages of redemptive history, God sovereignly has preserved for Himself a believing remnant. That is the gracious truth Paul emphasizes in the first part of this chapter (11:1–10). The second component of this mystery is that the hardening will remain only until the fulness of the Gentiles has come in. Until refers to time, fulness indicates completion, and together those terms denote impermanence. The hardening will last only for God’s divinely-determined duration. It began when Israel rejected Jesus as her Messiah and Savior, and it will end when the fulness of the Gentiles has come in. Has come in is from eiserchomai, a verb Jesus frequently used. He used it of entering the kingdom of heaven/God (Matt. 5:20; Mark 9:47; John 3:5; cf. Acts 14:22) and of entering eternal life (Mark 9:43, 45), both of which refer to receiving salvation. Israel’s unbelief will last only until the complete number of the Gentiles chosen by God have come to salvation. Paul’s special calling was “to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles, ministering as a priest the gospel of God, that my offering of the Gentiles might become acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 15:16). In his letter to Titus, Paul refers to himself as “an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the faith of those chosen of God” (1:1). The mystery ends when the gathering of the elect is complete. That, of course, is also the calling of the church. Although many Jews have been saved through the church’s witness, the vast majority of converts have been, and will continue to be, Gentiles—until their number is complete. That will signal the beginning of events that lead to Israel’s redemption, when all Israel will be saved—a truth that must have filled Paul’s heart with great joy (cf. Rom. 9:1–3; 10:1). All Israel must be taken to mean just that—the entire nation that survives God’s judgment during the Great Tribulation. The common amillennial view that all Israel refers only to a remnant redeemed during the church age does injustice to the text. Paul’s declaration about all Israel is set in clear contrast to what he has already said about the believing Jewish remnant which the Lord has always preserved for Himself. The fact, for instance, that only some of the branches (unbelieving Jews) were broken off (v. 17), plainly indicates that a remnant of believing Jews—those not broken off—will continually exist while the fulness of the Gentiles is being completed. These are Jews being redeemed who are not part of the spiritual hardening that has come upon Israel because of her rejection of her Messiah (v. 25). Before all Israel is saved, its unbelieving, ungodly members will be separated out by God’s inerrant hand of judgment. Ezekiel makes that truth vividly clear:
“As I live,” declares the Lord God, “surely with a mighty hand and with an outstretched arm and with wrath poured out, I shall be king over you. And I shall bring you out from the peoples and gather you from the lands where you are scattered, with a mighty hand and with an outstretched arm and with wrath poured out; and I shall bring you into the wilderness of the peoples, and there I shall enter into judgment with you face to face. As I entered into judgment with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will enter into judgment with you,” declares the Lord God. “And I shall make you pass under the rod, and I shall bring you into the bond of the covenant; and I shall purge from you the rebels and those who transgress against Me; I shall bring them out of the land where they sojourn, but they will not enter the land of Israel. Thus you will know that I am the Lord.” (Ezek. 20:33–38, emphasis added; cf. Dan. 12:10; Zech. 13:8–9)
Those who hear the preaching of the 144,000 (Rev. 7:1–8; 14:1–5), of other converts (7:9), of the two witnesses (11:3–13), and of the angel (14:6), and thus safely pass under God’s rod of judgment will then comprise all Israel, which—in fulfillment of God’s sovereign and irrevocable promise—will be completely a nation of believers who are ready for the kingdom of the Messiah Jesus.
“Behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them,” declares the Lord. “But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares the Lord, “I will put My law within them, and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. And they shall not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them,” declares the Lord, “for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.” (Jer. 31:31–34; cf. 32:38)
God’s control of history is irrefutable evidence of His sovereignty. And as surely as He cut off unbelieving Israel from His tree of salvation, just as surely will He graft believing Israel back in—a nation completely restored and completely saved. It is helpful to note an additional truth that Paul does not mention at this point—namely, that, just as the fulness of the Gentiles will initiate the salvation of Israel, so the salvation of Israel will initiate the millennial kingdom of Jesus Christ. That three-stage plan of God was predicted in the Old Testament and proclaimed in the New. In about A.D. 50, a council of “the apostles and the elders came together” in Jerusalem to discuss whether or not Gentiles had to submit to the Mosaic law, including circumcision, in order to be saved (Acts 15:1–6). After considerable debate, including statements by Peter, Paul, and Barnabas,
James answered, saying, “Brethren, listen to me. Simeon [Peter] has related how God first concerned Himself about taking from among the Gentiles a people for His name. And with this the words of the Prophets agree, just as it is written, ‘After these things I will return, and I will rebuild the tabernacle of David which has fallen, and I will rebuild its ruins, and I will restore it, in order that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who are called by My name, says the Lord, who makes these things known from of old’ ” (vv. 12–18).
After Israel is temporarily set aside, God will gather Gentile believers for Himself, then (“after these things”) He will restore and reclaim His ancient people Israel (figuratively, “the tabernacle of David”), and finally He will establish His glorious kingdom on earth.
TO GLORIFY GOD’S INTEGRITY
just as it is written, “The Deliverer will come from Zion, He will remove ungodliness from Jacob.” “And this is My covenant with them, when I take away their sins.” From the standpoint of the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but from the standpoint of God’s choice they are beloved for the sake of the fathers; for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. (11:26b–29)
Scripture is replete with affirmations of God’s utter truthfulness and trustworthiness. “God is not a man, that He should lie,” Balaam informed Balak, “nor a son of man, that He should repent; has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?” (Num. 23:19). The writer of Hebrews gives the encouraging assurance, “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful” (Heb. 10:23). From Peter we have a similar affirmation: “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance” (2 Pet. 3:9). God’s promises are certain and they are punctual. They will be fulfilled in exactly the way and at exactly the time that the Lord has determined and declared. Others cannot thwart God’s promises, and He Himself will not break them. In every form and to every degree, His Word is immutable. As he nears the conclusion of this momentous section on God’s dealing with Israel (chaps. 9–11), Paul emphasizes once again God’s sovereignty and integrity. In saving “all Israel,” the Lord will display Himself to the One who always keeps His promises and fulfills His covenants. Just as it is written, Paul says, “The Deliverer will come from Zion, He will remove ungodliness from Jacob” (emphasis added; cf. Isa. 59:20–21). Quoting again from Isaiah, he then says, “And this is My covenant with them, when I take away their sins” (cf. Isa. 27:9). Salvation is the forgiveness and removal of sin, the eradication of that which separates fallen man from the holy God. The power of salvation is God’s grace, and the condition of salvation is man’s faith. But even that required faith is divinely provided. As Paul has already made clear, our calling to salvation, our justification, sanctification, and glorification all flow from God’s sovereign grace, the fruit of His divine foreknowledge and predestination (Rom. 8:29–30). The ultimate salvation of Israel is also assured by divine certainty. In order for “all Israel [to] be saved,” all her sin must be forgiven and removed. And that is expressly what God promises to do: remove ungodliness from Jacob and take away their sins. The promise is unconditional. It will not depend on Israel’s deciding on its own to come back to the Lord but on the Lord’s sovereignly bringing Israel back to Himself. Perhaps God’s most dramatic promise of final, unconditional dealing with His chosen people Israel is seen in the mysterious and unique covenant He made with Abraham that is described in Genesis 15. In answer to the patriarch’s question, “O Lord God, how may I know that I shall possess [the land]?” God directed him to take “a three year old heifer, and a three year old female goat, and a three year old ram” and to cut them in half (vv. 8–9). The parts of each animal were then laid out opposite each other, along with a turtledove and a pigeon. After causing Abraham to fall into a deep sleep, God alone passed between the pieces, thereby sealing several divine promises. Abraham would die peacefully in old age; after 400 years of oppression and enslavement, his descendants would be delivered from a foreign nation; and God’s promise of the land was reiterated (vv. 10–21). But unlike other covenants, not only its terms but its ratification were wholly God’s doing. Despite his being asleep, Abraham was aware of what God was doing and saying, but only as a silent onlooker. Abraham was not required so much as to acknowledge, much less agree to, this covenant. The promises were without condition. This covenant amounted to a divine and unalterable declaration, to which God bound Himself in the unique act described in this passage. Paul continues to explain that, from the standpoint of the gospel they [Israel] are enemies for your [the Gentile’s] sake, but from the standpoint of God’s choice they are beloved for the sake of the fathers. As he has already explained at some length (vv. 11–24), because of Israel’s transgression in rejecting her Messiah, she was set aside—becoming God’s enemies, as it were—in order that salvation could come to the Gentiles. That was her temporary situation from the standpoint of the gospel. But from the permanent, eternal standpoint of God’s sovereign choice, Israel is even now (they are) and forever will be beloved for the sake of the fathers—Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. When the Lord elected (by divine choice) the nation of Israel to be His own people, He bound Himself by His own promises to bring the Jews to salvation and to be forever His beloved and holy people. During this present age, Israel might be called the “beloved” enemies of God. Because of unbelief, they are, like all the unsaved, at enmity with God (Rom. 5:10; 8:7). But God’s eternal election guarantees that their enmity is not permanent, for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. Gifts translates charismata, which carries the fuller connotation of grace gifts, gifts flowing from the pure and wholly unmerited favor of God. Calling refers to God’s divine election of Israel to be His holy people. God will not change His plan for Israel’s spiritual regeneration. Just as God’s sovereign grace and election cannot be earned, neither can they be rejected or thwarted. They are irrevocable and unalterable. Nothing, therefore, can prevent Israel’s being saved and restored—not even her own rebellion and unbelief, because, as Paul has just declared, her ungodliness will be sovereignly removed and her sins graciously taken away (vv. 26–27). What is true of elected believers is true of elected Israel: “Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass” (1 Thess. 5:24).
MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1991). Romans (Vol. 2, pp. 126–132). Moody Press.
The Mystery of Jewish Hardening
Romans 11:25
I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited; Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in.
In this volume of the Romans series, we have been studying Paul’s unfolding of the purposes of God in history for more than forty chapters, focusing on the nation of Israel, and we come in Romans 11:25–32 to the last of the seven major points Paul is making. His theme here is the future conversion of the great mass of Israel in the final days. Most commentators recognize that this is a new section and therefore separate it from the preceding verses by descriptive titles. Leon Morris calls verses 25 through 32 “The Conversion of Israel.” John Murray describes this section as “The Fullness of the Gentiles and the Salvation of Israel.” C. K. Barrett titles it “God’s Plan Complete.” Ray Stedman labels it “Our Great and Glorious God.” H. C. G. Moule calls these verses “The Restoration of Israel Directly Foretold: All Is of and for God.” William Barclay calls them “That All May Be of Mercy.” So also in our Bibles. The New International Version follows this line when it titles Romans 11:25–32 “All Israel Will Be Saved.” Clearly, this section is the culmination of what Paul has been saying in chapters 9 through 11 of this letter. He introduced his line of thought in verse 6 of Romans 9, wondering rhetorically if God’s purposes in history may have failed, since so many Jews, God’s specially chosen people, have rejected Jesus Christ as their Messiah. Our earlier studies have shown that Paul denied this implication and has been giving reasons for an entirely different view, namely, that God is still in control of history. Therefore, all that has happened both in the rejection of Israel and the conversion of Gentiles has been according to God’s wise and perfect plan. You will recall that Paul has seven arguments to show that God’s purposes have not been sidetracked by Israel’s unbelief:
God’s historical purposes have not failed, because all whom God has elected to salvation are or will be saved (Rom. 9:6–24).
God’s purposes have not failed, because God had previously revealed that not all Israel would be saved and that some Gentiles would be (Rom. 9:25–29).
God’s purposes have not failed, because the unbelief of the Jews was their own responsibility, not God’s (Rom. 9:30–10:21).
God has not failed, because some Jews (Paul himself was an example) have believed and have been saved (Rom. 11:1).
God has not failed, because it has always been the case that not all Jews but only a remnant has been saved (Rom. 11:2–10).
God’s plans have not failed, because the salvation of the Gentiles, which is now occurring, is meant to arouse Israel to envy and thus be the means of saving some of them (Rom. 11:11–24).
Finally, God’s historical purposes toward the Jewish nation have not failed, because in the end all Israel will be saved, and thus God will be seen to have honored his promises toward Israel nationally (Rom. 11:25–32).
It is this final point, the last of the seven, to which we come now.
The “Mysteries” of God
In the earlier portion of Romans 11, Paul has argued both the possibility and probability of the conversion of the mass of Jewish people. Now he moves from argument to prophecy, stating the certainty of the blessing that shall one day be, and this means that what he has to say now is in the nature of special revelation. This is the significance of the word mystery in verse 25. When we use that word, we have in mind something that is puzzling or unknown. One dictionary calls it “something that has not been, or cannot be, explained; something beyond human comprehension; a profound secret; an enigma.” However, that is not the meaning of the word in the New Testament, in Paul’s writings specifically, or, for that matter, in the ancient world in general. In the ancient world a mystery was something unknown to most people but specially revealed to some. This was the meaning of the word as used of the ancient mystery religions, for example. The existence of these religions (Mithras, Isis and Osirus, Dionysus, Attis and Cybele, Eleusis and others) was known to nearly everybody. But the specifics of their religious rites were known only to initiates, much like today’s Masons, who also have secret rites, signs, handshakes, and symbols of which most people are unaware. The apostle Paul uses the word in this way but with specifically biblical elements. He uses “mystery” to refer to something that at one time was not known and could not be arrived at by any amount of human reasoning, but that has now been revealed to us by God through such inspired teachers as himself and the other apostles. Charles Hodge says, “Any future event … which could be known only by divine revelation is a mystery.” This was an important term for Paul, which means that he was aware of being the channel of such divine revelation for our benefit. One proof of this is the number of times he uses the word mystery and the variety of ways in which he uses it. Some years ago, H. A. Ironside, a former minister of Moody Memorial Church in Chicago, wrote a book on The Mysteries of God in which he explored these formerly hidden but now known doctrines at some length. It is not one of Ironside’s best books, in my judgment, since it is poorly written and strongly dispensational. Nevertheless, it has the important virtue of being somewhat comprehensive. In it Ironside explored:
1. “The Mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven” (Matthew 13:11)
2. “The Mystery of the Olive Tree” (Romans 11:25)
3. “The Great Mystery of Christ and the Church” (Ephesians 5:32)
4. “The Mystery of Piety” (1 Timothy 3:16)
5. “The Mystery of the Rapture of the Saints” (1 Corinthians 15:51)
6. “The Mystery of Lawlessness” (2 Thessalonians 2:7)
7. “The Mystery of God Finished” (Revelation 10:7).
Ironside’s main point was that the mysteries of the New Testament are things we should know, yet strangely are largely ignored by masses of today’s Christians. We should not be ignorant of these things. It is true that “the secret things belong to the LORD our God,” but the mysteries are among those that are revealed and therefore “belong to us and to our children forever” (Deut. 29:29). Ministers are to be faithful stewards of these truths (1 Cor. 4:1).
Israel’s Future: A Mystery
This brings us back to the specific mystery Paul is writing about here, namely, that the mass of Israel will be saved. Why is it a mystery? Obviously, because it is not something any of us would ever figure out by mere reason or deduce by observation. As far as we can see, Israel has been rejected permanently. We do not see even a glimmer of national restoration. But what we cannot see or deduce Paul declares by revelation to be a future fact: “Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in,” and then “all Israel will be saved” (vv. 25–26). We have already looked at this statement in some detail, trying to weigh the arguments for and against belief in a time of future Jewish blessing. It is not necessary to argue them again here. Instead, we need only explore the key phrases in the statement more fully. The “full number” of the Gentiles is actually only “fullness” in the Greek text, but the New International Version is surely right when it amplifies the term by adding the word number. Fullness could mean “fullness of blessing,” meaning that some Gentiles will receive the full measure of those blessings originally given to the Jews. But Paul has not been dealing with that idea. He has been asking why not many Jews have been saved and why so many Gentiles have been saved instead, and he is prophesying that in the future large numbers of Jews will be converted. In this context the “fullness of the Gentiles” must mean their full number, that is, all the elect to be saved from among the many Gentile nations. How about the word until? We have already seen that this is not a terminus a quo, an ending after which nothing else should be expected. Rather, it is a terminus ad quem, an ending of one thing, after which something else will happen. I have not been trying to develop a full treatment of prophecy in our study of Romans 11, because it is not called for. I have merely been trying to explain what Paul is teaching in chapters 9–11. But I should mention that when Paul says “Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in,” he is saying almost exactly what Jesus said when he noted that “Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled” (Luke 21:24). The context shows that Jesus was thinking of the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans, which happened under the Roman general Titus in 70 A.D. He was saying that the capital would be in Gentile hands until the end of the “times of the Gentiles,” presumably an age of Gentile prominence if not also of widespread Gentile spiritual blessing. If we think about such things, we can hardly escape noticing that in our lifetimes the city of Jerusalem has once again come under Jewish control, as a result of the reestablishment of the modern state of Israel. This suggests that the Gentile age may be drawing to a close, as Jesus predicted.
The Point of Prophecy
The point of prophecy is never merely to give God’s people some special insight into what will one day happen, an insight not possessed by unbelievers. It is always practical; it is revealed for its bearing on how we are to live now. With that in mind we ask: What is the reason for the revelation of this mystery? Why does Paul tell us that “Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in”? It is not hard to find the answer. He tells us in this very verse. It is “so that you may not be conceited.” What does that mean? Let me suggest a few answers.
We should not be conceited in thinking that Gentile believers have replaced Jewish believers permanently. There are two forms of this error, as I see it. One is a mild form; the other is particularly evil. The mild form is sometimes seen among Reformed theologians and takes the shape of denying that anything spiritual can exist beyond or in addition to the church. I realize there is a valid concern in this. Since the forms and types of the Old Testament have been fulfilled in Jesus Christ, these writers cannot think of going back to anything. It seems to them that if God is thought of as having anything more to do with the Jews as a nation, this must necessarily be a regression. It is to reconstitute a physical people rather than a spiritual people. It is to substitute an earthly kingdom for a heavenly one. Some others have probably erred in this direction, too. But it seems nevertheless to be a uniquely Gentile form of conceit to suppose that God cannot also begin to work among the Jews after his special saving work among the Gentiles shall have ended. Indeed, how can we presume to limit what God can do historically, even by our Reformed theology? If God says that there will be a day of future Jewish blessing, then there will be one, and we must be humbled by this revelation. The intense and evil form of this error is anti-Semitism, particularly that which grows out of Gentile Christian arrogance. I am aware that intolerance is not limited to Christians. All over the world, ethnic or racial groups are prejudiced against other groups. A song that I remember from my college days goes: The whole world is festering with unhappy souls: The French hate the Germans; the Germans hate the Poles; Italians hate Yugoslavs; South Africans hate the Dutch, And I don’t like anybody very much.
A sinful world is like that. But the fact of universal prejudice does not excuse anti-Semitism among Gentile Christians. Unfortunately, we must acknowledge that this has often existed. After all, it is so-called Christians, not Buddhists or Moslems or animists, who have called the Jews “Christ-killers,” forgetting that it was a Roman governor named Pilate who actually delivered Jesus to death. Whenever Gentile Christians start thinking of themselves as having somehow replaced the Jews in God’s dealings, they must remember that the Jews are “loved [still] on account of the patriarchs” (Rom. 11:28) and that God says he has a spiritual future for them even yet.
We should not be conceited in thinking that a Gentile church is the culmination of God’s dealings in history. The fact that there is to be something beyond ourselves and our age in God’s historical dealings should humble us in another way also. It should teach us that we are not the “be all” and “end all” of God’s plans. Indeed, it should warn us that Christianity will not certainly triumph in our hands. There was a time in the last century and earlier in this one when many Christians in the West thought like this, and their thinking bore fruit in a form of postmillennialism that held that Christianity would inevitably conquer the earth before the return of Jesus Christ. One who has held this view is Loraine Boettner, who has authored such valuable books as The Reformed Doctrine of Predestination, Studies in Theology, Immortality, and The Millennium. More than thirty years ago, in an article in Christianity Today, Boettner wrote: The redemption of the world … is a long slow process, extending through the centuries, yet surely approaching an appointed goal. We live in the day of advancing victory and see the conquest taking place. From the human viewpoint there are many apparent setbacks, and it often looks as though the forces of evil are about to gain the upper hand. But as one age succeeds another, there is progress. Looking back across the nearly two thousand years that have elapsed since the coming of Christ, we see that there has been marvelous progress. All over the world, pagan religions have had their day and are disintegrating. None of them can stand the open competition of Christianity. They await only the coup de grace of an aroused and energetic Christianity to send them into oblivion.… The Church must conquer the world, or the world will destroy the church. Christianity is the system of truth, the only one that through the ages has had the blessing of God upon it. We shall not expect the final fruition within our lifetime, nor within this century. But the goal is certain and the outcome sure. The future is as bright as the promises of God. The great requirement is faith that the Great Commission of Christ will be fulfilled through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and preaching of the everlasting Gospel.
That is strong propaganda. And, of course, much of it is true. The work of God will triumph. We are called to proclaim the gospel worldwide. The gospel will be widely known. But this is not the same thing as saying that Christianity, as an historical force, will triumph. Or that Gentile Christianity will one day rule the world. Moreover, although we can understand how a philosophy like this gained acceptance in a day when the western nations were at the peak of their economic and political power and therefore seemed to dominate the world, we can hardly make such an easy assumption about the flow of history today. The West and western Christianity are surely in decline. And although it is true that Christianity is growing rapidly in the Third World, it is also true that other world religions are also growing. Fueled by oil revenues, the religion of Islam is particularly ascendant. We must not forget that Jesus once asked pointedly, “When the Son of Man comes [returns], will he find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8). Or that when Peter wrote of the last days, he did not say that Christendom would triumph, but rather that “there will be false teachers among you [who] will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them.… Many will follow their shameful ways …” (2 Peter 2:1–2). Or that Jude reminded us of the apostles’ warning that “in the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires,” adding, “These are the men who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit” (Jude 18–19). Or that Paul also wrote, “… in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons” (1 Tim. 4:1). None of these passages encourages us to believe in an inevitable expanding triumph of Gentile Christianity. On the contrary, they warn us of unbelief, apostasy, and false teaching before Christ’s return. I do not mean to say that Christianity will perish from the earth, for God will have his remnant among the Gentiles, just as he has had his remnant among the Jews. But I do mean to say that Gentile believers dare not be arrogant but should instead “be afraid,” knowing that “if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare [us] either” (Rom. 11:20–21). Knowing that God has a future for the Jews after the Gentile age has drawn to an end should temper and diffuse our nearly insufferable conceit.
We should not be conceited in thinking that in ourselves we are something special. Believers in Christ are special to God, of course. But I am not thinking of that. I am thinking of the tendency we have to assume that the reason we are saved and that others are not saved is because we are wiser or more holy or more perceptive or more significant than they are. We are not saved for any of these reasons. We are not wiser or more holy or more perceptive or more significant than others. On the contrary, “God [has chosen] the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him” (1 Cor. 1:27–29). If God has chosen the foolish things now and will one day renew a work among his ancient people when the times of the Gentiles shall have been completed, we can never suppose that we are special. Instead, we can only acknowledge that we are saved on account of the mercy of God and by his immeasurable grace.
We should not be conceited in somehow thinking that other people, who are not like us, are hopeless. It is easy for us to abandon hope for others. When we see a person who has squandered his or her spiritual opportunities or who has vigorously opposed Christianity or has sinned in some particularly dreadful fashion, we conclude that there is probably no chance for such a person. We write him or her off and say such things as: “The Jews have rejected Jesus, so they are lost,” or “My friends will not have Christ, so they are lost.” That is the way we think. But we must not think that way, for it is never true. God is the God of all hopeless causes, ourselves included. John Newton was surely close to God’s heart when he replied to someone who spoke to him of an acquaintance for whom he despaired, “I have never despaired of any man since God saved me.” What about you? You may be laboring under the thought that you are a hopeless case, because of who you are or because of something you may have done or said or thought. Or you may have a family member whose case seems to you to be hopeless. I assure you on the basis of the Word of God that the case is not hopeless. And you are not hopeless either! Only unbelief keeps a person from salvation, and even today you may still call upon the name of the Lord and be wonderfully saved.
“All Israel Will Be Saved”
Romans 11:26–27
And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written:
“The deliverer will come from Zion;
he will turn godlessness away from Jacob.
And this is my covenant with them
when I take away their sins.”
About one hundred years ago, Frederick the Great, King of Prussia, was having a discussion with his chaplain about the truth of the Bible. The king had become skeptical about Christianity, largely through the influence of the French atheist Voltaire. So he said to his chaplain, “If your Bible is really true, it ought to be capable of very easy proof. So often, when I have asked for proof of the inspiration of the Bible, I have been given some large tome that I have neither the time nor desire to read. If your Bible is really from God, you should be able to demonstrate the fact simply. Give me proof for the inspiration of the Bible in a word.” The chaplain replied, “Your Majesty, it is possible for me to answer your request literally. I can give you the proof you ask for in one word.” Frederick was amazed at this response. “What is this magic word that carries such a weight of proof?” he asked. “Israel,” said the chaplain. Frederick was silent. There are many other proofs for Christianity, of course. But it can hardly be doubted that the continuing existence of Israel as a distinct people throughout the four thousand years of her history is a striking phenomenon. Dispossessed of her homeland and dispersed throughout the world, Israel has nevertheless survived while other peoples in similar situations have not. Coupled with the Bible’s identification of the Jews as God’s elect people and its many prophecies concerning their unfolding history, the preservation of Israel as a people is strong evidence for the Bible being the inspired and inerrant Word of God. Even more than that, and much to the purpose for our study, the survival of Israel suggests that God has preserved these people through their many dispersions and persecutions not because he does not care for them, but because he does, and because he has a plan for the Jewish people that will unfold in blessing in the last days.
Proof from Isaiah
Romans 11:26 is the conclusion and clearest statement of this argument, the bottom line of Paul’s discussion of God’s historical purposes with the Jews, namely, that in the last days God will fulfill his promises to the Jews nationally by bringing the mass of Israel to faith in Jesus Christ as the Messiah: “And so all Israel will be saved.” We have already made that point several times over in the studies that have been leading up to this one, but what is unique about verse 26 is the fact that here at last Paul proves his argument from the Old Testament. This has been his pattern before, as I have already pointed out several times. Paul’s pattern is to make his argument first and then, when he has completed it, to nail it down with one or more Old Testament citations. He did this in chapter 3, after having argued the case for human depravity. He did it again in chapter 4, after explaining the gospel at the end of the previous chapter. The same pattern was followed in chapters 9 and 10. This is opposite to the pattern followed by the apostle Peter, to give just one contrary example. In his sermon on Pentecost, Peter first gave his texts and then argued from them, rather than the other way around. He did this three times, expounding Christian truth on the basis of Joel 2:28–32; Psalm 16:8–11, and Psalm 110:1 (cf. Acts 2:14–41). In Romans 11, Paul proves his argument concerning Israel by a quotation from Isaiah 59:20–21. Isaiah 27:9; Jeremiah 31:33–34, and Psalm 14:7 may have also been in his mind, since he seems to have included wording from those additional verses in his quotation. However, there are two ways in which this quotation can be taken, and, not surprisingly, they correspond to the two ways of looking at what Paul is saying about Israel, which I have already examined. The text could be saying that the Redeemer will emerge out of Israel in order to take away the people’s sins by his death on the cross. In that case, it would be a reference to Jesus’ first coming and earthly ministry. Or else it could be saying that Jesus will come out of heaven to Israel in order to turn the hearts of the people from unbelief to faith. In this case, it would (or could) be referring to a time of future blessing. Those who do not believe in a future period of national conversion for Israel naturally incline to the former interpretation. Those who think Paul is prophesying an age of future blessing choose the latter. I have already indicated my reasons for choosing the second of these views. I add here that in my judgment the emphasis in Paul’s quotation of Isaiah 59:20 is on the future tense of the verb “to be,” that is, the words “will come.” From Isaiah’s point in history, to say that the Messiah “will come” could be a reference only to Jesus’ first coming. But from Paul’s vantage point, which followed that first coming, the verb must be looking to a period still future, and Paul must be thinking of it. Here are two observations that are very important.
Although by itself the passage in Isaiah could refer either to the first coming of Jesus or to a time of future blessing of Israel by God, from the point at which Paul under the guidance of the Holy Spirit has interpreted it as referring to this future blessing, we have the proper meaning and ought to interpret the verses in this way. In other words, to go back to the idea of the “mystery” Paul says he is revealing (v. 25), it is as if Paul acknowledges that readers of the Bible could not be sure what Isaiah was referring to before this revelation but that now we can be sure of it because of what he is teaching. Robert Haldane says, “We may be assured that the Apostle, speaking by the same Spirit as the Prophet, and directed by the Spirit to quote him, has … given the meaning of his words.” Following a similar line of thought, Charles Hodge says, “We are, of course, bound to receive the apostle’s interpretation as correct.”
My second observation is that this positions us to see many passages that might otherwise be construed as referring only to a past blessing as actually referring to a day of future blessing, or at least possibly referring to it. This is what John Murray is arguing when he says, “This express application is an index to the principle of interpretation which would have to be applied to many other Old Testament passages which are in the same vein as Isaiah 59:20, 21, namely, that they comprise the promise of an expansion of gospel blessing such as Paul enunciates in verses 25, 26.” If that is right, this is the place in our exposition to recognize that there are other Old Testament texts that should be seen as prophesying the future conversion of the mass of Israel and to look at some of them.
Old Testament Texts
There must be hundreds of such passages. An exhaustive study would fill volumes. Yet here are some that are especially significant.
Jeremiah 16:14–16. “ ‘… the days are coming,’ declares the LORD, ‘when men will no longer say, “As surely as the LORD lives, who brought the Israelites up out of Egypt,” but they will say, “As surely as the LORD lives, who brought Israelites up out of the land of the north and out of all the countries where he had banished them.” For I will restore them to the land I gave their forefathers. But now I will send for many fishermen,’ declares the LORD, ‘and they will catch them. After that I will send for many hunters, and they will hunt them down on every mountain and hill and from the crevices of the rocks.’ ” Since Jeremiah was writing before the fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonian armies under Nebuchadnezzar, this might be taken as a prophecy of the return of the Jews to Judah in the days of Ezra and Nehemiah, and it may even have had a partial fulfillment at that time. However, in view of the apostle Paul’s understanding of Isaiah 59:20–21, it may also be referring to a more important return of Israel to her ancient homeland in the last days. In fact, when we begin to think of the text along these lines, the words “and out of all the countries where he had banished them” take on new meaning. For now the prophecy is seen not merely as foretelling the return of the Jews from one nation alone, that is, from Babylon, but from all the world’s nations, where the Jews have indeed been scattered and from which they must come if they are to return to the land of Israel.
Jeremiah 32:36–40. In Jeremiah 32, the chapter in which God tells Jeremiah to buy a field as a symbol of his lasting commitment to the Jewish homeland, God says, “You are saying about this city, ‘By the sword, famine and plague it will be handed over to the king of Babylon’; but this is what the LORD, the God of Israel says: I will surely gather them from all the lands where I banish them in my furious anger and great wrath; I will bring them back to this place and let them live in safety. They will be my people, and I will be their God. I will give them singleness of heart and action, so that they will always fear me for their own good and the good of their children after them. I will make an everlasting covenant with them: I will never stop doing good to them, and I will inspire them to fear me, so that they will never turn away from me.” Like Jeremiah 16:14–16, this passage seems at first to be referring only to the return of the Jews to Jerusalem from Babylon, even though some of the elements in the prophecy do not seem to fit perfectly, for instance, that the people will serve God in “singleness of heart” and “always fear” him, and that God will make “an everlasting covenant with them.” Singleness of heart hardly describes the history of the people from the days of Ezra and Nehemiah on. In fact, they were as wayward then as ever, and in the days of Jesus they actually turned against their Messiah. On the other hand, as soon as we begin to think in terms of a still future blessing, the idea of “singleness of heart” and “always fearing” God and “an everlasting covenant” have an exact meaning and are seen to refer to the same future conversion of the mass of Israel that Paul is prophesying.
Hosea 1:10 and 2:21–23. A classic and often re-echoed prophecy of this future age is found in Hosea’s symbolic naming of his children and God’s promise to change their names in that day. Hosea called his children Jezreel (meaning “scattered”), Lo-Ruhamah (meaning “Not-Loved”), and Lo-Ammi (meaning “Not-My-People”). But God said, changing the names to Planted, Loved, and My People, “I will plant her for myself in the land; I will show my love to the one I called ‘Not my loved one,’ I will say to those called ‘Not my people,’ ‘You are my people’; and they will say, ‘You are my God.’ ” (See study 135, “ ‘Children of the Living God,’ ” in this volume.) There are prophecies similar to this toward the end of many of the minor prophets (cf. Joel 3:17–21; Amos 9:11–15; Micah 7:8–20; Zeph. 3:9–20).
Zechariah 12–14. Special attention should be given to the last three chapters of Zechariah, which are presented as “an oracle” about the final days. The words “on that day,” which customarily refer to God’s final wrapping-up of history, including the last judgment, occur sixteen times and tie the chapters together. These chapters describe a time in which: First, God will deliver Jerusalem from the nations of the earth, which are attacking her (12:1–9), Second, the people will “look on … the one they have pierced” and “mourn for him” (12:10–13), Third, a “fountain” will be opened to the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem “to cleanse them from sin and impurity” (13:1–3), Fourth, the people will call on God, causing him to say, as in Hosea 2:23, “They are my people,” and the people to say, “The LORD is our God” (13:9), Fifth, the Lord will descend on the Mount of Olives to save the people in a time of great trouble, deliver Jerusalem, and bring prosperity to the land (14:1–15), Sixth, Gentiles will go to Jerusalem to worship God (14:16–19), and Seventh, the people will become holy in all they are and do (14:20–21). Nothing like this has ever happened; therefore, it must be future. Besides, these things were written after the regathering of the people in the days of Nehemiah and Ezra, which means that they cannot refer to those past days but must refer instead to a time yet future. That is, they must refer to the time of future Jewish belief about which Paul is writing.
Jews for Jesus
At this point the natural reaction is to say that widespread Jewish conversions are unlikely, considering the traditionally strong opposition of Judaism to Jesus and Christianity. But even if we are only looking at this from a human point of view, it may not be as far out as many think, because there seems to be a new interest in Jesus by Jewish thinkers. Sholem Asch, a Polish Jew who was one of the best-known Jewish writers of his day, said in an interview published in the Christian Herald many years ago:
Since I first met him [Jesus], he has held my mind and heart.… I was seeking that something for which so many of us search—that surety, that faith, that spiritual content in my living which would bring me peace and through which I might bring some peace to others. I found it in the Nazarene.… Jesus Christ, to me, is the outstanding personality of all time, of all history, both as Son of God and as Son of Man.… No other religious leader … has ever become so personal a part of people as The Nazarene. When you understand Jesus, you understand that he came to save you, to come into your personality. It isn’t just a case of a misty, uncertain relationship between a worshipper and an unseen God; that is abstract; Jesus is personal.”
Constantine Brunner, the German Jewish philosopher, looked upon Jesus as the great representative of pure Judaism. He wrote:
Is it only the Jew who is incapable of seeing and hearing all that others see and hear? Are the Jews stricken with blindness and deafness as regards Messiah Jesus, so that to them alone he has nothing to say?… Understand, then, what we shall do: We shall bring him back to us. Messiah Jesus is not dead for us—for us he has not yet lived: and he will not slay us, he will make us alive again. His profound and holy words, and all that is true and heart-appealing in the New Testament, must from now on be heard in our synagogues and taught to our children, in order that the wrong we had committed may be made good, the curse turned into a blessing, and that he at last may find us who has always been seeking after us.
Ferdynand Zweig, a contemporary English Jew who has taught at the Hebrew and Tel Aviv universities, says, “The Jewish religion seems to be at present to the large mass of Israeli Jews uninspiring and uninspired. Could it be that Jesus could give it a new lease of life?” Hans Joachim Schoeps, the Jewish theologian who taught the history of religion at Erlangen University in Germany, wrote:
The Messianism of Israel aims at that which is to come, the eschatology of the Gentile church at the return of him who has come. Both elective covenants confront the ebb and flow of the finite world in the shared expectation that the decisive event is still to come—the goal of the ways of God that he travels with mankind in Israel and in the Church. The church of Jesus Christ has preserved no portrait of its lord and savior. If Jesus were to come again tomorrow, no Christian would know his face. But it might well be that he who is coming at the end of days, he who is awaited by the synagogue as by the church, is one, with one and the same face.
None of these authors has accepted Jesus as his personal Savior from sin, and no one would say on the basis of these quotations that the Jews as a whole are ready to accept Jesus of Nazareth as their Messiah. But they do indicate what even many Jews are calling a new openness to Jesus and suggest, to Christians at least, that the time of future national conversion that Paul writes of in Romans, may not be far distant.
Jews and the Gentile Church
I close with a few observations on what God’s historical dealings with the Jewish people mean for today’s largely Gentile church. First, the experience of Israel through the thousands of years of her history is a demonstration of the biblical principle that where there is obedience there will be blessing, and where there is disobedience there will be judgments. Israel has suffered many judgments during the centuries of her disobedience to God’s law and rejection of God’s Messiah. But it is the same for Christians. God is not mocked. If we disobey God’s Word and persist in going our own way, God will discipline us, gently if he can but also forcefully if he must. Many believers have been so disciplined. You may be one. Learn from it. You cannot fight against God successfully. Second, God is faithful to his covenant. We are going to pursue this in our next study, because it is the explicit teaching of Romans 11:27 (“And this is my covenant with them when I take away their sins”). This is an encouragement because it tells us that God will not give up on those whom he has chosen, even if our sins cause him to turn away his face for a time. Third, there is a lesson about grace. For ultimately that is what this discussion is all about. God’s relationship to Israel is a tremendous illustration of his grace. Chosen, yet frightfully disobedient, even to the point of rejecting and actually killing the very Son of God sent to them, Israel nevertheless has been loved by God, continues to be loved by him, and will one day be brought back to God—because God is gracious. This is our God, too. The New Testament calls today the day of God’s grace. But this day of grace will not last forever, and the regathering of Israel in her own land may indicate that God’s days of grace are fast drawing to a close. Where do you stand in your relationship to Jesus, who came into this world and died on the cross to save you? He is coming again! Will you be ready for him when he comes? The Bible says, “We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. For if the message spoken by angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment, how shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation?” (Heb. 2:1–3a).
God’s Irrevocable Covenant
Romans 11:27
And this is my covenant with them when I take away their sins.
In the last study I said I would return to the subject of God’s covenant in this one, because of verse 27. A covenant is a solemn promise, usually ratified in some formal way. But I begin with a preliminary question: Is the covenant idea important for understanding biblical theology? Covenant theologians will immediately answer, “Yes, of course.” And I must confess that I believe this is right. I will show why as I go along. But the question is still reasonable, if for no other reason than that the idea does not seem to be very important in Romans. Although this is the greatest doctrinal book in the New Testament, as almost everyone will agree, the word covenant occurs only twice in the letter: once in Romans 9:4, where it is mentioned as one of the advantages of Judaism (“Theirs is the adoption as sons; theirs the divine glory, the covenants”) and the second time in our text (“And this is my covenant with them when I take away their sins”). The first is a bare mention, with no elaboration at all. The second is a quotation from the Old Testament. In neither case does the apostle develop what is called a covenant theology. I suppose that is the best defense I have for my personal neglect of the covenant idea in Foundations of the Christian Faith. I produced that large volume over five years’ time, and it contains over 700 pages of material. Yet although it mentions the word covenant in a few places, it does not develop an explicit covenant theology. One of my friends chastised me for that on one occasion, wondering how a “covenant theologian” like myself could write what I call “a comprehensive” theology and ignore this subject.
Many Covenants
In my opinion, the idea does not have quite the prominence in the Bible that many covenant theologians give it. In fact, covenant theology itself was not worked out until late in the Reformation period by two of the followers of John Calvin: Zacharias Ursinus (1534–1583) and Caspar Olevianus (1536–1587). They developed the idea of two main covenants: a covenant of works established between God and Adam, and a covenant of grace established between God the Father and God the Son. Nevertheless, the covenant idea is important, as even a very quick look at the biblical material shows. In Hebrew the word for “covenant” is bʾrith. It occurs more than 300 times in the Old Testament and is translated as “covenant” 257 times (NIV). The Greek word is diathêkê. It occurs 36 times in the New Testament, more than half of them in the letter to the Hebrews. We can approach the subject from the number or types of covenants that are mentioned in the Bible. Everyone seems to have a different listing at this point, which complicates matters, but most lists would include:
God’s covenant with Adam (Gen. 1:28–30; 2:16–17). The word covenant is not used in the account of God’s promises and warnings to Adam, but it is assumed that God established something like a covenant with him. According to the terms of this covenant, Adam was to enjoy the fullness of God’s blessing upon the condition of perfect obedience in the matter of the forbidden tree. If he should stand that test, his posterity would stand with him. If he should fail that test, he would bring judgment and death upon the race. Paul seems to be thinking of this covenant in Romans 5:12–19, though the word covenant does not occur in that chapter either.
God’s covenant with Noah (Gen. 6:18; 9:9–17). This was a promise never again to destroy the world by flood. It was confirmed by the sign of the rainbow.
God’s covenant with Abraham (Gen. 12:1–3; 13:14–17; 15:1–21; 17:1–22). The first two covenants, those with Adam and Noah, had to do with the human race generally. The covenant with Abraham concerns the nation of Israel and involves the following promises: that Abraham would be the father of a great nation, that God would give this people an extensive land of their own, that the land would be theirs forever, that the Redeemer would come through this line of descent, and that God would bless all the peoples of the world through this Redeemer. This covenant was repeated with Abraham’s two immediate descendants: his son Isaac and his grandson Jacob.
God’s covenant with the Jews through Moses (Exod. 19:5–6; 24:7–8; 34:28; Deut. 28:1–30:20). This is sometimes called the Deuteronomic covenant because of its extensive treatment in that book. Like the covenant established with Adam, it is a covenant of blessing contingent upon obedience and of judgment for disobedience.
God’s covenant with David (2 Sam. 7:4–16; 1 Chron. 17:3–14). God promised David that he would establish his throne and kingdom forever, which David recognized to be a promise about the Messiah.
The new covenant (Jer. 31:31–34; 32:40–41). Jeremiah was the first of the Old Testament writers to use the words “new covenant.” He recognized the failure of the people to keep the terms of the old covenant, but he promised a day when God would establish a new covenant in which one of the blessings would be a change of the people’s hearts that would enable them to obey God and be holy. “The time is coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah.… “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.”
Jeremiah 31:31–33
The covenant of grace. This is not a biblical expression, and only one verse in the Bible even puts the words covenant and grace together in the same sentence (Heb. 10:29). But “covenant of grace” is a phrase that theologians use alongside “covenant of works,” which they use to describe the covenant assumed to have been established between God and Adam. Covenant of grace refers to an agreement between God the Father and God the Son according to which the Father would give a numerous posterity to Jesus contingent upon the accomplishment of his atoning sacrifice on the cross. We can gain a quick sense of the importance of the covenant idea by remembering: (1) that our Bibles are divided into two covenants: the Old Covenant (or Testament) and the New Covenant (or Testament), and (2) that we speak of a covenant every time we observe the Lord’s Supper, remembering how Jesus said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood …” (Luke 22:20; cf. 1 Cor. 11:25).
Unconditional Covenants
We are now ready to look at our text in Romans specifically. When we do, the first thing we notice is that the covenant is described as being God’s covenant, that is, a covenant he makes: “And this is my covenant with them when I take away their sins” (emphasis added). There are covenants in the Bible between human beings, of course, but the significant ones are all between God and man (or men), and it is God who enacts them. That is the important thing. Because they are essentially God’s promise to do something, they have the character and power of God behind them. By far the most dramatic example of a covenant is the one established with Abraham, recorded in Genesis 15. The chapter tells how God told Abraham to prepare for a covenant ceremony, just as such ceremonies were apparently enacted in his day. He was to take several animals—a heifer, a goat, a ram, a dove, and a pigeon—cut each into two parts, and lay the parts on the ground in two rows over against each other. (It is helpful to note that the Hebrew word b’rith is derived from the verb “to cut” and therefore literally means “to cut a covenant.”) In ancient times the parties would stand in the space between the rows of divided animals and make their vows there. Presumably, the blood of the slain animals, which covered the ground where they stood, made their vows especially solemn and binding. But here is the interesting thing. After Abraham had prepared the place for the ceremony, God caused Abraham to fall into a deep sleep, and while he was sleeping God appeared to him, symbolized by a smoking cauldron of fire and a blazing torch. These passed between the pieces of the animals, while Abraham watched. God said, “To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates” (Gen. 15:18). This was not a case of covenant making between equals in which, for example, God would promise to do something and Abraham, for his part, also would promise to do something. In this covenant, God made all the promises, and Abraham was not required to do anything. Theologians call such covenants unilateral or unconditional covenants, to distinguish them from those that do involve two parties and are conditional. The Deuteronomic covenant is the chief example of a conditional covenant, since it promises blessing if the people obey and warns of judgment if they do not. It says:
If you fully obey the LORD your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. All these blessings will come upon you and accompany you if you obey the LORD your God:
You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country.
The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the young of your livestock—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks.
Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed.
You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out.
Deuteronomy 28:1–6
However, if you do not obey the LORD your God and do not carefully follow all his commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will come upon you and overtake you:
You will be cursed in the city and cursed in the country.
Your basket and your kneading trough will be cursed.
The fruit of your womb will be cursed, and the crops of your land, and the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks.
You will be cursed when you come in and cursed when you go out.”
Deuteronomy 28:15–19
The covenant continues in that vein for several chapters. Of course, you can see why biblical theologians speak of unconditional covenants, like that established with Abraham, and conditional covenants, like the Deuteronomic covenant. But let me point out that, strictly speaking, all the covenants are unconditional from God’s point of view. God sets the terms, and the terms do not alter. They may be without condition: “I will do this, regardless of what you do.” They may have multiple responses, depending upon what human beings do: “If you obey, I will bless you; if you do not, I will judge you.” But what God promises to do is irrevocable from the start. Why? It is because God is God. He is sovereign in all he does, and he is faithful. He keeps his word. And also because he foresees or, which is a better way of saying it, determines all contingencies. We are not like that. We make promises and then are unable to keep them, because things happen that we could not foresee or because we change. But God does not change, and nothing surprises him. His purposes at the end are exactly what they were at the beginning. As far as Israel is concerned, this means that God will not forsake the Jews but will continue to work with them as his covenant people, even though they have wandered far from him and for the most part have rejected Jesus Christ. This is why Paul quotes from Isaiah 59 at this point. As John Murray says, “The effect [of this quotation] is that the future restoration of Israel is certified by nothing less than the certainty belonging to [the] covenantal institution.”
A Covenant of Grace
There is another thing we need to see about this covenant and text: It is not only a covenant established by God and therefore something that is unilateral and unconditional, it is also a covenant of salvation, which means that it is a covenant of grace. This is because it is a promise to “take away their sins,” and we know that the taking away of sin is done only by the death of Jesus Christ. This is what the Book of Hebrews emphasizes. I wrote earlier that there are thirty-six uses of the word covenant in the New Testament and that more than half of them are in Hebrews. The exact number is nineteen. In that book the author is writing to Jews to show that God has replaced the old covenant, which required obedience but did not promise the means to do it, with a new covenant, which is mediated by Jesus and accomplished by his death. He refers to the sacrifices performed by the Old Testament priests and says such things as, “The ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one …” (Heb. 8:6). Or again, “Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance …” (Heb. 9:15). The Hebrews writer closes by saying, “May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen” (Heb. 13:20–21). What Hebrews says is important, for it warns us never to think of Jewish people as somehow enjoying a separate track of salvation, as if they are saved only because they are Jews and by being Jews. Some who have taught that God will save the Jews in the last days have talked like this, leading critics of their view to say that they have created two peoples of God, a heavenly people with a heavenly destiny and an earthly people with an earthly destiny. If they have done that, they are wrong. There is only one people of God, composed both of Jews and Gentiles. The covenant we are considering has nothing to do with a separate people and a separate destiny, only that God will keep his promises to the Jewish people by leading the mass of them to faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior in the final days. As Paul told Timothy, “For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Tim. 2:5).
Our Faithful God
My final point is that, therefore, we also are a party to this covenant, if we have believed on Jesus Christ. The Jews are to be brought to faith in the last days. But we stand in that same covenant today, and the attributes of God that have formed the earlier covenants are also for our encouragement. Can’t you see that this is how Romans 11 is ending? Paul has been arguing for God’s faithfulness to the Jews as being consistent with his faithfulness to us, and now, having shown that “all Israel will be saved,” he breaks into praise of God’s gracious attributes, since they affect us also. In these last verses he is going to praise God’s mercy, knowledge, wisdom, judgments, and paths, and he will close by saying, “To him be the glory forever! Amen.” When we talk about God’s irrevocable covenant, as we have been doing here, and God’s irrevocable call, which we will do in our next study, we are speaking about God’s immutability. Immutability means that God does not change, and because he does not change he can be counted on. In what ways does God not change? In his popular book Knowing God, English theologian J. I. Packer lists six areas:
God’s life does not change. Created things have a beginning and an end, but God does not. His life is a constant datum. God does not grow old or mature or weaken or grow stronger. God cannot change for the better, because he is already perfect, and he certainly cannot change for the worse.
God’s character does not change. One of the most repeated passages in the Bible is Exodus 34:6–7, in which God reveals himself to Moses, saying, “The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation.” That is what God was like in the days of the Jewish exodus, and that is what he is like today. Sickness, old age, or adverse circumstances can destroy our good traits, but nothing like this ever happens to God. He can be counted on to be as kind, gracious, forgiving (and holy) as he always was.
God’s truth does not change. This means that the truths of the Bible do not change. What we read in the pages of Holy Scripture is as right and true today as ever.
God’s ways do not change. Packer writes: “He continues to act towards sinful men in the way that he does in the Bible story. Still he shows his freedom and lordship by discriminating between sinners, causing some to hear the gospel while others do not hear it, and moving some of those who hear it to repentance while leaving others in their unbelief.… Still he blesses those on whom he sets his love in a way that humbles them, so that all the glory may be his alone. Still he hates the sins of his people, and uses all kinds of inward and outward pains and griefs to wean their hearts from compromise and disobedience.… Man’s ways, we know, are pathetically inconstant—but not God’s.”
God’s purposes do not change. The ups and downs of history do not frustrate God or cause him to alter what he has determined beforehand to do. Has he planned to bring many sons and daughters into glory through faith in Jesus? Then he will do it. Has he purposed to bless Israel in a special way nationally? Then that will be done. What God does in time he has planned in eternity, and what he has planned in eternity is carried out in time.
God’s Son does not change. Perhaps most blessed of all for Christian people, the Lord Jesus Christ does not change. He is “the same yesterday and today and forever” (Heb. 13:8), and it remains true that “he is able to save completely those who come to God through him …” (Heb. 7:25). When the great protector Oliver Cromwell was dying, he was overcome with spiritual darkness and depression, and in his despair he asked his chaplain, “Tell me, is it possible to fall from grace?” “No,” said his minister. “It is not possible.” “Then I am safe,” said Cromwell, “for I know that I was once in grace. I am the poorest wretch that ever lived, but I know that God has loved me.” Do you remember this question from the Heidelberg Catechism? Question 1: “What is thy only comfort in life and in death?” Answer: “That I, with body and soul, both in life and in death, am not my own, but belong to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ, who with his precious blood has fully satisfied for all my sins, and redeemed me from all the power of the devil; and so preserves me that without the will of my Father in heaven not a hair can fall from my head; yea, that all things must work together for my salvation. Wherefore, by his Holy Spirit, he also assures me of eternal life, and makes me heartily willing and ready henceforth to live unto him.” That is our God forever! Amen.
Boice, J. M. (1991–). Romans: God and History (Vol. 3, pp. 1367–1390). Baker Book House.
And ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall. (Malachi 4:2)
Yes, when the sun shines, the sick quit their chambers and walk abroad to breathe the fresh air. When the sun brings spring and summer, the cattle quit their stalls and seek pasture on the higher Alps. Even thus, when we have conscious fellowship with our Lord, we leave the stall of despondency and walk abroad in the fields of holy confidence. We ascend to the mountains of joy and feed on sweet pasturage which grows nearer heaven than the provender of carnal men.
To “go forth” and to “grow up” is a double promise. O my soul, be thou eager to enjoy both blessings! Why shouldst thou be a prisoner? Arise, and walk at liberty. Jesus saith that His sheep shall go in and out and find pasture; go forth, then, and feed in the rich meadows of boundless love.
Why remain a babe in grace? Grow up. Young calves grow fast, especially if they are stall fed; and thou hast the choice care of thy Redeemer. Grow, then, in grace and in knowledge of thy Lord and Savior, Be neither straitened nor stunted. The Sun of Righteousness has risen upon thee. Answer to His beams as the buds to the natural sun. Open thine heart; expand and grow up into Him in all things.
These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world. (16:33)
Understanding God’s love and placing one’s faith in Him—the things of which Christ had just spoken to the disciples—brings peace despite the hostility of the world and the relentless tribulation it brings. These words were spoken just one evening after our Lord had told the disciples how much tribulation there was to be in the world before His return:
And He said, “See to it that you are not misled; for many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He,’ and, ‘The time is near.’ Do not go after them. When you hear of wars and disturbances, do not be terrified; for these things must take place first, but the end does not follow immediately.” Then He continued by saying to them, “Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be great earthquakes, and in various places plagues and famines; and there will be terrors and great signs from heaven. But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and will persecute you, delivering you to the synagogues and prisons, bringing you before kings and governors for My name’s sake. It will lead to an opportunity for your testimony. So make up your minds not to prepare beforehand to defend yourselves; for I will give you utterance and wisdom which none of your opponents will be able to resist or refute. But you will be betrayed even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death, and you will be hated by all because of My name. Yet not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance you will gain your lives. But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then recognize that her desolation is near. Then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains, and those who are in the midst of the city must leave, and those who are in the country must not enter the city; because these are days of vengeance, so that all things which are written will be fulfilled. Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days; for there will be great distress upon the land and wrath to this people; and they will fall by the edge of the sword, and will be led captive into all the nations; and Jerusalem will be trampled under foot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.” (Luke 21:8–24)
Still, in the midst of all that, believers will enjoy divine peace. That is more than enough reason to take courage and have hope. The believer’s hope is in the Lord (Pss. 31:24; 38:15; 39:7; 42:5, 11; 43:5; 62:5; 71:5; 130:7; 146:5; Lam. 3:24; 1 Tim. 1:1), His Word (Pss. 119:49; 130:5; Rom. 15:4), the salvation He provides (Ps. 119:166; Eph. 1:18; 4:4; Titus 1:2), and the eternal glory that awaits in heaven (Col. 1:5, 27; 1 Thess. 5:8). That hope is made possible because Jesus Christ has overcome the world and conquered sin (John 1:29; Heb. 1:3; 9:26, 28; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 3:5; Rev. 1:5), death (John 14:19; 1 Cor. 15:26, 54–55; 2 Tim. 1:10), and Satan (Gen. 3:15; Col. 2:15; Heb. 2:14; 1 John 3:8). In Him, Christians too are overcomers (Rom. 8:37; 1 John 4:4; 5:4–5; Rev. 2:7, 11, 17, 26; 3:5, 12, 21; 21:7), for whom the Lord will work all things to their good (Rom. 8:28). After the resurrection and the coming of the Spirit on the day of Pentecost, the disciples would be radically transformed from men of fear to men of courage. Though they abandoned Jesus on the night of His arrest, they would boldly stand before the Jewish leaders less than two months later. In Acts 2, the Twelve (with Matthias replacing Judas Iscariot) “were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit was giving them utterance” (v. 4). None other than Peter, who had denied Christ on three occasions (Mark 14:66–72), publicly took “his stand with the eleven, raised his voice and declared” to the crowds in Jerusalem that they should repent (v. 14; cf. v. 42). A little while later, he and John healed a lame man in the temple (Acts 3:6) and boldly preached the gospel there (vv. 11–26). They were quickly arrested and brought before the Sanhedrin. But instead of cowering in fear, they bravely proclaimed the truth to the same Jewish leaders who had crucified Jesus. “There is salvation in no one else,” declared Peter of Christ. “For there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). Noting his courage, the Jewish leaders were astonished. “Now as they observed the confidence of Peter and John and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed” (v. 13). That same supernatural courage and boldness is reflected in the examples of Stephen (Acts 7:54–60), Philip (8:5, 26–30), Ananias (9:10–19), Barnabas (13:46), Silas (16:25), Apollos (18:25–26), and Paul (26:19–21). Filled with the Holy Spirit and marked by personal conviction, these men were not intimidated by the threats of the world. Instead, they bravely proclaimed the truth of the gospel and rejoiced when they were persecuted (cf. 5:41), being confident of the promise that “greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4). The peace and hope that characterized them is the same that has characterized true believers in every age. Being assured of what they believed and hoped for, and convinced of what they did not see (cf. Heb. 11:1), the saints of old “were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated (men of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground” (vv. 37–38). Believers today can find that same courage of conviction when their “faith and hope are in God” (1 Peter 1:21). They need not fear persecution or even death, because they know “the God of hope” (Rom. 15:13) and Jesus Christ, “the hope of glory” (Col. 1:27; cf. 1 Tim. 1:1). Having trusted in the death and resurrection of Christ, they are eternally secure in His love—knowing that “neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate [believers] from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus [their] Lord” (Rom. 8:38–39). Significantly, Jesus’ last words to His disciples in the upper room, before praying for them and departing for Gethsemane, were words of love, faith, and hope. In the face of their greatest trial in the next few days, the Lord reminded them of those three foundational truths—truths that would subsequently mark their ministries for the rest of their lives and also mark all the saints to follow them. Having done all He could to prepare them for what was about to take place, Jesus now turned in prayer to His Father, knowing that only He could truly protect the disciples in the following hours.
MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2008). John 12–21 (pp. 230–232). Moody Publishers.
Christ’s Disciples Scattered
John 16:31–33
“You believe at last!” Jesus answered. “But a time is coming, and has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me. “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
There are two reasons why the Lord Jesus Christ was not as impressed by his disciples’ professions of faith as they themselves were. First, their faith had been a long time coming. Second, it was about to evaporate. In the verses that close the sixteenth chapter of John, Jesus had been answering the questions of the disciples without their having actually asked them, and this had led them to exclaim, “Now we can see that you know all things and that you do not even need to have anyone ask you questions. This makes us believe that you came from God” (v. 30). This claim was honest, but really quite pretentious. They claimed to believe. They said that they were sure in their belief, but they were actually weak in commitment. Thus, instead of being impressed with his disciples’ faith, Jesus goes on to foretell their confusion and scattering at the time of his crucifixion. This whole exchange should be a lesson for Christian people, for we are often quite confident in our faith, and yet are not as strong as we imagine ourselves to be. We say, “Now I believe; now I am sure.” But in a short while we find ourselves doubting the very thing we affirmed.
A Realistic Appraisal
A number of years ago my first assistant at Tenth Presbyterian Church told me something that he had remembered from his early childhood. He had been helping his father put some things on the dining-room table, and he had asked to carry something that his father judged to be too heavy for him. He argued with his father, making many protestations. “Please, Father, I know I can carry it. I am sure I can.” At last his father let him try. He started out confidently and carefully, but suddenly he dropped the container and the liquid spilled. He told me that he learned one of the great lessons of his life that day as he stood staring down at the spilled mess and the broken container. He felt absolutely chagrined; he had been so sure of himself. But his father had been right after all, and he was wrong. Everyone has had such experiences, and it is these that will help us understand the profession of the disciples and their feelings as Jesus gently revealed the future to them. They were so sure of their faith. But in a short while—in fact, within hours—their faith would be gone. Notice three things that Jesus prophesied concerning them. First, he revealed that they would soon be scattered. Now they were together, and, as is often the case, there was encouragement in numbers. And, of course, there was Jesus. If they had known the song, they might well have sung, “Give me ten men who are stouthearted men, and I’ll soon give you ten thousand more.” But they did not really know themselves. So before long, much to their chagrin, they would be scattered. Most scampered back over the Mount of Olives toward Bethany at the time of Christ’s arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane. Peter followed the arresting party back into Jerusalem, but afar off. After the crucifixion Cleopas and Mary returned to Emmaus, and the others were undoubtedly making plans for their own departure. Second, Jesus foretold their confusion. This is involved in his questions about their belief, for when he exclaims, “You believe at last!” it is as much as to say that the time was coming when they would no longer believe and all would be confusion. Now they were sure that he was the Messiah, come forth from God. But how could they be sure of that following the harsh reality of Christ’s crucifixion? Like the Emmaus disciples they would all be saying, “But we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel” (Luke 24:21). Third, Jesus revealed that they would soon be isolated, for each would be scattered “to his own.” When we read that phrase the first time we find ourselves asking, “Scattered to his own what? To his own house? City? Friends?” Jesus is saying that each would be scattered to his own little world and that each would be isolated in it. With the center gone, there would no longer be any cohesion to the little itinerant band. It is as if the devil, the disrupter, would have his way and that this heroic attempt to bind the sinful and scattered race of Adam into that glorious new unity of the church would come to ruin. Well, what of it? Surely that is not our case, now that we have understood the meaning of the cross and stand on this side of Christ’s resurrection! Is that right? Are we never scattered? Never confused? Never isolated? Of course, we are! We are scattered—sometimes by persecution, sometimes by schism within the denominations, sometimes merely by our suspicion of other Christians. We are confused, for even believers do not always have a sure answer to give to those who ask them a reason of the hope within. Circumstances, sickness, and other troubles rattle us. We are isolated, for Christians are often terribly alone. I have had Christians write to me with problems because of having heard me over the Bible Study Hour, and they have said, “I have no one to turn to; there is no other person with whom I can share my problems.” I want you to notice that in all of these respects—scattered, confused, isolated—Jesus is the exact opposite of the disciples. They scattered at the time of his arrest, but Jesus stood firm. He stood firm even to the point of death, as a result of which, after his resurrection, he became a magnetic point about which they regathered. They were confused, but he was strong in faith, as a result of which they recovered faith from him. They were isolated. But he, even though he was abandoned by them, could say, “But I am not alone, because the Father is with me.” They emerged from their isolation when he came to them again following the resurrection. I am glad that the Lord accepts weak, stammering, even ignorant faith. If he did not, what would become of us? Who could be saved? But having said that, let us not imagine that our faith or perception is the crucial thing, for “weak, stammering and ignorant” is an accurate description of it. Our strength is not in our faith but in him who is the object of it. It is in Jesus.
Christ’s Legacy
The second lesson of these verses is Christ’s parting legacy to his disciples. He had gently exposed the weakness of their supposedly strong faith. But not wishing to leave them with the exposure, he immediately goes on to talk of that which really is strong and which will endure even in tribulations. He talks about peace, his peace. It is the same peace he had spoken of in the fourteenth chapter: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled” (14:27). It was announced of Christ at his birth that he had come to bring peace—“peace on earth, good will toward men.” This he did, and he left it behind at his departure. In 1874 a French steamer called the Ville du Havre was on a homeward voyage from America when a collision with a sailing vessel took place. The damage to the steamer was considerable, and as a result it sank quickly with the loss of nearly all who had been on board. One passenger, Mrs. Horatio G. Spafford, the wife of a lawyer in Chicago, had been en route to Europe with her four children. On being informed that the ship was sinking she knelt with her children and prayed that they might be saved or, if not, that they might be willing to die, if that was God’s will. When the ship went down, the children were all lost. Mrs. Spafford was rescued by a sailor who had been rowing over the spot where the ship had sunk and found her floating in the water. Ten days later, when she reached Cardiff, she sent her husband the message: “Saved alone.” This was a great blow, a sadness hardly comprehensible to anyone who has not lost a child. But though a great shock, it did not destroy the peace that either of the parents, who were both Christians, had from Jesus. Spafford wrote as a testimony to the grace of God in his experience:
When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea-billows roll—
Whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well with my soul.
Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed his own blood for my soul.
This is the meaning of the Christian’s peace. It is not an absence of conflict or any other kind of trial or disappointment. Rather it is contentment and trust in God in spite of such circumstances.
Two Conditions
But it is not automatic. That is, it is not ours regardless of whether or not we meet Christ’s conditions for entering into this inheritance. The conditions he lays down in this passage are two. First, the peace Christ gives is for those who are “in him.” This could mean simply that peace is for Christians, for when we become Christians God places us in Christ so that we may properly be said to have died and risen with him and to be sitting now with him in heaven. But this is probably not what Christ is talking about here. We must remember in interpreting this verse that the discourses in which they occur have been full of admonitions to “believe on” Christ and, more importantly, to “remain in” him. This is not the kind of being “in” Christ that corresponds with being saved but rather a conscious dependence on him and staying close to him that is the prerequisite to joy and fruitfulness in the Christian life. It is this that Christ has in mind as he closes these discourses. Jesus gives peace. But the gift of peace is appropriated only by those who depend on him, trust him, and remain close to him in their living of the Christian life. Moreover, this interpretation of being “in” Christ is reinforced by the second of the two conditions: that the words of Christ might be in his followers. Jesus indicates this when he says, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace” (v. 33). What things are these? They are the doctrines of this section of John’s Gospel. We previewed these at the beginning of our study of this section. First, there is the fact of Christ’s love for the disciples. Chapter 13 begins with this truth: “It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love” (v. 1). The chapter that is introduced by that verse contains a great demonstration of the love of Christ for his own, the foot washing, which is at the same time both a true demonstration of Christ’s condescending love and an illustration of his humbling of himself in order to be able to die on the cross. Throughout the discourses there is repeated evidence of Christ’s concern for his own. He is concerned to instruct them, warn them, and prepare them for his departure. Second, Jesus spoke about heaven, saying that he was going to prepare a place for his own in heaven and that, if he was going, he would return and take them to himself so that where he was there they would be also (14:2–3). What was new in this teaching was not the mere fact of heaven, but rather that Jesus had an interest in it and would guarantee a personalized place in heaven for his followers. Third, Jesus had spoken about the coming of the Holy Spirit. This was a tremendously new thing, for although the Old Testament had much to say about the Spirit of God, and although several of the Old Testament prophecies had spoken of a day when the Holy Spirit should be poured forth in power, no one had been associating that with Christ’s ministry or gifts. Now the disciples were told that Christ would himself send the Spirit and that he would come to be in them and work through them. According to Jesus, the Holy Spirit would comfort the disciples. He would also perform a ministry toward the world, for he would convict the world “of sin, righteousness and judgment” (16:8). Fourth, Jesus spoke of a work that the disciples were to perform and for which he was leaving them in the world. He spoke of it in different ways. In the fourteenth chapter he spoke of it in comparison with his own work, saying that it would be even greater: “Anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father” (v. 12). In the fifteenth chapter he spoke of it in terms of his commissioning of them to fruitful service: “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last” (v. 16). Having work to do in this world, their lives would be meaningful. Fifth, the Lord spoke about prayer, giving us some of the most exciting promises in the Bible concerning it. “And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name and I will do it” (14:13–14). “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you” (15:7). “Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete” (16:24). The Lord also told them that he would pray for them. In the seventeenth chapter, we have a magnificent example of just such intercession. Finally, even as Jesus reminds the disciples of what he has already taught, he adds another teaching: “But take heart! I have overcome the world” (16:33).
Christus Victor
This is the point at which we should end—the point of Christ’s victory. He overcame the world in three areas: in his life, in his death, and in his resurrection. He overcame it in life because, in spite of abundant griefs and temptations, he pursued the course God had set before him without deviation, sin, or error. He said of Satan, “The prince of this world is coming. He has no hold on me” (John 14:30). He overcame the world in death because his death was the price of sin and thus broke sin’s hold upon us. He overcame the world in his resurrection because by his resurrection he began his return to the throne of heaven from which he now rules the church and from which he will one day come again to put down all authority and power. “I have overcome the world.” These words were spoken within the shadow of Golgotha, at the very foot of the cross. They were spoken on the verge of what surely seemed a defeat. But they were true then. And if they were true then, it is even more abundantly demonstrated that they are true now. Do you believe them? Is Christ the victor? If you do and if he is, then stand with him in his victory. Possess that peace that he dispenses, and in your turn also overcome the world. Does the world deride Christ’s gospel? So much the worse for the world. Do circumstances press us down? He has overcome circumstances. Stand with him then. He is the King. He is God over all, whose name is blessed forever.
Boice, J. M. (2005). The Gospel of John: an expositional commentary (pp. 1239–1244). Baker Books.
Trump Confirms US Raid on Venezuelan Submarine; Two Arrested USA has attacked a ship from Venezuela that is suspected of having smuggled narcotics. This is confirmed by President Donald Trump who said it was a matter of a submarine. USA attacked the ship in the Caribbean Sea off the coast of Venezuela on Friday night according to media reports, but a confirmation of the attack came only on Friday evening when President Trump said that a submarine that smuggled narcotics had been attacked.
The fallacy of a new Middle East reality But as they say – not so fast. Because a brand-new reality in our region is highly dependent on the acceptance of Israel as a legitimate state which has the right to exist. What are the chances of that happening? According to the Bronx Anti-War Coalition, an anti-Israel group, they claim that “True peace will only be achieved when the Zionist entity crumbles and ceases to exist.”
Voting machine firm Smartmatic indicted in bribery case A federal grand jury in Miami on Thursday charged multinational election technology company Smartmatic and several of its top executives with orchestrating a multimillion-dollar bribery and money-laundering scheme. Daily Caller News Foundation In 2024, prosecutors charged Roger Alejandro Piñate Martinez and co-defendant Jorge Miguel Vásquez with laundering bribe money tied to inflated voting machine contracts in the Philippines.
What President Trump Got Right and Wrong About ‘Being Good’ President Trump recently made some theological statements that were both right and seemingly wrong—if we’re understanding correctly what he is saying! In announcing a new presidential prayer initiative, he said, “If a country doesn’t have religion, doesn’t have faith, doesn’t have God, … .
Most powerful ‘odd radio circle’ to date is discovered The most distant and most powerful ‘odd radio circle’ (ORC) known so far has been discovered by astronomers. These curious rings are a relatively new astronomical phenomenon, having been detected for the first time just six years ago. Only a handful of confirmed examples are known – most of which are 10-20 times the size of our Milky Way galaxy. Alongside the new ORC discovery, the RAD@home Astronomy Collaboratory also found two other unusual cosmic giants. The first, RAD J122622.6+640622, is a galaxy nearly three million light-years across – more than 25 times the size of our Milky Way. One of its powerful jets suddenly bends sideways, as if forced off course, and then blows a spectacular radio ring about 100,000 light-years wide.
Nearly 7 In 10 American Adults Meet New Definition Of Obese Almost 70 percent of American adults are considered obese under a revamped definition of obesity, according to a peer-reviewed study published in the JAMA Network Open and conducted by researchers affiliated with the Harvard Medical School and the Massachusetts General Hospital.
LPG Tanker Reportedly Hit By “Unknown Projectile” Off Yemen The LPG tanker FALCON (9014432), which caught fire today in the Gulf of Aden, was laden with Iranian LPG from Assaluyeh after loading there on 2025-09-25. She was most likely heading to Ras Isa, Yemen; to supply the Houthis. This vessel was detained in January 2025 in Istanbul for 13 deficiencies. The Indian-owned, Cameroon-flagged tanker is 31 years old and 25/26 crew are accounted for. One person is still missing. No known insurer and she isn’t blacklisted by any government.
Jack Smith Referred To DOJ For Misconduct Investigation And Possible Disbarment A group of GOP lawmakers, led by Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), sent a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi, asking her office to refer Smith, who was involved in two federal cases against then-former President Donald Trump, to the Office of Professional Responsibility for an investigation. A statement from Blackburn’s office said Smith had “allegedly engaged in serious prosecutorial misconduct through the politically motivated Arctic Frost investigation and must face appropriate consequences, up to and including disbarment.”
Video: Democrats block bill to pay US troops during gov’t shutdown Democrats in the U.S. Senate voted to block a defense spending bill on Thursday that would have provided funding to pay U.S. military members during the ongoing shutdown of the federal government. According to The Daily Caller, the Senate voted 50 to 44 on Thursday to pass the annual defense appropriations bill, which would have allowed U.S. military members to continue receiving paychecks despite the continued government shutdown. The outlet noted that the annual defense appropriations bill also included a pay raise for service members. … while Democrats voted last week to authorize a bill that would increase the pay of U.S. military members, the Democrats ultimately “voted against the bill that would actually pay the troops.”
State Dept Warns Guarantor Nations: Hamas Plans ‘Imminent Ceasefire Violation’ The United States has informed the guarantor nations of the Gaza peace agreement of credible reports indicating an imminent ceasefire violation by Hamas against the people of Gaza. “This planned attack against Palestinian civilians would constitute a direct and grave violation of the ceasefire agreement and undermine the significant progress achieved through mediation efforts,” the State Department wrote on X. “The guarantors demand Hamas uphold its obligations under the ceasefire terms. Should Hamas proceed with this attack, measures will be taken to protect the people of Gaza and preserve the integrity of the ceasefire.
More charges could come in Kirk murder case if evidence warrants it, says FBI’s Patel FBI Director Kash Patel told Just the News in an interview that the bureau is continuing to investigate the assassination of Charlie Kirk, including the possibility of accomplices or assistance from other suspects. He said that once the bureau collects enough evidence, they would refer any possible additional suspects to the prosecutors who are handling the case. “We’re looking at everyone that was there, that was online, and we’re looking to refer these matters to the state prosecution authorities when there’s enough evidence,” Patel told the Just the News
UN to impose a carbon tax on shipping that could double fuel costs for cargo ships – China wins, the rest of the world loses, but Trump is fighting back The UN’s International Maritime Organisation is set to impose a carbon tax on shipping fuel, ranging from 19 to 150 per tonne of CO2 emissions, potentially doubling fuel costs for cargo ships. The US, as the world’s largest importer, would bear the heaviest burden, raising prices on food, fuel and clothing – while China, the top shipbuilder, stands to benefit. Critics argue the tax is not about climate but globalist control, designed to weaken US economic sovereignty while enriching UN bureaucracies.
“Fueled By Billionaires”: No Kings Prepares Color-Revolution-Style Mobilization Against Trump “The Democratic Party’s dark-money NGO network, bankrolled by left-wing billionaires, is reportedly preparing to activate a coordinated, color-revolution-style mobilization across the U.S. this weekend – a replay of failed agitation attempts seen earlier this year targeting President Trump and Elon Musk. The operation, marketed under the “No Kings” banner and portrayed publicly as a grassroots movement, in reality functions as a professionalized protest-industrial complex. Its composition includes a blend of paid activists, white boomers suffering from Stage 4 Trump Derangement Syndrome, and a smaller contingent of organic, unhinged leftists who recite MSNBC talking points by heart.”
DISCLOSURE: Marco Rubio Confirms UFOs Are Flying Over U.S. Nuclear Sites “I TOLD YOU THIS WAS COMING! For over 10 years, I have been telling you on this website that the “Alien Card” would be the last to be played. I have been telling you that there will literally come a point in the future when Government officials and “Mainstream Media” would report to you that Aliens are here. Well, folks, that time seems to be now.
The International Stabilization Force (ISF) is part of President Trump’s 20-point plan for Gaza, and is intended to secure the Strip during a transitional postwar period, following Israel’s withdrawal and disarmament of the Hamas terror group. The US and European powers are preparing a UN Security Council motion that would allow the stabilization force to act under a UN mandate without being considered a UN peacekeeping force — as Trump’s plan for the ISF does not envision it being a UN-led operation. Israel says Gaza’s border crossing with Egypt to stay closed until Hamas honors deal
Israel said Saturday evening that Gaza’s Rafah Crossing with Egypt would remain closed until Hamas “fulfills” its part in the Gaza ceasefire-hostage deal, rejecting a statement by the Palestinian Embassy in Egypt that the crossing would reopen on Monday.
Providence Baptist Church on RSBN featuring Pastor Dr Rusty Sowell live from Providence Baptist Church in Beauregard, AL Sunday Morning Worship 10/19/25
Film and TV production in the Los Angeles area has hit an all-time low, sinking to levels worse than the SAG union strike of 2023. The city has introduces new tax incentives to generate enthusiasm but many in Tinseltown are questioning if the industry will ever recover.
FilmLA, the city and county’s film permitting office, said Tuesday that on-location production in the greater Los Angeles area declined 13.2% from July through September 2025 compared to the same period last year. Once again, this continues a multi-year trend in declining local production.
LA motion picture employment dropped from 142,000 in 2022 to 100,000 by end-2024 – a 30% cut (42,000 jobs gone). Below-the-line crew were hit hardest; 63% earned less in 2024, and 41% are considering an exit. High taxes in LA and California have forced some productions to leave the area, but total US film and TV productions are still in decline no matter where you go in the country. There has been a 28% drop in theatrical releases since 2019 and a 25% drop in scripted TV projects.
The vast majority of film and TV media are shot in the greater Los Angeles area due to proximity to studios, editing facilities, effects houses and actor pools. A drop in Hollywood and LA production indicates are decline in the film industry as a whole. The plunge in activity coincides with the overall drop in box office receipts since 2019.
Profits never recovered after the pandemic shutdowns and this has been used for years by the progressive media as the excuse for Hollywood’s failures. However, by 2023 US markets were wide open along with most foreign markets and the covid scapegoat no longer exists. Adjusted for inflation, theatrical numbers were already in decline after 2015.
Another factor that many analysts don’t take into account is Democrat mismanagement on cities and states, leading to higher costs, higher crime and an underlying malaise that suffocates business. This has been taking place for many years; well before covid.
From 2015 to 2019 audience numbers had already dropped around 10%. Today, audience numbers are at least 30% below 2015 levels. What no one in the business wants to address is the woke takeover and its negative effects on media. The industry’s woke shift has clearly been affecting receipts.
Production companies cite the rise of inflation and higher ticket costs as a ticket killer. This makes more sense than the covid claims, but it does not explain why movies without woke messaging continue to greatly outperform movies that push woke messaging. The solution to Hollywood’s dilemma seems clear: Stop making woke garbage, hire decent writers, and the cash will roll in.
Financier George Soros attends the official opening of the European Roma Institute for Arts and Culture at the German Foreign Ministry on June 8, 2017, in Berlin, Germany. (Sean Gallup / Getty Images)
You’ve probably heard about Saturday’s “No Kings” protests. I know: again. We haven’t had any kings in the interim, so I’m rather puzzled as to the fierce urgency of Oct. 18, but que sera, sera.
But why is it getting such fevered coverage, such fervency of support? Surprise, surprise: It’s the dollars of George Soros being sprinkled over some astroturf, again.
According to Fox News, the group that’s behind this — Indivisible, founded by Leah Greenberg and Ezra Levin — is being funded in large part by Soros’ Open Society Action Fund.
The group was given a $3 million grant in 2023, purportedly “to support the grantee’s social welfare activities.”
There’s some irony here, inasmuch as Indivisible was one of the groups that wanted Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer thrown overboard from Democrat leadership after he didn’t shut down the government earlier this year. Levin, in particular, said Schumer had “done a great deal of damage to the party,” particularly by not shutting Washington down.
“The passage of this dangerous Republican funding bill is a travesty. The ongoing administrative coup led by Donald Trump and Elon Musk is a constitutional crisis,” Levin added.
Now that Schumer’s Democrats have followed through on that threat, Chuckie’s the guest of honor at the “No Kings” rallies this weekend. It was little noted at the time how Soros’ dollars fueled the campaign against Schumer keeping the government open, and it’s little noted now how those dollars fuel the protests.
And yet, here we are. This isn’t the only connection between Soros and Indivisible or the groups behind the “No Kings” protests, as Fox News noted.
Indivisible is “managing data and communications with participants” for the “No Kings” protests that will be taking place in Washington and across the country.
According to the Indivisible organization’s website, Ezra Levin is the executive co-director behind the group. Leah Greenberg, Levin’s wife, serves as the other executive co-director.
Greenberg formerly served as the policy director for the Tom Perriello for Governor of Virginia campaign. Perriello was the executive director for the Open Society Foundations from October 2018 to July 2023, furthering the ties between Soros and the Indivisible organization.
In 2017, Indivisible received a $350,000 grant from Tides Advocacy, a group affiliated with the Tides Network. The Tides Foundation, a foundation also affiliated with the Tides Network, has been accused of funding anti-Israel campus riots.
The group that’s behind the protests has received $7.61 million in grants from Soros’ various foundations.
But the Soros family isn’t behind this, honest!
“We support a wide range of independent organizations that work to deepen civic engagement through peaceful democratic participation, a hallmark of any vibrant society and a right protected by the Constitution,” a representative for the Open Society Foundations said when contacted by Fox News.
“Our grantees make their own decisions about their work, consistent with the law and the terms of their grant agreements.”
Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz disagrees, telling Fox News’ Sean Hannity earlier this week that there was “considerable evidence that George Soros and his network are behind funding these rallies, which may well be riots all across the country.”
“The Trump administration and the Republican Congress are committed to countering this network of left-wing violence,” he added.
As The Wall Street Journal noted earlier this week, President Donald Trump’s Internal Revenue Service was looking into “criminal inquiries of left-leaning groups.”
“This is mission-critical for us now,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Andrew Kolvet in an interview on “The Charlie Kirk Show” regarding left-wing violence and the money that’s potentially fueling it — including Kirk’s assassination in September.
“We are operationalizing this here at Treasury. We are going to track down who is responsible for this,” he added.
Meanwhile, Trump himself has said that he’s looking into the role Soros-funded organizations might have played in left-wing riots over the summer, particularly in response to Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations.
“George Soros, and his wonderful Radical Left son [Alex Soros], should be charged with RICO because of their support of Violent Protests, and much more, all throughout the United States of America,” Trump said in a Truth Social post back in August. “We’re not going to allow these lunatics to rip apart America any more, never giving it so much as a chance to ‘BREATHE,’ and be FREE. Soros, and his group of psychopaths, have caused great damage to our Country! That includes his Crazy, West Coast friends. Be careful, we’re watching you!”
Rest assured they’ll be picking apart the evidence from Saturday about the financiers of these wonderfully astroturfed protests.
Nancy Pelosi posts a video of herself tearing up a paper crown in response to the “No Kings” protest. Credit: @TeamPelosi X
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is not exactly known for being in touch with reality, but her celebration of Saturday’s “No Kings” protests across the country was one of the most tone-deaf gestures imaginable.
As The Gateway Pundit’s Jim Hoft reported, Democrats and Communists, or Communist Democrats, held a “No Kings” rally in cities around the country.
This ridiculous gesture comes from a person who has been in Congress since 1987, almost 40 years. If anyone deserves to be derisively referred to as a king or queen, it’s her.
She is even holding on to her power for dear life, even as her health is noticeably failing.
Pelosi apparently thought turning off the replies would save her from a brutal roasting. But she was mistaken.
Nancy Pelosi has been in Congress since I was 5. This would make her the 7th longest reigning living monarch, surpassing Hans-Adam II, Prince of Liechtenstein. https://t.co/tzd2zNkBdS
Fox News’ Madeleine Rivera and Trey Yingst report on the latest following Hamas’ violation of the ceasefire as well as Vice President JD Vance and Steve Witfkoff’s anticipated visit to Israel. #hamas #idf #israel #gaza #foxnews #treyyingst #middleeast #war #ceasefire #breakingnews #jdvance #stevewitkoff
The Israeli military conducted strikes against Hamas in Gaza after accusing the terrorist organization of repeatedly violating its cease-fire agreement on Sunday.
President Trump posted a wild AI-generated video of himself late Saturday as a fighter pilot wearing a crown on his head, unloading sewage on “No Kings” protesters.
Conservative influencer Caroline Joyous stumps leftists at a “No Kings” rally on Saturday. Credit: carolinejoyous TikTok
A young conservative decided to crash a “No Kings” rally yesterday and managed to expose the whole thing as a total fraud with just one question for attendees.
As The Gateway Pundit’s Jim Hoft reported, Democrats and Communists, or Communist Democrats, held “No Kings” rallies in cities around the country on Saturday.
The protests, organized by the progressive group Indivisible, took place in over 2,000 </> locations across the U.S. and even internationally, including cities like Los Angeles, Boston, Washington, D.C., Chicago, Atlanta, New Orleans, Kansas City, and Bozeman, as well as spots in Canada and Mexico.
These rallies come as President Trump has brought historic peace to the world, completely secured our Southern border, cut taxes, and lowered inflation. This stands in stark contrast to the last four years, which were a nightmare.
Christian Conservative influencer Caroline Joyous decided to attend one of these “No Kings” rallies, reportedly in Alabama, to discover why these people were complaining.
She decided to bravely interview a few of these TDS-suffering leftists and had an excellent question for them:
How has President Trump put your freedom in danger?
Not a single one of them had a clue how to respond!
JOYOUS: I’m a Christian, so I love Jesus. I also happen to love President Trump.
I was wondering, you are at the “No Kings” protest today. I was wondering how has President Trump put your freedom in jeopardy?
FIRST PROTESTER: I wouldn’t say my freedom is in jeopardy…
JOYOUS: So why are you here at the “No Kings” protest?”
FIRST PROTESTER: (Total Silence)
JOYOUS: What has President Trump done to put your freedom in danger?
SECOND PROTESTER: Um….
THIRD PROTESTER: I think, um, that he has done so by…(trails off)
FOURTH PROTESTER: Like, you’re not cute, this isn’t funny.
JOYOUS: Oh, you’re so sweet!
Of course, the correct answer is that Trump has done nothing to jeopardize the freedoms of these leftists. Otherwise, why were they allowed to make a mockery of themselves by protesting?
This also gives credence to allegations that these protests were all astroturfed by far-left organizations, who may have paid these ignorant people to be there.
Concerning the so-called ceasefire and peace deal between Israel and Hamas: on Oct. 8, 2025, Pres. Trump said:
“It’s been really an amazing period of time and so great for Israel, so great for Muslims, for the Arab countries, and so great for this country, for the United States of America, and that we could be involved in, you know, making a deal like this happen because it was, you know, many years they talked about peace in the Middle East.
This is more than Gaza.
This is peace in the Middle East.”
I have prayed for the peace of Jerusalem too many times to count (for years).
I wish I could tell you that I think Pres. Trump is right.
Nevertheless, I believe the prophetic scriptures are screaming “WRONG, WRONG, WRONG!”
World leaders will eventually (perhaps very soon) sign a worthless peace treaty for seven years (and this may lead to that), but Jesus clearly taught that the world would have wars and rumors of war until the Second Coming of Jesus.
I want to quickly mention Hamas and their 1988 Charter.
Article 6 says Hamas is a distinguished Palestinian movement whose allegiance is to Allah, and whose way of life is Islam.
Article 11 says the land of Palestine is an Islamic Waqf (holy possession).
Article 13 says Israel will exist until Islam obliterates it.
Later, Hamas added the following statement:
Article 20 says Hamas rejects any alternative to the full and complete liberation of Palestine, from the river to the sea.
As I see it, Pres. Trump’s ceasefire doesn’t address the real issues, and Israel’s only option is to defend itself against a group of religious fanatics that are determined to destroy it.
The Bible clearly teaches that all the land from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea (and more) will go to Israel, not Hamas.
It is Israel’s holy land, not a Palestinian holy possession.
Sadly, Israel will have to go through the Tribulation Period before the nation accepts Jesus as its Messiah and the issue is settled.
Here are some recent events that seem to indicate that the end of the age is near.
One, on Oct. 9, 2025, Israel approved a U.S.-brokered plan to end the war with Hamas. Israeli troops will pull back to a so-called “yellow line,” leaving them still in control of 53% of Gaza, and Hamas will release all of the hostages (both living and deceased) within 72 hours (by 1:30 a.m. Oct. 13, 2025).
After all of the hostages are returned, Phase II of Trump’s 20-point plan is supposed to begin, in which Gaza is to be de-radicalized and demilitarized and then redeveloped with a temporary technocratic, non-political administration in charge (with Hamas out of control).
(My opinion: The Palestinians are taught from birth to hate Jews. The idea that they can immediately be de-radicalized is fantasy. Bible prophecy teaches that the effort to destroy Israel is not over.)
(Update: On Oct. 11, 2025, it was reported that Hamas is murdering Palestinians who oppose its rule over Gaza. According to the report, Hamas has recruited about 7,000 fighters in an effort to continue its control of the Palestinians.)
(Update: On Oct. 11, 2025, 200 U.S. military troops arrived in Israel to monitor Trump’s 20-point plan. Several other countries are expected to send security forces and representatives to help monitor the ceasefire, distribute humanitarian aid, and prepare for the reconstruction of Gaza.)
(Update: On Oct. 12, 2025, fighting broke out between Hamas and a group of Palestinians in Gaza. 52 Palestinians and 12 members of Hamas have been killed. According to the report, Hamas has killed Palestinian children and burned Palestinian houses.)
(Update: On Oct. 12, 2025, it was reported that a senior Hamas official said, “Hamas will not take part in the transitional phase, meaning that it has given up control of the Strip, but remains an integral part of Palestinian society.” My opinion: Changing their name from Hamas to the Palestinian Society means Hamas intends to continue its efforts to destroy Israel.)
(Update: On Oct. 13, 2025, Pres. Trump is planning to be in Israel for a speech before the Israeli Knesset and then a meeting with members of the hostage families. He will then travel to Egypt for a meeting with more than 20 world leaders to discuss Gaza’s future.)
(FYI: Some peace advocates are already calling for a broader Middle East peace agreement. In Biblical terms, it sounds like they are calling for the current agreement to be strengthened (Dan. 9:24-27.)
(Update: On Oct. 13, 2025, Hamas released 20 hostages. According to Israel, this was all the remaining living hostages. Hamas also released the bodies of four of the twenty-eight deceased hostages, and Israel called this a breach of the agreement. An International Board is supposed to try to help locate the bodies in the next 72 hours.)
(Update: On Oct. 15, 2025, Hamas released two more bodies that it said are Jewish hostages, but Hamas said it can’t get to any more bodies. Israel warned that continued violations could trigger a resumption of military operations, signaling that renewed fighting remains a very real option if the group does not meet its obligations. Pres. Trump said he may authorize Israel to resume military operations in Gaza if Hamas fails to fulfill the terms of the ceasefire agreement.)
Two, concerning the Abraham Accords: on Oct. 11, 2025, it was reported that:
Trump wants to seize the momentum (generated by his 20-point plan) to expand the circle of the Abraham Accords.
Trump wants to bring in the Saudisand the Indonesians.
Trump will move forward with the Abraham Accords, and he will try to make it happen.
(My opinion: We could be seeing the development of a covenant with many for a worthless peace in the Middle East.)
Three, concerning the persecution of Christians at the end of the age: here is a link to a two-minute 19-second video that will bless your heart: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7E6VmzmPuk
(More: On Oct. 12, 2025, the RAIR Foundation USA reported that Germany — once the heartland of Christendom — is facing a continuous alarming wave of anti-Christian hatred and desecration. Across the country, churches are being vandalized, sacred statues mutilated, Bibles burned, and worshippers harassed — all while politicians and media downplay the growing hostility toward Christianity in the name of “tolerance” and “diversity.”)
Four, concerning the coming mandatory digital ID in the UK and how it probably relates to the Mark of the Beast: here is a link to a 5-minute 46-second video that explains a lot:
Five, concerning Islam’s effort to take over the world: on Oct. 11, 2025, it was reported that while passing through Judea and Samaria, travelers can see signs everywhere: bright-red signs warning Israelis in three languages that entering a Palestinian Authority town is “forbidden, dangerous to your lives, and against Israeli law.”
(My comment: If Muslims are willing to kill Jews who enter a Palestinian-controlled town in Israel, will Muslims eventually threaten to kill U.S. citizens who enter Muslim-controlled towns in the U.S.? I believe America’s leaders need to pay more attention to what many Muslims believe, what they are taught, what they support, what they do, etc. The voters in New York City, Minnesota, Texas, etc., need to recognize the danger that they could be facing in the future.)
Six, on Oct. 13, 2025, Pres. Trump addressed the Israeli Knesset.
Here is some of what he said:
“Today, the skies are calm, the guns are silent, the sirens are still, and the sun rises on a holy land that is finally at peace and a region that will live, God-willing, in peace for all eternity.
Trump called on additional countries to join the U.S.-brokered Abraham Accords that normalized diplomatic ties between Israel and several regional Arab and Muslim nations.
Peace is not just a dream; it’s a reality that we can build upon piece by piece.
Israel is today stronger, more respected, and more loved than it has ever been.
The world loves Israel again. Peace, security, and coexistence (peace, safety, and coexistence) can finally flourish.”
(My opinion: According to the Bible, the guns may stay silent for a short time, but Israel will have to go through the Tribulation Period and accept Jesus as their Messiah before they have peace. Other nations will probably join in the Abraham Accords in a covenant with “many” that will eventually be strengthened by the Antichrist, but he will break it.)
(FYI: Israel must now withdraw from part of Gaza, and Hamas must disarm. Many things can still go wrong.)
(BTW: During his flight to Israel, Pres. Trump was asked if former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair would serve on a new “Board of Peace” to temporarily rule Gaza, and Trump replied, “I’ve always liked Tony, but I want to find out that he’s an acceptable choice to everybody.”)
(Update: On Oct. 14, 2025, Netanyahu said Hamas must give up its weapons or all Hell will break loose.)
(Update: On Oct. 14, 2025, it was reported that Pres. Trump said, “We have told them – Hamas – we want them to disarm, and they will disarm. And if they don’t disarm, we will disarm them, and it’ll happen quickly and perhaps violently, but they will disarm.)
Seven, concerning the release of the hostages: when Pres. Trump took the podium to address the Israeli Knesset,
He thanked the Almighty God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, as well as numerous members of his delegation, for their contribution to the return of the 20 Israeli hostages.
Then, he thanked Prime Min. Netanyahu.
Concerning Jerusalem: during his speech, Pres. Trump said:
“For thousands of years, Jerusalem has been a home to Christians, Jews, Muslims, and people of all ethnicities and creeds.
This is the holy center of the world’s three great Abrahamic faiths. . . Adorned with their sacred sites and alive with their pilgrims and visitors from every corner of the globe.
But here between the Western Wall, the Temple Mount, and the hill called Calvary, people of every faith and background live, work, pray, serve, and raise their families side by side, and they do it with love.
This example is just one of the modern miracles that Israel has given to the world.”
(My comment: I am very concerned about Pres. Trump’s 20-Point Plan, the Abraham Accords, his position on AI and bitcoin, etc., and I view him as an immature baby Christian, but I think recognizing Jerusalem as the undivided capital of Israel is one of the greatest and most significant things any President has done. I appreciate him mentioning the Western Wall, the Temple Mount, and the hill called Calvary. These places are about to become earthshaking issues. Don’t forget that Hamas said they started the war because Israel was planning to rebuild the Temple. I am not a prophet, and I don’t know what will happen, but it wouldn’t surprise me to read that Pres. Trump supports a rebuilt Temple as well as a rebuilt Gaza.)
Eight, concerning peace in the Middle East and Trump’s “Peace Conference” with more than 30 world leaders (many) in Egypt: on Oct. 13, 2025, Trump announced the creation of a new “peace council,” led by Egypt, to oversee Gaza’s political and security transition.
(My opinion: This is a developing situation that could happen very fast or that could drag on for a while, but Bible prophecy teachers have many excellent reasons for believing we may be seeing the development of a covenant of peace in the Middle East. Trump mentioned peace and security – peace and safety – in Israel, and he announced the creation of a peace council in Egypt.)
Nine, concerning Islam in America, on Oct. 15, 2025, Whatfinger posted a Megyn Kelly video clip and brief article about Islam that said:
In the U.S., where Muslims now number over 3.5 million, polls reveal alarming disconnects: A 2017 Center for Security Policy survey found 51% of American Muslims believe Sharia should override U.S. law, with 25% viewing violence as justifiable against those offending Islam.
Such sentiments echo the Muslim Brotherhood’s explicit mission, as outlined in its 1991 memorandum: “The process of settlement is a ‘Civilization-Jihadist Process’ with all the word means… enabling [them] to conquer and destroy the Western civilization from within.”
Ten, concerning an increase in the frequency and intensity of natural disasters at the end of the age: on Oct. 14, 2025, it was reported that torrential rains in Mexico have caused flooding and landslides that have:
Killed at least 64 people.
Left at least 65 people missing.
Damaged nearly 100,000 homes.
FYI: God does not send anyone to Hell (all of us are born with a sin nature and destined to go to Hell because we sin), but God has provided a way (Jesus) for everyone to go to Heaven (and He is the only way to get there; John 14:6).
Finally, are you Rapture Ready?
If you want to be rapture ready and go to heaven, you must be born again (John 3:3). God loves you, and if you have not done so, sincerely admit that you are a sinner; believe that Jesus is the virgin-born, sinless Son of God, who died for the sins of the world, was buried, and raised from the dead; ask Him to forgive your sins, cleanse you, come into your heart and be your Saviour; then tell someone that you have done this.
The shrine to Barack Obama, the Obama Presidential Center (OPC), is still under construction but expected to open next year.
Biz Pac Review notes that the building, designed by Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects, features an exterior wrapped in granite panels and is one of “numerous buildings on the massive 19-acre Obama Presidential Center campus, which has been priced at about $830 million by the Associated Press.”
The decision to build the OPC on 19.3 acres in Jackson Park, a historic public park on the National Register of Historic Places, sparked opposition from environmentalists and preservationists who raised concerns over the environmental impact of the project.
In January 2025, a Black-owned subcontractor filed a $40 million racial discrimination lawsuit against Thornton Tomasetti, the project’s structural engineering firm, alleging racial discrimination.
The Chicago-based subcontractor, Robert McGee, is suing Thornton Tomasetti, the firm that oversees the engineering of the OPC.
According to the lawsuit, Thornton Tomasetti created new rules for rebar spacing, which impacted Robert McGee’s productivity and cost him millions of dollars.
According to Newsweek, the OPC has also been plagued by rising costs and delays. Initially budgeted at $350–500 million, the project’s cost has ballooned to $830 million and could surge past $1 billion.
Construction was supposed to begin in 2018 but was delayed to 2021.
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