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
Of all emotions, love is the most celebrated in art, literature, and song. There seems to be no end to our appetite for depictions, words or melodies that extol the delights, depths, or devastations of romantic love. Song of Songs describes the love between a man and a woman. In a world that has debased, monetized, and distorted the nature of this relationship, it is a breath of fresh air.While marriage customs of their day may seem strange to us, we understand the emotion of seeing our beloved from afar. “Like an apple tree among the trees of the forest is my beloved among the young men” (v. 3). Her love stands out among his peers. The passage encourages those who have not tasted love not to get ahead of themselves (v. 7). Love is powerful. In each other’s presence the old has passed away, all things are made new (vv. 11–13).Are you wondering why this description of romantic love is in the Bible? Consider that after God made Adam, He declared that man shouldn’t be alone (Gen. 2:18). Even the relationship between Christ and the church is described as a marriage (Ephesians 5). Instead of attempting to resolve the tension of this little book by spiritualizing the difficult bits away, we should stop and consider that God gave humans the capacity to experience an emotion as powerful as love. But, like all other emotions, sin has marred love. Our capacity to love can become disordered. Song of Songs shows that this is not what God intended. And the Bible points to the perfect love Christ has for His church, showing us how to love well.
Go Deeper Are you in a relationship that could be described by the Song of Songs? If so, rejoice. God has given you the capacity to enjoy it. Are you waiting to be in a Song of Songs relationship? Be patient as you trust God to bring you the right one. Extended Reading: Song of Songs 1-2
Pray with Us Even though love is often marred by sin in today’s world, You showed us beautiful love in Song of Songs. Even more, Lord Jesus, You gave us Your perfect, eternal love. Teach us to love You more!
I must acknowledge his Being to be unquestionable and past dispute.
The heavens declare your glory, O God, and the sky above proclaims your handiwork. Psalm 19:1(ESV) Your eternal power and divine nature have been clearly perceived in the things that have been made, Romans 1:19-20(ESV) so that they are fools without excuse who say, “There is no God.” Psalm 14:1(ESV) For surely there is a reward for the righteous; surely there is a God who judges on earth, Psalm 58:11(ESV) and in heaven too.
I therefore draw near to you believing that you exist and that you powerfully and bountifully reward those who diligently seek you. Hebrews 11:6(ESV)
Yet I must own his nature to be incomprehensible.
I cannot find out the deep things of God; I cannot find out the limit of the Almighty. Job 11:7(ESV)
Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable. Psalm 145:3(ESV)
Who can utter the mighty deeds of the LORD, or declare all his praise? Psalm 106:2(ESV)
And his perfections to be matchless and without compare.
Who is a God like you, O LORD, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders? Exodus 15:11(ESV)
Who in the skies can be compared to the LORD? Who among the heavenly beings is like the LORD? Psalm 89:6(ESV) O LORD God of hosts, who is mighty as you are with your faithfulness all around you? Psalm 89:8(ESV)
There is none like you among the gods, O Lord, nor are there any works like yours. Psalm 86:8(ESV) For you are great and do wondrous things; you alone are God. Psalm 86:10(ESV)
No creature has an arm like God, or can thunder with a voice like his. Job 40:9(ESV)
And that he is infinitely above me and all other beings.
You are God and not man; you do not have eyes of flesh, nor do you see as man sees. Your days are not as the days of man, nor your years as a man’s years. Job 10:4-5(ESV)
As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are your thoughts higher than my thoughts and your ways than my ways. Isaiah 55:9(ESV)
All nations before you are like a drop from a bucket, or the dust on the scales; and you take up the coastlands like fine dust; Isaiah 40:15(ESV) they are as nothing, and are accounted by you as less than nothing and emptiness. Isaiah 40:17(ESV)
Revelation 21 In these lessons we focus on heaven as the place where God and His redeemed people will dwell forever.
Theme
Mercy in the End
A funeral service of the Book of Common Prayer is a very beautiful thing—both in its simplicity and in the wise way it uses Scripture. The Old Testament readings have to do with many of the psalms. There is the twenty-third as you can imagine, as well as the forty-sixth, which tells us that the Lord is our refuge and our strength.
The New Testament readings include 1 Corinthians 15, the great chapter on the resurrection, and also Romans 8, with its promise that nothing will separate us from the love of God in Christ. There’s a reading from Revelation 7 that introduces us to the people of God in heaven, and then from John 14, where Jesus admonishes, “Let not your hearts be troubled.” And just before that final quotation from the words of Christ, there’s a reading from Revelation 21. There we are given a vision of the heavenly city, the new Jerusalem, which is the abode of the saints, and the symbol of all that is pure, holy, permanent, and blessed. And it’s therefore that to which those who compiled the funeral service from the various texts in Scripture wanted to direct the minds of those who were sorrowing.
I say that’s wise, and I’m sure you understand why because as we read it, we find it speaking there of a new heaven, and a new earth, and a new Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God as a bride prepared for her husband. This chapter is particularly meaningful here in the book of Revelation as well because the earlier chapters have introduced us to the great judgments of God. There is a judgment of the seven seals—one after the other of which are broken—and judgments pour out upon the earth, the judgments of the seven trumpets, which are blown. And as they’re blown, judgments fall upon the earth. And there’s the seven bowls that are poured out, and judgments pass upon the people of the earth as each of the bowls are poured out. And we go through all of that, and we come to the destruction of Babylon, which symbolizes all that is secular and hostile to God. Then we come to the twentieth chapter, and we find Satan cast into the lake of fire with all his followers forever and ever.
It’s at that point that we read, “I saw a new heaven, and a new earth, and a new Jerusalem.” That’s a wonderful thing. If there were no new Jerusalem, if there were no new heaven, and if there were no new earth, we could read to this point in the Bible and at least, on the basis of what we know of human sin, say the story is wonderfully told because judgments are what we deserve, and the lake of fire is what we have earned, and the overthrow of Babylon is what is due. But God in His great mercy with which He loved us has provided the kind of destiny for His people that’s portrayed in this chapter.
Study Questions
Why is the description of heaven at this point in the book of Revelation particularly meaningful?
Read Revelation 21. What do you learn about God from the description of heaven that is given?
Application
Prayer: Pray for the salvation of those who are not yet Christians, particularly those you know and love. Ask the Lord for opportunities to talk with them about Christ.
For Further Study: To consider some other themes that characterize heaven, download for free and listen to a message by James Boice on John 14:3, entitled, “Heaven.” (Discount will be applied at checkout.)
It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.
Mark 10:25
This is a remarkable statement that Jesus makes. In it He highlights the terrible danger of affluence. This, He says, does horrible things to the soul. Most of us, if not openly then at least secretly, are envious of rich people. We wish we had money. And yet, if we really understood what Jesus is saying, we would not feel that way. We would feel sorry for them. We think them overprivileged; Jesus says they are underprivileged. They are deprived people. There is so much they are robbed of by the things they have. So Jesus goes on to point out the terrible danger of affluence. It is impossible, He says, for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.
Let us not minimize His language here. Some commentators attempt to soften this by explaining that the eye of a needle referred to a tiny gate, about four feet high, located in the wall of Jerusalem, and that by squirming and wriggling a camel could conceivably get through it. I do not see much evidence to support that view. I think Jesus meant a literal needle. Try to imagine a huge, humpy camel trying to squeeze through a needle’s eye. Jesus is saying to them, It’s impossible.
Why is it impossible? It is clear from the context that riches tend to destroy the qualities you must have in order to enter the kingdom of God. They destroy the childlikeness of life. Affluence creates a concern for secondary values. Rich people are not worried about where their next meal is coming from; they worry about what it will taste like. They are not concerned about whether they worship God rightly but whether they are in a beautiful building. Riches transfer their concern from the necessary things to secondary.
Furthermore, affluence destroys teachability because it creates a false sense of power and authority. Those who have power because of their money begin to feel that they ought to be the teacher. They do not need to learn–they already know everything! This makes for arrogance, indifference, and for insensitivity to the needs of others, for isolation and a lack of concern.
Finally, affluence gradually enslaves those who are attached to it. It builds an increasing dependence upon comfort, upon the good life, until people reach a point where they cannot give it up. They are owned by their possessions. Like to a habit-forming drug, they become addicted to things, addicted to comfort and ease. Therefore it destroys the responsive spirit that is ready and willing to follow truth whenever it is revealed.
That is why Jesus said it is impossible–with people. But not with God. This is the note of grace. God can break that enslavement to riches. Isn’t it interesting that if a rich person does come to Christ, he or she must come in exactly the same way as the poorest bum on skid row! Rich people have to acknowledge their complete and utter need and come as guilty sinners, wretched and miserable, and receive the gift of life at the hands of Jesus from the cross. There is no other way to come.
Lord, let me be ready to give up my possessions and put them back into Your hands.
Life Application
Are we alert to the possible corrosive effect of being owned by our possessions? Is our attitude one of ready willingness to give them up and back into His hands?
13People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. 14When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 15I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” 16And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them.
17As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
18“Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. 19You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, do not defraud, honor your father and mother.'”
20“Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.”
21Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
22At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.
23Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!”
24The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! 25It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
26The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, “Who then can be saved?”
27Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”
28Peter said to him, “We have left everything to follow you!”
29“I tell you the truth,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel 30will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—and with them, persecutions) and in the age to come, eternal life. 31But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”
“We will not hide them from their children.” Our negligent silence shall not deprive our own and our father’s offspring of the precious truth of God, it would be shameful indeed if we did so. “Shewing of the generation to come the praises of the Lord.” We will look forward to future generations, and endeavour to provide for their godly education. It is the duty of the church of God to maintain, in fullest vigour, every agency intended for the religious education of the young; to them we must look for the church of the future, and as we sow towards them so shall we reap. Children are to be taught to magnify the Lord; they ought to be well informed as to his wonderful doings in ages past, and should be made to know “his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done.” The best education is education in the best things. The first lesson for a child should be concerning his mother’s God. Teach him what you will, if he learn not the fear of the Lord, he will perish for lack of knowledge. Grammar is poor food for the soul if it be not flavoured with grace. Every satchel should have a Bible in it. The world may teach secular knowledge alone, ’tis all she has a heart to know, but the church must not deal so with her offspring; she should look well to every Timothy, and see to it that from a child he knows the Holy Scriptures. Around the fire-side fathers should repeat not only the Bible records, but the deeds of the martyrs and reformers, and moreover the dealings of the Lord with themselves both in providence and grace. We dare not follow the vain and vicious traditions of the apostate church of Rome, neither would we compare the fallible record of the best human memories with the infallible written word, yet would we fain see oral tradition practised by every Christian in his family, and children taught cheerfully by word of mouth by their own mothers and fathers, as well as by the printed pages of what they too often regard as dull, dry task books. What happy hours and pleasant evenings have children had at their parents’ knees as they have listened to some “sweet story of old.” Reader, if you have children, mind you do not fail in this duty.
Spurgeon, C. H. (n.d.). The treasury of David: Psalms 56-87 (Vol. 3, p. 331). Marshall Brothers.
Ver. 4. We will not hide them from their children.—Children:— I. THE INTERESTING OBJECTS OF OUR SOLICITUDE MENTIONED. Consider—
The love which welcomes them.
The evils which surround them.
The possibilities which await them. II. THE SACRED DUTIES WHICH WE OWE TO THEM.
They are weak; we must protect them (Gen. 33).
They are helpless; we must provide for them.
They are ignorant; we must instruct them. III. THE OBJECT WHICH WE HOPE SHALL BE REALIZED.
The knowledge of truth shall be perpetuated.
Our children will put their hope in God.
They shall be better than their fathers. (The Study.) The knowledge of national benefits and deliverances transmitted to the rising generation:— I. POINT OUT A FEW OF THOSE THINGS WHICH WE HAVE HEARD AND KNOWN, OR WHICH OUR FATHERS HAVE TOLD US, and which we, with the psalmist, may style “The praises of the Lord, and His strength, and the wonderful works that He hath done.” II. RECOMMEND AND ENFORCE THE RESOLUTION IN MY TEXT. The great God may justly expect that we acquaint ourselves with His ways and works; that we endeavour to trace Him in the natural, providential, and civil world, and in the world of grace; and that we treasure up in our hearts each signal deliverance He hath wrought. But a genuine disciple of Jesus, and a child of God, will neither wish to live nor to die unto himself. What we have known of the wonderful works of God in favour of our fathers, of ourselves, or of ages to come, we should transmit to the rising generation. I am apprehensive that one cause of the languishing state of public spirit, and of pious zeal, in this age, is the want of knowledge. Had the minds of persons in the present day been early and deeply impressed with the conduct of God to this highly favoured country, the privileges they enjoy would be more dear and important in their esteem, and patriotism would not be that empty boast which we have too much reason to apprehend it now is. With the knowledge of those “things we have heard, and known, and which our fathers have told us,” transmit, as far as possible, the things themselves. On our part let nothing be left untried, that they who are soon to fill our places in civil and religious life, and that their descendants, even to the world’s last period, may stand forth, under God, the guardians of each important and sacred right, and approve themselves the unshaken friends of their country, of Jesus, and of the Gospel. (N. Hill.) The transmission of Scriptural truth to posterity:— The text presents four grand arguments why we should zealously devote ourselves to this duty. I. THE PECULIAR CHARACTER OF SCRIPTURAL TRUTH. Consider it—
As a revelation of God.
As a law of duty.
As a history of God’s conduct. II. THE MANNER IN WHICH WE HAVE BEEN PUT INTO ITS POSSESSION. As we have received the knowledge of God and the way of happiness from our fathers, who showed us by their lips and their lives the way of happiness, we are bound, by every consideration of gratitude, to give to others what has been so freely given to us. III. THE DIVINE ARRANGEMENTS AS TO ITS TRANSMISSION. Fathers are commanded to make known the commands and the character of God to their children. Various powerful reasons might be assigned for this infinitely wise arrangement. The young come into our world with an awfully strong bias to evil, and it is unspeakably important to check the workings of their depravity by presenting the most powerful considerations which tend to the accomplishment of such an end. Nor must it be forgotten here, that, as immortal creatures, the character of man is usually formed in youth for eternity. IV. THE GREAT RESULTS WHICH IT IS INTENDED TO ACCOMPLISH. Every individual who receives the knowledge of God, in the love of it, becomes a moral sun, diffusing light and warmth around him, the glorious effects of which shall be felt through all the changes of time, and in eternity itself. (J. Belcher.) The true method by which generation helps generation:— I. TRUE RELIGIOUS KNOWLEDGE IS A THING IMPARTED TO MAN. It is that “which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us.” It is not inbred nor discovered. Without denying that man has a capacity to discover God as the Creator, all history shows that he has never done so; and as to His redeeming capacity, that, in the nature of the case, transcends all human conceptions. As sinners, this is the knowledge of God we require, and it involves the former. And we have it, not by intuition or discovery, but by impartation. It has been transmitted to us through many generations.
They have handed it down to us by inspired documents.
They have handed it down to us by their own teaching. II. TRUE RELIGIOUS KNOWLEDGE IS IMPARTED TO US, NOT TO MONOPOLIZE, BUT TO TRANSMIT (vers. 5–8). The transmittory arrangement implies—
That the children of every generation have a capacity for receiving this knowledge. There is no danger of teaching religion boo soon.
That the children of every generation will require this knowledge. Coming generations may not require our philosophies, poetries, and governments; they may out-grow our sciences, and despise our civilization, but they will require our religion. Though they may not require our lamps, they will need our sun.
The eternal harmony of all God’s operations. The Eternal does not contradict Himself. The first Divine act on earth’s theatre will harmonize with the last. The whole will form one great anthem filling eternity with music. III. TRUE RELIGIOUS KNOWLEDGE IS TO BE THUS TRANSMITTED IN ORDER TO ELEVATE POSTERITY.
The grand result aimed at is threefold— (1) Rightness of intellect. “Not forget the works of God.” A constant recognition of Divine agency. (2) Rightness of heart. “That they might set their hope in God,” and “set their heart aright”; the heart fixed on God as the supreme Good. (3) Rightness of conduct. “Keep His commandments.” To bring immortal man to this sublime rightness—this rightness in thought, feeling, and action, is the grand and ultimate end of all this teaching. Glorious end!
It is coming slowly but surely. Humanity is rising, and every true thought arid virtuous act helps it on. (Homilist.)
Exell, J. S. (1909). The Biblical Illustrator: The Psalms (Vol. 3, pp. 397–398). Fleming H. Revell Company; Francis Griffiths.
The Lord God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hind’s feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places. (Habakkuk 3:19)
This confidence of the man of God is tantamount to a promise, for that which faith is persuaded of is the purpose of God. The prophet had to traverse the deep places of poverty and famine, but he went down hill without slipping, for the Lord gave him standing. By and by he was called to the high places of the hills of conflict; and he was no more afraid to go up than to go down.
See! The Lord lent him strength. Nay, Jehovah Himself was his strength. Think of that: the almighty God Himself becomes our strength!
Note that the Lord also gave him surefootedness. The hinds leap over rock and crag, never missing their footholds. Our Lord will give us grace to follow the most difficult paths of duty without a stumble. He can fit our foot for the crags so that we shall be at home where apart from God we should perish.
One of these days we shall be called to higher places still. Up yonder we shall climb, even to the mount of God, the high places where the shining ones are gathered. Oh, what feet are the feet of faith, by which, following the hind of the morning, we shall ascend into the hill of the Lord!
J. Warner analyzes whether the Gospel writers were biased, applying detective principles from eyewitness evaluation to show why their testimony is trustworthy. He explains that the authors lacked worldly motives for dishonesty and that their willingness to suffer and die for their claims, as well as their transformation from skeptics, provides strong evidence for the Gospels’ reliability.
This is the first of three articles about the great prophecy in Daniel 9:24-27. This prophecy is very complicated and very important. One writer called it “the key to prophetic revelation.”1 Many good Christians disagree about how to interpret it. This bible study will not exhaustively defend its interpretation at every point against all comers. Instead, it makes a positive case for its own position and seeks to be straightforward and understandable to ordinary people.
This bible study takes a literal, futurist view2—meaning (a) we should interpret the passage according to the natural, ordinary manner of language in proper context (e.g., poetry is poetry, narrative is narrative, figurative language is figurative, etc.), and (b) its fulfillment lies in the future—not the past.
Prayer answered (Daniel 9:1-23)
This prophecy happens because Daniel prays to God for help. This is a beautiful prayer. Christians should study it. But it isn’t our focus here, so we won’t stay here for long.
The Babylonians conquered the southern kingdom of Judah in 586 B.C., after a lengthy period of national and spiritual decline. The Babylonians took many Jewish people far away to the east (2 Kgs 25:11). Daniel was one of them. But that was a long time ago. He’s now an old man. He’s spent his best years as a civil servant in the Babylonian and Persian bureaucracies, trapped in an exile he doesn’t want. Daniel knows God swore that he would punish Israel for 70 years before he brings his people back to the promised land (Jer 25:11-12; 29:10). These 70 years have just about come and gone.
… I, Daniel, observed in the books the number of the years which was revealed as the word of the LORD to Jeremiah the prophet for the completion of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years. So I gave my attention to the Lord God, to seek Him by prayer and pleading, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes (Daniel 9:2-3).
The angel Gabriel arrives on the scene with God’s reply: “so pay attention to the message and gain understanding of the vision” (Dan 9:23). This bit is especially important—Gabriel is answering Daniel’s question about when God will bring Israel back to the promised land. Daniel wants to know when God will make good on his “70 years promise.” He begs God: “for Your sake, Lord, let Your face shine on Your desolate sanctuary …” (Dan 9:17).
Well, Gabriel has come with God’s answer. This brings us to the famous prophecy. It summarizes the entire scope of living history—the sum of God’s plan to set everything right that’s wrong in this world.
The sum of the whole thing (Daniel 9:24)
Gabriel says:
Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to finish the wrongdoing, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for guilt, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy Place (Daniel 9:24).
The most obvious question is about these seventy “weeks.” What does this mean?
It’s complicated.
We won’t get there until the next section—sorry! But, for now I’ll say that the word means “sevens,” which is a vague time indicator. Its meaning depends on what’s happening in the passage. Your bible may translate it as “weeks” to help you out, but that’s not necessarily the most helpful gloss.
Whatever these 70 “sevens” are—and we’ll figure that out soon enough—clearly God will accomplish a bunch of things by the time they’re fulfilled. There are three bad things that God will fix, and three good things that will happen. Gabriel says these events are directed towards “your people and your holy city” (Dan 9:24).
Sometimes, God speaks directly to certain people, while at the same time speaking also to other people far in the future—sometimes in a deeper and more meaningful way. We usually only see this in light of revelation that comes later in the bible’s story. For example:
God told his rebellious people he would spare them from the poisonous serpents if they looked upon the image of a bronze serpent on a pole and truly believed this act would rescue them (Num 21:4-9). So far, so simple.
But, in a deeper way, this command foreshadowed that God’s people will be spared from the poisonous serpent—“the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan” (Rev 12:9)—if they “looked upon” Jesus on his cross and truly believed this would rescue them (Jn 3:14-15).
Some of that is going on here. Yes, Gabriel speaks of the Jewish people (“your people and your holy city,” Dan 9:24), but the true reference is bigger than that.3 Anyone who trusts in Jesus as his savior is a child of Abraham and an heir according to that covenant promise (Gal 3:26-29). After all, considering the bible’s whole story, God’s holy city is called the “new Jerusalem” (Rev 21:2; cp. Rev 21:1-4).
First, Gabriel lists three bad things that God will fix by the end of these 70 “sevens.”
God will “finish4 the transgression.” Rebellion and transgression will end. The only time in history that rebellion against God will stop is in the new paradise to come—in the better tomorrow: “there will no longer be any curse” (Rev 22:3).
He will “make an end of sin.” Again, the only time in human history when God’s people will never sin is the eternity in paradise, where “the first things have passed away” (Rev 21:4).
There will be made an “atonement for guilt.” In the old covenant, God did provide a way for believers to receive atonement (see Lev 4:27-31). In Leviticus 4:31, the bible says: “So the priest shall make atonement for him, and he will be forgiven.” But Christ’s atonement is different and better. According to Hebrews 10:2, the old covenant sacrifices “can never, by the same sacrifices which they offer continually every year, make those who approach perfect.” This is why Christ is the better priest, who gives his people a better reconciliation: “For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified” (Heb 10:14).
Next, Gabriel tells us three good things God will accomplish by the end of these 70 “sevens.”
He will “bring in everlasting righteousness.” This is a righteousness that will never end. The only time when everlasting righteousness will be here on the earth is in the new tomorrow, in paradise (see Rev 22:1-4).
God will “seal up vision and prophecy.” This most likely means there will no longer be any need for God to speak to his people by way of visions or prophecy, because he will reveal himself to us all personally—like he did with Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden (Gen 3:8). This is when “the tabernacle of God is among the people, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them …” (Rev 21:3).
He will “anoint the Most Holy Place.” This is the satisfaction Jesus makes to God because of our sins and crimes—the personal and legal reconciliation that sets us right with him.
There are two ways to understand what “anoint a most holy” means.
The phrase means “holy of holies” or “a very holy thing/place/person.”
We’re tempted to think “holy of holies = inner chamber of the temple,” but this is not necessarily correct. The phrase just means “a really, really holy thing.” The context must tell you what this “very holy thing” is in this passage—a person (Jesus Christ) or a place (the Millennial temple)?
Because the passage is about everything wrong in this world being finally fixed at the end of the age, Gabriel is likely referring to Jesus here5—God will anoint a most holy person as king at his resurrection and ascension (Acts 13:22-23; cp. Ps 2:6-7). Further, in light of the bible’s whole story, Jesus literally is the new and better temple.
In Matthew 12:6, Jesus said that, in himself, something greater than the temple was here.
The apostle John says in his vision of the new Jerusalem that he sees no temple, “for the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple” (Rev 22:22).
The psalmist gives us a prophecy of a king God will enthrone over creation: “I have installed My King Upon Zion, My holy mountain” (Ps 2:6). The apostle Paul explains that this passage refers to Jesus at his resurrection and ascension back to heaven (readActs 13:32-33).
But some faithful Christian interpreters believe these six events refer to the new covenant era—to the time after Jesus’ ascension when the new covenant has launched. They say this isn’t about the last things at all—it’s all in effect right now. They believe this “everlasting righteousness” is about the righteousness from God (Rom 1:17) which he now offers to everyone who believes in Jesus.6 To “finish the wrongdoing” and “make an end of sin” refers to Christ’s atonement for his people, etc.7
This is probably not right—there is surely no everlasting righteousness in our hearts, in our minds, or in this world. This world is awash in sin and temptation—the apostle Paul calls it “this present evil age” (Gal 1:4). This suggests the six great events are not yet fully accomplished. Believers (and this world) await the experiential transformation to match the legal pardon we already have (Rom 8:18-25).
So, it seems better to interpret these six momentous events as fulfilled when Jesus returns here from heaven to establish his kingdom—the “second coming.” Together, they tell us that God will fix everything that’s wrong in this world. No more transgressions, no more sin, a perfect atonement that brings personal and legal reconciliation with God, everlasting righteousness on earth as it is in heaven, no more need for vision and prophecy because all God’s people will see him as he is, and Christ anointed and ruling as king over his creation.
That’s why this prophecy matters.
How does all this good stuff shake out? We turn to that in Daniel 9:25-27, in our next two articles.
[1] John Walvoord, Daniel: The Key to Prophetic Revelation (Chicago: Moody, 1971; reprint, 1989).
[2] A free, scholarly resource that sketches my viewpoint is from Stephen R. Miller, “Interpreting Daniel’s Seventy Weeks: Dismal Swamp or Blessed Hope?” Available here.
[3] “… for all the people of God; who also were Daniel’s people and city in a spiritual sense, to which he belonged” (John Gill, An Exposition of the Old Testament, vol. 6 (London: Mathews and Leigh, 1810), 343).
[4] A very few English translations and commentators believe the phrase should be translated “restraining the transgression” (ISV translation and Edward J. Young, The Prophecy of Daniel (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1949), 198). But this is almost surely incorrect.
[5] One more strike against this “very holy thing” being the Millennial Temple is that Gabriel calls the temple “the holy place” (וְהַקֹּ֜דֶשׁ) at Dan 9:26, in contrast to the more generic phrase “a most holy thing” (קֹ֥דֶשׁ קָֽדָשִֽׁים) at Dan 9:24. H.C. Leupold is especially good here (Exposition of Daniel (Colombus: Wartburg: 1949; reprint; Grand Rapids: Baker, 1969), 416), as is Young (Daniel, 201).
[6] “This righteousness, or the Messiah who accomplishes it, was the treasure above all treasures that was most eagerly longed for by the Old Testament saints” (Leupold, Daniel, 414).
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.
These things have I spoken to you, in order that in me you may have peace. “These things” includes whatever Jesus told his disciples that night. He had told them about himself, informing them (as he had done so often) that he had come from the Father, had entered the world, was leaving again, and was about to go back to the Father. He had pointed out that he would be betrayed by a man who ate at his table; that he would be denied three times, and this by no one less than Peter; that he was being hated; that the world would rejoice in his death; and that his own disciples would leave him alone in the hour of crisis. The fulfilment of these prophecies would naturally strengthen their faith in him (see on 16:1, 4). And through faith they would obtain the greatest of all blessings, namely, peace. The nature of that peace has been indicated in connection with the explanation of 14:27. It is both objective (reconciliation with God, Rom. 5:1, 2; 2 Cor. 5:20b) and subjective (the quiet and comforting assurance of justification and adoption, Rom. 8:16 ff.). In view of the context, the emphasis both here and in 14:27 seems to rest on the subjective side of this peace. It is contrasted with tribulation. Jesus continues, In the world you have tribulation; but be of good courage. I have conquered the world. In Christ they have peace; in the world, tribulation (or anguish; cf. 16:21). The world, as the term is here used, forms a striking antithesis with the Christ. It is the world which persecutes the Church (see Vol. I, p. 79, footnote , meaning 6). The term which is correctly rendered tribulation has the primary meaning (both in Greek and in English): pressure. See Rom. 2:9; cf. also Matt. 24:9; Acts 7:11; 11:19; Rom. 2:9; 12:12; 2 Cor. 1:4, 8; 4:17; 6:4; 7:4; 8:2; 2 Thess. 1:6; Rev. 1:9; 2:9, 22; 7:14, etc. The world ever tries to crowd out the true believer. The disciples can expect tribulation from the side of the world (cf. 16:2) because of their relation to the Master (15:21). But this very principle—namely, that what happens to the Master will happen to the disciple—also applies in the opposite direction: the disciple can expect to conquer because of his relation to the Master. The words, “But be of good courage. I have conquered the world,” clearly imply, “And therefore you, my followers, will also conquer.” Say that a mountain-climber and his guide are trying to ascend a steep cliff. With the skill that results from long experience in mountaineering the guide makes the ascent, and shouts to the man who is at the lower end of the rope, “Do not be afraid, for I have made it.” Similarly, the pressure that comes from the side of the world will never succeed in causing the disciples to lose their foothold, for Jesus (with whom they are united) has reached the top; hence, so will they. In view of all that has preceded in this chapter—the promise of the Holy Spirit’s coming and work, the prediction of the Son’s glorious return, the assurance of the Father’s abiding love—it is not surprising that the chapter ends with a note of victory. Having just about reached the end of the path, Jesus can look back, and can say, “I have conquered.” However, the past tense (perfect, for abiding result) also indicates certainty with respect to the impending battle. The victory is sure. Jesus had fully committed himself. Hence, he is able to speak as if Calvary even now lay behind him. See also on 12:31; 16:11. It is certainly remarkable that at the very moment when the Man of Sorrows concludes his final discourse in the Upper Room, just before he treads the valley of deepest gloom, he addresses his disciples with these remarkable words, “Be of good cheer!” As far as the record is concerned, with a single exception, he was the only one who employed that heartening verb (θάρσει, θαρσεῖτε). One finds it in the following passages: Matt. 9:2, 22; 14:27; Mark 6:50; 10:49 (the one exception); John 16:33; and Acts 23:11. Surely, the man who conquers along with Christ has reason to be cheerful! And this even in the midst of tribulation; yes, even because of tribulation, as is shown beautifully in Acts 5:41.
Hendriksen, W., & Kistemaker, S. J. (1953–2001). Exposition of the Gospel According to John (Vol. 2, pp. 343–344). Baker Book House.
Dolly Parton Day: Most Americans know that Monday, January 19, 2026, is Martin Luther King Jr. Day and are enjoying a day off from work. Some may remember that once upon a time, this day was celebrated as Robert E. Lee’s birthday. Perhaps very few know that in the state of Tennessee, it is Dolly Parton Day, as the music legend turns 80. Instead of taking the day off, your Patriot Post team is still working 9 to 5. Dolly is a true Tennessee Patriot, recently narrating the “Tennessee: The Original Frontier” video kicking off America’s 250th celebrations in the Volunteer State. Dolly does a lot for her home state, including through her namesake amusement park, Dollywood, which was voted the #1 park in America in 2025 by TripAdvisor. Governor Bill Lee’s dedication of the day to Parton seems appropriate.
Trump’s Greenland push now includes tariffs: Donald Trump’s efforts to acquire Greenland as a U.S. territory have thus far been frustrated, as its European owner, Denmark, has repeatedly rebuffed the president. Furthermore, several NATO nations have sent small contingents of military personnel to Greenland in a show of solidarity with Denmark’s resistance. Ratcheting up the pressure, Trump on Saturday threatened to impose 10% tariffs on several European nations that oppose his Greenland acquisition. Those nations include Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Finland, and the UK. While Trump’s rationale for acquiring Greenland is sound, his approach has thus far proven ineffective and appears to be creating a rift between the U.S. and our NATO allies.
Nobel Foundation: “You can’t do that!” Nothing exposes the obvious anti-Trump bias of the Nobel Foundation more than its recent declaration against Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado after she gave her Nobel Peace Prize to President Trump. On Sunday, the Foundation released a statement noting the prize is “awarded to those who ‘have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind’” and “can therefore not, even symbolically, be passed on or further distributed.” The Foundation further observed that the history of recipients cannot be changed: “Even if the medal or diploma later comes into someone else’s possession, this does not alter who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. … The decision is final and applies for all time.” Machado, in giving her award to Trump, explained that it was in “recognition for his unique commitment with our freedom.”
Trump’s Gaza plan: President Trump’s bold peace plan for Gaza is entering its second stage, and letters have been sent to potential member states of the “Board of Peace,” inviting their leaders to sign on. A draft charter suggests that member states will serve for no more than three years after the charter is adopted unless they contribute more than $1 billion to the project. Member states will have voting privileges, but as the chairman, Trump will have sole authority to approve or reject proposals. The presidents of Turkey, Egypt, and Argentina have been invited to join; the Argentinian president, Javier Milei, has already accepted. Meanwhile, some cold water is being thrown on the plan, as the possibility of an International Stabilization Force to disarm Hamas seems unlikely. Arab states have signaled their unwillingness to challenge Hamas, leaving Israel as the only likely option.
DOJ vs. Walz, Frey: The two Democrat leaders at the forefront opposing the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement in Minnesota, Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, are now the focus of a DOJ investigation. Both are being investigated for conspiring to impede federal law enforcement officers from doing their job in the state. Following the death of anti-ICE agitator Renee Good, both Walz and Frey have stoked anti-ICE sentiments to the point where President Trump has considered invoking the Insurrection Act. Walz responded by framing the investigation as just the latest instance of lawfare from the Trump administration. Meanwhile, in response to an anti-ICE group’s lawsuit, U.S. District Judge Katherine Menendez on Friday issued an order that limits federal officers’ use of pepper spray and authority to arrest.
More investigations after ICE shooting: The situation Renee and Becca Good put themselves in that tragically led to Renee’s death after striking an ICE officer with her vehicle is being thoroughly investigated. NBC News is eager to explain that Becca is the subject of an intense investigation despite official sources, including Becca’s own lawyers, denying any evidence of that fact. The Department of Homeland Security is conducting an internal review into the actions of the agent who defended himself from Renee. Pursuant to standard protocol, he has been placed on administrative leave. Some sources do indicate that Becca is included in the investigations of the events that day, as she was riding in the vehicle with Renee minutes before the fatal event.
Anti-ICE leftists attack church during service: Worshipers at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, found their service disrupted by leftist protesters on Sunday due to an alleged connection between one of their pastors and ICE. Demonstrators organized by the Racial Justice Network entered the sanctuary shouting “Justice for Renee Good.” The radicals had learned that one of the pastors at the church shared a name with the acting director of ICE’s St. Paul field office; no news sources have been able to verify whether the pastor is the same person as the ICE agent. Leftists, including Minneapolis Mayor Frey, of course, supported the invasion of a house of worship. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon did not take the same approach, promising that this event would be investigated due to potential violations of the FACE Act by the rioters.
70% of detained illegals have violent criminal connections: While many Democrats have called ICE officers the “Gestapo,” DHS Secretary Kristi Noem noted that the vast majority of those in ICE custody are criminals. Noem observed that 70% of detainees have either been convicted or charged with a violent crime. “They need to be brought to justice, and we’re going to keep doing that, no matter how much you guys keep lying and don’t tell the public the truth,” Noem stated on CBS’s “Face the Nation.” Host Margaret Brennan disputed Noem, claiming that according to CBS News’s analysis of DHS data, roughly 47% of detainees were criminals, to which Noem responded, “We’ll get you the correct numbers so you can use them in the future.” The fact remains that all those who have been detained are in the country illegally. They have no right to reside in the U.S.
Headlines
Spanberger scraps Youngkin’s ICE cooperation order on first day in office (Washington Examiner)
Senators request fraud probe of Minneapolis charity favored by Ilhan Omar (Washington Times)
Swalwell can’t run for governor in California because he doesn’t live there: court filing (NY Post)
Iran accused of killing 16,500 in sweeping “genocide” crackdown (Fox News)
Amidst the blizzard of news about ICE and Minnesota, I took note last week when The Washington Post published an article detailing all the ways President Donald Trump “is trying to change how the midterm elections are conducted.” Elections are, after all, kind of a big deal.
“Many of these endeavors go far beyond typical political persuasion,” the Post frets, “challenging long-established democratic norms.” Hmm, we wouldn’t want to “challenge norms,” now, would we?
Of course, the Left has been nuking norms from orbit for decades, but by all means, let’s wring hands over sensible things Trump wants to happen with American elections. To be sure, the Left suffers PTSD on top of its TDS thanks to the events of January 6, 2021. While tens of thousands of Americans came to DC to protest what they saw — for many reasons — as a stolen election, a few hundred reprobates besmirched the entire movement by attacking police and rioting. The Left has gleefully exploited that for five years to discredit anyone with doubts about the ways elections are conducted.
Back in 2022, I wrote that just because the fraud in 2020 was legal doesn’t make it legitimate. Those “norms” deserve to be upended, and that is my beef with The Washington Post’s article.
In short, the Post covers several of Trump’s efforts at changes and reforms. Here are its headings, which are each followed by a series of brief explainers about what the Post says Trump is doing:
Pushing states to redraw House districts
Demanding to end mail voting
Attacking voting machines
Seeking millions of voters’ private information
Staffing the administration with election skeptics and deniers
Calling out the troops
Seeking a new census that excludes undocumented immigrants
Some of these are easy to dispense with, so I’ll do that quickly. Gerrymandering is a centuries-old practice of both parties to gain partisan advantage in drawing House districts. Leftists aren’t mad that it’s happening; they’re angry that Trump is pushing it. The census is a no-brainer. The Post insists that “voting by noncitizens is exceedingly rare,” but that’s hard to say with confidence because of other election problems, such as laws against requiring ID to vote. Either way, it affects congressional apportionment, which largely helps Democrats.
As for “election skeptics and deniers,” that’s a Leftmedia catch-all pejorative to dismiss anyone who questioned the 2020 election specifically. They do not use it to describe Democrats who have challenged election results anytime a Republican wins. That isn’t to say that every person the Post cites as an example is 100% reliable on election integrity, but the partisan use of the made-up term “election denier” is, well, undeniable.
Now, to a couple of the more complicated bullet points, though I’ll endeavor to be brief.
On mail-in voting, the Post says, “Trump for years has railed against mail voting, leading many of his supporters to question electoral outcomes even though academic studies and courts have found that widespread ballot fraud is rare.”
Trump pledged to lead an effort to end the far-too-widespread practice, but for very good reason. In 2005, Jimmy Carter and James Baker co-chaired the Commission on Federal Election Reform, which concluded that mail-in ballots “remain the largest source of potential voter fraud.” Few other countries have a two-month mail-in and early-voting process like ours. The Post neglected to mention either detail, despite citing unnamed “academic studies and courts.” As for the claim that “ballot fraud is rare,” 20% of mail-in voters admitted they cheated in 2020. Nine states mail ballots to every resident, and verification is laughable.
That leads me to the Post’s “private information” complaint. The Left is appalled that Trump’s Justice Department is seeking to hold states accountable for maintaining clean voter rolls. Only citizens can vote (once) in federal elections. The Left assures us that’s just about the only way voting ever happens because it’s illegal to do otherwise.
(Yes, you can pause here to laugh hysterically.)
Yet the Left also doesn’t want anyone checking to make sure voting happens that way. Democrats oppose voter ID, Election Day, the Electoral College, and clean voter rolls because ensuring election integrity would undermine their every attempted power grab. The “Democracy Dies in Darkness” crowd at The Washington Post is carrying water for the Left.
President Trump is a long way from perfect, and he doesn’t have a squeaky-clean record when it comes to how he talks about or conducts himself during elections. Yet most of the policies the Post worries about are not only good but also necessary for conducting free and fair elections.
The way to secure our elections is simple: With exceptions for mail-in ballots for military personnel and a relative handful of others with specific needs, voting should be in person with a photo ID on Election Day.
Douglas Andrews: The Quiet Coup of Weaponized Immigration — If you think the chaos you’re seeing in the streets of Minneapolis is disorganized and without any purpose beyond knee-jerk opposition to Donald Trump, think again.
Thomas Gallatin: California Injustice: Murderer Walks Free — A 24-year-old black man has been acquitted of murder in the assault of an 84-year-old Asian man who died from his injuries.
Brent Ramsey: Bad News and Good News for Taiwan — China’s plan to conquer Taiwan is evil and would be destructive to the world economy.
Roger Helle: To Tell the Truth — Today, we have a huge believability issue with what’s called the “mainstream media,” and it’s not just a political problem.
Days of National Recognition: Martin Luther King Jr. — “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”
Days of National Recognition: Robert E. Lee — Marking the birth of a good, honorable, and important man.
“I think the biggest security threat to Canada is China.” —Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, April 2025
“The progress that we have made in the partnership [with China] sets us up well for the new world order.” —Mark Carney, January 2026
Giving Away the Game
“Only good agent is a dead one.” —graffiti on a destroyed ICE vehicle in Minnesota
The BIG Lie
“Armed, masked, undertrained ICE agents are going door to door, ordering people to point out where their neighbors of color live.” —Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz
Lack of Self-Awareness Award
“Trump and Vance Are Fanning the Flames. Again.” —headline of an op-ed by David French, the consummate flame-fanner
Re: The Left
“Beyond the tragedy of a press we can no longer trust for truth, there is another tragedy. A large portion of the nation would rather protect illegal aliens from deportation than cooperate with the federal government.” —Erick Erickson
“Democrats want open borders, and they want criminal illegal aliens on our streets and federal immigration police in jail. They see the expulsion of each illegal alien as the loss of a future Democrat voter. Gov. Walz and Mayor Frey are getting very close to their Fort Sumter moment. Once they hit it, there is no going back.” —Gary Bauer
“‘Minnesota will remain an island.’ [Tim] Walz cannot be more explicit — this buffoon believes he is seceding from the Union. We are well into Insurrection Act territory.” —radio host Scott Jennings
For the Record
“I would not have personally advised Trump to issue such a clarion red line threat against the mullahs. But now that he has done so, it is imperative that Trump live up to his word. His continued credibility and America’s deterrent posture both depend on it.” —Josh Hammer
Hot Air
“After eco-leftists predicted certain climate-change doom by 1995, or by 2000, or by 2015, and now we’re still doom-less in 2026, the public should be skeptical that they’re the most credible experts on predicting what the future holds.” —Tim Graham
Insight
“One of the things [my father] taught: ‘No telling what a man can accomplish or where he can go if he doesn’t worry who gets the credit.’ And today we live in a world where everybody’s patting themselves on the back. And how’s that working out for us?” —Michael Reagan (1945-2026)
And Last…
“Because he deserves it. And it was a very emotional moment. I decided to present the Nobel Peace Prize medal on behalf of the people of Venezuela.” —Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado explaining why she gave her award to Donald Trump
ON THIS DAY in 1807, Robert E. Lee was born. Read our extensive profile here, but take away this highlight: Lee was a leading proponent of reconciliation after the War Between the States — precisely the opposite goal of the people tearing down his monuments and history more generally today.
President Trump calls for an end of Ayatollah Khamanei’s regime in Iran in an interview with Politico, with the war of words coming as the continues its military buildup in the Middle East; more reports on how the regime has crushed the protests, including using snipers and chemical weapons; exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi says Islamic regime is close to collapse, and says the protests must continue; Chris Mitchell talks about the possibility the US may intervene militarily in Iran after the President’s remarks on new leadership in Iran, what’s going on in Iran now, Pahlavi’s call for more protests, the latest from Syria, and how Israelis are reacting to the uprising in Iran; how crisis pregnancy centers have added more medical services, including primary medical care, to expand their pro-life message that the lives of babies and mothers matter; how an effective treatment is relieving the symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, as some combat veterans who have received it are calling it “an answer to prayer;” and a look at some of the new types of robots that will be coming to businesses, factories – and homes.
The Small Business Administration’s crackdown on Washington’s oldest DEI program, otherwise known as the 8(a) program for “socially disadvantaged” businesses, which has largely amounted to a major vector for fraud, pass-through schemes, and artificially inflated contract costs, has expanded to the Department of War.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth revealed late Friday on X that his team is “taking a sledgehammer to THE OLDEST DEI program in federal government…a program few people outside of Washington have ever heard about! It is called the 8(a) program.”
“Providing these small businesses with opportunities is a laudable goal but over decades as it happens the 8(a) program has morphed into swamp code words for DEI race based contracting. And here’s the worst part – in many, many instances these socially disadvantaged businesses don’t even do the work!” Hegseth said, adding, “They take a 10%, 20% sometimes 50 percent fee off the top and then pass the contract to giant consulting firms commonly known as Beltway Bandits. For decades this is what they’ve been doing…for years now. This program, 8(a) has been a breeding ground for fraud. And this administration is finally doing something about it.”
Hegseth revealed that the DoW will begin an audit of every small-business sole-source contract over $20 million. He noted that the DoW accounts for the largest share of 8(a) spending by far, roughly 10 times that of any other agency. As a result, the cleanup, he said, will be more complex but will still accomplish the mission because “We have no room in our budget for wasteful DEI contracts that don’t help us win wars. Period. Full stop. Second, we’re doing away with these pass-through schemes.”
Late last year, journalist James O’Keefe blew the lid off 8(a), DC’s best-kept secret. O’Keefe went undercover and captured video of an individual linked to ATI Government Solutions bragging about keeping $65 million of a $100 million contract while subcontracting out the work.
Then O’Keefe’s reporting was picked up by Peter Schweizer, president of the Government Accountability Institute and the investigative journalist who broke the Clinton Cash corruption story, who correctly called months ago about how to end the 8(a) waste, fraud, and abuse once and for all:
Congress needs to investigate the program and subpoena ALL contractors suspected of fraud
Every agency that has 8(a) contracts needs to audit those contracts (start with the Pentagon!
The rules need to be rewritten to get rid of DEI focus, level the playing field, and close the “pass-through” loophole
‘The Invisible Coup’ author Peter Schweizer breaks down how Democrats benefit from ‘weaponized immigration’ and more on ‘Life, Liberty & Levin.’ #fox #foxnews #media #breakingnews #us #usa #new #news #breaking #politics #political #politicalnews #government #immigration #border #democrats #democrat #democraticparty #author #policy #election #power #america
A recent report reveals that approximately 388 million Christians worldwide are experiencing severe persecution, marking a significant increase and highlighting escalating violence in regions like sub-Saharan Africa.
President Donald Trump asserted in a Sunday night Truth Social post that Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota should either be locked up in jail or sent to Somalia.
“There is 19 Billion Dollars in Minnesota Somalia Fraud. Fake ‘Congresswoman’ Illhan Omar, a constant complainer who hates the USA, knows everything there is to know. She should be in jail, or even a worse punishment, sent back to Somalia, considered one of the absolutely worst countries in the World. She could help to MAKE SOMALIA GREAT AGAIN!” Trump declared in the post.
Omar, who has served in the U.S. House of Representatives since early 2019, was born in Somalia and became a U.S. citizen in 2000.
“ICE is removing some of the most violent criminals in the World from our Country, and bring them back home, where they belong. Why is Minnesota fighting this? Do they really want murderers and drug dealers to be ensconced in their community? The thugs that are protesting include many highly paid professional agitators and anarchists. Is this really what Minnesota wants?” the president asked in a Sunday Truth Social post.
“The crooked Governor and ‘Congresswoman’ Omar, who married her brother, don’t mind because it keeps the focus of attention off the 18 Billion Dollar, Plus, FRAUD, that has taken place in the State! Don’t worry, we’re on it!” he added in the post.
Omar recently drew criticism for referring to the nation as the “U.S. God—- States.”
“No member of Congress should *ever* refer to our country as the ‘U.S. G—— States,’” GOP Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah wrote in a post on X, asking, “What should be the consequence of saying that?”
According to a recent report from the Brookings Institution, the United States experienced negative net migration in 2025 for the first time in 50 years.
A new report from the Brookings Institution shows the United States experienced negative net migration in 2025 for the first time in at least 50 years. The report, released Tuesday, estimated between 10,000 and 295,000 more people left the country than entered it last year.
The report said the Trump administration’s actions, including its immigration crackdown, suspending most humanitarian and refugee programs and reducing temporary visa programs in 2025 led to the drop in migration.
The report estimates that between 310,000 and 315,000 people were removed from the country last year by the Trump administration, a number only slightly higher than the 285,000 removed during President Biden’s last full year in office.
Nevertheless, this report shows that President Trump’s immigration agenda is working. Under President Biden, illegal immigrants flooded into the nation, straining our resources and changing the culture of entire cities overnight. Now, however, the Trump administration is finally starting to undo the damage caused by its predecessor.
As President Trump continues to crack down on immigration, let’s pray for wisdom and strength for him and his administration!
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