Be Ready? How? (1 of 2)

Q. Our Lord told us to be on the alert but then said we do not know the day nor the hour. So how then can we be ready for His coming?

A. Yes, our Lord’s command is in all three Synoptic gospels:

• Mt 24:42-44 “Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming. But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. For this reason you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will.
• Mt 25:13 Be on the alert then, for you do not know the day nor the hour.

• Mk 13:33-35, 37 “Take heed, keep on the alert; for you do not know when the appointed time will come. It is like a man away on a journey, who upon leaving his house and putting his slaves in charge, assigning to each one his task, also commanded the doorkeeper to stay on the alert. Therefore, be on the alert—for you do not know when the master of the house is coming, whether in the evening, at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning— … What I say to you I say to all, ‘Be on the alert!’”

• Lk 12:35, 37, 40 Be dressed in readiness, and keep your lamps lit. … Blessed are those slaves whom the master will find on the alert when he comes; truly I say to you, that he will gird himself to serve, and have them recline at the table, and will come up and wait on them. … You too, be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not expect.”

Note the following:
• We do not know the day nor the hour when the Lord is coming.
• He will come at a time when we do not expect He will.
• While He is away He is assigning to each one his task.
• We are to be on the alert or ready by fulfilling our assigned task.
• Those who are ready will be rewarded.

Since we are to be ready when we don’t know when, in fact we are to be ready all the time i.e. ever ready. But what are the assigned tasks? Each person’s calling is different. However, there are common tasks assigned to all. These are given in other NT passages in which the phrases “be on the alert” or “be ready” appear:

1. Pray
• Lk 21:36 But keep on the alert at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are about to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”
• Eph 6:18 With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints,
The first task is to pray, without which we do not have strength to stand and persevere.

(To be continued)

Reflections on “It’s a Wonderful Life”

We attended the live-radio play “It’s a Wonderful Life” hosted by our church. It’s a classic Christmas movie (1946) about “an angel who helped a compassionate but despairingly frustrated businessman by showing him what life would have been like if he never existed.” (For those who do not know the storyline, please refer to http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0038650/) The story held our attention and the performance was very good, but I left with mixed feelings about the plot.

On the one hand, I like the theme “No man is a failure who has friends. Each man’s life touches so many other lives. When he isn’t around he leaves an awful hole. All you can take with you is that which you’ve given away.” Not many of us are wise according to human standards, not many mighty, not many noble (1 Co 1:26), but all of us have friends. What we have given away have left a mark, great or small, on their lives. Had we never existed, our friends’ lives would have been different by virtue of the fact that our impact would have been absent.

I thought back over the last few decades. A lot of the things I did would not amount to much. Whatever trophies or awards I earned in school or university had long been forgotten, as soon as the next school year came along and there were new students competing for those top spots. What achievements I had with my employers were a thing of the past too, as everyone’s attention quickly refocused on the latest quarterly and annual results. Vanity of vanities. All is vanity. (Eccle 1:2; 12:8)

However, if I had never been born, for sure I would not have any children or grandchildren! And they are important! Even though I had not done anything great according to the world’s standards, I shared the gospel with quite a few, and by God’s grace some did trust and follow the Lord. Many I did not have the opportunity to meet again, but I expect to see them again the other side of heaven. Had I not existed, I guess the Lord would have used others to lead them to Himself, but I’m glad I was there at the right time and place and obedient in carrying the message. To me that’s significant! So I’m thankful for the play’s reminder to reflect on what matters in life.

On the other hand, I am bothered by the play’s utilitarian value system. What if, unlike the story’s hero, I had not saved anyone life? Or contributed to society’s well-being by stopping evil oppressors in their tracks? What if I am just an ordinary citizen trying hard to make ends meet? Or perhaps I was born physically or mentally challenged? Does that mean my life has little value because I had not influenced others for the better? I don’t think so. Even with all the disadvantages and looked down by the world, I would still be fearfully and wonderfully made (Ps 139:14). I would still be made in God’s image, a child of God and precious in His sight.

So I have mixed feelings about the play. But I suppose that’s the best I can expect from humanitarian philosophy – good from today’s moral decline perspective, but far short of God’s ideal. That’s why we need to share the gospel to as many as we can as best as we can. Other things pale in comparison.

What does Satan Look Like?

Q. What does Satan look like? What about demons?

A. The Bible does not describe what Satan looks like after his fall. There is a passage in Ezk 28 describing the king of Tyre, but which many commentators believe applies to Satan because its description goes beyond a mere man:

• Ezk 18:12-19 “Son of man, take up a lamentation over the king of Tyre and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD, “You had the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. “You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering: The ruby, the topaz and the diamond; the beryl, the onyx and the jasper; the lapis lazuli, the turquoise and the emerald; and the gold, the workmanship of your settings and sockets, was in you. On the day that you were created they were prepared. “You were the anointed cherub who covers, and I placed you there. You were on the holy mountain of God; you walked in the midst of the stones of fire. “You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created until unrighteousness was found in you.
• “By the abundance of your trade you were internally filled with violence, and you sinned; therefore I have cast you as profane from the mountain of God. And I have destroyed you, o covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. “Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom by reason of your splendor. I cast you to the ground; I put you before kings, That they may see you. “By the multitude of your iniquities, in the unrighteousness of your trade you profaned your sanctuaries. Therefore I have brought fire from the midst of you; It has consumed you, And I have turned you to ashes on the earth in the eyes of all who see you. “All who know you among the peoples are appalled at you; you have become terrified and you will cease to be forever.”’”
Before his fall, he is a cherub (see Dec 10, 2015 post) in Eden, perfect in beauty, full of wisdom, and blameless. After he sinned he was filled with violence, profane, proud, corrupted, and unrighteous.

He appeared as a serpent to Adam and Eve, tempted our Lord in the wilderness, and John saw him as a red dragon in his vision. To men, he disguises himself:
• 2 Co 11:14 No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.
I think that’s what he did when he disguised himself as the angel Gabriel to reveal the Qur’an to Muhammad, or as Moroni to give Joseph Smith the golden plates from which came the Book of Mormon.

Like Satan, demons are fallen angels and therefore do not have physical bodies. When allowed, they possess human beings who may become extremely violent (Mt 8:28; Mk 5:2-5; Lk 8:27), mute (Mt 9:33; Mk 9:17), deaf (Mk 9:25), or blind (Mt 12:22) i.e. they attack the means of communication. Demons can also throw the possessed into convulsions (Mk 9:18, 20, 26). However, these describe the demon-possessed men, not the evil or unclean spirits themselves.

One passage in Rev describes unclean spirits as like frogs:
• Rev 16:13 And I saw coming out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs;

Beyond that the Bible is silent as to their physical appearance, but what’s described is very different from Hollywood’s depiction.

What do Angels Look Like? (2 of 2)

Cherub

(Continued from yesterday)

Third, notwithstanding their normally manifesting as men, some ranks have a very unusual appearance e.g. cherubim and seraphim. Cherubim do not look like chubby infants with little wings in Renaissance art. Ezekiel 1 gives a description of four strange-looking living beings, which Ezk 10:15, 20 identified as cherubim.

• Ezk 1:5-11 Within it there were figures resembling four living beings. And this was their appearance: they had human form. Each of them had four faces and four wings. Their legs were straight and their feet were like a calf’s hoof, and they gleamed like burnished bronze. Under their wings on their four sides were human hands. As for the faces and wings of the four of them, their wings touched one another; their faces did not turn when they moved, each went straight forward. As for the form of their faces, each had the face of a man; all four had the face of a lion on the right and the face of a bull on the left, and all four had the face of an eagle. Such were their faces. Their wings were spread out above; each had two touching another being, and two covering their bodies.

Wheel intersecting a wheel

• Ezk 10:12 Their whole body, their backs, their hands, their wings and the wheels were full of eyes all around, the wheels belonging to all four of them.

How big or tall or they? I don’t know whether the statues were life-size, but the cherubim inside the inner sanctuary of the temple were 10 cubits tall, with a wingspan of 10 cubits:
• 1 Kings 6:23-24 Also in the inner sanctuary he made two cherubim of olive wood, each ten cubits high. Five cubits was the one wing of the cherub and five cubits the other wing of the cherub; from the end of one wing to the end of the other wing were ten cubits. (See also 6:25-26; 2 Chron 3:11-13)
A cubit is 18 inches, so they were 15 ft (4.6 m) tall and 15 ft. wide with outstretched wings. That’s huge!

Seraph

Isaiah saw seraphim in a vision who looked as follows:
• Isa 6:2 Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.

As such their appearance must be frightening or terrifying if they appear all of a sudden. Hope this helps.

What do Angels Look Like? (1 of 2)

Chariots of fire appearing to Elisha’s servant

Q. What do angels look like?

A. First of all, angels are spirits who do not have physical bodies. So normally they are invisible to our human eyes.
• Heb 1:14 Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation?
• Lk 24:39 See My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself; touch Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.”

For example, when the Arameans wanted to capture Elisha, his servant was very afraid when he saw the Aramean army circling the city. Not until Elisha prayed for the LORD to open the servant’s eyes could he see the angels with them were more than the Aramean army:
• 2 Kings 6:16-17 So he answered, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” Then Elisha prayed and said, “O LORD, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” And the LORD opened the servant’s eyes and he saw; and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

The Angel of the LORD and 2 angels visit Abraham

Secondly, when angels do appear to men, usually they took the form of ordinary men e.g.
• To Abraham – Gen 18:2 When he lifted up his eyes and looked, behold, three men were standing opposite him; …
• To Lot – Gen 19:1 ff Now the two angels came to Sodom in the evening as Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them and bowed down with his face to the ground.
• To Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome – Mk 16:5 Entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting at the right, wearing a white robe; and they were amazed.
• To the apostles – Acts 1:10 And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was going, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them.
• To Cornelius – Acts 10:30 Cornelius said, “Four days ago to this hour, I was praying in my house during the ninth hour; and behold, a man stood before me in shining garments,

Angels at Jesus’ resurrection

Furthermore, they must have looked like any other men, for how else can you entertain them without realizing they are angels?
• Heb 13:2 Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it.

Interestingly, even though angels are spirits and neither marry nor are given in marriage (Mt 20:30; Mk 12:25; Lk 20:35), they always appear as men, not women.

(To be continued)

Worship Jesus but Not Saved!

Q. What will happen to a person who worships Jesus as his God but fails to recognize the principle of salvation?

A. Your question applies to many Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox Christians, who worship Jesus as God, but have not placed their trust in Him alone as their Lord and Savior. There are also cults (e.g. Mormons) and religions (e.g. Hinduism) who worship Jesus as one god amongst many, not the one true God. Neither group believes in salvation by grace through faith.

What happens to them? They will present their case before God on the basis of their good works, which are never enough:
• Rom 3:20 because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight;
• Rom 3:28 For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law.
• Gal 2:16 nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified.

They will be judged and found wanting:
• Mt 7:22-23 Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’
• Mt 25:41 “Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels;
• Lk 13:27 and He will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you are from; DEPART FROM ME, ALL YOU EVILDOERS.’

These folks are especially pitiable because they think they are already saved when they are not. That’s why we have an urgency to share the gospel with all willing to listen.

Christmas is Tammuz’s Birthday?

Q. I feel disgusted for having been deceived for all my life about Christmas. Jesus was not born in December. December 25 is the birthday of Tammuz. Am I being a Pharisee?

A. The Bible did not say when Jesus was born, and no one knows for certain. Dec. 25 was chosen in the fourth century. The Romans at that time celebrated Saturnalia, in honor of Saturn, the end of the autumn planting season (satus means sowing). It was around the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year, after which the day would lengthen again and there will be more sunlight. It was therefore also the festival of Sol Invictus, the “invincible sun”. The Christians wanted to honor the Son rather than the sun, and therefore replaced the pagan festival with celebration of the birth of Jesus.

The name Tammuz appears only once in the Bible:
• Ezk 8:14 Then He brought me to the entrance of the gate of the LORD’S house which was toward the north; and behold, women were sitting there weeping for Tammuz.
Tammuz was the Babylonian sun-god, born on the winter solstice according to legend. Hence the association to Sol Invictus, Saturnalia and Christmas.

You are disgusted about the origin of Christmas being traced to Tammuz, but you really need not be. Paul taught:

• Rom 14:5-6 One person regards one day above another, another regards every day alike. Each person must be fully convinced in his own mind. He who observes the day, observes it for the Lord, and he who eats, does so for the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who eats not, for the Lord he does not eat, and gives thanks to God.
• Gal 4:9-11 But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how is it that you turn back again to the weak and worthless elemental things, to which you desire to be enslaved all over again? You observe days and months and seasons and years. I fear for you, that perhaps I have labored over you in vain.
• Col 2:16 Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day—

In other words, the actual day itself is not important. They are elemental things. Legalistic people are very scrupulous about observing a festival on the exact day. Others consider every day as a gift from God, to be equally received with thanksgiving. No one should judge another person about how he observes or does not observe a festival, for we will all stand before the judgment seat of God (Rom 14:10).

For myself, I am actually glad that the early Christians were able to take over a pagan festival and convert it into a celebration of our Lord’s birth. They were able to impact society and redeem culture in a way we are unable to do now. Over the last two decades Christmas has been secularized and Christians can’t hold back the tide. So to the extent that the early Church was able to and it lasted for nearly seventeen centuries it’s a good thing.

Are you being a Pharisee? You can judge for yourself. Always go for grace, not law, and you will not go wrong.

Knowledge of Good and Evil (2 of 2)

(Continued from yesterday)

I think the figurative meaning fits the serpent’s temptation better, because if the literal meaning was meant, why should Adam and Eve’s desire to know good from evil be a sin? Isn’t moral knowledge good? When Solomon asked God for wisdom to discern between good and evil, wasn’t God pleased? Isn’t the ability to discern good and evil for the mature? So why would God punish Adam and Eve for desiring a good thing? The problem is not with the tree of the knowledge of good and evil itself. There is nothing inherently bad about the tree. God could have used any tree to test Adam – whether he will trust and obey God.

However, if the figurative meaning was intended, then the serpent’s suggestion makes sense:
• Gen 2:17 but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.
• Gen 3:5 For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.
• Gen 3:7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; …

The serpent insinuated that God had an ulterior motive in forbidding them to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil – to prevent them from knowing all things and become omniscient like God. The sin is in disobeying God and believing in Satan, the very sin of pride Satan himself committed:
• Isa 14:14 I will make myself like the Most High;
• Ezk 28:2 Because your heart is lifted up and you have said, ‘I am a god, … although you make your heart like the heart of God;
• Ezk 28:6 Because you have made your heart like the heart of God;
• Ezk 28:9 Will you still say, “I am a god”;

Prior to Gen 3:6 Adam and Eve knew good and evil only cognitively. They knew to obey God is good and to disobey is evil, and the consequence is death or alienation from God. After they ate they knew it experientially. They became aware that they were naked. Previously the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed (Gen 2:25); now they are ashamed and covered themselves up.

Lastly, what does Gen 3:22 mean – Then the LORD God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil”? God could not have meant Adam and Eve had become omniscient like Him and knew everything. They are creatures and will forever be finite, and could not possibly have infinite knowledge, i.e. become omniscient. Never! The serpent was dead wrong. I believe the literal meaning was intended and God simply meant Adam became like Him in the sense of being able to discern good from evil. Unfortunately of his own free-will he refused good and chose evil. Some commentators added that God might be stating this in a mocking tone i.e. the man has become like one of Us – NOT! but we have no way of ascertaining whether this is the case as the text did not say.

Knowledge of Good and Evil (1 of 2)

Q. What is the knowledge of good and evil in Genesis 2:17? What did the serpent (Satan) say it is in Genesis 3:5? In Genesis 3:7, after Adam and Eve ate the fruit, they realized they were naked and felt ashamed, this is not knowing good and evil. What did God mean in Genesis 3:22 ?

A. This is a good question, missed by many Christians. There are two levels of meaning. First, the literal. The knowledge of good and evil is moral knowledge to discern, to refuse evil and choose good, based on the following:

Discern good and evil:
• 2 Sam 14:17 Then your maidservant said, ‘Please let the word of my lord the king be comforting, for as the angel of God, so is my lord the king to discern good and evil. And may the LORD your God be with you.’
• 1 Kgs 3:9 So give Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people to discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?”
• Heb 5:14 But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.

Knowledge of good or evil:
• Deut 1:39 Moreover, your little ones who you said would become a prey, and your sons, who this day have no knowledge of good or evil, shall enter there, and I will give it to them and they shall possess it.
• Isa 7:15-16 He will eat curds and honey at the time He knows enough to refuse evil and choose good. For before the boy will know enough to refuse evil and choose good, the land whose two kings you dread will be forsaken.

Second, the figurative. Good and evil is a figure of speech, an antithesis, a contrast of two things which are direct opposites. Biblical writers use two extremes to represent everything in between. A well-known example is Rom 8:38-39 For I am convinced that:
• neither death, nor life, i.e. all physical beings;
• nor angels, nor principalities, i.e. all spiritual beings;
• nor things present, nor things to come, i.e. all time;
• nor powers, i.e. all forms of power;
• nor height, nor depth, i.e. all space;
• nor any other created thing, a catch-all phrase;
will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Here Paul used 10 things, including 4 pairs of antithesis, to indicate that nothing will be able to separate us from God’s love. Everything is included, with no exceptions. In Gen 3, good and evil is used as antithesis to represent all things in between; knowledge of good and evil therefore means all knowledge i.e. omniscience.

(To be continued)

Bribes – To Pay or Not to Pay? (2 of 2)

(Continued from yesterday)

However, the Bible seems to condone giving a gift to expedite matters, as well as to smooth potentially disastrous situations:
• Prov 17:8 A bribe is a charm in the sight of its owner; wherever he turns, he prospers.
• Prov 21:4 A gift in secret subdues anger, and a bribe in the bosom, strong wrath.

The problem is exacerbated by the fact that the Hebrew word “shachad” is translated both as bribes/bribery and, depending on the context, as gift/reward/present. And often the case is NOT that we slip some money to the officer in charge to grease the palm, but that the officer asks for money in return for:
• doing what he’s supposed to do as part of his job e.g. issuing your license on time, or
• not carrying out some threat e.g. finding some imaginary problem with your passport and denying you entry into his country, which could jeopardize your whole short or even long-term mission.
In essence, they are extorting you. Do you give in to their blackmail?

Before you brush these scenarios off as unrealistic or few and far in-between, let me assure you that they happen often enough to business travelers and missionaries alike. The former may have no qualms about paying and writing it off as a business expense, but what about the latter who tries to follow the Bible faithfully? What is the right thing to do? This is where the current debate lies. To give or not to give?

Those who feel that it is OK to give noted that none of the wrong motivations of giving bribes apply here. There is no trying to do something illegal e.g. smuggling in prohibited goods through paying a customs officer to turn a blind eye, or perverting justice by paying off a corrupt judge. The victim is just trying to do what is required e.g. getting a license, through proper means. The problem is with the greedy official, not the victim.

Furthermore, they pointed out that there is actually no direct Scripture that condemns giving in to such a request. Some see it as equivalent to giving a tip for services rendered. It is not mandatory, but if you tip you get faster service. Others see it as similar to giving gifts to smooth relationships. Vendors give gifts to buyers routinely as part of the cost of doing business. So long as they get the desired results and no one gets hurt, it’s OK.

But do the ends justify the means? I do not think so. First, while the fault lies primarily with the officer asking for a bribe, to comply with his demand is to participate in his wrongdoing, to become his accomplice. If there’s no giving there can be no taking a bribe. It takes two to tango. Secondly, even though there is no direct Scripture forbidding giving bribes, the nature of the transaction is that it is “under the table” because it is illegal and unethical. We should not do something in secret which we would not do in public.

I believe the tip or gift analogy do not fit. A tip is a reward for good service after it is rendered, not a demand prior to the job being done. Giving gifts is permissible in the Bible, both to establish a relationship and to appease wrath. Jacob gave a gift to Esau (Gen 33:11), Abigail gave to David (1 Sam 25:27) etc. But like a tip, giving gifts is voluntary, not coerced in a threat. So while tips and gifts are reasonable, giving bribes is not.

Even if the bribes were lawful, which they aren’t, they would not be appropriate:
• 1 Co 6:12 All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by anything.
• 1 Co 10:23 All things are lawful, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful, but not all things edify.

Paying bribes are “profitable” only in the sense of eliminating unnecessary waiting time, but they could also be the first step down a slippery slope. If your work requires you to deal with certain officers regularly and you paid a bribe the first time, they’ll expect payment subsequently. You will be “mastered” by the illicit arrangement. Bribes also do not edify anyone, not even the recipients, because God sees their hearts as corrupt. Would a bribe testimony bring glory to God? Most certainly not! On the contrary, if we state our Christian stand boldly and politely, God is honored and we may even gain an opportunity to share the gospel.

What if it’s some issue critical to your mission like entering the country? While difficult, there are still options. Some played dumb and ignored the hint for a bribe. Others responded courteously but firmly, noting the officer’s name or badge number and asking to speak to the supervisor, which does not always work as the supervisor may be just as corrupt. Your mission may be stalled or delayed, but if you are representing God, then I would do things God’s way rather than take it into my own hands. That’s my humble opinion.

In your specific case, if I violated the traffic code I would pay the fine rather than a lesser amount to the policeman. That’s my short answer after a long-winded elaboration. Hope that helps.