Ethan R. Longhenry's Blog, page 26

Quietly Waiting for the Day

YHWH had spoken; His Day would soon come upon His people and upon the world. Habakkuk would now sing and wait.

Habakkuk had complained to YHWH regarding the injustice pervasive in the land of Israel (Habakkuk 1:1-4); YHWH responded by assuring Habakkuk He had noticed and would be obtaining vengeance through the mighty Chaldean army (Habakkuk 1:5-11). Habakkuk wondered how YHWH could be just in rendering judgment against a comparatively more righteous nation by means of a comparatively more unrighteous nation (Habakkuk 1:12-2:1). YHWH responded, declaring how the arrogant soul would be cast down, but the righteous would live by their faith: as the Chaldeans would render judgment, so they also would be judged and destroyed; YHWH endures (Habakkuk 2:2-20).

What, then, could Habakkuk do? The message had been given; he now waited for the Days of YHWH to come. But he did not wait idly; he made a prayer and sang a psalm before YHWH (Habakkuk 3:1-19). Psalms were often sung prayers; Habakkuk’s is “on” or “according to” shigyonot, one of the terms used of psalms which we do not fully understand, but is most likely referring to a particular genre or style of psalm (Habakkuk 3:1).

Habakkuk had indeed heard the report of YHWH and revered Him; Habakkuk wanted YHWH to revive His work and make it known and to remember His merciful compassion in the midst of displaying wrath (Habakkuk 3:2). Habakkuk imagined God as coming from Teman and Paran, mountains to the southeast of Israel: His glory covered the heavens, the earth was full of His praise, His brightness was light, His power came forth, pestilence went before Him, and lightning came at His feet (Habakkuk 3:3-5). YHWH measured the earth and drove out the nations; mountains were scattered, hills bowed down, for YHWH went forth as He did of old (Habakkuk 3:6). The inhabitants of the desert areas between Israel and Sinai, Cushan and Midian, experienced distress; Habakkuk rhetorically asked if YHWH was angry with the rivers or the sea as He rode upon the chariot of salvation (Habakkuk 3:7-8). YHWH’s bow was exposed; His arrows had a commission (Habakkuk 3:9). Habakkuk spoke of YHWH’s effects on the earth as He judged the nations: the land would flood, the mountains would shake, torrents of rain would flow, the sun and moon would stop; as YHWH would stomp on the earth, the nations are trampled (Habakkuk 3:10-12). YHWH went forth to save His people and the salvation of His Anointed; He would strike the wicked, cutting his chest open, and piercing their soldiers with the spear (Habakkuk 3:13-14). The wicked deigned to scatter God’s people, seeking to plunder the poor; YHWH trampled upon the sea with His horses; Habakkuk was deeply affected by their exultation, and he trembled, waiting quietly for the day of trouble and judgment coming upon those oppressors (Habakkuk 3:14-16).

Habakkuk knew difficult days would come. A time would come when the fig tree would not provide fruit, vines would not grow grapes, olive trees would produce nothing, and the folds and stalls for farm animals would be empty (Habakkuk 3:17). Yet in those days Habakkuk would rejoice in YHWH, the God of his salvation: YHWH was Habakkuk’s strength, and would give him the skill of the deer, allowing him to find refuge in difficult mountain terrain (Habakkuk 3:18-19).

Habakkuk thus well encapsulated his prophetic burden in his prayer-psalm. YHWH is the Creator God of Israel; YHWH has seen, and YHWH would come in judgment, first against His people for their iniquity, and then against the haughty who had prevailed against them. Habakkuk was made despondent on account of the haughtiness of those who would commit injustice against the poor; he yearned for God’s justice to come against the oppressors of the people. He had complete confidence that day would come, and so he waited. In the day of distress and trial he would still trust and rejoice in YHWH who was his salvation and strength. Through YHWH Habakkuk could endure the dark days which would come against Israel: perhaps Habakkuk lived to see the Day of YHWH against Judah in 586; maybe even by great length of life he might have seen the rise of Cyrus and the people of Israel restored to their land in 539. Regardless, he would find his strength and endurance in YHWH, and not in himself or the nations of the world.

Habakkuk did not design this psalm purely for his own use; it concludes with instructions for the chief musician to sing it with stringed instruments, expected in a Temple context (Habakkuk 3:19). Israel would have plenty of opportunity to internalize Habakkuk’s psalm prayer and to allow it to give them a voice before their God. They would see opponent after opponent, oppressor after oppressor; they would return to their own land but would not truly possess it, and they would have reason to pray again and again for YHWH their Creator to return as of old and to mightily judge the nations. The day would come on which God’s Anointed would come and would accomplish salvation for God’s people.

To this day we can internalize Habakkuk’s prayer psalm and allow it to give us a voice before God. We also should expect our Creator God to return in judgment. We will see mighty nations rise and fall. We will hear the mockery and haughtiness of the oppressors of the poor and of God’s people, and it ought to cause us great distress and pain. Yet we must wait patiently on God and wait for the day of their judgment, for the Lord of Armies sees, and will not be idle. We might well see days of great need, in which we find all the sources of food fail, and great distress on the earth; will we yet rejoice in the God of our salvation, and consider Him our strength? Will we be equipped in Him with the readiness of the Gospel of peace, and go out nimbly to proclaim and embody it? May we maintain confidence in the Lord of Armies, looking for and hastening His return in judgment, and obtain the resurrection of life in Christ!

Ethan R. Longhenry

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Eschatology of the Creation

What is going to happen to the creation once the Lord Jesus returns?

For many the answer to the question would seem simple: it will be completely destroyed! The creation is reserved for fire and will entirely burn up; such is what it would say in 2 Peter 3:7-13.

This viewpoint is understandable. It seems to be a natural conclusion to expect the creation to be thoroughly destroyed on the basis of 2 Peter 3:7-13. John also expected the heavens and the earth to pass away, and the sea to be no more, in Revelation 21:1. From these passages it would appear that the creation is destined for complete and thorough destruction and devastation, and will be no more.

Yet the witness of the apostle Paul complicates this story. Paul encouraged the Roman Christians by affirming how they would receive unimaginable glory in our inheritance in Christ provided we suffer with Jesus in Romans 8:17-18. He then spoke of the present situation and what would come in Romans 8:19-23: the creation awaits the revealing of the sons of God, for it was subjected to vanity in hope that it would be delivered from corruption into the liberty of the glory of the children of God. The creation groans for that liberation, and not just the creation, but those who have the first-fruits of the Spirit groan internally, waiting for the adoption of the redemption of the body. This is the hope in which Christians are saved, and it has not yet been seen, for one does not hope for what one can see; thus we wait patiently for it to come to pass (Romans 8:23-24).

Many would suggest Romans 8:17-25 is a difficult passage, more difficult than 2 Peter 3:7-13, and thus believe we must understand Romans 8:17-25 in light of 2 Peter 3:7-13. Some focus on the meaning of “creation,” Greek ktisis, suggesting it does not necessarily refer to the entire creation but a portion thereof, specifically, those redeemed in Jesus.

While there are times when “creation” is used to describe only a portion thereof, there is no ground on which to argue from Paul’s use in Romans 8:17-25 that he has such a limited perspective in mind. The way Paul wrote Romans 8:23 militates against any attempt to limit “the creation” to the righteous in Christ: in Romans 8:22 he spoke of the “whole creation,” and then said in Romans 8:23 how “not only so,” but “ourselves also,” those who are the saved in Christ, groan within themselves, clearly delineating between “the creation” and those in Christ.

While we today might wish that Paul had been clearer in his exposition, Romans 8:17-25 can be understood in light of what Paul has been teaching the Roman Christians. He has already spoken of the introduction of sin and death into the world in Romans 5:12-21; such is the natural explanation for the vanity and corruption to which the creation was enslaved. Paul has testified consistently how Christians presently maintain a saved condition in communion with God in Christ in Romans 6:1-23, 8:1-17; in Romans 8:12-17 he specifically considered Christians as having already been adopted as children of God. For Paul to say that Christians await adoption, the redemption of the body, and that such a hope has not yet materialized demands that Paul speaks of the hope of the resurrection of the body, thus identifying the resurrection as the redemption of the body (Romans 8:23-25).

Whatever we think about the end of the creation must keep the resurrection in mind. Resurrection, by virtue of the very concept and use of the term in Second Temple Judaism, demands the reanimation of what has died. Paul made much in Romans 6:8-11 of how Jesus died to sin once, and now He will die no more in the resurrection, for He lives to God: since we confess that Jesus’ soul and divinity never died, we understand Paul is talking about the physical body of Jesus raised from the dead and transformed for immortality. It remains true that flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom according to 1 Corinthians 15:50, but such does not mean the physical body is eliminated: Paul’s metaphors in 1 Corinthians 15:50-56 all point to enhancement in transformation, not elimination. The physical may not remain exactly as it was, but its origin as part of this creation remains. And if we uphold the resurrection of the body, by necessity, we must see that something of this present creation will continue to endure, redeemed in the adoption of the body. Paul extended this hope not merely to the saints but to the whole creation in Romans 8:17-25, consistent with Jewish witness regarding the value of the creation. Paul made it clear that the creation itself was not the problem: otherwise how could God call it very good in Genesis 1:31? It was the introduction of sin and death into the creation that was the problem according to Romans 5:12-21. In Romans 8:17-25 the problem is that the creation has been subjected to vanity and is in bondage to corruption. The solution to sin and death was redemption in Jesus according to Romans 5:12-21; the hope of the creation is to be released from bondage and vanity and to receive something of that glory to be given to God’s children in Romans 8:20-22.

Thus we can make good sense of Romans 8:17-25 in terms of what God has already accomplished and revealed in Jesus. But what of 2 Peter 3:7-13? Is it not clear how the creation is going to be eliminated by fire?

Peter certainly envisions how the present creation is stored up for fire. But does that fire demand the elimination of the creation? Most versions speak of the works of the earth will be “burned up” (Greek katakaesetai); and yet the best manuscript evidence reads instead that the works of the earth “will not be found” as meaning “will be exposed” (Greek heurethesetai). Furthermore, Peter did not just start talking about a destruction by fire without any context: he spoke of how the heavens and earth existed long ago out of water and by means of water, and how the world existing then perished by the Flood in 2 Peter 3:5-6. He then said the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire in 2 Peter 3:7. We understand that the Flood was quite the cataclysm, but we do not see evidence that the creation was entirely eliminated: quite the contrary, for Noah and his family and the animals in the ark were preserved! If Peter can speak of a “former” creation perishing in the Flood and yet without being eliminated, then contextually we cannot demand that he expects the “present” creation to perish by fire and thus be eliminated.

We can thus find harmony between Romans 8:17-25 and 2 Peter 3:1-13. On the judgment day there will be a purgation of the present creation by fire. This fire purges unto redemption; it need not demand the elimination of the present creation. The creation is not the problem, sin and death are the problem, and God will purge the creation from the effects of sin and death by fire. The creation will then obtain the glory of the children of God and share in redemption.

It might well be that the purgation by fire is so thorough that not much of the original creation is left: we have full assurance that the creation will remain at least in our transformed resurrection bodies. However much remains, when the purgation by fire has been completed, we will then dwell in that “new heavens” and “new earth,” where righteousness will dwell, and we will remain in the presence of God without any veil or hindrance (cf. 2 Peter 3:13, Revelation 21:1-22:6).

God has not given up on His creation; the Scriptures bear witness that God does not intend on giving up on His creation. There is a future for God’s creation in our resurrected bodies and in the “new heavens and the new earth.” May we persevere in faith in Christ and obtain the redemption of our bodies on the day of resurrection!

Ethan R. Longhenry

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Fruit of the Spirit: Longsuffering

The Apostle Paul remained greatly worried about how the Galatian Christians so suddenly were being tempted to pursue a different “gospel,” one based on the works of the Law and not in faith in Christ (Galatians 1:6-5:16). Paul also maintained concern for the practice of the Galatian Christians, exhorting them to avoid the “works of the flesh” and to manifest the “fruit of the Spirit” (Galatians 5:17-24). Paul spoke of the “fruit of the Spirit” in
Galatians 5:22-23:

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, self-control; against such there is no law.

According to the Greek grammar and the witness of Scripture, the fruit of the Spirit can be understood as “love.” Joy and peace both feature decisions regardless of momentary circumstance which go well beyond the way the world understands them. Paul now spoke of what we today consider patience, or longsuffering: the Greek word makrothumia. Makrothumia can be understood in a very literal way as “long of thumos“: thumos originally referred to the powerful life energy that would enervate conduct. Thumos can easily be expressed as wrath, and is thus condemned in Galatians 5:19-21. To be “long of thumos,” then, is the ability to internalize, and hold onto for a long time, that enervating life energy without expressing it as frustration, wrath, anger, and/or violence. To this end Thayer defines makrothumia as “patience, endurance, constancy, steadfastness, perseverance; patience, forbearance, longsuffering, slowness in avenging wrongs.”

We do well, therefore, to understand such “patience” and “longsuffering” as holding on and firm for a long time, and thus endurance and forbearance. We learn patience and longsuffering either through experience or by considering the examples of those who came before us. The Apostles provided such an example, having suffered much for the faith for some time (2 Timothy 3:10). Early Christians endured much for the faith (Hebrews 6:12). We also have the examples of Job and the prophets: they endured great difficulty but remained faithful (James 5:10). Paul expected Christians to display such longsuffering toward one another in Ephesians 4:1-3 and Colossians 3:12-13; an important aspect of Timothy’s ministry would involve proving longsuffering in his preaching, teaching, and conduct in 2 Timothy 4:1-2.

Paul and Peter both thus emphasize God’s patience and longsuffering toward people as the reason things remain as they are with the hope that people will come to faith in Him (Romans 2:4, Romans 9:22, 1 Peter 3:20, 2 Peter 3:15). People were proving impatient regarding the Lord’s return, wondering when it would be, asking why it had not yet happened (2 Peter 3:1-4). Peter wished to reorient their thinking: time is irrelevant to God: a day is as a thousand years to Him, and a thousand years as one day (2 Peter 3:8; cf. Psalm 90:4). He has not yet returned because He is patient/longsuffering toward us and wants all to repent and come to a knowledge of the truth (2 Peter 3:9). Whenever the end comes, it will come quickly (2 Peter 3:10): in the meantime, we are to consider ourselves. What if the Lord had returned the day before we had repented and responded to Him in faith? Today might well be that day for another! Who are we, therefore, to get impatient with the Lord, when the Lord has proven so patient and longsuffering toward us? Thus we must consider the patience and longsuffering of the Lord as salvation (2 Peter 3:15), and not begrudge God’s patience and kindness toward others.

The challenge of patience and longsuffering is also in the endurance demanded. Everyone has some level of patience; we thus speak of some as having “short fuses” and others as having “long fuses.” The Christian, however, is called to endure beyond what they might imagine. The parable of the ten virgins is a reminder of how the Lord might well take a lot longer than we expected, and we need to be prepared to endure for longer than we thought (Matthew 25:1-13). Paul and the Hebrews author exhort us to run the race so that we might win (1 Corinthians 9:24-27, Hebrews 12:1-3): we should not imagine they spoke of a 100 meter dash, but more like a marathon or even an ultramarathon. On our own we will grow weary and fail; such is why we must put our trust and confidence in the strength of the Lord and the power of His might, and submit to His will and ask to be strengthened through His Spirit (Ephesians 3:14-21, 6:10-18).

Of all the manifestations of the fruit of the Spirit longsuffering/patience seems the most demanded yet least expressed in our modern age. Everyone appreciates when others are patient toward them, yet our patience tends to wear thin very quickly and easily. We get restless if a website takes a few seconds to load; we quickly gravitate to checking our smartphones if we find ourselves having to wait in a line. We feel as if we should already be at our destination; any kind of traffic, road construction, or other hindrance quickly frustrates us. This environment does not well facilitate the growth of healthy relationships: we all too easily expect more out of others than we do ourselves, and more quickly, and look to disqualify on account of faults and failings.

In such an impatient age it proves all the more important for the people of God to manifest patience/longsuffering. In many respects Christians are prepared to suffer long: Christians might be prepared for certain kinds of persecution, difficulty, and distress. Yet Christians may find themselves in uncomfortable or unfamiliar conditions in which patience might be demanded but not easily reflected. Longsuffering is never easy, and we need to maintain it all the more when we are most tempted to give up. Longsuffering leads to salvation: God’s longsuffering has allowed us the opportunity to be saved, and it is only by displaying endurance in the faith that we will be saved (Matthew 10:22). May we prove willing to suffer long, glorify God in Christ, and obtain life in Him!

Ethan R. Longhenry

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Keep Silent Before YHWH

Habakkuk stood at his watch and waited for an answer from YHWH. The answer would come, and it would resonate for generations.

The prophet Habakkuk looked upon a sinful Judah and wondered if God would render justice (Habakkuk 1:1-4). YHWH responded and left no doubt: He would bring forth the Chaldean army as the agent of His judgment (Habakkuk 1:5-11). Habakkuk was greatly troubled at this prospect: how could a holy and righteous God use a more sinful nation to judge and condemn a comparatively less sinful one (Habakkuk 1:12-17)? Habakkuk waited for an answer from God (Habakkuk 2:1).

YHWH exhorted Habakkuk to write down the vision and make it plain upon tablets so that those who would run to it might read it (Habakkuk 2:2). The vision would reach its fulfillment: time hastened toward it and it would not lie; even if it seemed to take longer than expected, they should wait, for the events would come and not delay (Habakkuk 2:3). The soul of the arrogant, the unjust, and the Chaldean is puffed up and is not upright; the righteous one, however, will live by his or her faith (Habakkuk 2:4). “Wine” was reckoned as treacherous and haughty, enlarging desire like the underworld, insatiable, gathering all nations and people: one might be tempted to find some truth in a literal application, yet we do better to understand “wine” in terms of the intoxicating desire for greater power and wealth manifest among the unjust and the Chaldean army, and perhaps also the wine of the unmixed cup of the wrath of God’s judgment.

The Chaldeans lusted for glory, power, and wealth; later generations would taunt them, pronouncing woe on those who gain wealth which is not their own (Habakkuk 2:6). Nations would suddenly rise up against them and plunder them: as they had plundered many nations, the nations would plunder them, and thus return judgment for all the blood they had shed (Habakkuk 2:7-8). Woe was also pronounced on those who obtained wealth through evil in order to exalt and magnify themselves: their house would be covered in shame, they had sinned, and even their house would cry out against them (Habakkuk 2:9-11). Further woes came against those who build a city by blood and iniquity (Habakkuk 2:12). YHWH has decreed that people would put forth great labor for what would eventually be burned, and nations would wear themselves out for vanity, a breath or absurdity, for glory and power and wealth which would exist today but be gone tomorrow (Habakkuk 2:13). The earth would be filled with the knowledge of the glory of YHWH as the waters cover the sea (Habakkuk 2:14).

Habakkuk pronounced woe on those who cause their neighbors to drink and become intoxicated in order to satisfy their evil desires in seeing the nakedness and humiliation of others: they will be filled with shame and not glory, and will be compelled, as if the uncircumcised, to drink the cup of YHWH, and endure their foul shame (Habakkuk 2:15-16). All the violence the Chaldeans did against Lebanon, animal life, and human life will cover them (Habakkuk 2:17). The Chaldeans could take no comfort in their gods: what profit did they obtain from their graven images, made by humans, and yet remain dumb; woe would come against those who devote themselves to statues of wood overlaid with gold and silver (Habakkuk 2:18-19). All the while YHWH was in His holy temple, and the earth should keep silent before Him (Habakkuk 2:20).

Habakkuk 2:4 is justly famous: Paul and the Hebrews author relied upon it heavily in order to make their case regarding justification by faith and perseverance in faith (Romans 1:16-17, Galatians 3:11, Hebrews 10:36-39). Yet its importance is not divorced from its context but highlighted therein.

We could understand Habakkuk’s concern and frustration: Judah has proven unjust, yes, but how can it be just for an even more unjust and sinful people to gain victory over them (Habakkuk 1:1-2:1)? While at times it may seem that YHWH has individual people in mind in Habakkuk 2:2-20, His focus remains on the Chaldeans throughout. They are those who are puffed up and their soul is not right in them. They are those drunk on the intoxicating desire for power and wealth. They would be ascendant for the moment; they would labor to build a most impressive city whose fame endures until this day. And yet it would all be for naught. As they had destroyed others, they would be destroyed in turn. As they exploited the wealth of other nations, other nations would exploit their wealth. All that effort, and all that arrogance, would be ultimately for nothing; Babylon is now a ruin in a sad state of disrepair, its walls crumbling, and its extent not fully investigated or known. All the devotion they lavished upon their gods was for naught: the statues were dumb, there was nothing really there, and the whole edifice and pretense would fall apart.

So it was with the Chaldeans, but really such has been how it has always gone with those who follow the ways of the demonic wisdom of the world. What the world gives the world takes away. One group has great strength for a moment; they will be overturned by those over whom they had previously gained the victory. Wealth based on exploitation and oppression would eventually fade or be taken in exploitation or oppression. Unjust Judah received vengeance and justice for their worldliness at the hands of the Chaldeans; the Chaldeans would receive it at the hands of the Persians; the Persians by the Macedonians; and so on until this very day. Their souls were puffed up; it was not right within them. They were drunk on the wine of power and wealth; it led to their undoing.

Meanwhile, God remained in His holy temple, and all the earth should have remained silent before Him. The testimony of God’s power would be known throughout the world. Those who would endure would be the righteous, and they would live by their faith. They would trust in God, and not idols who could not speak, teach, or do anything. They would not maintain confidence in worldly power or foreign policy schemes, but entirely entrust themselves to God and His purposes. They would not seek wealth through exploitation or oppression, but would trust in God their Creator and Sustainer, obtain His blessings, and use them as He intended, to benefit and provide for others as well. The nations, and even the people of God would be compelled to drink the cup of the unmixed wine of the wrath of God and suffer the penalty of justice; the righteous would live by their faith.

Paul well noted the timelessness of Habakkuk’s core exhortation (Galatians 3:11; cf. Habakkuk 2:4). The people of God have only ever lived and endured by their faith. The soul of the unjust is puffed up and is not right within him. We will turn toward God and orient ourselves around His life and purposes, or we will turn away from God and orient ourselves according to the ways of this world. We may delude ourselves into thinking that God is not there, God does not notice, God does not care, or God will do nothing, and yet God is in His holy temple. If we mentally associate that temple with the building in Jerusalem, or the modern Christian assembly, we are distracting ourselves from the thrust of Habakkuk’s message. YHWH is in the seat of His power; the earth ought to keep silent before Him. He sees. He knows. He will judge. We may experience that judgment in various ways at various times, but it will come. We must proclaim this so all can hear or read and know, so that the knowledge of God may fill the earth as the waters fill the sea. God is not mocked. It may be tomorrow or the third day, but those who live according to the world will reap the judgment coming for the world. Let us turn, therefore, live by faith, and obtain life in God in Christ!

Ethan R. Longhenry

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Kush

It sat at the southwestern end of the known world of the ancient Near East; what lay beyond seemed impenetrable. Its people were tall and smooth, respected warriors, integrated well into the ancient Near Eastern milieu. Its empire would endure even though Assyria, Babylon, Persia, and Greece would rise and fall. Why we know so little about Kush, the Kushites, and the Kushite Empire is a tragic tale indeed.

Kush (often spelled Cush) is listed first among the sons of Ham in Genesis 10:6; among his descendants was Nimrod (Genesis 10:8). The land known as Kush in the ancient Near Eastern world lay in the Nile river valley from where the Blue and White Nile rivers converge until they reach the southern border of Ancient Egypt at Elephantine and Aswan; this area is now the southernmost part of Egypt and the northern part of Sudan. The Greeks called the Kushites “Ethiopians,” a term meaning “those burned in the face,” indicating Greek perspective without necessarily the prejudice which modern people might read into the term. The Greek term was used to refer to anyone of dark skin color, and thus would eventually become the term used to describe the Aksumite and later dynasties of the land we now call Ethiopia. Thus, in both Old and New Testament times, the “Ethiopians” are really Kushites.

The land of Kush was no stranger to humans or development; megaliths likely built over nine thousand years ago can be found there today. While Egyptian civilization arose six thousand years ago, so did a culture in the land of Kush. Evidence has been discovered of the “Kerma culture” which featured a well-developed city at Kerma from around 2500 to 1500 BCE; it is the oldest city in Africa outside of Egypt. Around the twenty-first century BCE the Egyptians began to refer to those who lived to their south as the Kushites; Middle Kingdom Pharaohs controlled the northernmost areas of Kush, but Kerma would persevere as a major Kushite city and power, reaching its greatest power in the 1600s BCE, defeating the Egyptians and almost destroying them. Little wonder the first New Kingdom Pharaohs attacked Kush relentlessly and destroyed the power of the “Kerma culture” around 1500 BCE.

The Egyptians had great interest in Kush because of the large amount of gold in the land. The Kushites remained subject to the Pharaohs of the New Kingdom and were significantly influenced by Egyptian architecture and religion. As the Egyptian state began to decline and fade in the eleventh century BCE, native Kushites began to assert their power in Kush and built a state and empire centered in Napata and modeled on the administration they had endured at the hands of the Egyptians.

The Kingdom of Kush continued to grow and develop; by 730 BCE they were in control of most of the land between the convergence of the Blue Nile and White Nile to Elephantine in Egypt. From 728-716 BCE Piye, king of Kush, invaded Egypt, and maintained control of Upper Egypt; thus the Kushites represent the 25th dynasty of Egyptian pharaohs. Piye’s son Shabaqo established himself as king of all Egypt in 710; when Isaiah spoke of Egypt and Pharaoh, he spoke of a Kushite controlled land and dynasty. Shabaqo would send an army led by Taharqa to Judah to support Hezekiah against Sennacherib in 701 BCE (cf. 2 Kings 19:9, Isaiah 37:9); Taharqa’s military prowess was later commended by Strabo, and we should not uncritically accept the Assyrian diminished perspective on Kushite strength. It is hard to know if either the Assyrians or the Kushites had a clear military victory; all we know is that after Sennacherib’s army was laid low by the angel of YHWH, Sennacherib never returned to the area of Judah, and Egyptian trading privileges with the southern Levant were restored.

Taharqa would reign over Egypt himself from 690 to 664 BCE and oversaw a renaissance in culture and influence. He would defeat Esarhaddon king of Assyria in Egypt in 674, maintaining significant influence in the southern Levant at that time. Esarhaddon invaded again in 671, prevailed, overran Egypt to Memphis, and then retreated; Taharqa would reassert control soon after. During the next campaign in Egypt in 668 Esarhaddon died; his son Ashurbanipal would defeat Taharqa as far as Thebes, but again retreated. The Assyrians empowered a native Egyptian dynasty in Sais in Lower Egypt; Taharqa’s successor Tantamani would lead a campaign north, killed Pharaoh Neko I, and reasserted control over all Egypt. Ashurbanipal led another campaign to Egypt and thoroughly defeated Tantamani, inflicted destruction upon Thebes in Upper Egypt from which it would never recover (cf. Nahum 3:8), and ending Kushite rule in Egypt. In 592 a descendant of Neko I, Psamtik II, invaded Kush and sacked Napata, making sure the Kushites did not maintain any further design on controlling Egypt. Napata would never recover; the Kingdom of Kush persevered, however, became less “Egyptianized,” and established a new capital further up the Nile at Meroë.

The Kingdom of Kush would continue to exercise hegemony over the land of Kush from Meroë for the next nine hundred years. Cambyses of Persia led a military campaign into Kush, and may have conquered the Nile up to the second cataract; Herodotus described the campaign as a failure. The Ptolemies maintained peaceful relations with Kush; the Kandake, or queen, of Kush fought with the Romans in the first century BCE but did not lead to any significant change in territory. The Ethiopian eunuch of Acts 8:26-40 would have been the treasurer of the Kandake; since there was a temple built to YHWH in Elephantine during the Persian period, it is not inconceivable for a community of Jewish exiles to have dwelt in the land of Kush. The Kushite Empire would endure until defeated by the ascendant Aksumite Empire to its south in the middle of the fourth century CE; it would dissolve over the next two hundred years.

Kushites participated in the ancient Near Eastern world. Kushites are portrayed as mercenaries participating in the Egyptian army and settling in Egypt; the prophets spoke of Kushites serving in other armies (cf. Jeremiah 46:9, Ezekiel 30:5, 38:5). The Assyrians favored Kushite horses for their chariots. Ebed-melech the Kushite proved faithful to Jeremiah and rescued him from certain death in a cistern (Jeremiah 38:7-13).

The Kushites, therefore, developed a robust, long-lasting, and powerful civilization. They were highly esteemed in their own day; their reputation has suffered over time because of the prevalence and legacy of white supremacy.

It is not as if the ancients did not notice the Kushites had dark skin; Jeremiah asked rhetorically if a Kushite could change the color of his skin for a reason (Jeremiah 13:23). And yet Isaiah spoke of them not on the basis of the color of their skin by their size and smoothness (cf. Isaiah 18:2). Aaron and Miriam grumbled about Moses’ Kushite wife, not because she was Kushite, but because she was not Israelite (cf. Numbers 12:1ff) Isaiah prophesied doom for Egypt and Kush, but not out of any kind of prejudice against them: Isaiah’s problem was with Judah trusting in Egypt and not in YHWH (cf. Isaiah 18:1-20:6). Amos understood God had established the Kushites in Kush as the Philistines came from Greece, the Syrians from Aram, and Israel in its land (Amos 9:7). We have no reason to believe that the Israelites manifest any particular prejudice against the Kushites: if anything, they were valued partners, and the Psalmist envisioned a time when the Kushites would honor the God of Israel (Psalm 68:31, 87:4).

The concept of race, primarily determined by skin color and other physical features, was developed in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries of our own era; the ancients, as manifest in the Scriptures, divided people on the basis of ethnicity (cf. Acts 17:26). Kush is a child of Ham but was no more a part of the curse of Canaan than was Egypt or Put, and no one ever suggested Nimrod’s descendants suffered from any sort of curse (Genesis 9:22-27, 10:6-9); no one in the ancient world thought it strange that the descendants of Ham would all feature different skin colors.

After the Aksumite Ethiopians laid the Kushites low, bands of the Noba moved into many parts of Kush, and the land became known as Nubia. The Europeans would know the land as Sudan; they perceived the majesty of Egyptian civilization, and were predisposed to see what the Kushites built as an “inferior” copy of the Egyptian way. Archaeologists, historians, and other scholars are now revisiting our understanding of the Kushites and recognizing how they were unfairly diminished and marginalized as a result of the colonist, white supremacist posture of Europeans and their descendants in the recent past. We do well to recognize and honor the Kushites as Africans who represented an important part of the ancient Near Eastern world; a significant African presence in the pages of the Scriptures; and an innovative, resilient civilization which persisted and for over a millennium while watching major Near Eastern powers rise and fall. We should not be surprised to find Kushites among the people of God in the resurrection; we will all praise the Lord Jesus in His Kingdom for all eternity!

Ethan R. Longhenry

Works Consulted

Kingdom of Kush (accessed 2021/24/01).

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The End Times: What the Bible Really Teaches

There is never a lack of interest in the “end times.” People with little to no religious background seem just as interested in the questions surrounding the end of the world as those who have fervent belief. Just as there is no lack of interest in the end times, there is also no lack of competing theories and ideas about exactly how and when the end of time will come. But what does the Bible really teach about the “end times”?

You have probably heard stories about one world governments, the “Antichrist,” the “rapture,” and things like these. Some people have made a lot of money writing books about these subjects. The stories are imaginative; many Scriptures are cited and supposedly interpreted. And yet such stories are not consistent with the story of God and His Kingdom taught in the New Testament.

The “end times,” according to the New Testament, is the final age; according to Hebrews 1:2, we live in those times, the days in which God has spoken to us in His Son. We are given no reason to look forward to another epoch in which we will receive further revelation; what can be known about living in Christ has already been made known by Jesus through His Apostles (cf. Jude 1:3).

Yet when will be the end of the age, and what will happen at that time? These questions have been asked time and time again. Jesus and the Apostles gave answers to these questions in passages such as Matthew 24:36-25:46, Romans 2:5-11, 8:17-23, 1 Corinthians 15:1-48, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11, 2 Thessalonians 1:6-9, 2 Peter 3:1-13, Revelation 20:11-22:6, and some others.

Contrary to popular expectations, no specific timeframe is given; in fact, the only certainty we have about the time is that it comes when it is unexpected. We will not know the day or the hour; Jesus will return as “a thief in the night,” at a time and in a way that the majority do not expect (Matthew 24:36-51, 1 Thessalonians 5:1-10, 2 Peter 3:8-10). We have no indication that there will be a specific seven year period that features a “rapture” and a “tribulation” as is often claimed.

In the parable of the virgins Jesus provided a hint that His return will take longer than many expect and would exhaust the patience of some (Matthew 25:1-13); Peter encouraged Christians to remain firm in their faith despite what they might perceive as a delay, since God’s patience in this matter was for their salvation (2 Peter 3:8-15). Two thousand years is a long time in our perspective; to God, it is not. If anything, Jesus and the Apostles testified regarding how things would continue in many respects as they had. Nations would rise and fall; rulers would act in depraved ways and be overthrown. John’s vision in Revelation can profitably be read as God’s judgment against the Roman authorities extended over a few hundred year period, followed by a long time of indefinite duration in which Satan is restricted (cf. Revelation 1:1-20:10). We should not be troubled by the amount of time which has passed between the Lord’s ascension and the present moment.

Jesus, Paul, and Peter have spoken of the day of the Lord’s return and the events which would transpire therein. Jesus will return as He departed: from the heavens (cf. Acts 1:11, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17). Paul indicates that believers will meet Jesus in the air; many assume that demands all will then ascend to the heavens, but Paul literally left everyone hanging in the text in 1 Thessalonians 4:17. The term used for “meet” more likely means believers will escort Him to the earth (cf. Acts 28:15). Thus indeed we will always be with the Lord (1 Thessalonians 4:18).

Paul expected the moment of resurrection to take place right before Christians met the Lord Jesus in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). The dead in Christ would rise first: the souls of the faithful who had rested in heaven with the Lord would be reunited with flesh which God would reconstitute, and it would then be transformed for immortality, demanded by the concept of resurrection in John 5:28-29, Philippians 3:21, and elaborated upon in 1 Corinthians 15:1-48. We will thus not only be with the Lord, but we will be fully like Him for eternity (1 John 3:1-3).

On that day the Lord Jesus returns in triumph to the earth for judgment (Matthew 25:31-46). Everyone will stand before the judgment seat of God in Christ and receive the due consequence of their works: for those who are found to be the obedient servants of God in Christ, eternal life; for those who are found to be disobedient, condemnation (cf. Matthew 25:31-46, Romans 2:5-11, 2 Thessalonians 1:6-9, Revelation 20:11-15).

At this point the creation will be redeemed from its subjection to sin and death; it will be purged through fire, leading to the new heavens and the new earth (Romans 8:17-23, 2 Peter 3:1-13, Revelation 21:1-22:6). What Paul made known in Romans 8:17-23 regarding the redemption of the creation from corruption is held in tension with what Peter made known in 2 Peter 3:1-13 regarding the purgation of the creation by fire. The fire may be redemptive, not truly eliminating the creation but cleansing it from sin and death; the fire may lead to destruction on an elemental level, after which God will create all things new in righteousness. Either way we will maintain the heritage of the present creation in our transformed resurrection bodies, as with the Lord.

Life in the “new heavens” and “new earth” is the life in glory and peace in God. The people of God will receive the glory of God as Paul promised in Romans 8:17-18 and 2 Corinthians 4:17; John saw the people of God thus glorified, and the only word picture which could do it any justice was to see a jewel-encrusted city bedecked in gold and every precious thing (Revelation 21:9-21). The people of God will no longer need to depend on what God gives; they will obtain the ultimate goal of all life, the presence of God: God will dwell in their midst; they will be His people, and He will be their God (Revelation 21:3). They will no longer suffer any more pain, distress, grief, or suffering, for the former things had passed away; they now live in the light of the Son, sharing in the delights of God’s righteous creation, sustained by the water of life and the tree of life with leaves that heal the nations (Revelation 21:1-22:6). The original purposes of the Creator for His creation are restored; mankind lives in relational unity with God and one another as God maintains within Himself, and the creation is redeemed from its subjection to futility (cf. John 17:20-23, Romans 8:19-23).

This is the picture we obtain from Scripture regarding what will happen when the “end times” have their final consummation at the return of Jesus Christ. While it may not have the flair for the dramatic of many other presentations, it maintains consistency with the whole of the message of the New Testament and God’s purposes in reconciling His creation to Himself.

How, then, shall we live? Many people have put much time and energy into attempting to ascertain the exact time and sequence of Jesus’ return. In the end, however, such is futile, for we will not know the day or the hour (Matthew 25:13). Nevertheless, God does not expect us to live in suspended animation. Since Jesus’ return will be sudden and may take many unawares, God’s counsel is quite clear: be ready (Matthew 25:1-13, 1 Thessalonians 5:1-10, 2 Peter 3:10-13, Revelation 22:7, 12). We must live our lives as faithful servants of God, always prepared to meet Him, for we do not know whether we will continue to live beyond this breath (James 4:14) or precisely when the Lord shall return. It might well take longer than we originally imagined; we must be prepared whether He returns quickly, or whether we must endure for a longer season (Matthew 25:1-30). Let us not be deceived into thinking we are assured plenty of time, certain things must take place before Jesus returns, or even that we need not maintain much more patience, for the Scriptures do not so teach. He could return at any moment; or He may not return for many years. Do we live in the Lord so that whether we live or whether we die, we will remain in the Lord?

Ethan R. Longhenry

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Fruit of the Spirit: Peace

The Apostle Paul, having warned the Galatian Christians regarding important matters of doctrine (cf. Galatians 1:6-5:16), then turned to insist upon important matters of practice. He did so by comparing and contrasting the works of the flesh with the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:17-24). He described the fruit of the Spirit accordingly in Galatians 5:22-23:

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, self-control; against such there is no law.

In a very real sense love is the fruit of the Spirit, and every other manifestation thereof mere commentary. Joy is no mere emotion but a disposition maintained regardless of circumstances. Paul continued with the posture of peace. The Greek word translated here as “peace” is eirene, defined by Thayer’s as:

1) a state of national tranquillity
1a) exemption from the rage and havoc of war
2) peace between individuals, i.e. harmony, concord
3) security, safety, prosperity, felicity, (because peace and harmony make and keep things safe and prosperous)
4) of the Messiah’s peace
4a) the way that leads to peace (salvation)
5) of Christianity, the tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and content with its earthly lot, of whatsoever sort that is
6) the blessed state of devout and upright men after death

The Apostles prove very concerned with peace and making sure Christians understand the value and importance of peace. They wished for the peace of God to come upon the Christians as is evidenced by its frequent invocation in the salutation and the conclusion of letters (Romans 1:7, Romans 15:33, 1 Peter 1:2, 1 Peter 5:14, etc.).

The “peace” of which the Apostles spoke was never understood to be generated within the self. Whether we wish to admit it or not we maintain the legacy of our time lost in the world of sin, children of wrath, hated by others, and hating in turn (cf. Ephesians 2:1-4, Titus 3:3). Our hearts are liable to condemn us (1 John 3:20). On our own we are easily tossed to and fro, feeling good or miserable about ourselves based on our most recent thoughts, feelings, and actions.

The “peace” of which the Apostles spoke would not be found in the world. Jesus assured His disciples they would have tribulation in the world (John 16:33); it was not hard for Him to guarantee this, because the world thrives on conflict. In the world “peace” is understood as the absence of active hostilities: if peoples or nations are not killing each other, they are deemed at “peace,” whether they are best of friends or greatly opposed to one another. The “peace” the world would leave those at “peace” alone to do as they please; it yearns for a nice and fat equilibrium for the advantaged no matter the cost to the marginalized and oppressed. Peace in the world is ephemeral; there is no peace for the wicked (Isaiah 48:22, 57:21). The ways of the world are antithetical to real peace (James 3:13-18).

The “peace” of which the Apostles spoke is rooted in what God has accomplished for Christians through Jesus: reconciliation in relationship. Christians have peace toward God because they can stand forgiven of sin through the blood of Jesus the Lamb (John 1:28, Romans 2:10, 5:1-11, 8:1-17). Christians have not done anything to deserve such salvation in reconciliation; no effort they can put forth will earn, deserve, or merit such standing before God (Romans 3:20-23, Ephesians 2:1-11). Thus the peace God offers Christians in Christ is given by sheer grace; we cannot earn it, obtain it through great effort, or anything of that sort. We must submit ourselves to God and His purposes in Christ to receive the gift of the peace God would give to all of His children (John 16:33).

The peace which exists between God and man in Christ certainly goes beyond a feeling of calmness: this peace involves the firm conviction that God is greater than our hearts, we are fully cleansed in Christ, and no thing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:30-39, 1 John 3:20-21). Through the peace God gives in Christ we can call out the thoughts and feelings of inadequacy, shame, and remembrance of past sins for what they are: temptations by the Evil One to inertia and sin. And yet God can give believers His peace in Christ which surpasses understanding, providing a preternatural calm which believers, on their own, could never manifest in light of their circumstances (cf. Philippians 4:7). If we would receive such peace, we must continually maintain trust in God and cast our anxieties upon Him in prayer (Philippians 4:6, 1 Peter 5:7). The believer in Christ maintains peace in the world not because of him or herself or their standing in the world; they live in the superabundant peace of Christ, understanding that no matter what may afflict them in the world, they have entrusted themselves to the love of God, and no external force can extricate them from Him.

The peace God would give to Christians in Christ is not just about their individual reconciliation with God. In Christ God has reconciled all who would believe in Him to Himself: in the world they would be divided by ethnicity, language, class, etc., but Jesus killed all forms of hostility among people when He suffered and died on the cross (Ephesians 2:11-18). Christians are called to unity in the faith on the ground of the peace God has given them in Jesus: whatever might divide Christians in the world is not nearly as important as the shared faith in Christ which should bring them together.

Thus peace is one of the three primary characteristics of the Kingdom of God according to Romans 10:17. This peace could only be accomplished by God’s work in Christ; only through suffering evil could the hostility be killed. Nevertheless, Christians must diligently apply great effort to maintain this precious peace obtained through the work of God in Christ (Ephesians 4:1-3). Christians must pursue the humility, love, patience, tolerance, etc., which make for peace so they can build one another up (Romans 14:19); they must be of the same mind and actively seek to live in peace so the God of peace would remain with them (2 Corinthians 3:11).

Christians must continually make the choice to allow the peace of Christ to rule in their hearts (cf. Colossians 3:15). They will be sorely tempted to participate and foment the divisions of the world. Christians may even be tempted to replace the peace of Christ with the peace of this world, maintaining factionalism and divisions rooted in worldly thinking. Christians must always be on guard lest they cry out “peace,” where there is no peace: there is no peace in ourselves without the Lord or in the world (Ezekiel 13:8-16, 1 Thessalonians 5:3). Wherever worldly thinking, selfish ambition, factionalism, tribalism, and the like are engendered; whenever we look for succor, comfort, and hope from the world and its powers and principalities; or especially when the ways of the Kingdom are overrun by the ways of the world, demonic wisdom has been accepted over the ways of righteousness in God in Christ which lead to true peace (James 3:13-18). Christians do well to find rest and comfort in God in Christ, in love and humility casting their anxieties upon God, resisting the siren songs of fearmongering in the world, firmly rooted in Christ, and working diligently to preserve the unity of the faith in the bond of peace.

Now the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in all ways. The Lord be with you all (2 Thessalonians 3:16).

Ethan R. Longhenry

Photo by Sunyu on Unsplash

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Justice Executed

Be careful regarding what you request in prayer; you may just receive it.

The prophet Habakkuk saw a burden, or oracle, at some point before the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BCE (Habakkuk 1:1). The event would take place during Habakkuk’s lifetime (Habakkuk 1:5); therefore, he is some sort of contemporary of Jeremiah, Daniel, and Ezekiel (ca. 615-586 BCE). We do well to consider Habakkuk a prophet of Judah in these final days of the first Temple.

Whereas we today understand those days to be the end of Judah, it was not thus apparent to the Judahites of the time. Habakkuk was dismayed and distressed regarding his fellow Judahites and their behaviors. He cried out to God for help, deliverance, and particularly the execution of justice: violence was all around, people wantonly destroyed, the tension of conflict endured, rife with strife, and the forces of wickedness seemed to overpower the forces of righteousness: the law was toothless, and justice was perverted (Habakkuk 1:2-4). Habakkuk’s concern and description is consistent with the portrayal given by Jeremiah and Ezekiel: despite Josiah’s reforms, the people continued to serve idols, the rulers entrusted themselves to their foreign policy machinations, the wealthy prospered, the poor remained marginalized and oppressed, and all the people carried on as if YHWH would never allow any foreign nation to overthrow His house in Zion.

Many similar laments have been uttered by God’s people in distress at the violence and injustice around them, but few have received an answer from YHWH, especially in the way Habakkuk did.

God had certainly seen the violence and injustice, and He was about to act. He would do a work which Habakkuk would see but would not believe even though it was told in advance (Habakkuk 1:5). YHWH was lifting up the Chaldeans to come and possess lands not their own. Their army was dreadful and terrifying, hastening to devour, fierce as wolves, looking for violence, marching straight forward (Habakkuk 1:6-9). They scoff at kings and princes and would deride every fortified city; they would pass over as a wind (Habakkuk 1:10-11).

At this moment the Chaldean army would have been a terrifying prospect indeed. They had allied with the Medes to not only defeat the Assyrians but completely destroy Nineveh and other cities and eliminated Assyria as a going concern. The Chaldeans had taken over the Mesopotamian and Levantine portions of the Neo-Assyrian Empire and could raise a large army. They had soundly defeated the Egyptians, the only other local power of significance, twice. YHWH was their only hope against the Chaldean army, and if YHWH Himself was bringing that army against Judah, all hope was lost, and all that remained would be a terrifying expectation of death and destruction.

Habakkuk no longer wondered if YHWH had noticed the violence and injustice in Judah. Nevertheless, YHWH’s answer distressed Habakkuk. Habakkuk was not distressed about what would happen to Judah: YHWH was eternal, and Habakkuk was confident God would leave a remnant of His people according to His promises, even if the rest would perish in judgment (Habakkuk 1:12). Habakkuk’s distress centered on the agent of YHWH’s destruction, the Chaldeans: is not God of purer eyes than to look upon evil and perversity? Then how can God hold His peace and even actively facilitate an even more wicked and perverse people, the Chaldeans, to overcome the Judahites, who are comparatively more righteous (Habakkuk 1:13)? Habakkuk compared people to the fish of the sea; the Chaldeans were as fishermen who cast a wide net and caught many fish, were very happy, and then offered sacrifices to their nets as if a god, since they have brought them food and live in plenty (Habakkuk 1:14-16). Would God allow for this to continue on unabated, allowing the Chaldeans to destroy nations and spare none, and be reinforced in their conviction that their gods have brought them power and success (Habakkuk 1:17)?

Habakkuk saw the violence and injustice all around him. We also see violence and injustice around us; how many times does it seem that the wicked prosper in their wickedness and justice is never delivered? The violent and aggressive get away with their behaviors and those who seek to pursue justice and righteousness fall behind or suffer harm. Habakkuk knew well to cry out to God in lament and complaint; do we pray to God regarding the wickedness and injustice we see all around us? Note well how only those who sighed and cried over the abominations done in Jerusalem were to be marked for preservation in Ezekiel 9:4; those who became hardened to such things were treated similarly to those who perpetuated them.

Habakkuk learned of God’s imminent judgment against Judah: they would be overrun by the Chaldeans. They would certainly suffer the consequences of the injustice and wickedness they had perpetrated. Yet what do we think of Habakkuk’s conundrum? How could the God of holiness and righteousness allow a wicked nation to destroy a comparatively more righteous one? We could imagine Ezekiel quibbling with Habakkuk’s assessment: he portrayed Jerusalem as more sinful than Sodom (Ezekiel 16:47-49)! Jeremiah might add that the Chaldeans at least proved more faithful to their gods and their religion than the Judahites did to theirs (cf. Jeremiah 2:10-13). Whatever we may think of comparing the relative righteousness or wickedness of Babylon and Judah, Habakkuk’s final concern is quite valid: would not the Chaldeans vaunt over Jerusalem and Judah and presume that their gods had given them victory, and YHWH would not save? Would they not continue to overrun nations? How could God establish His righteousness and justice against the wicked and unjust by granting strength and power to those even more wicked and unjust?

Habakkuk then took his post and waited for YHWH’s response to his complaint (Habakkuk 2:1). God would answer, but we do well to sit a moment with Habakkuk on that tower and grapple with his consternation, because there are times in which we find ourselves in Habakkuk’s position in Habakkuk 2:1. We see injustice and wickedness all around us, and the only way that injustice and wickedness seems to be overrun is by those who act even more unjustly and wickedly. Do we give voice to our laments and complaints before God? Do we really wish to see righteousness and justice in the land?

Habakkuk asked God if He was going to do anything about all the injustice in the land. God certainly heard his prayer and lament; God was going to do something about it. It was not exactly what Habakkuk had in mind. We do well to keep Habakkuk’s example in mind in terms of our own prayer life: what if God really does grant us what we want, but it does not look like anything we were expecting? Perhaps, in fact, God will give us that for which we ask, but He does so in ways very much against what we were expecting or wanting. Do we have the trust and confidence in God to accept the situation? Will we draw near to God in prayer even though we might get all for which we ask but not in the way we would like it? Or would that prospect cause us to shrink back and not bother asking at all? May we prove faithful to God like Habakkuk in his generation, willing to complain and lament regarding injustice and violence, even if God’s answer is not exactly as we would intend!

Ethan R. Longhenry

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The Kingdoms of the World to Become the Kingdom of Christ

What will become of the politics, nations, and kingdoms of this world?

Political philosophy and practice are invariably wrapped up in eschatology: what you deem will be shapes what can be imagined for today and informs the view of the present. For those who have no spiritual hope, politics has always been and always will be power games between those who have and those who want to have it. For those who have a “scorched earth” view of the future, a “scorched earth” politics of the present seems sensible. Those enamored with progress will seek to frame their desires and ideology in terms of establishing progress; those enamored with the heritage of the past will seek to frame their desires and ideology in terms of maintaining the legacy of the past.

The Christian should live in the present according to the hope of the future: we live as exiles and sojourners at the moment as we look forward to a city with foundations, the everlasting dominion and glory of God in Christ (cf. Romans 8:17-25, 1 Peter 2:11-17, Hebrews 11:1-12:2). But what exactly does that everlasting dominion and glory of God in Christ look like, and thus what is the end of the politics, nations, and kingdoms of this world?

John received vivid visions of the end of all things. In Revelation 11:15-18, upon hearing the seventh trumpet sounded, John heard the proclamation: the kingdom of the world is become the kingdom of our Lord, and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever. God was praised, for He had taken His great power and reigned. The nations had been angry, yet the wrath of God came, and judgment had been enacted to reward the prophets, the saints, and all who fear His name, and to destroy those who destroyed the earth. The events seen in Revelation 19:6-22:5 seem to present the same idea in different imagery: a summons to the marriage supper of the Lamb; the devastation of the armies of the world by the Lord of lords and King of kings; the casting of the beast, false prophet, and those who bore his mark into the lake of fire; the binding of Satan; the reign of Christ and His saints; the return of Satan and the day of judgment; the casting of Satan and those whose names were not in the book of life into the lake of fire; the portrayal of the people of God as heavenly Jerusalem coming down from the “new heavens” to the “new earth,” bearing the glory of God; the people of God dwelling in the presence of God in Christ forever; the river of life and the tree of life, and the leaves of the tree for the healing of the nations; the light of God in Christ for the people of God forever.

How John’s visions ought to be understood remain some of the most contentious matters in the Christian faith. Many make much of Jesus’ millennial reign. Some have created the dispensational premillennialist scheme and a story of great mayhem and violence leading to the end; yet it remains hard to reconcile such a scheme with the rest of what the New Testament reveals about Jesus, His Kingdom, and His return. Others have imagined their efforts will bring the millennial reign of Jesus to fruition, whether the progressive fantasy of previous generations or the last to endure from the wreckage of modernity now prevalent among Christian Dominionists/Reconstructionists. Others focus on portrayals of devastation of the end, presuming God will completely destroy everything in the creation, and thus do not believe they have much responsibility to steward and preserve what will be destroyed soon anyway. Many do well to recognize how John speaks in visions and thus metaphors, yet then discount the metaphors as having no substantive meaning on which we can depend, relegating the whole book to the realm of speculation.

We do well to integrate both what we find in Revelation and our view of politics, nations, and kingdoms with what is told in the rest of the Scriptures. According to the Scriptures, God made a good creation which was subjected to corruption and decay by sin and death (Genesis 1:31, Romans 5:12-21, 8:18-23). Human governments, and the powers and principalities above them, are empowered by God, have a commission to uphold justice and condemn evil, yet all invariably are corrupted and submit to darkness (Romans 13:1-8, Ephesians 6:12). In His death and resurrection Jesus defeated the powers and principalities, and was declared the Son of God in power; in His ascension He was given an eternal dominion and was made Lord and Christ over all (Romans 1:4, Ephesians 1:20-23, Colossians 1:15-20, 2:15). Jesus reigns as Lord, and all are called to submit to His rule and embody the values of His Kingdom in His body, the church (Ephesians 1:20-23, 4:11-16). On the day of judgment Jesus will return, and all will rise from the dead: those who have not known God and obeyed the Gospel of Jesus to a resurrection of condemnation, and those who are in Christ to the resurrection of life, in which death is defeated and is no more, the people of God remain in the presence of God forever, having been given the glory of God (John 5:28-29, Romans 2:5-11, 8:17-18, 1 Corinthians 15:20-58, 2 Corinthians 4:17-18, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17, 2 Thessalonians 1:6-9).

We can understand the story of Revelation in terms of this story set forth in Scripture. As it is written, the kingdoms of the world will become the Kingdom of God and of His Christ: Jesus’ rule will triumph over sin and death, and the powers present over this world will submit to God fully (cf. Revelation 11:15). Such does not demand the elimination of the nations, but their redemption: the redeemed of all the nations will endure, and the tree of life has leaves to heal them (Matthew 25:31-46, Revelation 22:1-5). Sufficient references are made to the saints ruling over the nations to demand credibility, even if we do not understand what that rule will look like (cf. Revelation 2:26-27, 3:21, 20:4; cf. Luke 22:29-30, 1 Corinthians 6:3-4). God has not given up on His creation; it will be redeemed, even if by fire (Romans 8:17-23, 2 Peter 3:8-13, Revelation 21:1).

The kingdoms of this world will come and go; the hope of the nations to endure is through the Kingdom of God in Christ. Our politics, as with everything else, must be part of our story as Christians. We are called to embody what the reign of Christ looks like: thus we pray and work diligently to do God’s will on earth as it is done in heaven. We ought to seek the welfare of those around us, not capitulating to the defeat of futility, but doing good to all people, especially to those of the household of faith, and advocate with the powers that be in order to better embody justice and righteousness. Our posture will be of resistance, seeking to stand firm against the powers and principalities of this present darkness through the strength which God supplies in Jesus; we will not find in any polity the full embodiment of the Kingdom of God, and it is not for us to establish the Kingdom of God on earth. God Himself will return in Christ to establish that reign in the resurrection; it is enough for us to wait for it, hasten it through prayer and the practice of righteousness, and to orient our political philosophy and practice to this end. May we all live in ways which glorify God in Christ that we would receive His glory on the final day, and share in the rule and dominion of Christ for all eternity!

Ethan R. Longhenry

The post The Kingdoms of the World to Become the Kingdom of Christ appeared first on de Verbo vitae.

Fruit of the Spirit: Joy

The Apostle Paul, having warned the Galatian Christians regarding the dangers of falling from grace by adhering to the Law of Moses (Galatians 1:1-5:16), sought to exhort them regarding sin and righteousness (Galatians 5:17-24). He denounced the “works of the flesh” (Galatians 5:19-21); he now encouraged them to embody the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-24:

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, self-control; against such there is no law.

The first manifestation of the fruit of the Spirit can be well described as the ultimate embodiment of all of them: love. Paul then continued with “joy.” The word translated above as “joy” is the Greek word chara, defined by Thayer’s as, “joy, gladness: the joy received from you; the cause or occasion of joy; of persons who are one’s joy.”

In the New Testament “joy” is found in all of the above dimensions. The emotional experience of joy at hearing the Word of God and finding salvation in its message is in view in Matthew 13:20, 44. Christians are commended for proving willing to suffer while experiencing joy in 2 Corinthians 8:2, Philippians 1:25, and Hebrews 10:34. Paul expressed a joyful disposition toward those faithful to God in the churches in 2 Corinthians 2:3, Philippians 4:1, 1 Thessalonians 2:19-20, and 2 Timothy 1:4.

Christians, therefore, are a people who ought to be marked by joy. Christians have many reasons to rejoice. We live in hope: our Lord has redeemed us from the world of sin and death, and we look forward to eternal life in glory in the resurrection (Romans 8:1-39). We live with the encouragement of the people of God who have gone on before us, and presently share the company of brethren of like-minded faith (1 Corinthians 12:12-28, Hebrews 10:24-25, 11:39-12:2). If we pursue the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, we always will have what we need (Matthew 6:25-34). In Christ we enjoy freedom from the bondage and oppression of sin so as to share in relational unity with God and to glorify Him in faithful love and obedience (Romans 6:14-23); Christians do well to consider this as joy and to abide within it.

Joy, therefore, must be a hallmark of the faith. According to Paul the Kingdom of God is “righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 14:17). Paul urged Christians to rejoice always, repeating himself for emphasis in Philippians 4:4; he exhorted the Thessalonian Christians to the same end in 1 Thessalonians 5:16.

Yet this insistence on rejoicing “always” ought to give us pause. How many of us associate “joy” with a feeling of happiness? Is Paul really expecting Christians to always feel joyful and happy? Are we to imagine that Paul himself experienced warm feelings of joy and happiness while being beaten, stoned, or in desperate want?

We may enjoy the feeling of joy and happiness, but the Christian’s joy is not rooted in feelings. Feelings come and go; the goal in Christ is not to manufacture emotions to maintain the pretense of joyful excitement no matter what. Joy grounded and rooted in emotion and feeling cannot endure the trials and difficulties experienced in the life of faith.

The Hebrews author and James help us to understand the kind of joy Christians must maintain in the faith. The Hebrews author exhorted Christians to look toward Jesus as the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, for He endured the cross, and despised its shame, on account of the joy set before Him (Hebrews 12:2). James exhorted Christians to consider it a joyful thing to endure trials, since those trials would test their faith and produce endurance (James 1:2-4). Neither the Hebrews author nor James suggested the difficulties, trials, or shame themselves were sources of joy or joyful experiences; instead they focused on the joy which could be found in the outcome: developed character traits, growth in relationship with God and His people, victory over sin and death and eternal life.

The Christian’s joy, therefore, is not grounded and rooted in emotion, feeling, or physical circumstance, but in what they are obtaining and will obtain in Christ. Such is how Christians endured the loss of property or standing “with joy”: they did not feel warmth and happiness from the indignity and shame they endured, but understood that they were sharing in the suffering of Christ so they would obtain the glory God had given Him (cf. Romans 8:17-18, Hebrews 10:32-35). Their suffering was unpleasant (cf. 2 Corinthians 1:3-11); the fruit of their suffering could sustain them in joy.

In truth, everyone has a source of joy: they seek after something which they believe will make them glad and happy. Those in the world look for joy in the world: far too many in money, power, fame, sex, or drugs; yet just as many, if not more so, look for joy in good things elevated beyond their station, like their nation, family, entertainment, sports teams, etc. It is not wrong for Christians to find some happiness and joy in family, their work, their nation, sports, hobbies, etc., but such can never be the sources of their ultimate joy. Christians must be glad in God in Christ through the Spirit; their joy must be the relationship they are cultivating with God, and they must prove willing to renounce all other joys if need be in order to obtain eternal life and glory in the resurrection (cf. Matthew 6:19-24, 10:34-38, 16:24-28). Do we see ourselves in the merchant who found the pearl of great price; have we “sold” all we have in order to obtain the joy of life in God in Christ (Matthew 13:45-46)?

Joy is a beautiful thing and can sustain us in our lives. Yet joy is not a masquerade of positivity for the sake of enhancing quality of life; rooting and grounding one’s joy in anything in this world will lead to grief, pain, and distress. Christians find joy in their relationship with God in Christ through the Spirit, finding strength to endure all difficulties while maintaining composure and dignity because in Christ we know we hold lightly to everything that pertains to this life. That which causes us distress in the world renders the hope we cherish and sustain all the more sweeter, and prepares us more thoroughly to enjoy it. Joy and gladness in things of this world fade; rejoicing in the Lord Jesus endures forever.

Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, in the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 15:13).

Ethan R. Longhenry

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