MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Seven Applications of Revelation

by Dennis Johnson

Why did God give us the book of Revelation? If you had asked me this question when I was a young Christian, I might have said, “To help us discover when Jesus will return to earth,” “To help us make sense of events in the Middle East,” “To give us nightmares about the tribulation so that we don’t get lax and miss the rapture,” “To give Christians something to argue about,” or, simply, “To confuse us.” My answer today is different: God gave the Apocalypse shown to John in order to bless us — to do us good, to convey His grace, to fortify our hearts. In Revelation, God promises His blessing seven times (a symbolically significant number): to those who hear and hold Revelation’s message (Rev. 1:3; 22:7), who die “in the Lord” (14:13), who stay awake and alert (16:15), who attend the Lamb’s marriage supper (19:9), who share the first resurrection (20:6), and who wash their robes in the blood of the Lamb (22:14; see 7:15).

God gave the book of Revelation neither to tantalize nor to satiate our curiosity about His hidden timetable but rather to arm us for the spiritual conflict that we face every day. At the end of my commentary on Revelation, Triumph of the Lamb, I asked, “What should this book do to us?” Below are the answers I offered in response to this query, and I believe they show how Revelation should be applied.

REVELATION HELPS CHRISTIANS SEE OUR SITUATION IN ITS TRUE 
PERSPECTIVE

Appearances can be deceiving. We often gauge how “the war” is going by the way things look to us today based on headlines about political and economic trends or global crises. The paradoxes in Revelation’s visions remind us that “we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Cor. 5:7). Christ’s cross looked like the slaughter of a helpless lamb, but it was actually the triumph of Judah’s Lion (Rev. 5:5–10). When faithful martyrs shed their blood, their foes seem to have conquered (11:7; 13:7). In fact, the martyrs are the true victors who vanquish Satan “by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death” (12:11).

REVELATION SHOWS OUR ENEMIES IN THEIR TRUE COLORS

Our enemy is stronger and savvier than we are: “the great dragon … that ancient serpent … the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world” (12:9). But the seed of the woman has come, conquered the Serpent, and ascended to heaven (v. 5). Satan can no longer accuse: his charges have been silenced by Christ’s sacrifice (vv. 10–11). Frustrated over his defeat at the cross, Satan vents his wrath against the church on earth (vv. 12–17). His weapons are violent persecution (the Beast), plausible deception (the False Prophet), and seductive pleasure (the harlot Babylon). The sovereign state, civil religion, and luxurious indulgences may seem to be “saviors.” Don’t be fooled: they aim to destroy. Revelation’s symbolism peels back the façade that often hides the grotesque hollowness of Satan’s counterfeits.

REVELATION REVEALS OUR CHAMPION IN HIS TRUE GLORY

As its title promises, this truly is “the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1:1). It unveils Jesus and fixes our hearts and hopes on Him. He is the hero of each dramatic scene. He is the Son of Man foretold in Daniel 7, luminous in divine glory, who by His resurrection seized death’s keys and now walks among His churches. He is Judah’s Lion who conquered by being slain, redeeming people from all the earth’s peoples. He is worthy of worship from every creature everywhere. He is the Captain of heaven’s armies, riding into battle against His and our enemies, defending beleaguered saints, and finally destroying the Dragon and his beasts. Our Champion lifts our weary hearts with His promise: “Surely I am coming soon.” We reply: “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!” (22:20).

REVELATION ENABLES US TO SEE OURSELVES IN OUR TRUE BEAUTY

Jesus’ messages to the churches of Asia show that His fiery eyes (1:14; 2:18) see us accurately, commending our faithfulness but exposing our flaws (chaps. 2–3). Nevertheless, as mottled as the church’s spiritual complexion is now, our Bridegroom loves us and will not rest until He presents us to Himself “as a bride adorned for her husband” (21:2), clothed “with fine linen, bright and pure” (19:8). Revelation paints our coming wedding in such vivid colors that we long to pursue now the loveliness that will then be fully ours (1 John 3:2–3).

REVELATION SUMMONS US TO ENDURE AS WE SUFFER

Revelation was originally addressed to Christians who were suffering for their faith. They experienced poverty, slander, prison, and even death (2:9–10, 13). Writhing in his death throes in the aftermath of the cross, the Dragon escalates his assault against the saints until Christ returns to consummate history. Jesus does not promise a painless escape from this war of the ages. Instead, He promises His presence as the one who is “alive forevermore” (1:18). In response to that promise, we must heed the King’s call to patient endurance (1:9; 2:2–3, 10, 13, 19, 25; 3:8, 10; 13:10; 14:12).

REVELATION CALLS US TO STAY PURE WHEN COMPROMISE INVITES

Some of the first-century churches, like many churches in the twenty-first century, faced a subtler threat than persecution. Satan, the father of lies, tried to mislead believers through purveyors of false teaching (2:15, 20). Material comfort and compromise with the paganism of the surrounding culture also proved alluring (2:14; 3:17). Such insidious assaults on wholehearted allegiance to Christ are still with us. Against the Devil’s lies and invitations to idolize pleasure and prosperity, Revelation calls us to keep our hearts and lives pure as befits those who will be the Lamb’s whiterobed bride (3:4–5, 17–18; 7:9, 14; 14:4; 19:7–8; 22:14–15).

REVELATION ENCOURAGES US TO BEAR WITNESS AS GOD WAITS

Lest Revelation’s summons to endure and stay pure incline us to withdraw into bunkers, hiding from the dangerous and defiling world, we need to heed Revelation’s encouragement to bear witness to “the testimony of Jesus.” Our word martyr is derived from the Greek word meaning “witness” (martys, 2:13). John was on Patmos “on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus” (1:9). The church is symbolized in two witnesses who announce God’s word, sealing their testimony with their blood (11:4–12; 13:7). Christ’s witnesses suffer not in timid silence but for their bold declaration that Jesus is Lord of all. Through our testimony, God is fulfilling the vision of Revelation 7: “Behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb … and crying out with a loud voice, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne and to the Lamb!’” (7:9–10).

God gave us the book of Revelation not only to inform our minds but also to transform our lives. It gives us insight into the realities of our situation, our enemies, our Champion, and our true identity, and it calls us to patient endurance, hopeful purity, and courageous witness.

"QUOTE" OF THE WEEK

“Our enemy is stronger and savvier than we are: “the great dragon … that ancient serpent … the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world” (12:9). But the seed of the woman has come, conquered the Serpent, and ascended to heaven (v. 5).”  -Dennis Johnson

I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.  Genesis 3:15

Why did Jesus have to come?  You ever think about that at this time of year?  Why did he have to take on flesh and be born in a barn in Bethlehem?  Genesis 3 tells us the reason.  The reason He had to come is because of the fall. 

I heard a pastor once say “The sin of mankind is the black backdrop of the Christmas message.”  We often say at this time of year that Jesus is the reason for the season and he is, but why?  Why did he have to come?  Because of sin.  So sin is also the reason for this season, that just doesn't look as good on a Christmas card.  But sin is an important part of the Christmas message. 

When an angel of the Lord appears to Joseph in a dream in Matthew 1, he says in v.21, “She (Mary) will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”  Jesus’ very name means salvation.  That’s the reason he has come. 

Though we don’t like to think about sin and the fall and about the fact that our world is ruined and wrecked because of sin this time of year—we like to think about Christmas trees and stockings hung on the mantle and Bing Crosby—to truly understand this wonderful message of Christmas, we need to understand our sinfulness and our desperate need of a savior. 

We live in a world where messages about man’s sin and God’s wrath and judgment are not popular, even in Christian circles.  But if we don’t focus on this, on man’s sin and God’s great wrath and judgment, we will never truly come to understand His amazing grace.  It is knowing what we have been saved from that makes this message so great.  What makes God’s grace so amazing, what makes the gift of His Son so glorious, what makes the Christmas story so special is when we truly understand that without Him—without Christ, we are dead, helpless and hopeless.

I want to encourage you this Christmas season to spend time thinking about that.  Meditate on the reason why Christ came—spend time thinking on your sinfulness and God’s great mercy and grace this time of year.  I pray those truths would lead you to be more thankful and worshipful this year than ever before.  

To listen to THE CHRISTMAS STORY IN GENESIS, click HERE

"QUOTE" OF THE WEEK

The sin of mankind is the black backdrop of the Christmas message.  -anonymous 

“A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If then I am a father, where is my honor? And if I am a master, where is my fear? says the LORD of hosts to you, O priests, who despise my name. But you say, ‘How have we despised your name?’  Malachi 1:6

In Malachi, God is calling out the priests and the leaders of Israel and is saying, “You have sinned against me—you have despised my name.”  But they say in response, “HOW?”  “How have we sinned against you?  How have we despised your name?”

 God answers them in Malachi 1:8.  He says,

When you offer blind animals in sacrifice, is that not evil? And when you offer those that are lame or sick, is that not evil?   

God had clearly told them that He wanted the best from them—He wanted the best sacrifices they had to offer.  But after fifty years of nothing happening in the temple, after 50 years without a word from God, they decided that instead of giving Him their best, they would just give him the rest.  They would give him what’s left. 

So they offered blind and diseased animals and kept back the best back for themselves.  They were going through the motions in worship—they were complacent.  We learn all throughout Scripture that there is nothing that enrages God more than when His people become complacent and simply go through the motions in worship and give Him the rest instead of giving Him the best. 

God says through Malachi in Malachi 1:10,

Oh that there were one among you who would shut the doors, that you might not kindle fire on my altar in vain! I have no pleasure in you, says the LORD of hosts, and I will not accept an offering from your hand. 

God gave a similar word to those in the Northern Kingdom of Israel through His prophet Amos when he said,

I hate, I despise your feasts, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies.  Amos 5:21

He says in Malachi 1:11,

For from the rising of the sun to its setting my name will be great among the nations, and in every place incense will be offered to my name, and a pure offering. For my name will be great among the nations, says the LORD of hosts.

God is saying something similar here.  He says, “I have no pleasure in you—I will not accept an offering from your hand.”   He says, “My name will be great among you, or it must not be used by you.”  He basically says, “I would rather you close the doors to your place of worship rather than go through the motions of worship with me.” 

That’s what they were doing in Malachi’s day and then they had the audacity to say, “What?  What’s wrong with what we are doing—How have we sinned against God?”  They were going through the motions and did not see one thing wrong with it. 

Believers, this is not to be our mentality.  God wants us to come to Him with all we got—with our best and wants us to lay it at His feet—He wants us to look to Him and trust in Him for everything and he wants us to praise Him for all we have and be willing to lay it all down before Him.

"QUOTE" OF THE WEEK

For from the rising of the sun to its setting my name will be great among the nations, and in every place incense will be offered to my name, and a pure offering. For my name will be great among the nations, says the LORD of hosts.  Malachi 1:11

Looking for reasons to be thankful this year?  Click HERE and listen to all the promises God made through His prophet Zechariah and the ways He fulfilled them through His Son.

On that day, declares the LORD of hosts, I will take you, O Zerubbabel my servant, the son of Shealtiel, declares the LORD, and make you like a signet ring, for I have chosen you, declares the LORD of hosts.  Haggai 2:23

Zerubbabel was the leader in Jerusalem when the Jews returned from Babylonian captivity.  He was leading the effort to rebuild God’s temple and God says to him, “I’m going to make you Zerubbabel like a signet ring.”  At this time, a signet ring was used by a king to show his approval of something.  It served as the Kings stamp of approval and God is saying here to Zerubbabel, “You are my signet ring.  You are my guarantee that my temple is going to be completed and you are my guarantee that my Kingdom is going to be established.”  God says, “I am going to establish and advance my kingdom, and I am going to do it through you Zerubbabel.” 

Now the issue with that statement is that though God says this to Zerubbabel, he dies before these promises are fulfilled.  Because that is the case, how are we to make sense of these promises?  Who is Zerubbabel?  In Matthew 1:12 we learn that he is a part of the royal family—he is in the family of David--in the line of Christ.  Matthew tells us,

And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father of Shealtiel, and Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,

So when God mentions Zerubbabel here in Haggai and says, “He is my signet ring.”  God is reaffirming what he said to the patriarchs long ago and what he promised in David’s day.  He’s showing us here that Zerubbabel is in the messianic line and is saying to him, “Just like I promised your ancestors Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and later promised David, through you Zerubbabel, I am going to provide a King who is going to usher in my Kingdom.  And that King is of course, Jesus.

Just like Zerubbabel was one of the ones responsible for rebuilding the temple, Jesus said he too would rebuild God’s temple.  In John 2, the religious authorities come to Jesus and challenged Him and called for Him to prove himself—to prove that he had the authority to say what he said and do the things he did.  In response, Jesus says, “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.” 

At this we are told that the religious leaders were floored thinking, “That’s crazy.  You can’t tear down and rebuild a temple in three days.”  John tells us in his Gospel that Jesus was not talking about a building, he was talking about Himself.  You see Jesus is God’s temple—He is fully God and fully man—He is the God man.   We are told by Paul in Colossians 1:19,

For in him (in Jesus) all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 

In Revelation 21, when John is giving a future glimpse of the New Jerusalem, he says in v. 22,

And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb.

Jesus is the temple.  In Him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell.  God the Son took on flesh and came to earth to tabernacle with His people.  And so with that in mind, we see here that this prophesy made by Jesus in John 2 happens exactly as He said.  They did in fact destroy God’s temple by crucifying the Lord of Glory.  Yet though that’s the case, the Lord Jesus on the third day, just as he said, rebuilt God’s temple by rising again. 

"QUOTE" OF THE WEEK"

So the Jews said to him, “What sign do you show us for doing these things?”  Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”  John 2:18-19

Gather together, yes, gather, O shameless nation, before the decree takes effect —before the day passes away like chaff— before there comes upon you the burning anger of the LORD, before there comes upon you the day of the anger of the LORD.  Seek the LORD, all you humble of the land, who do his just commands; seek righteousness; seek humility; perhaps you may be hidden on the day of the anger of the LORD.  Zephaniah 2:1-3

In this passage we are reminded of a key truth that we see all throughout the scriptures.  We learn though judgment is certain, grace is possible—though judgment is coming, grace is available. 

Many in our day believe and teach the exact opposite.  Many in our day believe and teach that judgment is possible for some, but grace is certain for most.  Many believe and teach that there might be a final judgment for some--for those really, really bad people, but most are going to be just fine. 

Scripture teaches the opposite.  We learn throughout God’s Word and especially in this section of Scripture that God’s judgment is coming.  Therefore, we got to be ready and respond to God accordingly.

To listen to a sermon from Zephaniah, click HERE.

"QUOTE" OF THE WEEK

 "And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment."  Hebrews 9:27

Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him, but the righteous shall live by his faith.  Habakkuk 2:4

God tells Habakkuk clearly in His word that the righteous live by faith.  They do not live as a law to themselves or as if the law is paralyzed.  He says, “the righteous are those who patiently trust in who God is and in the things that He has promised.” 

This is easier said than done because when the going gets tough, our natural response is to worry and our natural desire is to take the reins and take matters into our own hands.  It’s during these trying and uncertain times that God calls for us to trust in him and to be patient and live by faith.

When I was at my parents for Christmas this past year, I notice a plaque sitting out in their home that said, “I don’t know what tomorrow holds, but I know who holds tomorrow.”  How comforting is that truth?  There are so many uncertainties in this life—so many things we don’t know, how reassuring is it to know the God who knows and know that He is in control? 

After God reassures Habakkuk that he is in control, notice how Habakkuk responds.  He says,

 I hear, and my body trembles; my lips quiver at the sound; rottenness enters into my bones; my legs tremble beneath me.  Yet I will quietly wait for the day of trouble to come upon people who invade us. Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD; I will take joy in the God of my salvation.  GOD, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer’s; he makes me tread on my high places.  Habakkuk 3:16-19

Though the circumstances in Habakkuk’s day were not great, notice how he responds.  He basically says, “Even though life stinks right now and it seems as if God is absent or as if He is standing idly by, I will rejoice in the Lord.  I will take joy in the God of my salvation.”

For more on Habakkuk, click HERE

"QUOTE" OF THE WEEK

"Faith is the art of holding on to things in spite of your changing moods and circumstances."  -C.S. Lewis

"QUOTE" OF THE WEEK

.

"Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing, were not the right man on our side, the man of God's own choosing.  Dost ask who that may be?  Christ Jesus, it is he; Lord Sabaoth, his name, from age to age the same, and he must win the battle."  –Martin Luther, A mighty fortress is our God.

EIGHT THINGS TO DO WITH EVIL

1.  Expect evil.  "Do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you" (1 Pet. 4:12).

2.  Endure evil.  "Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things" (1 Cor. 13:7; cf. Mark 13:13).

3.  Give thanks for the refining effect of evil that comes against you.  "Give thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Ephesians 5:20; cf. 1 Thess. 5:18).  "We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance..." (Rom. 5:3-5).

4.  Hate evil.  "Let love be genuine.  Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good"  (Rom. 12:9).

5.  Pray for escape from evil.  "Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil" (Matt. 6:13).

6.  Expose evil.  "Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them" (Eph. 5:11)

7.  Overcome evil with good.  "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good" (Rom. 12:21).

8. Resist evil.  "Resist the devil and he will flee from you" (Jas. 4:7).

FOUR THINGS NEVER TO DO WITH EVIL

1. Never despair that this evil world is out of God's control.  "[He] works all things according to the counsel of his will" (Eph. 1:11).

2.  Never give in to the sense that because of seemingly random evil, life is absurd and meaningless.  "How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!...For from him and through him and to him are all things.  To him be glory forever" (Rom. 11:33, 36).

3.  Never yield to the thought that God sins or is ever unjust or unrighteous in the way he governs the universe.  "The Lord  is righteous in all his ways" (Ps. 145:17).

4. Never doubt that God is totally for you in Christ.  If you trust him with your life, you are in Christ.  Never doubt that all the evil that befalls you--even if it takes your life--is God's loving, purifying, saving, fatherly discipline.  It is not an expression of his punishment in wrath.  That wrath fell on Jesus Christ our substitute (Gal. 3:13; Rom. 8:3).  Only mercy comes to us from God, not wrath, if we are his children through faith in Jesus.  "The Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives" (Heb. 12:6).

When we renounce the designs of the devil and trust the power and wisdom and goodness of God displayed in the humble triumphs of Jesus Christ, we fulfill God's purpose in letting Satan live a little longer.  We glorify the infinitely superior worth of Jesus.  So I invite you to trust him and to stand in awe of how he saves you and defeats Satan in one great sacrifice of love.

Piper, John.  SPECTACULAR SINS:  AND THEIR GLOBAL PURPOSE IN THE GLORY OF CHRIST.  Wheaton:  Crossway Books.  2008.  pp. 50-51.  

"QUOTE" OF THE WEEK

"Never despair that this evil world is out of God's control.  '[He] works all things according to the counsel of his will'"  (Eph. 1:11).

But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.  Micah 5:2

The hope for salvation for those in the Old Testament and the hope of salvation for those in the New Testament and the hope of Salvation for us today is Jesus.  It’s always been Jesus and will always be Jesus. 

The way people were saved in the Old Testament is by trusting in the future promises of God and believing in a Messiah to come.  Paul makes this point crystal clear in Romans 4.  He says that Abraham was considered righteous by God through faith alone and so are we.  He was trusting in the future promises of God and believing in a Messiah to come and today we are made right with God by believing in the promises that God has fulfilled and the work that He has accomplished through His Son and by trusting in the Messiah who has come.

For more from Micah, click HERE

"Quote" of the Week

"What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh?  For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God.  For what does the Scripture say?  'Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.'"  Romans 4:1-3

SALVATION BELONGS TO THE LORD

One of the main truths we learn about God from the second chapter of Jonah is that Salvation from start to finish is from God.  It is solely a work of His.  At the end of chapter 1, Jonah was in a bad way.  He was on the verge of drowning in the midst of the sea and notice what he says in chapter 2:2.  He says, “I called out to the LORD, out of my distress, and He answered me."  He says, “I remembered you and cried out to you and you heard me and reached down to me and rescued me—you saved me.”

This was solely a work of God.  Notice, God did not throw Jonah a life jacket for Him to swim to, nor did He provide him with a boat to row His way out.  Instead, he appointed a fish to swallow Jonah up, and he also commanded the fish to vomit him out on dry land.  Jonah played no part whatsoever in any of that.  His salvation was solely from the Lord.

And not only did God provide the means and do all the work in saving Jonah, but he also gave him the desire to be saved.  Look again at chapter 2:3.  Jonah says,

For you cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, and the flood surrounded me; all your waves and your billows passed over me.

Notice Jonah says, “God, you cast me into the deep." Jonah understands that though the sailors threw him overboard, God is ultimately responsible for him being where he is.  Notice he refers to the waves as “God’s waves.”  He says, “Your waves and your billows passed over me.”  Jonah understands that God is ultimately in control and has led him to this point, which is why he says in chapter 2:9, "Salvation belongs to the Lord."

"Quote" of the Week

"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast."  Ephesians 2:8-9

As I have reflected on the book of Obadiah, it has occurred to me that this book, perhaps uniquely among the prophets of the Old Testament, speaks more directly to a time like our own. Most of the other prophets speak to Old Testament believers—and to Christians in churches. But Obadiah proclaimed a vision from the sovereign God to a people who knew no theology and who had no place for the knowledge of God in their lives. Unlike the audience of the other prophets, Obadiah's audience made no pretense of acknowledging God. In other words, he spoke to a society much like our own.

In this little book, God teaches us about who he is, who his friends are, and who his enemies are.

Who are God's enemies? (Verses 1-16)

First, then, who are God's enemies?

In the first few verses of the book, we immediately observe one answer to that question: the proud.

Historically, Obadiah appears to have been written sometime after the fall of Jerusalem to Babylon in 587 b.c. Amid this terrible plight among God's people, their next-door neighbors to the southeast, the Edomites, did nothing to help (to put it mildly!). The Edomites were the descendants of Jacob's brother Esau (see Genesis 36).

But this little book is not merely the condemnation of an outraged Israelite. In fact, we don't even know that Obadiah was an Israelite; we don't know anything about him, really. Twelve different people in the Old Testament bear his name. And it may not have actually been the author's name. "Obadiah" means "servant of Yahweh," so perhaps the name was simply a descriptive title for this messenger who wrote it. Obadiah brought not his own message but the Word of God: "This is what the Sovereign Lord says about Edom—We have heard a message from the Lord. An envoy was sent to the nations to say, 'Rise, and let us go against her for battle'" (Obad. 1).

It's possible that there were rumblings of war about the time this book was written, and the Edomites may have been slightly fearful that Babylon would invade them. Obadiah's language of wartime was not mere scaremongering. He was genuinely warning them. Disaster was coming, and it was coming from God! The envoy calling to the nations to do battle was calling, it seems, to the nations of the Babylonian empire to wage battle on Edom.

At the same time, nothing in the book suggests that Edom was in a particularly low state when Obadiah delivered his message. In fact, God's promise to make Edom "small among the nations" (v. 2) suggests that they regarded themselves somewhat highly among the nations. They were proud. Obadiah's message would probably have come as a surprise to them. Yes, a few rumors of war may have been circulating, but the people certainly were not aware of any looming "judgment." Besides, they lived in a naturally impregnable position, atop mountains in cities that could be reached only by narrow, winding passages. Judah had just fallen, and, to be honest, its fall had enriched Edom. More north/south trade was now passing through Edom's side of the Jordan. In short, times were good.

But then that's how pride always works. If you are a non-Christian, please recognize the futility of making anything your final security other than God himself. God made us in his image so that we might know him, and one day he will call us to account. There is nothing else in this world that is so certain. It does not matter how strong or prosperous or successful you feel. God made you to give account to him, and you will. He is your only security.

That is what Obadiah told the nation of Edom, who felt so strong and self-sufficient. The Lord said to Edom, "The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rocks and make your home on the heights, you who say to yourself, 'Who can bring me down to the ground?'" (v. 3). Edom was a small nation, but it was situated, like Switzerland, in an apparently impenetrable region of rocky heights and passes. And their hearts were well symbolized by their geography—high and hard, certain and proud.

But that's where they made a fatal error. They thought they could see and survey all the surrounding country because of their position. But they could not see themselves. Their pride deluded them. "'Though you soar like the eagle and make your nest among the stars, from there I will bring you down,' declares the Lord" (v. 4). God was not as impressed with their natural strategic defenses as they were. Even if they were in the most impregnable place on earth, God recognized no earthly power or material advantage that could withstand the course of his justice. Once he decided to bring down a proud and boasting people, he would. But the Edomites were mindless of all this. Remember, their pride had deceived them. That's the nature of pride, isn't it?

It is amazing to see what people proudly put their trust in. You may remember learning about the famous Maginot Line between France and Germany. From 1929 to 1938, the French built a line of defensive fortifications along their border with Germany under the direction of French war minister André Maginot. Heavy guns, thick concrete, air-conditioned living areas, areas for recreation, and even underground railways all assured the French that they would be safe against German aggression. When the German military began to build itself back up under Adolf Hitler, the French smugly thought they could ignore the matter. They had the Maginot Line! Of course, when the Germans finally invaded, they came through Belgium, outflanking the Maginot Line and rendering it utterly useless. It took ten years to build. It took the Germans a few weeks to march around it.

Friend, that is a just a small picture of what it means to trust anything apart from God. Spend as much time as you want building something; imagine all the things it can protect you from; it still won't protect you.

Yet we want our own Maginot Lines, and then we put our trust in them. So we give obsessive attention to our appearance, our bodies, our possessions, our accomplishments, our jobs, or our friendships. We trust in them to bring peace and security. All of these things, of course, are extensions of our own power, reflections of our own ability, declarations of our own proud independence from God. But what if none of these things last as long as you do? Consider for a moment, what is it that you expect will last as long as you do? Then ask yourself, what will you do if it doesn't? What if your employer, your wealth, your parents or children, your house, your health, your ministry, a particular relationship, even your physical life does not last as long as you do? That's what the Bible teaches will happen. Listen again: "'Though you soar like the eagle and make your nest among the stars, from there I will bring you down,' declares the Lord" (v. 4).

When God decides to judge a proud nation, no economic stimulus package or Department of Homeland Security can save it. The nation that puts its trust in its own strength is the nation that will soon encounter the limits of its strength and eventually the loss of it, just as God promises Edom in Obadiah.

The grandest of this world's powers have always declined. It has been fashionable ever since America's war with Vietnam to write about American decline. Since September 11, 2001, the world's sole remaining superpower, a so-called imperial power, has almost always been written about in terms of its limitations and attendant problems. British decline has been an accepted fact of life in Britain for most of the past century. The U.S.S.R. fell, as did the short-lived empires of proud power built by Hitler and Mussolini and Hirohito and Kaiser Wilhelm and Franz Joseph and on and on. For the rise of every great power in world history, a decline follows. Having power is one of the most trying experiences that humans—individually or collectively—can ever know. It will not last. Christians need to be the ones who understand the reality of power's passing nature and address it—honestly, humbly, and lovingly.

And who better to bring God's judgment than the very ones Edom had trusted and relied upon in place of God. "Your allies will force you to the very border; your friends will deceive and overpower you" (v. 7a). If you like suspense films, you know that skillful directors often employ the gullible, inordinate trust one character will place in another individual who appears to be a friend or ally but is really a mortal enemy. The Edomites placed such an inordinate trust in the Babylonians, and now their protectors would become their devourers: "those who eat your bread [meal-sharing companions] will set a trap for you, but you will not detect it" (v. 7b). The Edomites thought they were wise, but they were deceived. They detected nothing.

God promises that the proud will be humbled. And he abhors the nation who treats other people as if those other people belonged to the nation rather than to God.

Especially when those others are God's own special people!

God makes this point throughout the Bible. Do you remember what the risen Christ said to the Christian-persecuting Saul when he appeared to him on the road to Damascus? "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" (Acts 9:4). Christ identifies so closely with his people that he refers to them as himself. God demonstrates a similar kind of identification with his people in the book of Obadiah. Actions against God's people are actions against God.

If you have acted against God's people, you have sinned against God. In fact, the Bible teaches that all of us have sinned, not just Edom—"all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Rom. 3:23). All of us have alienated God by our actions.

In verse 8, God restates his promise to destroy Edom, but in much more explicit terms: "'In that day,' declares the Lord, 'will I not destroy the wise men of Edom, men of understanding in the mountains of Esau?'" Whatever cleverness or wit had been previously demonstrated in arranging Edom's political affairs was shallow and short-sighted. Their wise men could not save them now.

Neither could their strong men: "Your warriors, O Teman, will be terrified, and everyone in Esau's mountains will be cut down in the slaughter" (v. 9). Why would this happen? "Because of the violence against your brother Jacob . . ." (v. 10a). The Lord refers to Edom's "brother Jacob" because Edom, or Esau, was the brother of Jacob (also called "Israel"). God is referring to them according to the individual ancestors to whom they trace their identity—Esau for the Edomites and Jacob for the Israelites. The larger point being made, of course, is to demonstrate how outrageous it was for Edom not to offer hospitality to fleeing Israelites, but violence instead. Their violence was not violence against strangers, but against brothers. Because of this outrage, says God, "you will be covered with shame; you will be destroyed forever" (v. 10b). Notice, God would not temporarily destroy them, as he temporarily sent the Israelites into exile. He would destroy them forever. God cares how his people are treated.

That's why I will use my Sunday morning pastoral prayers to ask God to give Christians around the world just governments that will not oppose the spread of God's gospel. Every nation and government around the world should realize that it is not in the best interest of the nation to abuse its citizens. God has made all people in his image to worship him freely, and he has called his people to worship him particularly. As we have already said, opposing God's people is opposing him, as Edom did.

In verses 11-14, Obadiah explains more fully the nature of Edom's violence against Israel. Part of their violence was simply to comply with the violence of others: "On the day you stood aloof while strangers carried off his wealth and foreigners entered his gates and cast lots for Jerusalem—you were like one of them" (v. 11).

Any nation should have known better; but given their relationship to Judah, Edom especially should have known better. So God reproaches them: "You should not look down on your brother in the day of his misfortune, nor rejoice over the people of Judah in the day of their destruction, nor boast so much in the day of their trouble" (v. 12). By "look down," God is not referring to a passive stare; he means an active condemnation and gloating. What's more, the Edomites joined in with their brother's destroyers. "You should not march through the gates of my people in the day of their disaster, nor look down on them in their calamity in the day of their disaster, nor seize their wealth in the day of their disaster" (v. 13). Edom took advantage of the situation and exploited Judah's weakness. Like looters after a hurricane, they plundered the family's store. Edom became an accessory to the destruction and murder of his own brother.

In all this, the book of Obadiah foreshadows the figure of Herod, who we know from extrabiblical literature was a descendant of the Edomites. He too attacked the infants in Bethlehem, attempting to kill God's chosen one.

This chosen one faced throughout his life the kind of opposition described in Obadiah. He was opposed and rejected by men. And like the Edomites in Obadiah's book, those who oppose God and God's people will one day face "the wrath of the Lamb" (Rev. 6:16).

The Edomites had been ruthless in their sin. "You should not wait at the crossroads to cut down their fugitives, nor hand over their survivors in the day of their trouble" (v. 14). If robbers take only what they need, robbers are more considerate than the Edomites! Edom waited at the crossroads for those who fled. When they found survivors, they handed them over to their killers. The invaders would not have known the local roads, but the Edomites did. And they guided the invaders right to the miserable people who were fleeing.

Keep in mind, this is not some grim fairy tale, this really happened. This is history. There were a real attack, a real siege, and a real fall. Real people ran from Jerusalem screaming. And it was in the very roads of Edom, reached after an exhausting flight, roads leading to the Israelites' only hope for survival, that their cousins the Edomites waited in ambush and then pounced, hoping to ingratiate themselves with the Babylonian superpower.

Some people have thought that the book's indignant tone suggests that Obadiah's relatives must have been cut down by the Edomites. We don't know. We do know that the Lord was indignant with the Edomites, whether or not Obadiah's relatives were present. The Edomites could hardly complain that God was being too severe on them.

God would bring justice: "The day of the Lord is near for all nations. As you have done, it will be done to you; your deeds will return upon your own head" (v. 15).

There are many implications of God's justice that we could consider, but let me point to just one. The promise of divine justice should encourage us as Christians. It should encourage us when we personally face unjust suffering, and it should encourage us when we hear of our Christian brothers and sisters around the world facing unjust suffering. It will not always be so!

Furthermore, we can expect that the world will hate and oppose us, even as they hated and opposed the one we follow—Christ. If you complain about the trials that you have experienced for following Christ, I wonder who it is you thought you were following. After all, what was Christ's life like? How can we complain when lesser things happen to us? Suffering and persecution was the way of Christ (cf. 1 Peter 2).

We know from other prophets that we have studied in this series that Judah was punished by God because of their idolatry. Through God's sovereign rule, he used the Babylonian army to invade, conquer, and exile his people. Likewise, we trust that Edom's sinful compliance was also ordained by God as part of God's punishment of his own people. How God worked all this out is beyond us. But this much is clear: even though God employed the Edomites to participate in bringing his judgment on Judah, the Edomites had no intention of serving as God's minister of justice. Where God sought what was holy and right, the Edomites sought what was carnal and wrong, just like the marauding hordes who destroyed Job's family according to their own malicious desires, all the while being used by God to accomplish his good and perfect ends. God uses his enemies as skillfully as a surgeon uses a scalpel to cut, but that does not mean God's enemies are exempt from responsibility or punishment. They earn his judgment for their malice. "As you have done, it will be done to you; your deeds will return upon your own head" (v. 15b). Or as Jesus would later say, "in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you" (Matt. 7:2).

Oh, Christian friend, we who belong to the church must never be unwitting co-conspirators with those who persecute God's people; we are part of God's people who are persecuted!  We must therefore remember the importance of membership in the church, which assists us in clearly and publicly identifying ourselves with God's people.  Church membership helps us to remember that we cannot rely on the culture of the world to define virtue and good.  

Sadly, the American church has become diluted for a number of decades by its embrace of American culture. The United States as a whole experienced great reforms in the nineteenth century, and many Christians laid down their guard and began to assume that God would use the culture-at-large as his primary instrument for reforming and caring for his people. But that is not so! We see the effects of this mistake today in everything from marriage to modesty, from morality to murder itself, in which the church has been shaped by the culture.  Christians must recognize that God teaches us to live according to his laws, regardless of what the state or the culture says is vice or virtue.

This was excerpted from The Message of the Old Testament by Mark Dever, copyright © 2006. Used by permission of Crossway Books & Bibles, an internationally recognized, not-for-profit publisher of significant Christian books, the ESV Bible (English Standard Version), and gospel literature.