Source unknown, c. 1757 Lift up your heads, O you gates; lift them up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is He, this King of glory? The Lord Almighty—He is the King of glory. (Psalm 24:9, 10) In his book The Knowledge of the Holy, A. W. Tozer left these choice words regarding the Trinity: The doctrine of the Trinity … is truth for the heart. The fact that it cannot be satisfactorily explained, instead of being against it, is in its favor. Such a truth had to be revealed; no one could have imagined it. The doctrine of the Trinity has been controversial since the earliest days of Christianity. In A.D. 325, the Council of Nicaea affirmed its belief in the Triune Godhead. During the 16th century Reformation period, it was again denied by the Socinians. And still today many liberal theologians and groups are blatant in their denial. They often speak of God, the Father of all, Jesus, the mere man, and the divine influence of the Spirit of God. This form of blasphemy relegates each member of the Godhead to a role far less than that ascribed in the Bible. This familiar Trinity hymn is also one of our most popular “opening hymns” for a Sunday morning worship service. It appeared anonymously in England in about 1757 to commemorate Trinity Sunday. It has been attributed by some to Charles Wesley since it first appeared in a pamphlet published by John Wesley. This is a hymn that must always be sung with all four stanzas. To omit any of the first three would be to slight one of the members of the Godhead. The fourth stanza is a grand affirmation of the mysterious doctrine of the Trinity, that God is One yet Three and ever worthy of our love and adoration. Come, Thou Almighty King, help us Thy name to sing; help us to praise: Father, all glorious, o’er all victorious, come and reign over us, Ancient of Days. Come, Thou Incarnate Word, gird on Thy mighty sword, our prayer attend: Come and Thy people bless, and give Thy word success—Spirit of holiness, in us descend. Come, Holy Comforter, Thy sacred witness bear in this glad hour: Thou who almighty art, now rule in ev’ry heart, and ne’er from us depart, Spirit of pow’r. To the great One in Three eternal praises be, hence evermore: His sov’reign majesty, may we in glory see, and to eternity love and adore.
For Today: Psalm 47; 103:19; John 8:54; 10:31–33; Acts 5:3, 4
Reflect again on the importance of having a proper perspective regarding the Godhead. What are the dangers of giving less than full and equal recognition of deity to each member of the Trinity? Carry this musical truth with you—
May 25 PRAISE YE THE TRIUNE GOD! Elizabeth R. Charles, 1828–1896 I will praise Your name for Your love and Your faithfulness, for You have exalted above all things Your name and Your word. (Psalm 138:2) Saints and angels join in praising Thee, the Father, Spirit, Son— Evermore their voices raising to the Eternal Three in One. —J. Montgomery The Sunday after Pentecost Sunday is the time when the Christian church has especially recognized the doctrine of the Trinity, the existence of the triune Godhead. This doctrine has been called one of the mystic truths of Scripture because of the difficulty in fathoming and explaining it. Yet it cannot be denied that the Bible does teach that while God is one, He exists in three coequal-equal Persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Scripture ascribes each member with such attributes as eternal, omnipotent, omniscient, and creator of the universe. Although the word trinity is not used, there are several passages in which all three Persons are expressly mentioned together: The great commission (Matthew 28:19), and the apostolic blessing (2 Corinthians 13:13). The best of human analogies for explaining the trinity, such as ice, water, and steam being three distinct forms of the same element, always falls short. In the final analysis, we must accept this truth by faith and offer our worship and praise to each member of the Godhead. This hymn text by Elizabeth Charles, one of England’s gifted women of her day—author, poet, translator of German texts, musician and painter—is one of our finest Godhead hymns. The hymn does not present any complicated arguments. It simply directs a child-like praise to each member of the trinity for His loving care and concern for us. This we can understand. Praise ye the Father for His loving kindness; tenderly cares He for His erring children; praise Him, ye angels, praise Him in the heavens, praise ye Jehovah! Praise ye the Savior—great is His compassion; graciously cares He for His chosen people; young men and maidens, ye old men and children, praise ye the Savior! Praise ye the Spirit, Comforter of Israel, sent of the Father and the Son to bless us; praise ye the Father, Son and Holy Spirit—Praise ye the Triune God!
For Today: Psalm 139:7; Romans 8:9; 16:26; 1 John 5:7, 8; Jude 20; Revelation 1:4, 5
Though it is difficult to do, try explaining the meaning of the Trinity to some close Christian friend or member of your family. Offer this expression of praise throughout the day—
May 24 EVEN ME Elizabeth Codner, 1824–1919 He will be like rain falling on a mown field, like showers watering the earth. (Psalm 72:6) The spiritual blessings of a Spirit-filled life are intended for every believer, not just for a favored few. The author of this hymn text was Elizabeth Codner, the wife of an Anglican clergyman. She was having her personal devotions one day when she became deeply impressed with a verse of Scripture, Ezekiel 34:26: I will cause the shower to come down in the season, there shall be showers of blessing. Mrs. Codner thought about the importance of water in the dry country of Palestine and related this to the necessity of the daily refreshment of the Holy Spirit and the Scriptures in a believer’s life. When she was still contemplating this truth, a group of young people from the parish called on her and told the news of their recent trip to Ireland. They related that certain cities and areas of the Emerald Isle had experienced a spiritual awakening during the time of their visit. The young people were thrilled to have been witnesses of this event. As they were describing their experience, Mrs. Codner began to pray that these young men would not be content merely to have been spectators of the Holy Spirit’s ministry but would also desire a genuine outpouring of His power in their individual lives. With the words of Ezekiel 34:26 in mind, she challenged them with the remark, “While the Lord is pouring out such showers of blessing upon others, pray that some drops will fall on you.” The following Sunday morning, Mrs. Codner stayed home from church because of illness, and with the impact of the young people’s experience still fresh in her mind, she penned these challenging words. Lord, I hear of show’rs of blessing Thou art scatt’ring full and free; show’rs the thirsty land refreshing—let some drops now fall on me. Love of God so pure and changeless, blood of Christ so rich and free, grace of God so strong and boundless: magnify them all in me. Pass me not! Thy lost one bringing, bind my heart, O Lord, to Thee; while the streams of life are springing, blessing others, O bless me. Refrain: Even me, even me, let Thy blessing fall on me.
For Today: Psalm 72; Ezekiel 34:26–31; Luke 11:13; Romans 8:4
Recall and reflect on individuals whose lives have strongly evidenced the Holy Spirit’s presence and power. Ask God in faith to make this your portion as well. Pray as you go—
“The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ And let him who hears say, ‘Come!’ Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life” (Rev. 22:17).God’s final message to us is an invitation to heaven.
Overview
God creates a new heaven and earth where He will dwell with men (21:1–5), from which the ungodly will be excluded (vv. 6–8). A heavenly Jerusalem will serve as the capital of the recreated earth (vv. 9–21), and God Himself will be there (vv. 22–27). There will be no more curse or night, but we will serve God and see His face (22:1–6). The vision ends with a warning (vv. 7–11), an open invitation (vv. 12–17), and the assurance that Jesus is coming soon (vv. 18–21).
Understanding the Text
“A new heaven and a new earth” Rev. 21:1.
Both Isaiah and Peter graphically describe the dissolution of the material universe. Second Peter 3:10 says that “the heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.” There is no place in eternity for a universe which has been corrupted by sin. What a reminder for us. If it is necessary for God to replace a thousand million galaxies, untold millions of light years removed from earth, and all because of human sin, how awful must sin be. And how swiftly we should draw back from temptation! “The New Jerusalem” Rev. 21:2–4. The real significance of Jerusalem in history is that it is the one place on earth where God chose to be uniquely present with men. The story of the temple’s dedication reports that God’s glory filled the temple: He settled there to be accessible to those of Israel who worshiped Him. Thus earthly Jerusalem serves as a metaphor for the heavenly city, destined to be the capital of the new heaven and earth. God was present in earthly Jerusalem, but insulated from His people by the curtains and walls of the temple. The New Jerusalem is heaven, because there will be no more insulation of God from men. He will be with us, and “He will wipe every tear from [our] eyes.” “To him who is thirsty I will give to drink” Rev. 21:6–8. Isaiah used this same imagery, crying out: Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost (Isa. 55:1). Just so, here God says, “I will give to drink without cost.” Heaven is ours at no cost to us. But hell is earned, by the vile, unbelieving acts that men perform. “It shone with the glory of God” Rev. 21:9–21. The New Jerusalem is the most carefully described of anything in these chapters. Possibly this is because the city is the residence of God, who is Himself the focus of eternity to come. Some scoffers have had a field day with the Holy City. Even though it is a 1,400 mile square, one man calculated that it could hardly hold a fraction of the people who must have lived from Adam’s distant day to ours. “Heaven isn’t big enough!” he announced. And newspapers actually picked up his words, and ran them as the heading of a story on his findings! Of course, even a careless reading of the text of Revelation 21 shows that the city rests on a restored earth, in the center of a renewed universe, and that the city is NOT “heaven” at all. But no one bothered to check the Bible’s text. Not the scoffer with the slide rule. And certainly not the editors of the papers that printed his findings. How sad when people fasten on to some detail of the text, distort it, and announce once again that the Bible’s credibility has been disproved. How sad when reading of an eternity we each must face, that what is overlooked is the promise, “I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life.” This is the real story in Revelation 21. Not the details of what life may be like when time has come to an end. But the invitation to make God our God; God’s promise that “he will be My son” (v. 7). “The Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple” Rev. 21:22–27. In the Book of Psalms there is a sequence of poems known as “songs of ascent” (Pss. 120–134). These songs were either sung by pilgrims as they approached Jerusalem to worship or, as some commentators believe, sung by Levites as they stood on one of the 15 steps that tradition says led up to the temple from the court below. These were songs of joy; songs of praise. Songs that expressed the worshipers’ sense of grand privilege as they approached the dwelling place of God on earth. Just think what it means for heaven to have no temple. And think of the songs of joy that we will sing. For when in eternity we enter the New Jerusalem, we will be coming not to a building that represents God’s presence, but to God Himself. And our whole being will overflow with praises and delight. “No longer will there be any curse” Rev. 22:1–5. This, with God’s personal presence, is the most wonderful thing about heaven. There will be no more curse. We will at last be unfettered. The potential that God planted in the human soul when He created mankind in His own image will at last be released from the cancer that eats at us now. We do not yet know what we will be, John says, “when He appears, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is” (1 John 3:2). We shall serve Him, the text says. We will see His face. And we will reign forever and ever. We can’t imagine everything that serving God and reigning implies (see DEVOTIONAL). But if you wish to dream, dream of freedom from sin’s curse; of becoming the person God has always intended you to be. And dream of seeing God face-to-face. “The time is near” Rev. 22:10–17. It seems strange to read, “Let him who does wrong continue to do wrong” and “let him who does right continue to do right.” At least, it seems strange until we sense the immediacy in the context. Jesus has cried, “I am coming soon!” (v. 7) and will immediately utter the same cry again (v. 12). When Jesus comes, our destiny will be fixed. Today there is still time for the one who does wrong to repent. When Jesus returns, the door of opportunity will close. Jesus is coming soon. Every man needs to heed that warning cry, and respond while the Spirit and the bride still say, “Come!” “Amen! Come, Lord Jesus” Rev. 22:18–21. The more we know of life on earth, the more attractive heaven is. The young dream dreams of next year, of marriage, of promotions on the job. The middle aged dream of retirement. And the aged dream of yesteryear. How sad if all our dreams are of life on this earth, of fleeting days and nights, and passing joys. The Christian who has gazed on earth and found it a void has a different dream. We look up, and in our reverie imagine a loud trumpet blast. And with the saints of every time and place, we cry “Amen! Come, Lord Jesus.”
DEVOTIONAL
Heaven(Rev. 21:22–22:5)
Donald Grey Barnhouse used to speculate in his Monday night New York Bible Class. What would heaven be like? He didn’t know, of course. But he was quite sure that God had wonders beyond description in mind. “I expect that one day God will tell me, ’Donald, go create a world and people it and govern it for Me,’ ” Barnhouse would say. Somehow he felt that the whole re-created universe, with it myriads of galaxies and uncounted stars, should be filled with beings who loved and worshiped God, and found great joy in Him. To Barnhouse this earth, and our race, was but a seed. And when that seed sprouted, and history had run its course, a redeemed humanity would be the agency through which God spread the knowledge of Himself through an endless multitude of possible worlds. Perhaps. God’s purposes undoubtedly have a scope that exceeds our most exalted imaginings. But these concluding chapters of Revelation do make one glory exceedingly clear. When this world ends, we will know God. We will walk in His light, freed forever from the curse of sin. Free to serve Him, to see His face, and to love Him as we ought to love. And for us, this is enough. For the true definition of “heaven” is, “heaven is where God is.” And that is where we will be. No wonder John, who has seen it all, cries “Amen! Come, Lord Jesus.”
Personal Application
The greatest blessing the new year could possibly hold would be the return of Christ.
Quotable
“Will He not give us all things when we are with Him? What shall our life and our nature not be when His promises unto us shall have been fulfilled! What will the spirit of man be like when it is placed above every vice that masters and subdues—when, its warfare ended, it is wholly at peace.”—St. Augustine
THE LAKE OF FIRE Revelation 20“Then death and hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death” (Rev. 20:14).Heaven and hell are the ultimate realities.
Background
The thousand-year-reign.
This is the only mention in Bible of a thousand-year period during which Christ rules on our present earth. Yet many of the themes seen in this puzzling chapter are developed quite fully in the Old Testament and in Christ’s own eschatological teaching. One scenario, which may not be correct, but which is most fascinating, explains the chapter in this way. After the armies of earth are crushed at Christ’s return, the surviving population experiences the judgment described in Matthew 24. Many who enter the kingdom Christ will rule are thus unconverted individuals; if you will, Germans, but not Nazis. Christians, members of the body of Christ, have already met Christ in the air, as 1 Thessalonians 4 describes. The martyrs who experience the “first resurrection” are Old Testament saints or believers of the Tribulation era, as Daniel 12:4 indicates. These reign with Christ on earth for the thousand years, fulfilling the prophets’ predictions of an era of peace under the Messiah. Despite the ideal environment established by Christ in the Millennium, when Satan is released at the end of the era he finds willing followers among the descendants of the survivors, eager to rebel against the Lord. This final rebellion is quickly put down, Satan is assigned to the lake of fire, and at this point the universe itself dissolves, as described by Isaiah and in 2 Peter 3. Now final judgment takes place. The dead appear before God, and all who are not written in the Book of Life—that is, who have not during one of history’s eras put their trust in God—are consigned to the lake of fire. One thing fascinates me about this interpretation of Revelation 20 and the many Old Testament and New Testament passages integrated with it. When God warned Adam in the Garden of Eden not to disobey, He said, “When you eat of it you will surely die” (Gen. 2:17). When Adam sinned death struck: first a spiritual death, and out of that a biological deterioration. No matter what man accomplishes in the physical universe, humanity remains spiritually dead, the grip of sin tragic and unbreakable. One way to look at sacred history is to see it as a demonstration of this fact, and of the utter necessity of salvation. Human beings can and do blame crime and corruption on environment, on heredity, on Satan’s influence, and on a host of other factors beyond individual control. But the fact remains that it is because of sin and spiritual death that pain and evil stalk us still. God first gave man utter freedom—and the world became so evil the race had to be destroyed in the Genesis Flood (Gen. 6–8). Then God instituted human government by making man responsible to correct evils (9:6). And ancient empires emerged, whose rulers’ pride and greed was expressed in terrible wars and torture. Then God chose a single family, the Jewish race, and covenanted to be their God. Even though He gave them a law that showed how to love Him and one’s fellow man, Israel rebelled again and again, turning aside to idolatry. So God sent a Saviour, and proclaimed a Gospel of forgiveness and transformation for all. And the world ignored the invitation, preferring the pursuit of sinful desires. So at the last Christ institutes a kingdom where righteousness is enforced: a golden age of peace and plenty, with Satan’s influence removed. Even then, when Satan is released, mankind gladly throws off the bondage of goodness to rebel yet again against God. In this all the awfulness of sin is finally, fully, revealed. And man apart from God’s redeeming grace is shown to be a sinner indeed. In this historic demonstration of the sinfulness of humankind, the necessity for a lake of fire is found. Each human being is too significant to simply perish, as if he or she had never been. And yet because sin is sin, and unredeemed men truly are spiritually dead, the unredeemed must be forever isolated from eternity’s holy state.
Overview
The last battle over, Satan is chained (20:1–3) and martyrs are raised from the dead to reign with Christ (vv. 4–7). After a thousand years, Satan is released and again deceives the nations, but is then thrown into the lake of fire (vv. 8–10). This universe is then dissolved, and all the dead judged. Those not in the Book of Life are thrown into the lake of fire (vv. 11–15).
Understanding the Text
“He seized the dragon” Rev. 20:1–3.
“I don’t know why I did it,” some Christians say. “I guess the devil must have made me do it.” At best it’s a poor excuse. The devil may tempt and encourage us to sin. But Satan can’t “make” us do anything. Why, even God doesn’t “make” us do things. He simply gives us the freedom to choose. It would be nice if Satan were bound today. I suspect some of the corruption we see in our society would disappear. But even if he were bound, you and I would remain responsible to choose between evil and good; between God’s will, and our own. “They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years” Rev. 20:4. The members of this group are carefully identified. The fact that they had not worshiped the beast or received his mark indicates they must have lived and died during the terrible final years when the Antichrist held sway. Even so there is a vital lesson here for us. Participation in evil may seem the easy or even the necessary choice at times. Many an employee has remained quiet, despite being aware of illegalities in his company’s practices. Many an engineer has remained silent despite doubts about the safety of the product his employer produces. Many an accounting firm has been aware of sharp practices covered up in creative annual reports—and by taking refuge behind “accepted accounting standards” perpetuated fraud rather than lose an account. The martyrs of Revelation remind us that it may cost to take a stand for what is right. But that in the end, the rewards of righteousness are great. “The first resurrection” Rev. 20:5–6. Some have objected strenuously to the notion that there might be more than one resurrection of the believing dead. A Rapture for Christians? A special resurrection for Tribulation martyrs? Another for Old Testament saints? How confusing! “Why,” they say, “God wouldn’t do anything like THAT.” Perhaps not. But I’m always fascinated by folks who are utterly certain about what God would and wouldn’t, or could and couldn’t, do. It must be wonderful to have such a secure grasp of God’s intentions. Personally, while I’m not ready to be dogmatic, I have the impression that God’s plans are far more complex and multifaceted than even the most creative of us can imagine. Why, even the good cooks I’ve known haven’t been satisfied to serve meat and potatoes at every meal. I suspect the future God will place before us will outdo the most lavish spread ever conceived for a royal court or luxury cruise. “The devil . . . was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur” Rev. 20:7–10. Jesus tells us that the lake of fire was “prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matt. 25:41). Hell wasn’t formed with mankind in mind. Heaven was. This is an important truth for us to hold on to. God has done everything possible to keep human beings out of that eternal lake of fire. Including experiencing on Calvary a fate more awful for Him than the lake of fire could be for any man. On Calvary He who knew no sin was made sin for us, and the crushing weight of all of history’s evil seared the holy Son of God. If anyone goes to the lake of fire it will be because he has not responded to the love of a God who reveals Himself to all men through creation’s universal Word, and through His incarnation (see DEVOTIONAL). “The Book of Life” Rev. 20:11–15. It’s in the Old Testament as well as here. This image of a book in which a record of those who know and love God is maintained. Malachi 3:16 calls is a “scroll of remembrance” which “was written in His presence concerning those who feared the Lord and honored His name.” Here it is the Book of Life. And how appropriate a name! Being found here is the difference between eternal life and eternal death. Between endless life in heaven, and unending existence in the lake of fire. How good it is to know that when we trusted Jesus as Saviour, our names were recorded there.
DEVOTIONAL
The Lake of Fire(Rev. 20:7–15)
There are many images of eternal punishment in Scripture. But the one that recurs most often is that of a vast, dark, and smoldering pool of burning sulfur, whose fumes rise sullenly into a leaden sky. Jesus Himself used language like this. He spoke of a place “outside.” A place of “darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matt. 25:30). A moment later He called it “the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels” (v. 41). The striking fact is that in His teaching Jesus spoke far more often of hellfire than of heaven! You and I can’t begin to grasp what the lake of fire is like, or fully understand the necessity for its eternal existence. There are no words that soften the impression given in Scripture, no arguments that make the terrible fate so many face palatable. All we can do is to confess that Scripture teaches that the lake of fire smolders there at history’s end. And confess that God is love, and by love’s eternal sacrifice, God has offered each human being a way of escape.
Personal Application
Let Scripture’s images of the lake of fire deepen your awareness of what it means to be saved.
Quotable
“I cannot preach on hell unless I preach with tears.”—D.L. Moody
This is my personal collection of thoughts and writings, mainly from much smarter people than I, which challenge me in my discipleship walk. Don't rush by these thoughts, but ponder them.
Milo 