A man of faith

The growing pains of the early church led to an expansion of leadership and the appointment of seven men that were tasked with caring for widows in the body of Christ. One of the qualifications for the position was that the men had to be of good repute or to have a testimony, to be a witness for Christ. The men also had to be full of the Spirit and of wisdom (Acts 6:3). It says in Acts 6:5 that the twelve apostles chose Stephen, “a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit.”

Stephen’s faith was evident to everyone around him. When it says that Stephen was full of faith, it means that the presence of the Holy Spirit was visibly and consistently displayed in his actions. Stephens faith was abounding or you might say overflowing to those around him.

Hebrews chapter eleven gives us great examples of faith from Old Testament believers and frames these examples by first telling us, “Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see” (Hebrews 11:1, NLT).

Luke said that Stephen was full of grace and power and was doing great wonders and signs among the people (Acts 6:8). Grace and power are like the engine and fuel in a car that make it possible for you to get somewhere. Without these critical elements, our faith doesn’t involve action and as James pointed out, it is useless to us (James 2:14-17).

The Greek word that is translated grace in Acts 6:8, charis (kharˊ-ece) refers to “the divine influence upon the heart, and its reflection in the life…particularly that which causes joy, pleasure, gratification” (G5485). Paul said in Ephesians 2:5 that it is by grace that we are saved and later explained that grace is a gift from God. Paul told the Ephesians, “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. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:8-10).

The fact that Stephen was full of grace didn’t have anything to do with him being a good person or a model Christian, but about him being open to the influence of the Holy Spirit and being willing to act on the things that he was prompted to do. Stephen spoke out boldly about his faith in Christ and wasn’t afraid of the religious leaders who wanted to silence him (Acts 7).

The power that fueled Stephen’s work was miraculous power. The Greek word that is translated power in Acts 6:8, dunamis (dooˊ-na-mis) refers to “a spirit of strength, meaning manly vigor in opposition to a spirit of cowardice” (G1411). Dunamis is also “spoken of God; the great power of God, meaning His almighty energy.” When God said, “Let there be light” (Genesis 1:3) on the first day of creation, it was dunamis that caused the light to begin shining.

Stephen’s appearance before the council in Jerusalem was the result of jealousy and envy among the religious elite. It says in Acts 6:12-14 that the elders and scribes seized Stephen and brought him before the council and set up false witnesses to testify against him. We know that God was with Stephen during this encounter because it says in Acts 6:15, “And gazing at him, all who sat in the council saw that his face was like the face of an angel.” (To be continued)

Growing pains

The exponential growth of the first century church during its early stages brought both positive and negative consequences to Jesus’ disciples. After Peter healed a lame beggar, five thousand of the people who heard him proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead believed his message and became members of the church. It says in Acts 4:32, “Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common.” This radical, new lifestyle set the believers apart from the rest of society and called attention to the changes that were taking place in their lives. As a result, some people joined the church who were not true believers.

Ananias and his wife Sapphira pretended to sell their property and give all of the money to the church but lied and kept back part of the price of their land (Acts 5:3). Peter confronted Ananias asking him:

“Why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land? While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to man but to God. (Acts 5:3-4)

The dire consequences that followed this act of sin (Acts 5:5-10) were intended to keep the church on course as the gospel spread quickly throughout Jerusalem and the surrounding areas. If left unchecked, “not only would dishonesty appear profitable, but the conclusion that the Spirit could be deceived would follow. It was important to set the course properly at the outset in order to leave no doubt that God will not tolerate such hypocrisy and deceit” (note on Acts 5:9, KJSB).

The high priest and all of the religious leaders who were loyal to him were filled with jealousy because of the success of the apostle’s ministry and the church’s sudden growth (Acts 5:17). Because of this, “they arrested the apostles and put them in the public prison” (Acts 5:18). The next day, “they called together the council, all the senate of the people of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought” (Acts 5:21), but an angel of the Lord had opened the prison doors and brought them out during the night (Acts 5:19). It says in Acts 5:26 that the captain of the officers went and brought the apostles back, “but not by force, for they were afraid of being stoned by the people.”

Peter and the other apostles took advantage of the opportunity of appearing before the supreme Jewish court by proclaiming the gospel to the very men who were determined to stop them from teaching the people about Jesus (Acts 5:29-31). It says in Acts 5:33, when the men heard the apostles message, “they were enraged and wanted to kill them.” Gamaliel, one of the members of the council, cautioned the others about the possibility of them opposing God in their effort to stop the apostles from preaching the gospel. He told them, “if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow it” (Acts 5:39).

Rather than killing the apostles, the Jewish council “beat them and charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go” (Acts 5:40). The effect of this severe beating, thirty-nine lashes with a whip (see note on Acts 5:40, KJSB), was that the apostles “left the presence of the council rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name. And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching that the Christ is Jesus” (Acts 5:41-42).

The name of Jesus

Peter and John’s arrest after healing a man who was unable to walk resulted in them being interrogated by all who were of the high-priestly family in Jerusalem. It says in Acts 4:7, “And when they had set them in the midst, they inquired, ‘By what power or by what name did you do this?” The religious leaders already knew the answer to this question (Acts 4:2). The reason why the leaders asked Peter and John what name they used to perform the miracle was to see whether or not they were willing to associate themselves with Jesus and risk being punished by them as he was. Luke tells us that Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit when he answered them, “Rulers of the people and elders, if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed, let it be known that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well” (Acts 4:8-10).

Peter’s boldness was a remarkable contrast to his earlier denial of the Lord (Luke 22:54-62). The filling of the Holy Spirit enabled Peter to say things that he might otherwise have held back because of fear. It says in Acts 4:13 that, “when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.” The religious leaders saw a similarity in the way Peter and John were behaving and the way Jesus behaved when he was on trial. Peter and John were uneducated, common men. The only thing that set these men apart and made them different than they were before was the filling of the Holy Spirit, God’s presence in their hearts.

Peter’s statement about Jesus was a clear-cut declaration of the religious leaders’ rejection of Israel’s Messiah. Peter said, “This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:11-12). Peter indicated that the name of Jesus is connected with people being saved and that there is no other name by which we must be saved. Name is “used to imply authority, e.g., to come or to do something in or by the name of someone, meaning using his name; as his messenger, envoy, representative; by his authority, with his sanction” (G3686). When Peter said there was no other name by which we must be saved, he was saying that there was no other authority for a person’s sins to be forgiven, and eternal life to be granted to him besides the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This was a very controversial and dangerous statement for Peter to make, given that Jesus had been condemned and crucified by the men he was speaking to.

The religious leaders were reluctant to challenge Peter’s declaration about them because the man who was healed was standing right in front of them. They asked themselves, “What shall we do with these men? For that a notable sign has been performed through them is evident to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. But in order that it may spread no further among the people, let us warn them to speak no more to anyone in this name” (Acts 4;16-17). The religious leaders thought they could control the situation by preventing Peter and John from using the name of Jesus. “But Peter and John answered them, ‘Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:19-20). The reality of what had happened was too much for Peter and John to contain.

After they heard about what had happened with the religious leaders, the friends of Peter and John prayed for the same boldness that they had displayed (Acts 4:24-30). At the conclusion, Luke tells us, “And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness” (Acts 4:31). The boldness of these believers was characteristic of a frank and fearless mind (G3954). They were so confident in the name of Jesus that they spoke freely about having a relationship with Christ.

Wonder and amazement

The Apostle John explained at the end of his book that the reason he had talked so much about the supernatural things that Jesus did was “so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:31). John identified believing as a critical component of being a follower of Christ and said that believing results in people having life, “in his (Jesus Christ’s) name.” Name is used “to imply authority, e.g., to come or to do something in or by the name of someone, meaning using his name as his messenger, envoy, representative; by his authority, with his sanction” (G3686).

After Jesus was resurrected, he told his disciples, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of this age” (Matthew 28:18-20). Jesus’ authority is what made it possible for his disciples to continue doing supernatural things even though he was not present with them. Jesus associated having his authority with the power of the Holy Spirit and told his disciples, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

Peter and John began exercising Jesus’ authority immediately after they received the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:4). It says in Acts 3:1-7 that as they were going up to the temple to pray, they saw a man who had not been able to walk from birth. Peter took the man by the right hand and raised him to his feet, “and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong. And leaping up he stood and began to walk, and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God” (Acts 3:7-8). All the people who saw the man walking and praising God “were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him” (Acts 3:10).

The people were filled with wonder and amazement not because they saw the lame man get up and walk, but because Peter and John were followers of Jesus. The people of Israel had collectively rejected Jesus as their Messiah and thought that when Jesus died on the cross, that would be the last that they would hear of him, but Peter took it upon himself to set the record straight. Acts 3:11-16 states:

While he clung to Peter and John, all the people, utterly astounded, ran together to them in the portico called Solomon’s. And when Peter saw it he addressed the people: “Men of Israel, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we have made him walk? The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified his servant Jesus, whom you delivered over and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release him. But you denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses. And his name—by faith in his name—has made this man strong whom you see and know, and the faith that is through Jesus has given the man this perfect health in the presence of you all.

Peter said faith in the name of Jesus had not only made it possible for the lame man to walk, but had also given him perfect health or wholeness (Acts 3:16). This meant that the man had been made perfectly sound in body; whatever had caused his disability was completely illuminated along with any other physical defects or diseases. It seems likely that at least part of the people’s wonder and amazement was due to the lame man’s physical appearance being transformed right before their very eyes.

Wonder and amazement are associated with the state of being out of one’s usual mind (G1611). In other parts of the New Testament, the Greek word ekstasis (ekˊ-stas-is) is translated as trance, “a state in which the soul is unconscious of present objects, being rapt into visions of distant or future things.” Ekstasis is also associated with strong emotions and is where the English word ecstasy comes from. The people’s wonder and amazement at the supernatural event that had taken place made them perfect targets for Peter’s gospel message (Acts 3:17-25). Peter encouraged the people of Israel to repent so that their sins could be blotted out (Acts 3:19) and told them God wanted to bless them by turning them from their wickedness (Acts 3:25). While Peter was speaking, the priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came and arrested Peter and John, but hearing the gospel had already turned many of the people back to God. Acts 3:3-4 tells us, “And they arrested them and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening. But many of those who had heard the word believed and the number of the men came to about five thousand.”

Resurrection of the dead

The concept of a resurrection or the restoration of life after death was introduced in the Old Testament of the Bible through miracles that were performed by prophets. When Elijah raised a widow’s son from the dead, it says in 1 Kings 17:22, “the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived” (KJV). The resurrections that will take place after the Great Tribulation and the Millennial reign of Christ differ from the Old and New Testament miracles that were performed in that these future resurrections will result in a permanent restoration of life.

Abraham, who is known as ‘the father of faith,’ believed in the resurrection of the dead. It says in Hebrews 11:17-19, “By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son, of whom it was said, ‘Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.’ He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which figuratively speaking, he did receive him back.” The Greek word that is translated raise, egeiro (eg-iˊ-ro) means “(through the idea of collecting one’s faculties); to waken (transitively and intransitively), i.e. rouse (literal from sleep, from sitting or lying, from disease, from death; or figurative from obscurity, inactivity, ruins, nonexistence)” (G1453).

The basis for the resurrection of the dead is found in the New Covenant that God established after Israel and Judah were taken into captivity. The prophets Jeremiah and Ezekiel revealed key aspects of the New Covenant hundreds of years before Jesus Christ was born. God told Jeremiah, “For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people” (Jeremiah 31:33). Rather than dealing with Israel on national basis, the new covenant, “will be based on an individual, personal knowledge of God (vv. 33, 34) and characterized by the indwelling of God’s Spirit (Ezek. 36:26, 27; 37:14)” (note on Jeremiah 31:31-34).

God revealed to Ezekiel specific details about how he intended to have a relationship with his people under the new covenant. God said, “And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules” (Ezekiel 36:26-27). This is a key prophecy related to the regathering of Israel at the end of the great tribulation. “The regathering from the nations (Ezekiel 36:24) will precede God’s national cleansing of Israel (Ezekiel 36:25, Zechariah 13:1) and the placing of his Spirit within his people (Ezek. 36:26, 27; 37:14, cf. Zech. 12:10)” (note on Ezekiel 36:22-38).

Ezekiel’s vision of the valley of dry bones (Ezekiel 37:1-14) provided further insight into God’s plan to revitalize the nation of Israel. The vision came to Ezekiel at a time when the people were very discouraged. “After being away from their homeland for so long, they felt like all their hope was gone. Nevertheless, God affirmed that he could bring them back to their homeland from wherever they were. His Spirit will be placed within Israel, the reign of the Messiah will begin, the confirmation of the new covenant will be given, and God’s presence and identification with his redeemed people will be evident” (note on Ezekiel 37:1-38). God told Ezekiel:

“My servant David shall be king over them, and they shall all have one shepherd. They shall walk in my rules and be careful to obey my statutes. They shall dwell in the land that I gave to my servant Jacob, where your fathers lived. They and their children and their children’s children shall dwell there forever, and David my servant shall be their prince forever. I will make a covenant of peace with them. It shall be an everlasting covenant with them. And I will set them in their land and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in their midst forevermore. My dwelling place shall be with them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Then the nations will know that I am the Lord who sanctifies Israel, when my sanctuary is in their midst forevermore.” (Ezekiel 37:24-28)

The events described in Ezekiel 37:24-28 take place after the Great Tribulation. Revelation 20-21 outlines how God will fulfill his promise to provide an eternal dwelling place for the people of Israel and to live among them forever. One of the key aspects of God plan is the creation of a new heaven and a new earth. “The new heaven and the new earth are not duplicates of the heaven and earth that now exist. The word ‘new’ is a translation of the Greek word kainon (2537), which means ‘qualitatively new.’ To some, this suggests that the new earth will be as the current earth was at its creation” (note on Revelation 21:1-22:5).

The Apostle Paul told the believers in Corinth that the resurrection of the dead will result in them becoming immortal. Paul said, “For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality” (1 Corinthians 15:52-53). Paul connected immortality with the Lord Jesus Christ, who was the first person to be resurrected from the dead and was credited with gaining the victory over death for all believers (1 Corinthians 15:56-57). In Revelation 21:3-4 we see the celebration of Christ’s victory over death. John tells us, “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.’”

Empowering of the Holy Spirit

The prophet Ezekiel spent a considerable amount of time warning God’s people about the impending disaster of Jerusalem’s fall, but he also encouraged them by talking about the future hopes and trials that were coming (Introduction to the book of Ezekiel). After pronouncing judgments on the surrounding nations (Ezekiel 25-32), Ezekiel said the Lord GOD would seek out his people “as a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have been scattered” (Ezekiel 34:11).

The LORD’s concern for his reputation among the nations caused him to take action to vindicate his holiness by implementing a new covenant that would change the people of Israel’s ability to do what he wanted them to. God said, “And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules” (Ezekiel 36:26-27).

Jesus promised his disciples the indwelling of the Holy Spirit before he was crucified. Jesus said, “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him for he dwells with you and will be in you” (John 14:16-17). Jesus referred to the Holy Spirit as the Helper. The Greek word that is translated Helper, parakletos (par-akˊ-lay-tos) means “an intercessor” (G3875). The Holy Spirit helps believers do what God wants them to, to walk in his statutes and obey his rules (Ezekiel 36:27).

Just before he ascended into heaven, Jesus told his disciples they would receive power when the Holy Spirit came upon them (Acts 1:8). Jesus was talking about the empowering of the Holy Spirit (G1411), the work of the Holy Spirit that makes it possible for believers to obey Jesus’ commands and become more like Christ. “For Jesus, obedience is not optional. Jesus makes obedience the evidence of our love for him. Jesus knows, however, that obedience to his commands is so hard that it is impossible on our own. That is why as soon as he tells us we must obey as proof of our love for him, he promises a Helper in that obedience. One of the central functions of the Holy Spirit is to assist believers to obey Jesus (cf. John 14:21, 23)” (A Theology of Biblical Counseling, Lambert, p. 169).

The empowering of the Holy Spirit is necessary to know Christ and obey him. The Apostle Paul admitted his own lack of ability to do what Jesus wanted him to in his letter to the Romans. Paul said, “For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out…Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death” (Romans 7:18, 24). Paul identified the root cause of every believer’s problem with obedience in his letter to the Galatians. Paul said, “For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do” (Galatians 5:17). Paul indicated the solution to this problem was keeping in step with the Spirit (Galatians 5:25).

Paul used the analogy of marching in military rank to illustrate the need for believers to conform themselves to the mind of Christ. Keeping in step represents submission of the heart to the Holy Spirit, the means of unity and harmony in the Church. As believers depend more and more on the Spirit, they are empowered by the Spirit to know more and more of the love and fullness of Jesus Christ himself (A theology of Biblical Counseling, Lambert, p. 171).

Dunamis, the miraculous power that the Holy Spirit imparts to believers, is “power in action” (G1411). Paul indicated that this power resides in the gospel and is what causes people to be saved (Romans 1:16). Jesus said his disciples would be his witnesses after receiving the power of the Holy Spirit. We see this beginning to take place in Acts chapter three when Peter and John healed a lame beggar (Acts 3:1-10) and then, preached the gospel to all the people who came to see what had happened. Afterward, Peter and John were arrested and asked the question, “By what power or by what name did you do this?” (Acts 4:7). It says in Acts 4:8 that Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit when he replied, “let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well” (Acts 4:10).

Peter and John’s boldness was a result of them being filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:4). Because Peter and John were depending on the Spirit to make them more and more like Christ, they were able to perform a miracle and to testify to the power of the Holy Spirit that was at work inside them (Acts 3:11-12). Paul understood that his own abilities didn’t do him any good when it came to telling others about Christ (1 Corinthians 2:1-5). Paul told the Corinthians that God had intentionally made him suffer to keep him from becoming conceited (2 Corinthians 12:7). Paul said, “Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:8-10).

A false sense of security

Isaac’s twin sons Jacob and Esau were in many ways the opposite of each other and were destined by God to follow different paths because of it. When their mother Rebekah had conceived, it says in Genesis 25:22-23:

The children struggled together within her, and she said, “If it is thus, why is this happening to me?” So she went to inquire of the Lord. And the Lord said to her,

“Two nations are in your womb,
    and two peoples from within you shall be divided;
the one shall be stronger than the other,
    the older shall serve the younger.”

The division between Jacob and Esau began when the older twin Esau sold his birthright to Jacob for a pot of stew (Genesis 25:29-34). Later, Jacob tricked his father into giving him Isaac’s blessing (Genesis 27:1-29). After that, Jacob had to flee his home to avoid his brother killing him (Genesis 27:41-28:5). Many years later, the brothers were reunited, but the conflict between them was never really resolved (Genesis 33; 1 Samuel 14:47; 2 Samuel 8:13, 14).

God pronounced judgment against the descendants of Esau, who were known as the Edomites, through the prophet Ezekiel. God referred to the Edomites as Mount Seir, the place where they lived. God said, “Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I am against you, Mount Seir, and I will stretch out my hand against you, and I will make you a desolation and a waste. I will lay your cities waste, and you shall become a desolation, and you shall know that I am the Lord. Because you cherished perpetual enmity and gave over the people of Israel to the power of the sword at the time of their calamity, at the time of their final punishment, therefore, as I live, declares the Lord God, I will prepare you for blood, and blood shall pursue you; because you did not hate bloodshed, therefore blood shall pursue you. I will make Mount Seir a waste and a desolation, and I will cut off from it all who come and go. And I will fill its mountains with the slain. On your hills and in your valleys and in all your ravines those slain with the sword shall fall. I will make you a perpetual desolation, and your cities shall not be inhabited. Then you will know that I am the Lord” (Ezekiel 35:3-9).

The prophet Obadiah was given a detailed account of the reasons for Edom’s punishment (Obadiah 1:10-14). The main issue that led to their demise was a false sense of security. Obadiah 1:2-4 states, “The LORD says to Edom, ‘I will cut you down to size among the nations; you will be greatly despised. You have been deceived by your own pride because you live in a rock fortress and make your home high in the mountains. “Who can ever reach us way up here?” you ask boastfully. But even if you soar as high as eagles and build your nest among the stars, I will bring you crashing down,’ says the LORD” (NLT). “The Edomites felt invincible because of the narrow rock canyons that limited access to their land” (note on Obadiah v. 3). The Hebrew word that is translated rock in Obadiah 1:3, sela (sehˊ-lah) is also the name of the Edomite capital (H5554).

God said the Edomites’ false sense of security was a result of them being deceived by their own pride (Obadiah 1:3). This is a theme commonly found in the Bible. Pride leads to self-reliance rather than reliance upon God. The Israelites fell into the same trap. “The Israelites, in their spiritual confusion, were imagining that because ‘the LORD’s Temple’ (Jeremiah 7:4) was in the center of their capital, Jerusalem, God was actually living in it and therefore they were invulnerable to outside attack” (False Security, p. 830 TSGB).

Paul told the Philippian believers they should follow Christ’s example of humility to avoid developing a false sense of security. Paul said, “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:3-8). Paul said even though Jesus had the same nature as God, he did not seek equality with God, meaning to rely on himself, because he was also human. Jesus had to trust and obey his Father just like all of us.

Pride and humility were the distinguishing characteristics between Esau and his younger brother Jacob. Jacob made many mistakes throughout his life and did not always do what was pleasing in God’s sight, but he was never so foolish as to try and make it through life on his own. Jacob knew he needed God’s blessing to prosper and was willing to go to great lengths to get it, including wrestling with God himself (Genesis 32:22-30).

The punishment of eternal fire

The Bible makes it clear that God’s judgment is inevitable and there is only one way to escape punishment, humble yourself before God and receive salvation by faith (James 4:6-10; 1 Peter 5:6-10; Ephesians 2:4-10). James and Peter agreed that humbling ourselves before God is necessary because we have an adversary that wants to destroy us and the primary means he uses to do accomplish his purpose is pride. James said to, “Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and he will draw near to you” (James 4:7). Drawing near to God means that we worship him with a heart that is devoted to him above all else. In return, God helps us through the aid of his Spirit and grace (G1448).

The short book of Jude focuses primarily on the judgment of false teachers. “Both Peter and Jude were alarmed at the great number of false teachers that were being accepted in the churches…Serious apostasy, similar to the one of which Paul has spoken (cf. Acts 20:29-31), seems to have been prevalent in Jude’s day (Jude 1:4). Therefore, Jude urged these believers to ‘contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints’ (Jude 1;3)” (Introduction to Jude). What Jude likely meant by contend for the faith was to engage in spiritual warfare (G1864), to resist the devil and draw near to God. Spiritual warfare is often referred to as a contest or a struggle because it has to do with the destruction of the inner man’s affection for and devotion to God.

Paul’s second letter to the Thessalonians contained a brief description and explanation of the judgment that will take place at Christ’s coming and a reference to the Antichrist, whom Paul identified as “the man of lawlessness,” an individual who will oppose and exalt himself against every so-called god or object of worship (2 Thessalonians 2:3). Paul said of the coming judgment:

This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering—since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed. (2 Thessalonians 1:5-10)

Paul said the purpose of God’s judgment was to inflict vengeance on those who do not know him or obey the gospel of Jesus Christ. In this instance, knowing God means to have a relationship with him (G1492). God’s vengeance is intended for those who have known about his free gift of salvation, but have rejected it because they don’t want anything to do with him.

Jude used several examples to convey the point that God’s judgment was meant for those who have consciously, intentionally rejected salvation. Jude said, “Now I want to remind you, although you once fully knew it, that Jesus who saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe” (Jude 1:5). Jude connected God’s rescue of the people of Israel from slavery in Egypt with Jesus and said that they were destroyed because they didn’t believe in him. Throughout history, salvation always has and always will be connected with Jesus sacrificial death on the cross. Jude indicated the reason people have rejected salvation was they didn’t believe that they needed a savior. They mistakenly thought they could redeem themselves or didn’t believe that sin of any sort would result in a punishment of eternal fire (Jude 1:7).

Jude concluded his discussion of the judgment with a quote from the apocryphal book of Enoch that referred to the second coming of Christ. This ancient prophecy indicates that Abraham’s faith came after God’s plan of salvation had already been revealed to mankind. Enoch prophesied, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousand of his holy ones, to execute judgment on all and to convict all the ungodly of all their deeds of ungodliness that they have committed  in such an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things that ungodly sinners have spoken against him. These are grumblers, malcontents, following their own sinful desires; they are loud-mouthed boasters, showing favoritism to gain advantage” (Jude 1:14-16).

The Greek word that is translated convict in Jude verse 15 is exelegcho (ex-el-engˊ-kho) which means “to convict fully, i.e. (by implication) to punish” (G1827). The root word elegcho means “to shame, disgrace, but only in Classic Greek. In the New Testament, to convict, to prove one in the wrong and thus to shame him” (G1651). When Jesus comes to execute judgment, there won’t be any dispute about who is guilty of sin. Jesus will execute judgment on all and will convict all the ungodly of all their deeds, “and of all the harsh things that ungodly sinners have spoken against him” (Jude 1:15). In Revelation 20:15, the punishment of eternal fire is referred to as “the lake of fire” and Revelation 21:8 tells us that this is the second death. It states, “But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”

Fighting the good fight

The Apostle Peter said that believers should not be surprised when fiery trials come upon them to test them (1 Peter 4:12). Peter associated these fiery trials with Christ’s sufferings and said that we should rejoice because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon us (1 Peter 4:14). Peter went on to explain that God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble (1 Peter 5:5). This suggests that the purpose of fiery trials is to change our attitude about our need for God’s help. Peter instructed believers to:

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. (1 Peter 5:6-9)

Peter’s description of the devil as “your adversary” (1 Peter 5:8) implies that there is a personal struggle going on that must be dealt with on an individual basis. Peter indicated that the way we are to deal with the struggle is to humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God and to cast all our anxieties on him. Anxieties are things that distract us from doing what we need to in the moment (G3308). God wants our attention to be completely focused on him and our minds firmly fixed on the source of our faith, the truth of the Bible (1 Peter 5:9).

In his first letter to Timothy, Paul told his spiritual protege to, “Fight the good fight of faith” (1 Timothy 6:12). Paul’s statement made it clear that faith was not something that Timothy could easily acquire or keep indefinitely. Believers have to continually examine their belief system to make sure that it is in agreement with Scripture and exercise their faith in order to benefit from it. There would likely be times when Timothy would have to stand alone in believing the truth and move forward in spite of resistance from others.  

Paul talked about his spiritual struggle in the last conversation he had with the Ephesian Elders. Paul told them, “And now, behold, I am going to Jerusalem, constrained by the Spirit, not knowing what will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and affliction await me” (Acts 20:22-23). Paul said that he was constrained by the Spirit. Paul’s faith compelled him to do what God wanted him to do even though he knew it would lead to more suffering on his part. Paul told the Ephesians, “But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God” (Acts 20:24).

Paul’s struggle got even worse after he arrived in Jerusalem. While he was staying with Philip the evangelist, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea and “took Paul’s belt and bound his own feet and hands and said, ‘Thus says the Holy Spirit, “This is how the Jews at Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles”’” (Acts 21:11). When the people who were with Paul heard this they urged him not to go up to Jerusalem (Acts 21:12). In spite of their attempts to change his mind, Paul told them, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be imprisoned but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus” (Acts 21:13).

Paul’s friends thought they were doing him a favor by trying to talk him out of going to Jerusalem, but they were only making it more difficult for him to do what he needed to do to fulfill his ministry. Luke’s account of the incident reveals to us that God’s will can easily be misinterpreted and therefore, it is up to each individual to be fully convinced of the truth in his own mind and to act accordingly (Romans 14:5).

In his second letter to Timothy, Paul confirmed the completion of his mission. Paul told Timothy:

For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing. (2 Timothy 4:6-8)

Paul said that he had kept the faith (2 Timothy 4:7). The Greek word that is translated kept, tereo (tay-rehˊ-o) means “to guard” in the sense of “preserving something” (G5083). Paul’s faith was not diminished by the trials he experienced or the challenges he had to overcome during his ministry.

Paul told Timothy there was a reward for fighting the good fight. Paul said that as a result of keeping his faith, there was laid up for him the crown of righteousness, which would be awarded to him on the day of judgment by Jesus Christ (2 Timothy 4:7-8). The crown of righteousness has to do with being right with God, which is the result of justification. A person is justified by faith when he or she receives Christ as his or her personal Savior. Once justification takes place, a person cannot lose their salvation, but our adversary, the devil would like us to think that we can. Peter warned believers to be careful and watch out for the devil if they want to keep their faith and receive the crown of righteousness. Peter said, “Resist him, firm in your faith” (1 Peter 5:8-9).

Those who go down to the pit

The Old Testament of the Bible identifies two types of people in the world, those who know the LORD, and acknowledge him as God (1 Kings 18:36-40) and those who go down to the pit (Ezekiel 31-32). Ezekiel’s prophecies about the end times associated those who go down to the pit with death and Sheol or hades, the world of the dead. “The Lord declares that He will ransom His people from the grave or Sheol (Hos 13:!4)” (H7585). Therefore, those who go down to the pit are people who have not been redeemed, the unsaved people in the world. Ezekiel said of Assyria, the nation that destroyed the northern kingdom of Israel, “For they are all given over to death, to the world below, among the children of man, with those who go down to the pit” (Ezekiel 31:14).

In his lament over Pharaoh and Egypt, Ezekiel talked about a multitude of nations who had spread terror in the land of the living. Ezekiel said, “The princes of the north are there, all of them, and all the Sidonians, who have gone down in shame with the slain, for all the terror that they caused by their might; they lie uncircumcised with those who are slain by the sword, and bear their shame with those who go down to the pit” (Ezekiel 32:30). The phrase bear their shame has to do with “the bearing of guilt or punishment of sin (Gen 4:13; Le 5:1). This flows easily then into the concept of representative or substitutionary bearing of one person’s guilt by another” (H5375). Jesus’ substitutionary death on the cross is the essence of salvation. The unsaved must bear their own shame with all those who go down to the pit.

The book of Revelation explains to us what it means to go down to the pit and identifies several individuals as well as groups that are destined to go there (Revelation 19:20; 20:10, 15). Revelation 14:9-11 states:

And another angel, a third, followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand,he also will drink the wine of God’s wrath, poured full strength into the cup of his anger, and he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest, day or night, these worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name.”

The beast referred to in this passage “represents the Antichrist, the future political ruler who will oppose God and those who follow him” (note on Revelation 13:1-18). Revelation 14:9 indicates those who go down to the pit are worshippers of Antichrist who have received a mark on their forehead or on their hand declaring their allegiance to him. The punishment for doing this will be going down to the pit to be tormented with fire and sulfur forever and ever.

Revelation 20:14-15 describes going down to the pit as the second death and says during the great white throne judgment anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life will go there. The second death refers to eternal separation from God (G2288) and Revelation 21:8 elaborates on who will experience this punishment. John said, “But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.” In contrast to this, Jesus described in his letter to the church in Smyrna how to avoid going down to the pit. Jesus told them, “Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death” (Revelation 2:10-11).