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1 Corinthians 4:4 My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me. Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? 1 John 3:19 This then is how we . . . set our hearts at rest in his presence (20) whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. Proverbs 16:2 All a man's ways seem innocent to him, but motives are weighed by the LORD. Proverbs 16:25 There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death. Proverbs 30:12 . . . who are pure in their own eyes and yet are not cleansed of their filth. Return to the webpage God will use to set you free!

Rare Exceptions to the Rule? I’ve gone way outside mainstream Old Testament prophecy to find a couple of highly exceptional examples, right? Wrong. Many Christians are like me in having wrongly supposed that if God prophesies something, it is final. The startling truth is that Scripture emphatically and repeatedly declares that whether God’s prophecies come true depends on the response of the people the prophecy is aimed at. We’ve looked at famous minor prophet Jonah and major prophet Isaiah. Let’s now seal it with the pronouncement of yet another renowned prophet: Jeremiah. This time, the Lord, through the prophet, clearly states the very principle we have discovered: Jeremiah 18:7-8 At what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up and to break down and to destroy it; if that nation . . . turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do to them. We are plunging into some of the blackest parts of Scripture and yet even here we keep finding enormous hope for any condemned person or nation that repents. The Bible was written not as an historical curiosity; it was written by God for you (Romans 15:4; 1 Corinthians 9:10; 10:6,11). So if ever you feel damned and utterly rejected by God, take seriously Scripture’s words of hope to people who likewise seemed doomed. Later in the same book the Lord again reveals the intent of his prophecies of disaster: Jeremiah 26:3 It may be they will listen, and turn every man from his evil way; that I may repent me of the evil which I purpose to do to them because of the evil of their doings. Jeremiah 26:13 Now therefore amend your ways and your doings, and obey the Lord your God’s voice; and the Lord will repent him of the evil that he has pronounced against you. Jeremiah 36:3 It may be that the house of Judah will hear all the evil which I purpose to do to them; that they may return every man from his evil way; that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin. These verses in Jeremiah are like islands of hope in a terrifying sea of fire. Prophecies of judgment are often worded as if God hates the people and that their fate is sealed. Our Lord goes to such lengths in firing words of doom at people not because there is no hope of them escaping the prophesied disasters, but precisely because there is hope. Prophecies are worded to seem final, not because everything is set in concrete, but to arm the prophecies with sufficient power to blast people back to reality. Our loving Lord goes to the extreme of what seem angry, hate-filled words as a last-ditch effort to snap his loved ones out of the complacency that is threatening their eternity. In his grace, he is giving them a foretaste of what it would be like unless they get serious with God, the only one who can save them. So most prophecies are not declaring the inevitable future but are detailing what the target audience can expect if they do not change their hearts. Again in Amos 7:1-3 the prophet is shown in a vision a swarm of locusts that devastates the entire land. Amos intercedes, asking the Lord’s forgiveness, and the Lord relents, promising it will not happen. Then in the next verses we read: Amos 7:4-6 Thus the Lord showed me and behold, the Lord called for judgment by fire; and it dried up the great deep, and would have devoured the land. Then I said, “Lord, stop, I beg you! How could Jacob stand? For he is small.” The Lord relented concerning this. “This also shall not be,” says the Lord. It is not our purpose here to explore prophecies of blessings, but Scripture is clear that the same principle applies: a change of heart – this time a change for the worse – can also nullify prophecies of blessings (1 Samuel 2:30; Jeremiah 18:7; Ezekiel 33:13). If your mind is reeling as your entire view of prophecy comes crashing down, I can well understand your reaction. We’ve now looked at four prophets. Scripture says that the truth of a matter shall be established out of the mouth of two or three witnesses. To God, for a prophecy of doom to “fail” is the ultimate success. Nevertheless, the notion that divine prophecies can fail to materialize is so shattering to common opinion, that perhaps you are demanding a fifth Scriptural witness. No problem. This time we will go to yet another major prophet: Ezekiel. Ezekiel 33:14-16 Again, when I say to the wicked, You shall surely die; if he turn from his sin, and do that which is lawful and right . . . None of his sins that he has committed shall be remembered against him: he has done that which is lawful and right; he shall surely live. The yearning of God’s heart is not to waste people’s time by giving them information they can’t do anything with; much less to torment them by letting them know there is no hope. What drives our Lord to talk about future disasters is a longing to avert tragedy. As God, through Ezekiel, said just moments earlier: Ezekiel 33:11 Tell them, “As I live, says the Lord, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live. . . .” God’s purpose in telling people they are facing destruction is to motivate them to call upon him, because “Everyone [no exceptions] who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Joel 2:32; Romans 10:13). If God truly wanted people damned, he would keep them blissfully ignorant of their fate because once they realized their fearful predicament, they might call out to God for help. Then the Lord would be compelled to keep his word and save them! Now that I have cited two minor and three major prophets, for any reader to have the tiniest doubt would be ridiculous. If, after all of this, someone wanted still more confirmation, I would be astounded, but I would be quite unfazed. You see, Scripture heaps up even more proof. Let’s look at yet another minor prophet. Micah’s ministry is summarized in one of Scripture’s historical comments. Jeremiah 26:18 Micah the Morashtite prophesied in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah; and he spoke to all the people of Judah, saying, “The Lord of Armies says: ‘Zion shall be plowed as a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the mountain of the house as the high places of a forest.’” Here, yet again, we have a prophecy of doom, offering no hope. Let’s read the next verse: Jeremiah 26:19  . . . Didn’t he fear the Lord, and entreat the favor of the Lord, and the Lord relented of the disaster which he had pronounced against them? . . . Let’s examine Micah’s prophecy to see if it really was a damning as the above quote suggests: Micah 1:1 The Lord’s word that came to Micah the Morashtite in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem. . . . Micah 3:9-12 Please listen to this, you heads of the house of Jacob,and rulers of the house of Israel, who abhor justice, and pervert all equity . . . Therefore Zion for your sake will be plowed like a field, and Jerusalem will become heaps of rubble, and the mountain of the temple like the high places of a forest. Perhaps you are sometimes tempted to feel as doomed to destruction as Jerusalem was in this prophecy. If so, remember that Hezekiah repented and the Lord relented. We’ve noted that even prophecies of blessing can be nullified. That means we can’t be complacent. If you are fearing that you have gone beyond God’s grace, however, that very fear means that, regardless of how you felt other times, you are anything but complacent right now. It would be a mistake to take Scriptures intended for the complacent or rebellious, and apply them to yourself if, as of this moment, you are no longer complacent or rebellious. You might have appallingly abused God’s grace right up until ten seconds ago, but because of the power of Jesus’ blood to wipe out the past, all that matters is your present attitude.

Revenge Without Shame Don’t get angry, get even The Dream A public lynching would be far too kind for the despicable creature who hurt you. Let’s for a moment let our minds run wild to determine exactly what punishment would be fitting. We could start by dragging him before court. Let his accusers point the finger. Let chills run through him as they scream their accusations. In fact, just for fun, let’s make it three courts – one trial after another after another. That should raise his blood pressure. But it in no way settles the score. Hire professional thugs. With the vilest language, they spit on him; demeaning their human plaything, while beating him with their fists. Here’s an idea: have him blindfolded so that he waits in terror, never knowing when or from where the next sickening blow will come from. Make him reel! More! More! Finally, he’s utterly broken. He’s sobbing uncontrollably, tears flooding down his bloodied face, longing for mercy. This is fun! “You’re not so tough now!” you laugh. “What’s the matter, big boy? Can’t take a little pain? Go on – grovel at my feet! Writhe like the worm you are!” You are grinning from ear to ear. But we need some instrument that inflicts more pain than fists. A whip? The thugs rip off his clothes and lash his naked back. Whack! He screams as the whip mercilessly tears through his skin. Whack! The whip cruelly digs in, ripping out more flesh. Whack! Scream. Don’t weaken. Fire up your rage. What mercy did he have when he ruined your life? Whack! Whack! Whack! Now you’ve got him where you want him. He’s cringing in pain; a sobbing, bloodied wreck. You’re laughing hysterically. Whack! Whack! Flay his flesh! Whack! Whack! Whack! . . . Oh, no! He’s lost consciousness. Drench him with water. Shake him. Slap him around. Great! He’s conscious again! Whack! Whimper. Whack! Whimper. Whack! Whack! . . . Keep it up! More! Rats! You can’t keep him conscious any longer. You’ll have to wait a couple hours until he comes around again. That will give you more time to dream up new horrors. At last! He’s conscious again! You sneer in disgust. “It’s pay back time, vermin!” Jerk him to his feet. “Your day of reckoning has come!” Parade him through the busy streets, with everyone knowing he’s a condemned criminal. Incite the mobs to expel their venom on him, hissing and cursing and despising him. He drops to the ground. Belt him until he staggers up again and stumbles on. A few more steps and he’s down again. Another wonderful opportunity to swat this lowlife! Finally the thugs have to drag him. Now strip him naked. Shamefully naked. Fully exposed; humiliated in front of the gawking, piercing, critical eyes of crowds of laughing, jeering women and men and children. We need some new instrument of torture; something that will make every second sheer hell but will keep him alive minute after never-ending minute, hour after endless hour. Make the tiniest movement – every breath – a source of torment, while he remains fully exposed, with every shred of decency stripped from him, for the sneering crowds to continue to gloat. Pin him out like a captured bug on public display, with no where to hide his shame, no rock to slither under, as the world stares wide-eyed. The crowds are teasing and slandering him, yet something is still missing. I know: the sickening stench of this vermin’s offense has reached high heaven. Almighty God must be furious at what this degenerate did to you. Has injustice ever fired uncontrollable rage within you? That is but a breath relative to the terrifying tornado of divine wrath at that injustice. If a mouse is angry, you can snigger; if a grizzly bear is angry, you can fear; but if the Almighty is angry, there is no human emotion to express the chilling terror that rips through its victim. Every conceivable scale of sheer dread is exploded by this horror. The Judge of all humanity – the God who flung the flaming stars in space – storms down torrent upon torrent of his fearsome fury on this pathetic excuse for a man. In a sense, it would be exquisite to keep this torture up forever, but earth should be rid of this contemptible beast. More important still, you need closure so that at last you can get on with life. Otherwise, like a deadly cancer, lust for revenge will eat your insides, slowly destroying you. So finally his body slumps in death. Now grab a long blade and have your final fling. Vent your wrath on his corpse. Plunge through to his heart, mutilating that lifeless organ. Yes! He’s dead! Savor that word: D-E-A-D. Back to the climax of Sweet Revenge (You have just read the milder version of the beginning of Sweet Revenge. The above link takes you to the remainder of that significant webpage.)

The Christian Dilemma Turn the Other Cheek Or Get Even With the Beast? Justice or Forgiveness? If you’re like me, poetry turns you off. Nevertheless, I’ll be astounded if the following does not powerfully move you; inspiring you to prayerfully ponder an exceedingly important message. If you refuse to read poetry, there is prose you can read, but you’ll be poorer if you miss the following. Even Better Surely not! He shamed you And blamed you And you want to . . . what? Get even? Get a head! How can you get ahead If you only get even? Don’t you know That to get even With an evildoer Is to put yourself On the level Of an evildoer? Isn’t it true That even the heathen get even? You don’t need me to say If you’ve been born anew, Seeded with God’s DNA; More is required of you! ~:~ Surely you know You reap what you sow; That to win a fight Is to lose your blood-bought right To be raised high And become God-like. If we can rule our spirit, We’ll rule forever; If we give up Judging people, We’ll end up Judging angels. So why make God sigh? Why act like a fool When you can rule With the Lord of all? ~:~ To act like the rest Makes you part of the mess. To be salt Where there is no taste, And be light In a gloomy place, We must be so unlike The seething throng Who as slaves are held In the senseless grip Of the need to fight Wrong with wrong. To act like others Is to let them smother Your light And kill your fire Until you are cold and dark, Just like others. ~:~ How could you ever get even, When in Acts you read of Stephen, Who forgave while being stoned And the Lord rose from his throne To honor a forgiver Whose love flowed as a river That would never be stopped; Who lived as a giver Till the moment he dropped; Only to be raised, And for endless days, Crowned with heavenly praise? ~:~ How do you know If the one enjoying your fall Could be moved by the scene Like mean, despicable Saul Who became the mighty apostle Paul? He got even with Stephen. Granted a new start, Transformed from above, He became like a dove When whipped and stoned; Knowing he was enthroned With the One whose love Now beat in his forgiven heart. ~:~ We could talk of David And the other Saul – How he won all By not lifting a hand Against the man Plotting his fall. Leaving vengeance undone Kept David on the run With the risk so real That he would be killed. Danger and dread Dragged on for years But despite the fears, Deprivation and tears, He lifted not his hand And proved himself a man After God’s own heart. ~:~ Could we grow strong, By going on and on, About saints Who did not faint In doing good In the face of wrong? Perhaps we could – To a degree – But it’s beyond our might To consistently Do right When wronged. ~:~ We need a way That’s better still; That makes the supernatural real. So lift your eyes even higher, Through the clouds Of heroes that inspire; Go beyond human feats Till your eyes meet Your glorious Savior. The One who forgave ya Turned his cheek And refused to speak To save himself From lies that kill. In noble silence he stood, Refusing to blame Or even complain. If he was a lamb, Where was the bleating? They hit him hard, But couldn’t beat him. They made him bleed But couldn’t defeat him. They did their worst, But instead of a curse, He forgave. Their hate turned to rage, They ranted and raved, They stripped him and spat But still he forgave. They were beasts, He was a dove. They ripped him apart; And out came love. Blow upon blow They nailed him to wood, Spilling more blood; Doing all they could To bring him low. Yet still he loved, Soaring above The shame and blame And roaring pain; Defeating evil with good. By this was the Lord from above Made worthy to reign. ~:~ Let’s not fail To follow the trail That Jesus blazed. How tragic it would be To miss our destiny, Yet we will suffer this shame Forever, Unless we face the pain That never lasts, And fill our days With Christ’s ways. ~:~ There’s no better way To make the devil’s day Than to fight for right The wrong way. There’s no greater way To multiply evil Than to try to stop evil By acting like the devil. When you come against sin In the lives of others, You either act like the Son Or the devil has won Before you even start. Yes, the devil wins, He’s got you by the heart, If in fighting wrong, You act like him. ~:~ Sweating blood in agony, Jesus refused the cowardly way. The devil lost at Gethsemane But still the devil can grin: If we don’t love our enemies We’ve become like him In blackening Christ’s name. It’s as the sin of blasphemy To use God’s name And return Anger for anger, Sin for sin. ~:~ Get even? Yes, get even More like Christ. He has led the way; Will you follow? Will you cease To shamefully wallow In thoughts that kill, And join the Prince of Peace Impaled upon the hill? The blameless way And the painless way Never cross. The way that skirts pain, Flirts with shame And ends in loss. Though the Christlike way Seems doomed To fail, There’s a twist To the tale; The Christless way Is to fume And fight for all they’re worth, But it’s the meek Who inherit the earth. To greet hate with love Seems extreme, Yet every other way Is to fight a wildfire With gasoline. You end darkness With light, Not more darkness. You fight Bitterness with sweetness; Cruelty with kindness; Hate with love. That takes real courage, But we who live by faith, Know faith and courage Go hand in glove. ~:~ To this you are called: To be like Christ, Who laid down his life To forgive Those who give Him pain. The way to reign Is to be the same As Christ, Who sacrificed To bless those who cursed And did their worst To break him. This is the way to endless gain; The path to eternal glory. ~:~ We’ve looked beyond Human copies Who outshone Those who wronged Them. We’ve soared above Those who had it tough, Till we reached the One Uniquely pure, Treated as the world’s sewer; We’ve looked at the One From above Whose love Outshines the sun. We’ve been inspired By what transpired When even in the throes Of death He loved and sacrificed His all for those Who didn’t care. But when things get tough, Will it be enough Merely to look At the One who loved Till his last breath? When the going gets rough, Being moved By the scene Of Christ Giving his life Will not be enough To make us love Like the Crucified. To sacrifice like Christ Will seem An idle dream, A hope that’s hollow, Until pride is swallowed And Christ is seen Not as things to do Or an ideal to follow But as the Lord of all Who must live his life in you. ~:~ For strife to cease A new life must start, With the Prince of peace Enthroned as king. As without the vine A branch is just dead wood, So are we without our Lord. To smother evil with good You must tap Into infinite love. To do what’s right And never bend, Takes a friend From above; Who not only inspires But never tires Of lifting you higher Than you could ever go. For bitterness to end And sweetness to flow, Takes oneness with the divine As perfect as a branch in a vine. ~:~ Imagine if you and he Could spend From now to eternity With hearts beating as one. There’d be no end To what you could do If Christ could live His life in you, But he is the Sinless One, So fearsomely holy, That we could sooner Have the sun inside us Than have the Son inside us. To be pure as he is pure Is to be cleansed by the sacrifice, Of the sinless Christ. Then he can live in you, Doing what you could never do. ~:~ Through the price he paid The commands of Christ Can now be obeyed. With him in you, You can do What he tells you to. With Christ in you, His hardest commands Are more than demands Or pie in the sky; They are his promise Of power from on high To do what you could never do. “Impossible” Becomes “him possible.” The “ideal” Becomes so real That people will gasp And angels applaud What you and the Lord Together will do. ~:~ This does not mean An end to pain; Christ will lead you Through the flame; He’ll take you to the cross, Where, like him, You’ll suffer shame And temporary loss, To win eternal fame. ~:~ To turn the other cheek Or wash your enemy’s feet; To quench the thirst Of those who curse; To be a lamb To vicious wolves, Is not just to fight Wrong with right; It is to suffer for Christ. And to suffer for Christ, Is to suffer with Christ. There’s nothing so intimate As to feel Someone’s pain. Anyone can give an offering But to share in Christ’s suffering Takes you to a realm That makes love real. Those who for this hour Bear Christ’s pain Will forever Share his reign. ~:~ So patiently wait, For the coming Of perfect justice. Return love for hate, Be kind to the cruel, Treat foes as friends And in the end You shall rule With the Lord of all. ~:~ The time will come When like the sun, Justice will rise On a New Day When God’s perfect way Is always done; A Day of surprise For everyone; As each receives his prize That never ends; A prize as unique As his fingerprint. It’s a Day to be cheered Or greatly feared; When some are raised And some are razed, But all are dazed By how their ways In earthly days Meet rewards That last always. Come the Day When every wrong Is brought to light; When every wrong Will bow to right; When wrong will end And right will reign. ~:~ So lift your eyes And soar beyond the skies. See yourself Seated with Christ Who with his life Paid the price To forgive his haters. Lift your sights To these heights And become like your Maker. Raise those eyes And boldly rise To your heavenly call; Take Christ’s hand And conquer all. Related Pages Christian Revenge and the Wrath of God The Righteous Lust for Vengeance God’s commitment to pay the price of justice Where was God When You suffered Unspeakable Horrors? God Isn’t fair? How could God be fair when some get an abundance and some get a raw deal? Hints for Public Reading The poem contains plays on words that the eye can detect, but not the ear. The following suggestions will remove that difficulty. For the line: Get even? Get a head! Tap your head with your finger when saying “Get a head!” For the lines: Have the sun inside us Than have the Son inside us. Don’t say the word sun or Son at all. Simply spell those words: Have the S-U-N inside us Than have the S-O-N inside us. Replace: When some are raised And some are razed, With: When some are praised And some are fazed

Christian Justice or Love Your Enemy? Bible Insights Into Moral Dilemmas How come “an eye for an eye” is found in the same Book as “turn the other cheek”? Did we suddenly get a new God when the New Testament was made? Actually, this tension exists throughout Scripture. In a previous webpage we discovered that the Old Testament speaks of loving one’s enemy, and as we proceed we’ll increasingly discover just how much the New Testament speaks of God’s wrath and justice. So it’s not a case of God changing, but of us oversimplifying his message and reducing to a shadow the most magnificent Person in the universe; stripping him of an entire dimension. The Almighty has always been a God of compassion and wrath, just as the Eternal Son of God has always been a “lion” and a “lamb.” Both aspects of God’s perfection go hand in hand. How can parents be unmoved when seeing children they adore, ruining their potential? How can anyone have genuine compassion for the exploited without feeling anger at those who deliberately exploit them? The Lord’s love of people and his love of justice are manifestations of the same passion. We see, for example, Jesus’ love compelling him to use a makeshift whip to prevent temple money changers from exploiting many people and disturbing the prayers of others (Matthew 21:12-13). This is the same Jesus who, rather than protect himself, let thugs torture him to death. The book of Revelation powerfully encapsulates the complexity of the divine nature when it speaks of the ferocious “wrath of the Lamb.” Justice or Perish Not only would it be illogical for God to say, “I love you, so justice no longer matters,” were he to adopt such an attitude, the Almighty’s entire reign would crumble. Justice is the very foundation of God’s rulership. Psalms 89:14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you. A commitment to justice is an inseparable part of divine perfection. Exodus 34:6 And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, (7) maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation.” Hebrews 10:30 For we know him who said, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” . . . ( Emphasis mine ) “An eye for an eye” comes from God’s description of the divinely ordained judicial system for ancient Israel. The Almighty is far too smart not to be intensely practical. He, better than anyone in the universe, understands the need for law and order in fallen humanity. He knows the chaos we would quickly slide into if there were no earthly justice. This is so vital that even though most people have never been protected by ancient Israel’s judicial system, the Lord of all has lovingly ordained that other institutions fill this role throughout humanity, right down to modern times and to your society. Romans 13:1 Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. (2) Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. (3) For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. (4) For he is God’s servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God’s servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. 1 Peter 2:13 Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, (14)or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. ( Emphasis mine ) Perfect Justice The Lord is always just and loving. He doesn’t suspend his love when he judges. Nor does he abandon justice when he is loving. As the Lord so beautifully told my friend, Jesus is a lamb with the heart of a lion and a lion with the heart of a lamb. In God are qualities so superior to our own and balanced to such perfection that human comprehension is left far behind. Most of us know that salt – that uniquely tasty, essential-to-life substance – is a chemical blend of a poisonous gas and a substance that explodes in water. Either of those chemicals without the other is hideous. Similarly, if we were to separate love and justice, the result would be hideous. God is never like that, and we must endeavor to never be like that. God is that exquisite, life-giving blend of love and justice. If you cannot imagine love turning hideous, picture parents who “love” their child so much that they sacrifice everything – even their child’s morals and his character development – to indulge his every self-destructive whim. We are so starved of the genuine article and so used to seeing foolishness, selfishness, pride and lust ruining love that we have little idea of how grotesque human love is. Likewise, divine justice is drastically removed from the hypocritical bursts of hate and selfishness that we pretend to be longings for justice. God’s justice is powered by love. It is as opposite of the offender’s motives as good is the opposite of evil. The Almighty often delays justice in the hope of the offender having a complete change of heart that could radically change the dynamics of judgment. Nevertheless, Judgment Day is speedily coming. 2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. (10) But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. 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. (11) Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives (12) as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. (13) But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness. (14) So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. (15) Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation The One who came not to judge the world, will come again to judge the world ( Scriptures ). The Lord’s earthly justice is a carefully planned measure to protect others by limiting the spread of evil and to motivate the offender to a change of heart. What we often forget – but God never forgets – is that punishment can never force a change of heart. For a change of heart to be genuine, it must be voluntary, or the person is still destined to eternal punishment. Earthly punishment can sometimes even be counterproductive. Because we only see this side of eternity, we rarely realize how effective kindness and deferred punishment can be. The Almighty’s love fuels a wrath more terrifying than the worst nightmare. So passionate is his love for you that he is furious with those who have hurt you. The divine dilemma, however, is that to be fair, he must be equally furious with you, since you, like the rest of us, have hurt other people who are precious to God. The only alternative in the universe was for God to pour out his fearsome wrath upon the only truly innocent human – Jesus Christ. To spare you, not only did his only Son have to volunteer to suffer inconceivable horrors, but he also had to patiently endure you sinning over and over and hurting people until at long last you repented and sought forgiveness through Jesus. People hurt us – as they did our crucified Lord – because God delays judgment and didn’t wipe them out before they touched our lives. Nevertheless, had God not been exceptionally patient in tolerating our ancestors’ sins, our entire family tree would have been wiped out long before we ever had the chance to exist. Moreover, anyone not exceedingly grateful for God’s reluctance to execute justice, has no conception of the hell we would suffer if we ourselves had been subjected to full and swift justice before we eventually accepted cleansing and forgiveness through Jesus. The Almighty is fair and loves each of us with equal passion. So for him to be as patient with us as we desperately need him to be, he must also be patient with others. There are so many conflicting needs in this present world that for us to complain about divine justice is like children complaining about the rain that farmers are praising the Lord for. If we all knew long in advance, the exact date of our death, most of us would be even less likely to get right with God early in life. Like death, for maximum spiritual impact, earthly justice needs to be somewhat unpredictable. God’s justice in the here and now will seem imperfect – even chaotic – because what we currently see is like a barely begun work of art. Those granted an eternal vantage point from which to gaze upon the completion of God’s handiwork will be awestruck by the exquisite perfection of divine justice. The Key Role of the Oppressed in Releasing God’s Judgment We tend to wrongly presume that God’s sovereignty means he rules the world with little regard for our input. Most of us continually underestimate the key role of our prayers and actions in determining what God does in everything from nature (eg 1 Kings 8:35-39) and world affairs right down to events so minor as to barely touch one person. There is a big emphasis in Scripture that whether God executes earthly judgment on oppressors (be they individuals or entire nations) is largely dependent upon the prayers, attitudes and behavior of the oppressed. Let’s look at a few biblical examples. In the era of the Judges we see the cycle repeated over and over of the Israelites disregarding God’s ways and this leading to them being oppressed by people, followed by their cries to the Lord resulting in their deliverance. Judges 3:9 But when they cried out to the LORD, he raised up for them a deliverer, Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother, who saved them. Judges 3:15 Again the Israelites cried out to the LORD, and he gave them a deliverer – Ehud, a left-handed man . . . Judges 4:3 Because he had nine hundred iron chariots and had cruelly oppressed the Israelites for twenty years, they cried to the LORD for help. Judges 6:7 When the Israelites cried to the LORD because of Midian, . . . (12) . . . the angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon . . . (14) The LORD turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?” Note in the following the pivotal role of the oppressed crying to the Lord: Exodus 22:22 Do not take advantage of a widow or an orphan. (23) If you do and they cry out to me, I will certainly hear their cry. (24) My anger will be aroused, and I will kill you with the sword; your wives will become widows and your children fatherless.  . . . (26) If you take your neighbor’s cloak as a pledge, return it to him by sunset, (27) because his cloak is the only covering he has for his body. What else will he sleep in? When he cries out to me, I will hear, for I am compassionate. Deuteronomy 15:9 Be careful not to harbor this wicked thought: “The seventh year, the year for canceling debts, is near,” so that you do not show ill will toward your needy brother and give him nothing. He may then appeal to the LORD against you, and you will be found guilty of sin. Deuteronomy 24:15 Pay him his wages each day before sunset, because he is poor and is counting on it. Otherwise he may cry to the LORD against you, and you will be guilty of sin. ( Emphasis mine ) In a divine summary of many different historical events we read: Judges 10:11 The LORD replied, “When the Egyptians, the Amorites, the Ammonites, the Philistines, (12) the Sidonians, the Amalekites and the Maonites oppressed you and you cried to me for help, did I not save you from their hands? . . .” But God’s intervention is not automatic. The passage continues: (13) But you have forsaken me and served other gods, so I will no longer save you. (14) Go and cry out to the gods you have chosen. Let them save you when you are in trouble! Nevertheless, the people repented and the Lord once again delivered them. Not just the prayers, but the attitude of the oppressed is critical, as seen in such Scriptures as the following: Proverbs 24: 17 Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when he stumbles, do not let your heart rejoice, (18) or the LORD will see and disapprove and turn his wrath away from him. Romans 12:19 Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. (20) On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” The more righteous the oppressed are, the more it invites God’s judgment on the oppressors. If we fill with hypocritical self-righteousness, however, and wish ill upon our oppressors, the difference between us and our oppressors becomes so minimal that God could not, in fairness, bring his judgment upon them without doing the same to us. When Stephen prayed for the forgiveness of those stoning him to death, he was not wasting his breath. It was a key factor in God’s treatment of his persecutors. The Lord looks to us to take up the challenge of Christlikeness. He tells us: Luke 6:27  . . . Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, (28) bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. He looks to us to suffer as Christ suffered so we can reign with Christ forever and so that those who have hurt us will – either through heartfelt repentance or divine punishment – regret the way they treated us. Justice Now Scripture is acutely aware that society needs law and order, and that although God’s longing for mercy and the need for justice usually pull in opposite directions, there are times when God’s love for the victim – or potential victims – must take precedence over his love for the offender (and we are all offenders). There are times when God needs to intervene this side of eternity, rather than waiting until the next life for injustice to be righted. Ecclesiastes 8:11 Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil. Isaiah 26:9  . . . When your judgments come upon the earth, the people of the world learn righteousness. Deuteronomy 10:17 For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. (18) He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing. Because kindness and an unselfish longing for justice reflects the very heart of God, he expects his people to act likewise. Just how important this is to him, is seen in such Scriptures as: Exodus 22:21 Do not mistreat an alien or oppress him . . . (22) Do not take advantage of a widow or an orphan. (23) If you do and they cry out to me, I will certainly hear their cry. (24) My anger will be aroused, and I will kill you with the sword; your wives will become widows and your children fatherless. It is our Christian duty to submit to civil law (wherever doing so does not prevent us from obeying God – Acts 4:19,20; 5:29) and most countries make it illegal not to report crimes. Moreover, other potential victims need protection from the offender; and other potential offenders, as an extra incentive to keep their sins in check, need to know that offenders are punished. So our loving Christian duty usually compels us to report crimes. Our motive, however, must not be revenge, bitterness or a self-righteous feeling of superiority, but genuine love for the offender, sorrow that justice is required and an acute awareness that we, too, are offenders. Consider David, for example. When divine justice caught up with King Saul and he was killed, David was rescued from Saul’s murderous hands and given the throne. Nevertheless, this man after God’s own heart did not rejoice. Instead, he genuinely mourned Saul’s death (2 Samuel 1:1-27). God punishes his children when they need it. Of course, this is done with perfection and as a manifestation of love; although it might not seem that way at the time. Hebrews 12:5 And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons: “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, (6) because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.” (7) Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? (8) If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. (9) Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! (10) Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. (11) No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. Since God disciplines his children, he expects us to do likewise. Proverbs 22:15 Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline will drive it far from him. Proverbs 23:14 Punish him with the rod and save his soul from death. Proverbs 29:15 The rod of correction imparts wisdom, but a child left to himself disgraces his mother. However, this must always be done with wisdom, compassion and kindness. Ephesians 6:4 Fathers, do not exasperate your children . . . Colossians 3:21 Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged. Even within the church there is a need for disciplining those who do wrong. Matthew 18:14 In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost. (15) If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. (16) But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ (17) If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector. 1 Corinthians 5:1 It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that does not occur even among pagans: (3)  . . . I have already passed judgment on the one who did this, just as if I were present. (4) When you are assembled in the name of our Lord Jesus and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, (5) hand this man over to Satan, so that the sinful nature may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord. . . . (11)  . . . you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat. (12) What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? The spirit with which this should be executed, however, demands great maturity of Christian character, as Paul explains: Galatians 6:1 Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. (2) Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. (3) If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. (4) Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else . . . Make Your Enemies Grovel at Your Feet Though we act with love, gentleness and humility, dwelling within us is the greatest power in the universe. We will win. Revelation 3:9 I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan . . . come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you. Isaiah 14:2  . . . the house of Israel  . . . will make captives of their captors and rule over their oppressors. Isaiah 49:23 Kings . . . and their queens . . . will bow down before you with their faces to the ground; they will lick the dust at your feet. Then you will know that I am the LORD; those who hope in me will not be disappointed. Isaiah 60:14 The sons of your oppressors will come bowing before you; all who despise you will bow down at your feet . . . Malachi 4:2 But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise  . . . (3) Then you will trample down the wicked; they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day when I do these things, says the LORD Almighty. Romans 16:20 The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. . . . Jesus is the trailblazer. He has established the pattern for every Christian life; becoming our role model. We are to take up our cross and follow him all the way through humiliation and unjust treatment to eternal exaltation. We are to imitate not merely a fragment of our Leader’s life, but the entire thrust of his divine mission – which was to humble himself, do so much good that he makes enemies, be treated unjustly by them, turn the other cheek, meekly suffer at their hands, even to the point of them seeming to completely triumph, and then be exalted forever, with every enemy bowing before him in either adoring love or abject fear. Jesus, who loved his enemies till the end, took them all by surprise; turning what seemed utter defeat into astounding victory. Those who say, “Life is full of surprises” will be left without words when the next life reveals what God has been doing behind the scenes. Who would have thought a lamb could strike terror into the bravest hearts? And yet he will: Revelation 6:16 They called to the mountains and the rocks, “Call on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! . . .” Jesus is the ultimate Victor because he abandoned human tactics, chose the way of love, and staked his life, reputation – everything – on the unlimited power of Almighty God. By imitating him, we become victors over all those who mistreat us, and receive eternal vindication and glory. Scripture keeps telling us that this is our mission but we keep missing it because we are rightly so conscious that as a person and as an achiever, Christ is so beyond us that the notion of us emulating – in even the remotest way – what he achieved by suffering mistreatment is so mind-boggling as to seem preposterous – even blasphemous. If Christ were the world’s finest chef, the best of us would be playing in the dirt “baking” mud pies. The greatest follower of Christ is as far behind him as a tiny child playing at being a make-believe brain surgeon. Nevertheless, as off the scale as the eternal Son of God is, and as little as our persecution and unjust treatment can achieve relative to his sacrifice, he insists that we follow his lead. Let’s look afresh at some of the diverse Scriptures that ram home how central and foundational this is to biblical Christianity. The verses might not be new to you, but don’t let a superficial familiarity with the words stop you from grasping their true significance. 1 Peter 2:20  . . . if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. (21) To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. 1 Peter 4:1 Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude . . . John 15:20  . . . ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. Matthew 10:38 and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Luke 9:23 Then he said to them all: ‘If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.’ Matthew 20:26 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, (27) and whoever wants to be first must be your slave – (28) just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. 1 John 3:16  . . . Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. John 15:12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. (13) Greater love has no-one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. Ephesians 5:2 and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. 2 Corinthians 1:5 For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. Luke 6:22 Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man. (23) Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their fathers treated the prophets. Hebrews 12:2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. (3) Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. ( Emphasis mine ) Scripture asks us not only to adore Jesus for his mind-blowing love and the stupendous achievements of his sacrifice but it implores us to build inside us the very same mindset that drove Jesus to defeat his enemies by letting them torment him. Philippians 2:5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: (6) Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, (7) but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. More than just giving us theological insight into the nature of Christ, this teaches us, as followers of Christ, the value of voluntary humiliation. When people rejected him, James and John asked Jesus for his power to call down fire from heaven to destroy them. Of course, Jesus rebuked them because their attitude was so contrary to his own (Luke 9:54-55). Jesus’ glory was that although he had the power to call down fire on those who mistreated him, he chose not to. We also have power, no matter how oppressed and enslaved we may be. We don’t always have a choice as to what we suffer but we always have a choice as to how we suffer – whether we respond with love or hate; bitterness or sweetness. We always have the power to curse or bless – to secretly wish a person harm or good. Our glory is to follow Christ’s lead – or to put it another way, to let the Christ resident within us rise up – and consciously bless those who curse us, even, if necessary, to the heroic extreme of maintaining this sweetness while being tortured to death. (8) And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death – even death on a cross! (9) Therefore God exalted him to the highest place It is astounding how often Scripture tells us to humble ourselves – to relinquish dignity we suppose we deserve – in order to be exalted ( Scriptures ). Like turning the other cheek, this is something Jesus not only taught but lived to the highest extreme. Let’s continue with this passage: and gave him the name that is above every name, (10) that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, (11) and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. As implied in this powerful passage, there is no glory or Christlikeness in involuntary responses. For example, because rape is forced, it is morally neutral for the person suffering it (though, of course, for the rapist it is a grave offense). Where the choice – and hence the opportunity for glory – lies is in whether we let ourselves turn into a beast like the rapist – filling with hate and wanting him to suffer like he has caused others to suffer – or whether even in the face of extreme provocation we choose to remain sweet and loving and forgiving. We by no means condone or facilitate sin, but by refusing to let the sinner make us bitter and twisted like him, we refuse to let the sinner win. For centuries before the event it was known to Bible readers that all his enemies would bow to the Messiah: Isaiah 45:24  . . . All who have raged against him will come to him and be put to shame. Psalm 110:1 The LORD says to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.” Psalms 2:9 You will rule them with an iron scepter; you will dash them to pieces like pottery. What so many missed – despite it being prophesied – is the humble, loving, sacrificial path the Lord of glory would choose to achieve the defeat of his enemies. Likewise, the humble, loving, sacrificial path to our triumph over our enemies is spelled out in Scripture, and yet many Bible readers miss it. The secret of the early church and of the revival in modern China and in certain other places and times is summarized in these words: if we suffer with him, we shall reign with him ( Scriptures ). Fake Christianity supposes we can escape this fundamental truth and somehow reign with Christ without suffering with him. In contrast, the yearning of Paul’s heart was to share in Christ’s suffering. It is the pinnacle of spiritual intimacy. Philippians 3:10 I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings Colossians 1:24 Now I rejoice in what was suffered for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church. In this yearning to share in Christ’s suffering, Paul was not on some Christian fringe. It is at the heart of authentic Christianity. Acts 5:40  . . . They called the apostles in and had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. (41) The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. (42) Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ. 1 Peter 4:12 Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. (13) But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. (14) If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. You have probably heard people say, “I’ve read the end of the book and we win!” But have you read that before the end we, like Jesus on the cross, to all appearances seem to lose? Revelation 13: 6 He opened his mouth to blaspheme God . . . (7) He was given power to make war against the saints and to conquer them . . . (10) If anyone is to go into captivity, into captivity he will go. If anyone is to be killed with the sword, with the sword he will be killed. This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of the saints. Doesn’t Paul, with his appalling list of beatings, incarcerations and shipwrecks seem like the biggest loser? He was so filled with faith in the final victory that when we are reading his writings we gloss over all the times he didn’t even have enough to eat ( Scriptures ) and was repeatedly deserted by Christians and continually criticized, opposed from even within the church. This is the man who said “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1). Despite the short-lived gains of aggressors, the meek will inherit the earth. Wrap Up By piecing together many Scriptures, this picture emerges: The very Person whom our sins callously murdered is the Judge of all humanity. The Judge loves not only us, despite our sins, but he loves those who have hurt us, despite their sins. He will show us only the degree of love and mercy that we show those who shamefully treat us. Matthew 7:2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. “Give and it shall be given unto you,” is a principle of divine justice so fundamental that it applies to almost everything. Just how all-embracing is this principle, is demonstrated by Jesus applying it even to the attention we give to divine revelation. “ ‘Consider carefully what you hear,” he continued. ‘With the measure you use, it will be measured to you – and even more.’ ” (Mark 4:24). Whatever we sow into people’s lives – be it generosity, kindness, mercy, goodness, forgiveness, gossip, condemnation, harshness, anger, violence, and so on – we shall reap in our own lives. Psalms 18:25 To the faithful you show yourself faithful . . . Proverbs 11:17 A kind man benefits himself, but a cruel man brings trouble on himself. Matthew 5:7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Whether we see a shadow of it in this life does not change the fact that we will finally end up with thirty, sixty or even a hundred fold of what we have sown. Our future is in our hands. If we sow strife, that is what we will receive many times over. “They sow the wind and reap the whirlwind” (Hosea 8:7). If, instead, we sow kindness, that is what we will reap from God in abundance. Whoever is faithful with little will be given much. Whoever is unfaithful with little will lose much. Scripture is plain that not even those who escape hell will escape this aspect of divine justice. Some, upon entering heaven, will suffer devastating loss and some will receive rewards too extravagant for earthly words. 2 Corinthians 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad. 1 Corinthians 3:12 If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, (13) his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work. (14) If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. (15) If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames. Scripture speaks of us judging angels. Then the passage continues: 1 Corinthians 6:7 The very fact that you have lawsuits among you means you have been completely defeated already. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated? . . . . (9) Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? . . . Do you suppose the Lord will entrust the huge responsibility of judging angels to those who have proved themselves too intoxicated by greed, selfishness or spite to be impartial in their judgment of those who have hurt them? God is looking for people driven by love and humility. These are his choice of people to rule with him for eternity. Ultimately, forced obedience achieves little, and God wants love, not slaves. What our wise, loving Lord longs for in his enemies is not just changed behavior but a change of heart – repentance. God’s favorite way of bringing people to repentance is through kindness ( Romans 2:4 ) and patience ( 2 Peter 3:9 ). Nevertheless, in some instances, discipline, affliction and even punishment can produce a change of heart. Psalms 119:67 Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey your word. Psalms 119:71 It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees. The way we treat those who hurt us should be as courageous as turning the other cheek, and as selfless as going the extra mile. We should be as reluctant to see our enemy hurt as we are to see ourselves hurt. As we sometimes need to drag ourselves to the dentist, however, so there could be occasions when there is no option as loving as reluctantly allowing something unpleasant to happen to an enemy in order to help him avoid worse trauma later on. That’s a scary option for us because it involves us thinking ourselves wiser and more moral than our enemy. God judges those who think themselves better than others. He exalts the humble but cuts down the proud. If we get it wrong – or even if we get it right but let a wrong attitude seep into our hearts – we are in grave danger. We should avoid like a landmine treating someone we dislike with anything but gentleness and kindness unless we are certain before God that love requires it of us. God’s longing is to save his enemies from the judgment they deserve. He wants everyone saved and no one to perish (1 Timothy 2:4; 2 Peter 3:9). The Lord will grieve deeply over everyone who continually spurns his love and ends up in hell. They are not God’s failures. God knows only success. Those who end up in hell are their own failures. They chose not to accept God’s meticulously planned way for sinners to find restoration and righteousness. Had it been God’s plan to force everyone into heaven, he would have achieved that. Such a place would not be the heaven we will enjoy, however. It would either be the same mess as earth, where there is killing, stealing, lying, and other evil, or it would be a place of slavery where people lose freedom of choice. The need for mercy and to love our enemies is immense and you’ll find it highlighted in three webpages: Christian Revenge, Love your Enemy and Heap Burning Coals on his Head and Turn the Other Cheek. Nevertheless, there is also a divinely recognized need for justice. Knowing when we should execute justice and when to show mercy is a perplexing dilemma demanding much prayer and divine wisdom. Since God longs for the rescue and restoration of his enemies, so must we if we are to be friends of God. We have the certainty, however, that when we do things God’s way then either by a dramatic change of heart or by an eternity in hell, those who have treated us badly will suffer deep remorse for their actions. Nevertheless, the key issue for us is whether we will suffer remorse or, by responding in a Christlike way to those who mistreat us, rejoice in triumph forever. Other Important Pages On This Topic Turn the Other Cheek A significant and moving poem The Righteous Lust for Vengeance God’s commitment to pay the price of justice Where was God When You suffered Unspeakable Horrors? God Isn’t fair? How could God be fair when some get an abundance and some get a raw deal? Damned by God? Forgiveness and restoration is the goal of far more harsh prophecies than most of us realize

The Quest for Music Miracles APPENDIX (PART B) NOTE 1.8: The Jewish Preference For The Shophar The ram’s horn might have been the first instrument played on earth. The ‘father of all those who play the lyre and pipe’ was Jubal, a name related to the Hebrew word for ram (Genesis 31:27). It is such a primitive instrument as to raise the question of why its use continued throughout the Old Testament era. There were pipes, end-blown flutes, double clarinets, double oboes, and – in the Greco-Roman period – ‘terra-cotta rhyton-shaped wind instruments’. In fact, unlike the metal trumpets used in the Bible times, the ram’s horn is still used today! Part of the answer for its continued use is probably that despite musical limitations, rams’ horns were effective noise-makers. Perhaps the other half of the answer lies in the fact that they were literally horns from rams. To the Hebrew mind, horns were potent symbols. Not only did they symbolize physical power, (e.g. Deuteronomy 33:17) but the holy altars designed by God – both the sacrificial altar and the altar of incense – had horns (Exodus 27:1-2; 30:1 ,f) and the Lord Himself is the ‘horn of our salvation’ (2 Samuel 22:3; Psalm 18:2). Furthermore, each shophar came from an animal suitable for God-ordained sacrifice and the animal had, presumably, actually died. In addition, horns ( shophars ) carried the divine anointing oil (1 Samuel 16:1). Then there’s the fact that, relative to most other instruments, an animal horn is divinely made. Finally – and perhaps least significantly – horn-blowing was a way of involving nature in praise to the Creator. In their choice of instrument, ancient Jews were not beyond considering its tone (Mishna, Arakhin 2:3 – a reed-pipe was preferred to a pipe of bronze because its sound was sweeter). At least in the post-Old-Testament era, however, factors other than sound assumed great significance. For instance, cow horns were forbidden for ritual blowing, (Mishna, Rosh Ha-Shanah 3:2) apparently because cows were not sacrificial animals (the Jewish Talmud). According to the Jewish Mishnah , the voice of a sacrificial victim is multiplied seven times when it dies because its horns become shophar s, its two leg-bones become flutes, its hide becomes a drum, its entrails are used for lyres, and its chitterlings for harps (Mishna, Kinnim 3:6) According to a Jewish legend, David’s harp strings were made from the gut of the ram Abraham slew on Mount Moriah. In the synagogues ram’s horns were used as a reminder of that ram sacrificed in Isaac’s stead. NOTE 1.9: Identifying The Bible’s Songs The exact number of songs in the Bible is difficult to determine. There are many songs in Scripture, clearly identified as such, outside of the Psalter ( Exodus 15:1-18 , 21 ; Numbers 21:17-18 ; Deuteronomy 31:22-32:44 ; Judges 5:1-31 ; 1 Samuel 18:7 ; 2 Samuel 3:33-34 ; 22:2-51 ; 1 Chronicles 16:7-36 ; Song of Solomon; Isaiah 5:1 ff; 23:16; 26:1 ff; Habakkuk 3:2-19 ; Revelation 5:9-10 , 13 ; 15:3-4 ). With poetry being so common in Scripture, it would have been fairly easy to set large portions of it to music. Many passages appear to be songs although Scripture does not specifically call them songs or indicate that they were intended to be set to music (e.g. 1 Samuel 2:1-10 ; the entire book of Lamentations; Isaiah 6:3 ; 23:15-16 ; Ezekiel 19:1-14 ; 22:2 ff; 32:2,16; Jonah 2:2-9 ; Daniel 2:20-23 ; 4:34 b-35; Amos 5:1-2 ; Luke 1:46-55 , 68-79 ; 2:14 , 29-32 ). Some of these read so much like psalms it is hard to read them without imagining them being set to music (see for yourself: 2 Samuel 1:17-27 ; 1 Chronicles 29:10-13 ; Isaiah 12:1-6 ; 38:9-20 ; Jonah 2:2-9 ; and verses around Isaiah 42:10 ; 44:23 ; 49:13 ; Jeremiah 20:13 ; Zephaniah 3:14 , 17 ). If some were not originally set to music they seem to cry out for music so loudly that it is hard to conceive of them being bereft of music for long. Some Bibles, by printing poetry in lines of uneven length, make it immediately obvious which parts of Scripture are poetry. Consulting such a Bible opens a new dimension to Scripture, not just making possible songs easier to identify or adding interest for the musician and beauty for the lover of literature, but also aiding interpretation. Possible songs pop up in the most unlikely places. In the search for fragments of Christian hymns, scholars have been drawn to many Scriptures, including John 1:1-18 ; Romans 3:13-18 , 23-25 ; 8:31-39 ; 9:33 ; 11:33-35 ; 1 Corinthians 13:1 ff; Ephesians 1:3-14 ; 2:4-7 , 10 , 19-22 ; 5:14 ; Philippians 2:6-11 ; Colossians 1:15-20 ; 2:9-15 ; 1 Timothy 1:17 ; 3:16 ; 6:15-16 ; 2 Timothy 2:11-13 ; Titus 3:4-7 ; Hebrews 1:1-3 ; 1 Peter 2:6-7 , 21-25 ; 3:18-22 ; Revelation 4:8 , 11 ; 5:9 , 12-13 ; 7:10 , 12 ; 11:15 , 17-18 ; 12:10 ff: 14:7; 15:3-4; 19:1-2, 6-8. Unfortunately, most of this remains highly speculative. Such an examination of the Old Testament would produce a huge list. The first Biblical song is said to be Genesis 4:23 . Some Bible versions specifically call Numbers 21:27-30 a song (AMP, RSV and GNB, but not KJV, NKJV, NEB, LB or NASB). There is another factor: Scriptures have been sung which were apparently not originally intended to be songs. The practice of reciting even the prose parts of Scripture in a singing voice may have extended back centuries before Christ. Psalm 119:54 could be relevant to this practice: ‘Your statutes have been my songs . . .’ Harold Best (Best, 4:316) believes that by Jesus’ time this practice may have been so established as to make it likely that Jesus employed it when delivering Scripture in the synagogue ( Luke 4:16-20 ). Eventually, it came to be questioned whether it was acceptable to ever read Scripture without melody (The Talmud, Megillah 32a). So, whether they were aware of it or not, contributors to the Old Testament ended up writing lyrics to songs. Who can authoritatively declare that this result was not in God’s mind when He originally inspired the writers? NOTE 1.10: Hebrews 2:12 – The Son of God Singing The highly esteemed Greek lexicon by Arndt and Gingrich, along with eleven of the thirteen translations I consulted, see in Hebrews 2:12 a reference to singing. This certainly seems to be the usual meaning of the key word. However, to be strictly unbiased, I should point out that this word is sometimes applied to spoken, rather than sung, praise. Singing seems to be hinted at, rather than emphatically stated. NOTE 1.11: Divine Singing, Trumpeting And Whistling Does Zephaniah 3:17 indicate that God sings? God’s trumpet-playing is hinted at in Zechariah 9:14 and 1 Thessalonians 4:16 . The problem, of course, is to know how literally this should be interpreted. Literal trumpet blasts from heaven are mentioned in the Bible but they might be unmusical signals ( Exodus 19:6 ; 20:18 ; Psalms 47:5 ; Isaiah 27:13 ; Matthew 24:31 ). Isaiah 5:26 ; 7:18 and Zechariah 10:8 refer to God ‘whistling’. But since these are references to signaling, it is unlikely that a tune would be involved. Chapter 2 Notes – Celestial Choirs NOTE 2.1: Drugs, Hallucinations and After Death Experiences Dr. Karlis Osis and his associates analyzed the reports of over one thousand medical personnel who regularly worked with dying patients. They found that patients taking drugs or sedatives known to produce hallucinations were less likely to report an afterlife experience than those who took no medication. Likewise, those illnesses that produce hallucinations were associated with less afterlife reports than other illnesses. The patients’ experiences did not usually conform to what they expected and they appeared as frequently to people who fully expected to recover as to those who knew they were dying. Dr. Charles Garfield, assistant professor of psychology at the University of California Medical Centre, states that life-after-death experiences are entirely different from drug-induced hallucinations or the sensations sometimes associated with severe pain. Dr. Maurice Rawlings agrees. ‘Drug effects, alcoholic delirium tremens, carbon dioxide narcosis, and psychotic reactions deal more with objects in the present world and not with situations in the next world. NOTE 2.2: Errors In Non-Christian Analyses of ‘After Death’ Experiences When researching anything related to spiritual matters, non-Christians inevitably get things hopelessly confused. In two excellent books, Dr. Maurice Rawlings does much to sort out the chaos. He points out that only about twenty percent of resuscitated patients volunteer information about their experience. We are thus dealing with a very biased sample. He rightly asks, who would boast about being such a moral failure that one is sent to hell? Many people joke about it, but it’s a very different thing to be faced with the reality of hell. Dr. Rawlings was desperately trying to save a postman’s life. In between times of clinical death, his patient kept screaming that he had been in hell. He pleaded with the reluctant doctor to lead him in prayer. His certainty that he was entering hell was so convincing that it removed the doctor’s personal skepticism. The patient survived the ordeal and became a Christian. He could recall the prayer and viewing his body from a distance, and yet he could remember nothing of his hellish experience. Apparently, it was so horrific that his mind had suppressed it. Previous researchers had not personally resuscitated patients. They were content to interview people who had sufficient time to repress unpleasant experiences. The doctor records another man’s description of his experiences after his heart stopped beating. It ended up being so horrendous that the patient was certain he had been to hell. It brought about his conversion. Yet the first part of his experience was blissful – floating above his body, feeling happy, at peace and free from pain. Had he been resuscitated at that point, his impression of life after death would have been vastly different. Eighty-five percent of people resuscitated after suicide attempts reported being glad to be alive. Every account Dr. Rawlings has collected from such people has been ‘hellish’. Overall, he found that interviewing people immediately after resuscitation produced as many reports of bad experiences as good ones. In line with Scripture’s affirmation that multitudes will have an unpleasant after-life, a number of people have reported hearing unpleasant sound, rather than beautiful music. Mention is made of ‘the awfullest, eerie sounds,’ ‘a roaring noise,’ and an unforgettable, ‘really bad buzzing noise’. The bias that many people have is illustrated by the fact that Dr. Rawlings himself has been misquoted in a way that suggested all after-death experiences are pleasant. We are justifiably dubious of experiences which cause some non-Christians to give glowing reports of ‘life after death’. However, it seems theoretically possible that even some of these could be in accordance with reality, though misinterpreted. Certainly, most non-Christians have some pleasant earthly experiences which are neither Satanic deception, nor indicative of where they will spend eternity. I confess ignorance, but it seems theoretically possible that on the other side of the grave they could also have a few moments in pleasant surrounds before being ushered into a strikingly different abode. The Bible seems to hint at this possibility. Before being hurled into the lake of fire, (Revelation 20:15) non-Christians will be brought before the great white throne (Revelation 20:11). Presumably, this is situated in a very beautiful, heavenly place. Hence, for at least this brief moment, it seems that non-Christians could be in lovely surrounds before being cast into hell. Conclusion Reports from resuscitated patients are usually consistent with the reality of hell. When correctly interpreted, even non-Christian data is more creditable than we might have imagined. So we are certainly justified in examining Christian reports with an open mind. The Deceiver always tries to pervert the most beautiful, loving and holy acts of God into opportunities to amplify his evil. He bent the miraculous provision of manna into an occasion for the Israelites to murmur against their Lord (Numbers 11.5-6). He twisted God’s infallible Word into a weapon of deception against the holy Son of God (Matthew 4:5-6). He used Jesus’ power over demons to blaspheme Him as the prince of demons (Matthew 12:24). He turned divine judgment into an opportunity to curse God instead of repent (Revelation 16:10-11). Rather than list a hundred more examples, let’s focus on the point: if we failed to differentiate between an act of God and the evil interpretation with which Satan tries to tar it, we could end up labelling as satanic virtually everything God has ever done. NOTE 2.3: More Information About Dr. Eby I shudder at Dr. Eby’s apparently uncritical account of how his mother, as a girl, came under the influence of an American Indian medicine man. Nevertheless, I believe a careful reading of the whole book restores one’s faith in the genuineness of Dr. Eby’s Christian experience. As biblical support for the reality of his celestial journey, Dr. Eby equates Paul (2 Corinthians 12:1-4) with the time the apostle was stoned and left for dead (Acts 14:19). Though I disagree, this in no way detracts from the genuineness of the doctor’s experience. The weakness in his argument is that even after ‘being caught up into paradise’, Paul did not know whether he had been in or out of the body, (2 Corinthians 12:2-3) in the stoning incident his body seems to have clearly been on earth. The doctor’s theory is based on the assumption that Paul actually died when stoned, something Scripture does not specifically state (Contrast Acts 14:19 with Acts 20:9). Finally, there is a chronological problem: the stoning does not appear to have occurred in the year referred to in 2 Corinthians 12:2 (i.e. not fourteen years prior to the penning of 2 Corinthians). NOTE 2.4: More Reports Of Celestial Music In the following instances, reports were too brief to add to our understanding of celestial music. Their mere existence, however, tend to confirm the reliability of the accounts recorded in the body of the book. Obviously, the larger the number of independent witnesses, the harder it is to escape the conclusion that heavenly strains have touched earthly ears. Moreover, some bear striking resemblances to incidents already cited. August Hermann Francke (3-1727), a German clergyman and educator, is renowned for his important role in a spiritual movement intended to revive the Lutheran church at a time when it was becoming increasingly formal and lifeless. According to Basilea Schlink, he heard heavenly music as he was dying. It is said that even his family heard it. Prompted by the Lord, Rev. W. B. McKay’s wife closed the door, drew the curtains and commenced praying. Suddenly, the room was filled with a brilliant light. The Lord Jesus appeared, saying He had come to show her the splendors of heaven. Together with Jesus and a host of angels, she spiraled up to heaven, leaving her body behind. As they ascended, Mrs. McKay heard angelic music and singing which she says was indescribable. In the city of God, she witnessed many things, including the redeemed, some of whom she had known on earth, singing. The Lord declared that she and her husband would be given a healing ministry. He urged her to remain humble so that He could work through her. The entire experience may have lasted seven hours. Her spirit then returned to earth. Over her body were three highly concerned men: her husband, a doctor, and the Bible college president. Until that moment, the doctor had been unable to detect any pulse. Mrs. McKay later testified that this heavenly encounter radically changed her life. Both she and her husband received the prophesied healing ministry. This incident dovetails nicely with several of the accounts I have cited. Numerous people have reported hearing ethereal music during, or on the verge of, clinical death. Perhaps all of these were born-again believers. The information given is sometimes too scanty to be sure. Only six of the hundred cases in Osis’ study heard ‘sacred music or heavenly choruses’. His sample was taken from the general population. Had he weeded out non-Christians, I suspect the percentage would have been much higher. Unfortunately, the nature of the music heard rarely receives any attention from researchers. One lady described the music as ‘majestic’. Another called what she heard ‘organ music’. (You may recall that Mrs. Grace Murphy also mentioned organ music in her attempt to describe the sounds she heard.) Other accounts were even less descriptive, merely using such words as ‘beautiful’ and ‘wonderful’. So common is this phenomenon that when I saw a compilation about dying Christians I bought it, confident that I would find reference to celestial music. I was not disappointed. In five separate reports, dying Christians heard music with such vividness that they expected others in the room to be able to hear it and of such quality that with obvious pleasure, even excitement, they summoned strength to speak of it. ‘Hear that music!’ exclaimed Rev. Hiram Case, ‘they don’t have such music as that on earth.’ There were other reports beside these five, but of particular interest was about an African youth, not long converted from heathenism, who had been gored by an elephant. Though ‘not preconditioned to descriptions of heaven,’ in his last moments he described angels to missionary Paul Landrus ‘and spoke of music like Landrus knew he had never heard in his lifetime.’ Chapter 3: Notes – The Culmination of Music NOTE 3.1: Ezekiel’s Temple and the Future of Music In its description of the temple Ezekiel saw in his vision, the King James Version refers to ‘the chambers of the singers in the inner court’ ( Ezekiel 40:44, KJV , supported by RV, NKJV, NASB, RSV marg only, NRSV, NIV, marg only, but not AMP, LB, Moffatt, NEB). Several English versions omit reference to singers here, preferring to follow the ancient Greek version, rather than the Hebrew. Depending upon your interpretation of this vision and whether you accept the reliability of the Hebrew (Masoretic) text at this point, you might see this as provision for the music ministry in the age to come. NOTE 3.2: ‘Harps of God’ Theologian, Leon Morris points out that the term harps of God in the book of Revelation is ‘unusual’. King James Bible readers would be excused for not recognizing this. In their version, 1 Chronicles 16:42 uses a similar expression ( instruments of God ) to refer to earthly Levitical musical instruments. The apparent similarity of terms, however, is a quirk of the King James Version. It is not found in the ancient translations of 1 Chronicles 16:42 , (Septuagint, Targum, Syriac, Arabic, Vulgate) nor in most modern versions. Not even Young’s literal, nor Jay Green’s Literal Translation, which both follow the King James text, nor the old Revised Version, has this expression. A more accepted translation is instruments of the songs of God . We find a similar expression to this elsewhere in even the King James Version – instruments of the music of the Lord ( 2 Chronicles 7:6 ). As a further complication, however, the NIV employs the expression the Lord’s musical instruments and the Lord’s instruments of praise in 2 Chronicles ( 2 Chronicles 7:6 ; 30:21 ). This rendition is not followed by other versions consulted (i.e. not used in the RSV, NASB, LB, GNB, NEB, NKJV or KJV) Old Testament musical instruments are otherwise referred to as the instruments of David ( 2 Chronicles 29:26-27 ; Nehemiah 12:36 ; cf 1 Chronicles 23:5 ; 2 Chronicles 7:6 ; Amos 6:5 ). So although translation problems abound – further intensified by the fact that the New and Old Testaments were written in different languages – it seems that rather than reflecting Old Testament terminology, harps of God contrasts with the Old Testament term instruments of David . In fact, the closest biblical parallel is trumpet of God ( 1 Thessalonians 4:16 ). Obviously, this ‘trumpet’ is of non-human origin.