In my last post I showed how the church has gone the same route as did Israel is creating disunity within its ranks and structure. Because of this disunity, and because of the increased persecution of Christians around the world, some look forward to the Rapture as a means of rescue. Yet, it may be that God is setting us up for something more foundational: unity with him.

There are two ideas that are currently prominent about what event should occur next according to biblical thinking. One is a Revival of Unity. This makes sense as Christ came to make unity of Israel’s disunity and the unity between himself and us. Now, Christ will make unity of the church before he receives her as his bride. Paul stated that he wanted to present Christ’s church to him in unity in the faith (Ep 4:13) and as a bride without blemish (Ep 2:27). There are things mentioned in Daniel chapter 7, Joel chapters 1 and 2, Habakkuk 2;14, Matthew 24:14, and other places that speak of things happening where things will look and become extremely bleak and almost hopeless, then the Lord steps in suddenly, power is given to his followers, and restoration of many things occur with one of these being unity between God and his church. This allows a revival, a harvest of souls, before Christ finally comes for his own, because these verses state than after these things occur, “then the end will come.”

The other event is the Rapture which we find in 1st Thessalonians 4 and in 1st Corinthians 15. This is a snatching away of those who believe in Jesus Christ so that he can then deal with Israel as a nation and deal with those who have chosen to reject him.

Both events are in Scripture. We should pray for revival and at the same time prepare for his coming. We should never put God in a box and assume he will work a certain way but be prepared to operate in the direction he leads. The order of Revival of Unity and then the Rapture makes sense as it will make a stark contrast between the outcomes before and after this event so people will know the Lord was involved in the disappearance of so man people. Also, this will allow the different beliefs in the Rapture Event to coalesce into one.

There are four different views of the timing of the Rapture: (1) before the Tribulation Period where believers are saved from God’s wrath which has been termed the seven-year Tribulation Period. What defines the timing of God’s wrath is what defines the other views regarding the timing of the Rapture; (2) mid-way during the Tribulation Period, as some believe the second half of the Tribulation Period, termed the Great Tribulation , is God’s Wrath because it is more severe than the first half of this time period; (3) three-quarters during the Tribulation Period, as some believe that the Tribulation is broken up into Man’s wrath, Satan’s Wrath, and God’s Wrath, and only the very last part is considered to be God’s Wrath from which believers will be protected, and (4) no Rapture Event at all. It is possible for these views to collapse into one.

Now if we look at the Time of the Gentiles, that is, the Church Era, it can be divided into four sections:

(1) The Early Church. This was when the Holy Spirit was first given and was allowed to work miraculously causing many to accept Christ as their Savior and they could then replicate what they had seen, heard, and experienced.

(2) The Decline of the Church. Unfortunately, this started not too long after the expansion of the Church throughout the Roman Empire. Greek, Hellenistic, and Gnostic thought processes began to infiltrate biblical interpretation and Church structure. The Church became hierarchical in structure which created an environment for those at the top of this hierarchy to crave power more than Christ. This inhibited the working of the Holy Spirit because those in influential seats of power were not allowing the Holy Spirit to lead them. Anyone who spoke out against them and their hypocrisy revealing that individuals had the power of the Holy Spirit to bring others to Christ rather than relying on the Church organization itself to achieve such a feat were suppressed by those in power, their validity attacked and made out to be heretics, and Church officials had many of these individuals put to death. Therefore, the gifts of the Holy Spirit became suppressed without people now seeking them or even knowing about them.

(3) The Reformation of the Church. This was a reawakening of the Church to many aspects of the Early Church but still with many weights and flaws of the previous hundreds of years by misguided leaders. Satan was quick to jump on this bandwagon to cause doctrinal disputes which split the church into an ever-increasing number of factions. With no one willing to listen to those trying to counter their waywardness and being unwilling to listen to correction or warning, it created more and more factions until, today, there are hundreds of various denominations which cannot get along and which bicker with each other rather than seeing how to unite under Christ.

(4) The Revival of Unity. This is a true reawakening of the Church to the Early Church beliefs and practices. Some call this the Kingdom Age, but I believe it is not so much a new thing, but a returning to something the Church once was. It is believed we will see the Holy Spirit being outpoured in significant ways that will likely jar many as we may again see signs and wonders by the Holy Spirit as a true testament to his power. As in the Early Church, this will lead many to put their faith in Jesus Christ. I can’t say with certainty this is true, but we should not limit what God can, and will, do. What he has done in the past, he can certainly do again. We live in unprecedented times, and I’m sure God will work in unprecedented ways.

The Jewish leaders during the time of Christ had to come to grips with things not going as they believed. We must do the same. By adding in this fourth part of Church history, it becomes obvious as to when God’s Wrath will start, so the three Rapture believes coalesce into one timing of the Rapture. Of course, those who do not believe in a Rapture at all would see this fourth part of Church history to move directly into Christ’s second coming. But there is still much prophecy in both the Old and New Testaments that must be fulfilled between the Rapture and Christ’s second coming.

If all of this is true, and it does seem to be supported by Scripture, how are we supposed to prepare for these events? Stay with me, and we’ll discuss this next time.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

In our last posts, I went over why there was so much disunity within Israel at the time Christ arrived on the scene. Because of this disunity, Jesus came on the scene as a prophet.

Jesus fulfilled the role of a prophet because the religious and ruling forces were not focused upon what God wanted them focused on. His teachings appeared so radical because they had drifted so far from the original intent of the Law that God had given to Moses. It is likely Moses himself would not have thought Jesus to be so radical because Moses understood God wanted a relationship with his people (Dt 7:6-8) and the laws given were for that purpose and not just something to be followed for the sake of following them.

Many compromises had been made by the Jewish leaders to make the Jewish religion more convenient for them to live in their world. It went from a religion about relationships to one of keeping rules and traditions which redefined their definition of righteousness. To them, obeying the rules and traditions of the Law is what imputed righteousness to them rather than seeing their shortcomings (Mt 23:23) and inability to follow all the laws and therefore needed their Messiah to come to impute his righteousness to them.

The Jews’ physical oppression led them to ignore all else Scripture said about the Messiah’s coming, and they believed he would rescue them from their Roman oppression. Yet Christ focused on something more foundational: their unity with him.

Unity is the key upon what Christ focused. While he said he came to create division (Lk 12:51), he was talking about the division between the falsehood being taught and the truth of Scripture. Yet, in him and through him he desired unity for all. Jesus said, My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one – I in them and you in me – so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me (Jn 17:20-23).

In almost every one of Paul’s epistles, especially Ephesians and Colossians, he also focused on unity because unity focuses on relationship; religion focuses on mankind’s obedience which Satan can weaponize.

Church history shows us that the church has taken the same route as did Israel. With power came corruption. The relationship between God and his church was turned into a religion which Satan was able to weaponize by creating disunity which caused God’s people to turn on each other. The church became more secular with less reliance on the Holy Spirit and thus a decline in gifts of the Holy Spirit, or even what they were and how to use them correctly. Differences became new denominations which created further disunity and created animosity even between Christians themselves. Christians have also become oppressed – some places more so than others. We, too, are looking for a rescue, but perhaps Christ wants us to focus on something more foundational as well: our unity with him.

Tune in next time as we explore this idea further and how God may restore his unity within his church.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

In our last post, I presented several examples of how God had presented himself to many people, in person, through Christophanies, through angels, and through the Holy Spirit. The Jews and their leaders had all these examples as well, so why was Israel not ready for the Messiah? Because of disunity. Anytime a God-human relationship is turned into a religion, disunity develops because Satan can exploit humans and their desires. Satan created distractions so they could not focus and accept the paradigm change they actually taught and believed. The Messiah’s coming was key to their belief system, so what happened to cause them to miss it?

From the time of Malachi, the last prophet and last book of the Old Testament until the announcement of the birth of Christ by the angel Gabriel to Mary, was what has been termed the 400 years of prophetic silence where, as far as we know there was no prophetic word from God. That’s a long time – about twice as long as the United States has existed.

Yet a lot happened during this timeframe. Daniel did prophesy about this time period long before it arrived, and his prophecy about these events were fulfilled during this time. Alexander the Great came upon the scene and captured the known world in record time. He was only a few years over the age of 30 when he became ruler of the known world. Yet, his reign was short-lived, and his kingdom was divided into four parts with the Seleucid Kingdom becoming one of the most dominant ones for the nation of Israel.

One of its rulers, Antiochus Epiphanes, desecrated the temple altar in Jerusalem which led to the Maccabean Revolt. This was a priestly family who led the revolt and, because of their eventual success in obtaining freedom from the Seleucids, was given the role of being military leaders of the Jewish peoples. The only problem with this was that they were now both priests and military rulers simultaneously. One of them eventually proclaimed himself king which led to the Hasmonean Dynasty which lasted for a little over one-hundred years. So, you had a king being both king and high priest. We saw previously that when this happened and was not God-ordained as was the case with Saul and Uzziah, it led to unwanted consequences. The problem with something wrong being perpetuated for so long is that what is wrong becomes normalized and eventually is not seen as wrong at all.

There were now no longer God-ordained checks and balances between these two offices. The high priest became a political position which led to all sorts of greed and atrocities. This led to the rise of Herod the Great, an Idumean force-converted Jew, who expanded the Jewish temple but also sided with Rome who held the priesthood captive by maintaining control of the high priest’s vestments and ephod. The high priest had to come to the Roman prefect before he could perform any of his duties on given Jewish festivals or any holy days.

So, how did this disunity creep into Israel? The main culprit was the positions of high priest and king held by the same person under Hasmonean rule. This prevented the spiritual check and balance between the king and the high priest. This crowded out the purpose of a prophet who was despised, ignored, and/or killed if such a one did arise (Mt 23:37). Certain Scriptures were ignored while others were over emphasized. Only those prophecies that were understood and agreed to by Jewish scholars were widely taught. This led to the Jewish belief that the Messiah would be a conquering king to relieve them of all oppressors. This led to some Jews becoming militant and the leaders becoming afraid for their positions and their nation if such a one came and fought against Rome. This made them more exclusionary to non-Jews and increased their animosity for those not like them. This thought process prevented them from fulfilling one of their main mandates from God which was to bring all people unto Himself.

Not only was there a distraction from the way Jews worshipped and the Roman empire which held sway over their governance, there was also a lot of theological and philosophical debate between Jewish leaders which created division and left most people unsure of what to truly believe.

Pharisees followed both the oral and written law strictly and tried to apply it to every aspect of life. While they believed in all books we have in our Old Testament, they had oral interpretation which they also treated just as strongly as the Word of God itself. Emphasis was on obedience, not relationship. Then there were some Pharisees who were more conservative in their beliefs and practices and others who were more liberal in their interpretation of Scripture.

Sadducees rejected the oral law and any other sources of authority besides the written Torah, i.e., the first five books of the Old Testament. They ignored historical books, like Joshual and Judges; poetry books, like Psalms and Proverbs; and Prophetic books, like Isaiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel. There was always much theological and philosophical debate with the Pharisees.

Essenes were known for their celibacy, fasting, meditation, and communal sharing of goods, but they were also criticized for their isolationism and sectarianism. They believed the Pharisees and Sadducees to be hypocrites and traitors to their Jewish religion. They felt they were the better arbiters and keepers of Scriptural teachings.

Herodians believed that Herod and his successors were the best option for the Jewish people under the Roman rule, and that they fulfilled some aspects of the messianic prophecies. They took their current world as being scriptural so they could justify their lifestyle and their current world view.

Zealots were militant Jews who advocated armed resistance against the Roman occupation of their land. They ignored all prophetic scriptures expect those which supported their belief that the Messiah would come as a conquering king, defeat all their foes, especially Rome, and set Israel up as the ruling nation of the entire world.

As we can see, dissent arose not because Scriptures were ignored but because different aspects of Scripture and prophecy were emphasized more than others or even completely ignored. So, what did this mean for Jesus as he came upon the scene? Stay turned and we’ll discuss this topic next time.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

In the past posts, we have seen how God is a God of unity and desires a relationship with us and has used the positions of king, priest, and prophet to help establish that. To do that, God has communicated to mankind in various ways. He did not do it in just one way but adapted to what was needed at the time. This also helps to show us that God is versatile in what he does as he keeps his character consistent. This also helps us to recognize that we cannot predict exactly how God will accomplish something, but we can rest assured in his character.

God can speak to us directly as Father, as his Son, or as the Holy Spirit. He can also speak to us through angels and through his Scripture. There are many examples of each of these forms of communication in Scripture.

God has appeared to many individuals in person. God spoke to Cain after he killed his brother Abel (Gn 4:9), spoke to Noah about the plans for the ark (Gn 6:13-22), to enter the ark (Gn 7:1), to exit the ark (Gn 8:15), and gives his blessing on them after they leave the ark (Gn 9:1-17). God told Abram to leave Ur (Gn 12:1-3) and promised him the land of Canaan (Gn 12:7). God appeared to Abram in a vision to make a covenant with him (Gn 15:1-19) and spoke aloud three times to announce Jesus Christ as his Son (Mt 3:16-18; Mt 17:5; Jn 12:28).

God has spoken as the Angel of the Lord which is likely Christ in his preincarnate form, and these manifestations are called Christophanies. He appeared to Hagar, the servant of Sarai, Abram’s wife (Gn 16:9-11), spoke to Abraham from heaven (Gn 22:11-15), appeared to Moses in a burning bush (Ex 3:2), spoke to Israelites during their journey to Canaan, their Promised Land (Nu 20:16), spoke to, and reprimanded, Balaam who had been hired by the king of Moab to cure the Israelites (Nu 22:22-35), reprimanded the Israelites for them not following him (Jd 2:1-4; 5:23), appeared to Gideon to raise him up as a deliverer for his people (Jd 6:11-12), appeared to the wife of Manoah announcing the birth of Samson (Jd 13:3) and to Manoah himself (Jd 13:13-21), appeared to Elijah to have him speak for him (2Ki 1:3-15), slew 186,000 Assyrians who had come against Jerusalem (2Ki 19:24; 2Ch 32:21; Is 37:36), punished Israel for David disobeying and numbering the Israelites which was against God’s wishes for David (1Ch 21:12-30), appeared to Joseph in a dream to tell him to take Mary as his wife (Mt 1:20-24), appeared to Saul (Paul) on his way to Damascus (Ac 9:3-4), and appeared to John on the Isle of Patmos (Rv 1:9-20).

The Holy Spirit speaks to and through individuals. He spoke through prophets (Ne 9:30) as well as the following: David (2Sa 23:2; Mk 12:36), Gideon (Jd 6:13), Jephthah (Jd 15:1), Samuel (1Sa 14:18), and Saul (1Sa 10:10, 11:6). The Holy Spirit testifies of Jesus Christ (1Co 12:3), communicated with Jesus (Mt 4:1), and will speak to and through us (Mt 10:20; Lk 12:12).

God speaks through angels, often through dreams and visions, but not always. Angels appeared to the following in this way. Angels appeared physically to Lot (Gn 19:1) and to Jacob (Gn 28:12, 32:1). They appeared in a vision to Isaiah (Is 6:1-3). The angel Gabriel appeared to Daniel (Dn 8, 9), and to Mary (Lk 1:19). An angel appeared to Joseph in a dream (Mt 1:20, 2:19). Angels appeared to shepherds at Christ’s birth (Lk 2:9), attended to Christ’s needs (Mt 4:11), and appeared to women at Christ’s tomb (Mt 28:5). An angel appeared to Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, to Peter in jail (Ac 5:19, 12:8), to Deacon Philip (Ac 8:26), and to Cornelius, a Gentile Roman officer who sought knowing God (Ac 10:4).

God definitely speaks to us through his Scripture. Here are a few verses saying that:

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness (2Ti 3:16).

For the word of God is alive and active . . . (Hb 4:12).

Your word is a lamp for my feet, and a light on my path (Ps 119:105).

So is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for what I sent it (Is 55:11).

Although we have seen how God adapts over time to help mankind understand him, God cannot change his character (Ml 3:6; Hb 13:8) and his plan cannot be altered (Pr 19:21; Ep 1:11). God can change his methods, but he does not limit them (Jb 9:10; Ps 115:3; Is 46:9-10). His gifts and calling are irrevocable (Ro 11:29). God will speak through us once again similar to how he did with the prophets of old (Jb 33:14-18; Jl 2:28) and we should test what is spoken to be sure it is from God and aligns with Scripture (1Th 5:20-21 1Jn 4:1, 2Pt 1:20-21). How God has spoken and whatever he has done in the past, he can do again.

Of course, the Jewish leaders knew all of this as well, so why were they not ready for the Messiah’s coming? Well discuss this topic next time.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

In previous posts we have talked about how God’s unity is tied to the roles of king, priest, and prophet. Under the leadership of Moses, he transferred these roles to certain individuals within Israel. Let’s see how God expected them to operate on his behalf.

God sets earthly kings up as being his agents to the people. God gave kings a divine mandate (Dt 17:5-20). Israeli kings were to be chosen by God (Dt 17:15), were not to be a foreigner (Dt 17:15), were not to amass horses or wives or silver and gold (Dt 17: 15-17), should write a copy of the law and read it all his days (Dt 1:18-19), was to ensure covenant observance by the people (Dt 17:20), was to rule with justice and righteousness (Is 32:1), and have military leadership (1Sa 23:2).

Let’s look back at the mandate requiring a king to write a copy of the law and read it all his days. As king, he should know the law as well as, or even better than, the priests as he was to have it read daily and consistently. He can’t lead as God would expect unless his own words were like those God himself would speak. He was representing God to his people and needed to have the mind of God to do that. Reading and studying God’s words was the only way for him to accomplish that. A corollary to this is what Paul tells us in 1st Corinthians: we are to have the mind of Christ (1Co 2:16).

Priests were seen as ministers of God. They were to guard God’s covenant by carrying out the duties of the tabernacle/temple required by the law (Dt 33:8-11), make atonement for Israel as God commanded (1Ch 6:29), and were to teach the difference between the holy and common and show how to distinguish between the unclean and the clean (Ek 44:23).

Prophets were seen as God’s enforcers to ensure and maintain alignment between kingly leadership and religious observances and teachings. They were to be messengers of God tasked with conveying his words to the people, were to remind Israel of their covenant with God, advocate for social justice often condemning the exploitation and oppression of the poor and vulnerable, foretold future events, both immediate and distant, acted as intercessors between God and the people, and were to be instruments of God’s miraculous power, performing signs and wonders to validate their message and mission.

While this was set up for Israel to follow God so they could have and maintain a relationship with him, God has done the same for us. Yet, our relationship with him is even more intimate because of Jesus Christ coming and fulfilling what the law required. He speaks to us in several different ways. There are many examples in Scripture about this. How he has communicated before, he can do so again. This is what we’ll be exploring next time. Pease join me.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

In our last post, we stated that the roles of prophet, priest, and king can be linked to how God’s trinity works since how earthly government works is reflective of how heavenly government works. These roles were not always distinct, and at times this was within God’s will, but often it was not.

Sometimes, serving in more than one capacity leads to consequences. For example, Saul offered sacrifices at Gilgal and Samuel reprimanded him which ultimately led to Saul’s kingdom being taken from him (1Sa 13:10-14). This was not the only time Saul had disobeyed God as Samuel instructed, for Saul had been disobedient to God several times (1Sa 15:9-10). Another example is King Uzziah offering incense in the temple and Azariah, the priest, reprimanding him for this because it was a duty only for priests, and Uzziah developed leprosy as a consequence for his actions, and he remained leprous until his death (2Ch 26:19-21).

In these instances, both Saul and Uzziah were not trying to draw attention toward God but to usurp him and his wishes for them due to their own selfish egos.

Yet, sometimes God blessed the actions of some who served in more than one capacity. In one example, king David built an altar and offered burnt offering and fellowship offerings to stay a plague sent due to his sin. He did this at the bequest of God through a prophet, however. It was a way for David to accept the responsibility for his actions going against God’s wishes (2Sa 24:16-25). In another example, king David wore a linen ephod and danced before the LORD when he brought the Ark of the Covenant into Jerusalem (2Sa 6:14). In these instances, while some saw David, like his wife, Michal, drawing negative attention to himself, he was actually drawing the people’s attention toward God.

At times, some typified a type of Christ and served in all three roles. Samuel (judge, priest, prophet) was the last of the judges but the judges before him did not serve as a priest. Judges did serve as a type of prophet at times. Samuel became not only a prophet but a priest from that time going forward. He was a Levite, being a descendant of Kohath, a son of Levi.

David (king, priest, prophet) we know was a king. He sometimes acted as a prophet because many passages in Psalms are prophetic in nature. And he sometimes acted as if a priest, as just noted, to draw everyone’s attention toward God. These examples helped the people better understand the character their coming Messiah would possess.

Christ would also fulfill each of these roles, just not in the way the Jewish leaders thought he would. He came physically to Israel as a prophet (Mt 21:46; Jn 4:44), he now serves as a high priest for us (Hb 4:14), and will one day return to reign as king (1Ti 6:13-16).

Throughout biblical history, we see how God adapts his methodology at the same time his character remains unchanged. As God revealed more and more of his character, he also introduced other ways of communication to those who listened to him.

The Bible speaks of God talking to many of the patriarchs from Adam all the way through Moses personally. God walked and talked with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden (Gn 3:8-9), he spoke directly with Noah (Gn 7:1), he spoke to many of the patriarchs personally (e.g., Jacob; Gn 32:24-30), in visions (e.g., Abram; Gn 15:1), dreams (e.g., Joseph; Gn 37:5), and through angels (Abraham; Gn 18:3), and he spoke to Moses face-to-face through his Shekinah glory as a friend would talk with a friend (Ex 33:11).

God originally fulfilled all three roles of King, Priest, and Prophet as he led and taught Adam and Even in the Garden of Eden, he later had patriarchs function as priests for their families, and as prophets to the people. After the Flood, he had Melchizedek (Gn 14:18) function as king and priest to better portray how God expected these roles to function when they would be held by humans. Under Moses, God brought these functions under human leadership so they could better understand God and his role in their lives.

God appeared on Mt. Sinai in an awesome way: in clouds, smoke, and lightning (Ex 19:16), revealing his ultimate authority. Moses became the spoke piece for God to the people (Ex 20:18), and God spoke to him face-to-face through his Shekinah glory (Ex 33:11). This revealed Moses’ authority to the people and made them more inclined to listen to him as they looked to him as they would look to God as their leader—a type of kingly authority, if you will.

God appears to Moses, Aaron and his sons, and the seventy elders of Israel and eats and drinks with them (Ex 24:9-11); likely a type of communion as we would recognize it today – it would be symbolic of his future death for their reconciliation as his priestly role. God gives instructions to Moses as to exactly how the Tabernacle was to be constructed and ceremonies conducted. All aspects of the Tabernacle pointed to Christ, their coming Messiah and what he would do for them – a fulfillment of the promise God has given to Adam and Eve.

The Holy Spirit fills the seventy elders who are to lead the people. The elders assist the people to help them align God’s words into their daily living. Although the filling of the Holy Spirit was temporary during this time, it was prophetic of how he would one day indwell his followers permanently so they, too, can align with his words in their daily living.

Next, we will see how God now expected those individuals with these duties to now act and live so they can represent him to the people. I hope you join me for that.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

In our last post, we discussed how our perception of God is likely influenced by us living in a different dimension than where God resides. He also has unity between his three components of unity, and they can be represented by our human understanding of the positions of prophet, priest, and king. Let’s explore this topic further.

A king is someone who has ultimate authority. This is akin to God the Father who has ultimate authority over all. The Apostle Paul tells us in Ephesians 4:6 – One God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. There is no one higher than God the Father and all things work according to his plan which no one can thwart.

A priest has spiritual authority. This is akin to God the Son who enacts God’s plan of reconciliation and will become the ultimate judge of mankind because everyone will be judged according to one’s response to Jesus Christ and his work of redemption and reconciliation. John tells us, in John 5:27 – And he [the Father] has given him [the Son] authority to judge because he is the Son of Man.

The term “Son of Man” had a more profound meaning to the Jewish leaders than did the term “Son of God.” Jeus is referred to as “Son of God” 46 times in the New Testament and as “Son of Man” 81 times. The term “Son of God” was applied to angels, pious men, and the kings of Israel. Yet, the term “Son of Man” became symbolic of the coming Jewish Messiah. Well known to Jews, and especially to the Jewish leaders, was this term used by the prophet Daniel: In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence (Dn 7:13).

The prophet Ezekiel was called “son of man” because he typified as a type of the coming Messiah, acted as a divine messenger and mediator between God and humanity, offered hope to the exiled nation of Israel, served as a watchman calling Israel to repentance, acted as a shepherd providing guidance, and as a priest interceding for their reconciliation with God.

This term “Son of Man” became known to refer to their coming Messiah who they believed would bring about an everlasting kingdom where righteousness and justice would reign. The term wasn’t only a title for the Messiah but represented him being both human and divine identifying and sympathizing with the human condition yet possessing the power and authority of God (Title Son of Man). This is why the Jewish leaders got to upset when Jesus referred to himself as Son of Man because he was stating he was both human and divine. They could not accept this because Jesus did not fit the mold for which they had envisioned for their Messiah.

A prophet helps to ensure alignment between the king and the priest so they both give a consistent message to the people about God. This is the working of God the Holy Spirit. Jesus stated in John 15:26 – When the Advocate (i.e., Holy Spirit] comes, whom I [i.e., Christ] will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me (i.e, Christ, the Son of God].

These ways in which God works is for the purpose of creating Unity: both within himself and between himself and mankind.

These roles were not always distinct within the Godhead or within human presentation. Sometimes an individual fulfilled, or tried to fulfill, more than one role. Next time, we’ll go further into this topic. Please join me.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

God is a God of unity. How does he communicate such a characteristic? He does this through the offices of prophet, priest, and king. This is a trinity of a sort where each serve as a check and balance for the other. We’ll explore this more as we go over this topic in the next several posts.

The Bible tells us that God is a God of order (1Co 14:23). What does that mean? For one, it means that God is about unity which means he is about relationships. And this unity and relationship starts with God himself. The Bible clearly states that God is one: “Hear O Israel, the LORD our God the LORD is one” (Dt 6:4). How does this verse align with God being Trinity? Although not directly stated in the Bible, we do see a Trinity of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. We experience these as three separate individuals, but they are of one will and work in harmony with each other. So, how do we have a Three-in-One God? Is he really one, or is he three? Perhaps it is a matter of our perception and not a matter of who he is.

Our perception of God can be partly explained by thinking about dimensions. In the book Flatland by Edwin Abbot, originally written as a piece of political satire, it has become more famous about an understanding of dimensional perceptions than it has about politics. Abbott speaks of how someone who lives in a two-dimensional world (i.e., with only length and width—no height) would experience a three-dimensional object, like a sphere. From a Flatland—2-dimensional—perspective, the sphere will at first look like a point which grows as a circle in size until the diameter of the sphere is reached and then shrinks in size until it appears again as a point. Therefore, what is observed is a perspective of the sphere but not the sphere as it really exists in its own dimension. Those in Flatland can only observe the character of the sphere but never the sphere itself.

Maybe a more complex 3-D structure can help us better understand our perception of God: perhaps something like a tetrahedron. In a 2-D world, this object will appear as a progression of different diameter circles going from one circle and ending as three circles. And depending on orientation, it may appear different each time it passes through their dimension. So their experience is different each time if the object’s orientation changes. This is similar to how we experience God. He does not change, just as this object is the same each time, but how we experience him can be different each time, just as the Flatlanders experienced the object differently due to the orientation of the object.

So, if God is a God of order, does that mean we can answer the nagging question, “Is God predictable?” Some, who may look at God as the sphere, say we can see what he has done in the past and then know how he will respond going forward. Others, who may see God as the tetrahedron, say that no one can know what God will do in any given situation. I think there is a better way to look at this. We can observe how God has worked in the past which lets us know how he could work in the future but not how he will work in the future. Why do I say this? Because there are two things to consider: God’s character and God’s methods. His character is consistent. This is equivalent to the object itself which never changed. In Malachi, it states, “I the LORD do not change” (Ml 3:6). This same sentiment is expressed in other Scriptural passages as well. Yet, his methods of working are adaptive. This is similar to the object’s orientation changing. This reminds us of the words of the apostle Paul: “Who has known the mind of the LORD? Or who has been his counselor?” (Ro 11:34).

We don’t have the time to go into how God’s heavenly council works, but we do know that how God works on the Earth is patterned after how he works in heaven (Hb 9:24). The trinity can be seen in the earthly duties of a king, a priest, and a prophet.

This is what we will look at in my next post. I hope you join me as we discuss this topic further.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

So far in this miniseries, we have seen how the love of God and the wrath of God are inseparable in God’s character and how that has helped to explain some of our misconceptions about the worldwide flood and the command by God to have Israel wipe out many of the Amorites in their Promised Land when they went to conquer it. Now, let’s look at the New Testament in this same light.

In the New Testament, we see the love and wrath of God are even more intertwined than we saw in the Old Testament. This is because God’s love for us has taken away God’s wrath from us because God’s wrath was poured out on Jesus Christ rather than onto us. We perceive that as his love for us, which it is, but it was also an act of God’s wrath against sin. His ultimate wrath on the earth is postponed until after he comes for his church, his bride.  Therefore, it is something we have not yet seen because it is still part of future prophecy, but it is something that will come to pass.

Also, God is still inclusionary but requires a reality check. As with most countries, you are happily included with them—if you have a passport. He paid for our sins, but action is required on our part. Just because someone has bought you a gift does you no good unless you accept the gift. Why? We are not in His Kingdom until we agree to be in His Kingdom. Contrary to popular belief and song, we are not all God’s children. Why do I say that?

We are born into Satan’s Kingdom. It is in a time dimension. That means there will be an end to it one day. It can be compared to a sinking ship. It requires action to get out of a sinking ship. Jesus said: … whosoever does not believe stands condemned already … (Jn 3:17, NIV). In other words, without making a decision, although it is really a decision of ‘no,’ we go down with the ship. What ties us to this sinking ship is our sin, which is disobedience, or rebellion. Rebellion sounds harsh for disobedience, but it is saying no to anything God has asked us to say yes to. By disobeying, you are actually rebelling against what was asked of you.

We don’t automatically try to get out of the sinking ship because we are blinded by the owner of the ship we are in that there is nothing wrong with the ship. Paul stated the following: “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned” (1Co 2:14, NIV). Therefore, action must be taken to become unblinded to Satan’s lies and get out of his kingdom.

We are transferred from the sinking ship (Satan’s Kingdom) to the Lifeboat (God’s Kingdom). However, action is needed on our part. Just because the boat is supplied doesn’t help us unless we get in it. Faith is needed to be transferred from Satan’s Kingdom into God’s Kingdom. Paul tells us the following: “For he (i.e., Jesus Christ) has rescued us from the dominion of darkness (i.e., Satan’s kingdom, the sinking ship) and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves (i.e., God’s Kingdom, the Lifeboat), in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Cl 1:13, NIV).

We find ourselves on the sinking ship of Satan’s Kingdom. When we realize we need and want to be on Christ’s rescue boat and accept his invitation to join him, the Holy Spirit becomes our life preserver which we receive from him. Then he transfers us from our sinking ship, Satan’s Kingdom, into the lifeboat, into God’s Kingdom, where we are now saved from destruction and we can have rest. We use the term “saved” because we have been rescued from destruction, rescued from a sinking ship which is Satan’s Kingdom because his kingdom is this world, and it will come to an end and be destroyed along with all those a part of it. We are transferred into God’s Kingdom which is not of this world, outside time, and therefore will last eternally as will we.

Choice is something God has graciously ensured we possess. The Flood occurred to preserve our God given right of choice. Many of the Amorites were destroyed because of the consequences of their choice. That was true for the captivity of Judah and Israel as well. Christ died on the cross to pay for the sin (disobedience, rebellion) so that choice can be tangible to us once again.

God has given us choice, something Satan does not want us to recognize. He wants us to see choice as something bad, something that infringes upon our rights and makes God look vengeful. Yet, without choice we would be mere robots. Choice comes with obedience and disobedience and comes with consequences. What will you choose with your right of choice? Are you prepared for the consequence? Choose Christ = Everlasting home with Christ where wonderment and joy abounds. Choose our current state (which many look at as not making a choice) = Everlasting home with Satan where regret, chaos, and turmoil abounds.

Bottom line: We need to Choose Wisely.

I trust you do choose wisely if you have not yet done so. Today is the day of salvation (2Co 6:2). The lifeboat is waiting. All you have to do is get in.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

In our last post, we talked about God’s instruction to Israel to annihilate the Amorites in the land of Canaan because of their wickedness and their lack of responding to God and turning from their wicked practices. God used Israel to enact the consequence to the Amorite’s sin but was also raising Israel to be his standard to the world. Let’s look more closely at this concept.

Israel was to be the standard to the world. For Israel to be a light to the rest of the world, Israel had to eliminate all elements which were ungodly. A standard must be flawless, or else it is not a standard. This was the reason Israel was held to a higher standard than other nations. All the laws given to Israel was for Israel, not for other nations to follow.

In addition, Israel was not to exclude outsiders from their land – after all, three main trade routes connecting three continents (Africa, Europe, and Asia) went through this area: Way of the Sea (later known as Via Maria), Ridge Route, and King’s Highway. All three of these trade routes would bring Gentiles through Israel so they could be taught the ways of God. Isael was to become the moral compass for the world. If Israel obeyed God and received all the blessings promised them (abundant rain, abundant crops, lush landscape, and longevity; Dt 28:1-14), that would be a testimony to all those who would pass through Israel on any of these three routes and inquire what makes things different here.

However, those living within the boundaries of Israel would be required to exclude wicked practices. Non-Israelites had to abide by the same laws of the land as the Israelites did (Ex 12:48-49, 20:10; Lv 16:29, 17:12, 15; Nu 15:14, 16). It seems God has always expected mankind to understand and follow what he knows is right (Ro 1:18-20), whether being his “chosen” people or not. Justice seems to always follow a failed response to the love of God’s longsuffering.

God allowed non-Israelites to live in the land but also had requirements for them. God often put the alien living in the land in the same category as the poor, orphan, and widow. This is because they were now a minority. They were to be taken care of in a loving way: allowed to glean the corners of fields and left-overs following olive and grape harvests (Lv 23:22; Dt 24:20-21), were to be treated judiciously (Dt 1:16; 24:17), should not be taken advantage of (Dt 24:14), and part of the third-year tithe would be for the alien (Dt 26:12). This was because God stated he loved the alien (Dt 10:18), and the Israelites were to remember they were once slaves in Egypt (Dt 24:22). This helped to train the Israelites to be kind to their neighbors who were not like them and to allow the non-Israelite to see how God loved them as well.

Those Gentiles living in the land had to obey the laws of the land (Ex 12:49; Lv 24:22):
• allowed to glean the corners of fields and left-overs following olive and grape harvests (Lv 23:22; Dt 24:20-21)
• had to observe the Sabbath (Ex 20:10)
• had to not work on the Day of Atonement (Lv 16:29)
• could not eat blood (Lv 17:10) but had to drain the blood from the animal before preparing and eating (Lv 17:13)
• had to cleanse themselves when encountering anything dead (Lv 17:15)
• would be put to death if they offered their children as a sacrifice to any god (Lv 20:2) or if they blasphemed the name of the Lord (Lv 24:16)
• had to abide by the rules of redemption and of the Jubilee (Lv 25:47-50) and had to abide by the decisions of the judges of the land (Dt 1:16)
• They were to be taught about God and His Law, just as were the Israelites (Dt 31:12-13).
• If they decided to become a proselyte, then all the Mosaic laws applied, and all males had to be circumcised before they could celebrate Passover (Ex 12:48).

God was inclusionary but required righteous living.

Also, God always gave warnings before his justice was administered. Before the flood, God announced coming judgment and the need for repentance (Gn 6:5-7) and announced a flood was coming during the time of Noah (Gn 6:17). He gave the Amorites time to repent before administering his justice (Gn 15:16). God announced his plans to the king of Nineveh (Jh 3:4-5), to Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon (Dn 2), to Cyrus, king of Medo-Persia (Is 45:1-13), and gave visions to Alexander the Great. Paul gave the gospel to Caesar’s household (Pp 4:22) during the time of the Roman Empire. Unfortunately, it seems that most of these did not heed his warning. He has also given us a warning of future judgment in his word.

God also glorified himself among the Gentiles. He did not restrict himself just to Israel. The king of Nineveh did respond to Jonah’s preaching (Jh 3:5) and gave Nineveh another one-hundred years before it was finally destroyed. Nebuchadnezzar did finally recognize the authority of God (Dn 4:37), and several times did announce to his entire kingdom that the One True God was to be respected (Dn 2:47; 3:28-29). Several of the kings of Persia did the same (Dn 6:26; Er 1:1-2). Many of Caesar’s household in Rome accepted Christ as their Savior (Pp 4:22).

So, what happened? We know that this ideal state for Israel being a calling card to the rest of the world and to show the world the path to God did not happen. Rather than being inclusionary, they became exclusionary. They used God’s words about them being his chosen possession to mean they were special, meaning, at least in their way of thinking, all others were not special. So, rather than harmony, disharmony occurred. Disobedience led to cursing rather than blessing (Dt 28:15). Then, as typical, and with Satan egging on the disharmony, things never got turned around. Even the coming of their promised Messiah did not produce the harmony that even the Jewish leaders taught. Satan had truly sold them a bill of goods they could not see beyond.

Next time, we’ll look at the New Testament in light of God’s love and justice and see how that affects us today. Please join me.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

Last time, we saw how God’s love for us became a major driving force for the worldwide flood which he sent over the Earth. Satan was trying to destroy God’s gift of choice to us and God ensured that did not happen. This time, let’s look at God’s command against the Amorites in the land of Canaan.

What possible reason could God have for wiping out many of the those in the land of Canaan when Israel conquered the land? Why couldn’t they all just get along? God was in the process of creating a standard for the world. Let’s first look at what God told Israel about this:

“When the LORD your God brings you into the land you are entering to possess and drives out before you many nations—the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, seven nations larger and stronger than you—and when the LORD your God has delivered them over to you and you have defeated them, then you must destroy them totally. Make no treaty with them and show them no mercy. Do not intermarry with them. Do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons, for they will turn your children away from following me to serve other gods, and the LORD’s anger will burn against you and will quickly destroy you. This is what you are to do to them: Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones, cut down their Asherah poles, and burn their idols in the fire. For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession” (Dt 7:1-6, NIV; emphasis mine).

Israel was to be the standard, the beacon, for the entire world. Purity and devotion to God was an imperative given for them to affect the world and lead others toward God. Godliness can devolve into evil and chaos more easily than evil can evolve into godliness and order. God knew this and took precaution in that regard.

You may be thinking, well Abraham was already in the land at one point, why did God lead his descendants out just to bring them back to destroy the people there? Let’s look at what God told Abraham:

“Then the LORD said to him, ‘Know for certain that for four hundred years your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own and they will be enslaved and mistreated there. But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions. You, however, will go to your ancestors in peace and be buried at a good old age. In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure’” (Gn 15:13-16, NIV).

Here, again, God was being merciful. He was giving the Amorites time to repent and turn away from their evil practices. As you can see, he gave them a lot of time. Also, we should note here that God was enslaving the descendants of Abraham, the people of promise, to try and reach the Amorites who were Gentile. This does not agree with the narrative of God being wrathful to all Gentiles.

So, what was God’s overarching rationale for his actions here? This gave Israel a way to come out of Egypt as an unfettered nation making them totally dependent upon God and allowed them to become an instantaneous nation without ties to those around them. And, as stated above, it gave the Amorites time to respond to God: approximately 500 years, but they did not. The Amorites practiced sensuous and orgiastic fertility cult worship utilizing male and female shrine prostitutes and practiced child sacrifice which included the child being placed in the fire while alive. It was stated that other nations did not go to such extremes in brutality, lust, and abandon in such practices as did the Amorites. In some ways, this is similar to our discussion about the Flood in our previous post. Satan was scheming to prevent God’s promise to Abraham from coming true and blinded the Amorites to God’s love for them.

Before God had Israel conquer the land, God was not silent and did not act by surprise. He gave the people opportunities to respond positively to him:  God supplied the godly influence of Melchizedek (Gn 14:18-20), God supplied the godly influence of Abraham (Gn 12:6), and during the time of Abraham, God caused the destruction of other Amorites through the action of five kings around the Dead Sea area (Kedorlaomer, king of Elam; Tidal, king of Goyim; Amraphel, king of Shinar; and Arioch, king of Ellasar) which should have been a wake-up call for the people in the area (Gn 14:1-12): the following races of giants were destroyed: Zuzim, Emim, Horim, and Avim. This later allowed the Israelites to approach the land from the south without retaliation.

The Anakim and Rephaim, the races of giants, were like garrisons around the land of Canaan. It seems more than coincidence that these races of giants surrounded the Promised Land of Canaan that God promised to Abraham and his descendants. Before Israel arrived, God had those giant races in the area south of the Dead Sea be destroyed which allowed the Israelites to not have to contend with them as they approached from the south when they arrived a few centuries later. Yet, there were three main races of giants remaining once Israel reached Canaan: Sihon, near the upper part of the Dead Sea, Og, in Bashan near the Sea of Galilee, and Anak near the coast. God helped Israel destroy these before they entered their Promised Land to help increase Israel’s faith in him and to show that he would protect them as they entered the land he promised them. Yet, all the Anakim were not destroyed as we do read about Goliath and his brothers who were part of the Anakim race of giants (1Sa 17:4; 2Sa 21:15-22).

The giants during this time were likely between 9 and 10 feet in height (1Sa 17:4). The Israelites who spied out the land of Canaan called them Nephilim (Nu 13:33), likely because of their height compared to themselves and not because of angel origin. Satan had somehow gotten the Amorites to genetically produce giants so he could control the land that God had promised to Abraham. Yet, God took care of the situation: either as judgment or as faith by the Israelites in God showing God would protect them. Some do argue that because of the parenthetical statement in this passage in Numbers: “the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim” that they were, somehow, left over from the flood and evolved into this race of giants. Yet, there is also a verse that states all life on earth was wiped out by the flood (Gn 7:21-23). So, if they were descendants from the Nephilim, then it would then imply one of the wives of Noah’s sons had the angel DNA in her genome. Since Canaan, and the Amorites, were descendants of Ham (Gn 10:15-19), that would then suggest these giants could have come through him and his wife.

Also, despite what some claim, total annihilation was the exception rather than the rule. Details of what God asked the Israelites to do are important. The main goal was to have the people leave the land. God told Moses the following: “I will send the hornet ahead of you to drive the Hivites, Canaanites and Hittites out of your way” (Ex 23:28, NIV). God used natural elements to clear the land for the Israelites.

God reserved annihilation for the cities of inheritance. God stated the following: “In the cities of the nations the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, do not leave alive anything that breathes. Completely destroy them—the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites—as the LORD you God has commanded you. Otherwise, they will teach you to follow all the detestable things they do in worshiping their gods, and you will sin against the LORD your God” (Dt 20:16-18, NIV; emphasis mine). To God, Israel’s spiritual protection was important as that would set the foundation and purpose for their entire existence.

Any other engagement by the Israelites was to be an offer of peace: “When you march up to attack a city, make its people an offer of peace” (Dt 20:10, NIV). Yet, this was not the type of peace we think of today. It was not, you go do you and we’ll go and do us. No, peace here meant forced labor. Resistance to this would result in all men of the city being killed, and the women, children, and livestock would become plunder. That sounds harsh to us today. What was God doing here? Any means that Satan could exploit against Israel and God’s plan for them was eliminated. This was necessary for God to establish his standard.

Next time, we’ll explore this concept of a standard and why that was so important going forward. I hope you’ll join me.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

In the last post, it was shown how the love of God and the judgment of God are intertwined and inseparable within God’s character. Understanding that, let’s look at the flood God sent over the Earth with this knowledge. On the surface, it may appear God is being wrathful and not caring about the harm he caused humans. But when we look deeper, another picture emerges. We can see his love and his mercy.

The flood was not just about God’s wrath. There is much more to it. The verse that many turn to so show why God caused the worldwide flood says: “The LORD saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time” (Gn 6:5, NIV).

While this is true, it is not the whole story. There is a verse that we skipped. Let’s look back a few verses: “The sons of God [i.e., angels] saw that the daughters of humans were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose” (Gn 6:2, NIV)

Many want to skip this verse because it seems to imply something that doesn’t seem possible to us or makes us feel uncomfortable about something that is too foreign to our way of thinking. But this verse is the key to understanding the complete picture. How are these two verses tied together? Well, these angels were angels of Lucifer and were known as Watchers – likely because they did not sleep. Their offspring became the Nephilim – giants of great height. Why is this important? It shows us that Lucifer is the real reason for the Flood.

So, what was Lucifer’s diabolical plan that warranted the bringing of a worldwide flood? Through the Book of Enoch and other extra-Biblical sources we find the following about these particular angels:

1. The angels becoming human (Watchers) mated with humans and produced Nephilim (giants likely as tall as trees or higher)
2. These became people’s heroes and took their focus off God
3. Feeding the giants took away crops from humans and the people suffered
4. Lucifer wished to create in his own image as did Yahweh
5. By infusing angel DNA into the human genome, it destroyed the human's gift of choice because angels no longer had choice.

Now, granted, the Bible does not state any of these things explicitly. Why is that? One reason could be that the original audience already knew about this part of their history and Moses only had to mention the topic because the details were already known. The few verses that do talk about these facts are consistent with the overarching premise of these statements. These angels did marry human women (Gn 6:2), they were so tall that they become known as men of renown, i.e., heroes, to many (Gn 6:4). Those who have reported seeing angels under various circumstances often talk of them being extremely tall. Many say that Noah being “blameless among the people of his time” (Gn 6:9, NIV) is indicating that his human genome was pure and not contaminated by the Nephilim DNA. Also, the punishment that Peter mentions about these angels (2Pt 2:4) would indicate what they did was extremely egregious. Otherwise, why such a harsh treatment of these specific angels. Destroying the human genome would indeed be classified as extremely egregious. Peter indicates God placed them in Tartarus, a special place in Sheol made exclusively for these angels. Note: in the NIV and some other versions, the word “hell” is used here, but the Greek word is that for Tartarus.

So, while none of these statements can be explicitly verified, it does seem in line with Satan’s tactics. This also reveals the heart of God and how he was saving mankind from Satan’s scheme to destroy us. While not part of Scripture, these extra-Biblical texts are at least consistent with the premise of Scripture: Peter also states in his epistle: “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1Pt 5:8, NIV).

Therefore, it was imperative that Noah and his family survive to keep the human race human.

So, the ark was actually an act of love: (1) it preserved the human race as God had designed it, and (2) it preserved the gift of choice for humans to be maintained. Why is this important? Obedience requires choice, or it is just a programmed act and no longer obedience. God was ensuring that our gift of choice was being maintained for us.

Next time, we’ll look at the other example of God instructing Israel to wipe out the Amorites when they took the land of Canaan. Join me and see what this was truly all about.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

Today we want to look at the question of whether God is a God of wrath or not. Some say he is; others say he is not. Some even seem to believe it’s not the same God in the Old Testament that is revealed in the New Testament. But we know that God has told us he never changes. (Ml 3:6) so we need to ask, “What are we missing?” Some of this information has been previously discussed (Is God a God of Wrath?).

The two most common examples cited to show how wrathful and vengeful God is in the Old Testament are the following: the Flood which caused life over all the earth to cease, and the destruction commanded by God on the Amorites in the land of Canaan. People often ask why would God do such things if he really cares about everyone?

Can we come up with reasons for God’s actions? Is there a reason God’s wrath seems more prominent in the Old Testament? And is there a reason for God’s love being more prominent in the New Testament?

Before we go further, I think we need to acknowledge that many times we see things more prominently due to us having a biased view. That’s just being realistic. No one comes with a totally unbiased view. So, we need to recognize that fact and realize this truth can get in the way of us being truly honest with Scripture, being truly honest with what God is doing, and being truly honest with ourselves. Also, we must look deeper than just looking at a mere surface level. That is where many fail, because they are not willing to do that, but are willing to make harsh judgement claims about God without really investigating to see what is truly going on.

So, let’s look at some comparisons between the Old and New Testament texts and see if that helps us with this question we are struggling with.

Let’s first look at the length of time covered by the Old and New Testament texts:

The Old Testament covers about 3600 years.
The Intertestamental Period covers about 400 years.
And the New Testament covers only about 100 years, the smallest of any of these time periods.

I think we can get a biased view because of this time scale. One can see many more examples in the Old Testament just because of the length of time the text is covering. Let’s say you found 100 examples of God being wrathful in the Old Testament. Percentage wise, it would be equivalent to finding only 3 examples in the New Testament. That helps to put this into perspective but doesn’t explain all the discrepancies around this topic.

We also need to look at Theme Comparisons. The Old and New Testaments do not have the same purpose. The Old Testament reveals the preparation for the coming Messiah. The New Testament reveals the revelation of the Messiah’s coming. Can you see how that could change how we look at this question? Describing preparation for something can require more detail than describing the revelation of something.

We shouldn’t allow this controversial topic to blind us to the fact that both the love of God and the wrath of God are found in both the Old and New Testaments. Let’s look at a few examples. These are not exhaustive.

There are many examples of love in the Old Testament:

• Creation of Adam & Eve (initially an idyllic society and would be passed to their descendants for all generations)
• Choosing of Israel by God (initially as a means to evangelize the entire world)
• Salvation of Rahab & Ruth (these were Gentile women brought into Israel; God was using these to show the way forward for the inclusion of everyone)
• Promise of a New Garden of Eden (to show that one day the idyllic society will still happen).

There are also many examples of the love of God in the New Testament:

• Coming of Messiah (to rectify the error that Adam and Eve made)
• Salvation of Mankind (to restore the relationship between God and mankind)
• Indwelling of the Holy Spirit (to guide us and help us to live according to His ways)
• Promise of a Future Resurrection (to give us hope for a joyous eternal future)
• Promise of a New Heaven & Earth (to give us hope and what our future resurrection will give to us).

The same is true for God’s wrath as well. In the Old Testament, we see:

• Worldwide Flood (for the wickedness in the world and what Satan had done to mankind)
• Destruction of Amorites & Canaanites (for their judgment because of their unrepentant hearts and their wicked practices)
• Captivity of Israel & Judah (for their judgment because of their unrepentant hearts and their wicked practices) –God punished both Gentiles and Jews, his “chosen” people, equally.

And in the New Testament we find the following:

• Christ overturning tables at the temple (because they were going against God’s Law ignoring God’s wish for all people, including Gentiles, to be able to worship him)
• Christ criticized Jewish leaders harshly (because they had become so obsessed with works they ignored the requirement of faith and mercy which was even more important)
• Death of Annanias & Saphira (because they lied to the Holy Spirit and God needed to establish a new standard of right living going forward)
• Persecution of Christians (sometimes for judgment but often to strengthen their faith and testimony, and to spread his gospel to more people)
• Tribulation (future judgment like he did in the Old Testament) – We don’t see as much wrath in the New Testament because much of it is prophesied but has not yet been fulfilled.

We sometimes don’t understand how God could be a God of judgment and wrath and at the same time be a God of love. The two seem incongruous. I think we can better understand this dichotomy from what Paul tells us in his epistle to the Roman church. He stated the following: “For since the creation of the world, God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse” (Ro 1:20, NIV).

Many have often implied that all that we see: the universe and all of God’s creation we see daily is evidence of God’s majesty and power. Paul says these things are self-evident. While that is true, he also said that his eternal power and divine nature are revealed though his invisible qualities. Why this was not initially brought up is because these qualities of God were invisible and could not be observed. But today, we can observe and see how they, too, bring out not only the majesty of God, but the very nature of God—his character.

What I am referring to are the building blocks of nature itself: the atom. When we go into the quantum world, we find laws that seem unnatural and don’t really operate like we find in the natural world. This helps us understand how our ways of thinking about God is not the way God actually works. The prophet Isaiah said it this way: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord (Is 55:8, NIV). Often, we can see God and his fingerprint if we look at the quantum level of matter, his building blocks for all that we know and experience. Just as his ways are different from ours, so is the quantum world different from our everyday world. How does something so unfamiliar produce something so familiar? Let’s take a closer look and see what we can learn. This has also been discussed in some detail in previous posts: Fingerprint of God: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.

The atom is composed of three main particles: protons, neutrons, and electrons. Yet, science has found that these are composed of more basic building blocks of matter, called quarks. Now each proton and neutron are composed of two types of quarks, three in number, in order to give them their necessary charge. For example, a proton is composed of two up quarks and one down quark to give it a positive charge. A neutron is composed of two down quarks and one up quark to give it a neutral charge. These quarks are held together by what have been termed gluons.

As far as we currently know, quarks are inseparable even though they are distinct particles. In the macro world where we live, if two objects are pulled apart, their attraction becomes less. For example, if two magnets are pulled apart from each other, there will come a distance where they no longer get pulled together. That is not the case in the quantum world. In the quantum world, quarks resist separation. If two quarks are pulled apart, their attraction becomes stronger the farther they are pulled apart.

Well, this is how God is. He is composed of both love and justice (that is, judgement and wrath) simultaneously. One can think of his love as one type of quark and justice as another type of quark. One cannot experience one without the other, but both are necessary to accomplish God’s overarching plan. We can say that the Holy Spirit is like the gluon which holds the love, or mercy, of God and the justice, or judgment/wrath, of God together. This plays a cohesive role by the Trinity. The string within each quark, or restrained energy, is God the Father and the Son who are all powerful and release both love and judgment as needed and to the degree that is required.

So, nature has God’s fingerprint within it. As we just read, Paul tells us that nature itself reveals the glory of God (Ro 1). So, why is it here at the quantum level he is revealed even more profoundly? Probably because God knew that one day mankind would be able to view nature at this level and would think science would replace God, but, instead, what it reveals is that the more detailed one gets, the more we understand about God. Nature on the macro level reveals the majesty of God. Nature on the micro level reveals the character of God.

Stay with me going forward as we look at the examples given at the beginning of this post to be looked at in more detail looking at how God’s love and judgment are intertwined and inseparable. I hope you join me.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

Alone. Amidst a sea of people, I felt a pawn, misunderstood, to no one did I feel drawn.

The internet called and I did answer. Influencers dug into me like an invading cancer.

I lived on their every word, every siren song, feeling invincible, one who could do no wrong.

I subscribed, I gave, I bought, became a part of their tribe, just like a mesmerized enrapt dancer.

Their goals caused resources to drain; yet I in their mind did now wane, no longer relied upon.

My importance no longer mattered, it now seemed scattered, no need of me as their romancer.

Their ears to me were now closed, as if I was indisposed, even though over them I did fawn.

Their thoughts and ideas I still yearn but now I get burned because I receive no answer.

I need their words for healing, to soothe my feeling. To me it did not matter the cost.

Now, drained of time and money, I taste the bitterness of their honey, and feel even more lost.

I turned to something more tangible, something more reliable, upon which I had control.

Academics became my god, no need for a façade, I could count only on myself.

I became consumed with excellent grades; all else seemed to cascade as if into a black hole.

This gave me direction, a purpose, a relevance without rejection, no longer unseen on a shelf.

I thrived on the accolades of my professors, made others the transgressors; them I did cajole.

The envy of my peers thrilled me, put me on a pedestal for all to see, all for praise itself.

The straight A became my goal, something all could behold, that alone became my payroll.

Each grade became thrilling like the shoemaker’s shelf filling with shoes by the mysterious elf.

But, graduation day came, suddenly it all seemed lame, for again I was now alone.

My self-worth now seemed like a sham; the sacrificial lamb without a safe zone.

Good grades, like a golden doorknob, led me to a wonderful job in which I could succeed.

Climb I did; even working abroad in Madrid, to make it to the top of my profession.

I saw others as a means to an end, someone to shape and bend, not one I would truly need.

The pinnacle was my goal, even to the point of losing my soul. My aim no one could question.

Climbing became my reason for living, not a way to be forgiving, even if others had to bleed.

I became envied, even hated, but that just made me feel sated, a price to pay for ascension.

True friends were rare, as many used me only as a fare to launch their own success with speed.

I often used them as a prize to make myself look wise; to me they were only a worthy mention.

But my success became hollow and unwanted, like a house abandoned and haunted.

Emptiness played with my sanity telling me all is just vanity; aloneness in my face is flaunted.

So I changed my aim, a new goal without fame, as my effort became now truly altruistic.

I invested my time treating others like brothers and became a truly sincere friend.

My goal and desire, now second to what they require, is undoubtedly unduly artistic.

Helping them succeed was my only desire and need and so my time I did now lend.

I felt fulfilled; my psyche I could now rebuild and never go back to being egotistic.

Yet their needs became my affliction; my help became their addiction I could not commend.

I felt somewhat used, trapped, abused, and never thought I would be such a statistic.

Some, addicted to my help, made me want to yelp, as this I truly could not defend.

I now became confused, disillusioned, emotionally bruised, not sure how to cope.

Isn’t friend the opposite of alone? What could now atone for them providing a lack of hope?

Maybe I misunderstood, high was such a likelihood, so I sought out that very special one.

One rising above the crowd being proud they were above the pettiness of the majority.

I didn’t know if one could exist and move to the top of my list making me no longer feel undone.

But to my surprise, I found such a prize, and fell in love making me no longer in the minority.

Our love would stand the test of time, we would forever align and be second to none.

But time did not prove so kind. All began to unwind. True love no longer seemed the authority.

My rock crumbled, my ground rumbled; my best friend, my life, now became just someone.

Marriage was not an oasis, not a solid basis, where my desires could become a superiority.

It became a desert, each grain a hurt I could not avert; something I could no longer trust.

The concept—a façade, merely a mirage, a god preventing aloneness turning to dust.

In the end, I could only count on me; this took quite a while to see. I would now do as I wanted.

I went with every whim, never allowed myself to feel grim, and did whatever felt right.

Living in the moment was freedom, enjoyment became the medium which I now truly flaunted.

The world, as they say, was my oyster with never a nay as I focused only on my own delight.

I plunged into politics, raising money warding off lunatics I felt were definitely unwanted.

Yet I found each candidate’s greed proved greater than the need in their beliefs to fight.

I went in every religious direction promising intimate reflection only to find they taunted

Things devoid of depth or spiritual health which only deepened my unsatisfied plight.

I was now in worse shape than before, an empty shell seeking for more not knowing if it existed.

Every god I tried disappointed making me feel empty inside and life was just truly twisted.

What was now left? Nothing it seemed, which made me bereft. I craved, but nothing satisfied.

What I did not want, but what did taunt, was something which tempted me to pursue.

Someone said I needed God; I gave a nod but knew this was not needed I told myself inside.

But who knew the unseen could charge one like caffeine and fill a void. On this I had to chew.

Christ being far greater than I ever knew, did pursue to make me his bride.

Led me to the Father, who makes a bother over me, and never ever puts me in a queue.

His Spirit becomes my Counselor and opens the door to advice that is so perfect and so wide.

There is nothing he cannot answer in a way that is loving which always yields a breakthrough.

I have found the freedom and joy I had always craved, and am now saved by the Cornerstone

Who gives life eternally to all who ask, so in him I bask and never ever have to feel alone.

By Randy C. Dockens

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

In only a few years after the death of the Apostle Paul, Jude, the brother of James who both were half-brothers of Jesus Christ, writes his epistle Jude in 70 AD to warn believers of the false teachers and apostates who were leading people astray. Vespasian was now the Roman Emperor. Jude states that believers should study Scripture and pray so they would not be deceived and can lead others to salvation and be saved from an eternal death.

At least a decade later, John writes his gospel in 85 AD from Ephesus when Domitian is the Roman Emperor. His epistle’s intent was for the readership of all believers. It is likely that the content of his gospel is different from what is in the synoptic gospels because he knew most believers had already read those, so he was adding additional information which had not yet been written. About 92% of what is in John is not in the synoptic gospels. John states that the purpose of his gospel was for the purpose to evangelize so they can believe in Jesus Christ and receive eternal life.

Let’s remind ourselves about the four gospels:

Gospel Christ Viewed As           Written To        No. Chapters   Unique Material            OT Quotes

Matthew           King                    Jews                    28                        42%                                   53

Mark                   Servant              Romans             16                          7%                                   36

Luke                    Man                    Greeks               24                        59%                                   25

John                   God                     Church               21                        92%                                   20

We can see how each successive gospel expanded its targeted audience from mostly Jews as that was the major composition of the church at the time, to Romans as befitting to whom Paul was reaching, to Greeks as that was the popular language at the time to the entire church (both Jews and Gentiles) for which the church was now composed. Do we not see God’s hand at work here? God always supplies what is needed when it is needed. And we see that Mark did not need to have unique material from Matthew as his audience was the Gentile side of Matthew’s audience. John, on the other hand, needed to have unique material because his audience, the church, had already read and knew the material from the other gospels by this time.

About the same time as John released his gospel, he wrote 1st John, his first epistle to a group of churches in Asia Minor centered around Ephesus and likely the city from which John wrote this epistle. There were emerging groups which opposed Christianity and had infiltrated the church. He wrote to give them reasons for being joyful, encouraged them not to sin, and not be deceived by false teaching so they could know they had eternal life, and that they might believe in the name of Jesus Christ.

About five years later, or less, John wrote his second epistle, 2nd John, in 90 AD, also likely from Ephesus. He wrote to “the elect lady and her children.” There is no consensus on whom this is referring. He states that the love of Christ is demonstrated by obeying his commandments and by loving others. John warned of deceivers with the spirit of the antichrist who would deny the incarnation of Christ. Both the deity and humanity of Christ are essential to a correct Biblical view of the person and nature of Christ.

John’s third epistle, 3rd John, was written about the same time as his second, also believed to be from Ephesus. This time he names the person to whom he is writing: Gaius. This was a friend of Peter’s and one who likely helped support Peter and others in their itinerant missionary work. Peter commended Gaius in his good work and contrasted his work to that of Diotrephes who wanted credit for himself and who spoke against Peter and even refused hospitality to those needing it. Demetrius was likely the bearer of the letter to Gaius.

Timothy remained in Ephesus until he was martyred in 93 AD for standing true to the faith. The details around his death are somewhat unclear but, apparently, he was standing up against a debaucherous festival and the people beat him with clubs. His friends got him away, but he died shortly thereafter from his beating.

It seems John became the leader of the church in Ephesus after Timothy. Also because of John not yielding to the commands of the emperor requiring all to bow to a statue of Domitian placed in Ephesus, John was arrested and was attempted to be killed twice, but those attempts failed. He was then exiled to the isle of Patmos for a time, at least until Domitian’s death. John then went back to Ephesus where he died of natural causes.

John wrote the book of Revelation in 95 AD while on the isle of Patmos. There is much poetic license in the imagery he chose. Many believe that those of his day would clearly understand the meaning of his imagery. It is believed by many that John was describing future events of the coming Tribulation Period when the Antichrist will reign over the Earth prior to Christ’s second coming. There are other interpretations of his letter:

Historicist View: Revelation surveys the whole of church history. However, it has been noted that it has little to say of the church development after 1500 A.D.

Preterist View: Fulfillment of Revelation is in the past, shortly after the time of its writing. Many put the date of the writing before 70 A.D. as they believe the descriptions within Revelation are describing the fall of Jerusalem.

Futurist View: Everything in Revelation after Chapter 3 awaits fulfillment in the future. This is probably the most dominant view and is linked heavily to dispensational theology.

Spiritual View: There is no single fulfillment of Revelation; it contains only transcendent principles and recurrent themes. Most with this view believe John reported the visions as he saw them, but they should be interpreted in a more spiritual sense as to be edifying to believers of any age.

Because chapter 20 refers to an event called the Millennium, the interpretation changes to different views of this topic:

Premillennial View: The binding of Satan is still future and occurs upon Christ’s earthly return when he sets up an earthly reign lasting for a literal 1,000 years. At the end of this reign, Satan is loosed for a time and then all the wicked are judged at the Great White Throne, after which the new heavens and earth are created.

Amillennial View: The binding of Satan occurred with Christ’s victory over sin on the cross and the 1,000 years are symbolic of the current church age. At the end of the current age, Satan will be allowed to persecute the church just before Christ’s coming when a judgment of the evil and good will occur. Then the new heavens and earth will be created.

Postmillennial View: Some have a view similar to that of the Amillennialists, while others see the binding of Satan as a future time when the effect of the gospel has reduced his effect to nothing which will bring in a glorious age just before Christ’s return that is symbolic of the 1,000 years. A final attempt of Satan will go nowhere and then there will be a general resurrection and judgment when Christ returns.

The last two chapters deal with a new heaven and earth and thereby have two views of interpretation about this subject:

Literalist: The descriptions in these chapters are taken to be literal and the New Jerusalem will be the eternal home of the redeemed.

Non-Literalist: The whole account is spiritualized with no literal interpretation. Many link these descriptions to the condition of those who are now in a new covenant with God and Christ with the New Jerusalem representing the church itself in its present earthly existence.

It would seem the futurists’ approach, along with the premillennial view and the literal view, to interpreting Revelation is more in line with the prophecy of the Old Testament. One example is with the memorial feasts of Israel. There were seven feasts that God told Israel to keep yearly (Lv 23). Scripture supports that the first four have been literally fulfilled with Christ’s first coming, so it would stand to reason that the next three will be fulfilled in Christ’s second coming.

Passover (Pesach) represents Christ’s crucifixion (Lv 23:5; 1Co 5:7).

Unleavened Bread (Matzah) represents being freed from sin (Lv 23:6-8; 1Pt 2:24).

Firstfruit (Bikkurim) represents Christ’s resurrection (Lv 23:9-14; 1Co 15:20).

Pentecost (Shavuot) represents uniting Jewish and Gentile believers through the Holy Spirit (Lv 23:15-22; Ac 2).

Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah) represents the beginning of the tribulation because God remembers his covenant with Israel once the Church, his Bride, is removed (Lv 23:23-25; Dt 30:3-5).

Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) represents Christ Second Coming as Israel is restored to God (Lv 16; 23:26-32; Zc 13:1).

Tabernacles (Sukkot) represents Christ’s Millennial reign as he now dwells with his people (Lv 23:33-44; Zc 14:9).

Jubilee represents the future Eternal State (Lv 25; Rv 21-22).

After Domitian’s death, John was allowed to return to Ephesus where it is believed he died of natural causes in 100 A.D. under the reign of the Emperor Trajan.

We see that the New Testament covers almost 100 years and has had a profound impact for several thousand years and will continue to do so until the end of time. I think it is amazing how the Lord works throughout history to bring people to himself and will use any an all who are willing to be used by him and be empowered by the Holy Spirit.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

Over the last several posts, we have talked about the life of the apostle Paul and all that he accomplished despite all the opposition he had to face. We are often amazed at the accomplishment of Paul and marvel at his perseverance, tenacity, and zeal. Yet, he was only able to achieve such through the help of others. We don’t always focus on this aspect of Paul but often look at him as a lone wolf who by his on grit and fortitude, with the help of the Holy Spirit, of course, achieve so much. But he literally had an army of helpers throughout his work of spreading the good news of Jesus Christ. Let’s take a look at some of them. I have found the following 70 individuals who supported Paul in some form or fashion:

Barnabas (Ac 4:36): He was a Levite from Cyprus with the name Joseph. The apostles called him Barnabas, meaning Son of Encouragement. He was the one who saw the potential in Saul of Tarsus, took him to see the apostles in Jerusalem after Paul’s conversion and when it was heard that Gentiles were becoming believers in Antioch in Syria went to get him and spent a year with Paul there teaching and preaching. Antioch sent both he and Paul on Paul’s first missionary journey. He intended to go with Paul on his second journey, but Paul did not want to take John Mark who had deserted them shortly after starting their previous journey. This created a split between the two and Barnabas went on his own missionary journey with his nephew John Mark. Later, Paul and John Mark made amends and Mark worked with Paul several times, it is likely that Barnabas and Paul also made amends but there is nothing in Scripture implying such, even though likely.

John Mark (Marcus; Ac 12:12): While he abandoned Paul and Barnabas on his first missionary journey, he became someone useful to Paul. We find him with Paul in Rome during his house arrest and sent his greetings to the church at Colossae. It seems that Paul may have sent him to Colossae, and this was an introduction to the church for his visit. When Paul was incarcerated the second time, he asked Timothy to send for Mark as well. He may have been with Peter at the time where he recorded many stories of Jesus from Peter’s first-hand account. While in Rome, Mark wrote his gospel, maybe from the encouragement from Paul.

Lucius (Ac 13:1): He was a prophet and teacher who was a founding member of the church in Antioch of Syria and one of the first to begin preaching Jesus Christ to Gentiles there. He was from Cyrene, a city in Northern Africa (Libya today). He apparently traveled with Paul as well as he is mentioned sending greetings to the church at Rome in Paul’s letter to them which he wrote from Corinth.

Simon, called Niger (Ac 13:1): He was a prophet and teacher who was a founding member of the church in Antioch of Syria teaching Jesus Christ to Gentiles there. He may have come with Lucius as he, too, was from Africa, and likely had very dark skin. He may have been a product of being converted into Jerusalem at Pentecost or from someone who had been there. He helped to send Paul and Barnabas on their first missionary journey.

Manaen (Ac 13:1): He was a prophet and teacher who was a founding member of the church in Antioch of Syria teaching Jesus Christ to Gentiles there. He was also a Gentile and had grown up with Herod Antipas. It is unclear how he became a believer. He helped to send Paul and Barnabas on their first missionary journey.

Silas (Ac 15:22): He was a Roman citizen and was either from Jerusalem or lived there when he accompanied Barnabas to go to Antioch in Syria, along with Judas (also called Barsabas) when the church in Jerusalem had heard how Gentiles were becoming believers and investigate what was going on. He was also considered a prophet and supported and encouraged the church in Antioch when they saw what was being done there. When Paul and Barnabas split, Silas agreed to go with Paul on his second missionary journey. Silas stayed with Timothy in Berea after Paul had to leave due to some Jews causing trouble for Paul. Both then joined Paul once they received word to accompany him in Athens. At some point, Silas also helped Peter for a time, but we don’t know exactly how.

Timothy (Ac 16:1): He was the son of a Jewish mother and a Gentile father in Lystra and was evidently converted by Paul on his first missionary journey as Paul found him highly respected by all upon his arrival on his second missionary journey. Paul asked him to accompany him and had him circumcised since he was half-Jewish and could better help minister to Jews if he was circumcised. He traveled with Paul to many places and helped to preach and teach about Jesus Christ. He became a leader of the church in Ephesus and went to minister to Paul when Paul was in Roman prison the second time shortly before Paul’s death. Paul wrote two letters to Timothy: the first to encourage him in his ministry at Ephesus and the second requesting Timothy to come to him in Rome.

Jason (Ac 17:5): He was a Jew who housed Paul when he came to Thessalonica on his second missionary journey. When some jealous Jews tried to find Paul at his house, he wasn’t there so they dragged Jason before city officials trying to say that Jason had aided and abetted men who were causing trouble in their city. To appease the crowd, the officials arrested Jason but then allowed him to post bond and let him go. Apparently, Jason also traveled with Paul because he was in Corinth with Paul when Paul wrote his letter to the Roman church.

Priscilla and Aquila (Ac 18:2): Paul called them “co-workers in Christ.” Aquila had the same profession as Paul, a tent maker. Paul met them in Corinth on his second missionary journey. Originally from Pontus (what is now northern Turkey near the Black Sea) but had been living in Rome until Claudius Caesar banished all Jews from Rome. They traveled with Paul as far as Ephesus when he sailed back to Jerusalem. They served in the church there in Ephesus and taught Apollos about Jesus as he only knew about the baptism of John the Baptist. When Claudius Caesar died, they went back to Rome and hosted a church there for a while. They apparently returned to Ephesus and served there with Timothy and hosted a church in their home as Paul tells Timothy to greet them for him when he asked Timothy to meet him in Rome after his second imprisonment.

Titius Justus (Ac 18:7): When Paul was thrown out of the synagogue in Corinth, this man opened his house to Paul.

Crispus (Ac 18:8): He was the leader of the synagogue in Corinth and he and his entire household became believers in Christ due to Paul’s preaching and teaching and was baptized by Paul.

Sosthenes (Ac 18:17): He was the leader of the synagogue in Corinth, perhaps after Crispus became a believer. The Jews in Corinth brought Paul before their proconsul, Gallio, but he would not listen to their complaint as he deemed it a religious matter. The mob then turned on Sosthenes and beat him in front of Gallio, but he again paid them no mind. Evidently, he became a Christian as Paul directs one of his letters to him and to the church at Corinth.

Apollos (Ac 18:24): A Jew from Alexandria who had a keen knowledge of Scripture and keen debating skills. He taught for some time in Corinth and likely other places. Apollos also delivered Paul’s letter to Titus in Crete, likely on his way home to Alexandria. In his letter, Paul asks Titus to help Apollos and Zenas on their journey and supply them with whatever they need.

Tyrannus (Ac 19:9): He owned a lecture hall in Ephesus and allowed Paul to teach there for about two years.

Erastus (Ac 19:22): Paul called Erastus a “helper” and was a prominent official in the city of Corinth in Achaia. He was the city’s director of public works. Yet, he still made time to travel with Paul several times. He was with Paul in Ephesus during Paul’s second missionary journey and when Paul decided to travel back to Jerusalem but first go through Macedonia and Achaia first, he sent Erastus, along with Timothy, to Macedonia while he stayed a little longer in Ephesus. It seems he also traveled with Paul to Spain and on the return trip, stayed in Corinth, his hometown, while Paul continued his journey.

Aristarchus (Ac 19:29): Paul calls Aristarchus his “fellow worker.” He was from Thessalonica in Macedonia. We don’t know when he accepted Christ as his Savior, but it may have been during Paul’s second missionary journey when he traveled through Thessalonica. We know he was with Paul in Ephesus during his third missionary journey when Demetrius the silversmith created a riot as he, along with Gaius, were taken by the mob and thrust into the theater. The city clerk calmed the crowd and Aristarchus and Gaius were released. He was also part of the group that accompanied Paul from Corinth back to Jerusalem, although we don’t know for sure if he went all the way to Jerusalem with Paul, but he likely did as he was noted by name to be on board the ship for at least part of the trip as Paul was transferred to Rome. He was also with Paul during his first imprisonment and was noted as a fellow prisoner in Paul’s letter to Colossae but called a fellow worker by Paul to Philemon.

Gaius (Ac 19:29; Ro 16:23; 1Co 1:14; 3Jn 1): There are likely four different men with the name Gaius: (1) Gaius of Macedonia who faced danger from the mob in Ephesus when Demetrius the silversmith created a riot to protest Paul’s teachings; (2) Gaius of Derbe, who was a travel companion of Paul at the end of Paul’s second missionary journey as he traveled from Corinth to Jerusalem; (3) Gaius of Corinth, a convert and host of Paul who Paul baptized; (4) Gaius of unknow location to whom John sent his 3rd epistle and who was noted for his hospitality to many believers. Although, if John had converts in Corinth, then this could be the same Gaius as noted in Corith as Paul noted him for his hospitality as well.

Sosipater (Sopater; Ac 20:4; Ro 16:21; ): He was a Jew from Thessalonica and likely converted on Paul’s second missionary journey when he traveled through that city. He was also with Paul in Corinth when Paul wrote his letter to the Roman church as he sent his greetings to them. He also traveled with Paul on his return trip to Jerusalem, at least for a while.

Secundus (Ac 20:4): He was a Jew from Thessalonica and likely converted on Paul’s second missionary journey when he traveled through that city and also traveled with Paul on his return trip to Jerusalem, at least for a while.

Tychicus (Ac 20:4): He is first mentioned during Paul’s third missionary journey accompanying Paul back to Jerusalem from Corinth. He was from the province of Asia, but we are unsure which city. Likely not Ephesus as he was mentioned with Trophimus who we know was from Ephesus, so when Luke lumped these two together, he just stated the province from where they were from. Paul describes him as a dear brother, a faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord. He was evidently with Paul in Rome during his first imprisonment as he delivered Paul’s letters to Ephesus and Colossae and was sent as well to tell them more of what was happening with Paul and to give them encouragement. He was also with Paul during his second imprisonment as he delivered Paul’s letter to Timothy and ministered for Timothy in Ephesus while Timothy went to see Paul.

Trophimus (Ac 20:4): He is also first mentioned during Paul’s third missionary journey accompanying Paul back to Jerusalem from Corinth. Like Tychicus, he was also from Ephesus in the province of Asia. We know that he went all the way to Jerusalem with Paul as it was noted that some saw him with Paul walking within the city of Jerusalem. After Paul was released from his first imprisonment, it seemed he traveled with Paul to Spain but on the journey back, because sick and had to recover in Miletus while Paul continued his trip.

Phoebe (Ro 16:1): She took the letter Paul wrote to the church at Rome with her as she, and many other Jews, traveled back to Rome from Greece since Claudius Caesar who had banished Jews from Rome had just died. While in Greece, she lived in Cenchreae, a city on the isthmus of Achaia that was between Corinth and Athens and served as a deacon of the church there. She monetarily supported Paul and others.

Epenetus (Ro 16:5): This man was Paul’s first convert in the province of Asia. He was in Rome when Paul wrote his letter to the Roman church as Paul sent his greetings to him.

Mary (Ro 16:6): There are many women named Mary in the Bible. This one was a friend of Paul and had “worked hard” for those in Rome. It is unclear to what Paul was referring to, but Paul was grateful for her efforts.

Andronicus and Junia (Ro 16:7): Paul states these were “outstanding among the apostles” and that they were Christians before him. They were likely husband and wife and had even been in prison for their efforts. As Paul had not yet been to Rome, they may have become believers when they were in Jerusalem for Shavuot (Pentecost) when the Holy Spirit fell and many believed in Jesus through the disciples’ preaching and they then brought their belief back to Rome and started a house church.

Ampliatus, Urbanus, Stachys (Ro 16:8-9): We know nothing about these men, but Paul called each of them a “dear friend.”

Apelles (Ro 16:10): Apparently, he went through some kind of persecution but remained faithful to Christ and Paul commends him for this.

Aristobulus, Narcissus (Ro 16:10-11): Paul gave greetings to the entire household of each man which must mean that their entire families were believers and involved with the church in Rome.

Herodion (Ro 16:11): Paul called him his “fellow Jew,” so they must have developed a fond closeness at some point. Maybe he met Paul in Corinth as he waited to be able to return to Rome.

Tryphena, Tryphosa, Persis (Ro 16:12): Paul states that these women “work hard in the Lord” which likely shows their devotion to God, and likely their devotion to Paul, again, maybe in Corinth as they waited to return to Rome.

Rufus (Ro 16:13): This was likely the son of the man who carried the cross for Jesus to Golgotha. Paul states that he was “chosen in the Lord” and that his mother became a mother to him as well.

Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas (Ro 16:14): Paul sends them greetings along with other brothers and sisters with them. This may have been a house church of which they were a part of in Rome.

Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, Olympas (Ro 16:15): Paul sends them greetings along with all the Lord’s people who are with them. This may have been a house church of which they were a part of in Rome.

Tertius (Ro 16:22): He was the scribe who wrote the book of Romans as Paul dictated to him.

Quartus (Ro 16:23): A believer in Corinth when Paul wrote his letter to the church at Rome who Paul refers to as “brother.”

Stephanas (1Co 1:16): He was Paul’s first convert in Achaia, likely Athens, but was now serving in Corinth as Paul seems to imply that the church in Corinth was not really incorporating Stephanis’ family into their church very well. Stephanas was one of three who came to Paul in Ephesus to give their greeting and support.

Fortunatus, Achaicus (1Co 16:17): They both came with Stephanas to Ephesus from Corinth to meet with Paul and give their greetings and support.

Titus (2Co 2:13): Paul calls him “my partner and fellow worker.” He was a Gentile and likely from Antioch in Syria and went with Paul and Barnabas to Jerusalem for the Church Council meeting held there to discuss Gentile Christians. He served with Paul in Ephesus and Corinth during his second missionary journey. When Paul was addressing issues in Corinth from his time of ministry in Ephesus, he sent Titus to Corinth to see how they were taking Paul’s reprimands. When Paul left Ephesus, he believed he would meet Titus in Troas on his way back from Corinth, but he was not there. This worried Paul so he traveled on to Macedonia, likely Philippi, where he did meet up with Titus and was overjoyed seeing Titus and the happy disposition Titus had about the Corinthian church. It seems Titus also accompanied Paul on his visit to Spain and started a church in Crete on their return. Titus stayed in Crete to lead the church and Paul wrote him a letter of encouragement and instruction sometime later. When Paul was arrested in Nicopolis and sent back to Roman prison, he had Artemas go to Crete and lead the church there so Titus could go to Rome and minister to Paul in prison. Later, Paul sent Titus to Dalmatia to minister there (an area that used to be Yugoslavia and is now Serbia and Montenegro).

Epaphroditus (Pp 2:25): Paul calls him “my brother,” “co-worker,” and “fellow soldier.” Evidently Paul knew him quite well, likely of the time he spent in Philippi. Epaphroditus was from Philippi and brought a financial gift from the church there to Paul when he was imprisoned in Rome. While with Paul, Epaphroditus became very sick and almost died, but God allowed him a full recovery, which Paul said pleased him greatly and relieved his anxiety about him. When Epaphroditus returned, Paul sent his letter to the Philippian church with him.

Epaphras (Cl 1:7): Paul calls him a “dear fellow servant,” “a faithful minister of Christ,” “a servant of Christ Jesus,” and “my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus.” He was a native of Colossae. We don’t know when he became a believer, but it may have been when Paul ministered in Ephesus. It is thought that Epaphras started the church in Colossae. Epaphras was with Paul in Rome during his first imprisonment as Paul sent greetings to the church there in his letter to Colossae and to Philemon specifically in his letter to Philemon.

Onesimus (Cl 4:9; Pm 10): Paul called him “a faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you.” He was a slave of Philemon in Colossae. Unsatisfied, he stole from his master and then fled, winding up in Rome where he likely thought he could blend into society. Yet, what he stole eventually ran out and he likely tried to steal again and was thrown into prison. This seems to be when he met Paul and through his teaching believed in Christ. He and Paul became good friends. Paul wrote a letter to Philemon to ask him to take Onesimus back, not as a slave, but as a fellow brother in Christ. Onesimus traveled with Tychicus as he delivered letters from Paul to Ephesus and Colossae. Philemon lived in Colossae.

Jesus (Justus; Cl 4:11): He was a believer with Paul in Rome during his house arrest.

Luke (Cl 4:14): He was a physician and possibly a Gentile. Being a physician, I am sure he got much practice with Paul, not only a dear friend but a patient. Paul referred to him as “the beloved physician” but also as “a fellow laborer.” We don’t know anything about his conversion, but Luke joined Paul in Troas during his second missionary journey just before they traveled to Philippi due to Paul’s vision of a man in Macedonia asking for help. Luke remained in Philippi until Paul came back through on his way to Jerusalem when he rejoined them as they passed through Philippi. It seems he was with Paul from that point on as we know he was with Paul in his imprisonment in Caesarea where he wrote his gospel and was with Paul in Rome during his first imprisonment where he wrote his book of Acts and Paul mentions him in his letter to Colossae and to Philemon. Luke was also with Paul during his second imprisonment as he mentioned to Timothy when Paul asked for Timothy to come to him in Rome.

Demas (Cl 4:14): Paul called him a “dear friend” and “fellow worker.” We don’t know when Demas joined Paul, but we know he was with Paul during his first imprisonment as Paul gives his greetings to the church at Colossae and to Philemon in his letters to them. He was also with Paul during his second imprisonment, but something happened as Paul stated that Demas deserted him in his time of need and left for Thessalonica. Apparently, he looked for comforts of the world rather than the hardship that he saw Paul go through. The first time Paul was imprisoned, he was under house arrest, so it wasn’t that bad—just freedom restricted. This time, though, Paul was in a dank prison cell and treated more harshly. Perhaps Demas felt this was no longer for him. Another has suggested he may have fallen to the sway of Gnosticism.

Nympha (Cl 4:15): A woman who lived in Colossae and had a house-church in her home. Paul gives her a special greeting.

Archippus (Cl 4:17; Pm 2): He is thought to be the son of Philemon, and Paul gives a special admonishment and encouragement to continue the ministry in which he had received from the Lord.

Onesiphorus (2 Ti 1:16): He apparently lived in Ephesus and befriended Paul multiple times. It seems he even traveled to Rome when Paul was in prison and ministered to him there as well.

Crescens (2Ti 4:10): We know very little about him, but he was with Paul during his second Roman imprisonment and went to Galatia, likely to preach there.

Eubulus, Pudens, Linus, Claudia (2Ti 4:21): These are only mentioned once in the Bible in Paul’s second letter to Timothy. They were part of the church in Rome and became good friends of Paul and of Timothy, likely helping both in their ministries.

Artemas (Tt 3:12): He is only mentioned once in Scripture, but apparently Paul depended on him greatly. He seemed to have accompanied Paul to Spain and was sent by Paul to Crete to serve the church there so Titus to come visit Paul—originally to Nicopolis where Paul had decided to winter, but then to Rome as Paul was arrested and placed in prison there.

Zenas (Tt 3:13): A companion and lawyer who traveled with Apollos and helped to deliver Paul’s letter to Titus in Crete, likely on his way to Alexandria. In his letter, Paul asks Titus to help Apollos and Zenas on their journey and supply them with whatever they needed.

As you can see, Paul was able to accomplish so much because he had such dear friends devoted to him and to his mission for the Lord. They were willing to be in the shadows, so to speak, in order to ensure that the gospel was spread far and wide through Paul’s efforts. We all need friends like these, don’t we?

Next, we’ll see what occurred after the mission of Apostle Paul was over. I hope you join me.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

About this same time as the book of Hebrews was written in 65 AD, the apostle Peter wrote 1st Peter, his first epistle to believers in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia (what we know as Turkey today) undergoing persecution. We now see why God did not allow Paul to go to these northern provinces in what we today call Turkey, because God was directing Peter to minister to the people there. Peter wrote this epistle from Babylon. Some argue that there was no church in Babylon, so Paul was being euphemistic and was referring to Rome. Yet, there is no need for him to be secretive about where he was writing. It actually makes sense for him to be writing from Babylon for two reasons: (1) although there was no church in Babylon, there was a prominent synagogue there because of the many Jews who remained in this geographic region when some of the Jews were allowed to return to Judah from Babylon, and (2) Peter and many of the other apostles ministered to their fellow Jews with a large contingent of them still living in various parts of Parthia which is where Babylon was located.

Also, there is no hard evidence that Peter ever visited Rome (Lewis). If Peter was in Rome during Paul’s first incarceration, he would most definitely have visited Paul in prison as many others from the churches there did (Ac 28:17-31). If Peter was in Rome during Paul’s second incarceration, he also would likely have visited Paul or let Paul know he was supported, but Paul states that only Luke is with him at this time (2Tm 4:11). Evidence has emerged that Peter likely died and was buried in Jerusalem (Deborah). This would make sense as Peter was known as the apostle to the Jews (Ga 2:7-8) and had ministered to Jews in Parthia (1Pt 5:13) and to those in Asia Minor (today eastern Turkey; 1Pt 1:1). Who was in Rome during this time was likely another Simon—Simon Magus (Two Peters).

This Simon Magus was the same as the one Deacon Philip had encountered in Samaria (Ac 8:9-25). He took the ideas of Zoroastrianism and blended them with Christianity forming Gnostic beliefs that became quite popular, and very seductive, because their teachings were so close, but so far, from the gospel the apostles taught. Simon and his followers would travel behind Paul and teach their heretical teachings once Paul had left a city which confused many of the new believers that Paul had reached. The Gnostics taught salvation through religion rather than a person relationship with Christ. It taught unity by creating a hierarchy where more spiritual understanding would be gained the higher up people went in this hierarchy and created types of sacraments to further create unity and thereby develop a closeness to God.

When Simon Magus arrived in Rome during the reign of Caesar Claudius, the emperor became enamored with Simon due to his magical abilities. So much so that he had a statue made of him which was something quite rare, as usually statues of anyone other than that of the emperor was considered illegal. He integrated Christian terminology into his pagan theology to disguise his intent to exalt himself to the center of Christianity rather than to Jesus Christ. He even created a priesthood to execute his practices. He came to be called Simon Paeter. The word Paeter is an ancient word for interpreter or seer and was associated with ancient priests and a derivative of the word translated as father. It is easy to see how Simon Paeter could be misconstrued for Simon Peter. It is more likely that Simon Paeter was the first bishop of Rome than was Simon Peter. The deaths of Simon Magus and Simon Peter are in controversy and not established well in the historical record.

About two years after writing his first epistle, Peter, in 67 AD, wrote his second epistle, 2nd Peter, likely from Babylon as well, and likely to those in northern areas of what we today call Turkey. It seems that Peter knew of his soon passing as he mentions this in his letter and there is now evidence of his grave being in Jerusalem. The content of this book is somewhat similar to what Jude wrote about in his epistle where he warns people about false prophets and false teachers who act as believers but lead many astray. He states that these people will be held accountable by God, if not in this life, in the life to come. While some scoffers say Christ’s return is doubtful as things have continued on as they always have been. Peter reminds them that the same argument was true for the Flood in Noah’s day. Things were as they were until they were not, and that happened swiftly. Therefore, as Christians, we should live holy and godly lives looking with anticipation to the day of God.

Tradition has it that Paul was beheaded in 68 A.D. at Aquae Salviae, a place with three springs on the Ostian Way, about 1.5 miles south of Rome. Paul was not crucified as were many Christians because he was a Roman citizen. Therefore, he was allowed a quick death and was beheaded instead.

What a legacy Paul left behind. Don’t you want a legacy like that? Let’s strive to live like he did. What an example to follow.

Of course, Paul could not have achieved all that he did without assistance. Next time we’ll look at who all helped him over the course of his life. I hope you join me.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

The apostle Paul is an example where he did not let his circumstances affect his commitment for Christ. He seemed to take what we would consider negative and turned it into a positive. Let’s look at the time of his first Roman incarceration.

Paul and his contingent finally arrived in Italy in 60 AD after their shipwreck and wintering on the island of Malta. Once arriving, many of the Jews in Rome heard that Paul was on his way and went to meet him even before he reached Rome and encouraged his spirits (Ac 28:15). Once in Rome, Paul was allowed to live by himself with a soldier to guard him.

Three days later, Paul called the Jewish leaders to come and meet with him. He told them what had happened to him and what the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem had accused him of and why he was not guilty of such charges. They stated no one had sent any letters or information regarding him and his supposed crimes. They were willing to hear more from him and set up a time with him. When they came again, they brought many more Jews with them. Paul spent the entire day explaining to them about the kingdom of God and how the Law of Moses and the Prophets predicted the coming of Jesus and him dying for their sins. Some were convinced while others were not and refused to hear more from Paul. Paul told them that they were fulfilling what the Prophets said about the Jews hearing but never understanding, seeing but never perceiving which has caused them to become calloused. He then warned them that if they refused God’s salvation, it would be preached to the Gentiles who would listen and receive God’s message. Paul was in his own rented house for two years and proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ with boldness and without hindrance (Ac 28:17-31).

Paul wrote four of his epistles while arrested in Rome: Ephesians, Colossians, Philemon, and Philippians.

It seems Paul’s epistles Ephesians, Colossians, and Philemon were each written about the same time, or at least in the same year (61 AD) and were taken to these churches by Tychicus. While Paul’s letter to Colossians was to the believers at Colossae, it seems his epistle to the Ephesians was not only for the church at Ephesus, but to be a circuit letter for many churches in that area.

Paul did not write Ephesians regarding any specific problem or controversy. He talks about the privileges and responsibilities of those who are part of the Body of Christ. He states that the entire Godhead had part in creating the church, Christ’s bride. In his sovereignty, God the Father called all believers out of humanity unto himself due to his love and for his glory. Although God made the decree that people could be saved, divine justice had to also be satisfied. God the Son, Jesus Christ himself, paid that price of divine justice to provide salvation through the shedding of his blood, declaring us righteous, and setting us free from the power of sin. God’s spirit then seals us indicating we are now God’s and cannot be removed from his hand. He goes on to say that being part of Christ brings us unity. There is no longer a distinction between Jew and Gentile. We are all one under Christ. The Holy Spirit then imparts gifts to each believer for the unity of believers and the glory of God. Because of what Christ has done for us, we should live for him out of our gratitude and yield to the leadership and power of the Holy Spirit, especially in marriage, in family, and in our spiritual battle with spiritual forces in this world.

Paul wrote to Colossae to help stabilize the church and to combat heretical teachings that were being promulgated by certain individuals. The church was founded by Epaphras, likely a convert of Paul from Ephesus, and who was likely sent to evangelize Colossae. While primarily composed of Gentiles, the church did have a Jewish component as well. Although Paul had never been to Colossae, he told them he had heard of their faith and regularly prayed for them to grow in real knowledge and wisdom. Paul emphasizes the deity and all-sufficiency of Jesus Christ.

The heretical teachings here seem to be a mixture of Jewish legalism (asceticism) as well as angel worship and Gnosticism. The basis of Gnosticism is that spirit is good and physical is bad. Therefore, if Christ was not all spirit, but took on human bodily form, then he had evil within him. Paul counters this by stating that Christ was the image of God, that is, being the exact reproduction of deity, and was the firstborn, implying that Christ existed prior to creation, and was sovereign over all creation, meaning he is the Lord of creation.

While possessing the powers and attributes of deity, Christ had a human body in order to reconcile man to himself. Faith is built on the firm foundation of the deity of Christ and the sufficiency of his death on the cross. We have life, forgiveness, deliverance, and victory in Christ so we should live a life that conforms to this exalted position. We should relinquish all sinful actions and maintain virtuous living.

As Tychicus delivered Paul’s letter to Colossae, a man by the name of Onesimus accompanied him. Onesimus was a slave under the oversight of a man named Philemon who lived in, or near, Colossae and even hosted a house-church in his home. It is believed that Philemon had heard Paul speak in Ephesus and became a believer in Jesus due to Paul’s teaching. Apparently, Onesimus had stolen from Philemon and fled from his master to Rome where he likely thought he could get lost in the crowd, so to speak. While there, he must have been arrested for something—maybe stealing again. This may be how he met Paul as both were prisoners. Yet, since Paul was renting a house, it is unclear how they actually met. Yet, Paul did minister to him, and he accepted Christ as his Savior and became a dear friend of Paul’s. Paul told him that he had to return to Philemon and repent for his wrongdoing, but Paul was willing to send a letter to Philemon on Onesimus’ behalf since Philemon was a dear friend of Paul’s as well. Paul asks Philemon to receive Onesimus as he would receive him. He stated that if there was any financial loss to charge Paul and he would repay it. He then reminds Philemon that he, too, had a spiritual debt which Jesus relieved through Paul’s witness to him, so in that sense, Philemon owed far more to Paul than Onesimus owed to Philemon. Paul tells Philemon that he knows he will do the right thing and hopes to stop by once he is out of prison.

The next year (64 AD), Paul wrote his epistle of Philippians to the church at Philippi in Macedonia which was delivered to them by Epaphroditus who was from Philippi. This church had sent Paul a financial gift, so he wanted to thank them. He also wanted them to understand that while he was a prisoner, he was joyful that the gospel of Christ was still being preached, and he indicated his desire to visit them once he was released. Paul also wanted them to understand that circumstances of life should not dictate one’s joyfulness, but that joy came from seeing things though God’s perspective.

While Paul was in prison, Luke completed the book of Acts he was writing ever since he was with Paul on his missionary journeys. We know it was at this time in 63 AD because his writing does not go beyond this point in Paul’s ministry. He again wrote it originally to Theophilus, as he did his gospel. Again, while originally written to him, it was destined for a much larger audience. As stated, his gospel was to show Jesus being superior to any other man and then this book was the sharing of that good news to everyone, both Jew and Greek, and to show that this sharing was not the work of zealous men but done through the leading of the Holy Spirit. It also shows the fulfillment of Christ Great Commission: their witness in Jerusalem by telling the account of Pentecost and the giving of the Holy Spirit to Christ’s followers, the works of Peter, John and the other apostles and their miracles, and the work and stoning of Stephen; their witness in Judea and Samaria through the telling of the work by Philip, Saul, Peter, and the Church; the witness to the uttermost part of the Earth by telling what occurred during Paul’s missionary journeys and his preaching in Rome.

What we know about the rest of Paul’s life and ministry is gleaned through statements made in his various epistles. Paul was released from prison after being incarcerated for three years. It seems after his release Paul sent Timothy to Philippi and he traveled toward Asia Minor visiting Crete along the way establishing a church there. Timothy then met up with Paul somewhere in Asia Minor, likely Miletus as that would be a convenient place for their separate journeys to merge. There is no clear evidence that Paul ever made it back to Ephesus. At any rate, Paul sent Timothy on to Ephesus while he went to Colossae. He may also have visited Laodicea and Hierapolis as Paul was concerned for them as well (Cl 2:1, 4:13). It is then thought Paul traveled on to Troas and then to Philippi and on to other places in Macedonia while Timothy remained at Ephesus to teach and encourage the church there (1Tm 1:3).

Philippi is where Paul likely wrote 1st Timothy, his first letter to Timothy. Paul wanted to return to Ephesus but believed it would still be a while before he could follow up with Timothy in person, so he wrote this letter to him to encourage him and to remind him of his authority and ministry responsibilities as well as to instruct the members of the church in their responsibilities.

It is at this time that Paul likely traveled to Spain and may have gone as far as Great Britain. It is likely he may have taken Titus and Trophimus (2Tm 4:20) with him on this journey because we are told that on the way Paul and Titus visited Crete where Paul had Titus stay behind to minister to the church there. Also, it is noted that Paul stated he left Trophimus sick in Miletus as he traveled to Troas. While some believe this is the time Paul wrote his letter to Titus and did so from Ephesus. But if he never returned to Ephesus, this could not be the case. It is more likely that he wrote to Titus from Corinth as this would be on his journey to get to Nicopolis where we know he visited (Tt 3:12), and would have been a logical place for Paul to run into Apollos and Zenas by whom he sent his letter to Titus (Tt 3:13) as they were likely traveling into Asia Minor or perhaps back to Alexandria, Apollos’ home town. Crete would not have been too far out of their way. We are told that on his way to Nicopolis, Paul had left Erastus in Corinth (2Tm 4:20), so meeting Apollos and Zenas there in Corinth would make sense.

Paul wrote his letter to Titus to encourage him and to teach correct doctrine so he could refute the false teachers there, to remind him to complete the necessary organizational needs of the church, and to ask him to meet him in Nicopolis. Paul was sending Artemas to relieve Titus so he could come and meet Paul in Nicopolis (Tt 3:12). It seems Crete had been inundated with Judaizers wanting to take the congregations back to the ritual laws of Judaism as well as philosophies of Gnosticism, hedonism, and asceticism, all having the desire to take over and control the lives of believers there. Paul sternly warned Titus to stifle these dangerous teachings and focus on the truth of the Gospel dispensing with these manmade myths and traditions.

Something occurred in 64 AD in Nicopolis that got Paul arrested. We are not told any details of the event that led to his arrest and being taken back to Rome. This time, however, he was not allowed to be under house arrest but placed in a dank prison cell. The climate had changed as Nero had accused the Christians of burning Rome and all Christians were now being severely persecuted. It was from here that Paul wrote his second letter to Timothy, and this was his final recorded writing. Paul wrote 2nd Timothy to encourage Timothy in his ministry and to ask him to come to Rome to visit him. The tone of this letter is very different from his writing during his first Roman imprisonment. He knew he would not be released this time (2Tm 4:6). It seems that Tychicus delivered this letter to Timothy for Paul (2Tm 4:12) and to allow Timothy to come to Paul. It seems that Paul was still planning for the various churches and their growth: he had Crescens to go to Galatia and Titus to Dalmatia (2Tm 4:10). Although Paul stated that he was all alone the first time he went before Caesar (2Tm 4:16-17), he was not alone this time: Onesiphorus visited (2Tm 1:16-17), Luke was with him (2Tm 4:11) as well as several others apparently from the church there in Rome, e.g., Eubulus, Pudens, Linus, and Claudia (2Tm 4:210. However, being a Christian was now a crime, and several had deserted Paul and/or the faith (2Tm 1:14; 4:10). Paul wanted to see Timothy one last time (2Tm 1:4; 4:9) and wanted Timothy to bring John Mark with him (2Tm 4:11) as well as to stop by Troas and retrieve the cloak, book, and parchments he left there with Carpus (2Tm 4:13).

Once John Mark arrived in Rome to see Paul, it seems this is the time that Mark wrote his gospel while being in Rome. Perhaps it was at Paul encouragement for him to do so. He and Paul had made amends earlier because he was also noted to be in Rome with Paul during his first incarceration as he was noted in Paul’s letter to both Philemon and to the church at Colossae (Pm 1:24; Cl 4:10). When Paul was released from prison the first time, Mark apparently ministered in Rome for a time and then with Peter (1Pt 5:13). It is thought that Mark got many of his stories about Jesus from Peter. Mark’s gospel was geared for a Roman audience as he explained many Jewish and Aramaic terms to his readers which the other gospel writers did not do, and he referred to Simon of Cyrene who bore Jesus’ cross for him to Golgotha as “the father of Alexander and Rufus” and would be known to his readers because Rufus was a member of the church in Rome (Ro 16:13).

During this time of Paul’s imprisonment, the book of Hebrews was written in 65 AD. Some say Paul wrote the letter just before his death in Rome. Others argue that the style of writing differs drastically from the way Paul wrote. There are many writers that have been proposed: Paul, Luke, Barnabas, Silas, Philip, and Apollos. Some traditions state that it was written from Alexandria as there was a large Jewish community there. If that is true, then it may suggest Apollos’ authorship as Alexandria was his hometown.

Although we don’t know the author or the place of authorship, it is clear that the writer wrote to a specific group of people he knew well. Because of the subject matter of the book where Jesus is compared to Old Testament Scriptures, it was likely written primarily to Jewish Christians. Maybe it was written to oppose Judaizers and Gnostics still surfacing in the church, especially those with large Jewish congregations. The writer wrote to convince his audience that Christ was superior to angels, superior to Moses, superior to Aaron, and superior to oneself as the worship of God was to be through Jesus Christ, the “new and living way” and reminds them that the key to true spirituality is one living by faith. Trusting God and what God has said is foundational to spiritual success.

Paul was more upbeat during his first arrest, likely because he could see an eventual way out of prison, and he was able to be under house arrest and have visitors. Yet, his freedoms were still limited. His second time, however, was another matter. He no longer saw an escape and had to come to terms with his likely death. This, of course, changed his mood and the mood of his letters. Yet, he still preserved until the end, wanting to run his life’s race faithfully (2Tm 4:7). May we each be able to do the same.

Join next time as we look at Paul’s last days in Rome and what was going on at that time.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

A lot of times, what we accomplish is based upon our attitude and our circumstances. This was certainly true for the apostle Paul. Let’s look at the time he returned to Jerusalem and was arrested. Some may see this as avoidable, but Paul’s circumstances put him in places he would never have been otherwise. Paul used those times as opportunities to share Jesus.

When Paul decided to sail back to Syria after completing his third missionary journey, it was discovered that some Jews had plotted against him, so he traveled back through Macedonia. Several people went ahead to Troas and waited for Paul and Luke to arrive: Sopater from Berea, Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica, Gaius from Derbe, and Timothy, Tychius and Trophimus from Asia. Paul stopped in Philippi for the Feast of Unleavened Bread and then sailed to Troas to meet his other friends (Ac 20:1-6).

Paul stayed in Troas for seven days. On the seventh day he spoke in an upstairs room to the people and intended to leave the next day. Yet he kept on talking until midnight. A young man named Eutychus sat in one of the windows listening. Due to the length of the meeting, he fell asleep and then fell three stories out of the window and died. Paul threw himself on the young man putting his arms around him and the man revived. Everyone returned to the upstairs room, ate, talked until daylight, and Paul then left (Ac 7-12).

Once Paul and his friends reached Miletus, Paul sent through messengers for the elders of the Ephesian church to meet him there. He told them that this could be the last time they may see him because he knew that some Jewish leaders were plotting against him. Yet, he felt compelled by the Holy Spirit to return to Jerusalem. After praying with the Ephesian elders, they wept knowing they may never see Paul again (Ac 20:13-38).

The ship landed in Tyre to unload its cargo, and he met with some believers there for seven days. They reboarded the ship and landed at Ptolemais where he again met with believers there for that day. The next day, they sailed to Caesarea and stayed with the evangelist Philip for seven days. A prophet there, named Agabus, prophesied that Paul would be arrested in Jerusalem and turned over to the Gentiles. Many then tried to persuade him not to go up to Jerusalem, but Paul was insistent that he do so as he felt the Holy Spirit wanted him to do so (Ac 21;1-18).

When arriving in Jerusalem, the disciples there greeted him warmly. The next day, he met with James and the other elders where he told them all that God had done for the Gentiles through his ministry. They all praised God for his work but stated that word was out that Paul was teaching Jews to abandon the Law of Moses, not to have their children circumcised or live according to Jewish customs (Ac 21:17-21).

As Paul had made a previous vow, there were four men with them in Jerusalem who had also made a vow. It was suggested that Paul go with them to the temple and join in their purification rites and pay their expenses for having their heads shaved. Then everyone would know that Paul was living in obedience to the law and the reports told about him were false and all that the Gentile believers had been told was what the Council had said previously: abstain from food sacrifice to idols, from blood, from meat of strangled animals, and from sexual immorality (Ac 21:22-26).

Paul agreed and went to the temple to set the days for purification. When the purification time was nearly over, Paul was seen in the temple by some Jews from Asia. They created a disturbance by seizing him, claiming he was teaching everyone everywhere against Jewish laws and customs, and had brought Greeks into the temple. Trophimus, an Ephesian, had been seen with Paul in the city but not in the temple. This created such an uproar that people started beating him and would have killed him if a Roman commander had not intervened. Paul had to be carried by soldiers into the barracks next to the temple while many in the crowd kept saying, “Get rid of him!” (Ac 21:27-36).

Paul asked the commander if he could speak to the people. The commander thought he was an Egyptian who had led four thousand terrorists in a revolt. Paul identified himself and was allowed to speak. Paul began to give his testimony, and the people listened until he stated the Lord had sent him to the Gentiles (Ac 21:37-22:21).

The crowd then lost it and shouted he was not fit to live. The commander had Paul taken to the Roman barracks and told a centurion to flog him. Paul asked the man tasked with the deed if he could do this to a Roman citizen. The centurion went to the commander and told him Paul was a Roman citizen. Those who had come to interrogate Paul withdrew immediately upon hearing this news. The commander then tried to find out what was going on (Ac 22:22-29).

The centurion released Paul and commanded the chief priests and Sanhedrin to assemble. He then brought Paul to stand before them to find out the charges. Paul stated he had fulfilled his duty to God in a good conscience. Ananias, the current high priest, ordered those near him to strike Paul on the mouth. Paul then reprimanded him and called him a whitewashed wall. Then Paul was reprimanded for speaking such against the high priest. Paul then apologized saying he did not know Ananias was the high priest. He may have known Ananias but not that he had become high priest. When Paul carried out his persecutions of Christians, Caiaphas was the high priest. Because Paul had no personal dealings with the Sanhedrin after his conversion, he likely did not know when Caiaphas was removed from being high priest and Ananias put into that position since he had been out of the country for several years at this point. Paul then realized that both Sadducees and Pharisees were present, so he stated he was standing before them because of the hope of the resurrection of the dead. This then caused a dispute between those present because the Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection of the dead in the last day, but the Pharisees did. Many of the Pharisees stood up for him at that point and created such a dispute that the commander was afraid Paul would get torn to pieces by them. He ordered his troops to go down and take Paul by force and bring him back to the barracks. That night, an angel appeared to Paul and said Paul would testify for God in Rome (Ac 22:30-23:11).

Several Jews formed an oath among themselves that they would neither eat nor drink until Paul was dead. They then went to the chief priests and the Sanhedrin with their plot of how they could have Paul murdered. Yet, Paul’s nephew heard of their plan and told Paul who then requested the centurion guarding him to take his nephew to the commander. He told the commander that more than forty men were waiting to kill Paul when the commander would have Paul delivered to the Sanhedrin as their request (Ac 23:12-22).

That night, the commander had Paul delivered to Governor Felix in Caesarea with the protection of two hundred soldiers, seventy horsemen, and two hundred spearmen, and sent a letter of explanation as to why Paul was delivered to him. When Felix learned that Paul was from Cilicia, he agreed to hear his case, likely because Cilicia was a Roman province and Paul was a Roman citizen. Felix gave Paul certain liberties not awarded to all prisoners. He was able to have friends visit him and take care of his needs (Ac 23:23-35).

Felix was a freed slave of the mother of Caesar Claudius, Antonia. Claudius liked Felix and gave him the governorship of Samaria and Judea around 52 AD, six years before Paul was delivered to him. He had a bad reputation among the Jews and was known for his violence. He married Drusilla, a Jew, who was the daughter of Herod Agrippa I and known for her beauty. She was already married to Azizus, a Syrian king, who she married at age 14, but Felix persuaded her, with the help of Simon Magus, who he had befriended in Rome, to divorce and marry him, which she did at age 20.

The time now was 56 AD, and this is also the time that Luke wrote his gospel. He emphasized the humanity of Jesus to highlight Jesus’ character, show his relationship with mankind, and demonstrate him as the perfect sacrifice for all of humanity’s sin. As he was writing this as a proof-text to Theophilus (Lk 1:3-4), apparently a good friend of his and likely of Greek or Roman descent, with his name meaning “friend of God” or “loved by God.” Yet, he likely meant this to be not just a personal letter but to be read by many other Gentiles to help them see Jesus Christ as the answer to their spiritual pursuit. The Greeks had a pursuit of the perfect man, so Luke was presenting the only one who was perfect and the only one whom they should follow.

While Paul was under arrest there in Caesarea, Felix and Drusilla had Paul brought before them where he spoke to them about his faith in Jesus Christ. Once Paul got to the issue of judgment to come, Felix stopped Paul from speaking further and said he would call for Paul again at some point, but he never did (Ac 24:24-25). Yet, he did not pronounce judgment on Paul either, likely because he knew he was innocent, and knew that although the Jewish leaders wanted Paul gone, the regular Jewish people did not. Keeping Paul in prison placated both sides, so it was good for him politically to keep Paul in prison. What Felix really wanted was a bribe in order to dismiss the charges against Paul which would get Paul out of his hair once and for all. Yet the bribe never came and so he never made a judgment on Paul. So he left Paul in prison for two years without making any type of decision regarding his guilt or innocence (Ac 24:26-27).

Due to some mismanagement, Felix was recalled to Rome and Festus was made the new governor by Emperor Nero in 59 AD. There is not a lot of information about Festus, but he was apparently a more fair ruler than was Felix. Only three days after arriving in Caesarea, Festus went to Jerusalem where the Jewish leaders presented their charges against Paul to him and requested Paul be transferred to Jerusalem under their care. Their plan was to have him killed via ambush as he was being transferred back to Jerusalem. Yet, Festus requested that they accompany him back to Caesarea and have their charges against Paul presented to him there (Ac 25:1-5).

Once back at Caesarea, Festus had Paul brought before him. The Jewish leaders gave many accusations but could not prove any of them. Festus then asked whether Paul was willing to go to Jerusalem and stand trial for the charges brought before him by the Jewish leaders. Paul stated that he was not guilty of the crime made against him which the Jewish leaders could not prove. If he wasn’t guilty then he should not be handed over to them. He was standing before a court of Caesar, so he appealed to Caesar. Festus met with his council and then declared, “You have appealed to Caesar. To Caesar you will go!” (Ac 25:6-12).

A few days later, King Agrippa I and Bernice, his sister, arrived in Caesarea to pay their respects to Festus. Some believed the two had an incestuous relationship, but no one could ever prove it. Festus told him about Paul and the circumstances for him being in Caesarea. Agrippa said he would like to hear Paul. Festus arranged the meeting and told Agrippa he was glad for him to hear Paul because although Paul had appealed to Caesar, he could not really find any substantial charges to place against him that would be valid for Caesar Nero to understand (Ac 25:13-27).

Paul told of his testimony as to how he became a Christian and how God had sent him to tell of Jesus Christ and his resurrection to the Gentiles and how the prophets had even spoken of the coming Messiah who would die and be raised for his people and Jesus Christ was that man. Festus then had Paul stop speaking saying he had gone mad. Paul replied that he was not mad and that Agrippa, being a Jew, new of these scriptures and the Jewish beliefs about a coming Messiah. Agrippa then replied, “Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?” to which Paul responded, “Short time or long—I pray to God that not only you but all who are listening to me today may become what I am, except for these chains” (Ac 26:1-29).

With that Agrippa stood, ending the proceedings. Agrippa, Bernice, and Festus left the room. Agrippa told Festus that Paul could be freed if he had not appealed to Caesar because there was nothing upon which he was guilty of either death or imprisonment (Ac 26:30-32). This was a copout because if he was not guilty either of them could have released him. Appealing to Caesar without any conviction was not a reason for Paul to have to appear before Caesar.

So, with unknown charges, Paul was sent to Rome with other prisoners but was allowed to have friends travel with him, which included Luke and Aristarchus (from Thessalonica). Somehow the centurion of the Imperial Regiment in charge of the prisoners, named Julius, treated Paul kindly and allowed him to see his friends when the ship landed in Sidon. As they put out to sea again, the ship sailed to the south of Cyprus due to the winds and landed in Myra of Lycia. The prisoners were then transferred to another ship headed from Alexandria to Italy. Due to the weather, the going was slow because it was in the late seventh month (after Day of Atonement) nearing winter. Paul warned that they were in danger due to the winter weather. Yet the centurion did not heed him but followed the directions of the ship’s pilot who said they could reach the far coast of Crete and winter there. Yet, the ship entered a giant storm with hurricane-force winds and blew them far off course. After fourteen days, Paul announced that an angel had appeared to him to tell him that everyone would survive if they all stayed together. Once they ran aground, the officers wanted to kill the prisoners to prevent them from swimming ashore and escaping. The centurion protecting Paul persuaded them not to do that and they all swam to shore or used planks to do so. They found themselves on the island of Malta (Ac 27:1-44).

The islanders showed them kindness and built a fire because everyone was wet and cold. Collecting firewood, Paul was bitten by a viper. When nothing happened to Paul, everyone thought him a god. Publius, the chief official of the island, welcomed Paul and his friends into his house where they stayed for three days. His father was sick, and Paul healed him. Hearing the news, other residents of the island who were sick came to Paul and he healed them as well. After three months, when it was time to set sail again, the people furnished them with all the supplies they needed (Ac 28:1-10).

Wow! Who other than Paul could have endured and yet accomplish so much? Could you? But we are expected to, aren’t we? Maybe we need a Holy Spirit renewal.

Join me next week to see what happens once Paul reaches Rome.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

While Paul was in Corinth during his third missionary journey in 56 AD, he wrote his Roman epistle to the house churches in that city. He had a desire to visit them but knew that may not be possible due to the circumstances he found himself in with some Jews plotting to have him killed. He wrote this letter to help reunite Jewish and Gentile Christians by active foresight wanting to ensure the unity between them became reestablished. Emperor Claudius had all Jews leave about five years earlier. Now, with his death, Jews were allowed back into Rome. Paul knew that this act of removing all Jews, even Christian Jews, likely caused the house churches in Rome to change dramatically. For five years these churches would not have had any Jewish influence in how the churches operated. It would be a shock for Gentiles to hear criticism from their Jewish brethren on their services because they were not Jewish enough, and a shock to the Jewish believers to see how much things had changed since they had left. That is likely why Paul used a question/answer format to help Gentiles understand the Jewish perspective of scripture and help the Jews to understand why certain Jewish customs were not really necessary any longer. Many of the people Paul mentions at the end of his epistle were likely displaced Jewish believers who left Rome and stayed in Corinth or nearby areas waiting for the time they could return to Rome, their hometown. Phoebe, a deacon in the church at Cenchreae, not very far from Corinith, was the bearer of Paul’s letter to the believers at Rome. Paul also desired to enlist the help of the Roman church with his missionary efforts to the west, including Spain, emphasized the universality of the gospel stating it was for both Jews and Gentiles, wrote to provide a comprehensive presentation of the doctrine of salvation by faith, and sought their prayer support.

Paul states that the gospel of Jesus Christ had been promised by the Old Testament prophets and contrasts the Old Testament and the dispensation of the Law to the New Testament and the dispensation of the Church. He quotes more Old Testament scripture than any other New Testament book where the quotes refer to Adam, Abraham, Moses, and David, all associated with covenants in the Old Testament. Paul also quotes Habakkuk stating that the just shall live by faith. Paul addressed the sinfulness and condemnation of all men, the justification of believing sinners, the sanctification of believing sinners, the place that Israel has in the plans of God, and the righteousness of God in practical living. In his conclusion, he provides greetings to 35 people mentioned by name.

In his letter, Paul mentions three churches. One was the church that met in the home of Pricilla and Aquilla (Ro 16:3-5) who he knew well as he had met them in Corinth on his second missionary journey and had worked with them extensively (Ac 18:1-4). He then mentions Andronicus and Junia (Ro 16:7) who had been Christians even before he, and they had been imprisoned for their actions. Since Paul had never been to Rome at this point, it could be that Andronicus and Junia had been in Jerusalem for Shavuot (Pentecost) when the Holy Spirit fell causing them to hear about Jesus Christ at that time and had believed.

Paul then mentions those who had caused divisions and put obstacles in their way contrary to the teachings they had learned and cautions these believers to stay away from them because they were not serving Christ but their own desires (Ro 16:17-19). Who Paul was referring to may likely have been the so-called church that Simon Magus had infiltrated. This is the sorcerer who Deacon Philip had first encountered in Samaria (Ac 8:9-25) and began teaching gnostic ideas and had likely infiltrated the Roman Gentile church when the Jews were banished from Rome by Claudius Caesar and initiated anti-Semitic beliefs. This is likely the reason for Paul including much doctrine in his letter to ensure they understood the correct doctrine rooted in Jesus Christ and emphasizing that God was not done with his nation Israel.

Simon Magus likely made his way to Rome during the reign of Claudius Caesar. Claudius apparently became enamored with him and all his magical abilities. While there, he met Marcus Antonias Felix, originally a slave of Claudius Caesar’s mother Antonia. He was a favorite of hers and she helped him earn his freedom. He was well liked by Claudius as well. It seems Felix did a favor for Simon Magus by encouraging Claudius to expel the Jews from Rome (First Church Rome). Later, when Claudius made Felix procurator of Judea, Simon Magus did him a favor by enchanting Drusilla, of Hasmonean descent and sister of Herod Agrippa II, to leave her current husband and her religion and marry Felix (Bible Hub). It seems the Hasmonean women were considered extremely beautiful.

With the Jews out of Rome, it allowed Simon Magus to operate more freely with Gentile Christians and argue his own interpretation of Scripture through the lens of Zoroastrianism and Gnosticism with little push back. Over time, he became revered by the Gentile Christians who bestowed the term, Father, or Paeter (the Latin name for Father) to him as many looked up to him for guidance and appreciated his leadership of the Roman church in which he taught his Gnostic beliefs and hierarchal mysteries which later morphed into what was labeled Simonism. It seems he went back to his teachings in Samaria as one who was almost like a god, taught that the god of the Bible was subservient to the all-existing god. After all, if the God of the Hebrews allowed evil, how good of a god could he actually be? This was likely the start of the church teaching antisemitic beliefs and the teachings of Jesus being a man who received a god spirit at his baptism which was taken away just before his crucifixion. Belief in Jesus was important but true salvation came by following rituals and not through Jesus Christ himself.

Since he now went by the name Simon Paeter, this may be how he became confused with Simon Peter over time. It is likely Simon Magus became the first bishop of Rome rather than Simon Peter (Two Peters, Hoeck), as Peter was noted at the apostle to the Jews (Ga 2:7-8) and preached to Jews in Parthia (1Pt 5:13) and northeastern Asia Minor (today Turkey; 1Pt 1:1). This could also explain some of the beliefs, teachings, and church structure that began to occur in the Roman church with the exclusion of Jews in its congregation. There is no solid evidence, only tradition, that apostle Peter ever visited Rome (Lewis). Evidence has emerged that Peter likely died and was buried in Jerusalem (Deborah).

Therefore, it was no accident as to the teachings Paul included in his epistle to the Roman house churches: the need for unity between Jew and Gentile believers, how God was not yet done with Israel as a nation, and strong doctrine showing that all focus should be on the belief in Jesus Christ himself and his redemptive work via his death, burial, and resurrection. We, too, need to be sure that this is our spiritual foundation and not built on anything else. Anything else is superfluous.

Paul’s problems are not over, though. Unfortunately, they are just beginning. Join me next time for more.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens