Thoughts on the Bible Readings December 26th (Job 35, 36; Zechariah 11; Revelation 12, 13)

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=""]In Job chapter 35 Elihu condemns Job. If we wonder about whether Elihu is a brash upstart, or whether he is a faithful younger man whose speech demonstrates the wisdom of God - this chapter provides us with the answer to that puzzle. And the answer is that the second statement represents Elihu's character. Every accusation against Job, which Elihu makes, is endorsed by the Almighty in His final speeches. Elihu contests that whether you're right, or whether you sin, God is no way advantaged. However, the LORD is pleased with children whose pleasure it is to please Him. You, Job, he says must see that you are just an insignificant speck of dust. The creature cries out because of pain and suffering, but so infrequently turns to God for His love and support (Romans 8verses18-25). Surely God made us to be more than brute beasts (Ecclesiastes 3verses17-22). Job, wake up to yourself and order your speech aright before your Sovereign. In order to put things in their true perspective, for Job and his friends, in chapter 36 Elihu extols the virtues and might of our Creator. Be patient and listen, Elihu urges them. I will speak in truth and wisdom he declares. It is not the intention of the Almighty to inflict endless sufferings on the wicked (see Hebrews 12verses5-11). He is, in His wisdom, crying to the sons of men, "Repent, turn to Me and be saved". Don't go to the grave in anger and vexation. It's so easy to judge the wicked and at the same time fail to see our own failures. Learn from failure and in all things praise and thank the Almighty. Consider the magnificence of His wisdom - all creation shouts, "In wisdom You have made us". Zechariah 11 commences by speaking of the doom of Yahweh's flock to slaughter. Their deplorable national state was due in large measure to the callous negligence and indifference of the shepherds of the returned flock of exiles. This is a recurrent theme in both Testaments of the Bible. It contrasts markedly with the love of God, the true and caring Shepherd and His Son, who was moved by the same loving kindness (Psalm 23; Psalm 80; Mark 6verses34). God gave his people shepherd-kings to lead them to their Almighty Father - Moses was such a one; so too was David (Psalm 78verses70-72). But apathy and self- interest caused the nation's shepherds to become mere hirelings in contrast to their Sovereign's true care for His people (Ezekiel 34; John 10verses1-18). The chapter commenced with a lament for the ruin of the glorious cedars of Lebanon; likewise, the destruction of God's nation and Land of Israel - known as, "the glory of all lands". The shepherds from Jordan's jungle would be caused to wail the ruination that they had brought to their nation. The nation, too, were guilty because they were happy to tolerate the false teachers; as chapter 4 verse 14 of Hosea says, "a people without understanding shall come to ruin" (ESV). In verse 7 of Zechariah 11 the prophet was instructed to take 2 staves - one named, Beauty; and the other, Bands; and with these Yahweh brought chastisement upon the false shepherds. These words have their prophetic fulfilment when the Jewish leaders, having condemned and smitten the Christ Shepherd, was condemned and smitten by the Jewish felt the wrath of God Almighty in the aftermath of those events when judgment fell upon the guilty in 70 AD. We note in verse 13 the betrayal price of 30 pieces of silver. These, says verse 13, prophetically anticipate Judas Iscariot's actions in casting to, i.e. for, the potter, possibly as payment for the potter's field. The end of the chapter tells us that the union, or covenant, that the Lord GOD had made with His people was severed and they now must feel His anger. The only leaders they now had were blind and disabled and would be removed when the nation was taken into captivity in 70 AD. Let's show the love and care of the Good Shepherd who guides us. In chapter 12 of Revelation, we are taken back to the start of the accession of Constantine to the Roman throne. Some religious leaders use this 12th chapter of the Apocalypse to assert that there was war in heaven between the angels of God and Satan, which resulted in the expulsion of Satan and his angels to a subterranean location beneath the earth. The chapter proves no such thing. 1) from Revelation 1verses1 the events were from John's time forward; 2) most of the symbolism has been used and explained earlier in the book; 3) if a supposed supernatural being deceived the Omniscient Creator (then God cannot be Omniscient); 4) the segment in question makes it abundantly clear that the vision is symbolic - verses 1, 3 use the term "sign" ESV ("wonder" KJV) and the Greek word used means precisely "a representation".; 5) literal war couldn't occur in a place about which Jesus taught us to pray, "Thy will be done on earth, as in heaven" (Matthew 6verses10). The heavily pregnant woman was the church about to give birth to its champion, Constantine. The dragon was the old pagan Roman power who was engaged in a life and death struggle with the emerging Trinitarian faction within the Christian power. But the Christians triumphed - Constantine claimed to have seen a vision of a cross and to have heard the words, "in this sign you will conquer". His entire army marched against the pagans with freshly painted crosses on their shields. As we saw in chapter 11 the dominant faction within the Christians were trinitarian and sought the destruction of all dissenters. Those protesting the error of the trinitarian Catholic Church - a n early sign of what would arise during the Reformation - fled to the extremities of the Empire seeking respite. However, the defeated forces of the pagan Roman generals made a concerted and valiant attempt to overthrow the believers in Christ. But in this endeavour the pagans failed. Ironically the nominal Christians under Constantine assumed the mantle of the destroyers of true and faithful believers and became themselves the Satan, or opponent, to the true disciples of Christ. Revelation 13 describes the changing centre of persecution as history outworked itself in the course of interactions between church and state. The various beasts of Revelation 13 all share the character of 4th dreadful beast of Daniel 7 - the Romish persecutors of faithful believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. Initially John beheld a beast rise out of the sea (the Mediterranean Sea where he was exiled). The Beast described in verses 1-4 is a composite beast with elements from the beasts of Daniel 7. John sees this Beast being given what appeared to be a mortal wound. This occurred when the gothic kingdom of Odoacer took Rome 476 AD to 535 AD - but the 6th imperial head of Rome was revived with support from the eastern leg capital of Constantinople firstly by Emperor Justinian in the 530s AD and later by Emperor Phocus 609 AD. Both these rulers said that the supreme pontiff of the church was the bishop of Rome. As the eastern Empire crumbled, just as the Roman centre had done, the popes looked for support in the west and found it in Charlemagne the Emperor of the Franks, who was crowned by the pope on Christmas Day 799 AD. This new Beast was land based and called by the vision which John saw, "the beast of the earth". Both these powers in the east and the west acknowledged the supremacy of Rome's bishop and supported the persecution of the disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ. Those saints of Jesus were slain in their millions by the Church of Rome. We are left with no doubts as to the great persecuting apostate power identified numerically as 666 in the last verse of the chapter, which tells us that it is a man's number (the man of sin described in 2 Thessalonians 2). History tells us that Iraneus, the bishop of Antioch stated in 165 AD that it was Lateinos (the Greek numerical value being 666). The official title of the Roman pontiff is, "vicarius filii Dei" (meaning the one who stands in the place of the Son of God - its Roman numeral equivalent is 666. This power is called in the Hebrew, "Romith" (numerical equivalent is 666). Every document signed by the bishop of Rome bears the authority of the Church, "Dux Cleri" (i.e. high priest, and its numerical value is 666). Let us shun the apostate church and as faithful disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ heed the warning of Revelation 18verses4, "Come out of her my people, lest you take part in her sins, lest you share in her plagues" ESV. Thanks for joining us - we pray you found these comments helpful in your appreciation of God's words, join again tomorrow   Penned by Warwick Rosser and his team, produced by Christadelphianvideo.org See more Thoughts from the Christadelphian Dialy Bible Reading Planner (By R.Roberts) here... 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