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Revelation 1:7-8

The Pen is Mightier than the Sword

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
December 24, 2021

According to my internet search, “The English words ‘The pen is mightier than the sword’ were first written by novelist and playwright Edward Bulwer-Lytton in 1839, in his historical play Cardinal Richelieu. Richelieu, chief minister to King Louis XIII, discovers a plot to kill him, but as a priest he is unable to take up arms against his enemies. His page, Francois, points out: But now, at your command are other weapons, my good Lord. Richelieu agrees: The pen is mightier than the sword… Take away the sword; States can be saved without it! The saying quickly gained currency, says Susan Ratcliffe, associate editor of the Oxford Quotations Dictionaries. ‘By the 1840s it was a commonplace.’” Now, when Jesus called himself the “Alpha and the Omega” one can’t help but think of the alphabet, the letters of which are all written with a pen. But when Jesus calls Himself the “Alpha and the Omega” in Revelation 1:8 he adds a final title to his name. Look at this, “‘I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God, ‘who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.’” Yes indeed! The pen proved much mightier than the sword.

I just finished reading Phillip Schaff’s History of the Christian Church, Volume II. I haven’t finished the whole volume but I did finish the section dealing with the martyrdom of Christians during the first 300 years of Christianity. They were burned alive. They were thrown to wild beasts. They were tortured in many ways, but the most common form of execution was with the “sword.” All these Martyrs had put their faith in the “Almighty” one that they had learned about through the writings (The New Testament) of those who have gone before them. Most of the writers of the New Testament ended as Martyrs themselves but their written works of the pen didn’t die with them! During these periods of persecution the emperors also attempted to eliminate the writings of the Apostles. When one copy was burned, four more appeared in the Empire. The Bible, inspired by God, containing the “Word” of God manifested to man in the human person of God’s son, Jesus, persevered through thousands of executions. Tertullian, one of the more prolific in penmanship (in contrast to swordsmanship) wrote, “The blood of the Martyrs is the seed of the Church.” Man’s swords could not overcome the almighty power of God’s son revealed to all mankind through the pens of the Apostles! By 300, those who wielded the swords of execution were all gone but the words of the Bible persevered and took over the entire Roman Empire with the conversion of Constantine.

Looking at Revelation 1:7 and 8 together we read, “Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen. ‘I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God, ‘who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.’” The sword that pierced Jesus’ side to insure his death failed marvelously! No human sword can stop the “Almighty.” I’m not as good with the “pen” and with words as I should be so i have learned to lean on the words of others to help me when i’m speechless. Here’s what Charles Bolls writes about the Almighty: “His almightiness is expressed alike in the material, physical, spiritual and judicial realms. This feature may also be applied to His sublimity of thought, stability of mind, sovereignty of will, sufficiency of wisdom, security of power, suitability of grace and serenity of peace, in all of which He is the Almighty. When we pause to ponder His enormous energy, His prodigious power, His stupendous strength and marvelous might, these ponderous qualities of ableness, with their tremendous potential, cause us to tremble at the thought of meeting such forces in exercise; but when we turn and learn of the blended qualities of goodness demonstrated in the character of divine activity, we behold the gracious care, generous pity, gorgeous gifts and glorious love which are lavished so freely, and our fears depart for we view His heart.”

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Daniel 7:13-14, Hebrews 13:8, 1:12

Jesus is the “Ancient of Days”

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
December 24, 2021

Jesus is the “Alpha and the Omega.” As such he is also the “author” of everything. Another “A” title of Jesus is “Ancient of Days.” Daniel uses this phrase frequently. In Daniel 7:9 we read, “I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of Days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of His head like the pure wool.” The “Ancient of Days” is a strange title for us but the Bible uses it more than once to speak of Jesus. We can only surmise from other passages what that might imply. I’m thinking of Hebrews 13:8:, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” I’ll be 75 next month (January 15, 2022). My grand kids might want to refer to me as the “ancient of days” and I sometimes feel that would be correct. Things have certainly changed over the years for me. I’m not up for a lot of running. I don’t care too much for the idea of roller coasters and other amusement park rides. I’ve no interest in bungee jumping or hang gliding, or high diving. I’ve done some of that in my youth but, wow, have I changed. But the days and the years do not change Jesus! I like the way Charles Rolls puts it. He writes, “Christ is not described here as the Ancient of Years, which would imply age, but Ancient of Days, which indicates His ageless, timeless, changeless character. No furrows disfigure His graceful features, no defects mar His clear discernment, nor is there any weakness in His wondrous will. His body of glory and beauty of countenance are unwrinkled by years, while His vigorous vitality and virtuous energy are unwearied by ceaseless activity. Ages are absolutely unable to age this ageless One who abides unchanged.”

The United Bible Society’s handbook for translators explains that Hebrews 13:8 could be confusing if not translated correctly. It says, “To communicate this information clearly may require considerable expansion; for example, “Jesus Christ never changes. He has not changed in the past, he does not change now, and he will never change in the future.” We live in a world where the only thing you can truly count on is change! We along with the world around us is always changing. Kent Hughes says it well in his commentary on Hebrews. He writes, “Forests rise and stand for a millennium—and fade into deserts. Rivers cut canyons and disappear. Newtonian physics, with its straight lines and right angles, is replaced by Einstein’s elegant curves of relativity. The only thing that is sure is change! We humans appear for a little while to laugh and weep and work and play, and then we are gone. This is a melancholy thought at best. Our souls long for something solid.”

In the 60’s, i used to be a fan of the Rock and Roll band called “The Doors.” Jim Morrison was their lead singer who died of an overdose of some drug at a very early age. But i remember one of their songs, “Riders on the Storm.” Since becoming a Christian I’ve preferred the poetry of William Cowper who wrote “God moves in a mysterious way His wonders to perform; he plants His footsteps in the sea And rides upon the storm.” In Acts Jesus ascended into heaven in the clouds and and the angel told his disciples that he would return in the same fashion. I expect that Jesus is the one and only true “rider on the storm.” Daniel 7:13-14 even uses the phrase to speak of the coming of the Messiah’s reign on earth and says, “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.” The point of the “Ancient of Days” is that although everything around us will change. Entropy is the second law of thermodynamics. Everything is deteriorating! But not Jesus! The author of Hebrews knew his Psalms well. When he began his letter he quoted from Psalm 102:27. It’ says, “but you are the same, and your years have no end.” He expanded on the Psalmists idea when he wrote Hebrews 1:12, “like a robe you will roll them up, like a garment they will be changed. But you are the same, and your years will have no end.” Want stability? The only thing in this world or the next that will not change is Jesus, “The Ancient of Days.” We need to look to him, “The author of our faith” who will one day come riding back on the clouds.

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Various Old and New Testament passages

Jesus is the author!!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
December 23, 2021

Jesus was the “Alpha and the Omega.” He is the first and the last. He is the God who is, who was, and who is to come. Jesus is the ultimate and final message to us from God Himself. Paul prayed for the Ephesians, and for us, that we might comprehend this truth and grasp the message that God has for us all. The Apostle John summarized that message from God for us in John 3:16, a very well known passage. It says, That God so loved the world (everybody) that he gave his only begotten son, so that whoever would believe in Him would not perish but have everlasting life. Jesus did not come to condemn the world, but to save it! As the “Word” from God he brings us the ultimate message! When Jesus calls himself the “alpha and the omega” he’s not just saying he’s the first and the last. The figure of speed means to include everything in between. He’s the entire communication from God to man. He’s the A to Z of it all! As Jesus lived His life on earth and completed his mission he put together all the letters necessary for us to understand God’s message. This is why the writer to the Hebrews 5:9 calls Jesus “…the author of eternal salvation.” Authors write books. Jesus wrote the book of eternal life for all who would believe.

Luke also calls Jesus an “author.” The Amplified Bible at Luke 1:68-69 says, “Blessed (praised and extolled and thanked) be the Lord, the God of Israel, because He has come and brought deliverance and redemption to His people! And He has raised up a Horn of salvation [a mighty and valiant Helper, the Author of salvation] for us in the house of David His servant.” When Peter preached one of his famous sermons to the Jewish leaders, he also called Jesus an “author.” Acts 3:15 is where Peter says to the Jewish officials, “…you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead.” In Psalm 74:12 (The New Jerusalem Bible), the writer sings about the Lord and calls him the “author of saving acts throughout the earth.” I like the way the Living Bible Translates Ephesians 1:23. He calls Jesus “…the Author and Giver of everything everywhere.” Further in Hebrews 12:1-2, the writer encourages his readers to remain steadfast through the hardships of life. He says, “…let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith.” There is one more mention of Jesus being an “author” and it’s in the letter that He wrote to the church at Laodicea in Revelation 3:14. He says, “These are the words of the Amen, the trusty and faithful and true Witness, the Origin and Beginning and Author of God’s creation.”

He is certainly the “alpha and the omega.” He wrote the books! Jesus is the author of life, eternal life. Jesus is the author of our salvation. He’s the author and giver of everything everywhere. He is the author of our faith. He is the author of God’s creation. Yet, part of his own creation want to challenge him, they deny him, and they reject him. Isaiah 29:16 tells us of the clay pot that challenges the potter. Then he asks the question, “ “Does a book say to its author, ‘He didn’t write a word of me’”? How can the pot condemn the potter? How can the book accuse it’s author? But it’s still like that with Jesus, the author, of life. I believe this helps us understand the first Chapter of John’s Gospel a little better. John 1:1-4 says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.  In him was life, and the life was the light of men.” Then in John 1:10-14, we read, “He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.  But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”

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Revelation 1:8, 22:13, Luke 24:27, Ephesians 1:17-23, John 1:1, 14

Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
December 22, 2021

At the beginning of the book of Revelation, chapter 1 and verse 8, John tells us, “‘I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God, ‘who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.’” Then In Revelation 22:13, Jesus repeats the phrase and says, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” You already know that alpha is the first letter of the Greek alphabet and omega is the last letter. When they are put together like this they comprise a figure of speech called a merism. The two extremes of a set, the book ends, are mentioned but the intent is to say that the set includes everything in between. If we wanted to tell someone that we searched everywhere for something we might say “we searched high and low.” That’s a merism! Another Biblical example comes from the very first verse in the Bible. Genesis 1:1 says, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” The phrase “the heavens and the earth” is a merism. It’s meant to communicate the truth that God created everything in between as well. One last biblical example of a merism is seen in Psalm 139:2, where David writes of God “you know my sitting down and my rising up.” In other words, God knows every movement of David’s life. He knows every movement of our lives as well.

Jesus comprises everything that God wants to say to us! Jesus is the Word of God come to us in human form. Getting a grasp of the message that God wants us to hear in his one and only begotten son, Jesus, is the most important thing in life. Paul prayed for the Ephesians that they might begin to grasp this truth as he began his letter to them. Ephesians 1:17-23 is where Paul tells them about his prayer “that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might  that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.” That is one incredibly long sentence but Paul’s prayer might be boiled down to his passion to see his readers grasp the true and ultimate message from God contained in Jesus Christ. That is the “Good News” that can change a persons life forever! It’s coming to grasp the message in Christ from God the Father.

A figure of speech is not needed in Paul’s prayer. He says straight forward that Jesus is “all in all.” Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega of everything God wants us to know about himself. Again in Revelation 1:8, Jesus describes himself as the one “who is and who was and who is to come.” Jesus is not bounded by time. He’s the past, present and the future. Since Jesus uses the letters of the alpha bet to describe himself it’s again clear he’s using the way humans communicate. This is how Jesus is “God’s Word” to man. John 1 tells us “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.” Then he goes on to say in verse 14, “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” Jesus is the subject of the Old Testament as he explained to the religious leaders of his day as well as the two disciples on the road to Emmaus when Jesus explained to them how He was the subject of all past revelation. Luke tells us in Luke 24:27, “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.” Jesus is not only the past message but the present one. He stands before the two disciples in the current age bringing a message from God to them as well as to us in our day! Paul prays that we’ll get the message. Jesus is also the future. It’s in the last book of the Bible that John speaks of his visions of the future coming of Christ. It’s at the beginning and ending of this book that Jesus calls himself the “Alpha and the Omega.” He will reign on earth in the future era. Jesus is indeed the entire message from God. He is the “all in all.” He is the beginning and the end. In Christ, is everything we need to know about God – past, present and future!

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Isaiah 7:14, Acts 7:9-10

O Come…. O Come… Immanuel!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
December 15, 2021

Immanuel! We hear this word a lot during the Christmas season. In Isaiah 7:14 the Lord promised Ahaz a sign, “behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” It means “God with us.” This verse has been a key one for establishing the deity of Christ. Jesus was not a created being but the “only begotten Son” of God himself. Jesus was God in the flesh and he left his home on high to pitch his tent “tabernacle” with us, to be with us, to enter into our experience. Jesus was in a very real sense God with us in the flesh. But what does it mean for “God to be with us.”

Acts 7:9-10, tells us that God was with Joseph when his brothers sold him into slavery. That verse says, “God  was with him and rescued him out of all his afflictions and gave him favor and wisdom…” The book of Judges teaches us that “God was with” all of the Judges. Judges 2:18 says, “Whenever the LORD raised up judges for them, the LORD was with the judge, and he saved them from the hand of their enemies…” The name “Immanuel” might mean a lot of things but we have good reason to believe that it means God will rescue us from our afflictions and he will fight for us and give us victory over our enemies.

My favorite Christmas Hymn is “O Come, O Come Immanuel.” One of the lessor known verses of this hymn is the prayer for the Christ, the Messiah, to rescue us from our afflictions. It goes like this, “O come, O Bright and Morning Star, and bring us comfort from afar! Dispel the shadows of the night and turn our darkness into light.” Another verse addresses his victory over our ultimate enemy. It goes like this, “O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free Thine own from Satan’s tyranny. From depths of hell Thy people save And give them victory o’er the grave.” My point is that “Immanuel” has come in the person of Christ. He is indeed with us through faith as he was with Joseph in his trials and as he was with the Judges in bringing them victory.  In Christ we find eternal comfort amidst our trials. In Christ we find eternal victory over the last and greatest of our enemies.

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Luke 2

The Shephard’s Perspective

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
December 2, 2021

Every Christmas pageant in the world has shepherds in it. What would a Christmas play be without shepherds? It would be incomplete, that’s what it would be! The Gospel of Luke makes a big deal out of the shepherds coming from the hills of Bethlehem to visit Jesus in the manger. The text of Luke 2 regarding the shepherds begins “And in the same region…” That means Bethlehem! They are not just any ordinary Shepherds. Bethlehem was a major suburb of Jerusalem. It’s the place where David, as a little boy, was a shepherd. He was a song writer and poet from his earliest days and he did that in these very same hills. But more importantly, the hills of Bethlehem were occupied by shepherds who were assigned to take care of and watch over the sheep that were being raised for one purpose, and one purpose only. They were the sheep that were to serve as the sacrifices that were offered in the temple. There are several things worth noting about the Luke passage in this regard.

First, when the angels appeared to them the text says, “the glory of the Lord, shone around about them.” That’s a clear reference to the Holy of Holies where the “Glory of the Lord” was believed to reside. These shepherds were raising their sheep to be offered at the temple as sacrifices to the glory of the Lord. But they themselves were never allowed to enter into God’s presence. That’s why they were “filled with great fear.” The angel tells them not to fear because he has some wonderful news for them of great joy that will be for all the people. They were about to be introduced to the one great sacrificial lamb who would rend the veil separating God from the people. That’s why the angel added the idea that this great joy will be for “all the people.” It’s not just for the religious elite who enter into the presence of God. It was for them too. It’s for me too! It’s for you too!

One more thing. The angel told them that “this would be a sign to you; you will find the baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.” How could that be a sign for shepherds? One of the toughest jobs of the shepherds was to protect the new born sheep. The mortality rate of sheep (and humans) in those days was pretty high. But even more important was the fact that when sheep are first born, they struggle and wiggle and strive to stand up and bump into things and very often break legs or cut themselves or hurt themselves in such a way that they are no longer “perfect” and cannot be offered as a sacrifice at the temple. Shepherds worked hard at watching the expectant ewes so they could be there for the delivery. They would receive the baby sheep right from the womb and to insure it would remain acceptable as an offering, they would wrap it up tightly and bind it so it couldn’t hurt itself. You guessed it; they would use “swaddling” clothes. Further, after wrapping the new born sheep, it would be laid in the feeding trough, so that the other sheep would not bother it until it had time to survive the birth experience without damage. The swaddling clothes and lying in a manger would assure the shepherds that this infant was the “perfect” sacrifice that would be offered for the sins of the world. Yes, John the Baptist knew what he was saying when he pointed to Jesus and said, “Behold the lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world.”

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Romans 1:1, Collosians 2:7

I thank God for you!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
November 16, 2021

There are so many things to be thankful for in my life. As I sat down and looked through my digital pictures of old thanksgivings (Now that I am fully retired I have time for this kind of stuff) I was surprised to find how many pictures we had with great meals.  My brother and sister and I would always pose before a huge turkey and Dad would snap a couple pictures while he chewed us out if we didn’t smile correctly.  As I mentioned before, we didn’t practice saying Grace at many meals, but at Thanksgiving we always did and Dad would lead it. I don’t remember what he said, I wish I could, but I know he prayed the standard prayer we had all learned, “Bless us, Oh Lord, and these thy gifts which we are about to receive from thy bounty, through Christ, Our Lord. Amen.” As my kids were growing up we’d say more personal prayers and even share what we were thankful for.

It’s always good to be specific when thanking God. Paul was. In his letter to the Romans which was to be the longest of his letters, after his opening, and before he got into the content of his main reason for writing he said, “First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you…” That’s a great thing to thank God for. He was grateful for the believers in the world’s capital city of Rome. He knew how hard it was to be a believer in the 1st century world and he rejoiced in the fact that God had blessed him with other believers to share his life with in every part of the world. Paul did not plant the church in Rome, but he was thankful for every believer there. In the first century it was not real popular to be a believer in Jesus.

I’m thankful for all of you who share my faith in Jesus Christ. It’s not easy in our society to be a serious believer and we need each other to nourish our faith, to encourage us in the face of opposition, ridicule and often shame. We comfort each other. We give credence that we’re not crazy, or if we are, there are many crazy people like us. I always enjoy the thought that I’m not in this alone. You are with me! There are believers all over the world and everywhere I go we find those who love the Lord and subscribe to the wonderful values and teachings of the scriptures. That helps sustain me in my faith as well as comfort me in my hardships.  I’m thankful for the provision God makes for me in life, and I’m also thankful for you! Paul reminded the Colossians regarding the importance of being thankful, “Keep your roots deep in him, build your lives on him, and become stronger in your faith, as you were taught. And be filled with thanksgiving.” Colossians 2:7

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Jeremiah 5:1-2, 29:11

Just “One” good person!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
November 4, 2021

I’ve always liked the ancient Greek philosopher Diogenes. He lived in a barrel outside the capital city of Corinth around 400 BC. When Alexander the Great offered him any reward he wanted, Diogenes simply asked him to move over a little because he was blocking the sun. Diogenes is best known for being the ancient figure of the man carrying a lantern in search of just one “honest” man! Of course he was a skeptic and wanted to simply make the point that there wasn’t one. Nearly 200 years earlier, a prophet in Israel was challenged to seek one honest man as well.  Did Diogenes read Jeremiah? If there were only one righteous man! One perfect one, God would spare the entire nation for that man’s sake. Jeremiah 5:1, describes God’s challenge to Jeremiah to find that one man. The Lord knows that he will fail in his quest. He knows the hearts of all men and even the religious leaders of Israel could not be trusted.  Even those who talk a religious game and use religious sayings and talk loud about themselves are ultimate failures in God’s eyes. Isaiah is right in that all of man’s righteousness is as filthy rags! The understanding of this profound truth helps us understand Jesus.

Ryken explains this very well. He writes, “If only the good man Jeremiah was looking for could be found! If only one man could be found who is honest in all his dealings, and who seeks the truth. If only one man could be found to be righteous for the people’s sake. If only that one man could be found, a man of such perfect integrity that he could turn away the wrath of God.” Yet we all know that Jeremiah found no one. But Ryken continues, “There is that man—Jesus Christ. What about him? Can he meet Jeremiah’s conditions? Jeremiah was told to look for a man ‘who deals honestly.’ Jesus Christ was straightforward in all his dealings. He gave an honest presentation of his deity, performing miracles to prove his divine power over creation. Jesus Christ dealt honestly with his disciples, not hiding from them the necessity of his own sufferings and death. Jesus Christ also dealt honestly with sinners, like the woman at the well (John 4), exposing their secrets and inviting them to trust in him. And Jesus Christ dealt honestly with his enemies, like the Pharisees, confronting the enmity in their hearts. There was nothing false or deceptive in anything Jesus said or did.”

Jesus Christ not only sought the truth—he is the Truth! At the beginning of his Gospel, John says Jesus Christ came into the world “full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). That is truth with a capital T, the Truth of God Himself. Thus when the disciples wanted to know the way to eternal life, Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life” (14:6). The challenge God gave to Jeremiah was answered in Jesus Christ. He is the one man, the plain-dealer, the truth-seeker, the righteous man for whose sake God can forgive His people. We all need a deliverer, we all fail. God promised one to Israel and the same one is promised to us. God said in Jeremiah 29:11, “I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you, not to harm you; plans to give you hope and a future.” The plans referred to here is the promise of the one true and only honest man who will deliver his people from their sins. It was the promise of Salvation by God’s grace through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone!

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