Revelation 2:1: “Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks;”

This represents the apostolic church (AD 30 – 100). I like to think of this letter as II Ephesians. It had a lot of good things going for it:

Revelation 2:2: “I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars:
3 And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name’s sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted.”

This church abounded in works, excelled in patience, and had excellent discernment. They put people to the test to see if they were genuine or not; they did not tolerate heresy and could not bear evil. Plus, despite persecution, they did not faint. They labored and worked regardless of the cost. These are highly admirable traits. However, the church was not perfect. It had something missing:

Revelation 2:4: “Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.
5 Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.”

They worked hard and endured, but their passion was no longer there. The love that they used to have had faded. They did all the right things but their heart wasn’t in it – at least, not to the degree that it once was. Jesus had a very clear response: repent, or else the Lord would shut down the church (or remove it from His presence).

The Lord is quite aware of what goes on in local churches. That is something we really need to keep in mind. Churches may take great pride in their busy schedules, but if their heart is no longer in it – if that first love is gone – then they are in grave trouble. Love should result in works – in other words, we should be working because of our great love. That is what God wants.

Revelation 1:20: “The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.”

One of the rules of interpretation is that when plain sense makes sense, you should seek no other sense. When a passage clearly uses symbolic language, however, the key to understanding that symbolism is to let the Bible interpret itself. How do you understand the golden candlesticks? By looking at other verses to see what the candlesticks are symbolic of.

The Bible tends to be very consistent in its use of symbols: for example, oil is symbolic of the Holy Spirit, leaven is symbolic of sin, and so forth. Candlesticks are symbolic of churches; we know this because the Bible tells us so. Revelation becomes easy to interpret when you use this system of interpretation. If you run across a symbol and you don’t know what it means, just look it up in the Bible. The Bible provides its own interpretation of its symbols; you should never look anywhere else to understand them.

No Scripture is of any private interpretation, so you have to let the Bible interpret itself. You must never assign your own meaning to a passage. What matters is not what you think a passage means; the important thing is to know what the Bible says a passage means. Use it as your guide.

The Bible has a lot to say about both wisdom and foolishness. A great deal of time has been spent studying wisdom, but I haven’t seen a lot written on what the Bible has to say about fools. While it is a good thing to know what activities are wise, it is also a good thing to know what activities are foolish and should be avoided. If we don’t know the characteristics of fools then we may find ourselves becoming one without even realizing it. The Bible strongly warns against foolishness, and we should take its warnings seriously.

It turns out that the word “fool” appears a lot in the Bible. There is no shortage of material! The picture that the Bible gives of fools is fascinating. One of the key themes of Proverbs is that fools should forsake their foolishness and get wisdom:

Proverbs 1:20: “Wisdom crieth without; she uttereth her voice in the streets:
21 She crieth in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of the gates: in the city she uttereth her words, saying,
22 How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge?”

There are many people in the world – and even in churches – who do not value wisdom. The truth is not prized. Some prefer fantasy over reality, and would rather believe things that make them happy instead of things that are true. This is a grave error, as the consequences of this are deadly:

Proverbs 1:24: “Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded;
25 But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof:
26 I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh;
27 When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you.
28 Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me:
29 For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the Lord:
30 They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof.
31 Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.
32 For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them.”

Do not choose foolishness; instead, choose wisdom. Do not hate knowledge and do not despise the fear of the Lord. Run to Him, while there is still time.
 

Fools Deny God

Anyone who denies the existence of God is a fool:

Psalm 14:1: “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.”

Psalm 53:1: “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good.”

As the old saying goes, God doesn’t believe in atheists. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of both wisdom and understanding:

Proverbs 9:10: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.”

Those who do not fear the Lord lack wisdom. They are blind, walking in darkness.
 

Fools Hate Wisdom

Anyone who despises wisdom and instruction is a fool:

Proverbs 1:7: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.”

Proverbs 1:22: “How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge?”

Proverbs 15:5: “A fool despiseth his father’s instruction: but he that regardeth reproof is prudent.”

Proverbs 17:24: “Wisdom is before him that hath understanding; but the eyes of a fool are in the ends of the earth.”

This next one is especially biting. All those who are seeking to “discover themselves” and “follow their heart” are fools:

Proverbs 18:2: “A fool hath no delight in understanding, but that his heart may discover itself.”

The Bible is brutally honest about this. Those who trust their hearts are fools:

Proverbs 28:26: “He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered.”

Why is it such an error to trust your heart? Jeremiah explains:

Jeremiah 17:9: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?”

Don’t trust your heart; instead, trust God and His Word. Why would you trust something that is deceitful and desperately wicked?

One of the key characteristics of a fool is his utter hatred of wisdom:

Proverbs 23:9: “Speak not in the ears of a fool: for he will despise the wisdom of thy words.”

Proverbs 29:9: “If a wise man contendeth with a foolish man, whether he rage or laugh, there is no rest.”

A wise man can be corrected by a simple reproof; if you point out the error of his ways then he will repent and change. There are some, though, who hate reproof and who refuse to be corrected. These people are so committed to their error that even beatings will not deter them. These people are fools:

Proverbs 17:10: “A reproof entereth more into a wise man than an hundred stripes into a fool.”

Proverbs 27:22: “Though thou shouldest bray a fool in a mortar among wheat with a pestle, yet will not his foolishness depart from him.”

People who hate wisdom and love error should be avoided:

Proverbs 14:7: “Go from the presence of a foolish man, when thou perceivest not in him the lips of knowledge.”

Why? Because fools are dangerous:

Proverbs 17:12: “Let a bear robbed of her whelps meet a man, rather than a fool in his folly.”

It is actually better to meet an angry bear than it is to meet a fool in his folly!

Then there are these two enigmatic verses:

Proverbs 26:4: “Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him.”

Proverbs 26:5: “Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit.”

These verses seem contradictory, but you have to keep in mind that they are talking about two different situations. In the first case, answering a fool would make you like him, so you should not answer him. In the second case, you should answer him lest he be wise in his own conceit. (How can you tell the difference between the two situations? With wisdom, of course. There is a time for everything: a time to rebuke fools, and a time to not rebuke fools. The difficult part is to not confuse the two situations.)
 

Fools Are Characterized By Anger

Those who are quick to wrath, and easily angered, are fools:

Proverbs 12:16: “A fool’s wrath is presently known: but a prudent man covereth shame.”

Proverbs 14:17: “He that is soon angry dealeth foolishly: and a man of wicked devices is hated.”

Proverbs 27:3: “A stone is heavy, and the sand weighty; but a fool’s wrath is heavier than them both.”

Ecclesiastes 7:9: “Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools.”

Those who are characterized by a spirit of anger are fools. The wise take a very different approach:

James 1:19: “Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:
20 For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.”

 

Fools Are Destroyed By Their Anger

It is a foolish thing to be quick to wrath. That road leads to destruction and even death:

Job 5:2: “For wrath killeth the foolish man, and envy slayeth the silly one.”

 

Fools Are Destroyed By Prosperity

It is a terrible thing for a foolish person to suddenly become prosperous. Prosperity will utterly ruin those who are not wise:

Proverbs 1:32: “For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them.”

This has been proven true time and time again by lottery winners. You would think that winning the lottery would make the rest of your life a dream, but that is not the case. Instead, those who win the lottery find that the sudden influx of millions of dollars has utterly ruined their lives:

Adams, who won the New Jersey lottery in 1985 and 1986 for a total of $5.4 million, gambled and gave away all her winnings and by 2001 was poor and living in a trailer…Michael Carroll, who won about $17 million in a lottery in England in 2003, said he only had $3 million left in early 2006. He told the press, “I regret ever winning the lottery. I’ve spent $2 million on drugs and given $7 million to friends and family.” Karen Cohen, who won $1 million in the Illinois state lottery in 1984, filed for bankruptcy in 2000 and in 2006 was sentenced to 22 months in jail for lying to federal bankruptcy court. Jeffrey Dampier, who won $20 million, was kidnapped and murdered by his own sister-in-law and he boyfriend who targeted him for money. Ed Gildein, who won $8.8 million in the Texas lottery in 1993, gambled away most of the money and left his wife with a slew of debts when he died in 2003.

(David Cloud, Lottery Fever)

 

Fools Love Evil

Those who love evil, or love doing evil things, or mock the idea of “sin”, are fools:

Proverbs 10:23: “It is as sport to a fool to do mischief: but a man of understanding hath wisdom.”

Proverbs 13:19: “The desire accomplished is sweet to the soul: but it is abomination to fools to depart from evil.”

Proverbs 14:9: “Fools make a mock at sin: but among the righteous there is favour.”

Proverbs 14:16: “A wise man feareth, and departeth from evil: but the fool rageth, and is confident.”

Proverbs 19:3: “The foolishness of man perverteth his way: and his heart fretteth against the Lord.”

Proverbs 24:9: “The thought of foolishness is sin: and the scorner is an abomination to men.”

The wise man fears God and departs from evil, but to a fool it is an abomination to depart from evil.
 

Fools Face Judgment

The foolishness of fools does not go unpunished. There are very serious consequences for despising wisdom and clinging to folly:

Psalm 5:5: “The foolish shall not stand in thy sight: thou hatest all workers of iniquity.”

Psalm 107:17: “Fools because of their transgression, and because of their iniquities, are afflicted.”

Proverbs 3:35: “The wise shall inherit glory: but shame shall be the promotion of fools.”

Proverbs 10:8: “The wise in heart will receive commandments: but a prating fool shall fall.”

Proverbs 10:14: “Wise men lay up knowledge: but the mouth of the foolish is near destruction.”

Proverbs 10:21: “The lips of the righteous feed many: but fools die for want of wisdom.”

Proverbs 13:20: “He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.”

Proverbs 18:6: “A fool’s lips enter into contention, and his mouth calleth for strokes.”

Proverbs 19:29: “Judgments are prepared for scorners, and stripes for the back of fools.”

Proverbs 26:3: “A whip for the horse, a bridle for the ass, and a rod for the fool’s back.”

Proverbs 26:10: “The great God that formed all things both rewardeth the fool, and rewardeth transgressors.”

The wise will inherit glory, but the fool will inherit shame, suffering, and death.
 

Fools Lie About Their Hatred

This one is a bit odd. Those who hide their hatred with lies are fools:

Proverbs 10:18: “He that hideth hatred with lying lips, and he that uttereth a slander, is a fool.”

Does this mean that it’s better to be open about your hatred? Not exactly: as the verse goes on to explain, those who are open about their hatred and slander others are also fools. It’s best to not hate your brother in the first place; God has called us to love one another.

We should keep this in mind, though:

Proverbs 27:5: “Open rebuke is better than secret love.”

This verse seems odd, but it makes perfect sense. If a fellow Christian is caught in sin and you openly rebuke him so that he might turn from his sin and be saved, then you have done your brother a service. However, if you just love him secretly and do nothing about it, then he is actually worse off than if you had rebuked him. A secret love that results in no actions is pretty much worthless.
 

Fools Will Serve The Wise

It should come as no surprise that those who are foolish and despise knowledge will find themselves serving those who are wise:

Proverbs 11:29: “He that troubleth his own house shall inherit the wind: and the fool shall be servant to the wise of heart.”
 

Fools Think Their Ways Are Right

One of the key characteristics of fools is that they do what they think is right:

Proverbs 12:15: “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise.”

The wise man takes a very different course: he does what God thinks is right. A fool says “I think this action is right, so I will do it.” A wise man reads the counsel of God and obeys it. The Bible repeatedly warns us against doing that which is right in our own eyes. That road leads only to destruction.
 

Fools Proclaim Foolishness

Those who are constantly saying foolish things are, of course, fools themselves:

Proverbs 12:23: “A prudent man concealeth knowledge: but the heart of fools proclaimeth foolishness.”

Proverbs 13:16: “Every prudent man dealeth with knowledge: but a fool layeth open his folly.”

Proverbs 14:3: “In the mouth of the foolish is a rod of pride: but the lips of the wise shall preserve them.”

Proverbs 14:33: “Wisdom resteth in the heart of him that hath understanding: but that which is in the midst of fools is made known.”

Proverbs 15:2: “The tongue of the wise useth knowledge aright: but the mouth of fools poureth out foolishness.”

Proverbs 15:7: “The lips of the wise disperse knowledge: but the heart of the foolish doeth not so.”

Proverbs 15:14: “The heart of him that hath understanding seeketh knowledge: but the mouth of fools feedeth on foolishness.”

Proverbs 16:22: “Understanding is a wellspring of life unto him that hath it: but the instruction of fools is folly.”

Proverbs 18:7: “A fool’s mouth is his destruction, and his lips are the snare of his soul.”

Proverbs 19:1: “Better is the poor that walketh in his integrity, than he that is perverse in his lips, and is a fool.”

Wise men are easy to spot: they are the people saying wise things. All you have to do to spot a fool is listen to what he has to say.
 

Fools Cause Sorrow

A foolish child brings a great deal of misery and pain to his parents:

Proverbs 17:21: “He that begetteth a fool doeth it to his sorrow: and the father of a fool hath no joy.”

Proverbs 17:25: “A foolish son is a grief to his father, and bitterness to her that bare him.”

Proverbs 19:13: “A foolish son is the calamity of his father: and the contentions of a wife are a continual dropping.”

Proverbs 15:20: “A wise son maketh a glad father: but a foolish man despiseth his mother.”

A wise son makes his father glad; a foolish son brings his father a great deal of pain and suffering.
 

Fools Stir Up Trouble

The wise man seeks to put an end to strife. Those who seek to meddle and continue the argument are fools:

Proverbs 20:3: “It is an honour for a man to cease from strife: but every fool will be meddling.”

 

Fools Cannot Handle Wisdom

When a foolish person somehow gets their hands on a bit of wisdom, the results are not pretty:

Proverbs 17:16: “Wherefore is there a price in the hand of a fool to get wisdom, seeing he hath no heart to it?”

Proverbs 24:7: “Wisdom is too high for a fool: he openeth not his mouth in the gate.”

Proverbs 26:7: “The legs of the lame are not equal: so is a parable in the mouth of fools.”

Proverbs 26:9: “As a thorn goeth up into the hand of a drunkard, so is a parable in the mouths of fools.”

You would think that if you gave a foolish person a bit of wisdom he would become wise, but that is not the case. A foolish person cannot handle wisdom anymore than a raving drunkard can drive a car. If you try it, someone will get hurt. Wisdom can only help the fool after he has stopped being foolish; he has to change first.

What is the beginning of wisdom? The fear of the Lord. That is where the journey begins; it is the first step. That first step must be taken before anything else can be done.
 

Fools Cannot Handle Money

Those who know how to save money and store up wealth are wise. Those who waste it, however, are fools:

Proverbs 21:20: “There is treasure to be desired and oil in the dwelling of the wise; but a foolish man spendeth it up.”

 

Fools Do Not Deserve Honor

Those who lead foolish lives do not deserve delight or honor:

Proverbs 19:10: “Delight is not seemly for a fool; much less for a servant to have rule over princes.”

Proverbs 26:1: “As snow in summer, and as rain in harvest, so honour is not seemly for a fool.”

Proverbs 26:8: “As he that bindeth a stone in a sling, so is he that giveth honour to a fool.”

 

Fools Cannot Be Trusted

If you put your trust in a fool then you will find yourself in a lot of trouble:

Proverbs 26:6: “He that sendeth a message by the hand of a fool cutteth off the feet, and drinketh damage.”

 

Fools Return To Their Folly

Those who return to their foolish ways are fools:

Proverbs 14:24: “The crown of the wise is their riches: but the foolishness of fools is folly.”

Proverbs 26:11: “As a dog returneth to his vomit, so a fool returneth to his folly.”

 

Fools Speak Hastily

Those who speak hastily are fools:

Proverbs 17:7: “Excellent speech becometh not a fool: much less do lying lips a prince.”

Proverbs 17:28: “Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding.”

Proverbs 29:11: “A fool uttereth all his mind: but a wise man keepeth it in till afterwards.”

Proverbs 29:20: “Seest thou a man that is hasty in his words? there is more hope of a fool than of him.”

Ecclesiastes 5:3: “For a dream cometh through the multitude of business; and a fool’s voice is known by multitude of words.”

Ecclesiastes 10:12: “The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious; but the lips of a fool will swallow up himself.”

A person will seem wise if he keeps silent, but once a fool starts talking he is easy to spot. His words give him away.
 

In Conclusion

Seek wisdom, not foolishness. Whereas the consequences of foolishness are devastating, the rewards of wisdom are enormous:

Proverbs 3:13: “Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding.
14 For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold.
15 She is more precious than rubies: and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her.
16 Length of days is in her right hand; and in her left hand riches and honour.
17 Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace.
18 She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: and happy is every one that retaineth her.
19 The Lord by wisdom hath founded the earth; by understanding hath he established the heavens.
20 By his knowledge the depths are broken up, and the clouds drop down the dew.
21 My son, let not them depart from thine eyes: keep sound wisdom and discretion:
22 So shall they be life unto thy soul, and grace to thy neck.
23 Then shalt thou walk in thy way safely, and thy foot shall not stumble.
24 When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet.”

A few years ago I was sitting in church when my friend Donnie approached me with a book of Bible trivia questions. He asked me if I would be willing to answer some of its questions, and I said sure. At this point I was feeling pretty confident; I thought I had a good understanding of the Bible and could do decently well when it came to trivia.

The very first question he asked me was this: what is nehushtan? I had absolutely no idea. I didn’t even have a guess. That’s when I knew I was in trouble.

As it turns out, nehushtan is the name of the brass serpent that Moses made. Back when Moses was leading Israel through the wilderness, Israel decided to sin yet again. This brought down God’s judgment upon them:

Numbers 21:5: “And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread.
6 And the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died.”

Israel asked Moses to pray for them so that God would get rid of the serpents. When Moses prayed, however, God did something unexpected:

Numbers 21:7: “Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord, and against thee; pray unto the Lord, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people.
8 And the Lord said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live.
9 And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.”

Instead of removing the serpents, God had Moses make a replica of the serpent and put it on a pole. When a person was bitten, all they had to do was look upon the serpent that Moses had made and they would be saved. (You can see the clear parallel between the serpent on the pole and Christ on the cross.)

The serpent on the pole appears a great deal later, in the book of 2 Kings. There we find out that it had become an object of worship and was leading the Israelites into idolatry:

2 Kings 18:4: “He removed the high places, and brake the images, and cut down the groves, and brake in pieces the brasen serpent that Moses had made: for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it: and he called it Nehushtan.”

There it is – the word “nehushtan”.

Israel turned God’s symbol of salvation and grace into an idol, so it had to be destroyed. And that is the story of nehushtan.

I John 1:17: “And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:
18 I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.”

Notice what happened when John caught a glimpse of Jesus: he “fell at his feet as dead”. The mere sight of Jesus was that overwhelming. That is worth thinking about. There is a surprising number of people today who claim to have had visions of the risen Lord. Two striking these about these supposed visions is that (a) their description of Jesus does not at all correspond to the Biblical description, and (b) their reaction to seeing the Lord is nothing at all like John or Isaiah’s reaction. It gives me very grave doubts about the truthfulness of their accounts.

Also notice also how Jesus describes Himself: He is the one “that liveth, and was dead; and, behold I am alive for evermore”. He lived, He died for our sins, and He rose on the third day. There are those who deny that Jesus ever died, but Jesus Himself affirms it. There are those who deny that Jesus ever rose from the dead, but Jesus Himself affirms it. Those who deny the death or the resurrection of Jesus are calling Him a liar. He was quite plain about it – and His testimony is true.

Who has the keys of hell and of death? Jesus does.

Revelation 1:13: “And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.
14 His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire;
15 And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.
16 And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.”

This picture of Jesus is completely different from the one that we see in Christian bookstores, isn’t it? Just look at it: Jesus has white hair, fiery eyes, and bronze skin. This is nothing less than a Biblical description of the appearance of Christ.

Amazingly, this description has been almost universally disregarded. The mental picture that most people have of Jesus is not remotely Biblical. Instead of accepting the Bible’s picture of Christ, people have instead gone out and drawn pictures of Jesus that are designed to make people think that Jesus looks like them.

I am against pictures of Jesus on general grounds – I think they are dangerous and misleading. At the very least, though, if you’re going to draw pictures of Him, you should at least remember that Jesus is a Jew from the Middle East – not a tall, white, blue-eyed, blond-haired guy from Norway. Can’t we at least get His ethnicity right? Is that too much to ask?

Back in 1893 a Sunday School teacher named James Black wrote a hymn entitled “When The Roll Is Called Up Yonder”. This hymn is so well-known that many people can recite the first verse from memory:

When the trumpet of the Lord shall sound, and time shall be no more,
And the morning breaks, eternal, bright and fair;
When the saved of earth shall gather over on the other shore,
And the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there.

This verse has convinced the world that time does not pass in Heaven. Countless people are looking forward to the day when “time shall be no more”. It is one of those things that everyone knows. The truth of the hymn’s first line is simply not questioned – which is unfortunate, because the hymn is wrong.

It is true that the phrase “time shall be no more” is found in the Bible (although not quite in those exact words), but it doesn’t mean what people think it means. The phrase can be found near the end of the Bible in the book of Revelation:

Revelation 10:5: “And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven,
6 And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer:
7 But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.”

Yes, it is true that the verse does contain the phrase “there should be time no longer”. However, it is not saying that time itself will suddenly cease to exist. What it is saying is that when the seventh angel begins to sound, the mystery of God would be finished. The time of waiting would be over. In other words, the mystery would have run out of time because God had finished it.

This is made a great deal more clear if you read a version other than the King James. For example, this is how Revelation 10:7 is rendered in the English Standard Version:

Revelation 10:6: “and swore by him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and what is in it, the earth and what is in it, and the sea and what is in it, that there would be no more delay,”

“no more delay” is a much clearer rendering than “no more time”. This passage was never intended to mean that time itself would stop. That very concept makes no sense; after all, time is the interval between two events. If time stopped then nothing else could ever happen! You have to have time in order to have events.

This passage does raise interesting questions, such as who the seventh angel is and what the mystery of God is, but I want to focus on the matter at hand. Despite what people believe, time does pass in Heaven. Revelation itself testifies to this:

Revelation 8:1: “And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour.”

If time didn’t pass in Heaven then there couldn’t possibly be a half-hour of silence, since a half-hour is a unit of time.

I am very concerned that some of our favorite hymns have led us astray and taught us things that are not true. Despite what “When The Roll Is Called Up Yonder” says, there will never come a day when time itself will stop. Despite what “Hark the Harold Angel Sings” says, angels did not sing at the birth of Christ:

Luke 2:10: “And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”

The angels said their message; they did not sing it. A whole generation of Christians believes that angels sang at the birth of Christ, when a simple reading of the text clearly demonstrates that this was not the case.

Despite what “We Three Kings” says, the Bible never states that there were three wise men. Matthew 2, which gives the account of the wise men, never gives their number.

Modern hymns seem to have the same problem. For example, take the very inspirational hymn “Give Thanks”:

And now let the weak say, “I am strong”
Let the poor say, “I am rich
Because of what the Lord has done for us”

This same sentiment is echoed in the song “Savior King”:

And now the weak say I have strength
By the spirit of power
And now the poor stand and confess
That my portion is served and I’m more than blessed

The idea “let the weak say ‘I am strong’” just sounds so right. It sounds so Biblical. It’s uplifting, encouraging, and inspirational. As it turns out, it really is a quote from the Bible. It is something that was said by God Himself, and you can read about it in Joel 3:10. However, if you read the context of the verse you’ll discover that it doesn’t mean what you think it does:

Joel 3:1: “For, behold, in those days, and in that time, when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem,
2 I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.
3 And they have cast lots for my people; and have given a boy for an harlot, and sold a girl for wine, that they might drink.
4 Yea, and what have ye to do with me, O Tyre, and Zidon, and all the coasts of Palestine? will ye render me a recompence? and if ye recompense me, swiftly and speedily will I return your recompence upon your own head;
5 Because ye have taken my silver and my gold, and have carried into your temples my goodly pleasant things:
6 The children also of Judah and the children of Jerusalem have ye sold unto the Grecians, that ye might remove them far from their border.
7 Behold, I will raise them out of the place whither ye have sold them, and will return your recompence upon your own head:
8 And I will sell your sons and your daughters into the hand of the children of Judah, and they shall sell them to the Sabeans, to a people far off: for the Lord hath spoken it.
9 Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles; Prepare war, wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near; let them come up:
10 Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruninghooks into spears: let the weak say, I am strong.
11 Assemble yourselves, and come, all ye heathen, and gather yourselves together round about: thither cause thy mighty ones to come down, O Lord.
12 Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about.”

In this passage God is talking about the battle of Armageddon – the great conflict at the end of the Tribulation. At that time the Lord will draw all armies to Jerusalem, where there will be a terrible fight. During this conflict Jesus Himself will return from Heaven (in an event known as the Second Coming) and utterly annihilate the armies that have attacked His people.

When God says “let the weak say, I am strong”, He is actually mocking the invaders. He is telling them that they think they are strong, but they are actually weak. God is warning them that when they march with the Antichrist against Jerusalem, they are marching to their doom. Their strength is nothing. They are not marching toward victory, but toward judgment.

In the context of the passage, then, the verse is not inspirational. God is not encouraging weak people to stand up and be strong; instead He is doing exactly the opposite – mocking the strength of the mighty and calling them weak. This verse is not aimed at God’s people; it is aimed at God’s enemies, and it is a prelude to their utter destruction.

Joel 3:10 happens to be the only place in the entire Bible where you will find that phrase. The songs that use it are taking a statement uttered by God Himself and using them wildly out of context to mean exactly the opposite of what God was saying. Those uplifting, encouraging songs are brutally butchering the Word of God. This is what the Bible actually has to say about weakness and strength:

2 Corinthians 12:10: “Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.”

Notice the subtle but enormous distinction. We can do all things through Christ, but we can do nothing without Him. What honors God is our weakness, not our strength. When we are reproached, troubled, tormented, and tried – when we have no strength of our own and are utterly empty – that is when the power of God is greatest in our lives. In the Old Testament God did mighty works through the tiny army of Gideon. He shows His great power through our weakness, not through our strength. The truth is that I am not strong, but God is. My only hope is for Him to show His strength through me.

There are other hymns that are an odd mixture of truth an error. For example, take the classic hymn “Days of Elijah”:

These are the days of Elijah
Declaring the Word of the Lord
And these are the days of Your servant, Moses
Righteousness being restored
And though these are days of great trial
Of famine and darkness and sword
Still we are the voice in the desert crying
Prepare ye the way of the Lord

CHORUS:
Behold he comes
Riding on a cloud
Shining like the sun
At the trumpet’s call
Lift your voice
It’s the year of jubilee
Out of Zion’s hill salvation comes

And these are the days of Ezekiel
The dry bones becoming as flesh
And these are the days of Your servant, David
Rebuilding the temple of praise
And these are the days of the harvest
The fields are as white in your world
And we are the laborers in your vineyard
declaring the word of the Lord

Let’s take a closer look at some of the theology in this hymn. For example:

These are the days of Elijah
Declaring the Word of the Lord

Yes, Elijah did declare the words of the Lord, and we should be doing that too. However, when the Bible talks about the “days of Elijah” it is talking about this prophecy from the last book in the Old Testament:

Malachi 4:5: “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord:
6 And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.”

Throughout the Bible the phrase “day of the Lord” is a reference to the Tribulation. At some point before the Tribulation begins, Elijah will be sent back to Earth to complete his ministry. (This is probably why he was taken up to God by chariots of fire instead of dying like everyone else; his work is not yet finished.) The days of Elijah will consist of Elijah actually being here, on Earth, preaching. Those days are not here yet. These are not the days of Elijah.

The song then talks about Moses:

And these are the days of Your servant, Moses
Righteousness being restored

Did Moses restore righteousness? Not exactly. Moses did give the Law, but Israel could not keep it. The Israelites constantly rebelled against Moses in the wilderness, and when Moses finally brought them to Canaan they refused to go in and take it – so God let them all die and raised up another generation. At the end of Moses’ life God made it clear that the Israelites were not going to obey Him:

Deuteronomy 31:16: “And the Lord said unto Moses, Behold, thou shalt sleep with thy fathers; and this people will rise up, and go a whoring after the gods of the strangers of the land, whither they go to be among them, and will forsake me, and break my covenant which I have made with them.
17 Then my anger shall be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide my face from them, and they shall be devoured, and many evils and troubles shall befall them; so that they will say in that day, Are not these evils come upon us, because our God is not among us?
18 And I will surely hide my face in that day for all the evils which they shall have wrought, in that they are turned unto other gods.”

Moses did not restore righteousness. In fact, the most prominent characteristic of Israel during his lifetime was rebellion, not obedience. God gave them the Law and they could not keep it.

Then there is this:

And these are the days of Your servant, David
Rebuilding the temple of praise

You will not find the phrase “temple of praise” anywhere in the Bible. King David did not build a temple; the first temple was built by his son Solomon. No temple was “rebuilt” until centuries later, after the Babylonian captivity. On top of that, God actually prohibited David from building Him a temple! David did a lot of great things, but temple building was not one of them.

Then there is this:

Behold he comes
Riding on a cloud
Shining like the sun
At the trumpet’s call
Lift your voice
It’s the year of jubilee
Out of Zion’s hill salvation comes

The Bible does refer to Zion’s hill. We find it in Psalm 2:

Psalm 2:1: “Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?
2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and against his anointed, saying,
3 Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.
4 He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.
5 Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure.
6 Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.”

This Psalm is talking about the same events that are mentioned in Joel 3. At the end of the Tribulation there will come a day when the kings of the world will come together to attack Jerusalem; when that happens Jesus will return and destroy them. Christ will then literally reign as king over the world from the holy hill of Zion. Salvation will come out of Zion’s hill. All of this happens at the Second Coming.

However, the time when the Lord comes “at the trumpet’s call” is when He comes at the Rapture for His Church:

I Corinthains 15:51: “Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”

At the Rapture Jesus will return at the sound of a trumpet to raise the Church from the dead. At the Second Coming Jesus will return with the armies of Heaven to defeat the armies of the Antichrist that are waging war against the Jews. (Revelation 19 discusses this event but does not mention any trumpets.) The song has taken these two distinct events (which are separated in time by a number of years) and merged them into one.

I am not trying to be argumentative here. The point I am making is that some hymns have an unfortunate tendency to play fast and loose with the Bible, taking things out of context or inventing things that the Bible just does not say. This has caused entire generations of Christians to believe things that are not true.

I think it would be wise to be more careful about the songs we’re singing. After all, as Christians we are charged with rightly diving the Word. Is it really too much to ask that our hymns be theologically accurate?

Not all oddities have to be giant and life-changing. Sometimes a person comes across little things that bring a smile. For example, Job seemed to be a big fan of adding salt to food:

Job 6:6: “Can that which is unsavoury be eaten without salt? or is there any taste in the white of an egg?”

I think that’s a terrific verse of the day. Can’t you see it stitched on pillows, or elaborately framed and hung on the wall? That verse definitely belongs in the kitchen; I say put it right over the stove. “Can that which is unsavoury be eaten without salt?”

As you can see, Job also believed that the white of an egg was pretty tasteless. (What do you think the odds are that he added salt to it?)

Proverbs warns us to moderate our intake of honey, lest we overdo it and vomit:

Proverbs 25:16: “Hast thou found honey? eat so much as is sufficient for thee, lest thou be filled therewith, and vomit it.”

On a completely unrelated note, in the book of Jeremiah God mentions a very unusual writing instrument:

Jeremiah 17:1: “The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron, and with the point of a diamond: it is graven upon the table of their heart, and upon the horns of your altars;”

Writing with “the point of a diamond” – now there’s a modern idea! Apparently that concept was also a “modern idea” a couple thousand years ago. It makes you wonder what other modern ideas are actually very old – but that is a discussion for another time.

Revelation 1:9: “I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.”

This is a compelling piece of evidence that proves that Preterism is false. (Preterism teaches that Revelation was fulfilled in 70 AD when the Romans sacked Jerusalem and destroyed the Temple.) Everyone agrees that Revelation is a book of prophecy; when it was written the events described in it had not yet taken place. In order for Preterism to be true, the book of Revelation had to be written before 70 AD.

That raises a question. When was John exiled to Patmos? Well, he was exiled by the Emperor Domitian, who reigned from 81 AD to 96 AD! In other words, the apostle John was not exiled to Patmos until long after 70 AD. Since Revelation is a book of prophecy, it cannot possibly be talking about events that happened years earlier.

According to the early church fathers, Revelation was written in the early 90s. This means that Preterism must be false; the book was written too late for that theory to be true.

Revelation 1:7: “Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.”

Some people claim that the phrase “with clouds” is symbolic of the church. I don’t really know if that is the case or not. While it is possible that there is some kind of symbolism going on here, it is also possible that the passage is talking about actual clouds. After all, when Jesus ascended after the Resurrection He was taken up into a real, actual cloud. My guess is that He will return in the same kind of clouds that accompanied Him when He left.

The point is that when Jesus returns “every eye shall see him”. This is critical. There are many people today who teach that Jesus will never return at all. Some say that Jesus has already come back (in a secret way that went unnoticed by everyone), while others say that His coming is purely symbolic (He comes “into our hearts”). Both of these points of view are wrong, as this verse so clearly demonstrates. When the Lord Jesus Christ returns no one will miss it. It will not be secret, symbolic, or hidden. In fact, it will be so attention-grabbing that the entire world will go into a panic. As the verse says, “all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him”. Everyone will be affected by this! Why? Because the King will have returned, and men were not prepared to meet Him.

And what a return it will be! Revelation describes the scene in much more detail later on in the book:

Revelation 19:11: “And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.
12 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.
13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.
14 And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.
15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, King Of Kings, And Lord Of Lords.
17 And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God;
18 That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.
19 And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.
20 And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.
21 And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.”

His Return will spark a series of events. This is what Zechariah has to say about that momentous day:

Zechariah 14:1: “Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee.
2 For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.
3 Then shall the Lord go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.
4 And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.
5 And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the Lord my God shall come, and all the saints with thee.
6 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the light shall not be clear, nor dark:
7 But it shall be one day which shall be known to the Lord, not day, nor night: but it shall come to pass, that at evening time it shall be light.
8 And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be.
9 And the Lord shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one Lord, and his name one.
10 All the land shall be turned as a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem: and it shall be lifted up, and inhabited in her place, from Benjamin’s gate unto the place of the first gate, unto the corner gate, and from the tower of Hananeel unto the king’s winepresses.
11 And men shall dwell in it, and there shall be no more utter destruction; but Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited.
12 And this shall be the plague wherewith the Lord will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.”

As we can see, this event is not the Rapture, where Jesus comes to raise the righteous dead and take them back with Him to Heaven (something that happens before the Tribulation even begins). No, this is the Second Coming that happens at the end of the Tribulation, where Jesus returns in person with the armies of Heaven to wage war against those who are attacking Israel.

This is not a fantasy or a fairy tale; it is a real event that will one day shake the world. When it does, no one will miss it; the entire world will know that the King of Kings has returned. This time, though, He will actually stay, and set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed. After conquering the world Jesus will rule over it – and we will reign with Him.

Since today’s theological discussion covers a topic that is not appropriate for children, I have uploaded it as a PDF. This is intended for mature adults only; you have been warned.

You can find the paper here: Do Not Defraud One Another

In Daniel 4 Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, tells us of a dream that troubled him. During the dream a “watcher” appears:

Daniel 4:13: “I saw in the visions of my head upon my bed, and, behold, a watcher and an holy one came down from heaven;”

This watcher says a number of things and then concludes with this:

Daniel 4:17: “This matter is by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the word of the holy ones: to the intent that the living may know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth up over it the basest of men.”

Everyone is familiar with the angels – a group of supernatural beings that go around doing the will of God. When people think of angels they usually think of guardian angels, who watch over God’s people.

But who, exactly, are the watchers? Notice that verse 17 clearly states that Nebuchadnezzar’s insanity was by the decree of the watchers. They decreed it so that people might know that God is the one who appoints kings and deposes them. In other words, the king’s insanity was done for the glory of God by the watchers. These watchers apparently have great power, since they can enact binding decrees and then carry them out.

As far as I can tell, this is the only chapter in the Bible that mentions the watchers. In Revelation, however, we find this unusual creature:

Revelation 4:8: “And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.”

The four beasts were said to be “full of eyes”. Could they be the watchers?

It’s impossible to say, but it’s interesting to think about. There is apparently a council of “holy ones” that has great power and that does things on behalf of the glory of God. We know that angels watch over God’s people and battle the forces of darkness, but they may do more than that.

We are used to the idea of people taking the initiative to do something for the glory of God, but it’s a bit jarring to think that angels might do the same thing. We tend to think of angels as a race of robots, who only act when God tells them to act and who has no will or imagination of any kind. Yes, the angels clearly act when God tells them to act – but is it possible that, in some cases, they may take the initiative? Might there be more to them than we think?