Interpreting Revelation and the End-Times

How should we understand the book of Revelation and end-times prophecy?

When you talk about doing Bible Study and how one interprets the Bible, one of the common questions you will encounter – both from believers and non-Christians – will be what about the book of Revelation? How are we to understand all the prophecies concerning the apocalypse, the return of Christ and final judgment? What I want to do in this video is give a basic primer on the basic terms you will encounter when discussion end-times theology.

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FUTURISM VS PRETERISM:
A futurist will interpret the end-times as being future events.
A preterist will argue that texts such as the Book of Revelation are not so much prophecies foretelling future events, but rather are FORTHTELLINGS of present and past events that the original readers would have already been familiar with in their own cultural contexts as occurring within their own time frame.

Example: In Luke 21, Jesus talks about the desolation of Jerusalem. A Futurist may take this to mean the nation of Israel established in the Palestine region post-WW2 will come under attack. The Preterist will argue that it refers to the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD by the Romans.

THE TRIBULATION: The time when the church undergoes an all-out assault by Satan’s minions.

THE MILLENIUM: Once the Tribulation is over, the [earthly] time when sin, Satan and Death are defeated.
Pre-millennials believe that Jesus’ return will mark the beginning of the Millenium.
Post-millenials believe that Jesus will return at the end of it (i.e., the Church brings about Jesus’ return).

THE RAPTURE: When God takes all believers (dead and currently alive) to heaven to live with Christ forever.

DISPENSATIONALISM VS COVENANT THEOLOGY
Dispensationalists argue that the Biblical Covenants (Abrahamic > Mosaic > Davidic > The New Covenant) are TRANSITIONAL in terms of time, conditions and promises.
Covenant Theology argues that the Covenants are PROGRESSIVE (Redemption, works, Grace), hence the cautions and promises of one covenant are not necessarily boxed into “that was Old Testament, we’re in the New” (e.g., we partake of the New Covenant, the Gospel, via grace through justification by faith. Yet who does the Bible use as the model for Justification by Faith? Abraham.)

ISRAEL AND THE CHURCH

Israel certainly factors into the end-times. “All of Israel will be saved” (Romans 11:26).
Since the over-arching theme of Romans 9-11 is "What is God going to do with the Jews now that Christ has come?"
The question is “Who is ‘Israel’?”
a) The nation-state of Israel?
b) Ethnic Jews?
c) Believers in Judaism?
d) Jewish Christians aka Messianic Jews
e) God’s people overall?

Dispensationalists believe that because the biblical covenants are transitional, ISRAEL and THE CHURCH are therefore two separate and distinct entities. God’s plan and relationship with one is not the same as the other. E.g, in the book of Revelation, the church appears in Chapters 1-3, then in Chapter 22. What happens in between? The focus turns to Israel.
Covenant Theology advocates REPLACEMENT; the Church replaces Israel as God’s chosen people, and thus receives and partake of all the blessing, warning and promises.

Now some would say: What’s all the point of this? There are individuals as well as ministries who devote hours or tuime, money and resources trying to interpret how the end-times will play out. Books have been written, movies have been made. And very often when people try to make precise predictions, they tend to be embarrassingly wrong as the world’s events play out.
If there is a critical flaw in the Futurist interpretation of Revelation, it would be that it does open the door to a slippery slope where a theologian who usually excels in exegetical study gets sloppy and finds themselves they trying to read things into the text based on whatever they see in today’s headlines.

Regardless of how you interpret Revelation and the End times, it’s important to take heed of the words of the Apostle Peter:

⁹ The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you,^[a] not wishing that any should perish, butthat all should reach repentance. ¹⁰ But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies^[b] will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.
¹¹ Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, ¹² waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! ¹³ But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.
¹⁴ Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace.
2 Peter 3:9-14

How is your view of the end-times impacting what you’re doing now, today? Are you living a holy, godly life? Can you say that when Jesus returns on the Day of the Lord you will be found without blemish and at peace? 

The Problem with Baby-Boomers in Retirement (Simon Sinek response)

6 Must-Have Bible study tools

So in my last video I talked about basic rules for your personal Bible Study. What I want to do in this video is to walk you through some must-have tools and resources to give you the cutting edge in rightly handling God’s word.


1. Commentaries

Bible commentaries aid in the study of Scripture by providing explanation and interpretation of Biblical text. Whether you are just beginning to read Scripture or have been studying the Bible daily, commentaries offer greater understanding with background information on authorship, history, setting, and theme.



2. Concordances

A concordance is a listing of words and phrases found in Bible and shows where the terms occur throughout all books of Scripture. With cross-references for verses, concordances make it easy to understand the meaning of terms and the context in which those words are used.

Suggested resource:
Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance is the most widely known and popular and includes Greek and Hebrew dictionaries for a better understanding of the original meaning.


3. Dictionaries and Lexicons

Lexicons provide definitions and meaning of Biblical words found in the original New Testament Greek and Old Testament Hebrew languages of the Holy Bible. They provide a concise meaning of the original Hebrew and Greek words, often providing Bible verse references as examples. If there are several Greek words that may translate to the same English word, the Lexicon will distinguish the connotation that may be lost in the English translation. This helps in understanding the origins and root meaning of the ancient language. Additionally, lexicons give the context and cultural meaning intended by the authors.

Recommendation:
Vine’s Expository Dictionary of the Old and New Testaments


4. Systematic Theologies

A Systematic theology will outline essential Christian Doctrines based on how they are presented throughout the entirety of Scripture from Genesis through to Revelation. Now just like a commentary, Systematic Theologies will of course lean in favour to the views and opinions of the scholar, so it may be a good idea to grab a few different ones just so you get a balanced perspective.

My recommendations:

Systematic Theology by Wayne Grudem
Know the Truth by Bruce Milne
and
Pilgrim Theology by Michael Horton


6. Study Bibles

A good study bible will include the standard Bible text, as well as tools such as commentary, maps, an index and a brief theology overview. Now in today’s technological age, you can get a study Bible either in hardcopy format, or you can purchase it as an app from iTunes or Google Play.

My weapon of Choice: The ESV Study Bible

Which brings me to my last and most versatile tool:



6. Bible Study software

Now lets be honest: having all these thick, hardcover books on your shelf in your living room on display will command instant respect and just screams “hardcore nerd.”

But let’s also be practical: what if you’re on the move and you still want to have these tools on hand when you need them?
Answer – go digital with Bible software. You just open the app on your tablet of computer’s desktop, and there you go – instant access to all of your Bible translations, commentaries, dictionaries at the click of a button.

Now the price of the various packages and what they contain will vary. On one end of the scale you have E-Sword which you can download for free and will give you all of the above resources mentioned with the option of purchasing additional modules should you choose.
On the other end you have Logos 7, whose starter Library package will set you back $135, though for the full portfolio you will spend as much as $4000. As one who uses the Logos starter pack, I will say that you definitely get what you pay for, and with their new cloud feature, you have the added plus of downloading any content you already purchased in the event of your computer’s hard drive getting wiped.

So whether you decide to go with hard copy or digital, these tools will surely up your game and uncover those treasures in your studies.
So have fun, and I look forward to talking to you soon!

How to read the Bible Properly

So you’ve picked up a Bible either from church or the bookstore – and you don’t know where to start, how to read it properly, what applies to you, what doesn’t. I say: don’t panic – this video is for you.


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When reading the Bible, I use a four step process:
Scripture
Observation
Application
Prayer

S-O-A-P or simply, S.O.A.P.


Step 1: Identify the Scripture
What is the text that you’re studying? Have a basic read-through


Step 2: Make Observations
1. What is the historical context? – Who wrote the text? Where did they write it? When was it written? What is going on in the word around them?

2. What is the genre? Is it a narrative? A poem? Prophecy? Teaching? A letter? The Bible isn’t written in a single style of writing, so you have to be able to recognize the format.

3. Who’s involved? Who are the major characters within the text?

4. How is God described? What are the theological themes that describe the nature of God?

5. Old Testament or New? When reading an Old Testament passage, does the revelation of the New Testament and what Jesus did on the cross change our understanding?

6. How is the writing arranged? Are there certain words or phrases that are either repeated or emphasized? How does the author’s use of a certain term apply in other passages related to the text we’re studying?

3. Apply the Principles
 Build the Bridge

1. Grasp the text on their turf. What did the text mean to the original audience?

2. Measure the width of the gap to cross. What are the differences (Time, culture, language, covenant) between the biblical audience and us?

3. Cross the Bridge. What are the underlying principles (theological, moral, etc.) that are not limited to time and culture?

4. Bring the text home. How should we as Christians apply the principles in our lives today?

4. Pray
Commit what you have learned before God in prayer, thanking him for what you have learned and asking that he give you the grace to live it out.


Common mistakes to avoid:

1. Inductive vs Deductive.

Inductive: Examining data to make a conclusion and deriving the resulting application 
Deductive: Having a pre-conceived application and then picking out the evidences to support it.

If one approaches a text with an intended application in mind before actually taking the time to observe the Historical-Grammatical contexts to see whether the text will even allow for such an application, they can only be expected to misinterpret and misapply the scriptures.


2. Authorial Intent vs Reader response

Reader Response: “This is what I feel the text is saying to me personally…”
Authorial Intent: What did the author – under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit – actually intend to convey?

Simply put, if a text doesn’t say it, the text cannot mean it.


3. Don’t overcomplicate the text

In our zeal for spiritual knowledge, it is all-too-easy to fall into the trap of over-spiritualizing a text to make it seem more complicated and profound that what it actually is.

4. Never read a single verse on it’s own!

Let me tell you a story: You have a man and woman who have been happily married, both go to church on Sunday. The husband discovers that his wife has actually been having an extra-marital affair with another man. So the husband arranges a counseling session with their pastor, who is very straitforward in telling the wife: “You know that what you’re doing is wrong and your husband is heartbroken. Why are you doing this?”
The wife says bodly: “I’m allowed to do this, the Bible says so!”
The pastor smiled and rolled his eyes. “Oh really? Where in the Bible?”
The wife replied: “Ephesians 4 says we are to ‘put on the new man’!”

When reading a verse, read it in context of it’s parent chapter; read the chapter in context of the book; and read a book in context of the entirety of scripture.


This is just a short summary, but trust me when I say that it’s not complicated. If you want something that goes a bit more in depth that you can either watch at home or with your friends in a small group Bible Study, may I recommend the DVD “Herman Who” by Todd Friel. There’ll be a link in the description below.

In my next video I’ll be showing you some of the tools you can use to get the extra edge in getting the most out of your Bible Study.
See you soon.

Do new technologies steal jobs?

As someone who works in retail, one of my daily duties is to supervise, maintain and teach people how to use the Self-Service checkout systems. Now Some people are quick to catch on how to use them, others need a bit more practice and there are of course those who will avoid them altogether. The most common excuse: If people use those things, employees lose jobs.
Is this true? Does introducing new technologies into an industry reduce its workforce?

First of all, off the bat, having a self-service checkout at a supermarket is by no means a fool-proof system. In addition to the supervisor, to keep the self-serve running you also require
- The Sales Manager
- The payroll team to collect and process profits
- IT support
- Technicians to make on-sight repairs when necessary
So in that sense, having a self-service checkout system won’t reduce the number of staff – you actually require MORE people to keep them up and running smoothly.

Secondly, for anyone who’s worked in retail, you will NEVER hear the accusation that technology results in a loss of jobs from anyone under the age of sixty who carries a smart-phone in their pocket. These comments typically come from those around retirement age at most.

So what’s the reasoning behind equating technology with job loss?

Let me tell you a story: Around 2006, I worked an admin job for a government-run printing company here in Brisbane. Now this company at the time I started working used old analogue printers where in order to print a document, you would have to prepare a separate plate for each page. Some of the staff who were operating these machines had been in the industry for up to twenty, even thirty years.
Now around early 2007, the decision was made to bring in a pair of brand-new digital color printers which are obviously computerised. As we brought these machines in, our company also brought on a graphic design team so that not only could we print documents, we could make our own artwork and graphics to go with them.
So what happened to the people who were using the old printers? Most of them while being industry veterans, had no idea how to use a computer, much less create graphics with Photoshop. My task as an admin assistant was to research where they could get the training so they could be brought up to speed – which the company was willing to pay for. Guess how many people signed up for training? None. How long did they stay with the company? Not very long. Most ended up retiring early
Why was this? I daresay: complacency – they came to work doing the same tasks, the same way, day after day, month after month, year after year, with little change. The company itself did not lose jobs numerically by bringing in new technology – by necessity it actuality required more people as it grew and expanded both in it’s methods as well as the final products it sold. What changed was the criteria for required competency.
And that’s basically Business Management 101: As the market grows, so does demand for newer, better products. Newer products require research and development into new technologies. New technologies require new skills and competencies. New Skills and Competencies come through TRAINING. For a business and it’s employees to intentionally avoid this would be corporate suicide.
That being said, as these older team members eventually left their positions, who was to blame? Was it the company? The new graphic design team? Or… just themselves?   



I was having a conversation with an acquaintance from Singapore who’s currently applying for Australian citizenship. He said to me: “Ben, I honestly can’t understand the work ethic of older Australians.”
“Why’s that?”
He said: “Ben in Singapore, when a young man finishes school, he gets sent to boot camp to begin National Service in the Defence Forces. Every summer over the next three years, everything that is said and done by the recruits is centred upon meeting a standard that affects both yourself and your comrades. And if you fall below that standard, you work as hard as you can to get there, or you wash out. And that attitude carries on into work and education. I look at older Australians and they always want the path of least resistance – they don’t want to learn anything new, they’re unashamedly critical of higher education. But the moment you have a younger person – or even a migrant – come into the company with the latest skills and qualifications and quickly climbs the promotion ladder, they quickly throw up their hands in protest.”

Wow.

 So the objection that new technologies steal jobs is simply not reasonable – At worst, it actually reflects a lazy work ethic.

So what do you think: Is this merely a generational issue, or is technology to blame? I’d love to know what your thoughts are

Why "GOD'S WONDERFUL PLAN" causes shame and cruelty

Transcript:

Consider the typical gospel presentation:

1. God LOVES you and has a wonderful PLAN for your life. 
2. Man is SINFUL and SEPARATED from God. Therefore, he cannot know and experience God's love and plan for his life. 
3. Jesus Christ is God's ONLY provision for man's sin. Through Him you can know and experience God's love and plan for your life. 
4. We must individually RECEIVE Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord; then we can know and experience God's love and plan for our lives.

That sounds like what it commonly taught by churches, student groups, and missionary groups. But is this a true explanation of the gospel, or even of how Christians actually live?

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So what’s wrong with saying that God has a Wonderful Plan for your life?
Obviously, The message is man-centred:
If you were to go around asking people what their idea of God’s wonderful plan for their life was, most of the answers you would receive would be very carnal in nature, referring to today secular, materialistic culture. The drawcard this method uses is one of life enhancement; If you accept Jesus into your life, your life will get better as a result of following God's plan.
   But by what standard exactly are we defining wonderful? When we look at the lives of the 12 Disciples and what they went through - hardships, persecutions, imprisonments, shipwrecks, ostracism, physical assault, martyrdom - as recorded in the book of Acts in addition to the plights of missionaries today who have experienced horrifying situations of persecution for sharing the gospel in areas that are hostile towards it, how can we reconcile a message of life enhancement with the truth of the adversity Christians suffer from for practicing their faith? How can anyone faithfully read Acts from cover to cover then look a non-Christian in the eye and joyfully say "God has a wonderful plan your life!"
   It's just not being honest. 

But what about the believers within the church – what does such a message ultimately say to those who already profess to be Christians?
If you’ve been in church long enough that you are able to be aware of what those in your immediate fellowship go through each week, you know all too well that the grass isn’t greener on the other side. You know that there are genuine Christians going through health problems, relationship issues, financial difficulties, tragedies.
But isn’t the gospel that says “God has a Wonderful Plan for your life” supposed to make Christians rise up and above such things? If the gospel is “Believe in Jesus, he will make life fulfilling, abundant and prosperous” but yet you have people inside the church going through the things I just mentioned, then either:
a) Such people are not Christians because their lives don’t line up with the message
or
b) That’s just not the true gospel.

If a church wants to be true to such a message, than obviously the worse thing you can do is have people going through difficulties talking about it openly to unbelievers.  The false gospel of “God has a Wonderful plan for Your Life” has only served to produce multitudes of people who perpetually wear these emotionless smiles out of fear that by being honest and upfront about the realities of life, Christianity will seem empty and lifeless. Don’t talk about health problems. Don’t discuss relationship breakdowns. Don’t discuss relatives disowning you because your newfound faith conflicts with their own beliefs. Don’t say or do anything that would make the gospel seem like a killjoy for people’s lives. 

When believers undergoing trials and hardships are told to bring what was preached from the pulpit into the harvest field, they become the unwilling victims of accusations of hypocrisy on the part of those who are against Christianity. The authenticity of our testimony is immediately put under scrutiny. Who is going to believe the validity of our personal witness if our circumstances are not visibly better than those without Christ?

^{2 Corinthians 1:3-4 says
3} Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, ⁴ who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

Likewise, James 5:13-14 tells us

¹³ Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. ¹⁴ Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.

Both of these texts refer to the church supporting believers who are undergoing suffering. But in all honesty, when you have a message that says that becoming a Christian is supposed to make life better, how is such compassion to expressed? Is it done in the open, is part of the Sunday worship gathering devoted to congregants praying for each other as well as meeting up during the week;  or is it done quietly in private behind closed doors lest unbelievers get the wrong impression? If the latter, then like it or not, what you have done is thrust upon people a culture of shame that the Bible gives no support for.

Whenever I hear a preacher say “God has a wonderful plan for your life”, "God wants you to be Prosperous", or “God wants you to Live your Best Life”, I can't help but automatically think of the Christians who are daily being murdered by groups like ISIS in the Middle East and Boko Haram in Africa; I think of parents who have to empty their bank accounts when one of their children suffers a serious illness that requires special treatment; I think about those I know within the church who struggle daily with depression and anxiety. 
I wonder how and why people can tolerate such preaching on one hand while and weep for the other at the same time - and yet not see any disconnect between the two. And it does beg the question: during the week, the pastor who is a faithful sheperd to those entrusted to his care will either do visitations or open his own door to listen to those who are struggling, and offer prayer and support. If there is anyone in the church who should understand the reality of Christian suffering, it should be the pastor, right? So what exactly goes through their mind when they meet with such people during the week, yet on Sundays they get behind the pulpit to deliver a life-enhancement message with the hopes that it will get people saved? Does that part of their psyche which lets them understand and empathise with others just get turned off, or do they just not really care at all?

If you’re a pastor, an evangelist or a missionary, you’re probably watching thid vid, and right now you’re upset, you’re irritated, you’re angry. You’re thinking of either leaving a nasty anonymous comment or hitting the dislike button. Well that’s good because it shows the understand the gravity of your responsibility. Hopefully you are considering that you need to rethink your message, take your church through some much needed evaluation, and take the necessary steps to reconcile with those whose lives have been seriously hurt by the kind of preaching im talking about.
If on the other hand, you’re not sure and your going to keep this on the shelf until it blows over, let me warn you: as a pastor of a local church, you may be currently dealing with what may seem like private trials that can be kept behind closed doors in secret. But it is inevitable that one day you will ghave to address an issue of such great tradegy within your church that everyone both within the congregation and outside the community will be aware of. The onus is going to be upon you to say and do what is right before the parties involved, as well as the Lord Jesus himself. And that will be the true test of whether you really are a true shepard or whether you are a hirling who runs away when the times get tough.

Now I’m assuming that the vast majority of people watching this vid are not iordained pastors or evangelists, but everyday church members, just as I am. If you understand what I’m saying, you’re wondering where can I go to learn more or how can I get the word out – I recommend you listen to the sermon “Hell’s best Kept Secret” by Ray Comfort. This message changed my Christian walk, it changed the way I share the gospel, how I view salvation, everything. But have a listen, forward it to others in your church, to your pastor, your evangelism team. Share it with them and meet up later to talk about it.
I say this with urgency because there will come a time when those who are ministers of the gospel, the pastors and evangelists, those on television, the authors of the books you read – they will have to face God on judgment day, not on the basis of whether they go to heaven or hell, but what did as stewards of the gospel. No doubt there will be many who will step forward expecting jesus to say “well done, good and faithful servant” but insterad he will say “how could you be so cruel to the ones I placed in your care?”

Church, we cannot keep ignoring the reality of Christians who suffer as a consequence of their faith – both abroad as well as in our immediate fellowship. Let’s stop pretending. Let’s end the shame. Let’s end the silence. Thankyou for watching.

30 Minute Learning Challenge

Whatever happened to Stranger-Danger?

What if Australia DID have a public vote on same-sex marriage?

Is Christianity Homophobic?

My Conversion Testiomony

My Cerebral Palsy Story

What is the Gospel?

Announcing my official Youtube Channel!

Was Paul’s “Thorn in the Flesh” a physical sickness? An expository study of 2 Corinthians 12

I must go on boasting. Though there is nothing to be gained by it, I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord. ² I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows. ³ And I know that this man was caught up into paradise—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows— ⁴ and he heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter. ⁵ On behalf of this man I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except of my weaknesses— ⁶ though if I should wish to boast, I would not be a fool, for I would be speaking the truth; but I refrain from it, so that no one may think more of me than he sees in me or hears from me. ⁷ So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. ⁸ Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. ⁹ But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. ¹⁰ For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
2 Corinthians 12:1-10


   How is  the Christian supposed to respond in the midst of suffering in hardship?
   The above passage taken from the Apostle Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians has long been a source of encouragement to believers undergoing difficulty – especially the words “My grace is sufficient.” No matter what challenges the Christian may face, the Lord is with us to carry us through any and all obstacles.
   But what was Paul himself referring to that would spurn him to plead thrice for the mercy of God? Was he simply referring to his sufferings in general that were applicable only to himself, or was he referring to something specific yet normative for any believer in similar circumstances?



Common Interpretations of “Thorn in the flesh”

Opposition to the Apostolic ministry

   At the most basic level, the “thorn” could be a metaphor for the opposition that Paul faced for preaching the gospel. This can be confirmed by the surrounding passages where Paul talks about both persecution against both his ministry and person as well as having to confront the false “Super-apostles” who had infiltrated the Corinthian church:

²⁴ Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. ²⁵ Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; ²⁶ on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; ²⁷ in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. ²⁸ And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches. ²⁹ Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to fall, and I am not indignant?
2 Corinthians 11:24–29


A Jewish euphemism

   Does the phrase “thorn in the flesh” appear elsewhere in Scripture? Indeed it does:

⁵³ And you shall take possession of the land and settle in it, for I have given the land to you to possess it.⁵⁴ You shall inherit the land by lot according to your clans. To a large tribe you shall give a large inheritance, and to a small tribe you shall give a small inheritance. Wherever the lot falls for anyone, that shall be his. According to the tribes of your fathers you shall inherit. ⁵⁵ But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then those of them whom you let remain shall be as barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides, and they shall trouble you in the land where you dwell. ⁵⁶ And I will do to you as I thought to do to them.”

Numbers 33:53-56

Now the angel of the Lord went up from Gilgal to Bochim. And he said, “I brought you up from Egypt and brought you into the land that I swore to give to your fathers. I said, ‘I will never break my covenant with you, ² and you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you shall break down their altars.’ But you have not obeyed my voice. What is this you have done? ³ So now I say, I will not drive them out before you, but they shall become thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare to you.”

Judges 2:1-3

¹² For if you turn back and cling to the remnant of these nations remaining among you and make marriages with them, so that you associate with them and they with you, ¹³ know for certain that the Lord your God will no longer drive out these nations before you, but they shall be a snare and a trap for you, a whip on your sides and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from off this good ground that the Lord your God has given you.

Joshua 23:12-13

Those who cling to a Dispensational hermeneutic as taught and promoted by the likes of Darby, C.I. Schofield and Charles Ryrie will no doubt appeal to the “Law of First mention” – that the first mention of any given word in scripture is to be the basis of interpretation for future usage – as the basis for defining Paul’s thorn. Paul must therefore be likening his struggles to the conditions experienced by Ancient Israel. The problems I can see with this interpretation are:
1. Contrary to dispensationalism, there is no clear precedent within scripture itself (let alone the Hebrew or Greek languages) wherein the first mention of any given word is binding upon definition at the expense of connotation. As an example of the problems inherent in the first mention method consider Cain. He was the first person in the Bible to bring a botanical offering to God and that offering was rejected (Genesis 4:2-5). Should we therefore conclude that all such offerings will be rejected? Of course not, because in Deuteronomy 26:1-4 God commands an offering of fruit to be brought by the children of Israel and placed on His altar.
2. The historical context of the above three verses refers to national Israel’s relationship with it’s neighbours under the Mosaic covenant. If Israel were to break covenant, the surrounding nation would become “thorns”. But this clearly has nothing to do with the overarching meaning of 2 Corinthians 11-12. Paul is giving a personal testimony, not a history lesson.
3. It should be remembered that 1 and 2 Corinthians was written to a primarily gentile audience. For Paul to resort to Jewish slang in the midst of the Corinthians’ several problem would be of little benefit.


Demonic oppression

  

This would be most obvious from v7: “a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited”. The word for “messenger” is angelos – from where we derive the English “Angel”. In other words, this is a demon sent to torment Paul.
   So the thorn was an attack from Satan to attack him spiritually, right? Not necessarily.
   First, Paul describes the purpose for the “thorn” as preventing “me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations”. But Satan's whole design is to produce conceit, pride and arrogance, not prevent it. That's how Satan tempts people: either with pride in ourselves, or despair over. Paul's revelations opened the possibiity to pride and self-exaltation. Satan wanted to make Paul miserable and turn him away from the faith and the ministry and the value of the visions he had seen. But God wanted to make Paul humble and turn him away from self-exaltation. So God appointed the thorn of Satan for the work of sanctification.

 

A physical ailment

   It is no secret that sickness and physical infirmities were a regular part of the lives of the Apostle Paul and those he worked with:

12  Brothers, I entreat you, become as I am, for I also have become as you are. You did me no wrong. 13  You know it was because of a bodily ailment that I preached the gospel to you at first, 14  and though my condition was a trial to you, you did not scorn or despise me, but received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus.
Galatians 4:12-14

25  I have thought it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus my brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier, and your messenger and minister to my need, 26  for he has been longing for you all and has been distressed because you heard that he was ill. 27  Indeed he was ill, near to death. But God had mercy on him, and not only on him but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow. 28  I am the more eager to send him, therefore, that you may rejoice at seeing him again, and that I may be less anxious.
Philippians 2:25-28

22  Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands, nor take part in the sins of others; keep yourself pure. 23  (No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments.)

1 Timothy 5:22-23

19  Greet Prisca and Aquila, and the household of Onesiphorus. 20  Erastus remained at Corinth, and I left Trophimus, who was ill, at Miletus. 21  Do your best to come before winter. Eubulus sends greetings to you, as do Pudens and Linus and Claudia and all the brothers.
2 Timothy 4:19-21

 Even the Apostle Paul, for whom healings and miracles was a regular part of his own ministry, still had to call upon Luke to serve as his personal physician when traveling:

12  Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, greets you, always struggling on your behalf in his prayers, that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God. 13  For I bear him witness that he has worked hard for you and for those in Laodicea and in Hierapolis. 14  Luke the beloved physician greets you, as does Demas.

Colossians 4:12-14

10  For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia. 11  Luke alone is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is very useful to me for ministry.
2 Timothy 4:10-11

There is a seemingly cruel irony in that while Paul himself had the gift of healing and it greatly aided his preaching of the gospel, he still had a doctor present to lend support when worse came to worse.

“dynamis teleitai astheneia” – the reality of God-given ailment (and what Faith-Healers don’t want you to know)

Following from the above point, in this section, I wish to present an exegetical case for why I believe that the “thorn” may indeed have actually been a metaphor for a physical sickness or infirmity. Let’s take another look at v8-10 and three specific words that I believe will provide an irrefutable answer:

⁸ Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. ⁹ But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. ¹⁰ For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Power – δύναμις dynamis (supernatural power, mighty deeds, rule)

Made perfect – τελέω teleitai (complete, ended, fulfilled, payed off. Note that on the cross, Jesus declares “Tetelestai!” when declaring “It is accomplished” or “It is τελέω teleitai)  

Weakness - ἀσθένεια astheneia (illness, infirmity, incapacity, timidity, weakness)

It should be noted that ἀσθένεια astheneia is the same word that Paul uses in 1 Timothy 5:22-23 to describe Timothy’s own stomach problems: 

22  Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands, nor take part in the sins of others; keep yourself pure. 23 No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments.

Strong’s Concordance lists 24 occurances of ἀσθένεια astheneia (cf. Matthew 8:17, Luke 5:15, Luke 8:2, Luke 13:11-12, John 5:5, John 11:4, Acts 28:9, Romans 6:19, Romans 8:26, 1 Corinthians 2:3, 2 Corinthians 11:30, 2 Corinthians 12:5, 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, 2 Corinthians 13:4, Galatians 4:13, 1 Timothy 5:23,  Hebrews 4:15, Hebrews 5:2, Hebrews 7:28, Hebrews 11:34). Of these 24 occurances, it should be noted that only 8 refer to “weakness” in reference to the human condition existentially, the remaining 16 refer to either physical “sickness” or “infirmity”.[1]

   That being said, there is no reason why Paul could not be talking about his “thorn” as a physical sickness. Those who would assert that 2 Corinthians 12 says nothing about physical sickness or infirmity (even if such were a manifestation of demonic influence as per v7) are either ill-informed as to what the text in of itself actually says, or are choosing to ignore it altogether.  

   “dynamis teleitai astheneia” can thus be rendered as “[my] supernatural power – [will be] fulfilled completely – [through] physical ailment”. From the above analysis, we can thus conclude about the nature of the “thorn”:

1. It is demonic in origin, yet godly by design and intent
2. It did indeed have a physical manifestation
3. Paul begged God to remove it three times, to no avail.
4. The purpose of the thorn is to buffet Paul so as to mould his character lest he become conceited.
5. Throughout the whole experience, God’s power would be made visible in it’s fullness.

   Such obviously refutes that teachings of Word of Faith adherents who would assert that God has no part in physical ailment, but rather God always intends to heal; and if healing doesn’t happen, either the believer lacks the faith or Satan is preventing it. Consider the following devotional written by Gloria Copeland:

Cancer. Heart disease. Multiple sclerosis. When we think of killer diseases, those are the names that come to mind. But the truth is, there's a far more deadly killer on the loose in the Church today. And it's destroyed more lives than any of us can imagine. It's called tradition. Traditions rob believers of their healing. They steal the power from the promises of God. Here are three you should beware of:

1. The tradition that says it's not always God's will to heal you.

It is God's will to heal you! It says so in His Word. If you don't believe that it is, then you can't pray in faith believing you'll receive. You're like the farmer who sits on his porch and says, "I believe in crops, but I'm not going to plant any seed this year. I'll just believe, and if it's God's will, my crop will come up." That farmer will never see his crop. Faith is the seed of healing--if you don't plant it, it won't grow. A prayer that includes the words, "If it be thy will" won't produce a healing harvest. You must know without a doubt that healing is always God's will for you.

2. Another tradition we hear is that healing has passed away. That there are no miracles today. But the Word of God proves that's not true. In Exodus 15:26, God says, "I am the Lord that healeth thee." He also tells us that He does not change (Mal. 3:6). He has never changed since the beginning of time. For healing to pass away, God would have to pass away...and He is not about to do that!

3. The third dangerous tradition is this one: "God gets glory from Christians being sick." That tradition totally violates the Word of God. The Bible says that people gave glory to God when they saw the lame walk and the blind see. God receives glory from your healing--not your pain!

The world is looking for a way out of sickness and disease, not a way into it. Let's break down those traditions and deliver a hurting world from the most dangerous killer of all.[2]

What Gloria Copeland writes off as “tradition” is in Paul’s own words his own testimony. Here we have an instance of God giving a believing a physical ailment delivered via a demonic vessel for the purpose of demonstrating His power while prayers for healing are refused. Demonic oppression and physical sickness are, in Paul’s own words, not at odds with God’s plan and purposes, but rather come under it just like anything else in creation. 


The down-to-Earth Apostle

   Although Paul speaks in the third person in v3-6, v7 qualifies that Paul was actually referring to himself. The revelations he speaks of were not so much the inspiration of scripture, but rather face to face encounters with phenomena that were simply beyond the realm of normal human understanding, let alone his own e.g., journeys to heaven, at least four personal encounters with Jesus in addition to thinks that Paul was forbidden to speak of. We can only guess what Paul saw, but whatever it was it was definitely beyond what was the norm. No doubt such experiences would give Paul every reason to excitedly testify, but instead he is told by God to stay silent about it.

   Compare the words of Paul with those of Jesus in the parable of The Rich Man and Lazarus:

“There was a rich man who was clothed in e purple and fine linen and f who feasted sumptuously every day. 20 And at his gate g was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, 21 who desired to be fed with h what fell from the rich man's table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 The poor man died and was carried by i the angels j to Abraham's side. [1] The rich man also died and was buried, 23 and in k Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and l saw Abraham far off and Lazarus j at his side.
   24 And he called out, m ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and n cool my tongue, for o I am in anguish in this flame.’ 25 But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that p you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’
 27 And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father's house— 28 for I have five brothers [2]—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ 29 But Abraham said, ‘They have q Moses and the Prophets; r let them hear them.’ 30 And he said, ‘No, s father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ 31 He said to him, ‘If they do not hear q Moses and the Prophets, t neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’”
  

What was the rich man’s sin that resulted in damnation?
   The rich man wears purple and fine linen. Purple is the biblical color for royalty (Esther 8:15). Fine linen represents righteousness (Revelation 19:8). The tabernacle, where God’s glory was said to present, had ten curtains of purple linen (Exodus 26:1). Who is this man who wears a uniform representing royalty and divine righteousness? If we take this verse as an account of what killed poor Lazarus i.e., Lazarus as a poor man with a skin disease (leprosy?) that eventually kills him as a result of a lack care on the part of someone with the spiritual authority to tend to him, we can easily say that this righteous royal was one of the Pharisees. Yet Jesus went on to describe the afterlife of these two men. The rich man was damned for his apathy while Lazarus was brought into heaven to stand at Abraham’s side.

   Again, who is this rich man supposedly of righteousness and royalty? And what exactly does he represent? If in this tale he is not just a Pharisee, who is he and what does he have to do with us?
   The key lies in 1 Peter 2:9 where we get a description of how God sees his church:“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” Jesus was in fact, speaking about what would be his own royal priesthood: his church. Whereas the Good Samaritan was able to treat an innocent, helpless man despite being a foreigner and a stranger, here we have the same scenario only that the one God himself has anointed to actually do the same job merely walks past and couldn’t care less.

   Knowing his eternal predicament (v24-26), the rich man asks that Lazarus be resurrected as a testimony – that is, a miraculous sign – that will convince his household and relatives to repent so that they may reside with Abraham in heaven. To which Abraham replies “They have Moses and the Prophets”. Who or what is Moses and the Prophets? Moses delivered the Law, which explains in specific details the standard of God’s holiness in such a way that it brings conviction of sin (cf. Rom 3:19-20, 7:7-25) and reveals the need for a savior, since “before faith came, we were held captive under the Law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. So then, the Law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith.” The prophetic writings reveal the heart and character of God as well as how he will accomplish his goal of redemption.
   This is what Abraham is saying: miracles and signs and wonders alone will not lead people to the savior any more than accounts of the afterlife. Why? Because if the dead were to be immediately brought back to life and they were to call everyone to respond, the underlying motive will be one of self-centered fear. They’re only interested in their own necks. You don’t need to be born again of the spirit in order to be shocked into responding with wordly sorrow. Miracles in of themselves have neither the power to transform nor the authority to convict. It is only by preaching from “Moses and the Prophets” that the right heart-motives will arise in a non-believer that will result in genuine repentance.

   Paul is all too aware that the gentile Corinthians are no more fickle than Jesus’ jewish listeners towards the subject:

¹¹ I have been a fool! You forced me to it, for I ought to have been commended by you. For I was not at all inferior to these super-apostles, even though I am nothing. ¹² The signs of a true apostle were performed among you with utmost patience, with signs and wonders and mighty works. ¹³ For in what were you less favored than the rest of the churches, except that I myself did not burden you? Forgive me this wrong!

2 Corinthians 12:11-13

In all likelihood, the “super-apostles” probably tried to lyre people astray with their own bogus accounts of visions and journeys to heaven. Paul in effect says in response: “Yes, I actually have had these experiences; it’s not as hyped up as you think it is. In fact, I’d rather not talk about it at all…”

  Despite what Jesus and the Apostle Paul have to say about the subject of heavenly visions, there has been an onslaught of books and films such as Don Piper’s 90 Minutes in Heaven, Todd Burpo’s Heaven is for Real, Bill Wise’s 23 Minutes in Hell and the late Choo Thomas’ Heaven is so Real!

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   Paul’s Christian walk was far from “a form of godliness lacking in power” (2 Timothy 3:5), but even so, 2 Corinthians 12 begs a very important question:

if it is indeed the norm for Christians led by the Spirit to have deep and extraordinary encounters with the divine that reveal more and more of God progressively as one moves from “glory to Glory” (2 Corinthians 3:18), why then, was Paul held back?

   Paul was certainly self-conscious of the fact that his walk with God was far from being perfected (cf. Romans 7:21-25, 1 Corinthians 9:27, Philippians 3:12-15). Surely such encounters would leave him overwhelmed with conviction as to who God really is.
   Yet this was not so.
   It is only reasonable to say that such experiences were not to be the focal point of Paul’s Christian walk nor the message that would be at the centre of his apostolic ministry. Instead, the focus was far more specific: Christ and Him crucified.

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¹⁸ Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions,^[a] puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind, ¹⁹ and not holding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God.

Colossians 2:18-19



If God does cause sickness, why pray for healing?

Some may still object: “If it is true that God causes physical infirmity and uses it to conform believers to the likeness of Christ, why should we pray for healing?”
   This is a good question. From the onset, such a high view of God’s sovereignty over matters of the believer’s well-being may clash with the notion of faith with regards to prayer. To start, why does God heal in the first place? 
   First of all, God heals because he chooses to reveal himself as a healer:

“If you will diligently listen to the voice of the Lord your God, and do that which is right in his eyes, and give ear to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, your healer (Jehovah ropeca).”
Exodus 15:26

   Secondly, God promises to hear the prayers of his children:

²² And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.”
Matthew 21:22

¹³ Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. ¹⁴ If you ask me^[a]anything in my name, I will do it.

John 14:13-14

¹⁴ And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.

1 John 5:14

This by no means suggests that simply taking “in Jesus’ name” on to the end of every prayer guarantees that it will be answered, but rather God answers the prayers that are in line with His sovereign will. The prayer for healing is no different. We cannot judge God should he choose not to answer prayers for healing as within his providence, he has sufficient reason for allowing it to continue in such a way that does not contradict his power or his loving goodness.
   I have been a Christian for 12 years now, 10 of which I have seen in the intercessory prayer ministry. One thing that I have recently seen in the disturbing trend where instead of prayer being an act of humble submission, what passes for “prayer” nowadays is commanding assertion – “I DECLARE!”, “I SPEAK FORTH!” or even “I COMMAND THEE!” Of course, the Bible sets forth no precedent for the idea that believer can or should seek to assert their will over that of God (witchcraft).
   Let’s also consider the prayer of faith that leads to healing in James 5:10-20

¹⁰ As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.¹¹ Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.

¹² But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation.

¹³ Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. ¹⁴ Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. ¹⁵ And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. ¹⁶ Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.^[a] 17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and forthree years and six months it did not rain on the earth. ¹⁸ Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.

¹⁹ My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, ²⁰ let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.

By pointing out “the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord” and “steadfastness of Job” (and if there was anyone who learned the hard way about God’s sovereignty over suffering, Satan and sickness it was Job), James is making it crystal clear that the faith spoken of that should undergird prayers for healing is not to be a blind faith that turns the other way in response to the reality of suffering and God’s hand in it – rather, such prayers must take it into account.
   We should also take heed of the fact that the overarching theme of James 5 is that when a believer stumbles – whether it be the result of sin, of sickness, emotional toil, etc) – we should seek to encourage and edify them it thehopes that God would grant restoration. If the spiritual gift of healing is for the church today in the 21^st century, then this should be the fruit which will indeed point out whether a person genuinely carries such a gifting – a deep compassion fueld by a desire to see struggling Christians built up. On the other hand, if such a person claims to possess such an “anointing” yet is openly condescending or even hateful towards te suffering Christian, it should be sufficient reason to write off such a persons gifting and claims to ministry as a counterfeit.    

   The Corinthians no doubt lacked such compassion in response to the Apostle Paul’s sufferings.

   What should stop us from cultivating it?

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References:

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[1] http://biblehub.com/greek/strongs_769.htm

[2] http://www.kcm.org/index.php?p=daily_devotional&devo_choices=FTHTOFTH&devo_language=ENG&devo_topic=&date=8%2F24