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He looked at me. Right at me.

It was not a look of disgust or anger or even rebuke. It was a look that just said, “I know.”

The hours and days after that are so painful that even today they are hard to talk about. The shame, the fear, the utter sadness that overwhelmed me then comes flooding back in the memory today.

In the days following, I thought about how he had looked me in the face and said, “When you are converted, strengthen your brethren.” At the time, I thought: ” ‘WHEN I’m converted?’ What does he think I have been doing the last three and a half years? I gave up my family, my house and my business. Could anyone be ‘converted’ if it wasn’t me? What more could I possibly do?”

When he told me I would deny him, I was so brash and self-confident. Others may do that, I said, but I never would. So sure was I that this was true. So sure I was that I was the greatest disciple. So sure I was that mine was the place at his right hand. So sure I was that I would even die for him!

It was only a matter of hours really when he gave me the look. It wasn’t long, just a glance really. But how that look has changed my life.

A few weeks later by the lake, he asked me if I loved him. Not the kind of love that we might have for friends, but completely devoted love. A love that meant I would do anything for him. Remembering that look, all I could speak of was my affection for him. I could not go down that path again unless I was sure… completely sure of my love.

Now he is gone. It has only been a little over a month since that night, but what a month. I have begun to understand much of what he said that I did not understand before. Most of all, I have discovered that all of this is not about me, but him. It is not my glory that is important, but his.

I was so afraid that night, but not today. Today, I feel his strength rising up within me. They can mock me, beat me and even kill me. But they cannot take from me my faith and conviction. In the end, they cannot take my life but for a time.

So today I must speak. It is the feast day, so the temple will be filled. I must do what I did not do that night. I must proclaim him to be the Son of God. I must tell people that the Kingdom is coming. I must tell them that I am his servant. I must depend on his strength to get me through this because I have learned so well that this strength does not come from me.

I must remember the look.

(Refs: Luk 22:32,61,62; Mar 9:33,34; Joh 21:15-17; Acts 2)

(KT)

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Author: Paul.

Time: Prob AD 60 or 61.

Origin, place of writing: Since Paul was a prisoner at the time Philippians was written (Phi 1:7,13,16), identification of this imprisonment would make possible the fixing of the date and place of origin of the Epistle. Three possibilities must be considered:

1. Caesarea. Paul was a prisoner in Caesarea for two years (57-59) and his friends had access to him (Acts 24:23,27). The fugitive slave Onesimus could have fled there (this assumes that the Epistles to the Colossians and Philemon came out of the same imprisonment as Philippians). The “praetorium” (Phi 1:13; NIV, “palace guard”) could [possibly] be understood of Herod’s palace at Caesarea (Acts 23:35). Furthermore, the warning and argument against Jewish teachers (Phi 3:1-16) fits well the period of Jewish-Gentile controversy. This theory has not been widely adopted, because there is no positive evidence favoring it. Paul expected prompt release (Phi 2:24), but there was little reason for optimism while he was at Caesarea, and this prospect was no longer possible after he had appealed to Caesar. Lack of any mention of the prominent Philip, who lived at Caesarea and had been Paul’s host (Acts 21:8-10), also makes this view doubtful.

2. Rome. The traditional view places the writing of Philippians during Paul’s first imprisonment in Rome during 59-61 (Acts 28:30). This is the most natural understanding of “palace guard” (Phi 1:13) and “Caesar’s household” (Phi 4:22). Paul’s trial was evidently going on during the writing, and its outcome could bring either life or death. Apparently there could be no appeal from its verdict (Phi 1:19-24). This was not the situation at Caesarea, for there he could appeal to Caesar (Acts 25:10-12). His circumstances reflected in the letter fit the Roman imprisonment better than the one at Caesarea, since he had freedom to arrange travel plans for his associates and opportunity to carry on considerable correspondence. He hoped to visit Philippi soon (Phi 2:24); at Caesarea, however, his aim was to go to Rome, and his appeal to Caesar made a trip to Philippi out of the question. The Marcionite Prologue (c 170) states that Philippians was sent from Rome. This view is the one most widely held.

3. Ephesus. This view places the writing in 53-55 during Paul’s three-year stay in Ephesus (Acts 19). The problem that Acts mentions no imprisonment of Paul in Ephesus is met by explaining Rom 16:4,7; 1Co 15:32; 2Co 1:8-10; 11:23 as pointing to such an imprisonment. But this is by no means established, for it demands treating these passages in Corinthians with wooden literalness rather than as the dramatic figures they are. Furthermore, this view requires taking Rom 16 as written to Ephesus rather than to Rome, a conclusion not warranted by the documentary evidence.

Summary: Paul’s main purpose in writing this letter seems to have been to thank the Philippians for the gift they had sent him when they heard he had been imprisoned at Rome (Phi 1:5; 4:10-19). But Paul also discusses several other issues. He encourages the Philippians to stand firm in the face of persecution, and he exhorts them to humility and unity. He also commends Timothy and Epaphroditus to the church and warns the Philippians against people who encourage a return to the Jewish law. The letter is outstanding in its emphasis on joy; the word “joy” occurs 16 times.

Key verse: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Phi 4:6,7).

Overview

Phi 1: Christ the Christian’s life. Phi 2: Christ the Christian’s pattern. Phi 3: Christ the Christian’s object. Phi 4: Christ the Christian’s strength.

Outline

1.	Greetings and thanksgiving: Phi 1:1-11
2.	Paul’s personal circumstances: Phi 1:12-26
3.	Exhortations: Phi 1:27 – 2:18
	a)	Living a life worthy of the gospel: Phi 1:27-30
	b)	Following the servant attitude of Christ: Phi 2:1-18
4.	Timothy and Epaphroditus: Phi 2:19-30
5.	Warnings against false teachers: Phi 3:1 – 4:1
6.	Final exhortations, thanks and conclusion: Phi 4:2-23
	a)	Exhortations: Phi 4:2-9
	b)	Thanks: Phi 4:10-20
	c)	Greetings and benediction: Phi 4:21-23

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About one-third of the Bible is prophecy. Much of it has more than one fulfillment. Are there any principles which help us in seeing how a prophecy might be fulfilled more than once? Here are three ways in which Bible prophecies can be fulfilled more than once:

1. A typical fulfillment first: Some Bible prophecies have their complete fulfillment in the long term, but in the short term there is a partial fulfillment in events which are types of the complete fulfillment. Example: The promises to David are quoted with reference to Solomon; cp 1Ch 17:12,13 with 1Ch 22:9,10. This is because Solomon’s reign was a type of Christ’s Kingdom; cp 1Ki 4:25 with prophecies of the Kingdom in Jer 23:6 and Micah 4:4. However, their complete fulfillment comes with Christ; see Luke 1:32,33 and Acts 13:33. Other examples. Mic 4; 5 was initially fulfilled by Hezekiah in relation to the Assyrian invasion, but will be more completely fulfilled by Christ setting up the Kingdom. Some features of Psa 72 were fulfilled by Solomon’s kingdom, but the psalm will be completely fulfilled in the future reign of Christ.

2. A typical fulfillment later: Some Bible prophecies are fulfilled completely initially but this fulfillment is typical of something greater to come. Example: Isa 17 was fulfilled in the Assyrian invasion in Hezekiah’s time, culminating in the destruction of the Assyrian host (v 14). Yet this fulfillment is also typical of the host which invades the land at the time of Christ’s return, and is destroyed. Other examples: Jer 50; 51 are prophetic of the overthrow of the kingdom of Babylon, but the extensive use of the language of these chapters in Rev 17; 18 shows that this overthrow was typical of the overthrow of another Babylon at Christ’s return. Psa 41 (not strictly prophecy) is about David’s experiences in the revolt of Absalom, but his betrayal by Ahithophel is typical of Judas’s betrayal of Christ (v 9, quoted in John 13:18).

3. Prophecies fulfilled on a number of occasions: Some Bible prophecies are fulfilled on several occasions because of situations which keep occurring. Example: Deu 28:49 prophesies of “a nation… from far” which God would send against Israel if they forsook Him. Note how the terms of this verse were fulfilled by Assyria (Isa 5:26; 33:19; Hos 8:1) and Babylon (Jer 4:13; 5:15) as well as Rome (Mat 24:28). Other examples: Cannibalism, prophesied in Lev 26:29, is recorded in both 2Ki 6:26-31 and Lam 4:10, and according to Josephus occurred in AD 70. The opposition to Christ by rulers foretold in Psa 2:1-3 occurred at his birth (Mat 2) and his crucifixion (Acts 4:25-28), and will occur at his Second Coming (Rev 17:12-14) and at the end of the Millennium (Rev 20:7-10).

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Examples of Bible prophecy with more than one fulfillment:

Isa 2:10-22: (a) earthquake in Uzziah’s day (Amo 1:1,2; Zec 14:5); (b) Last Days (2Th 1:9,19; Rev 6:16,19).

Isa 7:14: (a) birth of Hezekiah, son of Ahaz; (b) Mat 1:23.

Isa 34: (a) Edom and other nations hostile to Israel in Isaiah’s day; (b) Final judgment on the wicked (Rev 14:10,11).

Jer 50; 51: (a) Destruction of Babylon, the great enemy of Jeremiah’s day; (b) Destruction of “Babylon” in the Last Days (Rev 18; cp mg refs).

Hos 10:8 (and context): (a) Judgment on faithless Israel in Hosea’s time; (b) Destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD (Luk 23:30).

Mic 3:12: (a) Threatened fulfillment about 700 BC (Jer 26:18); (b) literal fulfillment in first century AD.

Psa 2: (a) David beset by enemies early in his reign (2Sa 8); (b) Hostility to Christ, the Son of David (Act 4:25-27; Rev 19:15).

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The Philistines are first mentioned in Gen 10:14. Apparently they came from Caphtor, or Crete, very early in Bible times (Deu 2:23; Jer 47:4; Amo 9:7). The land of Canaan received its other name — Philistia, or Palestine — from them (Psa 60:8; 87:4; Isa 14:29).

The Philistines ousted other peoples and settled initially on the Maritime Plain north of Gaza — a very fertile and desirable area. They seem to have lived in the region around Gerar and Beersheba as early as the time of Abraham (Gen 21:32,34; 26:1).

After the Exodus, the tribes of Israel were directed by God to journey to Canaan by a route that bypassed the coast of the Philistines (Exo 13:17,18), presumably because they were too strong for Israel at that time. When the Israelites began to settle the Land, the tribe of Judah captured Gaza, Ashkelon, and Ekron (Jdg 1:18), three of the five main Philistine cities; the other two were Gath and Ashdod. But a bit later, because of its idolatries, Israel was handed over into the hands of the Philistines (Jdg 10:6,7). It was delivered from them (Jdg 10:11,12), but soon fell under their dominion again, and remained so, off and on, through the times of Samson (Jdg 14-16), Eli (1Sa 4-6), Samuel, and Saul (1Sa 10:5: 12:9; 13:19-21; 14:52). After Saul’s army was defeated, and he and his sons slain by the Philistines (1Sa 28:4; 29:11; 31:1-13), king David overcame and repelled them on several occasions (2Sa 3:18; 5:17-25; 8:1; 19:9; 21:15-22; 23:9-17).

After David’s reign, the Philistines are mentioned less frequently, although they come in for threats of judgment by various prophets at later times because they invariably aligned themselves with Israel’s enemies (Babylon and Assyria) against their old foe Israel.

The Philistines are joined with other Arab nations confederated against Israel in the latter days was pointed out (Psa 83). This prophetic psalm undoubtedly had a historic fulfillment (possibly 2Ch 20 or 2Ch 32), yet it also points forward to a time when the combined enemies of Israel “know that thou alone, whose name is the Lord, art the Most High over all the earth” (v 18). Today, the modern counterpart to the ancient Philistine territory is what is now called the Gaza Strip, with its exploding Palestinian Arab population — nearly all of which are inflamed with the most intense hatred of their Israeli “oppressors”.

Bible prophecies about Philistia seem to fall into two main categories, with some natural overlapping: (1) first, the Philistines’ hatred toward Israel takes shape in despicable actions; and (2) then, the Lord Himself takes vengeance upon these enemies of His people.

“The Syrians before [to the north and east], and the Philistines behind [to the south and west]… shall devour Israel with open mouth… Therefore the Lord will cut off from Israel head and tail, branch and rush, in one day” (Isa 9:12-14). The initial fulfillment of this prophecy was in the days of Hezekiah, when the Jews found themselves squeezed in a wedge between their old enemies Syria and Philistia, and also facing the furious onslaught of the Assyrian (Isa 10:5,6,11-15,24,25). The immediate result was the fall of the Northern Kingdom of Israel, but the final result was that Assyria and its allies, including the Philistines, were themselves punished severely at the hand of God: “In that day the Lord will extend his hand yet a second time to recover the remnant which is left of his people, from Assyria, from Egypt… and from the coastlands of the sea. They [Ephraim and Judah] will swoop down on the slopes of Philistia to the west; together they will plunder the people to the east [Edom, Moab, and Ammon]” (Isa 11:11,14; cp Isa 10:12,25-27; 14:29-31).

That this prophecy is to be fulfilled yet again in the Last Days is evident from its connection with Isa 9:6,7 and all of Isa 11. The special child descended from David — Jesus Christ (Luk 1:32) — will bring judgments upon these Arab haters of Israel, recover the faithful remnant of Israel from captivity in Egypt and Assyria, and establish God’s glorious Kingdom in Israel.

If the nations mentioned in Isa 9-11 sound very much like those listed in Psa 83, then it is because that psalm could have initially applied to the Assyrian invasion in the reign of Hezekiah, and because it also has a Last Days application. There is an interesting verbal connection. The psalmist’s prayer in Psa 83:11 (“Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb” — Midianite princes slain by Gideon) will be fulfilled by Isaiah’s Last Days prophecy: “My indignation will come to an end, and my anger will be directed to their destruction. And the Lord of hosts will wield against them a scourge, as when he smote Midian at the rock of Oreb” (Isa 10:25,26).

Joel: The evil deeds of the Philistines and the subsequent retribution by God is aptly described by Joel: “What are you to me, O Tyre and Sidon, and all the regions of Philistia? Are you paying me back for something? If you are paying me back, I will requite your deed upon your own head swiftly and speedily. For you have taken my silver and my gold, and have carried my rich treasures into your temples. You have sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks, removing them far from their own border. But now I will stir them up from the place to which you have sold them, and I will requite your deed upon your own head. I will sell your sons and your daughters into the hand of the sons of Judah, and they will sell them to the Sabeans, to a nation far off; for the Lord has spoken” (Joel 3:4-8).

It is plain that Joel 3 is part of a Last Days prophecy (cp vv 14-17,20), when Judah shall be inhabited forever because the Lord dwells in Zion. Then “Jerusalem [shall] be holy, and no stranger shall pass through her any more”, for God says, “I will avenge their blood, and I will not clear the guilty.”

Amos: Philistia is listed among the oppressors of Israel in the prophecy of Amos, who wrote shortly before the time of the great Assyrian invasions of Israel: ” ‘For three transgressions of Gaza, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment; because they carried into exile a whole people to deliver them up to Edom. So I will send a fire upon the wall of Gaza, and it shall devour her strongholds. I will cut off the inhabitants from Ashdod, and him that holds the scepter from Ashkelon; I will turn my hand against Ekron, and the remnant of the Philistines shall perish,’ says the Lord GOD” (Amo 1:6-8; cp Amo 3:9).

This passage indicates assistance by the Philistines in taking the Jews into captivity (cp Joel 3 above). As a possible Last Days application, the phrase “for three transgressions and for four” could suggest several attempts to destroy Israel (1948, 1967, 1973?), only the last of which (it may be assumed) will be successful.

Obadiah: In his short vision, the prophet Obadiah sees a future time when “Edom” will be punished, for his violence against his “brother” Jacob, by being cut off forever (v 10). At a time called “the day of the Lord” (v 15), mount Zion — the Temple Mount in Jerusalem — will be the scene of deliverance and holiness (v 17), and the house of Jacob will possess their land. At that time (and not before), when “Saviours” will appear on mount Zion, and when the kingdom of Israel will truly belong to God (v 21), then “… they of the south shall possess the mount of Esau; and they of the plain the Philistines: and they shall possess the fields of Ephraim and… Samaria: and Benjamin shall possess Gilead” (v 19).

Some Bible students suggest that v 19 has already been fulfilled by the unbelieving nation of Israel, in winning the war of 1967 and occupying the West Bank and Gaza Strip. However, v 19 is “sandwiched” between verses 17 and 21, which clearly tell of Messiah’s kingdom. Only after Christ has returned will a redeemed and restored Israel truly possess her ancient land.

Ezekiel: During the ascendancy of Nebuchadnezzar and Babylon, the Philistines were still filling a similar hostile role, and thereby still threatened with a similar punishment from God: “Thus saith the Lord God; Because the Philistines have dealt by revenge, and have taken vengeance with a despiteful heart, to destroy it for the old hatred; Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will stretch out mine hand upon the Philistines, and I will cut off the Cherethim, and destroy the remnant of the sea coast. And I will execute great vengeance upon them with furious rebukes; and they shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall lay my vengeance upon them” (Eze 25:15-17).

Zephaniah: This prophet prophesied during Hezekiah’s reign, also pronouncing divine judgments upon the Philistines: “For Gaza shall be forsaken, and Ashkelon a desolation: they shall drive out Ashdod at the noon day, and Ekron shall be rooted up. Woe unto the inhabitants of the sea coast, the nation of the Cherethites! the word of the Lord is against you; O Canaan, the land of the Philistines, I will even destroy thee, that there shall be no inhabitant. And the sea coast shall be dwellings and cottages for shepherds, and folds for flocks” (Zep 2:4-6).

But the time of the Philistines’ (and the Assyrians’ — cp v 13) defeat will also be the time when Israel, redeemed from their last captivity, will finally dwell securely in their own land, under the benevolent hand of their Messiah (v 7; cp also Zep 3:14-20).

Jeremiah: In Jer 25, Jeremiah predicts vengeance upon the Philistines in the Last Days. He lists their cities (v 20) along with “all the mingled people” (vv 20,24 — the word is “ereb”, closely related to “Arab”) of Egypt, Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre, Sidon, Dedan, Tema, Arabia, Elam, and Media — all Muslim territories — and finally Babylon. God will cause all of these to drink of “the wine cup of this fury” (v 15). This figure of a “cup” of judgment being filled up to the brim, and given by God to the wicked, is common in the Bible, and is often used in regard to the great judgments of the Last Days (Psa 11:6; 75:8; Isa 51:17,22,23; Oba 1:16; and esp Rev 14:8,10; 16:19; 18:6).

Jer 47 also contains a reference to God’s vengeance upon the Philistines.

Zechariah: Finally, Zechariah also lifts up a burden against the Philistines: “Ashkelon will see it [the power of God] and fear; Gaza will writhe in agony, and Ekron too, for her hope will wither. Gaza will lose her king and Ashkelon will be deserted. Foreigners will occupy Ashdod; and I will cut off the pride of the Philistines” (Zec 9:5,6).

That this is a Last Days prophecy may be seen from the context: “I [the Lord] will encamp about my house… and no oppressor shall pass through them any more” (v 8; cp Joel 3:17). The king who will come in the name of the Lord “will speak peace to the nations, and his dominion shall be from sea to sea, and from the river to the ends of the earth” (v 10); he will also set free the “prisoners” from the waterless pit (the resurrection of the dead!) (v 11).

Conclusion

The “Philistines”, or Palestinians, will be among Israel’s enemies in the Last Days. Along with the nations of Syria and Jordan (“Edom”, “Moab”, and “Ammon”), they will be helped by the “Assyrian”/”Babylonian” to defeat their old nemesis. (This aspect, of duality — and repetition of fulfillment — in Bible prophecy, is much more common than many Bible readers realize.)

The Palestinians’ enjoyment of victory will be brief, however. The prototypical Philistine/Palestinian, the giant Goliath, was rendered powerless by David’s little stone (1Sa 17). Likewise, the Oppressor of the Last Days will be destroyed by another little stone, which strikes it on its feet (Dan 2:34) — feet, incidentally, of iron mixed with clay (vv 41,43: the word “mixed” is arab; cp “mingled” in Jer 25). That “little stone” which destroys the image in Dan 2 — ie Christ (Psa 118:22; Isa 8:14,15; 28:16; Mat 21:42-44; 1Pe 2:6-8) — will then become a great mountain and fill the whole earth with the glory of God (Dan 2:35,44).

The power of the Philistine against Israel will soon be destroyed forever, but the faithful remnant of Israel will (through the preaching of “Elijah”: Mal 3:1,2; 4:5,6) be blessed with the coming of Christ in the Kingdom of God.

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“The prophet is a man who feels fiercely. God has thrust a burden upon his soul, and he is bowed and stunned at man’s fierce greed. Frightful is the agony of man; no human voice can convey its full terror. Prophecy is the voice that God has lent to the silent agony, a voice to the plundered poor, to the profaned rules of the world. It is a form of living, a crossing point of God and man. God is raging in the prophet’s words” (Abraham Heschel, “The Prophet”).

What manner of man is the prophet? The prophet is a man who feels deeply, very deeply, the sinfulness of sin. Sensing some fraction of the holiness and purity of the Almighty and the Eternal, the prophet is horrified — scandalized — at the petty and trifling shortcomings of his fellowmen.

The things that excite the indignation of the prophet are daily occurrences in every society in the world: “Hear this, you who trample the needy and do away with the poor of the land, saying, ‘When will the New Moon be over that we may sell grain, and the Sabbath be ended that we may market wheat?’ — skimping the measure, boosting the price and cheating with dishonest scales, buying the poor with silver and the needy for a pair of sandals, selling even the sweepings with the wheat” (Amo 8:4-6).

Allow for variations, from nation to nation and religion to religion, in the technicalities of worship (ie, substitute “Sunday church service” or “Ramadan” for “New Moon” and “Sabbath”) — the picture is the same; human nature is the same everywhere. Indeed, the sorts of “crimes” that fill the prophet with sadness and foreboding rarely go beyond what ordinary people regard as typical social interactions: people cheat in business, the rich exploit the poor, pleasure-seekers degrade themselves and others — it happens all the time. So what? But the prophet sees the grotesque shapes and dimensions of human pride and greed and lust in daily life, and he shudders. To his sensitive ears comes the rumble of distant thunder. The God of creation is not pleased, and the prophet warns of impending doom:

“Before them the earth shakes, the sky trembles, the sun and moon are darkened, and the stars no longer shine. The LORD thunders at the head of his army; his forces are beyond number, and mighty are those who obey his command. The day of the LORD is great; it is dreadful. Who can endure it?” (Joe 2:10,11)

The prophet makes us vaguely aware of the pettiness of our moral comprehension, of the depths of misery which we should feel (but don’t?) at our failures. Our eyes also witness the callousness and cruelty of man, but our hearts try to obliterate the memories and silence the whisper of conscience. The prophet does not let us off:

“Tremble, you complacent women; shudder, you daughters who feel secure! Strip off your clothes, put sackcloth around your waists!” (Isa 32:11).

“Will not all of them taunt him with ridicule and scorn, saying, ‘Woe to him who piles up stolen goods and makes himself wealthy by extortion! How long must this go on?’… Woe to him who builds his realm by unjust gain to set his nest on high, to escape the clutches of ruin!… The stones of the wall will cry out, and the beams of the woodwork will echo it. Woe to him who builds a city with bloodshed and establishes a town by crime!” (Hab 2:6,9,11,12).

“This is what the LORD says: ‘Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,’ declares the LORD” (Jer 9:23,24).

Those of us who claim to be believers in God can so easily “go with the flow”, praising and respecting those whom the world praises and respects: the builders of great cities, the hoarders of great fortunes, the accumulators of great power, the acquirers of great “wisdom”. But the prophet reminds us:

“Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket; they are regarded as dust on the scales; he weighs the islands as though they were fine dust. Before him all the nations are as nothing; they are regarded by him as worthless and less than nothing” (Isa 40:15,17).

The world is intoxicated with the here and now. The prophet takes a sober look at the inevitable end of the world:

“I looked at the earth, and it was formless and empty; and at the heavens, and their light was gone. I looked at the mountains, and they were quaking; all the hills were swaying. I looked, and there were no people; every bird in the sky had flown away. I looked, and the fruitful land was a desert; all its towns lay in ruins before the LORD, before his fierce anger” (Jer 4:23-26).

Just as the prophet sees the hideous evil in a world without God, so he also sees the sanctimonious hypocrisy in a religious community that puts God in a box of its own making, and hides its wickedness under a cloak of piety and ceremony and pretense:

“What do I care about incense from Sheba or sweet calamus from a distant land? Your burnt offerings are not acceptable; your sacrifices do not please me” (Jer 6:20).

” ‘Will you steal and murder, commit adultery and perjury, burn incense to Baal and follow other gods you have not known, and then come and stand before me in this house, which bears my Name, and say, “We are safe” — safe to do all these detestable things? Has this house, which bears my Name, become a den of robbers to you? But I have been watching!’ declares the LORD. ‘Go now to the place in Shiloh where I first made a dwelling for my Name, and see what I did to it because of the wickedness of my people Israel… what I did to Shiloh I will now do to the house that bears my Name, the temple you trust in, the place I gave to you and your fathers. I will thrust you from my presence, just as I did all your brothers, the people of Ephraim’ ” (Jer 7:9-15).

The prophet knows a God who will not shrink from punishing even His own people, calling their worst enemies down upon them to fulfill His own purpose:

“I send him [ie the Assyrian] against a godless nation, I dispatch him against a people who anger me, to seize loot and snatch plunder, and to trample them down like mud in the streets” (Isa 10:5,6).

” ‘I will summon all the peoples of the north and my servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon,’ declares the LORD, ‘and I will bring them against this land and its inhabitants and against all the surrounding nations. I will completely destroy them and make them an object of horror and scorn, and an everlasting ruin’ ” (Jer 25:9).

A God who would do such things is truly a God to be reckoned with!

The prophet is not entirely comfortable with the job which God has given him. His position is one of distinction, but also one of affliction. His mission can be distasteful, and can make him abhorrent to others:

” ‘You must speak my words to them, whether they listen or fail to listen, for they are rebellious. But you, son of man, listen to what I say to you. Do not rebel like that rebellious house; open your mouth and eat what I give you.’ Then I looked, and I saw a hand stretched out to me. In it was a scroll, which he unrolled before me. On both sides of it were written words of lament and mourning and woe. And he said to me, ‘Son of man, eat what is before you, eat this scroll; then go and speak to the house of Israel’ ” (Eze 2:7-3:1).

But once he has been called, the prophet finds it almost impossible to escape from the hand of his God: “But if I say, ‘I will not mention him or speak any more in his name,’ his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot” (Jer 20:9).

The prophet is a lonely man. He alienates the “religious” as well as the agnostic, the “believer” as well as the skeptic. He must not expect acceptance, but rather hostility:

“And you, son of man, do not be afraid of them or their words. Do not be afraid, though briers and thorns are all around you and you live among scorpions. Do not be afraid of what they say or terrified by them, though they are a rebellious house… But I will make you as unyielding and hardened as they are. I will make your forehead like the hardest stone, harder than flint. Do not be afraid of them or terrified by them, though they are a rebellious house” (Eze 2:6; 3:8,9).

But the prophet is responsible to speak to the people, whether they hear or not:

“But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet to warn the people and the sword comes and takes the life of one of them, that man will be taken away because of his sin, but I will hold the watchman accountable for his blood. Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me” (Eze 33:6,7).

The prophet cares deeply for the people and constantly prays for their welfare. He personally identifies with their plight and shares their affliction:

“O LORD, we and our kings, our princes and our fathers are covered with shame because we have sinned against you. The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him… therefore the curses and sworn judgments written in the Law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured out on us, because we have sinned against you… Now, our God, hear the prayers and petitions of your servant. For your sake, O Lord, look with favor on your desolate sanctuary” (Dan 9:8,9,11,17).

The prophet is unfailingly encouraging. His words of rebuke are never without words of exhortation. He makes the faithful strong:

“Return, O Israel, to the LORD your God… Say to him: ‘Forgive all our sins and receive us graciously… for in you the fatherless find compassion.’ [and God will say…] ‘I will heal their waywardness and love them freely, for my anger has turned away from them’ ” (Hos 14:1-4).

” ‘Even now,’ declares the LORD, ‘return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.’ Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity. Who knows? He may turn and have pity and leave behind a blessing… And everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the LORD has said, among the survivors whom the LORD calls” (Joe 2:12-14,32).

The prophet is certain of the ultimate outcome: God will redeem His people, rebuild His temple, and glorify His Name in all the earth:

“This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. I will shake all nations, and the desired of all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,’ says the LORD Almighty. ‘The silver is mine and the gold is mine,’ declares the LORD Almighty. ‘The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,’ says the LORD Almighty. ‘And in this place I will grant peace,’ declares the LORD Almighty” (Hag 2:6-9).

“For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea” (Hab 2:14).

As he leaves behind the world through which he is passing, and tastes the air and feels the bracing breeze on the mountain top of God’s presence, the prophet is elated:

“I heard and my heart pounded, my lips quivered at the sound; decay crept into my bones, and my legs trembled. Yet I will wait patiently for the day of calamity to come on the nation invading us. Though the fig tree does not bud… though the olive crop fails… though there are no sheep in the pen… yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign LORD is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights” (Hab 3:16-19).

The prophet knows his own weakness and inadequacy, more so than the ordinary man or woman who never attempts to climb the “heights”. But he knows also, precisely because he has attempted to climb the heights, the awe-inspiring purity of the God of Israel. He has been touched with the divine fire, and he can never return, completely, to the man he was before:

” ‘Woe to me!’ I cried. ‘I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.’ Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, ‘See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.’ Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’ ” (Isa 6:5-8).

By Scripture, the prophet communicates to the rest of us — setting before us the eternally relevant choices: death and life, cursing and blessing, the “here and now” and the hereafter, that which is seen and that which cannot be seen… as yet. He leans closer to us… he whispers softly:

“Don’t be taken in. Don’t judge by outward appearance. Don’t fall for the glitter and the glamour, the pomp and the pride. It’s all the brightness of whitewashed sepulchers and the rattle of dry bones. Look through my eyes… hear with my ears… know it all for what it really is… the choice is yours.”

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It is very fitting in itself that Paul’s one private letter left for us (Philemon) should be an earnest plea and fervent expression of love and unity for a slave — a class that was then treated as less than human. Paul calls him his son, his brother, and his own heart.

It is probable, in the very nature of things, that slave-owners would be very few among the brethren. The vast majority would be either slaves, or poor free men. The Gospel was preached to the poor, and its principles have the greatest appeal to them.

This epistle enters into the Brotherhood’s relation to slavery more than any other part of the NT. Paul gives instruction concerning slaves and masters in Corinthians, Ephesians, Colossians, and Timothy, but here is an actual example and a whole epistle bearing on the matter.

In the Roman Empire in NT times slaves out numbered the free. Very often the slaves were in chains continually day and night. The master had power of life and death. They had little or no rights or protection of law, no property, no true marriage, no choice of a mate — their master gave or took mates at his will. The children belonged to the master as slaves for any use or purpose the master desired. Runaway slaves usually received torture, branding, and often a cruel death.

If our version were more consistently translated, this aspect of NT times would be more obvious: three-quarters of all the appearances of the word “servant” in the NT should be translated “slave,” as in some of the more modern versions. The Bible has been accused of condoning and even supporting this human evil. This is due to two universal misunderstandings concerning: (1) The purpose of the Bible; and (2) The deep import of its teaching, fully comprehended.

Through much of history, and almost to the present, slavery has been a major aspect of human society. Actually, it is a much wider and more inclusive thing than generally regarded. That is, all dictatorship is actually slavery; all industrial and economic oppression is actually slavery, especially where the victim’s circumstances leave him no choice but to submit.

It has been a universal characteristic of man to seek to oppress and enslave his fellowman and use him to increase his own wealth, power, and leisure. Slavery in its various forms — fiefdom, serfs, peasantry, etc — has been the common lot of the poor up until very recent times, and practical slavery still exists in much of the world today, where the few rich who own all the land exploit and oppress the vast and hopeless multitude of the poor.

Slavery is just one part of the great human fabric of evil and wickedness. For the Bible to seek to abolish slavery would require it to write the laws for all nations, appoint all rulers, and enforce justice by divine power. This would be the Millennium (which will come in God’s own proper time).

The greatest slavery of all, before which all else pales into insignificance, is man’s slavery to his own selfishness and fleshly desires, and to this all are in bondage. Most, indeed, are eager victims with no desire for freedom. This is the deep root of the weed to which we must lay the axe of Scripture. Chopping off the branches only makes the evil fruit grow bigger.

The Bible’s purpose is not to reform the world — yet. Its present purpose is to call out and prepare a people for God. The present evil constitution of man is the necessary furnace of affliction for the purifying of the saints.

The Bible is concerned with the character of the individual, the release from the universal slavery of self and sin, and the preparation for God and eternity. It tells the slave to serve his master, whether he be good or bad, as service done to God and accepted by God. It tells the master to treat the slave as he himself would desire to be treated, with perfect justice and mercy, even as he hoped in mercy to be treated by his Master — Christ.

The Bible is not out to put odd and futile patches on a thoroughly corrupt and fleshly constitution of things, but to perfect personal relationships and prepare individuals for divinity. The principles of the commands of Christ, spiritually comprehended and faithfully applied, would completely transform and beautify ALL human and social relationships.

Paul in this epistle applies these principles to an actual master-slave relationship. He sends the runaway and disobedient slave back to his master in submission and repentance, and he exhorts the master to accept him, not as a slave, but as a beloved brother in Christ to whom Paul himself was a willing slave and for whom he was even then in actual chains. And he seals the bond of brotherhood between them with his own infinite love for both.

It is notable that Paul’s fullest instructions concerning masters and slaves occur in the two epistles which appear to have been written and sent at the same time as this — one to the same place; that is, Col and Eph. Similarly at the close of Colossians he calls Epaphras the “slave of Christ,” the only time he separately applies this term to anyone but himself. It would seem that he is attempting to soften and dignify the position of the natural slave by reminding the brotherhood of the honor and dignity of their slavery to Christ unto life eternal. He shows how a mark of natural ignominy can be a badge of spiritual glory.

The instruction in Eph (which is the fullest) occurs in Eph 6:5-9. We note that in three successive verses, he says they must serve as unto Christ, and not to men, and he promises by the Spirit that such service will be accepted and rewarded as done to Christ himself.

Our state and circumstances in this life are utterly unimportant because of its brevity and because of the transcending importance of other greater things. Whatever God wills is best, for it is designed to forward His purpose and prepare us for a place in that purpose.

The instruction for slave-owners is all in one verse (Eph 6:9) but it is all-inclusive — “Do the same thing to them” — work on the same principle that EVERYTHING WE DO MUST BE DONE AS TO AND FOR CHRIST — “Forbearing — giving up, refraining from — threatening.” Threatening anyone is entirely out of the question for a brother of Christ. If the relationship is not in mutual love and respect, it is not acceptable to God. This command alone would transform the whole picture.

“Knowing that your Master also is in heaven: neither is there respect of persons with him.” He will deal with us as we deal with others. On the same subject, Col adds an instruction which, fully comprehended, spells the end of slavery (Col 4:1) — “Masters, give unto your slaves that which is JUST AND EQUAL, knowing that ye also have a Master in heaven.” Brethren were required to treat slaves the same as they are required to treat all men — with love, gentleness, kindness, and humility. THERE ARE NO EXCEPTIONS TO THESE RULES. This would raise and purify the relationship far above anything the world dreams of. Even in the Roman world there were cases of deep devotion of slaves to benevolent masters.

The brethren and sisters of the first century had no experience of a society not built on slavery. This was an inseparable part of the only world they knew. They had much to learn. The lesson for us is to examine ourselves for prejudice or preconceived worldly notions absorbed from our fleshly surroundings that have no spiritual reason or justification. We are all to a large extent creatures of our times, blind sheep following the crowd. We take things for granted as right and acceptable just because the wicked world around us so takes them for granted. We do not stop to think things through for ourselves independently, strictly on scriptural, spiritual principles. (GVG)

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Author: Paul.

Time: AD 61.

Summary: Paul writes to Philemon whose slave, Onesimus, had run away to Rome where he met Paul and became a Christian. Paul sends him back to his rightful owner with his personal letter of recommendation to accept him back with love as a brother.

Key verse: “I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ” (Phi 1:6).

Outline

1. Greeting and thanksgiving: Phm 1:1-7

2. Paul’s plea for Onesimus: Phm 1:8-21

3. Conclusion and final greetings: Phm 1:22-25

Slavery

Slavery was a deeply ingrained institution in the Roman empire — military campaigns generated huge numbers of prisoners who entered the slave markets (eg, Caesar’s campaigns in Gaul prob brought 150,000 slaves into Rome; a rich man might have several hundred slaves). A slave had no rights in Roman law, and was completely at the mercy of his employer. Conditions were often harsh, with slaves subject to cruelty and all forms of abuse. The life of a slave was not to be envied — in consequence slaves were strongly tempted to escape, so (to discourage this) the penalty for escaping was severe — almost certain public beating to death, and the empire contained large numbers of “fugitovarii”, men specially employed to catch slaves. [See Lesson, Phm and slavery.]

Background

Philemon, a rich man who hosted the ecclesia in Colosse, had a slave Onesimus who deserted, prob taking funds or saleable goods with him to support his flight. It happened that he came into contact with Paul, who was in prison at the time, learned the truth of the gospel from him, was baptized, and continued in Paul’s company as a voluntary servant, where he was greatly appreciated.

Paul was faced with a dilemma. Under Roman law, Onesimus had no rights at all, he was a chattel, owned totally by Philemon. The “slave-hunters” might well discover him — which would do Paul’s hopes for regaining his own freedom no good at all. On the other hand, Jewish law protected Onesimus (Deu 23:15-16)! This is a situation of delicious irony — Paul was imprisoned, appealing to the Roman law to save him from the Jews; meanwhile he could be looking to the Jewish law to save Onesimus from the Romans. But there’s yet another twist!

Complicating the situation further is a man named Epaphras (only mentioned 3 times, in Col 1:7 and 4:12, and Phm 1:23, but from these vv we can deduce rather a lot). Epaphras came from Colosse and, after the success and excitement of Paul’s preaching efforts in Ephesus, had preached throughout the region 100 miles or more inland in the Lycos valley — founding 3 ecclesias (Hierapolis, Laodicea and Colosse). These ecclesias had never met Paul (Col 2:1); they had learned the truth from Epaphras himself (Col 1:7).

Epaphras had recently arrived in town and his report of the situation in Colosse immediately spurred Paul to write Colossians. (Col 2 makes it pretty clear that the ecclesia was under serious threat from Judaizers. So again, how could Paul use the Jewish law to defend Onesimus?)

Epaphras fell afoul of the authorities, for some reason (in Phm 1:23 he is described as Paul’s fellow prisoner); so Paul decided to send the Colossian letter with Tychicus (Col 4:8). And he used the opportunity to return Onesimus to his master, Col 4:9, with a covering letter for Philemon (of course Paul would have liked to go in person, but that was impossible, so he did the next best thing). It is likely that they carried the letter we know as Ephesians with them too (Col 4:15-16).

That Colossians and Philemon belong together is clear from the similarity in the lists of associates of Paul who are named: Epaphras, Mark, Aristarchus, Archippus, Demas, Luke, Onesimus, and Timothy are all mentioned in Col 4:7-17 and in Phm 1:1,10,22-24.

A lesson in reconciliation

Firstly, the obvious: Paul asks Philemon to pardon Onesimus and welcome him as a brother. Paul was faced with two estranged brethren (and each owed their position as brethren to him). He preached a gospel of reconciliation — it must be able to reconcile bond and free just as effectively as Jew and Greek, male and female.

Paul plays Christ in a little redemptive drama. He identifies with both sides, brings them together, so making peace. Note identification with Onesimus in Phm 1:10,12,13,16-18,20 And note identification with Philemon: Phm 1:1,4,7,19. Paul asks: the love that you have for me — show to Onesimus, because the help that I know you would have wished to give me has been given by him! The debt that you would like to recover from Onesimus — take from me, because I have benefited from what he did! Onesimus was with me as your representative — so treat him now as my representative to you! This is 2Co 5:17-6:1 worked out in real life.

Paul also notes that although he could make demands — it’s rather a response on the basis of love and willingness that he wants (Phm 1:8-9,14). And setting aside rights is all part of the pattern shown in Christ. So too the taking upon oneself the burdens of others (Phm 1:17-19).

So there is reconciliation between two brothers, brokered by Paul who plays the role of Christ. More than this — each party is to see Christ in the other (they are representatives of Paul to each other, and Paul is as Christ). Philemon could hardly refuse Onesimus without refusing Paul — a bit like fellowship issues today!

Lessons for Philemon

Furthermore, Paul hints that Philemon’s attitude is not what it might be. This is seen as much in what Paul does not say, as in what he does. Philemon was presumably a wealthy man — he hosted the ecclesia. Also he had met Paul in person when Paul had never visited Colosse. Most likely business had taken him to Ephesus where he had met Paul. Onesimus, one of his slaves, may have encountered Paul during this visit. We need to ask why Onesimus, fleeing for his life from the “slave-hunters’, would go to a house guarded by Roman soldiers, and ask to see Paul? This would have been an extremely risky thing to do. “I want to see Paul”, “Fine, who are you?”, “Onesimus”, “Onesimus? Sounds like a slave! Who’s your master? Does he know you’re here?” Etc. Yet he did. Note the imbalance in v 11 (and the implication that Onesimus would NOT have been unprofitable to Paul in past times); the implication in v 16 that Onesimus should have been of value to Philemon in the Lord and not simply in the flesh; and the prayer in v 6 that the sharing of Philemon’s faith might become more effective. It seems that Philemon treated his slave as merely a slave, and not as a prospect for the gospel — and he prob had the same attitude to other opportunities in his life too. Onesimus wanted the Truth — he couldn’t get it from Philemon, so at great risk he set out to get it from Paul. (Trevor Nicholls)

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Philemon differs from all the rest of the Bible in that it is strictly a private letter on a personal matter written to an individual friend. The only other private letter to an individual in the Bible is 3Jo, to Gaius, but there the subject and purpose is more general. Timothy and Titus are ecclesial and doctrinal communications.

Philemon was a brother in Colosse converted to the Truth by Paul. Onesimus was a runaway slave belonging to Philemon who made contact with Paul in Rome — perhaps in repentance, perhaps in realization of the danger of his position. Paul says he had previously been unprofitable to Philemon so perhaps he had taken advantage of the kindness of a lenient owner. In association with Paul he accepted the Truth and was baptized, and then Paul sent him back to make peace with Philemon. Phm is the letter he carried from Paul to Philemon.

This epistle has been used both to support slavery (in that Paul sent him back) and to condemn it (in that Paul said, “Not now as a slave, but a brother beloved”). Actually it is on a much higher plane than either to specifically approve or condemn one particular aspect of the world of sin. It rises far above it, from temporals to eternals and leaves the question of slavery as such far below as among unimportant, passing earthly things.

The whole spirit is summed up in those words just referred to — “No longer a slave but a brother beloved.” To the extent that Philemon comprehended and accepted the fullness of this, to that extent the slavery would cease to exist.

In this brief message there can be discerned, skillfully woven together and either expressed or implied, fourteen separate arguments in favor of reconciliation on Philemon’s part.

According to the Law of Moses, an escaped slave was not to be returned to his owner, but Paul sends him back under the law of Christ. Is then, the law of Christ less humane, less enlightened, less merciful, more in sympathy with slavery, than the Law of Moses?

On the contrary, Paul’s action indicates the very opposite. Moses’ Law would release Onesimus from his obligation, or at least it would have released Paul from the obligation of giving up Onesimus to Philemon, but the law of Christ called for a repentance and a seeking of reconciliation, and a giving to Philemon the opportunity of granting freely what had been taken from him against his will.

This epistle is clearly related in time and circumstance to the epistles of Eph and Col, especially the latter. They are from Rome and sent about the same time — 62 AD, near the end of Paul’s two years imprisonment. Eph and Col contain several parallel passages and were borne by the same messenger, Tychicus, from the same place.

The letters to Phm and Col were both carried by Onesimus and in each the same six persons were saluted (Epaphras, Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, Luke, and Onesimus — with Col bearing an additional salutation from Justus).

We are not told where Philemon lived, and we would not know from the epistle to him alone, but we learn from Colossians that Archippus, who was of Philemon’s household, was of Colosse.

In this one personal letter, we see a slightly different Paul. He plays lightly and gently with all the names as if to add informality and intimacy and appeal to the message. Onesimus means “profitable,” so Paul speaks of his former unprofitableness but now his profitableness to both Philemon and Paul. Philemon means “beloved” from Philema — a kiss — and so Paul addresses him. Apphia is an affectionate diminutive for “brother or sister,” and so Paul calls her “Apphia the sister” (as it should be and as RV gives it, and the best mss). Archippus means “Master of the horse” — a military term, so Paul calls him “fellow-soldier.” (GVG)

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The Bible has much to say about plagues and diseases in the Last Days. Just a few examples:

* Against Israel:

“I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt so that you would no longer be slaves to the Egyptians… But if you will not listen to me and carry out all these commands… I will bring upon you sudden terror, wasting diseases and fever that will destroy your sight and drain away your life… If you remain hostile toward me and refuse to listen to me, I will multiply your afflictions seven times over, as your sins deserve… If in spite of these things you do not accept my correction but continue to be hostile toward me… I will bring the sword upon you to avenge the breaking of the covenant. When you withdraw into your cities, I will send a plague among you, and you will be given into enemy hands” (Lev 26:13-25).

* Against the great enemy of Israel:

“I will execute judgment upon him with plague and bloodshed; I will pour down torrents of rain, hailstones and burning sulfur on him and on his troops and on the many nations with him” (Eze 38:22).

* Indeed, against all the enemies of Israel:

“This is the plague with which the LORD will strike all the nations that fought against Jerusalem: Their flesh will rot while they are still standing on their feet, their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongues will rot in their mouths” (Zec 14:12).

Jesus, in his Olivet prophecy, speaks of “great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places” (Luke 21:7-11). His words are echoed in the further prophecy of the Last Days which he gives to John (Rev 6:7,8; 16:8,9).

Diseases, Diseases Everywhere!

These days, there are rapidly appearing new strains of viruses and bacteria with previously unknown characteristics. Medical researchers had thought that most of the infectious diseases of mankind were now behind them. Most were treatable with the ever-growing arsenals of antibiotic compounds, or with vaccines which had been ingeniously contrived to prevent or cure them with great efficiency. Medical students in the 1960s were advised to avoid specializing in communicable diseases, for soon they would be a thing of the past.

It was an attitude of shallow and unwarranted arrogance.

1. Tuberculosis, long the scourge of man, was almost a thing of the past by 1980; now, new and highly-resistant strains of the disease are ravaging certain prison and medical populations.

2. AIDS is a disease caused by a virus that attacks the human immune system. It is transmitted by sexual contact, through almost all body fluids and blood products, and through shared hypodermic needles. It has sprung forth from nowhere during the past 15 years. Over 17 million people are infected worldwide, and no cure is anywhere in sight.

3. Necrotizing fasciitis is brought about by a mutated streptococcus, the so-called “flesh-eating bacteria”. Early and positive treatment within the first few hours may save a patient from its wildfire spread.

4. A virus know only as X arose from the primeval rain forests of southern Sudan in 1993, killed thousands of people, and then disappeared. Nobody knows when or where it may reappear nor how to treat it if it does return. The Ebola virus of Africa is being nervously monitored by scientists concerned with its virulence and lethality.

5. Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome was discovered and described in the US in 1993, only two years ago. It is a rodent-borne virus spread through droppings, saliva and urine. It is especially lethal; out of 99 cases, 53 have ended in death.

6. The so-called Legionnaires’ disease regularly threatens collections of people exposed to conditioned air under certain circumstances, eg, as when confined in the close quarters of a cruise ship — or a convention.

7. Cholera has lately grown into widespread epidemics in both India and Russia.

8. Diphtheria in Russia is growing again due to poor sanitation and shortages of vaccines.

9. Malaria, caused by protozoans injected into the blood stream by the bite of certain mosquitoes, was long ago wiped out in the US. But it still causes one million deaths worldwide each year.

10. Smallpox, thought to have been defeated worldwide in the past few decades, presently exists only as a purposefully-maintained viral culture at sites such as the Center for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. Debate rages over whether to kill it off and have done with smallpox forever or keep it as a “museum piece” for future medical observation. As long as it exists anywhere in the world, it has to potential to be used in a terribly lethal form of “germ warfare”.

Reasons for Revival

There seem to be three main reasons for the revival of ancient diseases and the birth of new ones in the world today:

1. Cities are expanding to cope with the 97 million annual increase in the world population, and many city inhabitants (particularly in the “third world”) live in crowded and unsanitary conditions.

2. The increase in travel provides the potential for passing on diseases.

3. Excessive or incorrect use of drugs has encouraged bacteria to mutate and gain resistance. By a process of natural selection the stronger micro-organisms survive an unfinished course of antibiotics, and the next generation of organisms all become stronger, and possibly able to survive a full course of antibiotics. Antibiotic resistance has become widespread, and pharmaceutical companies are under mounting pressure to produce a new generation of drugs to combat infectious organisms. Some scientists fear that a crisis could occur unless urgent steps are taken to tackle the problem now.

God Controls Plague, Pestilence, and Disease

Modern medicine and science can do something to control some plagues and diseases. But the Bible teaches that the control of disease is truly the prerogative of God.

• When Pharaoh refused to let Israel go, the hand of the LORD brought a terrible plague on the livestock of Egypt (Exo 9:3,4).

• When God was angry with the report of the unfaithful spies who went into the land of Canaan, then He threatened to strike down all Israel with a plague and make a new nation from Moses alone (Num 14:12), a threat which Moses — acting as a mediator — turned aside.

• And when Israel turned its back on God, then He sent against them His “four dreadful judgments — sword and famine and wild beasts and plague” (Eze 14:21).

The pages of Scripture are filled with references to God’s wrath manifested in plague, pestilence, and disease.

Disease and world history

Great plagues have often affected world history.

• Influenza was a grievous plague for the large and growing cities at the beginning of the 20th century. A world war that had thrown millions together in awful squalor and the increasingly rapid movement of humans to all parts of the earth, together with an ancient malady of farm animals, all came together at the right — or wrong! — time. Various sorts of “flu” had been around for thousands of years. But it took the end of World War I, in the spring of 1918, for the pandemic to erupt. In scarcely 18 months over 59 million perished, more than three times the toll of the Great War itself.

• In the 18th and 19th centuries civilizations were devastated by the dreaded silent killer consumption, or tuberculosis. The reason: Many lived in filthy, overcrowded, damp conditions with poor air circulation. This was a fertile breeding ground for the chronic infectious disease.

• Major plagues are largely related to lifestyle issues. This was clearly the case when Columbus and his men returned from the New World with a New World venereal disease, syphilis. There it had been somewhat dormant and held in microbial balance, but when introduced to a Europe emerging from the ravages of the Middle Ages, it spread insidiously. In the beginning, syphilis infected the promiscuous from all walks of life. The introduction of syphilis into Europe was a biological swap with the American Indians for the smallpox virus. It is estimated that the “Great Dying” killed over 100 million in less than 100 years. The epidemic destroyed the Aztec and Incan cultures and created a wild, random dispersion of remaining natives.

• But all biological and viral disasters throughout history are dwarfed by the bubonic plague. Historians speculate that the main bacteria originated in Mongolia among rodents. Traveling Mongol traders carried the disease to India and China. From there it spread through a Europe primed for disaster by the stresses of population and overcrowding in squalid living conditions. Over a 300-year period, one half of the total population died in generational cycles. Several Biblical “plagues” bear a remarkable resemblance to the bubonic plague.

Other “plagues” of the Last Days

Other sorts of plagues and pestilences, threaten the modern world. The Tokyo subway nerve gas incident in April was masterminded by the cult leader Shoko Asahara, intent on precipitating his own personal Armageddon. Some experts speculate that the number of terrorist groups driven by religious zealotry will rise in the next few years, as a new millennium beckons. In addition to the well-publicized Islamic fundamentalists, Christian white supremacists (a la Oklahoma City) and messianic Jews (a la Baruch Goldstein in Hebron) pose growing threats. Nerve gases are readily available and easily manufactured. The United States is an especially fertile ground for strange millennial ideas — and mad prophets. Names like Jim Jones and Charles Manson and David Koresh come to mind. In the future, other “false prophets” may find the means, through chemical or biological agents, to fulfill their own prophecies of doom and destruction for their enemies in the Last Days.

There are other environmental threats for the Last Days:

• The accessibility of nuclear materials in the third world, among Muslim nations and others, continues to grow as the old USSR continues to crumble.

• Radioactive nuclear wastes are stored in fragile environments throughout the world, where leakage due to container defects or natural phenomena (ie, earthquakes, volcanoes) could lead to cataclysmic natural disasters.

“Fear not!”

The fears of scientists and political observers are not unfounded, and there can be little doubt that the problems being experienced today are harbingers of much worse to come, for those due to experience the wrath of God.

But the servants of God need not fear. Those who trust in God will be protected, and/or certainly delivered from the terrible threats of the Last Days prophecies:

“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty… Surely he will save you… from the deadly pestilence… You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked” (Psa 91:1-8; cp Eze 9:4-6; Rev 7:2,3; 8:7-9).

When God brought a plague on Korah and the rebels in the wilderness, Aaron the high priest of God took a censer and put incense in it (symbolizing the prayers of the saints: Psa 141:2; Rev 5:8; 8:3,4), ran into the midst of the assembly, and “stood between the living and the dead, and the plague stopped” (Num 16:46-48).

So, when fears about the plagues of the Last Days come upon us, we must remember our High Priest, Jesus Christ, who stands between the living and the dead and protects us!

“When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near… Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man” (Luke 21:28,36).

ChristadelphianBooksOnline The Agora Bible Articles and Lessons: P-Q

“No man having put his hand to the plow and looking back is fit for the Kingdom of God.” A few weeks ago in a time of transit troubles, a brother who earns his daily bread as a plowman started to walk to the Sunday morning meeting. This involved a tramp of nine miles, and, but for the kindly forethought of another brother who drove out to meet him, he would have had to walk the entire distance. After the meeting he quite unconsciously presented me with this article, neatly packed up in a single sentence. Speaking of the words quoted at the head of the chapter he said: “Only a plowman can understand those words in their full meaning. While he keeps his eyes fixed on the mark at the other side of the field, he can plow a straight line; but if he looks back even for a second he misses the mark and the line grows crooked.”

This presented a new thought in connection with the well-known figure of speech. I had always thought of the looking back, as meaning the wandering of desire toward old associations and old ambitions. The full meaning seemed to be that when once a man is enlightened and starts work for Christ there must be no tardiness and dragging of feet. If he tires of the work and desires to return to his former darkness he is not fit for the Kingdom of God. The plowman with his technical knowledge and experience sees a deeper meaning. He must have no doubt as to the object at the end of his line, and he must keep his eyes riveted on the distant mark. If he loses sight of that even for a moment his plowing is spoiled.

It has been suggested that in the East two thousand years ago plowing was only a primitive scratching of the ground in which the straight furrow would not be of much importance, and that consequently we should not draw from the figure of speech a meaning based on modern methods. This is not a valid objection, however, if the meaning drawn is helpful. In dealing with ordinary writers we must certainly keep our interpretation of their work within the limits and practice of the time when it was written. Ordinary writing is very soon out of date and the figures of speech are often unintelligible. It is different with the Bible. It comes from God, it is never out of date, and it reveals prescience in so many matters that we need not be surprised if even its metaphors suit the modern world better than the ancient. If the servants of God find help from a possible meaning of scripture, the helpful thought was there even though no one saw it for two thousand years. “Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world.”

Surely the thought we are considering is a helpful one. It is not enough that we should keep our desires from wandering back to the world. Like the plowman drawing out his first furrow, we must keep our eyes on the distant mark. If we lose sight of our final objective — either by looking back at our own past history or by too critical a survey of other men’s plowing, our line will certainly not be straight. We shall help our fellow plowmen more by setting an example of good work than by shouting at them; and surely our desire is to help.

The use of the phrase “final objective” suggests a further extension of the figure. The skilful plowman may be able to draw a straight line to the single object on which his eyes are fixed. The beginner needs further help and often finds it necessary to put a series of marks all in line. This is the principle of “the limited objective”, the value of which has been demonstrated repeatedly. Instead of having only the one ideal which may sometimes seem so far removed from human frailty that progress is impossible, we have a series of limited objectives all in line with the final goal and leading to it. The inexperienced plowman can in this way maintain a straight line. For him the limited objectives are necessary. In the absence of such aids he might unconsciously waver to right or left even though his eyes were fixed firmly on the final mark. And all the while there is the danger of a momentary lapse; a glance to right or left even though he does not look back. A very little distraction may spoil the work of the inexperienced plowman.

With the limited objectives to assist him the work is easier. He can see the final mark with the minor marks all in line with it, and as the stages are successively reached and passed there is a consciousness of progress along the true line.

In the plowing for Christ we are none of us experts. We need all the help we can find to keep the line straight, and the principle of the limited objective leading to the final goal is of vital importance for us. Christ has provided us with some of these aids. In the liberty we have in Christ it is possible to find many more. In our meetings, our reading and writing, in the more private efforts which we only mention to the closest friends, and in mental struggles which we perhaps do not mention to any man, we have limited objectives. If we have planned our work well these waymarks help us. There should be no mistake as to the final ambition of life but we need some minor ideals to lead us to it. If the Lord delays his coming what are our immediate objectives for this year, this month, this week and this day?

Let us here note that apart from the clear instructions given in the Bible we have liberty. We can set up our own marks. It is no part of our duty to mark out the furrows for other plowmen, although it is assuredly Christ-like to help them when we can. But while we are in large measure at liberty to choose our own waymarks, when once they are chosen it is obviously the right thing to observe them. When the plowman has marked out his course he is surely a foolish or careless man if he ignores the marking. We are not bound by any humanly devised system of reading Scripture, but if we decide that a certain system will be helpful to us we should surely be foolish if we failed to maintain it. Beyond the general warning not to neglect the assembly of the saints we have no scriptural rule as to the number of meetings we should attend. In some towns, where there is a meeting of some kind almost every night, it might not be wise to attend each one. When we have made our choice, however, as to what meetings will help us, it is the part of true workmen to be as regular in our observance as circumstances will permit.

The writing of this article has been interrupted by attendance at a week-night meeting. It was a helpful meeting, and can surely rank as a true limited objective in the straight line for the Kingdom of God. A fortnight ago I missed the meeting, with no better excuse than a complete forgetfulness until it was too late. The activities which drove it from the mind were healthful and good in themselves; but that does not alter the fact that a limited objective was missed. The plowman had set up a stake a little way ahead to keep his line true and then he forgot all about it. The most serious feature of such a lapse is that it prepares the way for further lapses. That is how brethren go astray. Whoever heard of one who, having once been enlightened, turned away merely as the result of a careful examination of the Truth?

We never knew one of Christ’s plowmen to gaze straight ahead and decide that the final objective was not worth while. He begins to waver through missing perhaps the least important of the limited objectives. Thus he may set up marks of his own that are not in line with the final object. Presently when he looks ahead there is no final object visible and he may soon be persuaded that there never was one. His line has deviated and he is looking in the wrong direction.

Perhaps there was a time in the Brotherhood when we were too little prepared for the prolongation of mortality. It seemed unnecessary to prepare much for battling with a world that was so soon to pass. We are nearer to the end now but there is much more education in worldly wisdom. Sometimes, while older brethren are overworked, the young ones are too busy to render assistance — special studies, the passing of examinations, the securing of necessary degrees. These are all limited objectives and unfortunately the final object to which they stand related is limited, too. But although these ambitions bounded by mortality are not the most obvious guides to the Kingdom of God, there is no reason why they should lead anyone astray. Keep them all in the true line and then they may be even used as helps. Here is a rule for all of us to observe. We are sure to have objects in mortal life in things not essential but not forbidden; not the “one thing needful” but still free from offence so long as they are kept in their proper place. We may desire to pass an examination, or to improve the home, or to give our children a better chance in the world than we had ourselves. These are all limited objectives. Let us take care that we keep them all in the true line, so that even if they fail to help they will not hinder.

Sometimes progress is stopped by doubts as to what shall be the next objective. Shall we start on a great work, and if so what shall it be? Shall we study a special part of scripture such as the Law of Moses and master that? Shall we make ourselves acquainted with original languages to enlarge our understanding of the Word? It is necessary sometimes to weigh such questions in our minds, but we must not allow too much time to be lost through such cogitations. The time during which the amateur plowman marks out his course is not productive. The plow may be still, but time is on the wing and the day will soon be over. We must not delay our work by hesitating between a number of objects, all of them equally good as waymarks. What would be thought of the plowman who wasted half the morning trying to decide between the merits of a stick and a white stone as marks for his straight line? Quite a lot might be urged in favour of either mark. The stick in vertical position rising from the ground would surely be better than any flat object. On the other hand, the white stone would shine better than any stick. Which shall it be? If a man could be so foolish as to hesitate and hinder with such a problem we would exclaim, “Use either, use neither, or use both; but what ever you do don’t waste time over it.” We cannot imagine a plowman being so foolish; but, on the higher plane, men often waste half their lives trying to decide between the merits of possible activities. They take these limited objectives too seriously. The excuse of such aids is that they are known to be limited. The final objective is immeasurably greater. If the plowman puts up minor marks of such prominence as to obscure his view of the final mark they hinder him instead of helping. The best marks are those that lie near to hand and to which we can apply ourselves immediately.

Even apart from the waste of time involved in the search for more remote objectives it often happens that when they are found they are less helpful than the little duties that were near to us. Many men are like a plowman who should waste half the available time in searching for hedge stakes in a distant field in order that he might mark out his straight line in a worthy manner. Having found at last the objects that please him he sets them up without caring about the straight line. He loses sight of the distant mark and spends the remnant of his little day zigzagging after objects that should have been merely means to an end. “In all things consider the end.” We must never lose sight of the end even for a moment in plowing our furrow that leads to the Kingdom of God. When we set up limited objectives to help us we must always remember that they are limited.

Our plowman brother who suggested these thoughts does not need the way-marks when he sets out the work for his plowing in the literal field. With no guide but a mark in the distant hedge, doubtless he can draw a line straighter than most of us could plow even with stakes set up every few yards of the way. In the plowing for Christ, however, we are more on a level and we all need way-marks to help us. When he set off to walk to the morning meeting the plowman was aiming at a limited objective in the straight line for the Kingdom of God. Nine miles seems a long tramp only to reach a waymark and with the possibility that there may be hundreds more of such marks before the end. When we consider the end, however, we can see the matter in its true proportions. At the end of mortality’s day, if the line has been drawn straight and true there will be something more to show than a well plowed furrow across a field, and the goal reached will be very different from a mark in the hedge.

(PrPr)