The Final Avenging Wrath Of God

The saints are secure. The 144,000 are safe. They are the living temple of God and He dwells in them (1 Cor. 3:17; 6:19). The beast has been conquered and these saints sing the songs of victory beside the sea of glass with harps of God in their hands (Rev. 15:2-4). So we watch as yet another revelation unfolds and "the seven bowls of the wrath of God" are poured out on the earth (Rev. 16:1-21).

1. Sores, harmful and painful, come upon the worshipers of the beast
2. Sea becomes like the blood of a corpse
3. Rivers and springs of water become blood
4. Sun scorches all with fire
5. Darkness over the throne of the beast and its kingdom 
6. Euphrates dries up so three unclean, demonic spirits may come out to assemble at Armageddon
7. Babylon split into three parts by lightning and thunder and a great earthquakes as every island and mountain disappear and hundred pound hailstones rain down

How does this list compare with earlier lists portraying the wrath of God? Start with the ten plagues in Egypt as Moses confronted Pharaoh when he would not let God's people go (Exodus 7:20-10:30)

Teach with Bible Cartoons: water into blood

1. Water made into blood
2. Frogs
3. Lice
4. Flies
5. Cattle infected
6. Boils and blains
7. Thunder and hail
8. Locusts
9. Darkness
10. First-born slain

Then move on to the terrors following the sounding of the seven trumpets (Rev. 8:7-9:31)

1. Hail, fire and blood wither a third of the trees and all grass
2. Flaming mountain cast into the sea, turning it to blood
3. Wormwood star falls, turning the waters bitter and poisonous
4. One third of the sun, moon and stars darkened
5. Abyss unlocked by the star so that smoke and terrible demonic locusts pour forth
6. Four angels bound at the Euphrates released so that 10,000 x 10,000 mounted troops pour forth to kill a third of mankind

Compare the lists. See how many things they have in common: hail, darkness, blood in the waters, ulcerous sores and boils, terrible Parthian hordes from across the Euphrates. But note the difference between this final list and the two earlier. Now all the horrors and terrors are gathered together as the avenging wrath of God is hurled upon the unbelieving world in one last terrible deluge of disaster. So the slain saints and their leaders are avenged. And the third angel in charge of the waters says, 

"Just are you, O Holy One, who is and who was, for you brought these judgments. For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and you have given them blood to drink. It is what they deserve!" 

Earlier the souls of those slain for the word of God and the witness they had borne were under the altar, crying with a loud voice for God to avenge their blood. Now He has and they proclaim His judgments just (Rev. 6:9-11).

And I heard the altar saying, "Yes, Lord God the Almighty, true and just are your judgments!" - Rev 16:5-7 ESV

All of us grow weary of war, killing, bloodshed and death. When will it end? And when will the blood of God's holy ones be avenged? This chapter again urges us all to cling to God's Word in faith. He is not slow to fulfill His promises as some count slowness. Rather He is patient, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance (2 Pet 3:9). But the day of the Lord is coming, coming like a thief. And then the heavens will indeed pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed (2 Pet 3:10).

The final battle of Armageddon awaits. More on that next time.

Do Not Be Surprised When You Are Persecuted

Five seals of the scroll with seven seals (Rev. 5:1) have been opened by the Lamb. From the first four came the terrible Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. With the opening of the fifth the martyrs under the heavenly temple's altar cry out to the Sovereign Lord for vengeance. When will the Lord punish those who have murdered His beloved disciples? Be patient, He says and watch. Here comes the opening of the sixth seal.

When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale. The sky vanished like a scroll that is being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, calling to the mountains and rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?" - Rev 6:12-17 ESV

Scripture in the light of 1st century history

These are classical images from the prophets about the LORD's fierce anger loosed upon proud sinners. The sun, moon and stars will turn dark on the great and terrible day of the LORD.

Behold, the day of the LORD comes, cruel, with wrath and fierce anger, to make the land a desolation and to destroy its sinners from it. For the stars of the heavens and their constellations will not give their light; the sun will be dark at its rising, and the moon will not shed its light. - Isa 13:9-10 ESV 

Then the moon will be confounded and the sun ashamed, for the LORD of hosts reigns on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and his glory will be before his elders. - Isa 24:23 ESV 

When I blot you out, I will cover the heavens and make their stars dark; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not give its light. All the bright lights of heaven will I make dark over you, and put darkness on your land, declares the Lord GOD. - Eze 32:7-8 ESV

The Lord Jesus Himself foretold the persecution of his disciples. They were to be on guard for councils will condemn them, He warned, and they will stand before rulers to bear witness. And the gospel must be proclaimed to all nations (Mark 13:9-27). To speak of those events He borrowed the fearful symbolical language of prophets:

"But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven. - Mar 13:24-27 ESV

The martyred saints beneath the altar are comforted as they hear about what was to happen to the seemingly invincible rulers of the earth's mighty nations.

So on to the opening of the seventh and final seal and the sealing of the great multitude, the 144,000, from every tribe of the sons of Israel. More on that in the next post.

And the application of this Word to all who believe in the Lord Jesus? Don't be surprised when the children of this world hate you and persecute you. Expect it. That is exactly what they did to our Lord Himself. Listen to words from the Apostle Peter (1 Peter 4:1-19).

Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God. For the time that is past suffices for doing what the Gentiles want to do, living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry. With respect to this they are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery, and they malign you; but they will give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. 

For this is why the gospel was preached even to those who are dead, that though judged in the flesh the way people are, they might live in the spirit the way God does. The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. . .  

Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. . .  

. . . if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name. For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And "If the righteous is scarcely saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?" (Proverbs 11:31) Therefore let those who suffer according to God's will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good. - 1Pe 4:1-19 ESV

(A final note to this posting: The picture above is from a group of that teaches the Preterist View of the end times. Preterism denies that Revelation is a prophecy about the future. My readers may want to study that view, among the many interpretations of Revelation. As a Christian committed to the Lutheran Confessions of 1530, I must reject it. I'll have more to say about that in future postings.)

The Mystery of Lawlessness

Its all over and you missed it! That's what some of the Jews were saying to the new congregation in Thessalonica when the Apostle Paul heard from them. And they were nearly in despair. Is it really so? Did Jesus already come to take His chosen ones with Him to heaven—and we weren't in that crowd? Have we nothing but death and darkness before us now? Please, Paul, please tell us it isn't so.

So the Apostle responds:

Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers, not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. - 2Th 2:1-2 ESV

Somebody was really being deceptive. They had written a letter as if it were from the great Apostle himself. And in that letter was a statement about the day of the Lord. It came. You weren't chosen. So Paul continues,

Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. - 2Th 2:3-6 ESV 

OK. Thank you Paul, but that still leaves a bunch of questions. Who is this man of lawlessness, this son of destruction? And what temple of God are you talking about? Yes, now that you mention it, we do indeed remember you telling us about these things when you were with us, but we'd like some further clarification.

We read on,

For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming. The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. - 2Th 2:7-10 ESV

Whenever you read the word mystery in Paul's writings you realize that this is something unknown to the unbelieving world. Believers know about it only because God's Spirit reveals it to them. So Jesus says to His disciples who wondered why he spoke to them in parables,

"To you it has been given to know the secrets (mysteries) of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. - Mat 13:11-13 ESV

Again Paul writes of himself and the other Apostles,

This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful. - 1Cr 4:1-2 ESV

So when we read about the mystery of lawlessness we must understand that this is insider information, known only to those in whom the Spirit of Christ dwells and to whom the Spirit speaks.

OK, so what is lawlessness? Basically it is what has been going on all through the years since the coming of Christ. Men everywhere ignore and mock God's laws, God's ethics and morals, God's way of life. We see it going on today, for instance, in the way that marriage is being completely redefined, especially here in the United States. We see it in the way that human life is being mocked and murder is made legitimate, a right guaranteed by the American constitution and Supreme Court. I speak, of course, about the millions of infants murdered every year through abortion. The Lord Jesus spoke about this when he taught us what to expect from the mouths of false prophets in the last days.

And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. - Mat 24:11-13 ESV

It can get worse, warns the Apostle, but the Lord restrains it. Behind it all is the lawless one who has yet to be revealed. And who is that? More about that one in my next post. 

What Is Eschatology?

Dr. C. H. Dodd

A Welsh New Testament scholar and Congregational minister by the name of Charles Harold Dodd  (1884-1973) taught Biblical criticism and exegesis in England at The Victoria University of Manchester and the University of Cambridge. His name is connected with a twentieth century view of the end times called realized eschatology. In Dodd's view Christianity is an historical religion unlike all others. However, history should be considered in its religious sense—that is mythological or symbolical, not literal or scientific. There was no literal series of events as described in the Bible.

We must understand what the term eschatology means in order to grapple with Dodd's claims. Eschatology is the study of the eschaton (the day at the end of time when God will judge all mankind). In the Greek language the word is eschotos - the last, as in Jesus' parable:

And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, 'Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.' - Mat 20:8 ESV

Implied in most studies of eschatology is the view that history has meaning: as our world had a beginning so it will have an end, a purpose. All events in human history are moving forward with purpose and meaning.  In Dodd's view eschatology's meaning is now rather than in the future, hence the term realized. In his view God's purpose has already been realized. And what is God's purpose? His purpose is to realize the kingdom of God on earth. To that end Dodd quotes Jesus in Matthew,

Knowing their thoughts, he said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. - Mat 12:25-28 ESV

The phrase the kingdom of God has come upon you, says Dodd, means that God's kingdom has absolutely arrived. The Spirit of God is present and Satan's kingdom is being torn down. This is going on now. There is no future kingdom coming. God's purposes are being realized in various degrees in what is happening in the here and now. The Day of the Lord has come.

Realized eschatology continues to have strong influence in liberal churches that deny Christ's atoning death, his resurrection and his imminent return at the end of history as we know it. To them the purpose of Christianity and the church is to do good deeds, especially by working in the realm of politics and power to bring about societal change and equality. They have a different Gospel altogether. Their Gospel is basically that Christ died because he taught men to love one another. We are to follow in his path. As we do so, the kingdom of God is being realized now.

The young church in ancient Thessalonica also had a problem with the day of the Lord, but it was not Dodd's problem. Paul writes,

Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers, not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. - 2Th 2:1-4 ESV

I'll take up their concern and Paul's response next time. Meanwhile know with certainty that the Scriptures do indeed teach that history has meaning and is moving toward the eschaton, the Last Day and Christ's return.

Jesus' Return Could Be Today!

A week ago I promised to explore with you how apostasy is THE SIGN of our time, the Sign pointing to the imminent return of Christ. But I got sidetracked a bit. This is because I'm currently serving as the Interim Pastor of a Lutheran congregation seeking their next pastor. And I'm finding again that parish work is quite demanding.

Anyway, it seems best to pursue the answers to the questions about the signs of Christ's return from Holy Scripture. So I turn to Paul's letters to the Thessalonians. The epistles to the Thessalonians are certainly two of the most ancient Christian documents in existence. They are typically dated c. 50/51 AD. They are universally accepted as authentic letters of Paul. We believe they were written by him from Corinth a few months after he founded a congregation there.

Thessalonica was located at the intersection of two major Roman roads, one leading from Italy eastward (Ignatia Way) and the other from the Danube to the Aegean. Thessalonica’s location and use as a port made it a prominent city. In 168 BC it became the capital of the second district of Macedonia and later it was made the capital and major port of the whole Roman province of Macedonia (146 BC).

Paul writes in the fifth chapter of his first letter these words: 

Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you. For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night (Matt. 24:43). While people are saying, "There is peace and security," then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. - 1Th 5:1-6 ESV

I wrote in an earlier blog about the day of the Lord (masculine genitive):

. . . the Greek word for Lord—Kyrios—has two different ways of saying ‘of the Lord.’ When Kyrios ends with a feminine genitive (genitive means ‘belonging to’), it refers to the day of the week that particularly belongs to the Lord, Sunday. When it ends with a masculine genitive it refers to that final day when the Lord will return. That day is also his, of course. 

That Day of the Lord, the day of judgment when time as we now know it will end, will come as a thief in the night. However, for now, each Sunday is the Lord’s Day, the day when the church openly gathers to celebrate his first coming, to be blessed by his present coming in the Word and the Supper and to anticipate the Day of the Lord when he will return to complete the great work of salvation. On Sunday the church receives a foretaste of the marriage feast that is yet to come (Luke 13:28-30).

I also wrote about the many failed predictions of exactly when that Day of the Lord will take place. And indeed there have been many. You may even remember that back in 2010 there was quite a stir about that day happening in 2012. Perhaps if Paul were writing to us today he would say the same thing he said to his young Thessalonian congregation: "you have no need to have anything written to you, for you are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night."

A couple years ago I literally experienced that thief in the night when I awoke to discover my brand new generator had been stolen from my carport. Unfortunately I had not chained it down and the thieves had easy access. Needless to say, I learned an important lesson. Be prepared for thieves at all times. That's the same lesson Paul is pushing with the Thessalonians. Quit looking around for some sign about the when of Christ's return. Be ready at all times. It could be today!

Search Paul's letters and you will not find him talking about signs of Christ's return. He does speak negatively about the Jews seeking signs proving Jesus to be the Messiah:

For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, - I Cor 1:22-23 ESV

For the Jews the coming of the Messiah would mean that the time had arrived for their earthly kingdom to be restored by God. That in itself was a confused understanding of the Messiah's role, as Jesus pointed out to Pontius Pilate:

Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world." - Jhn 18:36 ESV

Instead of focusing upon some worldly kingdom, keep focused upon the true nature of Christ's kingdom and His imminent return, writes Paul. Remember who you are, children of light and not of darkness. Light is a common analogy for God's revelation in Christ and for those who have Christ living in their hearts.

Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." - Jhn 8:12 ESV 

"You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. - Mat 5:14 ESV

As the Lord said, darkness refers to the ways of the world and those who follow the prince of this world.

So Jesus said to them, "The light is among you for a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going. . . 

I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness. - Jhn 12:35, 46 ESV

This is why we don't need someone to write to us about times and seasons and about when Christ will return. We have the Light and we wait expectantly at all times for His return. It could be today! Even so, Come Lord Jesus! (I Cor. 16:22).

The Early Church's View of the Sabbath

The Day of Rest
________________________
Biblical Teaching About Time

—An online book about rest and worship—
By Dr. Al Franzmeier

Chapter 7

The Sabbath And The Early Church
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After Jesus ascended, the newly formed church began to reach out, first to the Jews and then to the Gentiles. As she did so, she struggled to understand the implications of what Jesus had done. Initially, even the Apostles themselves did not grasp the full meaning of Jesus’ work. Some, like Peter, insisted that the church continue to make full use of the Old Covenant rituals and seasons. Gradually, however, they came to realize that the church was the new Israel and she must now live in the freedom won for her by the life, death and resurrection of her Lord. Ultimately, the church expressed this new teaching by replacing worship on the seventh day with worship on the eighth or first day, the day upon which Jesus rose. Thus Sunday became the great symbol of the church that worships the risen Christ on the day of his resurrection.

Missionary work among the Jews

With the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in Jerusalem during the Jewish Festival of Pentecost (fifty days after the Passover, during which Jesus had been crucified), the church grew rapidly. Soon thousands of Jews openly confessed their faith in Jesus as the promised Messiah and risen Savior. With such growth came new responsibilities to care for widows and other needy people, as Jesus had instructed. Among the team of seven chosen to lead up this work was a man named Stephen. Stephen was a remarkable person, described by Luke in the Acts of the Apostles as “a man full of God’s grace and power.” Through him God did signs and wonders, the same as through the Apostles. Because of this, Stephen soon found himself challenged by members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen, former Jewish slaves from North Africa and Asia Minor. They accused him of speaking blasphemy, denouncing both the temple and the Torah and of saying that Jesus would return to destroy the temple and change the traditional customs of Moses (Acts 6:8).

None of that was true. The charges were false and trumped up. The Apostles taught nothing like that. The charges were pulled out from something Jesus had said something about the temple’s destruction. Early in his public ministry, during the Passover Festival, Jesus found merchants selling cattle, sheep and doves for the various required sacrifices in the courts of the temple. Moneychangers also had booths for exchanging Roman money into the Jewish currency accepted by the temple authorities. That was when he drove them out and scattered their coins (John 2:12-25).

He did it again early in the Passover week in which he was crucified (Matthew 21:11-13) It seems that as soon as he left that first time, the merchants set up shop again, of course with permission from the temple authorities. The first time the Jews demanded he show them some sign to prove he had authority to do what he did. The second time they openly plotted to kill him.

In the same chapter in which he recorded this incident at the temple, John recorded the very first sign that pointed to Jesus as God’s long awaited Messiah. That sign was Jesus turning about a hundred twenty gallons of water into the best wine anyone had ever tasted. This was a sign that the Bridegroom had come to cleanse his bride and present her to his heavenly Father, without stain or blemish, as the Apostle Paul later taught (Ephesians 5:25-28). The thing about signs and wonders (miracles, following the lead of the Latin translation of the Bible) is that when God does them they are not seen as such without faith in him. In this case, Jesus did give them a sign that did not come to pass until later.

His resurrection on the third day was that great sign. He said, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.” John pointed out that Jesus’ disciples did not understand this until he was raised from the dead. Then they recalled what he had said and gained insight into the Scripture that had foretold his resurrection (John 2:20-22).

The Scripture referred to is Psalm 16:9-11. In it God says he will not let his Holy One see decay. Instead he will enjoy eternal pleasures at God’s right hand.

But let’s get back to why those charges of blasphemy were laid on Stephen. At Jesus’ trial he was accused of plotting to destroy the temple, based upon what he had said years before (Matthew 26:57-68). The plot worked then and so later, when Stephen insisted that Jesus was the risen Messiah, the Jews of the Synagogue of the Freedmen decided to use it again (Acts 6:8-15).

They were successful this time. Stephen and all Christian teachers among them were now labeled as heretics, out to destroy everything that the Covenant stood for. These Jews rejected Jesus as their Messiah; consequently they had to reject any teaching that saw him as the fulfillment of the Sabbath, the sacrifices and the other festivals.

Undeterred, the Apostles continued to proclaim the risen Christ. In turn, the Jewish leaders attempted to stop them with imprisonment and threats. They could not and thousands more joined the ranks of believers.

Likewise, the Apostle Paul, on his missionary journeys, following the example of Jesus, chose the Sabbath as the day upon which to challenge the unbelief of the Jews and proclaim the Gospel. For instance, Luke writes that in Corinth every Sabbath Paul “reasoned in the synagogue, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks” (Acts 18:3-5). This was the best approach, because that was the day when Jews assembled to worship and study the Scriptures.

Sunday became the day of worship
Some years after Jesus returned to heaven Christians started to worship on Sunday. Initially in Jerusalem they were so excited about what had happened and what it meant that they gathered daily, both in the temple and in one another’s homes (Acts 2:42-47). At this stage, they also observed Sabbath as the day of worship. It was not until much later that we read of believers gathering for worship and Bible study “on the first day of the week” in the Roman colony town of Troas (formerly Troy) in Asia Minor (Acts 20:6-8).

That was the time that Paul kept on preaching and teaching so long into the night that a young man fell asleep in the window and dropped from the third story to his death. The young man’s name was Eutychus, a name that means ‘fortunate.’ He was indeed fortunate, for we also read that he was restored to life when Paul put his arms around him. Some Sunday worship service!

Paul taught his mission churches to meet for worship on Sundays. In his instructions to the churches about raising money for persecuted believers in Jerusalem, Paul wrote in a circulating letter, “On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made” (1 Corinthians 16:1-3). That first day was now seen as the Lord’s Day, the day on which to commemorate Jesus’ resurrection, as well as his promise to return. He closed that same letter with an Aramaic phrase Marana tha, which means “Our Lord come” (1 Corinthians 16:22). Some early church fathers saw this rather as Maran atha, which means “Our Lord has come." Still other scholars translate the phrase as “Our Lord is coming." Perhaps the Apostle intended all three. In any event, the coming of Christ and his promised second coming were now celebrated on the day that came to be known as the Lord’s Day.

As the first century ended, the Apostle John closed his great revelation with these words: “He who testifies to these things says, ‘Yes, I am coming soon.’ Amen. Come, Lord Jesus” Revelation 22:20). John had received this revelation when he was “in the Spirit” on the Lord’s Day (Revelation 1:10). The Greek term for the Lord’s Day is Hemera Kyriakè. The word Kyriakè means “belonging to the Lord.” It designates something as particularly belonging to or pertaining to the Lord. Here it refers to Sunday as “the Lord’s day.” The Apostle Paul also used it in 1 Corinthians 11:20 to speak about the “Lord’s Supper” as the central act of Christian worship. Kyriakè differs from the word Paul used to speak about the day when the Lord will return (1 Thessalonians 5:2), the Day of the Lord (Hemera Kyriou).

I’m pointing out that the Greek word for Lord—Kyrios—has two different ways of saying ‘of the Lord.’ When Kyrios ends with a feminine genitive (genitive means ‘belonging to’), it refers to the day of the week that particularly belongs to the Lord, Sunday. When it ends with a masculine genitive it refers to that final day when the Lord will return. That day is also his, of course.

That Day of the Lord, the day of judgment when time as we now know it will end, will come as a thief in the night. However, for now, each Sunday is the Lord’s Day, the day when the church openly gathers to celebrate his first coming, to be blessed by his present coming in the Word and the Supper and to anticipate the Day of the Lord when he will return to complete the great work of salvation. On Sunday the church receives a foretaste of the marriage feast that is yet to come (Luke 13:28-30).

Shortly after the first century ended, in a short book called The Didache or Doctrine of the Apostles, we find these words: “On the Lord’s own day gather together and break bread and give thanks, having first confessed your sins, so that your sacrifice may be pure.”

It may therefore be said that the Lord’s Day constitutes the Church. It may also be said that those who think it their duty to abandon Sunday to keep the Sabbath instead, are in effect, denying the Messiah-ship of Jesus and the New Covenant in Him. The New Testament Church never transfers the Sabbath laws from the Old Covenant (Colossians 2:13-22). In the days of the Old Covenant some mistakenly came to believe that they were gaining God’s favor by observing certain days or seasons. To slip back into such thinking, the Apostle Paul said, made them slaves again. They were not living, acting and believing as adopted children of God. They had not even learned the basic ABC’s about God’s great work in Christ. True children are free in Christ from all such rules, regulations, days and seasons. Those things served a valid purpose at one time, but now that Christ himself has come, they are free to live in him and to serve him with heart and soul.

Nevertheless, for the Jewish believer, it must have been sad to lose the Sabbath. It was a wonderful time each week for the family to gather, to rest and relax, to pray and to hear God’s Word. And think about those other big festivals, Passover, Pentecost and Tabernacles. Those were great times, like vacations and big family gatherings, as well as wonderful worship times.

Of course, the early Christians knew that we still need times to celebrate God’s great acts of mercy, be together and be with family. That’s why Sunday became their Sabbath and over the years other Christian festivals replaced the Old Covenant ones. Today we Christians have three major festival seasons and a number of minor ones, built around the work of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  We’re talking about Christmas, Easter and Pentecost. We’ll get to that, all in due time.