Technology in the Kingdom

I received the following comment:

I read Zechariah today.  As a part of reading it I thought about how the tech in the Kingdom is shown as low tech.  The fact that they are using old-style weapons can be explained by the fact that at the start of the Kingdom all things weapon-like are destroyed.  But there is another explanation for the other things.  1) With the outpouring of the Spirit people would have less reason to need higher technology. 2) It is likely that by the will of God oil would be tapped out.

What thoughts do you have on this?

There does seem to be some indication that things will be more low-tech in the kingdom. There could be several reasons for this.

Luke 21 Continued

20. “But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near.

At this time, they will see Jerusalem surrounded by armies. These will be the forces of the anti-Christ, coming to break his agreement with them, and to stop the temple worship, instead setting himself up as God in the temple. When they see these armies compassing the city, then they will know that its desolation is near.

Many have noted that there was a seeming fulfillment of this prophecy about forty years after Christ said these words, when Israel was invaded by the Roman army under General Titus. He did surround the city of Jerusalem, and that was indeed a sign that its desolation was near, for Titus leveled the city to the ground. It certainly would have been good in those days for all those in Judea who believed in the words of the Lord Jesus Christ to do exactly what it says in the following verse. That is, not to enter into Jerusalem to weather the siege, but rather to flee to the hills. The devastation that took place in the city was terrible, and it was far better for them to be nowhere near it.

Luke 21

1. And He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury,

Though we did not learn earlier where the spies who came to question Him first encountered the Lord, and where this contest between them took place, now we discover that the location was in the temple, and that they were near the place where men brought their gifts to the treasury. It seems the Lord pauses His teaching for a bit and watches as the rich bring their gifts. It is thought that the custom of these men was to bring their gifts in coin, and to give as much of this coin as possible so it made a great noise as they poured it in abundance into the box used for collecting it. Those who stood by would hear this great noise, and would be impressed with the giver’s generosity. However, this seems to fit right in with the kind of hypocritical showmanship that the Lord was just condemning in the previous two verses.

Should We Multiply?

I received the following comment/question:

I remember back in the 80’s when the giant everyone’s-going-to-die fear was population explosion. Now-a-days the only thing keeping Europe’s population from imploding is the rapid rate of immigration.  So this brings to mind the command by God to Noah et al:

Gen 8:17
“Bring out with you every living thing of all flesh that is with you, birds and animals and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, that they may breed abundantly on the earth, and be fruitful and multiply on the earth.”

Longing for the Day of the LORD

I received the following comment/question:

I was reading some of the minor prophets and came across this one.

Amos 5:18-20 (God’s Word Translation)

How horrible it will be for those who long for the day of the LORD! Why do you long for that day? The day of the LORD is one of darkness and not light. It is like a person who flees from a lion only to be attacked by a bear. It is like a person who goes home and puts his hand on the wall only to be bitten by a snake. The day of the LORD brings darkness and not light. It is pitch black, with no light.

Amazing huh?  It asks why anyone would long for that day, but how many Christians do this very thing when they deeply desire Christ’s return.  They don’t realize that the time of Christ’s return will be hyper-violent.  While the killings will be just, it will make the holocaust seem like a Disney movie.  But what does Christ say to long for?  Thy kingdom come.

Food for thought.

We have to use care in interpreting this passage.

The Lord’s Prayer

Here are a few brief thoughts about the Lord’s prayer.

Our Father

Some seem to make a big deal about giving equal time in prayer to the Father, Son, and Spirit. As if one would be jealous of the others if we didn’t give them equal time in prayer. The Lord always addressed His prayers to the Father. I don’t think this is a good thing to spend a lot of time worrying about.

in heaven,

God is in an exalted place, higher than us. He has a better perspective on everything than we do!

Luke 20 Part 3

27.  Then some of the Sadducees, who deny that there is a resurrection, came to Him and asked Him,

It seems that, the spies having failed, the Sadducees decide to take their shot at Christ. The Sadducees were a sect that did not believe in resurrection. They seem to have believed that a person would live his life, die, and that would be the end of him. As such, the only reason to serve God would be because it benefits us in this life, since there is no benefit in the life to come. The result of such a philosophy is seen in the Sadducees, in that they believed in living this life “to the fullest.” These were the moral liberals of the day, and were only tolerated by the morally conservative Pharisees. Yet it seems that all the leaders, liberal or conservative, had a common goal in attempting to trap the Lord Jesus Christ.

Luke 20 Part 2

9. Then He began to tell the people this parable: “A certain man planted a vineyard, leased it to vinedressers, and went into a far country for a long time.

Now the Lord turns to the people and begins to tell them a parable. However, even though He addresses this to the people, it is nevertheless a parable against the leaders whom He has just spoken to and who are still present to hear it.

In this parable, He speaks of a landowner who plants a vineyard. This would have been a very common thing to do, for Israel was a good country for grapes, and the making of wine and other products made from grapes was a very profitable enterprise in that land. Now this owner, having planted a vineyard, seems to be uninterested in maintaining it himself. Either that, or else other, more pressing business arises to which he must attend. At any rate, he goes into a far country for a long time. Not willing to leave his vineyard untended during this time, he leases it out to certain vinedressers. The agreement is that they are to keep the vineyard in his absence. No doubt they are to receive a certain amount of its fruits for themselves in payment for their labors, but they are also to render a percentage of the fruits of this vineyard back to the owner upon request.

House Law in Ezekiel

I received the following comment:

I came across this while reading the latter portion of Ezekiel.  It is hidden in the language of the KJV but comes out more clearly in other translations.  It is found in Ezk 43:12 and the surrounding context.  The NASB reads:

This is the law of the house: its entire area on the top of the mountain all around shall be most holy. Behold, this is the law of the house.

It would appear that this may be speaking of oikonomia in the OT.  What do you think?  The word for law is Torah. The word for house is Bayith which means basically a house or a home.

Good eye! This does seem to be sort of an Old Testament reference to a house law. In the Septuagint, this reads diagraphen tou oikou, law of-the house, which is not quite the same.

Submission in Ephesians 5

I received the following question:

Do you believe that Ephesians 5:21 defines what comes after, and indicates that there should be mutual submission between husbands and wives, parents and children, and slaves and masters? Or does what follows define Ephesians 5:21, and indicate that these three, specific instances are where God wants us to submit?

The whole passage is, indeed, introduced by verse 21, which encourages believers, as such, to submit to one another.

21. submitting to one another in the fear of God.

This erases the God-given hierarchy that you had in the Acts period, for now there are no “appointed leaders,” but all are to view themselves as submitted to each other.