Melito of Sardis

(This article was written by James T. Dennison, Jr. and published by "The Outlook," October 2003, Volume 53, No. 4, pp. 7-8. The original article is available online at http://www.reformedfellowship.net/articles/dennison_melito_sardis_apr03_v53_n04.htm))

The one who hung the earth in space, is himself hanged;

The one who fixed the heavens in place. is himself impaled;

The one who firmly fixed all things, is himself firmly

Fixed to the tree.

-Melito, Paschal Homily (96)

It was first discovered in the 1930's (Michigan-Beatty Papyrus) and initially published in 1940. Melito's (MEL-e-toe) Paschal Homily (or "Sermon on the Passover") is regarded by many as the most stunning patristic discovery of the 20th century. Save for fragments, the homily was not extant in ancient collections of Melito's works. Yet providentially, another version (Papyrus Bodmer XIII) was discovered and published in 1960. A newly found Coptic manuscript of the sermon (Mississippi Coptic Codex 1) remains to be edited and translated. For the first time, scholars and students of the early church have access to the full text of a sermon from the bishop of Sardis in Asia Minor (died about 190 A.D.). The homily may have been delivered between 160 and 170 A.D.

The homily/sermon astonishes us with its poetic beauty, its rhetorical power, its theological depth, its majestic sweep of redemptive history. And in every aspect of its marvelous richness, Melito directs the hearer/reader to Christ as the eschatological Lamb and Passover of God. (An English translation of the homily is available free of charge at kerux.com.)

For God replaced the lamb,

And a man the sheep;

But in the man was Christ

By nature both God and man (5, 8)

Melito's biography is obscure. He labored in Asia Minor which today is modern Turkey. There he was episcopal leader of the church in Sardis (cf. Revelation 3:1-6). His discussion of the date for Easter (so-called Quartodeciman controversy); his so-called Apology (addressed to the emperor Marcus Aurelius); and his list of the canonical books of the Old Testament (authenticated by a pilgrimage to Jerusalem in which Melito becomes the first Christian writer to call the Hebrew Bible the "old covenant"; his list of inspired books agrees with the Hebrew/Protestant canon, though he omits Esther (or perhaps combines her with Ezra and Nehemiah): all have made him an historical and patristic curiosity. But there, tantalizingly, our knowledge stops. Melito's biography remains obscure.

The mystery of the Passover is New and old, Eternal and temporal,

Corruptible and incorruptible, Mortal and immortal (‘2).

But the Paschal Homily is not obscure. It is a magnificent example of Christian preaching in the second half of the second century AD. While Melito's method may be labeled "typological" or "promise-fulfillment", the richness and profundity of his insights are more organic, more transcendentely revelational as well as immanently incarnational. Some scholars have labeled the sermon heilsgeschichtlich ("salvation historical"). I prefer the label redemptive-historical or biblical-theological.

From the Passover in Egypt, Melito moves to "Christ our Passover" (1 Corinthians 5:7). From the lamb slain in Egypt, Melito brings us to the "Lamb slain from the foundation of the world" (Revelation 13:8). From the blood sprinkled upon the doorposts in Egypt, Melito brings us to the "sprinkled blood which speaks better than...the blood of calves and goats" (Hebrews 12:24; 9:13). From the Passover of death to life, Melito brings us to the One who has passed from death to life eternal. From Moses and Israel in Egypt, Melito brings us to Jesus and the new Israel in heaven.

I am the Christ.

I am your forgiveness,

I am the Passover of your salvation,

I am the lamb which was sacrificed for you,

I am your ransom,

I am your light.

I am your savior

I am your resurrection,

I am your king,

I am leading you up to the heights of heaven,

I will show you the Eternal Father,

I will raise you up by my right hand (103).

Melito lays out his method and direction in the introduction (1-10), i.e., the relationship between the old (former covenant; Exodus Passover) and the new (last days covenant; crucifixion of Christ). He then explains the Passover in Egypt in its historical context (11-33), i.e., the slaughter of the Iamb and the sentence of death upon the land from which Israel was ransomed by the blood of a substitute. Next, he constructs the shadow-type/reality-antitype paradigm, relating the Old Testament event to the New Testament fulfillment (34-45), i.e., the history of Israel in Egypt is an anticipation of the history of Jesus in Palestine, while the history of Jesus in Palestine is a recapitulation of the history of Israel in Egypt. Now, he relates the Passover in Egypt to the wider context of God's grace in history from the Fall of Adam down to Christ (46-65), i.e., the redemptive history from Genesis to Malachi is accomplished in the redemptive history of Jesus Christ (Matthew to Revelation). The homily draws to a close with the shift in God's plan of salvation from Jew to Jew and Gentile (66-99), i.e., from old Israel (Abraham and those in him, according to the flesh) to new Israel (Christ and those in him, according to the Spirit). A doxology of triumph in Christ concludes the homily (100-105).

This is the one who made the heaven and the earth,

And who in the beginning created man,

Who was proclaimed through the law and the prophets,

Who became human via the virgin,

Who was hanged upon a tree, was buried in the earth,

Who was resurrected from the dead,

And who ascended to the heights of heaven,

Who sits at the right hand of the Father;

Who has authority to judge and save everything,

Through whom the Father created everything

From the beginning of the world to the end of the age.

This is the alpha and the omega.

This is the beginning and the end.

This is the Christ.

This is the king.

This is Jesus.

This is the Lord.

This is the one who rose up from the dead.

This is the one who sits at the right hand of the Father,

To whom he the glory

And the power forever. Amen (104-105).

At only one place do we cringe at Melito's language. When he suggests that the Jews were the "killers" of Christ ("Israel admits, I killed the Lord" [74]). We shrink from the apparent anti-Semitism. Most scholars believe Melito is guilty of the racist charge. But perhaps the rhetoric of this passionate bishop is no more "anti-Semitic" than the language of the gospel of John or the speech of Stephen (Acts 7) or even the invectives of the Old Testament prophets. Perhaps Melito regards himself as a prophetic voice, charging Israel with grievous sin, so that they may be "cut to the quick" (cf. Acts 2:37), repent and cry out, "O Paschal Lamb of God, we hide under the blood of your cross - your once-for-all sacrifice - that eternal death may hide its dark face from us forever."

The second century bishop of Sardis has drawn us into the drama and meaning of the Passover by drawing us into the drama and meaning of the last lamb for sinners slain. With that second century audience, we plead, "O Lord, cover us with the blood of this Eschatological Passover Lamb." With that church in Sardis, we pray, "O dying Lamb of God, we lay our life in Thee so that Thy life - Thy resurrection-life - may be laid upon us." With the saints of second century western Asia Minor we plead, "O Lord, let our eyes be opened to the incarnation of Thy Son in the type, so that we may enjoy the adoption of sons in the antitype—the incarnate Son."

Melito's sermon is a superb example of dramatic, passionate, Christ-ed patristic preaching. It reminds us even today that our preaching (and believing) can be no less!

(Rev. James T. Dennison, Jr. is Academic Dean at Northwest Theological Seminary, Lynnwood, Washington where he also teaches Patristics.)

Gregory the Great

A brief biographical account of Gregory the Great (c.540-604) by Rev. Brian DeJong

Perhaps the most important early pope was Gregory the Great. Gregory was born in 540 to a noble and wealthy Roman Christian family. In fact, Gregory’s great-great grandfather was Pope Felix III. Gregory’s mother Silvia was a pious woman and raised Gregory as a Christian.

Gregory was also an intelligent child, and was above average in his schoolwork. During this time Rome was repeatedly attacked by the barbarians. At age 5 Gregory saw Rome besieged by Totila, King of the Goths. Because of this turmoil, Gregory was called to civil leadership as an urban prefect.

After serving a short time in government, he resigned his post, used his wealth to found six monasteries and himself became a simple monk. To turn his back on wealth and power was dramatic, but Gregory sought a life of solitude and peace with God. He later said that those were the happiest days of his life. Gregory’s decision was based in part on his firm belief that the end of the world was near. He thought that judgment loomed, and that volcanoes were the gates of hell. While we must do what we can to relieve suffering here on earth, our main task is to prepare for heaven, he thought. Gregory was a model monk, fasting and praying and meditating.

Gregory also wanted to be a missionary, and almost succeeded in going to England. Supposedly he was reading on his way to England, and as he read, a locust landed on his open book. The word locusta sounded like loca sta “stay put”, so Gregory stopped his journey and waited. As he waited, messengers from the Pope overtook him and commanded him to return to Rome. Later, as Pope, Gregory would send Augustine of Canterbury to evangelize the English.

Upon returning to Rome, Gregory was appointed an aid to the Pope. In this role he went to Constantinople as a Papal ambassador. During this time Gregory came to realize that Rome was on its own, and couldn’t expect help from the Eastern part of the Empire.

When the reigning pope died in 590, Gregory was unanimously chosen as successor. Among other things, Gregory was an able theologian and perhaps the greatest Christian preacher of his day. He worked to reform the morals of the church, and dealt strongly with heretics.

Yet Gregory always worked from the assumption that the Bishop of Rome had authority over all other churches and bishops. He defined and affirmed many Catholic doctrines, such as purgatory, the need for penance and good works, the saving power of the sacraments, and the practice of appropriating pagan festivals and practices and Christianizing them.

During his reign (590-604) the barbarians repeatedly sacked the city of Rome. The civil leaders were ineffective and Gregory actually wielded greater civil power than they – even appointing military governors. He also organized the distribution of food among the needy in Rome, oversaw the repair of aqueducts, and supervised the defenses of the city. He made the church into a temporal power to be reckoned with, not only in Rome but up into southern Europe.

The Beast of the Earth

(This is a Bible study on Revelation 13:11-18 based on Rev. Keith Davis’s sermon of the passage)

Introduction

I don’t think there’s any question that of all the books of the Bible, it is the book of Revelation that has generated the most interest from people inside as well as outside the church of Jesus Christ. But sadly, some of that interest has taken on a form of obsession. Some who are only Christian in name and have no interest in Christ or His church are oddly interested in the book of Revelation, reading certain parts of it with great regularity for different reasons – curiosity, some kind of knowledge of the future, etc.

So Christians as well as non-Christians have obsessed over this book. They have probed it; analyzed it; studied it; trying to uncover its so called mysteries. And without a doubt, the main passage over which people obsess, the #1 point of interest is the passage before us in Revelation 13:11-18.

There is a universal fascination with the number 666, the name and number of the beast. Ever since the days of the early church, scholars, mathematicians, theologians and laymen alike approached this passage as if it were a secret code for them to break or decipher. The ancient church had actually developed a system whereby every letter of the Hebrew and Greek alphabet was assigned numerical value: Alpha (the Greek letter ‘A’) was given a value of 1. Beta (‘B’) was given a value of 2, and so on. So people used that system to try to figure out what this number means, who it points to, and how to uncover the identity of the antichrist.

With this system, common names took on a whole new meaning. People went to ridiculous measures to match someone’s name with the infamous number. To give you one example, it was discovered that when the name Caesar Nero was translated into German, Neron Kaiser, the numerical value of his German name equaled 666. Similar calculations have been done for the name Adolph Hitler (six letters in his first and last name).

Ronald Wilson Reagan was also accused of being the antichrist because he had six letters in his first, middle and last name. Just to tell you how silly this gets, someone did the calculations and concluded that Barney (the purple dinosaur from our imagination) was the antichrist; someone else’s calculations led to the conclusion that the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were the agents of the antichrist.

To this nonsense, we respond with the opening words of verse 18, all this calls for wisdom – not foolish conjecture; not some wild predictions and accusations; but wisdom. William Hendriksen said it best, the attempt at an interpretation by adding the numerical values of the letters in the name Nero, Plato, etc. leads to nothing, (precisely) because it leads to everything! The Apocalypse (the book of Revelation) is a book of symbols, not a book of riddles.

This book is not a code that calls for clever deciphering, but it is the Revelation of God that calls for faith and obedience and trust. Our passage reveals the second beast, the beast out of the earth. Yes, his number is given, but there’s no cause for alarm. No reason to panic or fret. For Christ tells us all we need to know about this beast: his name, his number, as well as his practice of deception and oppression. Christ even tells us the ultimate end of this beast. So here in Revelation 13:11-18, the Lord reveals the identity of the Beast whose number is 666. ~ Keith Davis

The Beast’s Deceptive Appearance (vv.11- 14)

(1) Where does the second beast come from (v.11a)? Detail the characteristics of the second beast (v.11b). How does it differ from the first beast in v.1? What does it mean for the beast to look like a lamb, but to speak like a dragon? What other lambs appear in Revelation? What does this beast represent?

Previously we dealt with the beast that arose out of the sea. The dragon stood on the shore of the sea and he called forth a helper, an ally in his war against the offspring of the woman (Christ’s church). In our passage we meet his second ally. The fact that this beast comes from the earth may symbolize the dragon’s world-wide opposition to Christ (earth & sea).

But notice the differences between these two beasts. The beast we met last week was ghastly and monstrous to behold. It had a leopard’s body, bear’s feet, and a mouth like that of a lion. It also had ten horns, seven heads, with ten crowns on his horns, and he had blasphemous names written on each head. We pointed out how this beast closely resembled the dragon himself, that his heads and horns were symbolic of his power and authority over nations, rulers and kingdoms.

But the beast we meet in tonight’s passage doesn’t appear to be frightening or intimidating. In fact, this beast appears to be as gentle and harmless as a family pet. He’s described as having two horns like a lamb.

So outwardly, this beast is docile, peaceful, like a lamb. Yet we know who is concealed behind the mask, the facade; the beast may look like a lamb, but he still speaks like the dragon. As the passage tells us, this second beast, this lamb is the messenger of the first beast.

(2) What did the beast from the earth do (12-14)? What is the relationship between the two beasts? Given our interpretation of the beasts, how do you understand this relationship?

In verse 12, he exercises all the authority of the first beast on his behalf. This second beast is likely none other than the false prophet whom we read about later in Revelation. In Revelation 16:13 we find this evil trio (evil version of the Trinity) listed. That verse refers to the dragon, the beast and the false prophet (the enemies of Christ whom we’ve met in Rev. 12-13).

Also, Revelation 19:20 speaks about how the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who had performed miraculous signs on his behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshipped his image.

So this second beast works for the first beast. He has a priestly mission, to preach the false gospel of the first beast, to fill the earth with the lies and propaganda of the first beast; to proselytize the world, to cause people to worship the beast/dragon. So think of the first beast as the political muscle for the dragon – the beast that exercised political domination, who held authority and power over people, nations, empires. Think of the second beast as the religious muscle for the dragon. He applies his power of deceit to entice people to follow the beast.

What makes this beast, this false prophet so dangerous, so deadly, is that his teachings are accompanied by miraculous signs and wonders. This beast in lamb’s clothing has the power to back up whatever claims he is making about the beast. Verse 13 tells us that he is able to call down fire from heaven upon the earth (reminiscent of Elijah on Mt. Carmel). A sign like that functions as confirmation of the truth of his teaching.

(3) What does this all mean to the first century believers?

We can see the clever strategy of Satan as he seeks to imitate, to mimic the divine power of God. Notice also this lamb appears to have the power to give life, as he breathes life into the image of the beast (it’s as if he animates the image, makings it come alive). By doing these things, this gentle looking, smooth talking, miracle working beast manages to enlist more and more worshippers of the first beast.

As we remarked last week, that is one of the goals of the devil, to steal worshippers from God and gain worshippers for himself, to try to abate his prideful, unquenchable thirst for glory and renown. Now, just what exactly does all this mean? What form will the deception take?

We’ve already hinted at the fact that this beast will work through false teaching – false teaching in the world, but also in the church. This was certainly one of the most deadly influences upon the church in Asia Minor.

Think of the church in Thyatira (Rev. 2:18ff). This was a church whom the Lord had commended for her deeds, for her love, for her faith. In fact the Lord observed how she was doing more now than she was in the beginning. On the surface she was a thriving church…

But then the Lord says, "I have this against you. You tolerate that woman Jezebel who calls herself a prophetess. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of foods sacrificed to idols." Later on in that same passage the Lord refers to the prophetess’s teachings as “the so-called deep secrets.” The teachers of this cult or new religion lured people in, tricked them with the promise of new, deeper truths about God.

Some of these new, deep truths were that God didn’t care about what we do with our bodies. He only cares about the heart and soul. So they permitted believers to take part in religious ceremonies at the local temple which included temple prostitution, sacrificing meat to idols, etc.

So there’s no doubt that the churches in Asia Minor knew exactly what this second beast was all about. They knew how dangerous, destructive, infectious and fast-spreading this evil was, how these false teachers wormed their way into the church appearing to be angels of light bearing new truths, but they were nothing more than messengers of death and darkness.

The Apostle Paul knew something about the dangers of deceptive appearances. In Acts 20 he warned the Ephesian elders that savage wolves would come in among them and would not spare the flock. Even from their own number men would arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. It would seem that Paul had stared at this beast right in the face!

(4) So what does this mean to us now as twenty-first century believers? How should we defend and prepare ourselves against the enemy’s strategy and power to deceive and disguise as a lamb?

Obviously false teaching is still one of the greatest threats to the church. The church will always have savage wolves among her that will emerge and seek to lead God’s people astray. But I’d like us to reflect a moment on the insights of one author who offered rather provocative ideas as to how this beast gets his message out in the 21st century.

Dr. Vern Poythress (in his book "The Returning King") illustrates how this beast works through the institutions of modern society. He writes: what then are the principal means of deceit around us now? In our modern society, the mass media, educational institutions, advertising, and (what he calls) the whole “knowledge industry” offer the principal channels through which people learn and confirm their views of themselves and their world.

He pointed out how the beast works to control and manipulate these institutions, these avenues of information and education to his own advantage – to get his message out! Take our nation’s public school for example. They are touted as being a religion free zone. But they’re not! The beast makes sure that wherever God is pushed out of the picture, he takes center stage (agenda).

Our nation’s public schools do endorse a religion – secular humanism. That is a religion that thrives upon false teaching. Here trusting disciples sit in classrooms listening to their priests fill their minds with lies, with unproven and outlandish theories about how this world was created, about how man got here, and about man’s role in this world. Our schools and universities are the breeding ground for the beast’s brightest and best followers.

But the beast's influence goes way beyond education. Just think about the worldly agenda and propaganda that we’re exposed to everyday, in the workplace, in our own homes, through our televisions, even the 10 o’clock news – even some members of the media seem to have an antichristian agenda. (Beast manipulates information; he shapes and warps public opinion).

Is there anyone here who wonders who’s really at the controls in Hollywood? Yesterday I read a story on the Fox News web site which reported how NBC is running Veggie Tales on Saturday mornings. But (much to the surprise of the producers of Veggie Tales) NBC producers have removed all non-historical references to God and the Bible.

NBC defended itself by saying that they have a policy which prohibits them from making specific references to religions. We don't get too specific with any particular religious doctrine or any particular religious denomination. So apparently the name God can be spoken on their programs when used as an expletive, but it can’t be used in a wholesome, worthwhile manner.

So we see that especially in our public institutions, in our nation’s school, in our advertising, in movies, in literature, in our (supposedly unbiased) media, the deceptive influence of the second beast is everywhere.

He is subtle and deceptive in his appearance. His message is quite convincing but it is clear to all who are discerning, that his voice is none other than that of the dragon! This beast is the propagandist extraordinaire and he will stop at nothing to spread his false teachings, to spread his lies about God, to cut off all mention of God and Christ from human hearing. That is his mission, his agenda, so that all the inhabitants of this world will worship the beast.

The Beast’s Destructive Purpose (vv.15-18)

(1) What power was given to the second beast (v.15)? What did the beast require all to receive? Why? What was its purpose? (vv. 16-17)

People of God, I’m sure you already know what his purpose is. There’s no mystery or surprise behind the motives of this second beast. He desires exactly what the first beast desired, exactly what the dragon (Satan) desires, namely, the annihilation and total destruction of all those who do not bow down and worship the beast.

Last week we mentioned how Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego faced this very threat themselves. King Nebuchadnezzar ordered them to be thrown into the fiery furnace because they refused to bow down to the golden image which he had made. We equated that with the way Christians in John’s day were oppressed economically and even martyred for their refusal to worship Caesar.

Christians throughout history have been the target of the beast and his influential false prophet. Think of the evil plot that Haman hatched, how he manipulated King Xerxes into declaring that on a certain day all of the Jews in Persia, all of God’s people were to be killed (Esther 3). That is the deceit and cunning of the second beast at work.

In our previous studies we’ve looked at many such examples. But what is entirely unique to this passage is the revelation that the second beast will force all those who belong to him (rich or poor, slave or free) to receive a mark to signify that they belong to the beast.

The object of this marking is twofold: first of all, it is to clearly mark those who belong to the beast; but secondly, it is designed to economically isolate and oppress and eventually exterminate all those who refuse to wear the mark of the beast.

(2) The beast requires its subjects to get a mark on their foreheads or right hands. Look again at Rev. 7:2-3. What are the consequences of refusing the sign of the beast? What are the implications for us today?

So again, the Christians who read this letter (from Christ) would have known exactly what this was all about. As far as the actual mark is concerned – the mark of the beast – there has again, been much wild speculation and conjecture as to what it really is.

There are those who confidently assert that the mark of the beast is our social security number. Others insist that the mark of the beast is the international product codes or bar codes, and that eventually all human beings will be identified by a similar bar code. Meanwhile some think that the beast will force everyone to have a micro-chip implanted within us.

But the key to understanding the mark of the beast lies in its similarity to the sealing of the saints. Again, let’s not forget the imitative tendencies of the beast. He mimics Christ. He mirrors his power and authority. He simulates his miraculous signs. He duplicates Christ’s mission to bring his message into all the earth.

So in that regard we saw that Christ sent his angels to seal all those who belonged to the Lamb (ch. 7:1-8). They were sealed on their foreheads. But we mentioned that this seal was not a visible seal. It was not a physical seal, but it was spiritual in nature. God sealed his people, assuring that in their persecution Satan could not harm their souls.

Here too, the mark of the beast is not to be understood as a literal, physical mark or number that will appear on our bodies. Rather, the mark of the beast is spiritual. Those who bear this mark are those who have shown themselves to be loyal to the beast; who follow his agenda; who promote his cause; who worship and pay homage to the beast.

So it is even in our day. I believe it is becoming more and more obvious to discern who bears the mark of the counterfeit lamb, who follows the agenda and teachings of the second beast, and who are sealed by the Lamb of God.

That distinction ought to be more and more obvious in our daily lives – in the way we run our business (ethically, honestly, uprightly), to the way we teach and train our children; to the way we spend our money; to the way we spend our Lord’s Day; even in our choices of fun and entertainment. All these ways we show who we are, we show who we worship.

(3) Look at verse 18 carefully. The NIV is particularly accurate here: "This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is man's number. His number is 666." John tells the one with insight to calculate the number of the beast, man’s number. Presumably the reader would then pause, waiting for people to do the calculations! Then he gives the answer. How is 7 used in Scripture, particularly in Revelation? How is 3 used? Why might 666 be an appropriate number for the beast, for man’s number?

So what is this number 666 all about? The last verse tells us if anyone has insight let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is man’s number. His number is 666. I have already spent enough time telling you all the wrong ways in which people interpret and understand this number.

But how are we to rightly understand it? I think we have to confess that this is one of those mysteries which we will never fully understand, never be completely sure about. While there’s no doubt that this number applies to the one who is the antichrist, we also know that many people fit that description in history.

But there are some theologians who insist that this designation belongs to the one final antichrist, the man of lawlessness revealed in II Thessalonians 2. I am of the mind that this number refers not to one particular person, but to any and all who would champion the cause of the beast.

However, I did read one commentator who made a very intriguing observation about this number. He pointed to the fact that in the Greek text, 666 is written out not in long hand, in words, such as we might write out a check for six hundred and sixty six dollars. No, the Greek text uses three letters in a row.

The first letter stands for the number 6; the second letter signifies its multiple by 10 (which would be 60). Then the last letter signifies its multiple of 10 again (which would be 600). So in the end, you have the numbers 6, 60, and 600.

Now all along in the book of Revelation we have been dealing with numbers. Of the numbers we have dealt with, number seven is the most significant number in this book. It is said to be the divine number. It symbolizes completeness and perfection.

So let’s reflect upon this a moment. The number of man, the number of the beast is 666, but that number falls woefully short of the perfection and power and permanence of God of the universe. We could add that his number is the perfection of evil and wickedness.

If God’s number (perfection) could be classified as 777, then we see how God and His Christ completely surpass the number of the beast. It signals to the wise and discerning reader that the beast and those who follow him are destined to fail. They are destined to perish.

Conclusion

Death and judgment is the ultimate end of any and all who dare to stand against God and His Christ. The number of the beast, therefore, this number that for ages has people running around frightened, paranoid, and panicking — this is in reality, a number of shame; a number of failure and weakness, a number of reproach, and disgrace, of utter humiliation.

Many have worn it over the years, and more will wear it in the years ahead if the Lord tarries. As John says in his other epistle, "I tell you that already many antichrists have come. Many have come bearing the name and number of the beast."

Many have come along and spread lies and false teaching, turning men to follow the beast; many have come persecuting and oppressing the church. The beast, like man, cannot escape the final judgment of God.

In the end, the dragon, the two beasts, and all who are followers of the beast will be utterly destroyed (number will expire), while God and His people will live on forever and ever in glory, in perfect happiness and never ending fellowship.

The Merciful Lord Heals the Paradigmatic Man

This week we in Davao City have the privilege of having a dear brother in Christ from the other side of the world, Michael Card. This Monday evening, Mike spoke to an audience of around three hundred people on the Gospel of Mark. On Tuesday night, he sang his songs before several hundreds of people and led in a solemn singing of the classic hymn, "Great Is Thy Faithfulness."

One of the things that struck me both in his talk and concert is his focus not on himself as a singer or speaker but on the message of the gospel and how it impacts our knowledge of God in Christ and ourselves.

If I am to highlight and summarize his message, I think it is captured by his song, “The Paradigm,” which is based on Mark 10:46-52, and has now become one of favorite Michael Card songs. The song focuses on Jesus’ encounter with the blind Bartimaeus. When Jesus and His disciples were about to leave Jericho on His way to Jerusalem, blind Bartimaeus shouted at the top of His voice, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me.”

Many tried to silence him but their attempt to hush him only yielded with a more vigorous shouting from the blind man. Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem to suffer many things, to be rejected by the religious leaders, and to face His impending death and to rise again in three days. Yet on this occasion, Jesus took the time to serve and save this suffering blind beggar.

When Jesus stopped and called for him to come, Bartimaeus left everything he had, which practically nothing but a cloak (v.50). The blind man pleaded for mercy before the One whom he knew is able to grant him. He asked, “Let me recover my sight.” With no delay, Jesus said, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” Immediately he received his sight and did the best thing he could ever do, that is, follow Christ.

While this story of blind Bartimaeus presents the paradigmatic image of who we are without God – blind, beggar, outcast, shamed, and rejected, it really highlights the real person and work of our Lord Jesus as the Christ, the Promised One who came to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45).

Yes, on the one hand, this story portrays Bartimaeus as the perfect model of an undeserving sinner, one who is blind and poor and outcast, and pleads vigorously for mercy. Yet, on the other hand, it truly underscores the authority and power of Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of David. He is the One who gives sight to the blind, restores the outcasts into fellowship with God and the community, grants mercy to undeserving sinners, like you and me, and equips the powerless to become His faithful disciples.

So the Bartimaeus story is really a beautiful portrayal of our greatest need – sight to see God in Christ and salvation to serve Him by His Spirit – and a wonderful depiction of the our merciful Christ Jesus.

In our natural and sinful state we wallow in our shadows, self-pity and shame yet at the same time boast in our shining moments of success and self-elevated status which, compared with the glory and riches of Christ, are worthless rubbish, stinking dung.

Christ calls us to acknowledge who we are - blind, beggar, and braggart - and beg for His mercy, which is something that we don’t deserve. He tells us to leave behind our sins and darkness and follow His holy calling and walk in His glorious light by His strength and grace. He bids us to travel in the power of His might on the road that He trod – the road of suffering and shame that leads to grace and glory!

Here’s the lyrics of Michael Card’s “The Paradigm,” from his 2012 album, The Beginning of the Gospel:

He is poor, he is blind
He will be a paradigm
One of Jesus’ greatest finds
There beside the road.

Calling out, he has the nerve
To want what he does not deserve
All the beggar’s begging for
Is mercy from the Lord.

So come all you beggars
Up on your feet, take courage
He’s calling to you
Surrender you striving
And find the nerve
To boldly ask for
What you don’t deserve.

A timeless moment caught in time
The beggar leaves it all behind
Then the perfect paradigm
Calls Jesus by name.

Falling down upon his knees
With one request, he wants to see
He could see immediately
When Jesus said, “Go.”

©2012 Covenant Artists ASCAP

God-given Talents for the Glory of God

(A short talk at the Homeschoolers Got Talent program of the Lighthouse Homeschool Network in November 2012)

Dear parents, friends, boys and girls,

This is the second year of our Homeschoolers Got Talent. It was a wonderful event last year and I’m looking forward to have another God-glorifying presentation from our children today. Yes, that’s what we want to witness and experience once again this afternoon – a God-glorifying presentation of talents and abilities from our children.

Boys and girls, whether your talent is in the area of music, the art, writing or speech, you have to recognize that your talent is from God. Talent, skills, and abilities are God-given that need to be discovered, developed and used not for personal selfish ambition but, as Dr. Philip Graham Ryken said, “… for the service of others and the glory of God.” Or to put in another way, the presentation of our God-given talents “is an expression of our love – love for God and love for our neighbor."

Children, God has created you and me in the image of God. And for that reason, you and I are special and important to God. We are precious in His sight. You and I are valuable. We have worth in God’s sight. But in His goodness, God also created us with unique abilities to glorify Him. He gave us skills and talents. And part of glorifying God is to develop and express those skills or talents He has freely given us.

I hope your motive in presenting your talent is to glorify God and not to gain the approval or applause of your parents or your friends. Our worth does not depend on what we do or how we do things. Our worth depends on the fact that God has made us in his image, and that’s especially important for us who are children of God by faith in our Lord Jesus Christ because we know that we have been accepted by God, not on the basis of what we do, but on the basis of what Christ has done for us when He pleased and glorify God all his life, even in dying for our place at the cross of Calvary. The expression of your talents this afternoon is one way of recognizing the gift that God has given you and thanking Him for that gift.

So I hope that you will give all your best to glorify the Lord and to honor Him for giving you unique talent or talents. We understand that you are not yet professionals. Your talents are still developing. Some talents, of course, are well-developed than others. So don’t be afraid to express them. And please don’t be dismayed, frustrated or ashamed when you commit mistakes in playing the instrument or playing the notes or singing or reciting even a certain line or lyrics that you forgot.

Again you are not performing for anyone’s approval. You are performing to thank God and honor Him with your talent. We are here as your parents to cheer you up, to guide you and to tell you that we love you. Your presentation will not lessen or increase our love for you. We love you as the Lord has loved us and we want you to do everything with the strength and skill God has given you for His praise and glory. Remember that.

I hope we, parents, remember that also: that God values us and loves us not because of what we do but because He created us in His own image and He has saved us in Christ and through Christ.

So let us celebrate and thank God in giving our children the talents they are going to present this afternoon. Raw or developed talents, they are from God and we ought to thank Him and enjoy their expression. God bless you, dear children! Glorify God with what he has given you.

Only by the Grace of God

A short account of my conversion and call to the ministry

I was born and raised in a Roman Catholic family in central Philippines, in the province of Capiz to be specific. I was baptized as an infant, catechized as a child and received confirmation in the Roman Catholic Church. I had known and believed in the doctrine of the Trinity and the virgin birth of Jesus Christ since I was a child.

I also learned the Ten Commandments and I was active in church youth activities in high school. Out of these experiences I have desired to serve God in full-time ministry as a priest in the Roman Catholic Church.

But in spite of this, I grew up a disobedient child alien to the concept of the fear of the Lord. I may have looked nice and okay outwardly but deep within I was miserable. My conscience would always bother me and give me a strong feeling of condemnation and uncertainty of the future.

It wasn’t very obvious to others, but I was so afraid to die. Although I was told that Christ saves, still I did not have the faith to trust Him fully. So I tried hard doing penance and other good things that would make me feel good. I was taught that in doing good works and sacrifices for the Church I can sort of earn my way to God. But it did not help me at all and I was quite frustrated. There was something that I was looking for that I haven’t found and tasted during those years.

It was the French physicist and philosopher Blaise Pascal (1623-1662) who spoke of people’s need for Jesus Christ when he said, “There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of every man, which only God can fill through his Son Jesus Christ.” Then about 1200 years before Pascal it was Augustine (354-430) who said, “You [Oh God] have made us for yourself, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.”

Those quotes from Pascal and Augustine are true in my life. There was a vacuum in my life that needs to be filled, and there was some kind of restlessness that I didn’t know how to put to rest. Thank God that in Christ God fills my emptiness and enables me to rest and to live in peace.

In God’s appointed time, around February 1986, I came to meet Mr. Samuel Colinco Jr., a Baptist school teacher from Bacolod City. We were roommates at a student conference in Iloilo province. One night he saw me reading my blue Gideons New Testament. It has been my habit to read my blue Gideons New Testament before I sleep at night. He then asked me if I was a Christian and I told him I was a Roman Catholic. He then asked me if I could spare a few minutes to talk with me about some important things. I said "Yes" out of respect.

Using a Bible tract, he then started to explain to me the holiness of God, the sinfulness of man, and the death of Christ in a way that I did not see in my Catholic upbringing. Gradually I was beginning to understand the gospel, the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ, the concepts of grace and faith and regeneration.

In my Roman Catholic upbringing, grace was an obscure concept, and somehow one has to earn or work for it. Faith likewise was understood as something that man could do all by himself. To be born again you must be baptized (as a child, especially) and faithfully receive Christ in the Holy Eucharist during mass. My basic belief was being challenged by this new Baptist friend whom I met only once in my life.

At first I was so skeptical at what he was telling me but later, I was enabled to believe that Christ indeed saves and through Him, by faith, I can truly be assured of my salvation.

Seeing this gracious act of God in Christ toward sinners like me, I was led to confess my sin and repent from all my known wickedness – you know, lying, stealing, disrespect to parents, envy, covetousness, lust, idolatry, and many more.

Oh after confessing my sins and renouncing all those horrible, shameful acts, I felt that sense of joy and peace and gratitude deep within. The things that Augustine and Pascal were talking about are now real to me. That peace within that wasn’t there before starts to overwhelm me.

My contact with this Baptist teacher was short. But when I entered college in 1987, one of my older brothers, who was a new convert to a fast-growing Pentecostal church, was instrumental in my decision to leave the Catholic Church and join the Jesus is Lord (JIL) Church. One good thing I’ve experienced with JIL Church was learning to submit to the Lordship of Christ by submitting to the authority of His Word in every area of my life – from my daily, ordinary choices to future, long term, major decisions – everything.

God has used the experiences I had in with group to develop in me the love for His Word in spite of the group’s tendency to elevate ‘spiritual experiences’ over the Bible itself in relating with God. About a year and a half later, I became discontented and uncomfortable with the group, specifically with their practice of ‘speaking or praying in tongues.’

So in 1989 I moved to a conservative Evangelical church, Caloocan Bible Church, where Rev. Elvin Mijares was pastoring. (Another brother of mine and his family are actually members there). During this time I also became actively involved with Inter Varsity Christian Fellowship (IVCF). I was drawn to join IVCF in the campus partly because of the sound teachings about the Bible and God, and the priority of Christian discipleship and missions that I was getting.

But aside from that, I was really impressed by the kind of relationship that the members and leaders have had toward one another and toward others. There’s something unique and attractive in them that I also wanted to experience. So I first became a small group member in the campus, then a leader. I attended many leadership and discipleship camps and conferences and the most memorable and revolutionary camp, of course, was the month-long intensive leadership Kawayan Camp (KC) in Cebu province in 1990.

Then in 1992, a year after college, I was surprised to receive an invitation to join the Inter Varsity staff team. So I considered it and after several months of prayers and seeking godly counsel I was gradually led to decide to join the staff team. And in the providence of God my five-year ministry with Inter Varsity was one of the most faith-building experiences in life.

While with Inter Varsity I was greatly influenced by the writings of many authors. One of those authors is Bill Hybels. His books Who You Are When No One’s Looking and Too Busy Not to Pray were my favorites. But my top two favorites authors are John Stott and J.I. Packer.

Oh I am greatly indebted to these two evangelical giants in my understanding of the Christian faith. Stott’s Basic Christianity increased my knowledge of my sinfulness and misery through his clear exposition of the Ten Commandments. I was convicted of my sin. At the same time, because Stott also emphasized in that book the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ at the Cross and how that sacrifice provided for me the assurance that all my sins are forgiven in Him, I was also comforted and delighted to know that I don’t need to add anything to Christ’s atoning sacrifice to save myself.

Wow, that’s a very profound truth, I thought! I wasn’t taught that way before. Simply said, Christ did everything to secure my salvation. All I need to do is to receive it by faith believing that Christ died for me and lives again for my justification.

Packer’s Knowing God also deepened my knowledge of and devotion to God. His scholarly yet pastoral exposition of God’s sovereign grace in the salvation of mankind through Jesus Christ has left me dumbfounded. Through Packer’s various expositions I was able to understand the gospel better and became more grateful to God. I make it a habit to read this classic every year.

Since then, the peace and assurance that I have been longing for has come as a result of the knowledge of God’s grace in Christ. My reading of the Scripture, like that of the prophet Isaiah, especially his words in chapter 53 verse 5, became very meaningful to me. There it says, “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him and by his wounds we are healed.”

There’s a lot of comfort that comes from the knowledge that God will not take my sins against me anymore, all because Someone has taken my stead and paid for the penalty of all my sins. That’s really amazing! That’s grace! It gripped me from the inside out.

Shortly after I moved out of Inter Varsity in 1997 I was introduced to the writings of R.C. Sproul and James Montgomery Boice. These authors contributed in shaping and strengthening my theological and Biblical perspective. Sproul has helped me grasp clearer many ‘difficult’ Biblical doctrines. Boice has increased my appetite in reading and studying the Word of God through his theological treatises and Biblical commentaries.

Providentially, God led me and my wife to regularly attend a Reformed Bible study in 1999. This was led by Mr. Nollie Malabuyo, a Wycliffe Bible Translator missionary who eventually became a minister and missionary in Metro Manila area with the United Reformed Churches in North America (URCNA). This Bible study later became a small congregation in January 2000. It has become what is now the Davao Covenant Reformed Church, a member congregation of the Pearl of the Orient Covenant Reformed Church (POCRC).

My desire to serve God in full-time ministry did not wane after my move from Catholicism, Evangelicalism and to the Reformed tradition. To some extent, it has actually strengthened my desire to be formally trained and equipped to do the ministry.

Through various providence, the Lord has given me the opportunity to study at Mid-America Reformed Seminary in Dyer, Indiana, USA in 2001. However, my seminary study was interrupted in 2002 when my family and I had to return to the Philippines in June of 2002. The American missionary who was then ministering to a small Reformed congregation in Davao City was recalled due to some security reasons occasioned by the 9/11 bombing. So he and his family were asked by their sending church to leave the Philippines immediately.

By the grace of God, the congregation has continued to exist after the missionary and his family left in November 2001. So in June 2002, having been examined and was given the license to preach by Trinity United Reformed Church of Walnut Creek, California, which was the supervising church of the Davao congregation at that time, we arrived in the Philippines and continued the ministry in the Davao City. My one year seminary training has helped me a lot although I kept on hoping that one day I could return to the seminary to finish my training.

I praise the Lord for granting that desire in 2006. I am thankful to the Lord for using several individuals (particularly Mr. David Linden), churches and organizations who have become instrumental in my return to the seminary to finish my formal, rigid, but very edifying theological and Biblical training.

In 2008, by the grace of God, I was able to finish my Master of Divinity degree. Two months after graduation at Mid-America Reformed Seminary, my family and I returned to the Philippines to minister to our congregation.

In God’s gracious providence, I was examined by the pastors and elders of the Pearl of the Orient Covenant Reformed Church during its special Classis meeting in September 2010 and I was able to pass the examination and declared eligible for call. On October 19, 2010, I was ordained to the Ministry of the Gospel and installed as the pastor of the Davao Covenant Reformed Church.

I thank God for the great privilege He has given me to bring the good news of salvation in Christ to our own people. I have been serving the same congregation until now. Please keep on praying for me and my family that in my desire to serve the Lord among our countrymen He would graciously grant me to see the fruit of my labor, that is, a growing and healthy congregation vibrantly living for God and serving one another for the glory of God. Soli Deo Gloria!