Places of Worship

Posted on by korgrocker

““Sir,” the woman said, “you must be a prophet. So tell me, why is it that you Jews insist that Jerusalem is the only place of worship, while we Samaritans claim it is here at Mount Gerizim, where our ancestors worshiped?” Jesus replied, “Believe me, dear woman, the time is coming when it will no longer matter whether you worship the Father on this mountain or in Jerusalem. You Samaritans know very little about the one you worship, while we Jews know all about him, for salvation comes through the Jews.”
John 4:19-22 NLT

There is something within human beings that makes them want to worship. This is something God has wired within us. The need to worship is in our DNA. Sadly, in our secular society, this God-given gift is distorted and focused on the wrong things. So we have the Saturday afternoon worship of a football team. Hobbies can become the focus of our worship. Some nations encourage the worship of their leaders. A common line in romance fiction is “he worships the ground she walks on”. Even the gender and sex ideologies common today can become worshipped by their activists. But none of these objects of worships – call them “idols” – will ever replace the deep inner desire to worship our Creator God. 

The countryside in the UK is dotted around with mostly elderly but generally lovely “places of worship”. Our parish churches are a legacy from past times when people were more faithful and knew the proper focus of their worship. But more and more of our churches are closing down as people turn their backs on God. Most people now consider that we are living in a post-Christian age, whatever that means, and these places of worship are becoming nothing more than mausoleums, or turned into carpet warehouses or night clubs. Some, such as a church near me, are being allowed to crumble and collapse through neglect. Two more have been converted to houses, with one in the bizarre position of having a graveyard instead of a garden. No problems with noisy neighbours though.

But Jesus, in His conversation with the Samaritan woman, floated the idea that worship is to become independent of the traditional venues so valued by the Jews and Samaritans. And we see the abandonment of elderly and difficult to heat buildings today, with Christians in the UK meeting in industrial units, in schools and leisure centres, and, of course, in people’s homes. We’re perhaps returning to the early Church model as described in Acts 5:42 and elsewhere, ”And every day, in the Temple and from house to house, they continued to teach and preach this message: “Jesus is the Messiah.”“

God is everywhere, and not just behind a table in an old musty building, even if the table is covered with an ornate cloth embroidered with gold lace. Stained glass windows may look very impressive but they matter little to the God who looks into our hearts. So we pilgrims worship God and God alone. There is nothing else that can be allowed to take His place. We read what Jesus said to the devil in Luke 4:8, “Jesus replied, “The Scriptures say, ‘You must worship the Lord your God and serve only him.’” Instead of worshipping in a temple or church somewhere, we must perhaps rather consider the temple within us. ”Don’t you realise that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? …” (1 Corinthians 6:19).

God does not need the worship of us pilgrims. He never has done and never will. But He has created us in His image to worship Him, because it does something within our spirits. The communion spirit to Spirit comes alive in our worship. There is no better place to be than worshipping in God’s presence.

Father God. We worship You today, because You are worthy. Amen.

The Invitation

Posted on by korgrocker

The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Come, follow me.” Philip was from Bethsaida, Andrew and Peter’s hometown.”
John 1:43-44 NLT

Not everyone responded positively to Jesus’ invitation “Come, follow Me”. There was a time when he received excuses as to why He couldn’t be followed, as we read in Matthew 8:19-22, “Then one of the teachers of religious law said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” But Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place even to lay his head.” Another of his disciples said, “Lord, first let me return home and bury my father.” But Jesus told him, “Follow me now. Let the spiritually dead bury their own dead.”“ Reading between the lines we can see that there was a reluctance to follow Jesus, because the cost of doing so was beyond what the people concerned were prepared to pay. 

But in our verses today, we see that Jesus found Philip, not the other way round. People in religious circles often refer to a “calling” and often one of the caring professions is indeed called that. And a minister or pastor also refer to their role as a response to Jesus’ call. In Jesus’ day, the call “Come, follow Me” resulted in a life of potential hardship and we only have to look through the Book of Acts to see what happened to those early disciples. Today, many people who follow Jesus end up in situations that require 100% dedication. People like Jackie Pullinger for example. But for everyday pilgrims such as ourselves, we mostly have just to be available to Jesus with our resources, our time and money. And we follow Him at every opportunity, supporting His mission to grow His church. 

So the invitation from Jesus constantly hangs in the air. It doesn’t go away. Everyone living in the world can respond at any time. And we pilgrims do our best to ensure that the invitation is never hidden or suppressed. 

Dear Lord Jesus. We have responded to Your call “Come, follow Me”, and echo the words at the end of Revelation, “Come Lord Jesus”. Amen.

God’s Household

Posted on by korgrocker

“For the time has come for judgment, and it must begin with God’s household. And if judgment begins with us, what terrible fate awaits those who have never obeyed God’s Good News? And also, “If the righteous are barely saved, what will happen to godless sinners?” So if you are suffering in a manner that pleases God, keep on doing what is right, and trust your lives to the God who created you, for he will never fail you.”
1 Peter 4:17-19 NLT

Chapter 4 of 1 Peter contains practical instructions and help for a generation suffering greatly for their faith, and who may have been struggling in it all to make the transition from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light. And he was fully aware that for some people it was easier to give up the faith than to continue in it. In the previous few verses, he encouraged those who had suffered, or were still suffering, insults and even “fiery trials” for their faith in Christ, with the thought that they were blessed, and that His glorious Spirit rested upon them. But now, as a gentle warning, he wrote that judgement is waiting. 

But we pilgrims know that judgement is for unbelievers not believers. Revelation 20 contains the account of the Great White Throne and the books being opened. At this event “ … the dead were judged according to what they had done, as recorded in the books”(Revelation 20:12b). That was not the judgement Peter was referring to; he was writing about “God’s household”, which consisted of His children and not the unbelieving majority in that society, who were not God’s children, and who were those who would eventually end up facing that terrible event before the throne, waiting fearfully for the verdict, Guilty! 

To understand the judgement Peter was writing about we need to turn to Hebrews 12:5-7, “And have you forgotten the encouraging words God spoke to you as his children? He said, “My child, don’t make light of the Lord’s discipline, and don’t give up when he corrects you. For the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes each one he accepts as his child.” As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as his own children. Who ever heard of a child who is never disciplined by its father?” God disciplines His children, like any earthly father would (or should). Any believer who responds to the Gospel and becomes a child of God, is deluded if they think that they can continue to behave in a sinful way. That’s not how it works. Of course, the Holy Spirit within us will gently help us in our journey through sanctification to glorification, pointing out areas in our lives that need to be cleaned up. But sometimes a stricter approach may be required, hence the reference to “discipline” and “punishment”.

There is also a requirement for Christians to judge what is going on within the church. In 1 Corinthians 5:12-13, Paul wrote, “It isn’t my responsibility to judge outsiders, but it certainly is your responsibility to judge those inside the church who are sinning. God will judge those on the outside; but as the Scriptures say, “You must remove the evil person from among you.”” Jesus also taught about sin against another believer in the church, and we can read what He said in Matthew 18:15-17.

But through all these heavier issues of sin, discipline, punishment and judgement, there must be an overriding influence of love and compassion. Paul gave some advice to the Corinthian church about a man who was causing hurt and trouble to them. And we read what he suggested in 2 Corinthians 2:7-8, “Now, however, it is time to forgive and comfort him. Otherwise he may be overcome by discouragement. So I urge you now to reaffirm your love for him”. 

We pilgrims have many siblings, as we share and live together in God’s household. And as in any family, we, from time to time, will go astray, and follow a rabbit trail into dangerous places. Our siblings, our fellow believers, will gently bring us back before any form of judgement becomes necessary. There is a saying that a bad apple will soon make the whole barrel bad. I have been in a church where that has been a very real danger, but a diligent pastor has brought judgement into the situation, although, sadly, the person concerned has ended up finding fellowship elsewhere. God allows judgement to take place within a church so that unrighteousness can be avoided. And if we end up the focus of the discipline then we must see beyond the shame and pain and instead look up to our Heavenly Father, who cares so much for each one of us.

Dear Father God. Help us we pray, in those times when we have gone astray. For Jesus’ sake. Amen.

Peter

Posted on by korgrocker

“This letter is from Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ. I am writing to God’s chosen people who are living as foreigners in the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia.”
1 Peter 1:1 NLT

We start looking at a different New Testament author today – the Apostle Peter. A man who led a life of change, transitioning from a coarse fisherman to an Apostle who probably preached one of the most successful evangelistic sermons ever recorded. But his “career” didn’t stop there – we now look at his influential words as recorded in his two epistles. 

The gospel of Luke records that Peter was a dejected fisherman, who had caught nothing all night, when Jesus asked him to push his boat out a bit from the shore so that He could use it as a pulpit. We pick up the story in Luke 5:4, “When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Now go out where it is deeper, and let down your nets to catch some fish””. Peter basically said to Him that there was no point because there were no fish around but he obeyed Jesus anyway and was rewarded with a huge catch of fish. Peter’s response was recorded in Luke 5:8, “When Simon Peter realised what had happened, he fell to his knees before Jesus and said, “Oh, Lord, please leave me—I’m such a sinful man””. A pivotal moment for Peter that started him on an amazing journey because of Jesus’ response, recorded in Luke 5:10-11, “His partners, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, were also amazed. Jesus replied to Simon, “Don’t be afraid! From now on you’ll be fishing for people!” And as soon as they landed, they left everything and followed Jesus”. The fisherman became a fisher of men. He entered a life marked by highs and lows as he followed Jesus, learning from Him and making the transition to the “rock” of the early church. We read in Matthew 16:18, “Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it”. 

Peter’s authority took a severe dent when he denied Jesus three times before His trial and crucifixion. But Jesus gently restored him with a conversation recorded in John 21. Something significant happened to Peter, and the rest of the disciples, on the Day of Pentecost. You know the story, I’m sure, but Peter was transformed by the Holy Spirit within him, and went on to preach a sermon at the end of which 3000 men were saved. And all without a microphone and a PA system! But there is one pivotal verse that is foundational for anyone seeking, or called, to become a Christian – Acts 2:38, “Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit“. Three things a potential convert must do, and then one amazing gift from God.

But back to 1 Peter 1:1. Peter is writing a letter to God’s people in five provinces, all locations in what is now modern Turkey. In the following blogs we will unpick what he said to these people, and particularly, what Peter has to say to us pilgrims today.

Father God. We thank You for the fisherman Peter, and for the foundational impact he had on the early church in the power of the Spirit. As we consider his words in these letters, please help us to hear what You have to say to us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

More Friends

Posted on by korgrocker

“Give my greetings to Mary, who has worked so hard for your benefit. Greet Andronicus and Junia, my fellow Jews, who were in prison with me. They are highly respected among the apostles and became followers of Christ before I did. Greet Ampliatus, my dear friend in the Lord. Greet Urbanus, our co-worker in Christ, and my dear friend Stachys. Greet Apelles, a good man whom Christ approves. And give my greetings to the believers from the household of Aristobulus. Greet Herodion, my fellow Jew. Greet the Lord’s people from the household of Narcissus. Give my greetings to Tryphena and Tryphosa, the Lord’s workers, and to dear Persis, who has worked so hard for the Lord. Greet Rufus, whom the Lord picked out to be his very own; and also his dear mother, who has been a mother to me. Give my greetings to Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the brothers and sisters who meet with them. Give my greetings to Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and to Olympas and all the believers who meet with them.”
Romans‬ ‭16‬:‭6‬-‭15‬ ‭NLT‬‬

A long list of the names of Paul’s friends. There were 23 people that Paul commended in these verses; actually 25 because the mother of Rufus wasn’t named and neither was the sister of Nereus. But to be given a mention in a letter by the Apostle Paul was praise indeed, and this list of names has survived long after the owners of the names have. These people were all active church workers who were even, as Adronicus and Junia were, prepared to go to prison for their faith. A wonderful legacy of real and living Christians, and one day we will have the opportunity to ask them about how they got on with Paul, and about their faith in the First Century. But behind all these names there would have been many good church folks, working away for Jesus below the radar.

The message from these verses for us pilgrims can be summed up in the phrases such as “worked hard” and “highly respected”, “Christ approves”, “the Lord picked out” and so on. These are  believers who were sold out for Jesus. No wishy-washy Christians here! These dear folks built a solid foundation upon which the church was built. They were prepared to suffer for their faith, and by doing so they established the Church that Jesus spoke to Peter about in Matthew 16:18, “Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it“. These early Christians were bomb proof and nothing the devil hurled at them had any impact. That is the inspiration for the Church today. Forces have been unleashed against Christians here in the UK over recent years, and secularism and left wing and anti-God ideologies are emerging, intent on destroying Christians in any way they can. But like the dear people listed in Paul’s letter, we will stand firm and use the weapons that God has supplied for us, and as listed in Ephesians 6. There is no going back. 

There is an old hymn that I haven’t sung for many years, but the verse 3 lyrics are:
Stand up! stand up for Jesus!
Stand in His strength alone;
The arm of flesh will fail you;
Ye dare not trust your own.
Put on the Gospel armour,
And, watching unto prayer,
Where duty calls, or danger,
Be never wanting there.

We used to belt it out in church, never thinking that in the years coming, it would be so appropriate.

Father God. We pray for the same strength and single-mindedness that those early Christians had. Please help us in our battles against the evil one. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Body Parts

Posted on by korgrocker

“Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.”
Romans 12:4-5 NLT

Paul describes what “Christ’s body”, the Church, is like, with a comparison with the human body. In 1 Corinthians 12:12-13 he writes, “The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptised into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit”. The common bond that binds together the body of Christ is the baptism in the Spirit, the Holy Spirit who is shared amongst all of us pilgrims. Paul goes on to give more examples. 1 Corinthians 12:18-21, “But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it. How strange a body would be if it had only one part! Yes, there are many parts, but only one body. The eye can never say to the hand, “I don’t need you.” The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you””. He builds a picture of a group of people, each constructed in an autonomous way with all the body parts they need, who then come together to build a different kind of body, with each part being made up of individual people. A lovely analogy and obviously one much favoured by Paul.

Paul emphasises the “special function” of each part of the human bodies. Our kidneys don’t function in the same way as our livers. Our toes aren’t as dexterous as our fingers, but important none the less. We see with our eyes and hear with our ears. None of this should be a surprise to anyone. But what might be more of a challenge is when we take all the individual people and put them together in our churches. The body of Christ, His Church, also has different body parts. So we have our pastors and evangelists, people engaged in very different functions. And there will be those who perform different parts of the administration, or handling the finance. We have the prophets in our midst, who encourage and build up the people with their messages of love and hope. There are the musicians and singers. The list grows and grows. But imagine the chaos if everyone wanted to be a preacher, or worship leader or …

Do we pilgrims recognise this picture? Are we very much involved and connected to our fellowship of believers? Or are we occasional visitors, who only decide to pay our church a visit when there is nothing else to do? Perhaps it’s raining that day, so the car can’t be washed, or the golf course visited. Paul quite firmly said that we are all parts of the church and, here’s the thing, “we all belong to each other”. We have a responsibility to be committed to a church fellowship. Holding on even when things appear to be difficult. We may not feel we have much of a contribution to make, but, while we are there, God can use us to further and build up His body, the Church. Imagine the impact on a human body if, suddenly, the eyes disappeared. Well, it’s the same with Jesus’ body – imagine what would happen if, one Sunday, the worship leader or preacher fails to turn up. However, the less high profile people in a church are also missed when they fail to appear. Perhaps God wanted to use them that week to provide a simple piece of encouragement, such as a smile or a compliment. 

To be blunt, without us faithfully supporting our local church, it will shrivel and die, something we are danger of seeing in these days. As an example, the Church of Scotland has declined by 34% over the past decade to 60,000 members, with an average age of 62, and hundreds of church buildings will need to be closed because they are non-viable. In the West of Fife, where I live, 3 churches have closed in recent years, with another under threat. And unless there is a reversal of this decline, this denomination will be in danger of disappearing over the next 2 or 3 generations.

But it is not all doom and gloom. G. K. Chesterton once famously said, “On five occasions in history the Church has gone to the dogs, but on each occasion, it was the dogs that died”. We need to remember that Jesus said He will build His church. Matthew 16:18, “Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it”. Jesus used Peter as an example of the foundational basis for the Church, His Body. We are all “rocks” if we are rooted and grounded in Jesus, and it is upon us, in this generation, in our communities, that the responsibility for church building lies. Not the physical structures, ornately built with bricks and mortar, populated by stained glass windows and statues, but the living church made up of us believers. In 1 Peter 2:4-5 we read, “You are coming to Christ, who is the living cornerstone of God’s temple. He was rejected by people, but he was chosen by God for great honour. And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What’s more, you are his holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God“. So, fellow living stones, we are all constituent parts of God spiritual temple. What an honour! What a God!

Dear Father. We pray for Your forgiveness for those times when we have sat at home rather than join our brothers and sisters in our fellowships. Please help us to find our places in the local church where You have placed us, and where we can flourish, building a Temple where You can live and find a home. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Bowing to Baal

Posted on by korgrocker

“No, God has not rejected his own people, whom he chose from the very beginning. Do you realise what the Scriptures say about this? Elijah the prophet complained to God about the people of Israel and said, “Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me, too.” And do you remember God’s reply? He said, “No, I have 7,000 others who have never bowed down to Baal!””
Romans 11:2-4 NLT

We look around in our churches and see so many empty pews. We wonder too about the increasing ages of the congregants and the sad message that another dear friend has passed on, reducing the numbers even more. And news of churches in our towns and communities closing down seems to add to the feeling that perhaps we are living in what has come to be called “post-Christian” age. Elijah must have felt much the same. We read his story in 1 Kings 19, where he, depressed and weary, traveled to Mount Sinai to meet with God. We read in 1 Kings 19:9-10, “There he came to a cave, where he spent the night. But the Lord said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” Elijah replied, “I have zealously served the Lord God Almighty. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars, and killed every one of your prophets. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me, too””. The story continues, with God passing by on the mountain. After the wind, earthquake and fire, Elijah heard the “sound of a gentle whisper”. 1 Kings 19:13-14, “When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And a voice said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” He replied again, “I have zealously served the Lord God Almighty. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars, and killed every one of your prophets. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me, too.”” 

Elijah thought he was the sole remnant of faithfulness, in a nation of unfaithful people. But God knew differently. In 1 Kings 19:18, after some practical instructions, God said to Elijah, “Yet I will preserve 7,000 others in Israel who have never bowed down to Baal or kissed him!”” We need never underestimate God’s amazing plans and promises. The church, since the first century, has experienced seasons where its very survival seems in doubt. But before we know it, another visitation of the Holy Spirit brings a revival, a new awakening, to the people and excitement grips the church once again. In the doom and gloom of waning churches in the West of Fife, in Scotland where I live, news filters in of a different experience elsewhere in the UK. We hear about churches in London packed with young people and growing. Holy Trinity Brompton (of Alpha fame) planted 21 new churches in 2021, with more following in 2022. A church in Birmingham has grown by 30% since the pre-pandemic days, again powered by an influx of young people. 

A minister of a lively and growing East London church was recently reported as saying the following, “Traditional Judeo-Christian values of compassion, personal responsibility and loving thy neighbour resonate with cause-driven Gen Z-ers. ‘It’s quite cool to do something that’s counter-cultural,’ he says, arguing that Gen Z-ers don’t want ‘big organised religion, flexing its muscles’. They have ‘an allergy to the wrong kind of power’. … ‘The tide has felt for a long time in this country like it’s going out, but what I feel – and I might be wrong, and we’ll know in 100 years’ time – is our feet are starting to get wet again.’”

In the light of such encouraging news, we remember that Jesus said to Peter in Matthew 16:18, “Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it.” Jesus never told lies. He promised a church that would never be destroyed. So, we pilgrims set our faces firmly in the direction of Heaven, assured and confident that God will never reject His people or allow His church to die.

Thank You, Lord, for Your faithfulness. Your Church will never die. Amen.

The Bride

Posted on by korgrocker

“Then one of the seven angels who held the seven bowls containing the seven last plagues came and said to me, “Come with me! I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.”“
Revelation‬ ‭21:9‬ ‭NLT

If someone invited us to go and see a bride what would we expect to see? A beautiful young woman dressed in an expensive white dress? Hair beautiful coiffured? Makeup expertly applied? Nails perfect? An excited smile on her face? Yes, all of these things would apply. But if we were asked to describe the “wife of the Lamb”, what would we expect to see?

The Scriptures describe the Bride being readied for Christ. Ephesians 5:25-27 reads, “For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word. He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault.” So we see that the Bride of Christ is the Church, made up of Christians, those who have become His followers through His saving sacrifice at Calvary.

But when we look at the Church of today, do we see a perfect representation of a Bride, in all her glory, in all her beauty? “Without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish”. Sadly, there would appear to be much in the Church of today that falls far short of the “glorious church” that Paul wrote about. But there are two things worthy of thought. 

In Matthew 25, Jesus told a parable about sheep and goats. The sheep represent those who were saved and redeemed through their relationship with Jesus, and they demonstrated their salvation through the way they treated those around them. On the other hand, the goats represent those who did not have a relationship with Jesus, but even though they may, or may not, have performed charitable and helpful acts to others, that was of no consequence to their status before the “Great White Throne” of judgement. So the sheep and goats template, when overlaid on today’s Church, might have some surprising results.

The other thing that church leaders fret about is church unity. Ecumenism is important when it is represented by different churches with the same fundamental beliefs in God and the infallibility of Scripture. Sadly, there are some denominations that claim a right to be part of the ecumenical movement, but who deny some of the “red-lines” laid down in Scripture. Thankfully, the washing “by the cleansing of God’s word” will make the Bride of Christ “holy and clean”.

In the end, what denomination we belong to is less important than the relationship we individually and corporately have with God. Jesus said in John 10:16, “I have other sheep, too, that are not in this sheepfold. I must bring them also. They will listen to my voice, and there will be one flock with one shepherd”. Perhaps He was leaving the door open for His ultimate Bride, the Church, to have many representations, enriching her personality. It won’t matter whether we are Anglicans, Baptists, Charismatics or any other denomination – the ground at the foot of the Cross is level with all repentant sinners eligible for salvation. Eligible to be part of the “wife of the Lamb”.

Dear Lord. We thank You for Calvary and Your sacrifice for our sins. Your praises are always on our lips. Amen.

The Woman Fled

Posted on by korgrocker

“She gave birth to a son who was to rule all nations with an iron rod. And her child was snatched away from the dragon and was caught up to God and to his throne. And the woman fled into the wilderness, where God had prepared a place to care for her for 1,260 days.”
Revelation‬ ‭12:5-6 NLT

After the woman gave birth, and found that her child was safe, she did a runner, and ended up in the wilderness. To make any sense from this we have to be clear about who the woman was or who she represents. We considered yesterday that the woman could have been the Jewish nation, giving birth to their Messiah, Jesus. Or another possibility is that the woman represents the Church, giving birth to the rule and reign on Christ in His Kingdom. Or perhaps there is a combination of both possibilities.

But two truths do clearly emerge from these verses. Firstly, God took exceptional steps to make sure the child and his mother were protected. Secondly, the woman was important enough to Him that He cared for her, to the extent that the devil couldn’t touch her. We also have to consider that this could all have taken place over a significant period of time. Perhaps John’s vision provided a summary, condensed into a short video clip.

If we extrapolate and superimpose these events onto history, we find that Jesus is seated at the right hand of God in Heaven. We read in Mark 16:19, “When the Lord Jesus had finished talking with them, he was taken up into heaven and sat down in the place of honour at God’s right hand.” Secondly, we know that we Christians are living in a time of God’s grace. He cares for each one of us, loving us, helping us, healing our hurts and diseases, talking with us. And, perhaps more controversially for some, He is caring for His own people, the Jewish nation. In spite of pogroms, persecution, wars, natural events, and even the Holocaust, His people are still a nation, living in their own lands once again in Palestine. 

How much God cares for us can be found in the illustration, the parable, that Jesus taught in Luke 15. We read in verse 20, “So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him.” God not only provides and cares for us in a passive way, but He also more aggressively runs after us. He even encourages us to approach Him in times of stress. We read in 1 Peter 5:7, “Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.” So we are living in a time of extraordinary love and grace, coming from our Heavenly Father. All we have to do is to take a small step towards Him. He’s looking our for us!

The “1,260 days”, three and a half years, is therefore a problem, if we take these verses literally.  Perhaps a time of seven years can be considered a representation of a very long time so half of that period might relate to what Jesus said in Matthew 24:22, “In fact, unless that time of calamity is shortened, not a single person will survive. But it will be shortened for the sake of God’s chosen ones.” But I don’t know the relevance of “1,260 days”, and if it relates to this season of God’s grace in which we are living. We will find out one day, I’m sure. However, one thing I do know is that while God is close to us and listening, we have an opportunity to grasp His grace with both hands. The time for our salvation is close. We read in 2 Corinthians 6:1-2, “As God’s partners, we beg you not to accept this marvellous gift of God’s kindness and then ignore it. For God says, “At just the right time, I heard you. On the day of salvation, I helped you.” Indeed, the “right time” is now. Today is the day of salvation.” Perhaps we are in the caring place God provided for us in the wilderness of sinful humanity.

Dear Heavenly Father. We are so deeply grateful for Your care and provision in this sinful wilderness of life on Planet Earth. Please forgive us for the times when we have rejected Your care and tried to go our own ways. Your care covers us like a blanket, like the way a mother hen covers her chicks with her wings. Thank You Lord, Amen.

Time for Giving Birth

Posted on by korgrocker

“Then I witnessed in heaven an event of great significance. I saw a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon beneath her feet, and a crown of twelve stars on her head. She was pregnant, and she cried out because of her labour pains and the agony of giving birth.”
‭‭Revelation‬ ‭12:1-2 NLT

John’s writings about his vision continued. He saw, witnessed even, “an event of great significance”. And he proceeded to describe what he saw. His vision of the woman must have been delivered to him with some considerable help. Otherwise how would he have known that she was wearing the sun, was standing on the moon, had a crown of twelve stars and was pregnant. Heavily pregnant, probably, because she was in the final stages of labour. And he knew he was about to witness something special.

The second sentence of today’s verses describes what the woman looked like, and we have to look back into Scripture to find out what the sun, moon and stars refer to. Taking the woman’s clothing, probably a cloak, it was described as being made of the “sun”. A mystery perhaps, until we find that in Malachi 4:2 Malachi prophesied, “But for you who fear my name, the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in his wings. And you will go free, leaping with joy like calves let out to pasture.” In the context of the chapter in Malachi, he was referring to the event in the End Times when the day of God’s judgement arrives. We read also in the same chapter in Malachi, “Look, I am sending you the prophet Elijah before the great and dreadful day of the Lord arrives.” (Malachi 4:5). This fits in well with the context in John’s Revelation, having just read the previous chapter and heard that the blowing of the seventh trumpet preceded the establishment of God’s Kingdom. We remember that the elders’ prayer included the statement “but now the time of your wrath has come. It is time to judge the dead”. So straight away we get the picture that being clothed in the Sun can mean nothing else other than being clothed in Jesus, the Christ, Himself. There is also a connection between Jesus’ righteousness and clothing. For Job said, “Everything I did was honest. Righteousness covered me like a robe, and I wore justice like a turban”. (Job 29:14).

In our verses today, we see that the woman is standing on the moon. At least we are told that it is beneath her feet. This is enough to see that in this context, the moon was something inferior, something beneath where the woman was at. Perhaps we could consider the moon as being her footstool. It may be another way of pointing out that God’s enemies are beneath His feet. We read in Psalm 110:1, “The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit in the place of honour at my right hand until I humble your enemies, making them a footstool under your feet.” 

What are the crown of twelve stars that the woman in wearing? Again, we consider the number twelve, which refers to two important groups in the Bible. The twelve tribes of Israel and the twelve Apostles. In this context, the twelve stars possibly means that the “woman” represents the Messiah’s Jewish roots and His subsequent extended family, the Church, founded by the Apostles. So the woman was cloaked in God’s righteousness, with her enemies her footstool, and she was wearing ID on her head, defining the roots of her very being. John’s Revelation seems to support the view that the End Times are very much connected to Christ’s Church, so we’ll take the perspective that the baby to come refers to events yet to happen. And the Jews and Gentiles will one day be united into Jesus’ wonderful Bride, the Church.

So the question now is, what is the gestation period of Jesus’ Church? Two thousand years or so have passed already, more if we include the Jewish years before the birth of Jesus. But the pregnancy has been difficult. Our enemy, the devil, has done his utmost to destroy the church. But the pregnancy has continued regardless. Jesus said to Peter in Matthew 16:18, “Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it“. If Jesus said it than it will happen. There is no power available to the devil that can destroy His Church. But he keeps trying, which is why we pilgrims have to be constantly on our guards. We cannot relax, even for a minute. Note if the twelve stars that formed the woman’s crown were the Apostles, Peter was one of them.

In John’s vision, the woman is about to give birth. The gestation period is over. Labour pains are increasing, and the woman is experiencing the agony of child birth. John’s vision is clear and concise. The only thing missing from it is the “when”. And that is something we pilgrims pray about, that we too will be birthed as part of Jesus’ Church, when the time comes.

Dear Lord Jesus. We thank You that You said that You will build Your Church. Nothing will frustrate Your plans and purposes. We praise and worship You today. Amen.