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June 18, 2019

The kingdom of God is near (Lk 21:31-21:31)

“So also,

When you see

These things

Taking place,

You will know

That the kingdom of God

Is near.”

 

οὕτως καὶ ὑμεῖς, ὅταν ἴδητε ταῦτα γινόμενα, γινώσκετε ὅτι ἐγγύς ἐστιν ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ Θεοῦ

 

Luke indicated that Jesus said that when you see all these things taking place (οὕτως καὶ ὑμεῖς, ὅταν ἴδητε ταῦτα γινόμενα), they should know (γινώσκετε) that the kingdom of God was near (ὅτι ἐγγύς ἐστιν ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ Θεοῦ).  This is almost word for word in Matthew, chapter 24:33, and in Mark, chapter 13:29, except that Luke mentioned that the Kingdom of God was near, not that he was near.  Mark said that Jesus explained that when they saw these things like the budding trees, they should know that he, the Son of Man, was near.  The end times were coming.  When they saw all these things happening (οὕτως καὶ ὑμεῖς ὅταν ἴδητε ταῦτα γινόμενα), they should know that the end or he was near, at the gates to their city or the doors to their houses (γινώσκετε ὅτι ἐγγύς ἐστιν ἐπὶ θύραις).  Matthew indicated that Jesus explained that when they saw these things, like the budding trees, they should know that he, the Son of Man, or the kingdom was near.  The end times were coming.  When they saw all these things happening (οὕτως καὶ ὑμεῖς ὅταν ἴδητε πάντα ταῦτα), they should know the end or he was near, at the gates to their city or the doors to their houses (γινώσκετε ὅτι ἐγγύς ἐστιν ἐπὶ θύραις).  Luke said the Kingdom of God, not he or it, was near, since there would be prior signs indicating what was to come.  Luke was also more generic.  Can you discern the signs of the times?

November 6, 2018

You will know that the end is near (Mk 13:29-13:29)

“So also,

When you see

These things

Taking place,

You should know

That he is near,

At the very gates.”

 

οὕτως καὶ ὑμεῖς, ὅταν ἴδητε ταῦτα γινόμενα, γινώσκετε ὅτι ἐγγύς ἐστιν ἐπὶ θύραις.

 

This is almost word for word in Matthew, chapter 24:33, and in Luke, chapter 21:31, except that Luke mentioned the Kingdom of God was near, not he or it was near.  Mark said that Jesus explained that when they saw these things like the budding trees, they should know that he, the Son of Man, was near.  The end times were coming.  When they saw all these things happening (οὕτως καὶ ὑμεῖς ὅταν ἴδητε ταῦτα γινόμενα), they should know that the end or he was near, at the gates to their city or the doors to their houses (γινώσκετε ὅτι ἐγγύς ἐστιν ἐπὶ θύραις).  There would be these prior signs indicating what was to come.

 

July 8, 2017

The south side (Ezek 42:10-42:12)

“On the south also,

Opposite the vacant area,

Opposite the building,

There were chambers.

They had a passage

In front of them.

They were similar

To the chambers

On the north side.

They were

The same length,

The same width,

With the same exits,

With the same arrangements,

With the same doors.

The entrance

Of the chambers

To the south

Was entered

Through the entrance

At the head

Of the corresponding passage,

From the east,

Along the matching wall.”

Ezekiel, having described the north side, now turned to the south side. He explained that this south side arrangement was similar to the north side. The chambers had a passageway that was the same length and width as that of the north side. In fact, it had the same exits, the same carved arrangements, and the same doors as the north side. The entrance to these southern chambers had a corresponding passage from the east, along the matching wall.

March 20, 2017

Security in the foreign temples (Bar 6:18-6:19)

“Just as the gates

Are shut

On every side

Against anyone

Who has offended a king,

As though under sentence

Of death,

So the priests make

Their temples secure

With doors,

With locks,

With bars,

So that they may not be

Plundered

By robbers.

They light more lamps

For them

Than they light for themselves,

Even though their gods

Can see none of them.”

In an interesting bit of irony, this author points out that the foreign temples have a lot of security, as if the temples were in prison. These temples are like someone who has offended a king. They have gates on all sides of them, as if they are awaiting a death sentence. Their temple priests have secured their temples with doors, locks, and bars because they are afraid that robbers will come into the temple and steal things from it. They have so much light in the temple for themselves, rather than for their gods who cannot see anything anyway, with or without light.

August 8, 2016

Stay inside your house (Isa 26:20-26:21)

“Come!

My people!

Enter your chambers!

Shut your doors

Behind you!

Hide yourselves

For a little while

Until the wrath is past!

Yahweh comes

From his place

To punish the inhabitants

Of the earth

For their iniquity.

The earth will disclose

The bloodshed on it.

The earth

Will no longer

Cover its slain.”

This section indicates that Isaiah wants everybody to stay inside their houses with their doors closed. They were to hide until the anger of the Lord had passed, much like the prototype Passover. Yahweh was going to come out of his place to punish the iniquitous inhabitants of this earth. There would be bloodshed everywhere. Dead people would lie all over the place uncovered. This would be a gruesome scene.

June 26, 2016

Nehemiah (Sir 49:13-49:13)

“The memory of Nehemiah

Also is lasting.

He raised our fallen walls.

He set up the gates.

He set up the bars.

He rebuilt our ruined houses.”

Sirach continues his list of holy men with Nehemiah who rebuilt the fallen walls, gates, and doors around Jerusalem. Nehemiah also restored many of the old ruined houses in the city of Jerusalem as recounted in Nehemiah, chapters 2-3.

August 31, 2015

The King of glory (Ps 24:7-24:10)

“Lift up your heads!

O gates!

Be lifted up!

O ancient doors!

Thus the King of glory may come in.

Who is the King of glory?

Yahweh!

Strong and mighty!

Yahweh!

Mighty in battle!

Lift up your heads!

O gates!

Be lifted up!

O ancient doors!

Thus the King of glory may come in.

Who is this King of glory?

Yahweh of hosts,

He is the King of glory!

Selah

The gates to the sanctuary should be lifted up. The ancient doors should be lifted up. This is clearly a rousing chant about the King of glory which would be the Ark of the Covenant. Who is the king of glory? The king of glory is strong and mighty in battles. It is Yahweh as represented by his Ark of the Covenant. There is the repetition of the question about the king of glory and the call to lift up the gates. This short psalm ended with another Selah, musical pause or mediation.

July 3, 2015

Job curses the night he was conceived (Job 3:2-3:10)

“Job said.

‘Let the day perish in which I was born.

Let the night perish that said,

‘A man-child is conceived.’

Let that day be darkness!

May God above not seek it

Or light shine upon it!

Let gloom and deep darkness claim it.

Let clouds settle upon it.

Let the blackness of the day terrify it.

That night

Let thick darkness seize it!

Let it not rejoice among the days of the year.

Let it not come into the number of the months.

Yes,

Let that night be barren.

Let no joyful cry be heard in it.

Let those curse it who curse the day,

Those who are skilled to rouse up Leviathan.

Let the stars of its dawn be dark.

Let it hope for light,

but have none.

May it not see the eyelids of the morning.

Because it did not shut the doors of my mother’s womb,

It did not hide trouble from my eyes.’”

Job at first blamed the day he was born, but he quickly turned to the day he was conceived. He wanted to blot out the day that he the man child was conceived. Basically, he was wishing darkness and not light on that day. This is the classic idea that light is good, dark is bad thinking that permeates most thinking. He even wanted black clouds to terrify the day and night. He wanted the days of the year and the number in the month not to be a time for rejoicing. It is interesting to me that I am working today on this concept on the day of my own birthday. I am happy to be alive. He wished that the night of his conception would have been barren. There should be no joy about his life. Rather it should be like a curse that would arouse the sea monster, the Leviathan. The17th century English philosopher Thomas Hobbes later used this biblical concept to explain society as chaotic, where we try to devour each other. Thus we needed a strong central government to maintain the common good, a Leviathan government. Clearly these ancients understood the terrible sea monster, the Leviathan, which will appear later in this work. Job wanted the stars in the sky to go dark. Why did they not shut the doors of his mother’s womb? What an image! It almost sounds like he may have preferred to have been aborted. He did not want his eyes to see the morning light or any other troubles.

April 28, 2015

The celebration at the renewed Temple (1 Macc 4:52-4:58)

“Early in the morning on the twenty-fifth day of the ninth month, which is the month of Chislev, in the one hundred forty-eighth year, they rose and offered sacrifice. As the law directs, they offered this on the new altar of burnt offering that they had built. At the very season and on the very day that the gentiles had profaned it, it was dedicated with songs, harps, lutes, and cymbals. All the people fell on their faces and worshiped. They blessed heaven who had prospered them. So they celebrated the dedication of the altar for eight days. They joyfully offered burnt offerings. They offered a sacrifice of well-being and a thanksgiving offering. They decorated the front of the temple with golden crowns and small shields. They restored the gates and the chambers for the priests. They fitted them with doors. There was very great joy among the people. The disgrace brought by the gentiles was removed.”

Now this took place on the 25th day of Chislev in the 148th year, December of 164 BCE, exactly 3 years after the gentiles had profaned the sanctuary with the worship of Zeus. They were very careful to point out that it was the same day, and same month, only 3 years later. They now sacrificed on their new burnt offering altar. All the people fell on their face as they worshipped. They blessed heaven. It is interesting to note that it is heaven and not explicitly God that they praise. Heaven has become more than a high place, but the place of God himself. There is a personification or divination of heaven. They celebrated for 8 days, as they offered sacrifices of well-being and thanksgiving. They decorated the front of the Temple with golden crowns and shields. They restored the gates and the chambers for the priests with new doors. There was great joy among the people because the disgrace of the gentiles had been removed.

April 19, 2015

The persecution of the Jews (1 Macc 1:54-1:61)

“Now on the fifteenth day of Chislev, in the one hundred forty-fifth year they erected a desolating sacrilege on the altar of burnt offerings. They also built altars in the surrounding towns of Judah. They offered incense at the doors of the houses and in the streets. The books of the law that they found they tore to pieces and burned with fire. Anyone found possessing the book of the covenant, or anyone who adhered to the law, was condemned to death by the decree of the king. They kept using violence against Israel, against those who were found month after month in the towns. On the twenty-fifth day of the month they offered sacrifice on the altar that was on top of the altar of burnt offering. According to the decree, they put to death the women who had their children circumcised. They put to death their families and those who circumcised them. They hung the infants from their mothers’ necks.”

Once again, we have specific days and years. Chislev was December of 167 BCE. The sacrilege mentioned might be the idol of Zeus. There will be more indications of this in the Book of Daniel and 2 Maccabees, which must be from about the same time period. They used the old altars with incense in the house and streets. When they found the book of the law, they tore it apart and burned it. Thus we have an early instance of the burning of books. Anyone who was following the Mosaic covenant was condemned to death. Violence was a way of life. They put to death any women who circumcised their children, plus their whole family. Then they would hang the infants on their mother’s necks. This seems like an especially brutal way to get rid of strange customs.