Theology Series Chapter 3: Who was Jesus?

Chapter III: Christology
pdf
Dr. Paul Manuel—2013

After theology proper, the next section in A Reader's Digest Approach to Theology is Christology. More than any other area of doctrine, this one has generated the most diverse interpretations, and a religious group's stance on this subject is often the main determinant to its orthodoxy. The more a group deviates from what the Bible says about Jesus, the less likely it is to be Christian.

As in theology, we will divide the material into who Jesus is and what he does, comparing what others say with what the scriptures say. Again, we begin with at least one presupposition, an assumption that might not be appropriate in a non-church or in an apologetic setting: the historicity of Jesus. Because we agree on the reliability of the text, we will not spend time establishing whether or not he was a real person.
[The end notes can be found in the linked pdf]

WWN: "Jesus Christ in Three-Cheese Pizza" (Vann 201 la)

BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA—Jesus appeared in a three-cheese pizza at Posh Pizza in New Farm.... The slice has been put on eBay, and as of this morning bidding was up to $65.... Posh Pizza's Maree Phelan said her pizza oven was seemingly blessed with the presence of Jesus Christ, who chose a three-cheese pizza as his medium.... It's already proven a good luck charm. After discovering it, the owner of the store parked in a loading zone and didn't get a parking ticket....

WWN: "Lego Jesus Statue" (Floori 2009a)

STOCKHOLM—This year's Easter was a special one for the Oensta Gryta Church in Sweden: they unveiled a life-sized Lego statue of Jesus! The 5.8 foot high statue was unveiled at the beginning of Sunday mass yesterday at the church. Made up of 30,000 Lego pieces donated by churchgoers, the statue was constructed by 40 volunteers over the past year and a half.... It is modeled on Danish sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen's 19th century work Christus, which depicts the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Query: What do others believe about Jesus' deity?

Actually, there are few today who deny the historicity of Jesus, but there are many who deny other aspects of his life or ministry. Consider the following statements.

• Jehovah's Witnesses (= Arianism, 4th c.)

"...he was a mighty one, although not almighty as Jehovah God is....Who ran the universe during the three days that Jesus was dead and in the grave... If Jesus was God, then during Jesus' death God was dead and in the grave... Therefore, if Jesus was the immortal God, he could not have died." (Watchtower 1952:32, 109)

• Unification Church

"...many Christians have hitherto believed that Jesus is God Himself, the Creator... Jesus...may be called a second God (image of God), but he can by no means be God Himself. it is true that he who has seen Jesus has seen God (John 14:9-10); but Jesus did not say this to indicate that he was God Himself.

"Jesus, on earth, was a man no different from us except for the fact that he was without original sin....Jesus is not God Himself." (Moon 1973:210-211, 212)

These statements deny the deity of Jesus.¹ [end notes can be found in the pdf of this document] Does it really matter? If we agree on other aspects of Christ, why is it also necessary to acknowledge that Jesus is God? ...Theologians offer many reasons (e.g., only God is perfect, and only a perfect sacrifice can atone for man's sin), but the bottom line has to do with authority. What does the source of our understanding about God (i.e., the Bible) teach concerning the deity of Christ?

A. The nature of Christ

1. Jesus is God.²

• He claims to be the equal of God.³

John 5:16 So, because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jews persecuted him. 17 Jesus said to them, "My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working." 18 For this reason the Jews tried all the harder to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, bitt he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.⁴

John 8:56 Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad." 57 "You are not yet fifty years old," the Jews said to him, "and you have seen Abraham!" 58 "I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I am!" 59 At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds.⁵

John 10:30 I and the Father are one." 31 Again the Jews picked up stones to stone him, 32 bitt Jesus said to them, "I have shown you many great miracles from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?" 33 "We are not stoning you for any of these," replied the Jews, but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God."⁶

NB: In all three cases, the authorities understood clearly Jesus' claim (equality with God), which to them was blasphemy and punishable by stoning.

• He claims to have the authority of God.⁷

To pardon sin—Mark 2:10 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins...” He said to the paralytic,⁸

To grant life—John 5:21 For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it.⁹

• He claims to possess the attributes of God.¹⁰

Omnipresence—Matt 18:20 For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.¹¹

Holiness—John 8:46a Can any of you prove me guilty of sin?¹²

• He claims to have the integrity of God.

John 14:1 Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.

• Others affirm that he is God.¹³

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

John 20:28 [When he appeared to Thomas after the resurrection] Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!"

Phil 2:6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,

Heb 1:3a The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word.

Query: What do others believe about Jesus' humanity?

The statements of Jesus and the testimony of his closest followers make clear the claim that he is God.¹⁴ We may now ask: Was he also human? It seems unlikely, especially in light of Moses' explicit denial in Num 23:19 (cf. 1 Sam 15:29) that "God is not a man." Furthermore, Jesus himself says that "God is spirit" (1 John 4:24) and that "a spirit does not have flesh and bones" (Luke 24:39). The problem has led some who accept Jesus' deity to deny his humanity and to concoct fanciful solutions for this apparent discrepancy. Consider the following statements.

• Christian Science

"Jesus is the human man, and Christ is the divine idea." (Eddy 1906:473.15)

"Jesus...was not Christ." (Eddy 1924:84)

• Theological Liberalism

"Perhaps it is sufficient to say that the Jesus of history actually created the Christ of faith in the life of the early church, and that his historical life is related to the transcendent Christ as a final and ultimate symbol of a relation which prophetic religion sees between all life and history and the transcendent." (Niebuhr 1935:120, quoted in Van Baalen 1962:330)

As you can see, attempts to reconcile Jesus' deity with his humanity usually involve a vague, mystical separation of the person Jesus from his position as the messiah. How can Jesus be both God and man? The answer is—I do not know. What I do know is that the New Testament writers, rather than explaining it, take it for granted.

WWN: "Jesus Had a Wife: She Looked Like Oprah" (Lake 2012e)

A Colgate College historian has identified a faded, fourth-century scrap of papyrus he calls "Jesus's Wife's Diary." One line of the torn fragment of text purportedly reads: "Jesus said to them, 'My wife is beautiful.'" The finding was announced to the public by Jenny Bracken a historian of early Christianity, author of several books about new Gospel discoveries and the Hollis professor of divinity at Colgate Divinity School. Bracken first examined the privately owned fragment in 2011, and has since been studying it with the help of a small group of scholars.

The parchment also described Jesus's wife and... after artists made a drawing of the woman [she] looked exactly like Oprah Winfrey. "They could be twins," Bracken said.... Questions about the fragment abound, but scholars say it will...reignite several old debates: Was Jesus married? If so, is Oprah the first wife reincarnated? ...Oprah was not available for comment, but she did tell WWN that she always felt she was Jesus's wife. "I feel holy. I am holy. May the Lord be with you."

2. Jesus is man.

• He took human form (incarnation).¹⁵

John 1:14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Phil 2:6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.

Heb 2:14 Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil.... 17 For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people.

• He accepted human limitations.¹⁶

Ignorance—Mark 13:32 "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.¹⁷

Comp Col 2:3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

Humility—John 14:28 "You heard me say, 'I am going away and I am coming back to you.' If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.¹⁸

Comp John 10:30 I and the Father are one." •

Submission—Matt 26:39b My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.¹⁹

Comp Phil 2:8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross!

• He experienced human frailty.

Temptation—Matt 4:1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.²⁰

Hunger—Matt 4:2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.²¹

Fatigue—John 4:6 Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about the sixth hour.

Thirst—John 49:28 Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, "I am thirsty."

Loneliness—Matt_27:46 About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"—which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"

Death—Matt 27:50 And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.²²

However difficult it may be for us to comprehend,²³ the New Testament clearly indicates that Jesus was human, and it makes no separation between the person of Jesus and the position of the messiah. In fact, John condemns such a distinction as a ploy of the opposition.

2 John 7 Many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist.

What to remember: Whether or not we understand how such a thing is possible, the NT clearly teaches that Jesus is both God and man. His deity makes him worthy of our devotion, and his humanity identifies him with our condition.

Part 2

Last time, we looked at the nature of Jesus, how he is the confluence of deity and humanity, of God's becoming man. Why did he do it? What was he trying to accomplish with this unprecedented action, especially in view of the fact that it led to his execution?

Query: What do others believe about Jesus' activity?

As with every other aspect of Jesus' life and death, his mission has generated many explanations.²⁴ Consider the following examples about his work.

• Christian Science: He came to demonstrate God's goodness.

"The efficacy of the crucifixion lay in the practical affection and goodness it demonstrated for mankind." (Eddy 1906:24.27)

• Jehovah's Witnesses: He came to vindicate God's sovereignty.

"...the primary purpose for which he came to earth [was] to bear witness to God's kingdom which will vindicate the sovereignty and holy name of Jehovah God." (Watchtower 1952:37)

• Unification Church: He came to procreate a sinless race.

"Jesus was the second Adam. It was God's will for him to be blessed in heavenly matrimony with the second Eve, his restored bride. God intended him to bring forth upon this earth his own sinless children. Then Jesus and his bride would have become the True Parents for mankind. And all mankind would have found life by grafting onto them." (Moon 1974:28)

"...Jesus knew he could not fulfill the purpose of his advent as the Messiah through redemption by the cross.... We, therefore, must realize that Jesus did not come to die on the cross." (Moon 1973:142-143)

It is significant that each of these reasons for the incarnation either implies or asserts that Jesus did not come (primarily or at all) to die for man's sin. The Bible makes quite clear, though: He came for that very reason.


B. The work of Christ²⁵

1. Past: Jesus came to provide atonement.

• He said he had to die.²⁶

Matt 16:21 From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.

• He said he came to redeem.²⁷

Mark 10:45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.

• He said he acted voluntarily.²⁸

John 10:18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father."

• Others affirm that he came to provide atonement.

Gal 1:4 who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,

Rom 3:25 God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished—26 he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.²⁹

Heb 9:12 He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption.³⁰

Jesus' ministry consisted of more than just his death. His years of instruction and the example he set are both important aspects of his work, but it all culminated in the atonement he accomplished on the cross. In death, he did what no other teacher, however effective, ever did for his followers: He reconciled them to God.

Query: What are in the results of Jesus' death and his resurrection?

It is the repeated testimony of scripture that through Jesus' vicarious atonement on the cross, believers receive forgiveness for their sin.³¹

Eph 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace

This benefit extends to all who were committed to God in life, even to those who died before the messiah's advent, because God had ordained Jesus' sacrifice before sin entered the world.³²

Rom 3:25b He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished

1 Pet 1:20 He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake.

As all those who die go to a place of comfort or torment, according to their conduct in life, Jesus' sacrifice seems merely to confirm their status as forgiven or forsaken. Why, then, did God raise him from the dead? What is the advantage of his (and our) resurrection?³³

From the perspective of the living, as it appears to us, the dead are asleep, and many passages use this metaphor.³⁴ As such, there seems to be no distinction between the state of the righteous and the unrighteous, at least from the perspective of the living—both appear to be unconscious, unresponsive, and unfeeling.³⁵

Ps 13:3 Look on me and answer, O LORD my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death;

Out of sight, the dead are out of mind, for us and, we assume, for God.³⁶

Ps 88:5 I am set apart with the dead, like the slain who lie in the grave, whom you remember no more, who are cut off from your care.

Nevertheless, God is not finished with those who are dead. Despite appearances, their state is not final, for death will not allow them to escape the last judgment.³⁷

Acts 10:42 He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead.

Physical death does not mark the last of man's existence. In fact, as other passages indicate, death does not even mark a lull in man's existence.

When scripture describes the dead without metaphor, especially from the perspective of the dead themselves, they are conscious, responsive, and feeling. Moreover, there is a distinction between the states of the righteous and the unrighteous, the former being far more pleasant than the latter.³⁸

Luke 16:24 So he called to him, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.' 25 "But Abraham replied, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony.

Despite this advantage, there is still a general dissatisfaction for the righteous at being dead. Perhaps the dissatisfaction is realizing the impermanence of life in this corporeal state and the incompleteness of life with no corporeal state.³⁹ In fact, the intermediate state is not considered life; only the resurrection has that designation.⁴⁰

John 5:21a ...the Father raises the dead and gives them life.... 25 I tell you the truth, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live.

Hence, there must be a qualitative advance that makes the next state, that of resurrection, preferable to the intermediate state. What added dimension of existence does a new body bring?

For the righteous, at least, the advantage cannot be that resurrection eliminates the isolation of the pre-resurrection state. Several passages make clear that the dead are with other righteous as well as with the messiah.⁴¹

Luke 16:23 In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side.

Luke 23:43 Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise."

Paul lists a number of improvements in the resurrection body. They are improvements over the mortal body, though, and not necessarily over the intermediate state.⁴²

1 Cor 15:42 So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; 43 it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; 44a it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.

Even so, Paul seems to say that to "be changed" from the intermediate state to the resurrected state is to "be changed" from what is "perishable" to what is "imperishable," as if the intermediate state is not eternal and will eventually expire.

1 Cor 15:51 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed—52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.

Perhaps that is why the unrighteous also take part in the resurrection, so that their punishment may continue.⁴³

What, then, is the advantage of resurrection for the righteous? There may actually be a number of benefits, such as becoming God's children, experiencing God's glory, receiving God's inheritance, and serving God's kingdom.⁴⁴ Whatever the advantages, God has linked our resurrection (and its subsequent benefits) with Jesus' resurrection.⁴⁵

Rom 6:5b ...we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection.

By raising Jesus from the dead, God indicated that He is not finished with the dead. The intermediate state, however pleasant it may be for the righteous, does not include all God has for them. He intends more than their comfort—nothing less than their complete fulfillment.

We have considered what Jesus said about himself as well as what others said about him; but talk is cheap, and these are important matters not easy to understand or to accept:

• The joining of deity and humanity in the person of Jesus

• The supposition that this same Jesus is the means of reconciling us to God.

What proof is there that these things are so?

• We could appeal to fulfilled Old Testament prophecy, the predictions of a coming messiah who would save God's people.⁴⁶

• We could also appeal to the miracles Jesus performed (acts in history without natural or historical cause), often in the presence of skeptics, things that only a legitimate representative of God could accomplish.⁴⁷

• The ultimate proof, however, is the one Jesus gave to the religious leaders of his day when they asked him to substantiate his authority: "Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days" (John 2:19).⁴⁸

So what has Jesus been doing since then? Has he just been sitting around in heaven (his session) waiting for us to join him? The Bible does not give as much information about the post-resurrection activity of Jesus as it does about his pre-resurrection activity, but it does tell us a little about what happened then and about what Jesus has been doing for the past two millennia.

2. Present: Jesus lives to make intercession.⁴⁹

• He has all authority.⁵⁰

Matt 28:18 Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

Eph 1:22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church,

• He sits at God's right hand.⁵¹

Heb 10:12 But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God.

1 Pet 3:22a who has gone into heaven and is at God's right hand....

• He mediates as high priest.⁵²

Heb 7:25 Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.

1 John 2:1 My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 2 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.

Not only did God raise Jesus from the dead, He exalted him to a place of authority. The practical benefit for us is that, through Jesus, we have an advocate in the highest echelon of creation's government, and the application of his one sacrifice is sufficient to secure forgiveness for all our sins. Had God stopped with Jesus' resurrection or even with his ascension, that would have left a number of loose ends:

• Several unfulfilled promises to Israel

• An unresolved struggle with Satan

• The unending cycle of death and decay

There is, however, a future aspect to Jesus' ministry, a time when he will come back to tie up all the loose ends.

WWN: "Michelle Obama tells convention: Barack Is the Messiah!" (Lake 2012d)

Michelle Obama confirmed what many Democrats have believed for years [that] Barack Obama is Jesus reincarnated.... She spoke about her early life with her husband....

At first, I thought it was just luck that Barack would always find a parking spot right in front of our apartment in Chicago, or that he always got every job he every wanted, or had people writing down everything he said.... I never thought anything of the fact that we always had wine in the house, but I never saw him buy a bottle.

The First Lady went on to tell the delegates and Americans at home that Barack is

...the same man he was back in 2008.... [He] can still heal the earth...and get a NYC cab on a rainy day, during rush hour.... Barack will lead Americans out of the wilderness, out of the Burning Bush that was left for him. Barack will lead us to the promised land and part the Seas so he can put windmills on the floors of the oceans and power the world....

So, there you have it. Barack Obama - the confirmed Messiah.

And then there is the headline: "The Anti-Christ Is Here!"

Query: What do others believe about Jesus' return?

Some people distort or even deny his return. Here are just a few examples.

• Jehovah's Witnesses: Jesus has returned spiritually.

"The undefeatable purpose of Jehovah God to establish a righteous kingdom in these last days was fulfilled A.D. 1914." (Watchtower 1952:143)

"Jesus Christ returns, not again as a human, but as a glorious spirit person." (Watchtower 1952:196)

"Some wrongfully expect a literal fulfillment of the symbolic statements of the Bible. Such hope to see the glorified Jesus come seated on a white cloud where every human eye will see him... Since no earthly men have ever seen or can see the Father, they will be unable to see the glorified Son... His return is recognized by the eyes of one's understanding." (Watchtower 1952:197-198)

• Liberalism: Jesus is not returning.

"I believe in victory of righteousness upon this earth, in the coming kingdom of God whereon Christ looking shall see of the travail of his soul and be satisfied, but I do not believe in the physical return of Jesus." (Fosdick 1924:104, quoted in Van Baalen 1962:341)

• Unification Church: Jesus will be replaced.

"...we can admit with no doubt that the Lord's Second Advent will be realized by his birth in the flesh on earth." (Moon 1973:512)

"...the nation of the East where Christ will come again would be none other than Korea." (Moon 1973:520)

Jesus does not specify the date of his return, but he does assure us that he will come back⁵³ and that there is a future aspect to his ministry. How does scripture describe that event?

3. Future: Jesus will return to reign.

• He will save fully.⁵⁴

Heb 9:28 so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.

1 Cor 15:22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 23 But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. 24 Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death.

• He will restore Israel⁵⁵

Mic 5:2 "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times." 3 Therefore Israel will be abandoned until the time when she who is in labor gives birth and the rest of his brothers return to join the Israelites. 4 He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth.

Luke 1:32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end."

• He will rule forever.⁵⁶

Dan 7:13 "In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. 14 He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.

Luke 1:32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end."

• He will judge the wicked (including Satan's minions).⁵⁷

2 Thess 1:8 He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power 10 on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you.

Rev 19:19 Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to make war against the rider on the horse and his army. 20 But the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who had performed the miraculous signs on his behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped his image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. 21 The rest of them were killed with the sword that came out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh.

• He will reward the faithful.⁵⁸

Matt 16:27 For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father's glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done.

2 Tim 2:12 if we endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown him, he will also disown us;

What to remember: The ministry Jesus commenced by making atonement at his first advent he continues now by his intercession and will culminate when he returns to reign. As believers in Jesus, we benefit from all three stages of his work.

It is fitting, therefore, that these advantages we enjoy should have a positive affect on the way we live. John says, "now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure" (1 John 3:2-3).

For the extensive Endnotes, see the pdf here.

For the other chapters in "A 'Reader's Digest' Approach to Theology" see the contents here.