THE LORD SPOKE (July 5)

Daily Reflections from Scripture:

Old Testament: II Chronicles 31-32

Even a superficial glance at the archaeological record of the Assyrians' military machine will convince you quickly that they were ruthless, very violent, and extremely cruel. It's no wonder that Jonah did more than hesitate when God directed him to go to them with a message of condemnation and judgment. So, when our text says that Sennacherib invaded Judah (II Chron. 32:1) and "intended to make war on Jerusalem" (II Chron. 32:2), it's easy to understand Hezekiah's precarious position. The parallel passage in II Kings supplies several extra details but the basic information is here too.

Sennacherib's total war approach included:

• over-powering military force - 185,000 troops in this case
• a public information campaign to recount previous military exploits that were intended to terrorize the local population (= ancient version of CNN's coverage of news in the Middle East)
• learning Hebrew to get his message out more effectively to the common people
• memorizing verses of Scripture ("every man under his own vine and fig tree") to provide a "biblical basis" for what he planned to do
• learning some Judean doctrine to give a theological twist to his demands (use of "Jehovah" and references to Hezekiah's treatment of the altars and high places)

Hezekiah's actions are very clearly spelled out here too. First, he did everything humanly possible to prepare to meet the threat (II Chron. 32:3-5), including:

• significant work on the water sources to guarantee a steady supply under siege
• extensive repairs and reinforcement of the walls, towers, and other defensive positions
• provision of ample military hardware

Secondly, he went to the Temple and placed everything before the Lord, recognized his own inability to deal with the problem, and asked for God's help (II Kings 19:14-19).

Thirdly, he encouraged the people to trust the Lord (II Chron. 32:6-8) for the outcome

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged because of the king of Assyria and the vast army with him, for there is a greater power with us than with him. With him is only the arm of the flesh, but with us is the Lord our God to help us and to fight our battles.

God did respond decisively through the Prophet Isaiah (II Kings 19:20-34) promising that, under no circumstances, would Sennacherib enter Jerusalem. In fact, He "took care of them on every side" (II Chron. 32:22). Lord Byron said it well in his poem, The Destruction of Sennacherib (1815):

And the might of the Gentile, unsmote by the sword,
Hath melted like snow in the glance of the Lord!

Are you in need of that sort of divine solution to some problem you're facing today? The way forward is laid out clearly here: (1) do everything possible that God has equipped you to do yourself, (2) go to the Lord for His provision, and (3) believe that He will answer your prayer and encourage others to trust Him to do so.


New Testament: I Thessalonians 4

The Thessalonians had a problem. Expecting, as they should, the any-moment-return of the Lord, some of their number had died before it came. This led some others to question what would happen to the dead ones when Christ did come back. Would they miss out on that great event?

Speaking of the dead as “those who fall asleep” (I Thess. 4:13), Paul carefully lays down a chronology of end-time events, in answer to their questions. He concludes that “we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep” (I Thess. 4:15). Sleep is an apt metaphor for the death of a Christian because the certainty of resurrection removes the fear of the unknown. Death is not final. This truth also gives us hope so that we do not grieve like others who do not have this assurance (I Thess. 4:13).

Christ’s teaching on this was not recorded for us in the Gospels but Paul attributes this order of events directly to “the Lord’s own word” (I Thess. 4:15). This must have come either as a direct revelation to Paul himself or as some teaching of Christ that was passed down orally.

First, there will be that moment of the RETURN of Christ. It will be “from heaven”, “in the clouds”, “in the air”. Specifically, it will not be to the earth. That comes later. The souls of believers who have already died will come back with Him (I Thess. 4:14) for the RESURRECTION of their bodies. Then, and not before, those believers who are still alive will be snatched up in the RAPTURE. We will rise to the clouds for that glorious REUNION. The souls and resurrected bodies of the dead in Christ will be reunited. The dead in Christ and we who remain alive until that moment will be reunited. But most importantly, we will all be reunited with our Lord who bought us. The RESULT will be that from that moment we will be with Him forever (I Thess. 4:17).

That is, indeed, cause for encouragement and great comfort. And so “we wait for the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ” (Tit. 2:13). We do not wait to go through the Tribulation first - how could that be a “blessed hope”? The church is nowhere present in Revelation 6-19. She will be gone by that time, taken up into the presence of the Lord, only to return with Him to rule (Rev. 19:11-21).