"LIFE FROM THE DEAD"?

ROMANS 11: 13-15

New International Version (NIV)

13 I am talking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles, I take pride in my ministry 14 in the hope that I may somehow arouse my own people to envy and save some of them. 15 For if their rejection brought reconciliation to the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?

It was Paul’s belief, affirmed by the leaders of the early church, that "the gospel for the uncircumcised had been committed to me" (Gal. 2:7-9). And so, he evangelized, planted churches, and taught and preached in mainly Gentile areas, such as Asia Minor and Greece.

Nevertheless, he always carried a burden for his own people, the Jews, as he has confessed freely in Romans (9:1-3;10:1). Was Paul, then, stuck in a ministry he did not love, called to go to Gentiles but desiring to evangelize among Jews? By no means. He was an apostle and had received divine revelation as to what God was doing among Jews and Gentiles. Therefore, he understood, that God had left the Jews in the hardness of their hearts and sent the Gospel to the Gentiles to arouse the Jews to envy of the spiritual blessings the Gentiles were receiving. 

Thus, Paul saw that he could advance the cause of the Gospel by all he could to reach Gentiles. He willingly aligned his purposes with God’s, striving to reach Gentiles in hopes of bringing his countrymen to faith. "I magnify my ministry," he writes, "if by any means I may provoke to jealousy those who are my flesh."

Verse 15 seems to parallel verse 12. It is a rhetorical question that offers tantalizing clues as to what lies ahead for the Jewish race. In the earlier verse, Paul spoke of the Jews’ fall," whereas he speaks here of his people being "cast away." Both references are to the Jews’ almost universal rejection of the Gospel, but verse 12 has to do with the Jews’ stumbling over Christ (9:32), while verse 15 reiterates the reason they stumbled – God had not predestined them to believe. In either case, however, the result is the same - "riches for the world" and "the reconciling of the world." 

The large-scale refusal of the Jews to believe had led to the unspeakable blessing of the Gospel coming to the Gentiles. And if that is so, Paul asks, "what will their acceptance be?"  His answer: It will be "life from the dead." As in verse 12, where the "riches" of the Gentiles is contrasted with the blessedness that will come with the Jews’ "fullness," it is very difficult to discern Paul’s meaning here, and scholars are deeply divided. Is he speaking of an actual reversal of the Jews’ rejection of the Gospel?

In Christ,

Janet Irene Thomas

Playwright/Screen Writer/Director

Published Author/Gospel Lyricist &Producer

FOUNDER/CEO

Bible Stories Theatre of

Fine & Performing Arts

www.biblestoriestheatre.org.

STUDY OF HADES (5)

RECAP: Jesus’ soul and spirit went back to the tomb and retrieved His body. That’s what Easter is all about. Only His physical body had been transformed into a new physical body that was made to exist in both the spirit world and the physical world. The spirits and souls of the righteous dead that were released from paradise in the earth went with Him. Matthew 27:52-53 tells us this event. "The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus’ resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people."

The righteous dead were not only released from Sheol or Hades but, their bodies were released from death just like Jesus’ body was

BRING UP-TO-DATE:

As We Meditate on Studies One Through Four of Hades, We Can’t But Wonder Why Didn’t The Righteous Souls Go Directly to Heaven?

• John 20:15-17: Jesus saith unto her, 'Woman, why weepest thou? Whom seekest thou?’ She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, 'Sir, if thou have borne him hence tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away.' Jesus saith unto her, 'Mary.' She turned herself, and saith unto him, 'Rabboni; which is to say, Master. Jesus saith unto her, 'Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascended unto my Father, and your Father, and to my God and your God.' Jesus tells Mary not to touch Him because He hasn’t yet ascended to the Father.

J

esus’ mission was to ascend into heaven and purge the heavenly temple from Satan’s sin with His pure blood. And because He did so, all who believe now have access to the very throne of God! Therefore, He didn’t want Mary to touch Him. He didn’t want His blood to be tainted before He cleansed heaven and prepared it for the saints. Thus, when He saw Thomas, He had already returned from heaven and allowed His disciple to touch Him. This is also the reason that the saints were wandering around Jerusalem with their new bodies instead of going straight to heaven. They were waiting for Jesus to cleanse heaven.

The blood of Christ is incorruptible and time is no more in heaven, it is my thinking (not scripture-based) that even though it has been almost 2,000 years since Calvary, in the temple in heaven there is an ark and there is still the red blood of Christ on the mercy seat that is as wet and fresh and alive as the day it was placed there by the eternal High Priest.

Purgatory:  No such thing. This is a manmade idea evolved from the Bible’s teaching about a place in the heart of the earth where the souls of all the dead before Christ’s resurrection went. And that manmade idea is the doctrine of purgatory.

• The word purgatory means purification. The doctrine of purgatory was not known in the first century. It was taught about 600 years after Christ, and states that the souls of men when they die are not fit to go immediately to heaven, so purgatory is an intermediary (in-between) place where they go to wait while their souls are purged of their sins. This doctrine also states that the souls can do nothing toward their own deliverance and are dependent upon the prayers offered by the living on their behalf.

• Again, this is NOT a scriptural teaching, but manmade. To imply that an individual who accepts Christ is not worthy to be in heaven is to say that Christ’s death and shed blood on the cross is not good enough to get them there. Hmmm, this is a doctrine that dares to place man above God; and if one believes that only human prayers can get a soul to heaven and are essentially throwing Christ’s death and suffering back in His face.
  
  

Make the decision today to accept Christ’s sacrifice and settling your eternity. Don’t wait another day…tomorrow is not promised to any of us.

In Christ,

Janet Irene Thomas

Playwright/Screen Writer/Director

Published Author/Gospel Lyricist &Producer

FOUNDER/CEO

Bible Stories Theatre of

Fine & Performing Arts

www.biblestoriestheatre.org.

STUDY OF HADES (4)

RECAP: In the Book Revelation 9:1-21, we learn that one purpose of the tribulation is: to unmask Satan’s true character. While in the future men will go to hell: in Revelation 9, hell comes to men.  O’ precious saints of God, the mercy and grace of our Lord and Savior are new every day of our lives; why not recognize HIS blessings, and find that place in your lives that is in sync with the moving of His spirit, that we may be certain beyond doubt that we will see His glorious face when He comes again. Meditate deeply on the below:  

• Satan wants to harm mankind (9:1-11). In 9:1, John writes, "Then the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star from heaven which had fallen to the earth; and the key of the bottomless pit was given to him." The star that "had fallen" (or descended) from heaven is an angel. This star is referred to in 9:1 by the pronoun "him."  Some think that this angel is Satan but it is unlikely that God would entrust the key of the bottomless pit to Satan or to any fallen angel. Apparently, the Lord Jesus Christ gave one of His angels the key, since we are told in Revelation 1:18 that Jesus has the keys to death and hades. With this key, the angel unlocks the "bottomless pit."

The "bottomless pit"(lit. shaft of the Abyss) is the abode of Satan (Rev 9:11; 20:1-3), the Beast (Rev 11:7; 17:8), and some demons (cf. Luke 8:31; 2 Pet 2:4; Jude 6). It is evidently a preliminary prison, not their final abode, which is the Lake of Fire (Rev 19:20; 20:10; cf. Matt. 25:41).

It is important to note that God is the One who grants authority to Christ, angels, and evil beings. Nothing occurs without His divine permission.

• In 9:2, God’s angel "opened the bottomless pit, and smoke went up out of the pit." In Revelation "smoke" usually relates to judgment, doom, and torment (9:17, 18; 18:9; 19:3; cf. Gen 19:28; Exod 19:18). This is confirmed by the rest of the verse that states the smoke went up "like the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by the smoke of the pit." The smoke blocks the sun and the air (like smog or forest fires now).

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What Was Our Lord Jesus Doing?

1 Peter 3:18-22
New International Version (NIV)

• 18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit. 19 After being made alive,[a] he went and made proclamation to the imprisoned spirits— 20 to those who were disobedient long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, 21 and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God.[b] It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at God’s right hand—with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him.

Note:

• In the New Testament, the word spirits are used to describe angels or demons, not human beings. In 1 Peter 3:20, Peter refers to people as "souls" (KJV).

Peter does not tell us what Jesus proclaimed to the imprisoned spirits, but it could not be a message of redemption since angels cannot be saved (Hebrews 2:16). It was probably a declaration of victory over Satan and his hosts (1 Peter 3:22; Colossians 2:15). Ephesians 4:8–10 also seems to give a clue regarding Jesus’ activities in the time between His death and resurrection. Quoting Psalm 68:18, Paul says about Christ, "when he ascended on high, he took many captives" (Ephesians 4:8). The ESV puts it that Christ "led a host of captives." The reference seems to be that, in paradise, Jesus gathered all the redeemed who were there and took them to their permanent dwelling in heaven.

• I don’t proclaim to be an authority of scripture, and I suppose that I will be studying the WORD of GOD forever because the Bible isn’t fully clear what exactly Christ did for the three days between His death and resurrection. But, from what "I" can understand, He comforted the departed saints and brought them to their eternal home, and He proclaimed His victory over the fallen angels who are kept in prison…Oh, hallelujah! Further still, we can know for certain is that Jesus was not giving anyone a second chance for salvation; we face judgment after death (Hebrews 9:27), not a second chance. Likewise, He was not suffering in hell; His work of redemption was finished on the cross (John 19:30).

We know that Jesus’ soul and spirit went back to the tomb and retrieved His body. That’s what Easter is all about. Only His physical body had been transformed into a new physical body that was made to exist in both the spirit world and the physical world. The spirits and souls of the righteous dead that were released from paradise in the earth went with Him. Matthew 27:52-53 tells us this event. "The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus’ resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people."

The righteous dead were not only released from Sheol or Hades but, their bodies were released from death just like Jesus’ body was…….to be cont’d

In Christ,

Janet Irene Thomas

Playwright/Screen Writer/Director

Published Author/Gospel Lyricist &Producer

FOUNDER/CEO

Bible Stories Theatre of

Fine & Performing Arts

www.biblestoriestheatre.org.

STUDYING HADES (3)

RECAP: The Bible mentions in Revelation 9 and 20 an abyss or bottomless pit, as the location of the confinement of locusts that sting like scorpions that will be let loose upon the earth during the tribulation period. The bottomless pit is also where Satan will be cast and bound for the thousand-year millennial reign.

BRING UP-TO-DATE:

Revelation 1:18

(NIV)

             18 I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever!                                           And I hold the keys of death and Hades. 

Did Jesus Go to Hades?

Let’s look at the book of Luke:  At the crucifixion of Jesus, we see, that the thief went directly to the part of Hades known as Abraham's Bosom, or Paradise, immediately after he died. Further, Jesus also went there in His spirit, and was three days and nights in Hades, before His resurrection, preaching to the Old Testament saints, and preaching to the non-believers ("the wicked") on the other side of the chasm between the two, while His physical body was in the tomb (above ground).

• Luke 23:32-43 "And two others also, who were criminals, were being led away

to be put to death with Him. And when they came to the place called The Skull,

there they crucified Him and the criminals, one on the right and the other on the left..........and one of the criminals who were hanged there was hurling abuse at Him, saying, 'Are You not the Christ? Save Yourself and us!'  But the other answered, and rebuking him said, 'Do you not even fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.' And he was saying to Jesus, 'Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom!' And Jesus said to him, 'Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.'

LOCATION of PARADISE - No one's soul or spirit could go directly into the presence of God BEFORE JESUS opened the way. God could not open the way to heaven until Jesus paid for the sins of the world, and that is what the veil (curtain) in the temple being torn in two from top to bottom symbolizes - God opening the way into His presence. Then, after His resurrection, Jesus went first with a glorified resurrection BODY into the presence of God the Father, because Christ is the "first-fruits" of the resurrection and "firstborn from the dead" (Colossians 1:18, I Corinthians 15:20). See also John 14:1-6, Hebrews 11:32-40, Hebrews 9:8-14, Hebrews 10:19-23 - Jesus had to go FIRST and PREPARE the WAY for us to come into the Father's presence. Therefore, Jesus went into Hades for the three days between His death and His resurrection (Matthew 12:40) and, after His resurrection, took out all the spirits (souls) of those who had died believing God and trusting in Him, and took them up to heaven (Ephesians 4:8-10). Hades is the place of the dead, located in the center of the earth. It is called Hades (Greek) in the New Testament, and Sheol (Hebrew) in the Old Testament. Hades was divided into two parts: (1) a place of torment for the unbelievers; and (2) a place called "Abraham's bosom" (Luke 16:19-31) which was a place of comfort for Believers. When Jesus said to the thief on the cross, "Truly, I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise," He was referring to Abraham's Bosom. Then, three days later, after His own bodily resurrection, Jesus emptied out Paradise, and brought all of those saints to heaven.

• Ephesians 4:8-10 "Therefore He says, 'When He (Jesus) ascended on high He LED

                                 CAPTIVITY CAPTIVE, and gave gifts to men.'

                                                                                            ….to be cont’d

In Christ,

Janet Irene Thomas

Playwright/Screen Writer/Director

Published Author/Gospel Lyricist &Producer

FOUNDER/CEO

Bible Stories Theatre of

Fine & Performing Arts

www.biblestoriestheatre.org.

STUDYING HADES (2)

RECAP: Sheol or Hades is located in the heart of the earth, and is made up of two chambers. One chamber in known as Paradise or Abraham’s bosom. This is where the spirits and souls of the righteous went upon their death. David, Abraham, Isaac, Joseph, Ruth, Boaz, Gideon, Job, all of these famous righteous people of the Old Testament would have gone to the paradise chamber of sheol. By the description given here in Luke 16 it appears that it was a place of rest and comfort. But it was not heaven. 

BRING UP-TO-DATE:

We ought to note that the above was at a time before the resurrection of Christ. After His resurrection, the souls of the righteous dead DO go to be with the Lord in heaven.

2 Corinthians 5:8

New International Version (NIV)

8 We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 

The other chamber is known as hell. This is where we see the rich man of Christ’s story residing. It appears to be a place of torment and suffering. But it is not the final dwelling place of the wicked. The book of Revelation tells us that the wicked will be sentenced at the Great White Throne Judgment. There they will answer for everything done in this life and be formally sentenced. Their final punishment will be to be cast in to the Lake of Fire for all eternity. 

Revelation 20:15

New International Version (NIV)

15 Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.

The utter destruction of the devil’s kingdom very appropriately leads to an account of the day of judgment, which will determine every man’s everlasting state; and we may be assured there will be a judgment when we see the prince of this world is judged, John 16:11. This will be a great day, the great day, when all shall appear before the judgment-seat of Christ. The Lord help us firmly to believe this doctrine of the judgment to come. 

• We behold the throne, and tribunal of judgment, great and white, very glorious and perfectly just and righteous. The throne of iniquity, that establishes wickedness by a law, has no fellowship with this righteous throne and tribunal.
• The appearance of the Judge, and that is the Lord Jesus Christ, who then puts on such majesty and terror that the earth and the heaven flee from his face, and there is no place found for them; there is a dissolution of the whole frame of nature, 2 Pet. 3:10.
• The persons to be judged (Rev. 20:12): The dead, small and great; that is, young and old, low and high, poor and rich. None are so mean but they have some talents to account for, and none so great as to avoid the jurisdiction of this court; not only those that are found alive at the coming of Christ, but all who have died before; the grave shall surrender the bodies of men, hell shall surrender the souls of the wicked, the sea shall surrender the many who seemed to have been lost in it.

We know that these two compartments are in the same general area because the rich man who is in the compartment labeled hell can see and even speak to Lazarus and Abraham, who are in paradise. Jesus’ words wouldn’t make sense if paradise was in heaven, and hell was someplace else.

We are also told that a large chasm or gulf separates these two compartments from each other. The purpose of which was to prevent anyone from crossing over from one side to the other should they so desire. The Bible mentions in Revelation 9 and 20 an abyss or bottomless pit, as the location of the confinement of locusts that sting like scorpions that will be let loose upon the earth during the tribulation period. The bottomless pit is also where Satan will be cast and bound for the thousand-year millennial reign.    

                                                                                       ….to be cont’d

In Christ,

Janet Irene Thomas

Playwright/Screen Writer/Director

Published Author/Gospel Lyricist &Producer

FOUNDER/CEO

Bible Stories Theatre of

Fine & Performing Arts

www.biblestoriestheatre.org.

STUDYING HADES (1)

LUKE 22-31

…22 “The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. 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. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’

27 “He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, 28 for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’

29 “Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’

30 “‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’

31 “He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’”

BEFORE the death and resurrection of Christ, the place where all human spirits and souls went after death was known in the Old Testament by the word SHEOL and in the New Testament by the word HADES. 

Both of these words relate to “the unseen state” or the place where the spirit and the souls of the dead go between the time of their physical body’s death and the resurrection of their new body. Literally, the words Sheol and Hades mean “a hollow subterranean place.” Contrary to popular belief, neither of these words refer to the final place of punishment. The name for that place is Gehenna or the Lake of Fire. We are talking about a totally different place.

Sheol or Hades is located in the heart of the earth, and is made up of two chambers. One chamber in known as Paradise or Abraham’s bosom. This is where the spirits and souls of the righteous went upon their death. David, Abraham, Isaac, Joseph, Ruth, Boaz, Gideon, Job, all of these famous righteous people of the Old Testament would have gone to the paradise chamber of sheol. By the description given here in Luke 16 it appears that it was a place of rest and comfort. But it was not heaven.                     

                                            ….to be cont’d 

FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS

                              ESTHER 4

4: 14 "AND WHO KNOWS BUT THAT YOU HAVE COME TO ROYAL POSITION FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS?"

     The stakes could not have been higher. The very existence of an entire people hung in the balance. If Haman, the ancient Hitler, had his way there would be genocide, and the Jews would cease to exist in Persia. Everything now seemed to vector in on the lovely Esther. She was the only hope, if there was any hope. What she did with the opportunity before her, how she seized the day, would affect generations to come. Her cousin, and surrogate father, Mordecai urged her to act: "Who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?" (4:14).

     Socrates said the heart of wisdom is to "Know Yourself." The Bible says it is to "Know Your Time."  In the Greek language of the New Testament, "time" is spoken of in two ways: chronos and kairos. Chronos is time as a concrete measurement, like on a clock. Kairos is time as a season, a moment; it is about meaning, not measurement.  Kairos is what the Bible is interested in. Jesus was sometimes irritated when people didn't know their kairos (see Matthew 16: 2-3). Other times he was heartbroken, as when he wept over Jerusalem, "because you did not recognize the time (Kairos) of God's coming to you" (Luke 19:44).

     One of the ways the Bible speaks of prayer is in the language of watchfulness, and alertness (see Isaiah 62:6-7; Ephesians 6:18; 1 Peter 5:8). To pray is by definition to be alert to the moment, to know what time it is, because prayer is birthed in an awareness of God’s Kairos: "I tell you, now is the time (Kairos) of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation" (2 Corinthians 6:2).  For this very reason, Jesus was grieved and frustrated because his disciples would not "keep watch" with him in Gethsemane (Matthew 26:38-41). Prayer would keep the disciples from falling into temptation. But the disciples couldn’t stay awake because they didn’t know what time it was.

     Getting up in the morning to pray, or setting aside time in the evening to pray, is about much more than the clock, and your schedule. It is understanding that whenever you come to pray, you do so "for such a time as this." 

Who knows what your prayers may mean to the world? 

In Christ,

Janet Irene Thomas

Playwright/Screen Writer/Director

Published Author/Gospel Lyricist &Producer

FOUNDER/CEO

Bible Stories Theatre of

Fine & Performing Arts

www.biblestoriestheatre.org.

THE FIRST BOOK OF MACCABEES

THE NAME MACCABEE, PROBABLY MEANING “HAMMER,” IS ACTUALLY APPLIED IN THE BOOKS OF MACCABEES TO ONLY ONE MAN, JUDAS, THIRD SON OF THE PRIEST MATTATHIAS AND FIRST LEADER OF THE REVOLT AGAINST THE SELEUCID KINGS WHO PERSECUTED THE JEWS (1 MC 2:4,66; 2 MC 8:5, 16; 10:1, 16). TRADITIONALLY THE NAME HAS COME TO BE EXTENDED TO THE BROTHERS OF JUDAS, HIS SUPPORTERS, AND EVEN TO OTHER JEWISH HEROES OF THE PERIOD, SUCH AS THE SEVEN BROTHERS (2 MC 7).

THE TWO BOOKS OF MACCABEES CONTAIN INDEPENDENT ACCOUNTS OF EVENTS (IN PART IDENTICAL) THAT ACCOMPANIED THE ATTEMPTED SUPPRESSION OF JUDAISM IN PALESTINE IN THE SECOND CENTURY B.C. THE VIGOROUS REACTION TO THIS ATTEMPT ESTABLISHED FOR A TIME THE RELIGIOUS AND POLITICAL INDEPENDENCE OF THE JEWS.

FIRST MACCABEES WAS WRITTEN ABOUT 100 B.C., IN HEBREW, BUT THE ORIGINAL HAS NOT COME DOWN TO US. INSTEAD, WE HAVE AN EARLY, PRE-CHRISTIAN, GREEK TRANSLATION FULL OF HEBREW IDIOMS. THE AUTHOR, PROBABLY A PALESTINIAN JEW, IS UNKNOWN. HE WAS FAMILIAR WITH THE TRADITIONS AND SACRED BOOKS OF HIS PEOPLE AND HAD ACCESS TO MUCH RELIABLE INFORMATION ON THEIR RECENT HISTORY (FROM 175 TO 134 B.C.). HE MAY WELL HAVE PLAYED SOME PART IN IT HIMSELF IN HIS YOUTH. HIS PURPOSE IN WRITING IS TO RECORD THE DELIVERANCE OF ISRAEL THAT GOD WORKED THROUGH THE FAMILY OF MATTATHIAS (5:62)—ESPECIALLY THROUGH HIS THREE SONS, JUDAS, JONATHAN, AND SIMON, AND HIS GRANDSON, JOHN HYRCANUS. THE WRITER COMPARES THEIR VIRTUES AND THEIR EXPLOITS WITH THOSE OF ISRAEL’S ANCIENT HEROES, THE JUDGES, SAMUEL, AND DAVID.

THERE ARE SEVEN POETIC SECTIONS IN THE BOOK THAT IMITATE THE STYLE OF CLASSICAL HEBREW POETRY: FOUR LAMENTS (1:25–28, 36–40; 2:7–13; 3:45), AND THREE HYMNS OF PRAISE OF “OUR FATHERS” (2:51–64), OF JUDAS (3:3–9), AND OF SIMON (14:4–15). THE DOCTRINE EXPRESSED IN THE BOOK IS THE CUSTOMARY BELIEF OF ISRAEL, WITHOUT THE NEW DEVELOPMENTS WHICH APPEAR IN 2 MACCABEES AND DANIEL. THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL HAVE BEEN SPECIALLY CHOSEN BY THE ONE TRUE GOD AS COVENANT-PARTNER, AND THEY ALONE ARE PRIVILEGED TO KNOW AND WORSHIP GOD, THEIR ETERNAL BENEFACTOR AND UNFAILING SOURCE OF HELP. THE PEOPLE, IN TURN, MUST WORSHIP THE LORD ALONE AND OBSERVE EXACTLY THE PRECEPTS OF THE LAW GIVEN TO THEM. THE REDEDICATION OF THE JERUSALEM TEMPLE DESCRIBED IN 4:36–59 (SEE 2 MC 10:1–8) IS THE ORIGIN OF THE JEWISH FEAST OF HANUKKAH.

UNLIKE THE SECOND BOOK OF MACCABEES, THERE IS NO DOCTRINE OF INDIVIDUAL IMMORTALITY EXCEPT IN THE SURVIVAL OF ONE’S NAME AND FAME, NOR DOES THE BOOK EXPRESS ANY MESSIANIC EXPECTATION, THOUGH MESSIANIC IMAGES ARE APPLIED HISTORICALLY TO “THE DAYS OF SIMON” (1 MC 14:4–17). IN TRUE DEUTERONOMIC TRADITION, THE AUTHOR INSISTS ON FIDELITY TO THE LAW AS THE EXPRESSION OF ISRAEL’S LOVE FOR GOD. THE CONTEST WHICH HE DESCRIBES IS A STRUGGLE, NOT SIMPLY BETWEEN JEW AND GENTILE, BUT BETWEEN THOSE WHO WOULD UPHOLD THE LAW AND THOSE, JEWS OR GENTILES, WHO WOULD DESTROY IT. HIS SEVEREST CONDEMNATION GOES, NOT TO THE SELEUCID POLITICIANS, BUT TO THE LAWLESS APOSTATES AMONG HIS OWN PEOPLE, ADVERSARIES OF JUDAS AND HIS BROTHERS, WHO ARE MODELS OF FAITH AND LOYALTY.

THE FIRST AND SECOND BOOKS OF MACCABEES, THOUGH REGARDED BY JEWS AND PROTESTANTS AS APOCRYPHAL, I.E., NOT INSPIRED SCRIPTURE, BECAUSE NOT CONTAINED IN THE JEWISH LIST OF BOOKS DRAWN UP AT THE END OF THE FIRST CENTURY A.D., HAVE ALWAYS BEEN ACCEPTED BY THE CATHOLIC CHURCH AS INSPIRED AND ARE CALLED “DEUTEROCANONICAL” TO INDICATE THAT THEY ARE CANONICAL EVEN THOUGH DISPUTED BY SOME.

FIRST MACCABEES CAN BE DIVIDED AS FOLLOWS:

I. CRISIS AND RESPONSE (1:1–2:70)

II. LEADERSHIP OF JUDAS MACCABEUS (3:1–9:22)

III. LEADERSHIP OF JONATHAN (9:23–12:53)

IV. LEADERSHIP OF SIMON (13:1–16:24)

In Christ,

Janet Irene Thomas

Playwright/Screen Writer/Director

Published Author/Gospel Lyricist &Producer

FOUNDER/CEO

Bible Stories Theatre of

Fine & Performing Arts

www.biblestoriestheatre.org.

OUR ADVERSARY HAS BEATITUDES T00

THE BOOK OF REVELATIONS REVEALS _

Rev 2:1                                                  

          Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write;     
          These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars 
          in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the 
          seven golden candlesticks;                         
                                                             
     Rev 2:2                                                 
          I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience,
          and how thou canst not bear them which are evil:   
          and thou hast tried them which say they are        
          apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars:  
                
     Rev 2:3                                                 
          And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my      
          name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted.   
                                                             
     Rev 2:4                                                 
          Nevertheless I have [somewhat] against thee,       
          because thou hast left thy first love.             
                                                             
     Rev 2:5                                                 
          Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and
          repent, and do the first works; or else I will come
          unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick 
          out of his place, except thou repent.              
                                                             
     Rev 2:6                                                 
          But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of  
          the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.                
                                                             
     Rev 2:7                                                 
          He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit  
          saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh    
          will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in
          the midst of the paradise of God.                  
                                                             

THEREFORE WE OUGHT BEWARE - THE DEVIL'S BEATITUDES

If the devil were to write his beatitudes, they would

probably go something like this:

1. Blessed are those who are too tired, too busy, too distracted to
spend an hour once a week with their fellow Christians--they are
my best workers.

2. Blessed are those Christians who wait to be asked and expect to
be thanked -- I can use them.

3. Blessed are the touchy who stop going to church -- they are my
missionaries.

4. Blessed are the trouble makers -- they shall be called my children.

5. Blessed are the complainers -- I'm all ears to them.

6. Blessed are those who are bored with the minister's mannerisms
and mistakes -- for they get nothing out of his sermons.

7. Blessed is the church member who expects to be invited to his
own church -- for he is a part of the problem instead of the solution.

8. Blessed are those who gossip -- for they shall cause strife and
division that please me.

9. Blessed are those who are easily offended -- for they will soon
get angry and quit.

10. Blessed are those who do not give their offering to carry on
God's work-- for they are my helpers.

11. Blessed is he who professes to love God but hates his brother
and sister-- for he shall be with me forever.

12. Blessed are you who, when you read this, think it is about other
people and not yourself -- I've got you too!

In Christ,

Janet Irene Thomas

Playwright/Screen Writer/Director

Published Author/Gospel Lyricist &Producer

FOUNDER/CEO

Bible Stories Theatre of

Fine & Performing Arts

www.biblestoriestheatre.org.