Ready to Die: The Story of Jesus

This is another in a series of excerpts from What Every Christian Should Know About the Return of Jesus, released by High Street Press and available at Amazon. 

No one is better prepared to die than Jesus. As the Lamb of God slain from the foundation of the world (Rev. 13:8), the eternal Son of God collaborates with the Father and the Holy Spirit before creation to plan their joint redemptive work. The incarnate Christ declares that he has come to seek and save the lost, a mission requiring his death (Matt. 16:21; Luke 19:10). After Peter’s remarkable declaration of Jesus as Messiah, Son of the living God, Jesus tells his disciples he must go to Jerusalem, where he is to suffer, die, and rise again – over Peter’s objection, which Christ condemns as Satanic (Matt. 16:16-23). 

Jesus’ willingness to lay down his life reveals a divine sense of purpose, humility,  submission to the Father’s will, and keen insight into what his death is accomplishing. There’s even a sense of anticipatory mirth. As the writer of Hebrews notes, “For the joy that lay before him, he endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Heb. 12:2).

Despite his followers’ best efforts to keep Jesus out of harm’s way, the Lamb of God walks deliberately into the slaughterhouse. In the Garden of Gethsemane, a mob with swords and clubs sets upon Jesus. Peter rushes to Jesus’ defense, lopping off the ear of the high priest’s servant with a sword. 

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Erased from the Book of Life

This is another in a series of excerpts from The Book of Life: What the Bible Says about God’s Registry of the Redeemed from High Street Press and available at Amazon. This except comes from Chapter 16: I Will Never Erase His Name: Revelation 3:5.

In the same way, the one who conquers will be dressed in white clothes, and I will never erase his name from the book of life but will acknowledge his name before my Father and before his angels (Rev. 3:5 CSB).

While the words of Jesus to the faithful in Sardis are comforting reminders of God’s preservation of the saints, we must acknowledge that many passages of Scripture speak of names being erased, or blotted out, of certain books, including the book of life. Following is a sampling of such verses; brief commentary follows.

Exodus 32:32-33 – “‘Now if you would only forgive their sin. But if not, please erase me from the book you have written.’ The LORD replied to Moses, ‘Whoever has sinned against me I will erase from my book.’”

This conversation between Moses and Yahweh occurs after the golden calf incident at the base of Mount Sinai. Sensing God’s wrath against the idolatrous Israelites, Moses offers to perish with his fellow countrymen – an offer the Lord refuses.

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Ready to Die: The Story of Joseph

This is another in a series of excerpts from What Every Christian Should Know About the Return of Jesus, released by High Street Press and available at Amazon. 

The story of Joseph (Gen. 37-50) is both heartbreaking and heartwarming. It’s a tale of tragedy and triumph, punishment and pardon, incarceration and exaltation, abandonment and reunion, fear and power, famine and plenty, deep sadness and unrestrained joy. We are introduced to Joseph as the favorite son of Jacob, a preference that spurs jealousy and betrayal in the hearts of Joseph’s brothers, who opportunistically sell Joseph into slavery and then soak his robe in animal blood in a ruse to fake their brother’s death.

Joseph ends up in Egypt in the home of Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and captain of the guards. Potiphar sees that the Lord is making Joseph successful. So, the Egyptian officer makes Joseph his personal attendant and places everything in his household under the young servant’s authority. 

Joseph captures the eye of Potiphar’s wife, who makes repeated sexual advances towards the strapping young man. When Joseph rebuffs her siren calls, she falsely accuses him of attempted rape, which lands him in jail with Pharaoh’s prisoners. Again, the Lord grants Joseph favor, this time with the warden, who puts Joseph in charge of all other captives. This includes Pharoah’s imprisoned cupbearer, who later secures Joseph’s release by telling Pharaoh of Joseph’s ability to interpret dreams. 

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I Will Never Erase His Name: Revelation 3:5

This is another in a series of excerpts from The Book of Life: What the Bible Says about God’s Registry of the Redeemed from High Street Press and available at Amazon. This except comes from Chapter 16: I Will Never Erase His Name: Revelation 3:5.

“But you have a few people in Sardis who have not defiled their clothes, and they will walk with me in white, because they are worthy. In the same way, the one who conquers will be dressed in white clothes, and I will never erase his name from the book of life but will acknowledge his name before my Father and before his angels” (Rev. 3:4-5).

Christ’s letter to the church in Sardis echoes a troubling thought proclaimed in other Scriptures: the possibility that certain people may have their names erased from the book of life. Jesus tells believers in Sardis that “the one who conquers will be dressed in white clothes, and I will never erase his name from the book of life” (Rev. 3:5). 

Is Jesus simply reassuring the faithful in Sardis that their names are securely recorded in heaven? Or is Jesus hinting that it’s possible for genuine believers to lose their salvation? 

If believers may lose their salvation, how and when might it be lost? Can they get it back? Under what circumstances is the golden chain of redemption, which Paul reveals as God’s saving work across time and eternity, broken (Rom. 8:29-30)? Put another way, is it possible for the redeemed to sever God’s foreknowledge, predestination, calling, justification, and glorification? If so, does human freedom trump God’s sovereignty?

These are challenging questions that confront the doctrine of eternal security. So, we might ask: What point is Jesus trying to make in his message to the church in Sardis?

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Jesus Warns Us to Be Ready

This is another in a series of excerpts from What Every Christian Should Know About the Return of Jesus, released by High Street Press and available at Amazon. 

Famous last words. William Brahms catalogued the final sayings of 3,500 prominent figures in his work, Last Words of Notable People. Other researchers also have captured the pithy statements of people on their deathbeds. A sampling:

  • While slipping towards the end of his life, Irish wit Oscar Wilde expressed disdain for the surroundings in his Paris hotel room. “Either that wallpaper goes, or I do,” he blurted. Wilde went first, but hotel management noted his grievance and later refurbished the suite.
  • Standing before a firing squad, convicted murderer James W. Rodgers was asked if he had a final request. His reply: “Bring me a bullet-proof vest.”
  • With death drawing near, television announcer Charles Gussman quietly removed his oxygen mask and whispered, “And now for a final word from our sponsor .…”
  • Leonardo da Vinci, who gave us such masterpieces as the Mona Lisa, was awkwardly modest as he faced death, saying only, “I have offended God and mankind because my work did not reach the quality it should have.” 
  • Drummer Buddy Rich, being prepped for a major surgical procedure he wouldn’t survive, was asked by his nurse, “Is there anything you can’t take?” His response: “Yeah, country music.”
  • Finally, Karl Marx reputedly offered these last words: “Get out of here and leave me alone. Last words are for fools who haven’t said enough already.”
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