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Ecclesiastes Lesson Seven

Ecclesiastes Lesson Seven: Ecclesiastes 3:16-22 – Mystery of Injustice and Death

I also observed under the sun: there is wickedness at the place of judgment and there is wickedness at the place of righteousness. 17 I said to myself, “God will judge the righteous and the wicked, since there is a time for every activity and every work.” 18 I said to myself, “This happens concerning people, so that God may test them and they may see for themselves that they are like animals.” 19 For the fate of people and the fate of animals is the same. As one dies, so dies the other; they all have the same breath. People have no advantage over animals since everything is futile. 20 All are going to the same place; all come from dust, and all return to dust. 21 Who knows if the spirit of people rises upward and the spirit of animals goes downward to the earth? 22 I have seen that there is nothing better than for a person to enjoy his activities because that is his reward. For who can enable him to see what will happen after he dies? (HCSB)

I’ll deal with this passage in one section, as there is one theme that runs through it. The teacher is wrestling with a question that plagues us today; how can God be in control when there is so much wickedness in the world? Now, let’s dig deeper into this passage.

  • In this passage, the teacher seems to be saying that time passes swiftly for humans.
    • We often look back and wonder about or regret decisions we’ve made. 
    • At the same time, God keeps track of everything we do, and at the end of time, we’ll answer for our actions. The teacher makes this very statement in the final verse of Ecclesiastes 12:14 For God will bring every act to judgment, including every hidden thing, whether good or evil.
  • The teacher ponders this very thought in the first two verses of this passage.
    • He witnessed wickedness and injustice.
    • He wondered why the judgment was delayed.
  • Now we circle back to the theme of this passage; how can God allow so much evil in the world?
    • The teacher wasn’t the first to wrestle with this question, nor was he the last. I’m sure that everyone who reads this ponders the same question.
    • However, the teacher comforts himself with two assurances.
      • God has a time for everything.
        • Ecclesiastes 8:6 For every activity there is a right time and procedure, even though man’s troubles are heavy on him.
        • Ecclesiastes 8:11 Because the sentence against a criminal act is not carried out quickly,  the heart of people is filled with the desire to commit crime.
      • God is working out His eternal purposes in and through the actions of mankind, even those who are wicked.
    • Verse seventeen should also be viewed with the eschatological judgment in mind.
      • Psalm 14:5 Then they will be filled with terror, for God is with those who are  righteous.
      • Although the teacher was not a prophet, he did speak of a coming judgment.
      • He acknowledged that political oppression was a universal phenomenon, but he offered hope, even though it was abstract, of a divine judgment and vindication.
  • God will judge everyone when the current earth has passed away, but He is also judging everyone now.
    • Verse eighteen tells us that God is testing man.
    • This testing reveals the character of each person.
    • When humanity leaves God out of their lives, they are no different than animals.
      • Psalm 32:9 Do not be like a horse or mule, without understanding, that must be controlled with bit and bridle or else it will not come near you.
      • Proverbs 7:22-23 He follows her impulsively like an ox going to the slaughter, like a deer bounding toward a trap 23 until an arrow pierces its liver, like a bird darting into a snare he doesn’t know it will cost him his life.
      • 2 Peter 2:19-20 They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption, since people are enslaved to whatever defeats them. 20 For if, having escaped the world’s impurity through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in these things and defeated, the last state is worse for them than the first.
  • As we read verses nineteen and twenty, we need to be careful and not draw the wrong conclusion. The teacher is not saying there is no difference between humans and animals. He is merely pointing out they have two things in common.
    • Both groups die.
    • The bodies of both groups will return to the dust. 
    • Humanity has a distinct advantage and difference over animals; mankind was created in the image of God.
    • However, both groups die and return to “dust.”
  • The Bible tells us that death happens when the spirit leaves the body.
    • James 2:26a For just as the body without the spirit is dead.
    • Luke 8:55a Her spirit returned, and she got up at once.
  • The teacher seems to be indicating that humans and animals don’t have the same experience at death.
    • Man’s spirit goes to God. Ecclesiastes 12:7 And the dust returns to the earth as it once was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.
    • The animal’s spirit ceases to exist. Read Psalm 49.
  • Once again, Ecclesiastes focuses on the mortality of humanity. Each of us is destined to have a physical death. But the real emphasis is whether or not we’ll experience spiritual life or death.
  • We also need to remember that mankind’s spirit, which is eternal, will exist in one of two places.
    • Those who have professed faith in, and submitted to the lordship of Jesus, will go to heaven.
    • Those who never professed faith in Jesus will be condemned to hell.
  • In the final verse of this passage, the teacher reaches two conclusions.
    • Neither possessions nor accomplishments are eternal.
      • We can’t take them with us when we die.
      • We should properly use them and enjoy them while we’re alive.
    • We will all pass from our physical bodies and live eternally as a spirit.
      • Our hope of eternal life is founded on God and not ourselves.
      • Those who have rejected God will face eternal punishment.
      • Those who have placed their faith in Jesus will experience eternal life in the presence of God. 1 Corinthians 15:12-19 Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say, “There is no resurrection of the dead”? 13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised; 14 and if Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation is without foundation, and so is your faith. 15 In addition, we are found to be false witnesses about God, because we have testified about God that He raised up Christ—whom He did not raise up if in fact the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, Christ has not been raised. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. 18 Therefore, those who have fallen asleep in Christ have also perished. 19 If we have put our hope in Christ for this life only, we should be pitied more than anyone.

As we reflect on this passage, let’s consider the following points.

  • God controls “time.” We see this vividly illustrated when we look at Israel’s early history.
    • The Bible doesn’t focus primarily on the social, political, or heroes of Israel.
    • It does focus on God shaping Israel through grace and judgment, moving Israel towards His goal.
    • When we reflect on what’s in 1-2 Kings, we read a narrative about what God is doing in this period of Israel’s history.
      • The prophets were the most important figures in these books, announcing and interpreting God’s actions.
      • The kings thought they were in control of the country and its people. However, it was God who was in control.
    • The same is true in the prophetic books of the Old Testament.
      • God reveals Himself as sovereign, who ruled the past but is also in control of the present and future.
      • Humans may have schemes and ideas, but God’s plans are the ones that will be fulfilled.
      • The book of Daniel contains one of the best examples.
        • King Nebuchadnezzar thinks he’s a god, requiring worship.
        • Daniel tells him that he’s not in control, and to reinforce that point, the king lives for a period of time among the animals.
    • The New Testament continues this theme.
      • At the appointed time, Jesus is born, announcing the kingdom of God and dying for our sins.
      • Jesus declares the various times of God’s plans.
        • His crucifixion.
        • The witness or apostasy of the disciples.
        • His second coming.
        • Divine judgment and salvation.
  • As Christians, we are to live our lives considering the fact that God controls time.
    • 1 Timothy 6:13-16 In the presence of God, who gives life to all, and of Christ Jesus, who gave a good confession before Pontius Pilate, I charge you 14 to keep the command without fault or failure until the appearing  of our Lord  Jesus Christ. 15 God will bring this about in His own time. He is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings, and the Lord of lords, 16 the only One who has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light; no one has seen or can see Him, to Him be honor and eternal might. Amen.
    • 1 Peter 1:3-5 Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. According to His great mercy, He has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead 4 and into an inheritance that is imperishable, uncorrupted, and unfading, kept in heaven for you. 5 You are being protected by God’s power through faith for a salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.
    • Revelation 1:3 The one who reads this is blessed, and those who hear the words of this prophecy and keep what is written in it are blessed, because the time is near!
    • Revelation 22:10 He also said to me, “Don’t seal the prophetic words of this book, because the time is near.
    • 2 Peter 3:8 Dear friends, don’t let this one thing escape you: With the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day.
  • Our relationship with God will determine how we view the fact that God controls time.
    • For the faithful, it should provide comfort.
    • For those without a relationship with God, it will be unsettling as they try and manipulate time to their own advantage, acting as if they were “gods.”
  • We live in a world that is skeptical and confused about what occurs after we die.
    • Many search for verifiable truth about what happens.
    • Too often, in this search, they ignore the truth of the resurrection.
      • They are like Thomas in John’s Gospel.
      • They want to see it themselves, or they won’t believe it.
  • It’s a symptom of self-centeredness and paranoia.
    • The only “truth” is what they choose to believe.
    • This has led to the rapid increase in “spiritualities” in the Western world.
    • These “leaps of faith” will never lead them anywhere without being founded on the Truth, which came in the form of a man over two thousand years ago.

Applications

  • Accept and embrace the truth that regardless of what occurs around us, God is in control and He knows what is best. This is true even when we are going through difficulties. During those moments, press into God and try and discern His will, but also walk in faith and the knowledge that He will sustain you through those difficulties.
  • Accept that each of us is mortal. Our physical bodies will die, but our spirit will live forever. There are only two destinations for our spirit. We’ll either spend eternity in heaven in God’s presence or eternity in hell, forever separated from His love and grace.
  • Enjoy the pleasures of life in accordance with God’s will and plan. God wants us to enjoy life as we walk in fellowship with Him. If we are truly walking in step with Him, we shouldn’t feel guilty about enjoying life.
truthproject777

1 John Lesson Eleven

1 John Lesson Eleven: 1 John 5:6-13 – The Full Assurance of Our Relationship to God

Jesus Christ—He is the One who came by water and blood, not by water only, but by water  and by blood. And the Spirit is the One who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. 7 For there are three that testify: 8 the Spirit, the water, and the blood —and these three are in agreement. 9 If we accept the testimony of men, God’s testimony is greater, because it is God’s testimony that He has given about His Son. 10 (The one who believes in the Son of God has this testimony within him. The one who does not believe God has made Him a liar,  because he has not believed in the testimony God has given about His Son.) 11 And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. 

12 The one who has the Son has life. The one who doesn’t have the Son of God does not have life. 13 I have written these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life. (HCSB)

As John nears the completion of this letter, he drives home a point that directly challenges the false teaching from the Gnostics that he was confronting; Jesus is God. 

I’ll be splitting this lesson into two parts.

  • Jesus is God – verses 6-10.
  • Believers have eternal life – verses 11-13.

Jesus is God

In the previous section of the passage, verses one to five, John placed emphasis on trusting in Jesus and overcoming the world. To believe that Jesus is the Son of God is fundamental to the Christian experience. But how do we know that Jesus is God? 

Some of those alive at the time called Jesus a liar and a deceiver – Matthew 27:63. Others said that Jesus was a religious fanatic, a madman, or perhaps a zealous Jew who was sincere but sadly mistaken. We also need to remember the false teaching the recipients of this letter were receiving from the Gnostics. The false teaching of the Gnostics had two main points.

  • The “Christ” came upon the man Jesus when He was baptized.
  • Before Jesus died on the cross, the “Christ” left Jesus, and He died like any other person.

John’s letter refutes this false teaching by presenting three infallible witnesses to prove that Jesus is God.

  • Before we look at the three witnesses, we need to remember Jewish law. In order to confirm testimony, at least two witnesses were required.
    • Deuteronomy 19:15 – One witness cannot establish any wrongdoing or sin against a person, whatever that person has done. A fact must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.
    • John 8:17 – Even in your law it is written that the witness of two men is valid.
  • The first witness is the water.
    • The water refers to Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan River at the beginning of His ministry.
    • Matthew 3:13-17 – Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. 14 But John tried to stop Him, saying, “I need to be baptized by You, and yet You come to me?” 15 Jesus answered him, “Allow it for now, because this is the way for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he allowed Him to be baptized. 16 After Jesus was baptized, He went up immediately from the water. The heavens suddenly opened for Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming down on Him.  17 And there came a voice from heaven: This is My beloved Son. I take delight in Him!
  • The second witness is the blood.
    • Blood refers to the shedding of Jesus’ blood at His crucifixion and subsequent death.
    • As the time drew near for Jesus to die, God spoke from heaven.
      • John 12:28b – Then a voice  came from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again!”
      • This was a reference to both what had already occurred and Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice on the cross.
    • There are also Scripture references to the glorification of Jesus during His crucifixion.
      • Matthew 27:45 – From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over the whole land.
      • Matthew 27:50-53 – Jesus shouted again with a loud voice and gave up His spirit.  51 Suddenly, the curtain of the sanctuary was split in two from top to bottom; the earth quaked and the rocks were split. 52 The tombs were also opened and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised. 53 And they came out of the tombs after His resurrection, entered the holy city, and appeared to many. 
      • Matthew 27:54 – When the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they were terrified and said, “This man really was God’s Son!”
  • The third witness is the Holy Spirit.
    • The Holy Spirit was sent to bear witness to Jesus. We can trust the Holy Spirit because it is the Spirit that is truth.
      • John 15:26 – When the Counselor comes, the One I will send to you from the Father —the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father—He will testify about Me.
      • John 16:14 – He will glorify Me, because He will take from what is Mine and declare it to you.
      • Romans 8:15-16 – For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father!” 16 The Spirit Himself testifies together with our spirit that we are God’s children, 17 and if children, also heirs—heirs of God and coheirs with Christ—seeing that we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him. 
      • 1 Corinthians 2:14 – But the unbeliever does not welcome what comes from God’s Spirit, because it is foolishness to him; he is not able to understand it since it is evaluated  spiritually.
  • John is showing that all three testify to the truth of Jesus being the Son of God, the incarnation of the divine, and the pathway to redemption and restoration with God.
  • If human testimony is accepted on the basis of two or more witnesses, how much more should God’s testimony be accepted?
  • John makes two points in verses nine to eleven.
    • Divine testimony should be accepted because it is greater than human testimony, which everyone accepts.
    • Willful unbelief is sin. If we trust human testimony, why shouldn’t we trust God, who is more trustworthy than people?
  • When we consider these two points, we see the following three facts, which lead to one conclusion.
    • The Father witnessed at Jesus’ baptism.
    • The Father witnessed at the cross.
    • The Holy Spirit witnesses today within each believer.
    • Jesus is the Son of God.
  • Those who reject these facts are calling God a liar.
  • There is no middle ground in this discussion.
    • You are either with God and part of His spiritual family, destined to spend eternity in heaven.
    • Or you are against God, excluded from His spiritual family, and destined to spend eternity in hell.

Believers Have Eternal Life

  • John makes this point clear in the final three verses of this passage.
    • Those who accept the truth of the Father’s testimony concerning Jesus have life.
    • The life John is referring to in verse eleven is eternal life in heaven.
      • Life is contained in accepting the testimony about Jesus.
        • Those who accept the testimony about Jesus have the Son.
        • Those who accept the Son have life.
      • Death occurs for those who reject the testimony about Jesus.
        • They will have a physical death.
        • They will have a spiritual death, eternity in hell.
    • John is reminding and encouraging the recipients of his letter that those who believe in the testimony about Jesus have eternal life.

Before we take a summary look at this passage, let’s remember the situation that John was addressing. False teachers had permeated the early church, teaching heresy and leading some astray. Let’s consider the modern-day church. Few would argue that false teachers promoting heresy have permeated the church, leading believers astray.

Now, let’s consider three points essential to John’s writings.

  • The “blood” must remain central to all we are and preach. The “blood” refers to the cross.
    • In 1 Corinthians 1-4, Paul talks about the “foolishness” of the cross. Paul isn’t saying the cross is foolish. He is saying it is foolishness to those who reject the truth. 
    • As believers, we can never demote the significance of the cross.
    • 1 Corinthians 1:23-24 – But we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the Gentiles. 24 Yet to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is God’s power and God’s wisdom, 25 because God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.
      • Christ is the power of God.
      • Christ is the wisdom of God.
    • Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross is the gateway to redemption, forgiveness, and eternal life.
  • The Holy Spirit is the preserver of truth.
    • However, John isn’t clear on how this is done on a practical level.
    • It could be spiritual discernment.
    • However, since John references water and blood, it makes the most sense he is referring to “what was at the beginning.” This understanding would point not to personal creativity and innovation but to the foundations on which the church was built.
      • The confessions and traditions of the original church.
      • The recitation of creeds.
      • An alarming trend has been noted by theologians.
        • The foundations for all of what we believe are no longer recognized by many “believers.” One of the more common is the teaching that the first eleven chapters of Genesis are fictional.
        • The validity of belief for many now appears to be functional.
      • One enlightening example is from a commentary author talking about his last year of seminary. The students were required to read one sermon per day for ten weeks. An observation from that exercise is that older sermons, those from pre-1950, contained a higher level of theological sophistication, which is lacking in many modern sermons. I’m sure many, if not all, who are reading this, can remember examples where the sermon they heard was light on sin, hell, love, and sacrifice. At the same time, those sermons may have been heavy on how to feel better about yourself or that God was still “love” even when we are engaged in willful sin.
    • Theology is losing ground to false teaching because churches have stopped pursuing and teaching truth.
  • Any claim to being a genuine follower of Christ is illegitimate if it denies what God has said about Jesus.
    • Jesus is both fully human and fully divine during the entirety of His life.
    • Any theology that rejects incarnation Christology must be dismissed as false theology.
    • Anyone who teaches false theology, whether knowingly or unknowingly, is part of Satan’s attempt to undermine and destroy the church.

Applications

  • Do you understand and believe in the absolute and unconditional truth that Jesus is who God the Father says He is? If not, examine why in light of what John wrote in this passage. Water, blood, and the Holy Spirit all testify about who Jesus is. 
  • If you hear or read about false teaching, confront it. Remember to always correct in a spirit of gentleness while not tolerating compromise.
  • Are you confident in your eternal destination? John is clear that if we believe the truth about Jesus and place our faith in Him, we have eternal life. If you have doubts in this area, determine why you doubt and pray for reassurance.