32 B'HAR (on mount (Sinai)); Lev 25:1-26:2, Luke 21&22

[Bruce Bertram]

This section is where we find out that the land is supposed to have an actual Sabbath every seven years, just like people have every week. In this year Israel is not to sow or prune, but we can eat whatever grows by itself. To help with getting through the Sabbath year God will cause a larger harvest in year six, which should carry through until the harvest in year nine. In addition, every 50th year is to be a yovel or Jubilee year, where any land that is sold returns to its original owners and people who may have sold themselves are freed. If land is sold, it is priced by the number of crops grown until the next Jubilee. The land cannot be sold permanently because it belongs to God. In addition, there is to be a right of redemption when the land is sold so that the buyer cannot retain possession if the seller or a relative gains the means to buy it back. A house in a walled city has only a one-year right of redemption, while houses in an un-walled village are treated like land. A house of a Levite is excepted because they always have a right of redemption, but the Levite fields cannot be sold at all.

A poor person is not to be charged interest, or profit on food. If he has to sell himself to someone, he is to be treated like a hired hand, not a slave, because they actually belong to God. Foreigners can be purchased as permanent slaves, and can be bequeathed to family, but brother Israelis must be set free at the yovel. The right of redemption also applies to Israelis who sell themselves, so that they or a relative can buy back their freedom at any time. The price is calculated at the standard labor rate times the number of years to the next Jubilee. At the end of the chapter we get another reminder not to make idols and to keep the Sabbath day.

Speaking of the poor, Jesus starts off His comments in Luke 21 with the observation that a poor woman put more into the offering box (all she had to live on) than the rich who were giving out of their excess. He continues this idea somewhat as He responds to people exclaiming about the beauty and cost of the Temple building, prophesying that no stone will be left on top of another. The disciples want to know when it will happen, and what will be the sign that it is about to take place. Jesus gives a far ranging response that seems to encompass much more than the destruction of the Temple. He starts with people saying falsely that they know where Jesus is, through wars and natural catastrophes; signs in the heavens; persecution; and ending up with His return in a cloud with power and great glory, wrapping it all with a series of warnings to be ready for it. He emphasizes His prophecies with a parable of a fig tree and trees in general, and the way that a person can know when summer is near by the leaves. So also His people will know that the things He said are about to take place by the signs He gives.

Luke 22 gives a short description of the preparation for Passover, and the preparation of Judas for the betrayal of Jesus later on. The disciples are told to go into the city and follow a man with a pitcher of water to a house with an upper room fully furnished for the meal. At the meal, Jesus tells the disciples that He won't partake of the meal until the full realization in the kingdom, then tells them the bread and wine are symbolic of His body and blood which will soon be offered as a sacrifice. He mentions again that He will suffer betrayal at the hands of one of them, which leads to an argument concerning who is greater. Jesus answers the disagreement by saying that the greatest is one who serves, as He is serving now, and that the disciples will end up on thrones judging the tribes of Israel. Peter is singled out by Jesus as one who will deny Jesus, and Peter protests by asserting his loyalty, but Jesus says he will deny Jesus three times before the cock crows. Jesus also announces that whereas before they were sent out without anything, now they are to go out prepared with money and pack and swords if necessary.

They all go out to the Mount of Olives, where Jesus prays but the disciples fall asleep. As He is encouraging them to remain vigilant a crowd approaches led by Judas who betrays Him with a kiss. One of the disciples strikes the slave of the high priest with a sword and cuts off his ear, but Jesus heals him. They arrest Jesus and take Him to the Sanhedrin which is meeting in the middle of the night having a fair trial for Jesus before they execute Him. They beat Him and mock Him and He tells them that He is the Messiah, which of course puts Him on the fast track to execution. In the meantime Peter goes through the process of denying that he knows Jesus three times, which is bitterly brought home to him when he hears the cock crow.

Shalom

[Bruce Bertram]

One of God’s ways outlined here is the concept of a Jubilee year (once every 50), where land reverts back to its original owners and people are freed if they are in servitude. No one can stay in captivity indefinitely, because all Israel is God’s slaves (25:42) and not for possession by anyone else. Part of this idea is that the poor must be sustained by his or her brothers and sisters, not charging interest for loans or profit on food to them. In another part of our reading section this week poor people were perhaps lacking a little in this department.

1And He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury. 2And He saw a poor widow putting in two small copper coins. 3And He said, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all of them; 4for they all out of their surplus put into the offering; but she out of her poverty put in all that she had to live on.” (Luke 21:1-4 NASB95)

Apparently this woman had very little to live on, which seems to be an indictment under what we just read in Leviticus. Hard on the heels of this account, Luke records Jesus speaking about the destruction of the temple and other terrible events. Perhaps there is a connection here concerning the failure to treat the poor properly and the upcoming realization of the curses mentioned in Leviticus 26?

Captivity is foretold by Jesus, which can be related back to many warnings for it throughout the Tanakh (OT).

23“Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days; for there will be great distress upon the land and wrath to this people; 24and they will fall by the edge of the sword, and will be led captive into all the nations; and Jerusalem will be trampled under foot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. (Luke 21:23-24 NASB95)

As we know, the prophecy was fulfilled to the letter, and into captivity Israel went just a few short decades after Jesus spoke, but after hundreds of years of other warnings such as Leviticus 26. Ultimately, her failure to take care of the poor and give the land its Sabbaths and jubilees lead to her downfall and dispersal into the nations. She would not free her captives, so into captivity she went. In a way, even though they have regained a land of sorts, they are still in bondage to the world around them for various reasons. A part of what Jesus said was realized in 70 A.D. at the destruction of the temple and 135 A.D. at the destruction of Jerusalem, but a part of it is still to come. We all have still to learn that freedom only comes when following God’s words, completely, physically and spiritually. The lesson is only partly learned, and final exams are coming with a vengeance. May the lesson be over with soon, Oh Lord.

36“But keep on the alert at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are about to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.” (Luke 21:36 NASB95)

Shalom

[Bruce Bertram]

Leviticus 25:1 - 26:2; Jeremiah 32:6-27; Luke 21 and 22; Luke 4:16-21; 1 Cor. 7:21-24; Galatians 6:7-10

And while some were speaking of the temple, how it was adorned with noble stones and offerings, he said, “As for these things that you see, the days will come when there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.” And they asked him, “Teacher, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when these things are about to take place?” (Luke 21:5–7, ESV)

I have a confession to make. I used to believe in a pre-tribulation rapture. I grew up learning the doctrines involved, and honed my defense presentation very well. If you don’t know what a pre-tribulation rapture is, in a nutshell it is the belief that living Christians will be ‘snatched’ from the earth along with resurrected Christians just before the promised biblical tribulation. The tribulation is a future seven-year period when a world ruler nicknamed the Beast takes over, defies God, and brings down a bunch of judgment from God because of it. Then Jesus comes back (again, with all the believers raptured and resurrected from before), stops a world war (the battle of Armageddon), cleans up the earth and reigns for 1,000 years while Satan is tied up. After that, Satan is released, there’s another battle which God wins again, then the heavenly city comes down and believers live happily ever after.

I say I used to believe in a pre-tribulation rapture, but since I’ve been reading the Bible and doing what it says it is very apparent that I was wrong. I’m being facetious about saying I’m now reading the Bible, because way back when, I didn’t. I learned the doctrines, but I didn’t really read the Word like I should’ve. That is why I swallowed the pre-trib rapture theory. The parts of the Bible I did read seemed to point to a post-tribulation resurrection, but when that happened the thought was so scary that I would scramble to reinforce the pre-trib rapture doctrine. If you believe at least part of the Bible, the rapture is a nice idea because you know for sure the tribulation is going to be a time of very, very bad things happening.

There is, no biblical doubt about it, a resurrection and a rapture (a translation of living believers 1 Corinthians 15:51-55), there is a tribulation (Daniel 9:24-27), and the Beast will have his day (the “little horn” of Daniel 7:8; Revelation 13:11-18). All the events are still there, it’s just my opinion of the rapture timing has changed. I know that living believers will be changed in the twinkling of an eye, but whatever your opinion of the timing, the rapture is definitely tied to the resurrection. And the resurrection doesn’t happen until the end of the tribulation, according to our section this week and other related Scripture.

Luke 21 is a lot like Matthew 24. Both chapters record the warnings to the disciples from Jesus about the destruction of the Temple, and the signs when “these things” are about to take place. Jesus gives them a little more than they bargained for, because the answer to their question was more involved than they knew. Remember, at this point the disciples did not know that Jesus was going to be crucified and resurrected. They probably had thoughts that He was going to take over right then or within a short time frame.

A long time has passed since Jesus gave this talk. Some of the events He speaks of have been ongoing, such as wars, rumors of wars (Luke 21:9) earthquakes, famines and pestilence (Luke 21:11). Others have come and gone, such as the destruction of the Temple (verse 6). The disciples were seized and appeared before kings and governors when they weren’t being punished or killed and imprisoned (Luke 21:12-19). At the destruction of the temple (70 C.E.) Jerusalem was surrounded by armies (Luke 21:20). Later (135 C.E.) it was surrounded again. Jerusalem has been trampled underfoot by the Gentiles for a long time. But some signs are repetitious, and some have not happened at all, like terrors and great signs from heaven (Luke 21:25), or the Son of Man coming in power and great glory (Luke 21:27).

Some think all of the things Jesus is talking about have happened already in one way or another. They do a lot of stretching of the text (called spiritualizing), in my opinion, trying to match historical events to what Jesus describes here. Some think these things only happen to the Jews after the tribulation starts, kicked off by the Beast signing an ‘agreement with many for one week’ (7 years – see Daniel 9:24-27). Some think it’s all just a fairy tale to frighten us into doing what God says. We have to decide, from the perspective of 2,000 years later, if Jesus was talking to the disciples only, or the Jews only, or ‘the church’ or some other group. I happen to think that Jesus was talking to all believers everywhere. Not necessarily just ‘the church’ or ‘the Jews.’ You can make up your own mind. I can find only two groups of people in the Word – those that follow God and those that do not. We complicate things when we create extra groups not in the Word and try to parcel out the Word to each of them.

There are two kinds of tribulation. The first kind is the daily kind. It’s just life in the big city, or comes from other men. We stub our toe, or lose a job; we get bullied, hails puts a hole in the roof, or we have trouble paying bills. The second kind comes from God and is a whole lot more serious. Jesus says not to be terrified of the usual tribulations (Luke 21:9) and that those things will not signal the “end at once.” We will see many come in His name saying “I am the Christ” (Matthew 24:5) or “The time is at hand” (Luke 21:8) but it won’t be Jesus because He won’t be coming quietly the next time. There will be more of the daily tribulations as we are turned over to godless authorities by family and friends (Luke 21:16), or live through earthquakes, famines and pestilences (Luke 21:11). “By your endurance you will gain your lives” (Luke 21:19).

When we see Jerusalem surrounded by enemies (like it is now) AND there are signs in the sun, moon and stars (see also Matthew 24:29), distress of nations from roaring of the sea and waves (a reference to storm-tossed people of the world), and people fainting with fear and foreboding, then the powers of the heavens will be shaken (Luke 21:26) and the Son of Man (Jesus) will be seen coming in a cloud with power and great glory (Luke 21:27). When all the signs come together, different than the usual daily tribulation (Daniel 12:1-3, Matthew 24:21), then “look up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

“At that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book. And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever. (Daniel 12:1–3, ESV)

If Jesus is talking to believers in general, as I believe He is, then after the tribulation is when we are redeemed. Dead (sleeping) believers will be resurrected, and living believers will have their bodies translated to a heavenly body. I have come to the comforting biblical knowledge that He will protect us through it, if we are listening to His coaching. My focus is on Him, not the coming terrors, and not the rapture.

Come, my people, enter your chambers, and shut your doors behind you; hide yourselves for a little while until the fury has passed by. For behold, the LORD is coming out from his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity, and the earth will disclose the blood shed on it, and will no more cover its slain. (Isaiah 26:20–21, ESV)

We need to watch ourselves lest our hearts be weighed down with the usual daily tribulations and that day come upon us suddenly like a trap (verse 34). For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth (verse 35). We do not know the day or the hour (Matthew 24:36; 25:12) but we must be ready at all times. Jesus tells us the rough outline of what will happen in the tribulation, so listen to His Word and do what He says in every way in the tiniest detail, so we can be strengthened to escape and stand before our beloved Messiah.

But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.” (Luke 21:36, ESV)

Shalom
Bruce