Tackling The Beatitudes

[Nicola Jane]

Fortunately it's a hobby I love doing otherwise this would've been a tiresome chore. In point of fact, I would've been tempted to plagiarize in order to make things easier on myself.
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well i see it as part of your calling and gifting as it blesses and me teaches me .so much more than a hobby to me and many others im sure
God bless you in all you do and keep on doing it x
God bless you Beetow x

 

[Beetow]

● John 20:29 . . Then Jesus said to Thomas: You believe because you've seen me. Blessed are those who haven't seen me and believe anyway.

Some things are much easier to believe when we're very young; for example: the tooth fairy, Santa Claus, the Easter bunny, and leprechauns. But as we mature, those things become silly.

As for Jesus' resurrection: it doesn't help that it's God's wishes that the gospel not hold up in court nor stand to reason. I don't know why; but for some reason it's important to God that the world dismiss believers off as fools rather than wise. He actually wants Christ's followers to be esteemed as Forrest Gumpsters with the minds of a naive child.

"I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." (Mark 10:15)

That's really bad news for agnostics; roughly defined as people who neither affirm nor deny that Christ's crucified dead body was restored to life simply because they have yet to be shown sufficient empirical evidence proving it did-- or even that he really existed.

"Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth." (1Cor 1:26)
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[Beetow]

● Acts 20:35 . . Remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said: "It is more blessed to give than to receive."

Those words of the Lord are not recorded in the four gospels; which is a good object lesson. Here's another orphan quote.

"Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee, and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets: He will be called a Nazarene." (Matt 2:22-23)

That quote's not in the Old Testament so there's no use in looking for it; and that's because not every word spoken by the prophets was recorded: same as not every word that Christ spoke is recorded in the gospels.

Receiving charity is a blessing too; though it isn't nearly as valuable a blessing as lending to charity because receiving it is a temporary blessing; while lending it has promise of return on one's investment.

"He who is kind to the poor lends to the Lord; and He will reward him for what he has done." (Prv 19:17)

One could actually think of supporting a charity as contributions to a heavenly 401K.
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[Beetow]

● Rev 16:15 . . Take note: I will come as unexpectedly as a thief! Blessed are all who are watching for me, who keep their robes ready so they will not need to walk naked and embarrassed.

Christ's return is commonly spoken of as "soon" but the Bible speaks of it as sudden and without warning instead of soon.

"For just as the lightning comes from the east, and flashes even to the west, so shall the coming of the Son of Man be."

"all who keep their robes ready so they will not need to walk naked and embarrassed" is a colloquialism similar to the old saw "be careful you don't get caught with your pants down".

Quite a few people have heard that Christ is returning some day to rule the world, but they don't worry about it because in the backs of their minds they're pretty sure it won't happen in their lifetimes. Well; Christ does not admire that attitude because you just never know when and/or where lightening will strike next.

"Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming. But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. For this reason you be ready too; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will." (Matt 24:42-44)

The first time I heard that Christ was coming back, I got frightened because I instinctively knew that were he to summon me, it would not go well as I had a lot to answer for. But the information put me in line for the blessing because when I found out he was returning, I became very interested in the means for getting ready to meet him.

"A prudent person foresees the danger ahead and takes precautions; the simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences." (Prov 22:3)
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[Nicola Jane]

● Matt 5:6 . . Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

The Greek word translated "righteousness" is dikaiosune (dik-ah-yos-oo'-nay) which basically means equity; roughly defined as the application of law without passion, bias, favoritism, disparity, or prejudice.

In the world we live in today, it is very difficult to find equity; even the nine judges sitting on the US Supreme Court, the highest court in the land, are incapable of it; evidenced by their chronic lack of unanimity on many of the issues that they pick and choose for themselves to take into consideration. And no surprise seeing as how they are typically nominated for the position primarily on the basis of their politics.

I strongly suspect that the blessing spoken of in this beatitude is qualified. In other words; it doesn't pertain to just any wish for equity; rather, to equity as it's predicted in the Old Testament. In a nutshell, there's coming a day that inequity will cease to exist on this planet when Messiah takes over to rule it with fairness across the board regardless of where people fit on the totem pole-- no matter their age, race, or gender, nor how well connected they might be, nor how wealthy, nor how intelligent, nor how beautiful, nor how important, nor how highly positioned, nor how highly esteemed they may be in public opinion.

"Shout joyfully to Jehovah, all the earth; break forth in song, rejoice, and sing praises. Sing to Jehovah with the harp, with the harp and the sound of a psalm, with trumpets and the sound of a horn; shout joyfully before Jehovah, the King. Let the sea roar, and all its fullness, the world and those who dwell in it; let the rivers clap their hands; Let the hills be joyful together before Jehovah, for He is coming to judge the earth. With righteousness He shall judge the world, and the peoples with equity." (Ps 98:4-9)

"Jehovah is great in Zion, and He is high above all the peoples. Let them praise your great and awesome name-- He is holy. The King's strength also loves justice; you have established equity; you have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob." (Ps 99:2-4)

"With righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked." (Isa 11:4)

So then, the fourth beatitude's blessing pertains to all who long for Messiah's oversight in world affairs.

"The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; and shall cast them into a furnace of fire : there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear." (Matt 13:41-43)

"In keeping with his promise, we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth: the home of righteousness." (2Pet 3:13)
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hello beetow
equity a good word learnt today and helpfull x
God bless x

 

[Nicola Jane]

● John 13:17 . . If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.

In other words: Bible reading, Bible study, Bible discussion, Bible classes, Bible debate, and/or Bible memorization without any intent of allowing the information to sink into one's skull, or reform one's life, or influence one's thinking, speaking, or feeling; is of little more value blessing-wise than comic books and romance novels.

"Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.

. . . But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives liberty, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it-- he will be blessed in what he does." (Jas 1:22-25)
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Amen so true

 

[Nicola Jane]

● Matt 5:5 . . Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

The third beatitude is another that comes from the Old Testament.

"For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be. But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace."

Some of the beatitudes contain both a present tense clause and a future tense clause in the same sentence.

"blessed are" is present tense.

"shall inherit" is future tense.

"blessed" is an ambiguous word. Depending upon the application, and/or the context; it can mean fortunate, happy, favored, approved, venerated, contented, honored, respected, successful, prosperous, praise-worthy, privileged, endowed, and/or protected.

According to Christ, the meek are fortunate because it is they who shall inherit, not heaven, but rather, the earth: that's an important distinction.

Why won't they inherit heaven? Because, as every instructed Israelite already knew in Christ's day; the long-anticipated theocratic kingdom won't be up in the celestial regions; but rather, down here on the ground, headquartered in Jerusalem; whose monarch will be one of David's sons; better known in the Old Testament as The Branch and/or the Sprig of Jesse.

So then, among the Israelites; who qualifies as meek? Well; Moses was meek (Num 12:3) and Christ was meek (Matt 11:29, Matt 21:5). Personally I wouldn't categorize either of those two Israelite men as meek. So then, what really is meekness?

The Greek word translated "meek" in the third beatitude is praus (prah-ooce') which means mild.

Webster's defines "mild" as gentle in nature or behavior; viz: temperate; in other words: agreeable, approachable, reasonable, calm, mellow, and self-controlled.

Non-temperate people could be characterized as moody, grudging, irritable, emotional, thin-skinned, belligerent, militant, pugnacious, brawling, defensive, confrontational, and reactive; around whom everybody has to walk on egg shells all the time to avoid setting them off.

A temperate person, though mellow in demeanor, should never be assumed lacking in strength, courage, conviction, or self confidence. Anybody who's studied the lives of Moses and Jesus can easily testify that neither of those men were either timid, wimpy, or vacillating.

Jacob and his dad Isaac were temperate men; but could be assertive when the situation called for it. Temperate people like Jacob and Isaac pick their battles carefully, and avoid getting all riled up over trifles.

Can you just imagine the pleasure of living in a global society composed entirely of temperate people? No more protests, no more demonstrations, no more civil disobedience, no more riots, no more vandalism, no more marches, and no more bullies. That alone would be Nirvana to me.

( This past Flag Day we didn't display our stars and stripes due to fear of violent reprisals by gone-mad political activists. )

The 37th Psalm also promises peace; which implies not only the absence of war; but also the absence of training for war; viz: martial arts and standing armies.

"They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore." (Isa 2:4)

"They shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid." (Mic 4:4)
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Lovely word to sleep on x

 

[Nicola Jane]

● Matt 5:11-12 . . Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you (falsely) because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven. Thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

The kind of abuse that Christ spoke of comes with the turf of being known as his followers.

"For to you it has been granted for Christ's sake, not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for his sake, experiencing the same conflict which you saw in me, and now hear to be in me." (Phil 1:29-30)

There is a curious passage in the book of Revelation that goes like this:

"But for the cowardly . . . their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death." (Rev 21:8)

The cowardly are people who avoid any hint of either alliance with, or allegiance to, Jesus Christ because they don't want to be branded with the social stigma, and/or endure the indignity and the mockery, that comes with being one of his followers.

"If you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name." (1Pet 4:15-17)

» One of the unavoidable negative aspects of Christianity is that when the world finds out we believe in it, they immediately begin watching to see how well we live up to it: in other words; they look for opportunities to peg us as hypocrites. Well; that comes with the turf too so we just have to bite the bullet and learn to roll with the punches, so to speak.
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yes deffo role with the punches or get knocked out
learnt this many a time and still learning x

 

[Beetow]

● Rev 19:9 . .Then he said to me: Write: Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!

The blessing is associated with the fact that John Q and Jane Doe are essentially obscure.

Politicians call us voters. Hollywood calls us box office. Sports call us fans. The media calls us tax payers. The President calls us fellow Americans. Wall Street calls us investors. The church calls us members. The police call us male and female. The military calls us civilians. The bank calls us depositors. The airlines calls us passengers, Big box stores call us shoppers.

But how many of those agencies have ever thought enough about you to add your name to the guest list of one of their wedding parties? Probably none; and that's because they don't want to know you like that.

"No one can come to me, unless the Father who sent me draws him" (John 6:44)

It's easy to assume that God would readily invite really important people to come to the marriage supper of the lamb; but John Q and Jane Doe? It's like winning the lottery.

Tragically many, too dim-witted to appreciate their good fortune, find excuses to beg off.

"The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son, and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; and they were not willing to come. Again, he sent out other servants, saying: Tell those who are invited; "See, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the wedding." But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business." (Matt 22:2-5)

"A certain man gave a great supper and invited many, and sent his servant at supper time to say to those who were invited: Come, for all things are now ready. But they all with one accord began to make excuses. The first said to him: I have bought a piece of ground, and I must go and see it. I ask you to have me excused. And another said: I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to test them. I ask you to have me excused. Still another said: I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come." (Luke 14:16-21)

Human nature is sometimes unable to appreciate its opportunities till they're lost. And then there are those who let blessings slip through their fingers by their lack of propriety.

"Then he said to his servants: The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding. So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good. And the wedding hall was filled with guests.

. . . But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment. So he said to him: Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?' And he was speechless. Then the king said to the servants: Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness-- there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." (Matt 22:7-13)

Some restaurants require that male patrons dine with a coat and tie, and should the men arrive without those items, the maitres d' usually has something on hand to loan. I'm guessing that the last-minute guests of Matt 22:7-13 arrived without a coat and tie (so to speak) and the king's butler offered to loan them whatever they needed; but they refused and attempted to crash the party. Well, you can see what that got them.

The original guests didn't appreciate their opportunity, while some of the last-minute guests refused to dress for the occasion. Either way; both missed the boat.

"For many are invited, but few are chosen." (Matt 22:14)
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[Beetow]

● Rev 20:5-6 . . Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.

One of the reasons why the first resurrection is so blessed is because the people who obtain it will rise from the dead immortal; whereas people whose return to life is delayed till the second resurrection won't be immortal.

» The thousand years are to take place right here on the current Earth prior to its obliteration, which is really to our advantage because all the places we did not, nor could not, visit and/or explore in this life will still be available to us in the next.

Also during that time, man and beast will be at peace with one another so that we'll have nothing to fear from critters like poisonous bugs, viruses, piranha, crocodiles, deadly snakes, nor big predators like lions and tigers, and bears, and wolves, etc. We will be able to tour the globe unmolested by anything normally harmful to human life, health, and safety.

In addition, according to Psalm 91, celestial beings will be assigned to protect us from falls so that those of us afraid of heights in this life won't fear them then; we'll be free to climb, hike, and explore all the really dangerous canyons and mountains that we tend to avoid for now. Drowning won't be a hazard either; nor will war and crime..

Immortality coupled with angelic body guards can't get any better than that. Man, I am really looking forward to God getting those thousand years up and running.
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[Beetow]

● Rev 22:7 . . Behold, I am coming quickly. Blessed are they who heed the words of the prophecy of this book.

The English word "quickly" is misleading and tends to give the wrong impression. The Greek word is tachu (takh-oo') which is an ambiguous word that can mean: shortly, without delay, soon, suddenly, and or readily.

The best selection is suddenly.

"For as the lightning lights up the entire sky, so it will be when the Son of Man comes." (Matt 24:27)

Lightning flashes don't gradually increase in brightness like a dining room chandelier on a dimmer switch; no, lightning flashes fully illuminate the sky practically instantaneously; and so it will be with the Lord's arrival: one second he's not here, the next second: bang! he's on-site.

This might be a good place to interject a parable that was told of ten young girls. (Matt 25:1-13)

In a nutshell, all ten were stationed with lamps along the parade route of a wedding procession to assist in guiding the groom and his guests to find their way to the location where a reception was to be held.

That poor parable has been spun, metaphored, analogized, and spiritualized in every detail imaginable while missing the obvious; which is very simple.

The five girls who ran out of oil for their lamps made the mistake of abandoning their posts to go on errand in search of oil supplies instead of keeping their watch. By the time they returned, the procession was all inside and the doors were shut for the night thus causing the girls to miss out on all the fun, food, and festivity.

Alas; the lasses let themselves be distracted by a trifle, thus neglecting that which mattered most. We would say they fiddled while Rome burned all 'round them, i.e. they majored on a minor.

"Keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him." (Matt 24:42-44)

"Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent. Therefore if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you." (Rev 3:3)

» Some of the "words of the prophecy of this book" that are no doubt certain to be proven useful to just about anybody are the ones below:

"I watched as the Lamb broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake. The sun became as dark as black cloth, and the moon became as red as blood. Then stars of the sky fell to the earth like green figs falling from trees shaken by mighty winds. And the sky was rolled up like a scroll and taken away. And all of the mountains and all of the continents disappeared.

. . .Then the kings of the earth, the rulers, the generals, the wealthy people, the people with great power, and every slave and every free person-- all hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains. And they cried to the mountains and the rocks: Fall on us and hide us from the face of the one who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb. For the great day of their wrath has come, and who will be able to survive?" (Rev 6:12-17)

To be fore-warned is to be fore-armed.

"A prudent person foresees the danger ahead and takes precautions; the simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences." (Prov 22:3)
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[Beetow]

● Rev 22:14-15 . . Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city.

I ran into a bit of a problem with that passage. The Greek text used to translate my English versions doesn't contain words for "wash their robes". They're apparently an arbitrary editorial insertion, i.e. they're penciled in. Some versions say "do his commandments" but those words are arbitrary too.

So then, just to play it safe, I suggest it might be a good idea to edit that passage so it reads like this:

"Blessed are those who have the right to the tree of life, and may go through the gates into the city."

The city in view is a brand spanking new Jerusalem constructed off-site in heaven and then lowered into position on a brand new earth. (Rev 21:1-27). In the past, a new Jerusalem was re-constructed atop the ruins of a former Jerusalem, but not this one. The new Earth is fresh and new; there are no ruins anywhere on it to be found.

According to Gen 3:22, the tree of life sustains immortality; which pertains to the body rather than the soul or spirit. The tree of life is also a good remedy for whatever ails you. (Rev 22:2)

The tree is located inside the walls of the new city so that in order to take advantage of the tree's benefits, people have to first get past the gates. Not just anyone is admitted who wants in. Immigration is tightly controlled.

"Outside are the dogs-- those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices dishonesty." (Rev 22:15)

"Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life." (Rev 21:27)

People whose names are not written in the Lamb's book of life won't be able to enter the city primarily because prior to the city's installation; the rejects will all be terminated by a mode of death akin to a foundry worker falling into a kettle of molten iron.

"Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life.

. . .The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire." (Rev 20:11-15)
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