Psalm 39 is a great example.  Twice the text says “Each man’s life is but a breath. Selah” (5, 11)  This is a point that should be pondered, for it will bring forth prayers like the ones in this poem.  “Show me, O LORD, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting is my life.” (4)  And it will force us to the same commitment David makes in the midst of this pondering, “Now, Lord, what do I look for? My hope is in you.” (7)  Another great example is found in Psalm 49 – one of my all-time favorites.  Here we are reminded again that people are temporal; despite their wealth or fame they perish. Selah! (See verse 12-13)  But the good news is “God will redeem my life from the grave; he will surely take me to himself.”  Think about that! (15)  Both places where our word appears in this chapter are great points to ponder.  All of us are temporal, and our only hope is God’s redemption.

But I wonder if Dr. Alden isn’t rolling over in his grave, for the NIV2011 has left that word out of its translation. (Selah!)  The translation committee, who claim the very words of scripture are inspired by God, totally ignored this word, seventy-one times!  I’m not one to say that every word has to correspond to something in English; that would be naïve.  When the original meaning can be conveyed in fewer English words than Hebrew or Greek, then the translators have the option of using fewer words.  In such a case the words are not ignored; they are taken seriously and their meaning is considered.  However, this matter of “selah” is something entirely different.  This word is simply ignored in the text – a point that, in my mind, goes against their own stated translation theory.  Since I have tried to use “selah” as a reminder to slow down and ponder, I have already missed it terribly in my reading of various psalms this year.  I’ve started going through and writing it in by hand a few pages ahead of where I’m reading, so I will be reminded to meditate on the Word.  If my readers can’t tell from my tone, this point is a huge negative on the NIV2011, and will weigh heavily in my decision of which translation to preach out of in the future.

The past few weeks I have been attending a new church – a Baptist church – that is much closer to me.  Because I am new, I’ve been paying attention to doctrine … and something finally hit me last night in our Sunday night get together.  In his sermon, the pastor mentioned that he did not believe there would be any salvation after the Rapture.  That “Even if you want to believe, you will not be able to.”  That God would not permit it.

Something about that rubbed me the wrong way.  So I decided to look through Revelation.  Right away, I found in Revelation 7 the image John writes about the Multitude from every nation and every tongue, washed clean and clothed in white robes … washed clean by the Blood of the Lamb and by the Great Tribulation.  This seems to me to describe that people will find Christ in the end times … in fact, a multitude beyond count will!

Glenn, could you offer any opinion or insight you have on this?

Thank you!

Dear _______,  It’s good to hear from you.

This whole area of what will happen during the Tribulation is a complicated one.  I grew up being taught one perspective, and have, over the years, migrated to another.  You can read many reasons for that transition in my blog by clicking on the Eschatology category link.  Not all those posts are about that matter in particular, mostly just the older ones.  Basically, I have become convinced that what we call the Rapture will take place after the Great Tribulation, not before it.  Again, it’s complicated, and related to some other major theological matters, but in it’s simplest form, I find Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 24:29-31, and the parallel in Mark 13, to be the clearest teaching about the time of the Rapture.  It will take place after what Jesus calls “a great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now – and never to be equaled again.”  I am assuming from your question that your pastor teaches that the Rapture will happen before the Great Tribulation.  If that is untrue, then much of what follows doesn’t apply.

Within my framework of understanding, your interpretation of Revelation 7 makes perfectly good sense (though some of that multitude will have been saved before the Tribulation).  I’m sure your pastor would have some other explanation for it.  The trouble with Revelation is that one’s end-time theology (that what “Eschatology” means) impacts the way it is interpreted more than the other way around.  When it comes to interpreting Revelation, I would be leery of anyone who can’t admit that.  Everyone admits that the book is full of symbolism, but just where the literal ends and the symbolism begins is not real clear.  And this is just one point where so many interpretations of Revelation are possible!

My perspective is that these matters are minor in comparison to some other issues.  However, these matters impact how we understand other theological issues, and visa-versa.  I don’t know that I’m familiar with the perspective your pastor is teaching, but it would make me question some other areas carefully.  Someone could come to that conclusion because they have what I might call a “hyper-dispensational” theology or because their understanding of the Gospel is different that what I believe the Bible teaches.  I grew up under dispensational teaching, but am no longer a dispensationalist; however, most who are dispensational are committed to the true Gospel, that is salvation is always a matter of grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone, and that is true in every era of history.  Some who call themselves dispensational, believe that God saves people in different ways throughout different eras of history.  Various views of this nature could lead to an understanding that no one can be saved during the Tribulation.

If this is where your pastor is coming from, I would be careful about what he believes is salvation.  Please note, I’m not saying he must have an errant view of salvation, I’m just saying, if it were me, I would pay close attention.  Even some whom I might call “hyper-dispensational” teach the true message of salvation in this era, but might believe it to be something else in other eras.  Personally I find that inconsistent, but I’m sure there are those who believe that way.

Finally, your comment “Even if you want to believe, you will not be able to.  God would not permit it” opens another big theological “can of worms” and demonstrates how different areas of theology impact our understanding of this matter.  This quote seems to confess that God is sovereign over salvation, but indicates that some who want God to save them cannot be saved.  Those two matters are totally inconsistent in my understanding.  I believe God is sovereign over matters of salvation, and that God draws to Jesus those who will be saved.  Jesus’ words in John 6:37, 44 are sufficient to prove this.  In other words, if someone wants to be saved, God is drawing him.  This last matter could take up shelves of theology books, and, in the past it has!

In conclusion, this is probably a minor issue (unless, of course, the pastor there makes it a major one), and if everything else lines with scripture, then this would not be a deal breaker.  If he makes it a major one, then I would carefully check out these other matters as well.  By the way, what he is telling you is not a Baptist distinctive, so don’t connect those in your mind.

Blessings, Pastor Glenn

Notice the pattern:  In chapter 12 verses 11-13, Abraham calls Sarai his sister and not his wife.  In verse 16 Abraham was treated well for her sake and Pharaoh gave him livestock and servants; in other words, Abraham was blessed financially because he lied about his wife.  In verses 19-20 Pharaoh discovers the lie and sends Abraham away, but the very next paragraph (13:1-2) tells us that Abraham became even more wealthy.  When Abraham lied about his wife the second time, he was again blessed with livestock, slaves and silver (ch20).  Finally, when Isaac follows his father’s sin and calls Rebekah his sister, the discovery of the lie is once again followed by a statement of the man’s wealth (26:1-13).  In later years we could add Jacob to this list.  Though he and his father-in-law were constantly trying to out deceive each other, Jacob was made a rich man.  God blessed these men because he chose to do so and promised that he would.  He fulfilled that promise, not because of their faithfulness, but in because of his faithfulness in the midst of their unfaithfulness.

That should encourage those of us who doubt God’s promise because of our sin and unfaithfulness.  God keeps his word, in spite of us.  When the Bible says those who trust in Jesus have eternal life, it is true, even when we sin.

On a translation note, this is where a looser thought-for-thought translation has an advantage over a strict word-for-word.  It can bring out a richer meaning, which, in some cases may be closer to the original idea.  Or, in the very least, can spark a deeper thought in the reader.  I’ll give my vote to the NIV in this case.

Your lovingkindness, O LORD, extends to the heavens, Your faithfulness reaches to the skies.  . . .  How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God!  (NASB)

Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds.  . . .  How precious is your steadfast love, O God!  (ESV)

Lord, Your faithful love [reaches] to heaven, Your faithfulness to the skies.  .  .  .  God, Your faithful love is so valuable that people  . . .  (HCSB – Notice they didn’t end the thought where the other translators did)

Your love, O LORD, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies.  . . .  How priceless is your unfailing love! (NIV1984 – Notice how they added an extra English word to the second usage of the Hebrew to help get the meaning across)  The NIV2011 changes it to “Your love, LORD, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies.  . . .  How priceless is your unfailing love, O God!  The translators dropped the “O” on Lord and added the “O God” at the end.  The first change seems to lessen the impact.  The second is consistent with other translations, but if they are going to drop “O” as an expression, why did they use it here?  This seems inconsistent.  Finally, notice that they stick with the simple “love.”

God’s love is amazing; let’s thank him that it is an eternally faithful and precious love.  Today the ESV gets my vote, as “steadfast love,” in my opinion, gets the point across better than any other.  This word is so important in the Psalms that this vote will be weighed more heavily in my mind compared to some others.

Everyone seems to be making a Christmas list, so I decided to also.  Most of those lists are things people want to receive for Christmas, but this list is what I believe about Christmas.  This list is my “Top Ten Verses about Christmas (that aren’t really Christmas verses)!”  These verses aren’t thought of as a part of the Christmas story, but they explain the reasons God sent his Son – why Jesus had to come.  (NIV except as noted)

#10  1 John 3:8 (ESV)  The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.

#9  Mark 10:45  The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve,  and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

#8  Luke 19:10  The Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.

#7  John 3:17  God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

#6  1 Timothy 1:15  Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners – of whom I am the worst.

#5  1 John 3:5  He appeared so that he might take away our sins.

#4  1 Peter 1:20  He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake.  (2 Tim 1:9 is similar, but I skipped it here because it is my text for Christmas Sunday morning)

#3  John 1:17  The law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

#2  Titus 2:11  The grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men.

#1  2 Corinthians 8:9  You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,  that though he was rich,  yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.

Notice the repetition of these themes: Jesus came to save sinners; Jesus came to take away sin; Jesus came for our sakes.  All of these are a part of God’s amazing grace, and that grace is explicitly spelled out in the last few verses.  In Christmas, God gave us what we don’t deserve.  That’s what Christmas is all about Charlie Brown!

The reason this is a great Christmas passage is because of verse 10 that follows.  This grace, which was already given to us, “now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.”  Jesus’ coming to earth, his life, death and resurrection (i.e. the gospel), was a revelation in time of God’s eternal grace.  That is why the whole Christmas story is such good news.  God’s grace makes it all worth celebrating!

So I close with my favorite Christmas verse: “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.”  (2 Cor 8:9 ESV)  Have a merry Christmas, secure in God’s grace.

First, I wanted to warn the congregation that if they purchase an NIV they will not be buying the same Bible they’ve used for years.  When the NIV2011 recently came out, Zondervan, or maybe the translators, opted to give no indication in the packaging that this is a completely redone translation.  This is not a minor update, like the one in 1984, as there are differences everywhere, yet the cover and the box give no indication that this is an updated version.  The only way I could tell I was purchasing a 2011 version was to open the box and read the small print on the copyright page.  This appears to me to be a shady marketing scheme.  The publishers seem to be riding on the popularity of the NIV1984 while being afraid of the failure of the TNIV, and they are hoping to sell lots of Bibles without the purchasers realizing what they are buying.  Some people in the congregation have already told me they’ve done that.  The shelf at the Christian bookstore was full of NIVs and everyone I opened to look at was the 2011 edition, yet not one gave any indication of that fact.  The NASB made a major update in 1995, but for years after the cover of the NASB said ‘NASB Updated Edition” so the buyers would know what they were getting.  I understand that languages change and that Bible translations need occasional revisions, but when the changes are this dramatic, the reader needs to know.  I praise Christian Book Distributers since they indicate in the catalog which NIV they are selling under each catalog number.  If you want to find an NIV1984, look there.

Second, and I don’t think I made this point clear on Sunday, the NIV1984 is now out of print.  So the readers, and the preachers are forced to switch translations.  I said I would be deciding in the next year what Bible to preach from, and some people asked me why I would switch at all.  It is because we are being forced to switch by those who have decided not to print the NIV1984 any longer.  If the changes made in 2011 were small changes it wouldn’t matter, but because they are so abundant, everyone in the pew using a 1984 edition and following a preacher with a 2011 edition (or visa-versa) will notice and wonder why the differences.

Third, I let the congregation know that I will be reading through the NIV2011 for my devotions and private reading in 2012, and, sometime during that year, deciding whether to switch to that version for preaching or to the ESV.  I have been reading the ESV for the past two years, and am getting quite fond of it.  As someone who grew up on the NASB, the ESV, at least in places, feels somewhat like coming home, without all the archaic language.  I know many exegetical preachers with Reformed leanings, like me, have switched to the ESV in recent years.  This is not a decision I will take lightly.  I have been preaching out of the NIV for about 24 years and have memorized thousands of verses out of it, so any switch I make will be difficult for me too.  However, I want to give the congregation plenty of warning, so the y don’t just show up one week and find I’m using an unfamiliar Bible.  I will keep them (and you) posted as I read, and will tell them weeks in advance before the switch, so they can choose to purchase a new Bible if they wish.

Fourth, I told the congregation that I am currently leaning toward the ESV for two reasons.  The worldly marketing scheme that Zondervan seems to be following is one I don’t want to support with my congregation’s dollars.  And the NIV2011 translators opted to use the plural pronouns “they” and “them” for singular nouns in some cases.  I understand the argument of common usage and see why they chose to go that direction, but that usage has always grated on my nerves, regardless of how common it might be, and personally, I would have a hard time with it.

The NIV has been a great translation.  It does a marvelous job of balancing literalness with the need to clarify some meanings, and it captured the language of my generation better than any other attempt at Bible translation.  It’s no wonder that it’s been so popular.  I have been a fan for years; I even got on the waiting list to get a first print, first edition 1978 NIV; it was the first Bible I ever read all the way through; the NIV had a profound influence on my Christian walk; but, alas, all good things must come to an end.  I hope to publish some of my thoughts over the next months on theses pages, so you can keep up with my travels in this regard.

This is an especially good exercise when we see our sin and are feeling beat up with guilt.  Then the truths of the Gospel can minster to our emotions; we need to feel the impact of God’s grace and forgiveness.

When Satan tempts me to despair and tells me of the guilt within,
Upward I look and see Him there, who made an end of all my sin.

Because the sinless Savior died, my sinful soul is counted free.
For God the just is satisfied to look on Him and pardon me.
– Charitie Bancroft

Treasures of the Snow is a story written for preteens and early teenagers.  There is great character development in the narrative, and as we read, we really got into the characters’ lives and problems.  Though the resolution of the story is somewhat simplistic because of the intended audience, even the eventual heroes are not perfect people, as is often found in Christian books, especially children’s stories.  These people are real with life-like problems.  Even the adolescent characters, Annette and Lucien, struggle with laziness, fears, bitterness, hatred and revenge.  Readers of all ages will fall in love with Annette’s father, the soft spoken and hard working Monsieur Burnier; with Annette’s aging grandmother, who sees more and more with her mind though less and less with her eyes; and with the happy-go-lucky young Dani, whose accident becomes the focal point of a huge battle of bitterness and revenge.

Ultimately, that’s what the book is about, bitterness and revenge.  It is a tale that draws the readers in and captivates them for the duration of the story and the lessons it presents.  Even when one thinks all might be forgiven and the story is almost over, Mrs. St John has a surprise in store.  If you have preteens or early teenagers, read this book to them.  Even if you have older teenagers, try to convince them to turn off the phone and read or listen to this story.  You’ll be glad you did.