Proper 27 – Year C
Sermon Notes from the Church’s Ministry Among Jewish People
RCL Readings[1] – Job 19:23-27a; Psalm 17:1-9; II Thessalonians 2:1-5, 13-17; Luke 20:27-38
ACNA Readings – Job 19:23-27a; Psalm 17; II Thessalonians 2:13-3:5; Luke 20:27-38
Seasonal Introduction. This season is often called “Ordinary Time,” a term derived from ordinal, meaning “numbered” or “in sequence.” However, there is nothing ordinary about this time. Rather, it is a time when we may reflect on how God (starting on Trinity Sunday and ending with Christ the King Sunday) has been at work in our own lives, the lives of his people, and how he will continue to work in the days to come. Ordinary Time is a season when we are invited to perceive the mystery of God at work in our daily lives, in the ordinary, in the mundane.
Common Theme. God is a God of the living. He redeems us from death and our enemies.
Hebraic Context. How important is the grammar and linguistics of the Bible? Should every Christian be able to read and interpret Hebrew, Aramaic[2], and Greek biblical texts? Often, it is wise to read the text with its simple meaning. A plain translation of the text may be more accurate to what was written than an in-depth linguistic study of each word and the breadth of its possible meanings.
For example: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” These seven words (in Hebrew) have been studied, pulled apart, and put back together by scholars throughout the centuries. But the nine word translation (in English) probably conveys the meaning more clearly than a three-hundred page dissertation on the same seven words (in Hebrew). Why is a particular word used in a poem? It might be as simple as the poet choosing the word that best fits the poem’s structure—it may have also been an incredibly important reference to the Torah or a prophetic statement.
Words have particular connotations within the language, time, and place in which it was used. Christians, among other scholars, may gradually interpret a word according to prior interpretations, so that its meaning comes to reflect theological concerns rather than the word’s original sense. For instance, few Christians today would think of the term “gospel” within its original meaning: news of a decisive military victory.[3]
Finally, the grammar of Scripture was examined minutely by Jewish scholars who believed that every word of sacred Scripture was important, for it was written under God’s direction. This study of grammar was also used by the writers of the New Testament to convey clear theological points to the early Jewish and Torah attentive readers of the Church.
Exodus 19:1-2 says that in the 3rd month after leaving Egypt, the Israelites came to Sinai and made camp. What’s interesting about verse 2 is that it says Israel made camp twice. Jewish sages read the Biblical text with a fine-tooth comb, so the question was raised: why does the text mention they made camp twice? A closer look reveals that the first time they made camp the verb appears in the plural יַּחֲנוּ (they camped) but the second time it shifts to the singular, יִּחַן (he, or Israel, camped). Only when Israel was united as one did God reveal Himself to them.
From this, we learn that unity is important. The sages taught that Israel finally stopped fighting among themselves. They stopped squabbling over tents and food portions. They ceased their argument and gathered together in true unity. They were united for the first time since they left Egypt, they were one; unity, it seems, attracts Almighty God.
Can such a minor grammatical change in the text really be so significant? This detail was only noted in the third century AD[4] and may not seem important at first glance. And yet Luke uses the same logic and argument as the Jewish sages as he records in Acts 2. Only when the Church came together in one place—in one accord—did the Holy Spirit come and dwell among His people.[5] While the explicit teaching on the grammatical shift in Exodus 19:1-2 may not appear in writing until the 3rd century AD, Luke’s implicit use indicates that these ideas were taught and reflected upon before or during Jesus’ ministry and that of the disciples.
Grammar was also used in arguments regarding the resurrection. The Sadducees accepted only the five books of Moses as authoritative Scripture. The theology of bodily resurrection is most prominent in the Davidic Psalms, the post-exilic prophets, and historical accounts in the chronicles of the kings.[6] The Pharisees recognized that God’s word included not only the five books of Moses but also the Prophets and the Writings. They also believed in a physical resurrection.
The successors of the Pharisees declared that any who do not believe in the resurrection of the body would have no share in the world-to-come. While they drew resurrection theology from the Psalms and the prophets, they also used grammar in the Torah to argue that even in the books of Moses there is a clear argument for the resurrection of the body.[7]
Rabbi Yoḥanan used Numbers 18:28 as an argument for resurrection, “So you shall also present a contribution to the LORD from all your tithes, which you receive from the people of Israel. And from it you shall give the LORD’s contribution to Aaron the priest.” These tithes would be gathered from the inheritance of the promised land—Canaan. But Aaron died before the people entered Canaan. Rabbi Yoḥanan argues that Moses did not write “to Aaron’s descendants” but “to Aaron the priest.”[8]
Likewise, Rabbi Simai argued from Exodus 6:4, “I also established my covenant with them to give [the patriarch, Abraham, Isaac, and to Jacob] the land of Canaan, the land in which they lived as sojourners.” In this life, the patriarchs lived as sojourners in Canaan. But one day, they would live in the land of Israel.[9] Gamaliel is recorded as making the same argument from Deuteronomy 11:21, “You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, that your days and the days of your children may be multiplied in the land that the LORD swore to your fathers to give them, as long as the heavens are above the earth.” Not only would the children of the patriarchs live in the promised land, so too would the patriarchs live in the land—although they had died hundreds of years earlier.[10] Jesus used similar grammar to make a theological argument to the Sadducees. Jesus turned to Exodus 3:6 to make His point. “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.”
Jesus used the grammar to make a point that God was still the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.[11] If there is no life after death, then He would have only been their God while they yet lived—except that they still lived, for there is life after death. Biblical grammar is not just technical requirements for communication—this communication is God’s theology revealed to us. While we should not be side-tracked in minutiae from the essential message of God, nor should we ignore the details that the prophets, Jesus, and the apostles deemed important.
Job 19:23-27a. Very few historical resurrections occurred in Scripture. The first resurrection is in I Kings 17, when Elijah raised a widow’s son in the land of the Phoenicians. In II Kings 4, Elisha raised the Shunammite’s son. Later, in II Kings 13, a random Israelite man is raised to life after being thrown in Elisha’s tomb. In each of these, not even the name of those raised to life is provided. And yet, the prophets boldly spoke of resurrection while individuals confidently lived with full belief in God’s redemptive power—including bodily resurrection.
Traditionally, Abraham believed that God could raise Isaac from the dead.[12] Hannah spoke of God both bringing down to Sheol and raising up; killing and bringing to life.[13] David spoke of hope after death in the resurrection.[14] Isaiah and Daniel were both explicit concerning the resurrection.[15] Job joined this chorus as he looked to his redeemer.
But Job also knew that the hand of God was upon him. When God struck Egypt with the third plague, the magicians of Egypt could not emulate His power and said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.”[16] But when God destroyed the might and power of Egypt at the crossing of the Reed Sea, “Israel saw the mighty hand of the LORD,” for “Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore.”[17] The idea developed that if the finger of God could strike Egypt with plagues that the Egyptian gods and magicians could neither reproduce nor stop, then the full hand of God must be even more powerful.
God declared in Isaiah 14:25-27,
“I will break the Assyrian in My land, and on My mountains trample him underfoot; and his yoke shall depart from them, and his burden from their shoulder.” This is the purpose that is purposed concerning the whole earth, and this is the hand that is stretched out over all the nations. For the LORD of hosts has purposed, and who will annul it? His hand is stretched out, and who will turn it back?”
Job turned to his friends and asked them to be gracious to him. He had lost his wealth, his family, and his health—”for the hand of God has touched me!” It is at this time that Job declares, “I know that my Redeemer lives.” Because the Scriptures constantly speak of God desiring to dwell among His people, it can be easy to read the next phrase in light of this: “And at the last, He will stand upon the earth.” But at the end, it is not the earth that Job’s redeemer stands on, but upon dust.
Genesis 3:19 states, “For you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” Job had a special relationship with dust.[18] Lamenting the brevity of life, Job said, “One dies in his full vigor, being wholly at ease and secure, his pails full of milk and the marrow of his bones moist. Another dies in bitterness of soul, never having tasted of prosperity. They lie down alike in the dust and the worms cover them.”[19] Elihu stated that, if God willed, He could destroy all flesh “and man would return to dust.”[20] But thankfully, God does not act wickedly or with injustice.
In all of this, Job still had the confidence to declare that “after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another.” Job believed in a bodily resurrection and a God who would both redeem him and raise him up to see God for himself.
Psalm 17:1-9.[21] David’s poetic ability is fully displayed in Psalm 17, where he uses various body parts as metaphorical and anthropomorphic imagery to describe the judgment of God. David calls on the LORD in Psalm 17:1 to hear his cry—to “give ear to my prayer from lips free of deceit.” Many have ears, yet do not hear.[22] To hear is also to respond: “I call upon You, for You will answer me, O God; incline Your ear to me; hear my words.”[23]
David turns to the eyes next: “From before Your face let my judgment come, let Your eyes behold the right!” But God is not the only one to set His eyes on David; the wicked “set their eyes to cast us to the ground.”[24] They were not able to cast David down, for God guards him “as the apple of Your eye” and hides him “in the shadow of Your wings.”[25]
The shadow of God’s wings is consistently used as an idiom to speak of shelter, refuge, and help.[26] Shadows may be used as an idiom for something ephemeral and insubstantial in English; this can also be true in Hebrew. [27] However, most often when Scripture speaks of shadows—or shade—it refers to protection, such as from the storms of winter and the burning heat of summer. While God keeps His people hidden from dangers, the wicked also hide—but they hide like a lion lying secretly in ambush.[28]
In Psalm 17:3-4, David connects the heart and the mouth. These are frequently linked, as Jesus said, “out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.”[29] David speaks of God trying the heart and David’s choice not to transgress with his mouth. The wicked, however, “close their hearts to pity; with their mouths they speak arrogantly.”[30] But David is saved “by the word of Your lips." It is by the grace of God that the ways of the violent do not harm us. David declares that “my steps have held fast to Your paths.” Meanwhile, the wicked “have now surrounded our steps.”[31] But David’s feet do not slip from the path of God.
Finally, God’s mighty right hand protects all those who seek Him—God is merciful.[32] But He is also able to confront the wicked and subdue them with His mighty hand.[33] Does God have ears, eyes, lips, wings, and hands? Both Judaism and Christianity clearly teach that God has no human form (at least, not until Jesus “came down from heaven, and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man.”) But through his poetic verse, David was able to speak of the judgment of God for both the righteous and the wicked—to the one, protection, and to the other, confrontation.
Psalm 17:15 concludes David’s poem, “As for me, I shall behold Your face in righteousness; when I awake, I shall be satisfied with Your likeness.” Exodus 33:20 states: “Man shall not see me and live,” and John 1:18 likewise declares: “No one has ever seen God.”[34]
David uses an interesting word for “awake.” Five separate times it is used in Scripture to speak of death[35]—several times in direct reference to bodily resurrection: “Your dead shall live; their bodies shall rise. You who dwell in the dust, awake and sing for joy! For your dew is a dew of light, and the earth will give birth to the dead.”[36] And again: “Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.”[37] David knew he would have to leave his worldly possessions to his children, yet he did not despair of losing everything in this world—unlike Solomon’s later reflection in Ecclesiastes—for he would be fully satisfied in seeing the likeness of God.
II Thessalonians 2:1-5, 13-17.[38] Satan constantly seeks to deceive God’s people “with all power and false signs and wonders.”[39] There are many false prophets and teachers throughout the Bible, along with warnings about them.[40] Deuteronomy 18:20-22 tells us that if a prophet spoke falsely—if their prophecy did not come to pass—the people should not be afraid of him. Additionally, if a prophet spoke falsely—speaking in the name of other gods—that prophet was to be put to death. Deuteronomy 13:1-5 elaborates that their prophecy could even come to pass, and yet they would still be false if they led people away from God.
Living in Israel today, it’s incredible how many self-proclaimed prophets[41] walk up to me, eager to persuade me of something contrary to Scripture—sometimes these individuals have tens of thousands of followers on Instagram, Tiktok, and Youtube. The vast majority of these prophecies speak about the last days. Incredibly, even after their prophecies fail, their followers allow the excuses, recalculations, and charisma to prevail and continue to listen to the false prophet. This deception was no doubt as harmful to the Thessalonians in the first century as it is to us in the twenty-first century.
Paul tells the Thessalonians not to be alarmed by false teaching regarding the day of the Lord. Paul had taught at length about death and resurrection in his first letter to the Thessalonians.[42] His teaching should have brought hope to the church of Thessaloniki: ”So we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words.”[43] But the false prophets were using Paul’s teaching to spread dread and alarm.
I Thessalonians 5:2, “the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night,” is often used to speak of the unknown date of the return of Jesus. The Thessalonians should have understood this, even if there are other passages that speak more clearly about the unknown date when the Son of Man will come on the clouds of heaven with the full authority God gave Him. Matthew 24:29-36 is clearest: “Concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.” But I Thessalonians 5:2 isn’t just a warning that we don’t know the date; it is also a warning to be prepared. Matthew 24 goes on to say that if we knew the time, we would stay awake—alert, faithful, and wise.[44]
Paul told the Thessalonians to be sober, and to put on the breastplate of faith and love along, with the helmet of salvation in hope.[45] This hope is great! For God chose the brethren, beloved by the Lord, and sanctified them “by the Spirit and belief in the truth.” I Thessalonians 4:3-8 elaborates on how the Thessalonians should continue in their sanctification—abstaining from sexual immorality.
Paul continues to urge the Thessalonians in his second epistle “to stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us.” Several passages speak of traditions in a very negative light: “See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition.”[46] But just as many passages speak of the traditions taught by the Apostles as very important to follow: “Now I commend you because you remember me in everything and maintain the traditions even as I delivered them to you.”[47] Paul concludes with a benediction in II Thessalonians 2:16-17. If Satan and his followers sowed alarm, God loves us and brings us comfort and hope through grace. God delivers us from the wicked, for He is faithful.
Luke 20:27-38. Jesus’ journey from Galilee to Jerusalem had come to an end. Jesus’ prophetic words, spoken when He set His face toward Jerusalem, were about to come true: “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.” Jerusalem was a city charged with political maneuverings and corruption. Religious power was bought and sold, and morals were compromised (or even laid aside) in Jerusalem and the Temple. Whereas the Galilean Pharisees were fellow teachers, social peers, and occasional allies of Jesus, the Pharisees of Jerusalem maintained a tenuous alliance with their longtime enemies, the Sadducees.[48]
Although the Sadducees held religious power in Jerusalem, they were not popular among the Jewish populace; Jesus was extremely popular. Having failed to provoke the reaction they wanted through questions of political halachah, they turned to theological riddles—likely to make Jesus look foolish. The fact that the later Rabbis—following the Pharisaic tradition—intentionally chose arguments from the books of Moses to counter Sadducean heresy indicates that this was a common dispute.[49] The Sadducees likely believed they had discovered a clever argument—one that not even the Pharisees or Scribes could counter—based on an obscure passage about levirate marriage.
Inheritance was of utmost importance in the time of Moses, throughout the kingdom of Israel, and in the time of Jesus.[50] Psalm 127:3 states, “Children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward.” Children and land were the most important inheritance in a family, so what happened when a man died before he received his heritage from God? Deuteronomy 25:5-10 may seem very odd in our culture. In it, if a man died without a child, his brother would marry the widow and provide a child. The firstborn son would be counted as the heir of the deceased rather than of his biological father. We see this in action in the story of Ruth. Boaz was a relative of Ruth’s first husband but not the closest relative. When the prescribed redeemer chose to not marry Ruth, “lest I impair my own inheritance,” Boaz was free to marry Ruth.
The riddle that the Sadducees posed was this: What would happen if a woman married seven brothers in succession? Whose wife would she be in the World-to-Come? Jesus first makes a distinction between those of this age and those of the age to come. Hedonistic pleasure in light of death is a common practice.[51] While “sons of this age” may not strictly refer to unbelievers, Jesus used the same phrase in Luke 16:8 when contrasting the “sons of light”—the Dead Sea community that isolated themselves from the world to live in their own imposed righteousness—with the “sons of this age,” those who lived in (and as part of) a corrupt society.
Jesus continues by declaring that there is neither marriage nor death in the World-to-Come. That there is no death in the World-to-Come was clear, “He will swallow up death forever.”[52] Although the Scriptures contain no explicit statement that there is no marriage in the World-to-Come, the Mishnah also states that there will be “no procreation” there.[53] Likewise, Scripture nowhere explicitly states that those in the World-to-Come will be equal to angels. In this world, we are called “a little lower than the angels.”[54] II Baruch, written around the time of the few remaining Apostles or early Church Fathers, speaks of the day when the righteous will be transformed into the splendor of angels.[55]
The Scriptures often speak of the righteous as the sons of God. Hosea 1:10 states, “And in the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ it shall be said to them, ‘Children of the living God.’” Israel was always to be the sons of the LORD God.[56] Indeed, all who endure to the end and conquer will be called sons of God.[57]
Having answered the Sadducean riddle, Jesus went directly to the heart of the matter. Jesus used a grammatical argument from the Exodus, one of the five books the Sadducees accepted as Scripture, to state that God is the God of the living and not of the dead. It is not that those who have died no longer have a God, but that those who have died in this life are, in truth, still living. This was no mere hypothetical for Jesus. His journey was not only to go to Jerusalem “and be killed,” but also “and on the third day be raised.”
Hebraic Perspective. God is continuously carrying out His redemptive work throughout the Scriptures—He delivers and restores His people. Redemption isn’t generally a single act; it leads to something greater. Israel’s exodus from Egypt was redemptive, but it wasn’t simply to free the Israelites from slavery. God brought them out of Egypt so that He might dwell among them as their God and Father.
The story of Ruth shows the importance of a redeemer. Deuteronomy 25:5-10 may seem foreign to us: “If brothers dwell together, and one of them dies and has no son, the wife of the dead man shall not be married outside the family to a stranger. Her husband’s brother shall go in to her and take her as his wife and perform the duty of a husband’s brother to her.” Both Naomi and Ruth experienced incredible loss and were left in great need. The custom detailed in Deuteronomy 25:5-10 wasn’t simply a legal formality. As Boaz learned of his responsibilities, he acted as a redeemer—leading to restoration. It also led to the birth of David and, ultimately, the Messiah.
Job looked to His redeemer, the One who would stand on his grave[58]—the lowest place Job could go—and yet restore Job to a far greater place. Job would see God with his own eyes. David, in Psalm 17, also believed that he would see God when he awoke [from death]. This was God’s judgment regarding David—not a judgment of condemnation but one of protection and redemption.
In Luke 20:27-38, the question of redemption in a levirate marriage was itself married to the truth of the resurrection. From Job’s longing to Ruth and Boaz’s faithfulness, from the psalmist’s cry to Jesus’ triumph over death, the thread of redemption runs through Scripture as a story still unfolding. The Redeemer lives. He stands at the end of all things—and in every moment between. To know Him is to walk in that living hope, awaiting the day when the righteous will awaken to behold His face and be satisfied with His likeness.
Endnotes
[1] Alternative RCL Readings: Haggai 2:1-9; Psalm 145:1-4, 17-21 or Psalm 98
[2] Achaemenid, or Imperial, Aramaic was used to write parts of Daniel and Ezra.
[3] Good News, sometimes translated as “The Gospel” is ευαγγελιον (evangelion) in Greek and בשר (basar) in Hebrew. Evangelion was usually good news of victory brought by runners, messengers (αγγελος, angels, or ευαγγελιστης, evangelists), or even ambassadors after a battle. The term is rare in Greek literature, though found on many stelae, and occurs more frequently in the New Testament than in all other Greek writings (excluding the Church Fathers).
The Hebrew, בשר, is similarly used in the common, military context in the Hebrew narratives of Scripture. However, the Psalms, Prophets and apocryphal books extend this good news to be something greater. Many things can be good news, but, as related in Midrash Psalm 147 ב, the good news and the kingdom of God are related, “When the Almighty reigns, all things are good tidings…” Isaiah 52:7 also clearly connects the Good News with the Kingdom of Heaven, “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns.’”
Whether it is Isaiah 40:9-10, 52:7 (and Nahum 1:15), 61:1-4, Psalm 96, Psalms of Solomon 11:1-2, or 11Q13 (where the messenger is the Messiah Himself), the Gospel isn’t simply the word for good news, Hebraically it is the good news that God is reigning. As the victorious King, He will not bring more war, death, and taxes; rather, He will bring peace, salvation, and healing.
[4] Mekhilta deRabbi Yishmael, BaChodesh 1.23
[5] Luke uses the sounds and sights on Mount Sinai—when God gave the law that the Israelites might live and in order that He, a holy God, could live among them—as a template to highlight what God did on the Temple Mount on the day of Pentecost.
[6] See also: I Samuel 2:6; I Kings 17:17-24; II Kings 4:18-37; Isaiah 26:19-20; Ezekiel 37:7-10; Daniel 12:2-3; Job 19:25-27; Psalm 16:10; Psalm 30:3; Psalm 49:15.
[7] In Sanhedrin 90b.12 Rabbi Eliezer states: “I refuted the books of the Samaritans, as they said, ‘There is no resurrection for the dead from the Torah.’ I said to them, ‘You falsified your Torah and you accomplished nothing in saying there is no resurrection from the dead from the Torah. It says, “That soul shall be utterly cut off; his iniquity shall be on him.” “That soul shall be utterly cut off”—in this world? “His iniquity shall be on him,” when? Is it not for the World-to-Come?’”
[8] Sanhedrin 90b.2
[9] Sanhedrin 90b.7
[10] Sanhedrin 90b.12
[11] The Greek translation of Exodus 3:6 makes it even clearer that God is speaking in the present active rather than the past tense.
[12] Hebrews 11:17-19; Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer 31.10
[13] I Samuel 2:6
[14] Psalm 16:9-10; Psalm 17:15; Psalm 49:15.
[15] Isaiah 26:19; Daniel 12:2-3
[16] Exodus 8:19
[17] Exodus 14:30-31
[18] 26 of the 110 times that dust, (עפר, aphar) is used in Scripture, it is in the book of Job.
[19] Job 21:23-26
[20] Job 34:15
[21] ACNA includes Psalm 17:10-15
[22] Psalm 115:6; Isaiah 6:10; Jeremiah 5:21; Ezekiel 12:2; Matthew 13:15; Acts 28:27; Romans 11:8.
[23] Psalm 17:6
[24] Psalm 17:11
[25] Psalm 17:8
[26] Exodus 19:4; Deuteronomy 32:11-12; Psalm 36:7; Psalm 57:1; Psalm 61:4; Psalm 63:7-9.
[27] Psalm 102:11; Psalm 109:23; Psalm 144:4; I Chronicles 29:15; Job 8:9; Job 14:2; Job 17:7; Ecclesiastes 6:12; Ecclesiastes 8:13;
[28] The same word, סתר (satar) is used in relation to both God hiding His people and the wicked waiting in ambush.
[29] Luke 6:45, see also: Deuteronomy 30:14; Psalm 19:14; Psalm 37:30-31; Isaiah 29:13; Proverbs 16:23; Matthew 12:34; Romans 10:8-10
[30] Psalm 17:10
[31] Psalm 17:11
[32] Psalm 17:7
[33] Psalm 17:13-14
[34] See also: John 6:46; Colossians 1:15; I Timoth 6:16; I John 4:12;
[35] II Kings 4:31; Job 14:12; Isaiah 26:19; Jeremiah 51:57; Daniel 12:2
[36] Isaiah 26:19
[37] Daniel 12:2
[38] ACNA includes II Thessalonians 3:1-5
[39] II Thessalonians 2:9
[40] Exodus 7:10-12; I Kings 22:6; Jeremiah 5:30-31; Jeremiah 14:13-16; Jeremiah 23:9-40; Jeremiah 27-29; Ezekiel 13:1-16; Ezekiel 22:28; Micah 3:5-7; Zechariah 13:2-6; Matthew 24:4-11, 24; Acts 13:6-12.
[41] They often will try to avoid the actual title of prophet, stating in simple humility, “I’m just a man” before telling me what the Holy Spirit (or another, fallen spirit) had told them concerning the last days, Israel, or some modern political event.
[42] See I Thessalonians 4:13-5:11
[43] I Thessalonians 5:17-18
[44] Matthew 24:42-47
[45] I Thessalonians 5:7-8
[46] Colossians 2:8. See also: Matthew 15:1-9; Titus 1:13-14; Titus 3:9; I Timothy 1:4
[47] I Corinthians 11:2. See also: I Corinthians 15:3; II Thessalonians 2:15; II Thessalonians 3:6 along with Titus 2:1; II Timothy 1:13.
[48] The Priests of Jerusalem were largely Sadducean. They were also the pre-eminent members of the Sanhedrin during the life of Jesus.
[49] See Hebraic Context
[50] Scriptural inheritance is not simply property, it also proves the faithful promises of God—or false promises of God. God promised that the patriarchs and their children would inherit the land of Israel. From Solomon’s prayer to the prophets' visions of exile and restoration, inheritance helped shape Israel’s identity, laws, and worship. Naboth’s adherence to God’s laws on inheritance resulted in his execution. Additionally, inheritance wasn’t only about things or the future. The Levites' inheritance was GOD Himself. Likewise, Peter promises “an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you.”
[51] Ecclesiastes 2:24, 3:12-13, 5:18, 8:15; Isaiah 22:13; Book of Wisdom 2:6-9; Luke 12:19; I Corinthians 15:32.
[52] Isaiah 25:8. See also: Daniel 12:2-3; Matthew 25:46; I Corinthians 15:54
[53] Berakhot 17a.12
[54] Psalm 8:4-5
[55] II Baruch 51:5-10
[56] Exodus 4:22; 2 Samuel 7:14; Isaiah 43:6; Jeremiah 31:9. See also: II Corinthians 6:16-18.
[57] Revelation 21:5-7
[58] Literally, “stand upon the dust.”