Pear-shaped Things, the King of Kings and Psalm 1:1

There are days when everything seems to go pear-shaped and injustice reigns and the old self wants to retaliate and give as good as it gets. And there is a tussle with the new self not to sin against neighbour in the name of justice. And amidst the struggle, you go for a cuppa in the pantry and something reminds you that above all, there is a King of Kings.

So true justice is the Lord's (Proverbs 20:22). So though non-retaliation may seem uncommonly foolish in the commercial world, and may mean more trouble later, you consciously choose this path because you live to please only God. And if he is truly the King of Kings, even if things take a turn for the worse in the future, he will not let you be tempted (beyond what you can bear) to despise his way.

Psalm 1
Interestingly, the ARPC DGs are studying 2 distinct ways of living (from Psalm 1) this week. Scholars often take Psalm 1 as the preface to the "5 books" of the Psalms (the psalms being divided into sections at Psalms 1, 42, 73, 90 and 107). Unlike many of the psalms in the first book, it bears no title or author's name.

Genre
We are told that distinct from English poetry where the piece is organised around the rhyme or meter, Hebrew (and particularly Old Testament) poetry is organised around symmetry or parallelism of the piece, the arrangement of thoughts to each other (though the exact types of parallelism are the subject of much discussion). Robert Lowry identified 3 main types: synonymous, antithetic, and synthetic.

Synonymous parallelism is where the thought of the first line is repeated in the lines that follow:

Psalm 1:1 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;

Psalm 1:1 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
(Blessed is the man who does not) stand in the way of sinners,
(Blessed is the man who does not) sit in the seat of scoffers;

Antithetical parallelism: the thought of first line is repeated but in a negative or contrasting manner in second line

Psalm 1:6 for the LORD knows the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish

Synthetic parallelism: The second line takes up the thought of the first line and develops it further. It adds information to what has already been said

Psalm 1:3 He is like a tree
planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.

Psalm 1:1
"blessed" - in the NIV, the word "happy" is used in place of "blessed". Apparently, this does not accurately translate the Hebrew "ashre" which is related to the verb that means "right, straight". It refers to the conditions and situation of the one who is right with God and the pleasure and satisfaction that is derived from that (cf 1 Kings 10:8, though the ESV translators don't seem to be quite consistent!).

Sober choice is the basis of the righteous man's blessedness. He does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the way of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers.

If we see synonymous parallelism in these lines, then it would be reading too much to draw some moral from the progression from walking to standing to sitting. Rather, Derek Kidner suggests that accepting advice from the wicked, being party to the ways of sinners and adopting the attitude of scoffers encompasses the realms of thinking, behaving and belonging, in which a person's fundamental choice of allegiance is made and carried through. Whoever we are, that is where the fundamental choices of loyalty are made throughout our lives.

And the psalmist says,"Blessed is the man who does not choose the realm of this world". The world's way might appear prosperous one, and it could actually work for a while. But from the rest of Psalm 1, we see that ultimately, it deceives, for in the end it doesn't work.

Dick Lucas, who managed to preach one sermon on each of the first 3 verses of Psalm 1, spells this out for us:

this person does not accept the world's advice; he is not a party to its ways in terms of morality, behaviour, conventions and business ethics. He doesn't adopt its most fatal of attitudes, which is cynicism, scoffing and sophisticated mockery towards the things of God...

Therefore, the Christian will be an awkward person, not because he is prickly or lacks EQ, but because he cannot conform. He will stick out like a sore thumb. He will not truly fit in either at work, at school or even in his family.

Therefore, the Christian must be decisive and not dither. Dick Lucas gives an alternative translation of Psalm 1:1: Unhappy will be the man who dithers, who wants it both ways, who sits on the fence, who loves to "hunt with the hounds and run with the hare". That kind of person wants to have both God's way and that of the world; he wants to steer a course between the two, and never decisively comes onto Christ's side. Even though we make a decision for Christ at one point of time in our lives, we go on making it throughout our lives.

It's amazing that the Psalmist was writing Psalm 1 first to a Old Testamental audience. He was setting before them 2 paths: (1) the path of the righteous, the Word-loving, who are stable and fruitful and are in a right relationship with God; and (2) the path of the wicked, the sinners, the scoffers, who will be destroyed and will perish. Of course, they were already standing on the second path, but how would they ever get onto the first path?

We know that from the time of Adam and Eve, the human mind and heart have been too corrupt, too anti-God, to make a choice for the first path, the path of life. Except for one human, Jesus, who was the only righteous, Scripture-loving person who was in a right relationship with God and whom God preserved even through his death on the cross.

So we are looking not at BoyScout GirlGuide goodytwoshoes-ness or the morality of the civilisedandcultured. We are looking at the miracle that the death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus unleashed; that from Pentecost, repentant sinners and scoffers could have the Holy Spirit himself living in them, working in them through the Word of God, changing their minds and hearts so that they could, in fact, choose the path of the righteous and thereafter live in a stable, fruitful, right relationship with God and not perish.

As Graeme Goldsworthy is wont to say: the Psalms typically speak of the ideal that in our experience is unattainable except for the experience of being justified in Christ.

Unrequited Love, Jonathan Edwards and the Doctrine of Hell

Because after a night of being proactive citizens of Martini Innercity thereafter bopping to Daara J at Attica Too too many overnighters couped up in boardrooms, escaping only to admire

the faux English-country-gent-meets-OTT Ah Beng office decor and

interact with some furniture,

cheesy conversation ensues in polite D&D style:

The moon was already high in the night sky when we clambered up the breakwater and sat talking.

"Sing us some songs", he said. And I sang of lush green valleys, of streams meandering to the sea, of love and good deeds, of love true and faithful and love eternal.

"You sing of happy love", he cried bitterly,"you sing of the happiness of streams embracing the ocean. But here, we sit watching the ocean smashing herself fruitlessly against the wall, cold and unyielding. Sing, therefore, songs of fruitless love, love unreturned, love unrequited."

"Alas my friend", I said,"I know of no such songs."

"Indeed", he sighed,"then you know not of hell."

which is not too far from the Biblical concept of hell. Evangelicals are loathe to talk about hell these days. All this scare-mongering and emotionalism is a bit dated, a bit embarrassing, perhaps. But the Bible has no such qualms. And the Puritan preachers did not shy away from the fire and brimstone.

The Doctrine of Hell
From the Bible, hell is an explicitly clear reality. There will be a final judgement with God as judge. All persons will be judged (2 Timothy 4:1). There will be only 2 possible outcomes to that judgement: (1) acquittal; and (2) condemnation (Matthew 13:39-43, John 5:28 ff).

The common biblical word for the destination of those who do not get acquitted but are under the condemnation of God is hell.

What is hell?
1. Hell is punishment
It is punishment at the hands of God. It is being condemned by God (John 5:29) as just payback for sinning against him (2 Thessalonians 1:6), for not acknowledging God as God. So God will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel (2 Thessalonians 1:8-9).

2. The suffering of hell is beyond any experience of misery found in this world.
If heaven is a place of experiencing the great blessings of God, including an intimate relationships with the true and living God (Revelation 21), and with each other, then conversely, hell must be a place where there people will be separated from all the blessings of God.

Some people think hell will be a great place where they and their mates will drink and smoke, enjoying each others' company for all eternity, without puritans and naggy wives telling them to quit it. But there is no mateship in hell. There is no friendship, no love, no loyalty, no truthfulness, no other-person-ness. For all these are the blessings of God and will only be found in heaven. If we find unrequited love, or heartbreak, or loneliness, or abuse of our trust excruciating, it will be a mere ant-bite compare to the horrible alienation between people in hell.

Jesus described hell as the fiery furnace (Matthew 13:40-42), the eternal fire (Matthew 25:41), the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 8:12). Hell is the blackest darkness (Jude 13). Revelation calls it the lake of fire (Revelation 20:15). These are images of extreme suffering and great personal pain, beyond any experience of misery found in this world.

2. If the Biblical descriptions of hell are symbols, then the reality will be worse than the symbols.
All this fire, torture, blood and gore sounds a bit horror snuff movie and kitschy Haw Par Villa. Surely the language in the Bible is merely symbolic?

No doubt some of the language used is necessarily symbolic, as is the language describing heaven, for God speaks to our human culture. However, the presence of symbolism does not devalue the fact of hell. And if the Biblical descriptions of hell are symbols, then it is because the human mind cannot comprehend the far greater terrible reality. The function of symbols is to point beyond themselves to a higher or more intense state of actuality than the symbol itself can contain. That Jesus used the most awful symbols imaginable to describe hell is no comfort to those who see them simply as symbols.

So it is probable that the sinner in hell would prefer a literal lake of fire as his eternal abode to the reality of hell represented in the lake of fire image.

3. Hell is the presence of God in His wrath and judgment...
The guilty "will be tormented in burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and the Lamb, and the smoke of their torment rises forever and ever" (Revelation 14:10-11). The Lamb in Revelation is Jesus. Hell is not so much eternal separation from God as it is the eternal presence of God in unmitigated wrath and fury. Hell is separation from God in the sense of being separated from his blessings and fellowship (2 Thessalonians 1:9). Hell is where we must "drink the wine of God’s fury which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath" (Revelation 14:10).

...and so hell will be unbearable
Explains Jonathan Edwards:

[Impenitent sinners who do not trust God will not be able to bear God's punishment in hell.] Neither will their hands be strong to deliver themselves from it, nor will their hearts be able to endure it. It is common with men, when they meet with calamities in this world, in the first place to endeavor to shun them. But if they find, that they cannot shun them, then after they are come, they endeavour to deliver themselves from them as soon as they can; or at least, to order things so, as to deliver themselves in some degree. But if they find that they can by no means deliver themselves, and see that the case is so that they must bear them; then they set themselves to bear them: they fortify their spirits, and take up a resolution, that they will support themselves under them as well as they can.

But it will be utterly in vain for impenitent sinners to think to do thus with respect to the torments of hell. They will not be able to endure them, or at all to support themselves under them: the torment will be immensely beyond their strength. What will it signify for a worm, which is about to be pressed under the weight of some great rock, to be let fall with its whole weight upon it, to collect its strength, to set itself to bear up the weight of the rock, and to preserve itself from being crushed by it? Much more in vain will it be for a poor damned soul, to endeavor to support itself under the weight of the wrath of Almighty God. What is the strength of man, who is but a worm, to support himself against the power of Jehovah, and against the fierceness of his wrath? What is man's strength, when set to bear up against the exertions of infinite power? Matt. xxi. 44, "Whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder."

When sinners hear of hell torments, they sometimes think with themselves: Well, if it shall come to that, that I must go to hell, I will bear it as well as I can: as if by clothing themselves with resolution and firmness of mind, they would be able to support themselves in some measure; when, alas! they will have no resolution, no courage at all. However they shall have prepared themselves, and collected their strength; yet as soon as they shall begin to feel that wrath, their hearts will melt and be as water. However before they may seem to harden their hearts, in order to prepare themselves to bear, yet the first moment they feel it, their hearts will become like wax before the furnace. Their courage and resolution will be all gone in an instant; it will vanish away like a shadow in the twinkling of an eye. The stoutest and most sturdy will have no more courage than the feeblest infant: let a man be an infant, or a giant, it will be all one. They will not be able to keep alive any courage, any strength, any comfort, any hope at all.

4. Hell is eternal. There is no escape through either repentance or annihilation.
Perhaps the most frightening aspect of hell is its eternality. People can endure the greatest agony if they know it will ultimately stop. In hell there is no such hope. The Bible clearly teaches that the punishment is eternal. The same word is used for both eternal life and eternal death. Punishment implies pain. Mere annihilation, which some have lobbied for, involves no pain. Those who are condemned to hell will earnestly wish to be turned to nothing and forever cease to be that they may escape the wrath of God. Countinues Jonathan Edwards:

impenitent sinners cannot shun the threatened punishment; so neither can they do any thing to deliver themselves from it, or to relieve themselves under it. This is implied in those words of the text, Can thine hand. be strong? It is with our hands that we make and accomplish things for ourselves. But the wicked in hell will have no strength of hand to accomplish any thing at all for themselves, or to bring to pass any deliverance, or any degree of relief.

1. They will not he able in that conflict to overcome their enemy, and so to deliver themselves. God, who will then undertake to deal with them, and will gird himself with might to execute wrath, will be their enemy, and will act the part of an enemy with a witness; and they will have no strength to oppose him. Those who live negligent of their souls under the light of the gospel, act as if they supposed, that they should be able here after to make their part good with God. 1 Cor. x. 22. "Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he ?"...But they will have no power, no might to resist that omnipotence, which will be engaged against them.

2. They will have no strength in their hands to do any thing to appease God, or in the least to abate the fierceness of his wrath. They will not be able to offer any satisfaction: they will not be able to procure God's pity. Though they cry, God will not hear them. They will find no price to offer to God, in order to purchase any favor, or to pay any part of their debt.

3. They will not be able to find any to befriend them, and intercede with God for them. They had the offer of a mediator often made them in this world; but they will have no offers of such a nature in hell. None will befriend them. They will have no friend in HELL; all there will be their enemies. They will have no friend in heaven: 'None of the saints or angels will befriend them; or if they should, it would be to no purpose. There will be no creature that will have any power to dellver them, nor will any ever pity them.

4. Nor will they ever be able to make their escape. They will find no means to break prison and flee. In hell, they will be reserved in chains of darkness for ever and ever. Malefactors have often found means to break prison, and escape the hand of, civil justice. But none ever escaped out of the prison of hell, which is God's prison. It is a strong prison: it is beyond any finite power, or the united strength of all wicked men and devils, to unlock, or break open the door of that prison. Christ hath the key of hell; "he shuts and no man opens."

5. Nor will they ever be able to find any thing to relieve them in hell. They will never find any resting place there; any place of respite; any secret corner, which will be cooler than the rest, where they may have a little respite, a small abatement of the extremity of their torment. They never will be able to find any cooling stream or fountain, in any part of that world of torment; no, nor so much as a drop of water to cool their tongues. They will find no company to give them any comfort, or to do them the least good. They will find no place, where they can remain, and rest, and take breath for one minute: For they will be tormented with fire and brimstone; and will have no rest day nor night for ever and ever.

Thus impenitent sinners will be able neither to shun the punishment threatened, nor to deliver themselves from it, nor to find any relief under it.

They will wholly sink down into eternal death. There will be that sinking of heart, of which we now cannot conceive. We see how it is with the body when in extreme pain. The nature of the body will support itself for a considerable time under very great pain, so as to keep from wholly sinking. There will be great struggles, lamentable groans and panting, and it may be convulsions. These are the strugglings of nature to support itself under the extremity of the pain. There is, as it were, a great lothness in nature to yield to it; it cannot bear wholly to sink.

But yet sometimes pain of body is so very extreme and exquisite, that the nature of the body cannot support itself under it; however loth it may be to sink, yet it cannot bear the pain; there are a few struggles, and throes, and pantings, and it may be a shriek or two, and then nature yields to the violence of the torments, sinks down, and the body dies. This is the death of the body. So it will be with the soul in hell; it will have no strength or power to deliver itself and its torment and horror will be so great, so mighty, so vastly disproportioned to its strength, that having no strength in the least to support itself, although it be infinitely contrary to the nature and inclination of the soul utterly to sink; yet it will sink, it will utterly and totally sink, without the least degree of remaining comfort, or strength, or courage, or hope. And though it will never be annihilated, its being and perception will never be abolished, yet such will be the infinite depth of gloominess that it will sink into, that it will be in a state of death, eternal death.

The nature of man desires happiness; it is the nature of the soul to crave and thirst after well-being; and if it be under misery, it eagerly pants after relief; and the greater the misery is, the more eagerly doth it struggle for help. But if all relief be withholden, all strength overborne, all support utterly gone; then it sinks into the darkness of death.

We can conceive but little of the matter; we cannot conceive what that sinking of the soul in such a case is. But to help your conception, imagine yourself to be cast into a fiery oven, or of a great furnace, where your pain would be as much greater than that occasioned by accidentally touching a coal of fire, as the heat is greater. Imagine also that your body were to lie there for a quarter of an hour, all the while full of quick sense; what horror would you feel at the entrance of such a furnace! And how long would that quarter of an hour seem to you! And after you had endured it for one minute, how overbearing would it be to you to think that you had it to endure the other fourteen!

But what would be the effect on your soul, if you knew you must lie there enduring that torment to the full for twenty-four hours! And how much greater would be the effect, if you knew you must endure it for a whole year; and how vastly greater still, if you knew you must endure it for a thousand years! O then, how would your heart sink, if you thought, if you knew, that you must bear it forever and ever! That there would be no end! That after millions of millions of ages, your torment would be no nearer to an end, than ever it was; and that you never, never should be delivered!

But your torment in hell will be immensely greater than this illustration represents. How then will the heart of a poor creature sink under it! How utterly inexpressible and inconceivable must the sinking of the soul be in such a case!

This is the death threatened in the law. This is dying in the highest sense of the word. This is to die sensibly; to die and know it; to be sensible of the gloom of death. This is to be undone; this is worthy of the name of destruction. This sinking of the soul under an infinite weight, which it cannot bear, is the gloom of hell. We read in Scripture of the blackness of darkness; this is it, this is the very thing. We read in Scripture of sinners being lost, and of their losing their souls: this is the thing intended; this is to lose the soul: they that are the subjects of this are utterly lost.

5. There is no cruelty in hell. Hell will be a place of perfect justice.
Hell sounds like a place of cruel and unsual punishment. But there will be no cruelty there. It is impossible for God to be cruel. Cruelty involves inflicting a punishment that is more severe or harsh than the crime. Cruelty in this sense is unjust. God is incapable of inflicting an unjust punishment. The Judge of all the earth will surely do what is right. No innocent person will ever suffer at his hand.

Unfortunately,
Who goes to hell?
Everyone deserves to go to hell
Jesus Christ and those "in Christ" are the only exceptions. All who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ are sent to hell (2 Thessalonians 1:8). Only those who turn to God and trust in the substitutionary death of his Son in our place will be saved. "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life... Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already" (John 3:16, 18).

In fact, there is no reason why God should not cast unbelievers into hell at this very instant. His withholding of his judgement is a merciful opportunity to repent and turn to him before it is too late.

Why is a good doctrine of hell necessary for Christians?
It is crucial to our drive to appreciate the work of Christ and to preach His gospel: the only way of salvation from the wrath of God and condemnation to hell.

Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God

To end us off, here's Jonathan Edwards' famous sermon on "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God". It was based on the verse:

-Their foot shall slide in due time- Deut. 32:35

In this verse is threatened the vengeance of God on the wicked unbelieving Israelites, who were God's visible people, and who lived under the means of grace; but who, notwithstanding all God's wonderful works towards them, remained (as ver. 28.) void of counsel, having no understanding in them. Under all the cultivations of heaven, they brought forth bitter and poisonous fruit; as in the two verses next preceding the text. The expression I have chosen for my text, Their foot shall slide in due time, seems to imply the following doings, relating to the punishment and destruction to which these wicked Israelites were exposed.

1. That they were always exposed to destruction; as one that stands or walks in slippery places is always exposed to fall. This is implied in the manner of their destruction coming upon them, being represented by their foot sliding. The same is expressed, Psalm 73:18. "Surely thou didst set them in slippery places; thou castedst them down into destruction."

2. It implies, that they were always exposed to sudden unexpected destruction. As he that walks in slippery places is every moment liable to fall, he cannot foresee one moment whether he shall stand or fall the next; and when he does fall, he falls at once without warning: Which is also expressed in Psalm 73:18, 19. "Surely thou didst set them in slippery places; thou castedst them down into destruction: How are they brought into desolation as in a moment!"

3. Another thing implied is, that they are liable to fall of themselves, without being thrown down by the hand of another; as he that stands or walks on slippery ground needs nothing but his own weight to throw him down.

4. That the reason why they are not fallen already, and do not fall now, is only that God's appointed time is not come. For it is said, that when that due time, or appointed time comes, their foot shall slide. Then they shall be left to fall, as they are inclined by their own weight. God will not hold them up in these slippery places any longer, but will let them go; and then at that very instant, they shall fall into destruction; as he that stands on such slippery declining ground, on the edge of a pit, he cannot stand alone, when he is let go he immediately falls and is lost.

The observation from the words that I would now insist upon is this. "There is nothing that keeps wicked men at any one moment out of hell, but the mere pleasure of God." By the mere pleasure of God, I mean his sovereign pleasure, his arbitrary will, restrained by no obligation, hindered by no manner of difficulty, any more than if nothing else but God's mere will had in the least degree, or in any respect whatsoever, any hand in the preservation of wicked men one moment.
The truth of this observation may appear by the following considerations.

1. There is no want of power in God to cast wicked men into hell at any moment. Men's hands cannot be strong when God rises up. The strongest have no power to resist him, nor can any deliver out of his hands.-He is not only able to cast wicked men into hell, but he can most easily do it. Sometimes an earthly prince meets with a great deal of difficulty to subdue a rebel, who has found means to fortify himself, and has made himself strong by the numbers of his followers. But it is not so with God. There is no fortress that is any defense from the power of God. Though hand join in hand, and vast multitudes of God's enemies combine and associate themselves, they are easily broken in pieces. They are as great heaps of light chaff before the whirlwind; or large quantities of dry stubble before devouring flames. We find it easy to tread on and crush a worm that we see crawling on the earth; so it is easy for us to cut or singe a slender thread that any thing hangs by: thus easy is it for God, when he pleases, to cast his enemies down to hell. What are we, that we should think to stand before him, at whose rebuke the earth trembles, and before whom the rocks are thrown down?

2. They deserve to be cast into hell; so that divine justice never stands in the way, it makes no objection against God's using his power at any moment to destroy them. Yea, on the contrary, justice calls aloud for an infinite punishment of their sins. Divine justice says of the tree that brings forth such grapes of Sodom, "Cut it down, why cumbereth it the ground?" Luke xiii. 7. The sword of divine justice is every moment brandished over their heads, and it is nothing but the hand of arbitrary mercy, and God's mere will, that holds it back.

3. They are already under a sentence of condemnation to hell. They do not only justly deserve to be cast down thither, but the sentence of the law of God, that eternal and immutable rule of righteousness that God has fixed between him and mankind, is gone out against them, and stands against them; so that they are bound over already to hell. John iii. 18. "He that believeth not is condemned already." So that every unconverted man properly belongs to hell; that is his place; from thence he is, John viii. 23. "Ye are from beneath." And thither be is bound; it is the place that justice, and God's word, and the sentence of his unchangeable law assign to him.

4. They are now the objects of that very same anger and wrath of God, that is expressed in the torments of hell. And the reason why they do not go down to hell at each moment, is not because God, in whose power they are, is not then very angry with them; as he is with many miserable creatures now tormented in hell, who there feel and bear the fierceness of his wrath. Yea, God is a great deal more angry with great numbers that are now on earth: yea, doubtless, with many that are now in this congregation, who it may be are at ease, than he is with many of those who are now in the flames of hell.
So that it is not because God is unmindful of their wickedness, and does not resent it, that he does not let loose his hand and cut them off. God is not altogether such an one as themselves, though they may imagine him to be so. The wrath of God burns against them, their damnation does not slumber; the pit is prepared, the fire is made ready, the furnace is now hot, ready to receive them; the flames do now rage and glow. The glittering sword is whet, and held over them, and the pit hath opened its mouth under them.

5. The devil stands ready to fall upon them, and seize them as his own, at what moment God shall permit him. They belong to him; he has their souls in his possession, and under his dominion. The scripture represents them as his goods, Luke 11:12. The devils watch them; they are ever by them at their right hand; they stand waiting for them, like greedy hungry lions that see their prey, and expect to have it, but are for the present kept back. If God should withdraw his hand, by which they are restrained, they would in one moment fly upon their poor souls. The old serpent is gaping for them; hell opens its mouth wide to receive them; and if God should permit it, they would be hastily swallowed up and lost.

6. There are in the souls of wicked men those hellish principles reigning, that would presently kindle and flame out into hell fire, if it were not for God's restraints. There is laid in the very nature of carnal men, a foundation for the torments of hell. There are those corrupt principles, in reigning power in them, and in full possession of them, that are seeds of hell fire. These principles are active and powerful, exceeding violent in their nature, and if it were not for the restraining hand of God upon them, they would soon break out, they would flame out after the same manner as the same corruptions, the same enmity does in the hearts of damned souls, and would beget the same torments as they do in them. The souls of the wicked are in scripture compared to the troubled sea, Isa. 57:20. For the present, God restrains their wickedness by his mighty power, as he does the raging waves of the troubled sea, saying, "Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further;" but if God should withdraw that restraining power, it would soon carry all before it. Sin is the ruin and misery of the soul; it is destructive in its nature; and if God should leave it without restraint, there would need nothing else to make the soul perfectly miserable. The corruption of the heart of man is immoderate and boundless in its fury; and while wicked men live here, it is like fire pent up by God's restraints, whereas if it were let loose, it would set on fire the course of nature; and as the heart is now a sink of sin, so if sin was not restrained, it would immediately turn the soul into a fiery oven, or a furnace of fire and brimstone.

7. It is no security to wicked men for one moment, that there are no visible means of death at hand. It is no security to a natural man, that he is now in health, and that he does not see which way he should now immediately go out of the world by any accident, and that there is no visible danger in any respect in his circumstances. The manifold and continual experience of the world in all ages, shows this is no evidence, that a man is not on the very brink of eternity, and that the next step will not be into another world. The unseen, unthought-of ways and means of persons going suddenly out of the world are innumerable and inconceivable. Unconverted men walk over the pit of hell on a rotten covering, and there are innumerable places in this covering so weak that they will not bear their weight, and these places are not seen. The arrows of death fly unseen at noon-day; the sharpest sight cannot discern them. God has so many different unsearchable ways of taking wicked men out of the world and sending them to hell, that there is nothing to make it appear, that God had need to be at the expense of a miracle, or go out of the ordinary course of his providence, to destroy any wicked man, at any moment. All the means that there are of sinners going out of the world, are so in God's hands, and so universally and absolutely subject to his power and determination, that it does not depend at all the less on the mere will of God, whether sinners shall at any moment go to hell, than if means were never made use of, or at all concerned in the case.

8. Natural men's prudence and care to preserve their own lives, or the care of others to preserve them, do not secure them a moment. To this, divine providence and universal experience do also bear testimony. There is this clear evidence that men's own wisdom is no security to them from death; that if it were otherwise we should see some difference between the wise and politic men of the world, and others, with regard to their liableness to early and unexpected death: but how is it in fact? Eccles. ii. 16. "How dieth the wise man? even as the fool."

9. All wicked men's pains and contrivance which they use to escape hell, while they continue to reject Christ, and so remain wicked men, do not secure them from hell one moment. Almost every natural man that hears of hell, flatters himself that he shall escape it; he depends upon himself for his own security; he flatters himself in what he has done, in what he is now doing, or what he intends to do. Every one lays out matters in his own mind how he shall avoid damnation, and flatters himself that he contrives well for himself, and that his schemes will not fail. They hear indeed that there are but few saved, and that the greater part of men that have died heretofore are gone to hell; but each one imagines that he lays out matters better for his own escape than others have done. He does not intend to come to that place of torment; he says within himself, that he intends to take effectual care, and to order matters so for himself as not to fail.

But the foolish children of men miserably delude themselves in their own schemes, and in confidence in their own strength and wisdom; they trust to nothing but a shadow. The greater part of those who heretofore have lived under the same means of grace, and are now dead, are undoubtedly gone to hell; and it was not because they were not as wise as those who are now alive: it was not because they did not lay out matters as well for themselves to secure their own escape. If we could speak with them, and inquire of them, one by one, whether they expected, when alive, and when they used to hear about hell ever to be the subjects of that misery: we doubtless, should hear one and another reply, "No, I never intended to come here: I had laid out matters otherwise in my mind; I thought I should contrive well for myself: I thought my scheme good. I intended to take effectual care; but it came upon me unexpected; I did not look for it at that time, and in that manner; it came as a thief: Death outwitted me: God's wrath was too quick for me. Oh, my cursed foolishness! I was flattering myself, and pleasing myself with vain dreams of what I would do hereafter; and when I was saying, Peace and safety, then suddenly destruction came upon me.

10. God has laid himself under no obligation, by any promise to keep any natural man out of hell one moment. God certainly has made no promises either of eternal life, or of any deliverance or preservation from eternal death, but what are contained in the covenant of grace, the promises that are given in Christ, in whom all the promises are yea and amen. But surely they have no interest in the promises of the covenant of grace who are not the children of the covenant, who do not believe in any of the promises, and have no interest in the Mediator of the covenant.

So that, whatever some have imagined and pretended about promises made to natural men's earnest seeking and knocking, it is plain and manifest, that whatever pains a natural man takes in religion, whatever prayers he makes, till he believes in Christ, God is under no manner of obligation to keep him a moment from eternal destruction.

So that, thus it is that natural men are held in the hand of God, over the pit of hell; they have deserved the fiery pit, and are already sentenced to it; and God is dreadfully provoked, his anger is as great towards them as to those that are actually suffering the executions of the fierceness of his wrath in hell, and they have done nothing in the least to appease or abate that anger, neither is God in the least bound by any promise to hold them up one moment; the devil is waiting for them, hell is gaping for them, the flames gather and flash about them, and would fain lay hold on them, and swallow them up; the fire pent up in their own hearts is struggling to break out: and they have no interest in any Mediator, there are no means within reach that can be any security to them. In short, they have no refuge, nothing to take hold of, all that preserves them every moment is the mere arbitrary will, and uncovenanted, unobliged forbearance of an incensed God.

APPLICATION
The use of this awful subject may be for awakening unconverted persons in this congregation. This that you have heard is the case of every one of you that are out of Christ.-That world of misery, that lake of burning brimstone, is extended abroad under you. There is the dreadful pit of the glowing flames of the wrath of God; there is hell's wide gaping mouth open; and you have nothing to stand upon, nor any thing to take hold of, there is nothing between you and hell but the air; it is only the power and mere pleasure of God that holds you up.

You probably are not sensible of this; you find you are kept out of hell, but do not see the hand of God in it; but look at other things, as the good state of your bodily constitution, your care of your own life, and the means you use for your own preservation. But indeed these things are nothing; if God should withdraw his band, they would avail no more to keep you from falling, than the thin air to hold up a person that is suspended in it.

Your wickedness makes you as it were heavy as lead, and to tend downwards with great weight and pressure towards hell; and if God should let you go, you would immediately sink and swiftly descend and plunge into the bottomless gulf, and your healthy constitution, and your own care and prudence, and best contrivance, and all your righteousness, would have no more influence to uphold you and keep you out of hell, than a spider's web would have to stop a falling rock. Were it not for the sovereign pleasure of God, the earth would not bear you one moment; for you are a burden to it; the creation groans with you; the creature is made subject to the bondage of your corruption, not willingly; the sun does not willingly shine upon you to give you light to serve sin and Satan; the earth does not willingly yield her increase to satisfy your lusts; nor is it willingly a stage for your wickedness to be acted upon; the air does not willingly serve you for breath to maintain the flame of life in your vitals, while you spend your life in the service of God's enemies. God's creatures are good, and were made for men to serve God with, and do not willingly subserve to any other purpose, and groan when they are abused to purposes so directly contrary to their nature and end. And the world would spew you out, were it not for the sovereign hand of him who hath subjected it in hope. There are black clouds of God's wrath now hanging directly over your heads, full of the dreadful storm, and big with thunder; and were it not for the restraining hand of God, it would immediately burst forth upon you. The sovereign pleasure of God, for the present, stays his rough wind; otherwise it would come with fury, and your destruction would come like a whirlwind, and you would be like the chaff of the summer threshing floor.

The wrath of God is like great waters that are dammed for the present; they increase more and more, and rise higher and higher, till an outlet is given; and the longer the stream is stopped, the more rapid and mighty is its course, when once it is let loose. It is true, that judgment against your evil works has not been executed hitherto; the floods of God's vengeance have been withheld; but your guilt in the mean time is constantly increasing, and you are every day treasuring up more wrath; the waters are constantly rising, and waxing more and more mighty; and there is nothing but the mere pleasure of God, that holds the waters back, that are unwilling to be stopped, and press hard to go forward. If God should only withdraw his hand from the flood-gate, it would immediately fly open, and the fiery floods of the fierceness and wrath of God, would rush forth with inconceivable fury, and would come upon you with omnipotent power; and if your strength were ten thousand times greater than it is, yea, ten thousand times greater than the strength of the stoutest, sturdiest devil in hell, it would be nothing to withstand or endure it.

The bow of God's wrath is bent, and the arrow made ready on the string, and justice bends the arrow at your heart, and strains the bow, and it is nothing but the mere pleasure of God, and that of an angry God, without any promise or obligation at all, that keeps the arrow one moment from being made drunk with your blood. Thus all you that never passed under a great change of heart, by the mighty power of the Spirit of God upon your souls; all you that were never born again, and made new creatures, and raised from being dead in sin, to a state of new, and before altogether unexperienced light and life, are in the hands of an angry God. However you may have reformed your life in many things, and may have had religious affections, and may keep up a form of religion in your families and closets, and in the house of God, it is nothing but his mere pleasure that keeps you from being this moment swallowed up in everlasting destruction. However unconvinced you may now be of the truth of what you hear, by and by you will be fully convinced of it. Those that are gone from being in the like circumstances with you, see that it was so with them; for destruction came suddenly upon most of them; when they expected nothing of it, and while they were saying, Peace and safety: now they see, that those things on which they depended for peace and safety, were nothing but thin air and empty shadows.

The God that holds you over the pit of hell, much as one holds a spider, or some loathsome insect over the fire, abhors you, and is dreadfully provoked: his wrath towards you burns like fire; he looks upon you as worthy of nothing else, but to be cast into the fire; he is of purer eyes than to bear to have you in his sight; you are ten thousand times more abominable in his eyes, than the most hateful venomous serpent is in ours. You have offended him infinitely more than ever a stubborn rebel did his prince; and yet it is nothing but his hand that holds you from falling into the fire every moment. It is to be ascribed to nothing else, that you did not go to hell the last night; that you was suffered to awake again in this world, after you closed your eyes to sleep. And there is no other reason to be given, why you have not dropped into hell since you arose in the morning, but that God's hand has held you up. There is no other reason to be given why you have not gone to hell, since you have sat here in the house of God, provoking his pure eyes by your sinful wicked manner of attending his solemn worship. Yea, there is nothing else that is to be given as a reason why you do not this very moment drop down into hell.

O sinner! Consider the fearful danger you are in: it is a great furnace of wrath, a wide and bottomless pit, full of the fire of wrath, that you are held over in the hand of that God, whose wrath is provoked and incensed as much against you, as against many of the damned in hell. You hang by a slender thread, with the flames of divine wrath flashing about it, and ready every moment to singe it, and burn it asunder; and you have no interest in any Mediator, and nothing to lay hold of to save yourself, nothing to keep off the flames of wrath, nothing of your own, nothing that you ever have done, nothing that you can do, to induce God to spare you one moment. And consider here more particularly

1. Whose wrath it is: it is the wrath of the infinite God. If it were only the wrath of man, though it were of the most potent prince, it would be comparatively little to be regarded. The wrath of kings is very much dreaded, especially of absolute monarchs, who have the possessions and lives of their subjects wholly in their power, to be disposed of at their mere will. Prov. 20:2. "The fear of a king is as the roaring of a lion: Whoso provoketh him to anger, sinneth against his own soul." The subject that very much enrages an arbitrary prince, is liable to suffer the most extreme torments that human art can invent, or human power can inflict. But the greatest earthly potentates in their greatest majesty and strength, and when clothed in their greatest terrors, are but feeble, despicable worms of the dust, in comparison of the great and almighty Creator and King of heaven and earth. It is but little that they can do, when most enraged, and when they have exerted the utmost of their fury. All the kings of the earth, before God, are as grasshoppers; they are nothing, and less than nothing: both their love and their hatred is to be despised. The wrath of the great King of kings, is as much more terrible than theirs, as his majesty is greater. Luke 12:4, 5. "And I say unto you, my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that, have no more that they can do. But I will forewarn you whom you shall fear: fear him, which after he hath killed, hath power to cast into hell: yea, I say unto you, Fear him."

2. It is the fierceness of his wrath that you are exposed to. We often read of the fury of God; as in Isaiah lix. 18. "According to their deeds, accordingly he will repay fury to his adversaries." So Isaiah 66:15. "For behold, the Lord will come with fire, and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire." And in many other places. So, Rev. 19:15, we read of "the wine press of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God." The words are exceeding terrible. If it had only been said, "the wrath of God," the words would have implied that which is infinitely dreadful: but it is "the fierceness and wrath of God." The fury of God! the fierceness of Jehovah! Oh, how dreadful must that be! Who can utter or conceive what such expressions carry in them! But it is also "the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God." As though there would be a very great manifestation of his almighty power in what the fierceness of his wrath should inflict, as though omnipotence should be as it were enraged, and exerted, as men are wont to exert their strength in the fierceness of their wrath. Oh! then, what will be the consequence! What will become of the poor worms that shall suffer it! Whose hands can be strong? And whose heart can endure? To what a dreadful, inexpressible, inconceivable depth of misery must the poor creature be sunk who shall be the subject of this!

Consider this, you that are here present, that yet remain in an unregenerate state. That God will execute the fierceness of his anger, implies, that he will inflict wrath without any pity. When God beholds the ineffable extremity of your case, and sees your torment to be so vastly disproportioned to your strength, and sees how your poor soul is crushed, and sinks down, as it were, into an infinite gloom; he will have no compassion upon you, he will not forbear the executions of his wrath, or in the least lighten his hand; there shall be no moderation or mercy, nor will God then at all stay his rough wind; he will have no regard to your welfare, nor be at all careful lest you should suffer too much in any other sense, than only that you shall not suffer beyond what strict justice requires. Nothing shall be withheld, because it is so hard for you to bear. Ezek. viii. 18. "Therefore will I also deal in fury: mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity; and though they cry in mine ears with a loud voice, yet I will not hear them." Now God stands ready to pity you; this is a day of mercy; you may cry now with some encouragement of obtaining mercy. But when once the day of mercy is past, your most lamentable and dolorous cries and shrieks will be in vain; you will be wholly lost and thrown away of God, as to any regard to your welfare. God will have no other use to put you to, but to suffer misery; you shall be continued in being to no other end; for you will be a vessel of wrath fitted to destruction; and there will be no other use of this vessel, but to be filled full of wrath. God will be so far from pitying you when you cry to him, that it is said he will only "laugh and mock," Prov. 1:25, 26, &c.

How awful are those words, Isa. 63:3, which are the words of the great God. "I will tread them in mine anger, and will trample them in my fury, and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment." It is perhaps impossible to conceive of words that carry in them greater manifestations of these three things, vis. contempt, and hatred, and fierceness of indignation. If you cry to God to pity you, he will be so far from pitying you in your doleful case, or showing you the least regard or favour, that instead of that, he will only tread you under foot. And though he will know that you cannot bear the weight of omnipotence treading upon you, yet he will not regard that, but he will crush you under his feet without mercy; he will crush out your blood, and make it fly, and it shall be sprinkled on his garments, so as to stain all his raiment. He will not only hate you, but he will have you, in the utmost contempt: no place shall be thought fit for you, but under his feet to be trodden down as the mire of the streets.

The misery you are exposed to is that which God will inflict to that end, that he might show what that wrath of Jehovah is. God hath had it on his heart to show to angels and men, both how excellent his love is, and also how terrible his wrath is. Sometimes earthly kings have a mind to show how terrible their wrath is, by the extreme punishments they would execute on those that would provoke them. Nebuchadnezzar, that mighty and haughty monarch of the Chaldean empire, was willing to show his wrath when enraged with Shadrach, Meshech, and Abednego; and accordingly gave orders that the burning fiery furnace should be heated seven times hotter than it was before; doubtless, it was raised to the utmost degree of fierceness that human art could raise it. But the great God is also willing to show his wrath, and magnify his awful majesty and mighty power in the extreme sufferings of his enemies. Rom. 9:22. "What if God, willing to show his wrath, and to make his power known, endure with much long-suffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction?" And seeing this is his design, and what he has determined, even to show how terrible the unrestrained wrath, the fury and fierceness of Jehovah is, he will do it to effect. There will be something accomplished and brought to pass that will be dreadful with a witness. When the great and angry God hath risen up and executed his awful vengeance on the poor sinner, and the wretch is actually suffering the infinite weight and power of his indignation, then will God call upon the whole universe to behold that awful majesty and mighty power that is to be seen in it. Isa. 33:12-14. "And the people shall be as the burnings of lime, as thorns cut up shall they be burnt in the fire. Hear ye that are far off, what I have done; and ye that are near, acknowledge my might. The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites," &c.

Thus it will be with you that are in an unconverted state, if you continue in it; the infinite might, and majesty, and terribleness of the omnipotent God shall be magnified upon you, in the ineffable strength of your torments. You shall be tormented in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb; and when you shall be in this state of suffering, the glorious inhabitants of heaven shall go forth and look on the awful spectacle, that they may see what the wrath and fierceness of the Almighty is; and when they have seen it, they will fall down and adore that great power and majesty. Isa. lxvi. 23, 24. "And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the Lord. And they shall go forth and look upon the carcasses of the men that have transgressed against me; for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched, and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh."
4. It is everlasting wrath. It would be dreadful to suffer this fierceness and wrath of Almighty God one moment; but you must suffer it to all eternity. There will be no end to this exquisite horrible misery. When you look forward, you shall see a long for ever, a boundless duration before you, which will swallow up your thoughts, and amaze your soul; and you will absolutely despair of ever having any deliverance, any end, any mitigation, any rest at all. You will know certainly that you must wear out long ages, millions of millions of ages, in wrestling and conflicting with this almighty merciless vengeance; and then when you have so done, when so many ages have actually been spent by you in this manner, you will know that all is but a point to what remains. So that your punishment will indeed be infinite. Oh, who can express what the state of a soul in such circumstances is! All that we can possibly say about it, gives but a very feeble, faint representation of it; it is inexpressible and inconceivable: For "who knows the power of God's anger?"

How dreadful is the state of those that are daily and hourly in the danger of this great wrath and infinite misery! But this is the dismal case of every soul in this congregation that has not been born again, however moral and strict, sober and religious, they may otherwise be. Oh that you would consider it, whether you be young or old! There is reason to think, that there are many in this congregation now hearing this discourse, that will actually be the subjects of this very misery to all eternity. We know not who they are, or in what seats they sit, or what thoughts they now have. It may be they are now at ease, and hear all these things without much disturbance, and are now flattering themselves that they are not the persons, promising themselves that they shall escape. If we knew that there was one person, and but one, in the whole congregation, that was to be the subject of this misery, what an awful thing would it be to think of! If we knew who it was, what an awful sight would it be to see such a person! How might all the rest of the congregation lift up a lamentable and bitter cry over him! But, alas! instead of one, how many is it likely will remember this discourse in hell? And it would be a wonder, if some that are now present should not be in hell in a very short time, even before this year is out. And it would be no wonder if some persons, that now sit here, in some seats of this meeting-house, in health, quiet and secure, should be there before to-morrow morning. Those of you that finally continue in a natural condition, that shall keep out of hell longest will be there in a little time! your damnation does not slumber; it will come swiftly, and, in all probability, very suddenly upon many of you. You have reason to wonder that you are not already in hell. It is doubtless the case of some whom you have seen and known, that never deserved hell more than you, and that heretofore appeared as likely to have been now alive as you. Their case is past all hope; they are crying in extreme misery and perfect despair; but here you are in the land of the living and in the house of God, and have an opportunity to obtain salvation. What would not those poor damned hopeless souls give for one day's opportunity such as you now enjoy!

And now you have an extraordinary opportunity, a day wherein Christ has thrown the door of mercy wide open, and stands in calling and crying with a loud voice to poor sinners; a day wherein many are flocking to him, and pressing into the kingdom of God. Many are daily coming from the east, west, north and south; many that were very lately in the same miserable condition that you are in, are now in a happy state, with their hearts filled with love to him who has loved them, and washed them from their sins in his own blood, and rejoicing in hope of the glory of God. How awful is it to be left behind at such a day! To see so many others feasting, while you are pining and perishing! To see so many rejoicing and singing for joy of heart, while you have cause to mourn for sorrow of heart, and howl for vexation of spirit! How can you rest one moment in such a condition? Are not your souls as precious as the souls of the people at Suffield, where they are flocking from day to day to Christ?

Are there not many here who have lived long in the world, and are not to this day born again? and so are aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and have done nothing ever since they have lived, but treasure up wrath against the day of wrath? Oh, sirs, your case, in an especial manner, is extremely dangerous. Your guilt and hardness of heart is extremely great. Do you not see how generally persons of your years are passed over and left, in the present remarkable and wonderful dispensation of God's mercy? You had need to consider yourselves, and awake thoroughly out of sleep. You cannot bear the fierceness and wrath of the infinite God.-And you, young men, and young women, will you neglect this precious season which you now enjoy, when so many others of your age are renouncing all youthful vanities, and flocking to Christ? You especially have now an extraordinary opportunity; but if you neglect it, it will soon be with you as with those persons who spent all the precious days of youth in sin, and are now come to such a dreadful pass in blindness and hardness. And you, children, who are unconverted, do not you know that you are going down to hell, to bear the dreadful wrath of that God, who is now angry with you every day and every night? Will you be content to be the children of the devil, when so many other children in the land are converted, and are become the holy and happy children of the King of kings?

And let every one that is yet out of Christ, and hanging over the pit of hell, whether they be old men and women, or middle aged, or young people, or little children, now harken to the loud calls of God's word and providence. This acceptable year of the Lord, a day of such great favours to some, will doubtless be a day of as remarkable vengeance to others. Men's hearts harden, and their guilt increases apace at such a day as this, if they neglect their souls; and never was there so great danger of such persons being given up to hardness of heart and blindness of mind. God seems now to be hastily gathering in his elect in all parts of the land; and probably the greater part of adult persons that ever shall be saved, will be brought in now in a little time, and that it will be as it was on the great out-pouring of the Spirit upon the Jews in the apostles' days; the election will obtain, and the rest will be blinded. If this should be the case with you, you will eternally curse this day, and will curse the day that ever you was born, to see such a season of the pouring out of God's Spirit, and will wish that you had died and gone to hell before you had seen it. Now undoubtedly it is, as it was in the days of John the Baptist, the axe is in an extraordinary manner laid at the root of the trees, that every tree which brings not forth good fruit, may be hewn down and cast into the fire.

Therefore, let every one that is out of Christ, now awake and fly from the wrath to come. The wrath of Almighty God is now undoubtedly hanging over a great part of this congregation: Let every one fly out of Sodom: "Haste and escape for your lives, look not behind you, escape to the mountain, lest you be consumed."

Resources:
Hell, Wrath and God's Judgement

Heavenly-mindedness Perchance?

After the boardroom battles of the last few weeks, I crawled into work about noon today and suddenly remembered an astounding (and unexpected) display of heavenly-mindedness last weekend:

Faced with a gaggle of girls who wanted to stay around and chat after a long day, some long-suffering chap said,"But you'll have all eternity to chat!"

On second thoughts, it was more likely a typical show of sarcasm.

The Da Vinci Code

For Kelvin who asked. :-)

Much good stuff has already been written on the subject so it's embarrassing to add to all that's out there. Perhaps just the broad strokes will do?

Like many others, upon first reading a borrowed copy of the eagerly awaited "The Da Vinci Code" by Dan Brown, I found it quite a rubbishy letdown, returned the book to its owner and thought no more about it, because correcting all the errors in the world won't get people saved, but telling them the gospel will.

However, in the intervening years, the book has been the target of incredible amounts of interest from non-Christians and Christians alike (even the Fortean Times), spawning articles on plagarism, reports on "plagarism evidence", "additional" theories about Da Vinci's "Last Supper", an unauthorised biography of Dan Brown, dredged up mp3s of the author singing and even a website set up by Sony for "dialogue" with Christian leaders (sneaky!).

Now that a movie is to be released by Sony as soon as it clears the legal hurdle of a suit filed by Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh for copying their work (update: 14 March 2006 - Dan Brown gives his witness statement, 17 March 2006 - the defence wraps its case, 7 April 2006 - High Court dismisses the claim) in "The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail", it's worth another look, if only because all this publicity's a readymade bridge to the world.

I've found that knowledge of the historical accuracy and veracity of what I put my trust in is especially helpful for recalling why I put my trust in Jesus in the first place, more so when the going gets tough.

*Spoilers follow. But then again, the plot (if there is one) is a fairly easy guess in any case.*

The Plot
This is Greg Clarke's summary in "Is It Worth Believing?: The Spiritual Challenge of the Da Vinci Code" (read an extract here):

Harvard Professor of Religious Symbology, Robert Langdon, is called in by Bézu Fache, captain of the French Police, to investigate a murder. The murdered man is Jacques Saunière, curator of The Louvre, the famous art gallery in Paris. Langdon's assistance is required, because Saunière has left a baffling collection of symbolic messages, beginning with the positioning of his own corpse in the shape of Leonardo Da Vinci's drawing, The Vitruvian Man. Langdon is joined by Sophie Neveu, an agent of the French Police and a cryptographer - one trained in the science and art of deciphering riddles. Together, they begin to piece together the clues as to why Saunière was murdered and what secrets he was endeavouring to pass on as he met his demise.

The assassin is, in fact, a tragic figure called Silas, a "hulking albino" is described as a monk in the Opus Dei group within the Catholic Church. He is doing the dirtywork of his "Father", Bishop Manuel Aringarosa, who in turn is in the service of a shadowy character called "The Teacher" ("Aringarosa" in Italian means something like "red herring"). Together, they have systematically killed off the last remaining keepers of the secrets that Saunière was attempting to pass on.

These secrets belong to a group called the Priory of Sion, a secret society claimed to have existed since medieval times. Among this group's previous Grand Masters have been famous figures such as Sir Isaac Newton, Victor Hugo and Leonardo Da Vinci. What secrets does the group hold? Many, but the most startling one concerns the true history of Christianity - that Jesus was not divine, but a mortal prophet who was married to one of his followers, Mary Magdalene.

Clues to this secret history of Christianity can be found throughout the great works of Western art and architecture, for those who have eyes to see them. Robert and Sophie come to realise that the Grand Masters of the Priory of Sion are being murdered to prevent them from making public these secrets of true faith. The Catholic Church, it seems, has a vested interest in maintaining the "falsehoods" that Christians everywhere believe.

Robert and Sophie learn this alternative history when they visit Sir Leigh Teabing, a wealthy and bombastic scholar who was once Royal Historian and now lives in a castle northwest of Paris. Teabing is fascinated by the legend of the Holy Grail, and has reinterpreted it to refer to this story of Jesus and Mary Magdalene. She is the real Holy Grail, the vessel by which Jesus' influence on the world continues. Teabing is desperate to solve the mystery of the Grail - his life's ambition is to find the final resting place of Mary Magdalene and whatever secrets and treasures might be found with her bones. He will stop at nothing; in fact, he is The Teacher behind the assassinations.

The quest for the Grail accelerates as the different parties race from France to Switzerland to Scotland to England. It ends with the unravelling of Teabing's devious schemes, and the reuniting of Sophie with her long-lost family - who are, to her great surprise, in the bloodline of Jesus. Finally, Robert solves the mystery of where the Grail lies - back beneath The Louvre, where the whole adventure began.

What implications does this book have on our lives whether we are Christians or non-believers?

Genre
First off, what we make of "The Da Vinci Code" is determined by the type of literature it is. If it is a purely fictional tale out of the plagarised minds of several people, there would be no hue-and-cry over it.

But even though the book has been touted as a "novel", Mr. Brown makes it clear that it is a work based on facts. Even before the Prologue, the author states 3 facts:

FACT:
The Priory of Sion - a European secret society founded in 1099 - is a real organisation. In 1975, Paris's Bibliotheque Nationale discovered parchments known as Les Doessiers Secrets, identifying numerous members of the Priory of Sion, including Sir Isaac Newton, Botticelli, Victor Hugo, and Leonardo Da Vinci.

The Vatican prelature known as Opus Dei is a deeply devout Catholic sect that has been the topic of recent controversy due to reports of brain-washing, coercion and a dangerous practice known as "corporal mortification." Opus Dei has just completed construction of a $47 million National Headquarters at 243 Lexington Avenue in New York City.

All descriptions of artwork, architecture, documents, and secret rituals in this novel are accurate.

In his FAQ, Dan Brown says:

The Da Vinci Code is a novel and therefore a work of fiction. While the book's characters and their actions are obviously not real, the artwork, architecture, documents, and secret rituals depicted in this novel all exist (for example, Leonardo Da Vinci's paintings, the Gnostic Gospels, Hieros Gamos, etc.). These real elements are interpreted and debated by fictional characters. While it is my belief that some of the theories discussed by these characters may have merit, each individual reader must explore these characters' viewpoints and come to his or her own interpretations. My hope in writing this novel was that the story would serve as a catalyst and a springboard for people to discuss the important topics of faith, religion, and history.

While this is his claim, the "Fact Sheet" quoted above, the characters are portrayed as reliable and reputable persons in their fields and the reader is encouraged not just to trust the existence of the artwork, architecture, documents, secret rituals, but also that their interpretations by the characters in the novel. The fictional-narrative method seems to be a vehicle for propogating those interpretations in a more interesting and readable way, rather than being mere elements for spicing up a fictional storyline.

Why Do We Believe What We Believe?
But so what if that which Dan Brown (perhaps on hindsight) now claims is pure fiction is infact promulgated as "facts" in his book? Why should it have any impact on our lives?

This depends on why we believe what we believe and how our values and worldviews are formed:

• some people might site sociological factors: because their parents had these beliefs, values and worldviews and this is what they grew up with.

  But at some point in their adolescence, most people are able to ask why they should continue to adhere to the beliefs of their parents and proceed to set their own course if they notice that the beliefs they have held thus far do not accord with the reality they have experienced or observed;

• some might believe because something "feels right", "has good vibes", "gives a feeling of peace" or because their intuition tells them to do so. Unfortunately, this has as much to do with the objective truth as, say, a fortune cookie or an 8-ball;
• others believe because they have experienced something which forms the basis of their belief. But experience as a basis for believing something is fraught with difficulty. Perhaps the person who had the experience misinterpreted it and came to a wrong conclusion about it. For example, the usual boy-girl relationship problems that teens have: a boy listens to a girl pour out her problems and buys her a meal when she is down. The girl experiences this show of brotherly love and believes that he wishes to be more than friends. A terrible misinterpretation of the situation which leads to tears and heartbreak later on; and
  
• the strongest reason of all, because there is evidence for those beliefs. Clarke says that evidence is anything that supports the belief - objects, writings, people, facts.
  

And the beliefs and interpretations proffered by the characters in "The Da Vinci Code" simply are not well-supported by evidence.

Errors and Corrections
In "The Gospel Code", Ben Witherington III looks at some of the main errors in "The Da Vinci Code". I've divided these into 3 main categories:

1. errors concerning the sources of truth; which lead to
   
2. errors concerning Jesus; which lead to
3. errors concerning the church.
   

Errors Concerning the Sources of Truth
Error 1: The Dead Sea Scrolls along with the Nag Hammadi documents are the earliest Christian records
The character, Teabing, supposedly a Grail enthusiast and scholar, argues,"In addition to telling the true Grail story, these documents speak of Christ's ministry in very human terms".

This is so false it's what the British would call a howler. The Dead Sea Scrolls are purely Jewish documents, that is, they are the documents and library of early Jews who lived at the Dead Sea before Christ. They aren't Christian and so no Christian documents were found there. It is hardly surprising that they don't "speak of Christ's ministry" at all. Teabing should have known that.

There is no evidence that any of the Nag Hammadi documents existed before the late 2nd century AD, with the possible exception of the Gospel of Thomas. The canonical Gospels had already been written and accepted by the church before the Nag Hammadi writers put ink to papyrus!

Error 2: The canonical Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) are not the earliest Gospels; rather the earliest are the suppressed Gnostic Gospels (such as the "Gospel of Philip" or the "Gospel of Mary")
Teabing and Langdon claim several times that the 4 canonical Gospels were chosen from among some 80 competing Gospels by the Roman emperor, Constantine.

First of all, the fact is that there were less than 20 documents that might be called "Gospels", or stories of Jesus' life here on earth.

Secondly, the Gnostic Gospel were written late in the second century or even the third century A.D. The canonical Gospels were written mainly during the first century!

Thirdly, there are only about 45 fragments of these Gnostic Gospels, as opposed to the 5,000 copies (counting the Greek version only) of the New Testament.

Ah, but perhaps that is because...
Error 3: Emperor Constantine suppressed and eradicated the "earlier" Gnostic Gospels and imposed the canonical Gospels at the Council of Nicea
Well, the Gnostic Gospels were simply never recognised as authoritative in the church. Lack of recognition is certainly not the same as suppression. The four canonical Gospels were already recognised as sacred and authoritative by 130 A.D (Irenaeus reports this and we also have the witness of the Muratorian Canon, a list of Christian book from the period 150-200 A.D.). This was before the Gnostic Gospels were written and long before Constantine was even conceived.

Constantine became sole emperor in the West only in 312 A.D. and the Council of Nicea was only convened in 325 A.D.

In any case, the Council's conclusions had nothing to do with the canon of the Bible. They were actually debating certain aspects of the divinity of Christ.

(And although it is fashionable to include the Gnostic texts along with the New Testament as equally valid sources of the truth, both sets of documents are so different in theological and understanding of Jesus and the movement he set in motion, that they cannot both be correct. Read them for yourselves here.)

Errors Concerning Jesus
Error 1: Jesus was a great man or prophet in the earliest historical sources but was later proclaimed divine at the Council of Nicaea
The canonical Gospels which predate the Council of Nicea already proclaimed the divinity of Jesus. By the time of the Council of Nicaea, the debate assumed the fact of his divinity and the dispute was actually the more nitpicky question of whether Jesus had a divine substance like the Father or whether he shared the same substance with the Father. It certainly did not bother with voting the fact of his divinity which was already taken to be true.

Error 2: Jesus must have been married since he was an early Jew
As unusual as it might have been, it wasn't unprecedented for an early Jewish leader or a particularly devout Jew to abstain from marriage for some religious purpose. Prominent non-Christian Jewish writers from the New Testament era, Josephus and Philo, both refer to celibate Jews during this time.

Various prophetic figures reamined single in earlier Jewish eras. Elijah appears without family (1-2 Kings) and is taken up into heaven at the close of his ministry. Hosea had to be commanded by God to take a wife. John the Baptist was clearly an ascetic in both diet and relationships. There is no reason why Jesus could not have likewise abstained from marriage and sexual relations.

In 1 Corinthians 9:5, Paul asks,"Do we not have the right to take along a believing wife, as do the other apostles and the brothers of the Lord and Cephas?".

Error 3: Jesus was married and the reason why this was suppressed was that it would affect his divinity
It is a false notion that if Jesus had sexual relationships with a wife and sired offspring, this would be defiling. There is no reason why Jesus could not have been married and have been divine at the same time. Jesus did not teach that sex was defiling (indeed, in Mark 10:1-2, he speaks of it as the means by which two become one flesh as God intended).

So there is no reason fro suppressing any fact that Jesus was married. There's just no evidence anywhere that he was.

Errors Concerning Gnosticism
Even though The Da Vinci Code seems to promote Gnosticism, it doesn't seem to understand its fundamental tenets.

Gnosticism doesn't value mundane events, processes or persons. It is concerned purely with the spiritual. Normal ways of relating (eg. marriage and sexual intercourse) are seen as inherently defiling. Gnostics withdraw from the world and deny the goodness of matter and bodies. Salvation is a matter of knowing the right things (which doesn't include the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ).

Gnostic texts would see sexual union as tainting and evil and would never advocate it as a means to see God. The concept of the "sacred feminine" is actually a pagan belief because for Gnostics, male or female was unimportant, only asceticism was key.

Why Bother?
Why should the truth or untruth of Dan Brown's this affect us? Isn't this the consequence of yet another media frenzy, giving us something to talk about on blogs like the ah peks in coffeeshops?

Many enjoy "The Da Vinci Code" because it tells them what they want to hear: that the Establishment can't be trusted, that females are sacred, that we can believe what we want to believe whenever we want to believe, tell ourselves fairy stories and not be hemmed in by historical facts.

But telling fact from fiction is important because our lives depend on it: if what the canonical Gospels say are true, then we are in great danger. We are enemies of God and his wrath is on us. If the canonical Gospels are true, then we can escape the wrath of the God of the Universe through the substitutionary death of his Son, Jesus Christ, who took God's wrath upon himself that we might live. And we can take hold of this escape route if we trust in him.

Other Resources:
The Da Vinci Code Project
"Redeeming The Da Vinci Code" by Michael Gleghorn
"Not InDavincible" by James Patrick Holding
"Articles about The Da Vinci Code" by Gary C Burger
Woah. Amphipolis responds by chapters. Start with his post on 28 July 2005.
Ben Witherington III's blog butofcourse
"How would you go about demonstrating the historical reliability of the Gospels?" - an essay I wrote, while not yet Christian, for theology class. The style is juvenile, there was a word limit of 1,000 words and it is beset by typos but still fairly useful.

Ben Witherington III will be in Singapore in June for a seminar. Details are:
The National Council of Churches Singapore Seminar
Venue: St. Andrew's Cathedral
Dates: 1st June and 2nd June 2006
Time: 7.45pm - 10.00pm
Limited seats on a first-come-first-served basis
Please email gracechua@ttc.edu.sg if you need more information.

Easter Convention 2006: The Powerful Rescuer

It's been a crazy few weeks, the sort that make you wish for more hours in a day, but great fun so that you say,"O God, though it is far better to be at home with you, don't take me just yet!". And you thank him for the strong wind that has been speeding the boat along; exciting Bible studies to prepare, people that are slowly but perceptibly growing under God's hand and word, evangelistic events coming to fruition, fellow travellers carrying each other's burdens along the same road, encouraging research for talks and seminars, meeting Christians from all over the world and learning how God has worked in their lives... And you thank him for the opportunity to serve him by serving others, knowing and finding great pleasure and satisfaction from the eternal value of doing all these things.

Ah, but is all this enthusiasm empty? A passing fad that afflicts the emo and the gullible?

Well, it all starts at the first Good Friday. But why is Good Friday good? And how can anyone who isn't sadistic rejoice in the agonising death of one man on the cross?

Thanks to G who made it and R who snapped it

This is David Jackman's third and final talk (or some parts of it anyway) in the English Presbytery's Easter Convention 2006 series:
The Powerful Rescuer (Romans 5:1-11)
I want to ask: why is Good Friday good? All over the world, people celebrate this day.

Nobody will deny that Jesus was a remarkable man. He went all over feeding hundreds of people from a few loaves of bread and a few fish, he stilled a storm, he demonstrated divine power. He spoke words no one else had heard before. Then he was betrayed by one of those closest to him, falsely convicted and then hung on a cross to die.

As Jesus was dying on the cross, a most agonising and shameful death, it appeared to his enemies that they had won. It appeared that surely, evil had triumphed and death had conquered him.

So how can Good Friday be good?

Good Friday was a unique event in human history that changed our whole world, our whole reality. Paul fervently believed that it was something to boast about. It shapes the central purpose in our lives. It is something we think about constantly and we very much want to pass it on to future generations.

1. Our Confident Future (Romans 5:1-2)
We have a glorious future which is certain in God. This is not for everyone. It is only for people who trust in God, people who approach him as if we had nothing to be ashamed of. But of course we have something to be ashamed of. We are sinners. We don't recognise him as the authority in our lives, as God. That's why there is a state of hostility between us and God. That's why we try to hide from him and hope that he doesn't bother with us.

Gaining Access to God
But now with Jesus' death on the cross, those that believe have access into grace. Now we can enter God's presence trusting and forgiven.

I have been here in Singapore for 6 weeks now, and I was pleased that while I was here, the Queen came for a visit. Now, although I am Her Majesty's loyal subject, she didn't know I was here and didn't ask me to tea. Supposing I wanted to meet her. How would I do it? I could send her a letter saying that I would like to meet her. I could telephone her. I could go wherever she went and hold up a big card saying "David Jackman would like to meet you". And soon the special service would have me on their list and make sure I get nowhere near the Queen.

If that is true of an earthly monarch, how much more true is it of the king of kings? How can we saunter into his presence and say,"God show yourself to me"?

That's why Good Friday is good. Wouldn't you like to know when you put your head on the pillow that you are forgiven by God?

Well, you need a pretty high point score for that don't you? That's not what the Bible says. We don't depend on our own performance but on Jesus' records. That's what gives us acceptance. It is no vague hope. This morning, we rejoice in the heavenly hope.

Hope
Suppose we are at a wedding rehearsal, and I say to the bride about the wedding day,"I hope it will be a good day". I am saying that it would be nice if it is a good day, but the chances are 50/50 (or in England, it is even less than that). What if I say to the groom,"I hope the bride will turn up on the wedding day". He'll say,"I certainly hope so!". By that, he doesn't mean that it would be nice if she turned up but the chances are 50/50. This hope is certain because everything up to now suggests that this will surely take place. This is Christian hope.

2. Our Current Foundation (Romans 5:3-8)
"We rejoice in our sufferings". What does that mean? Not grin and bear it. The hope of glory is produced as a result of the suffering process.

How the Process Works
What is happening in our lives is that our sufferings, our afflictions, make us trust God more. We are driven back to our Bible, to God's word. This is how these characteristics are produced. When we become Christian, we do not float to heaven on flowery beds of ease. No. It is a fallen world and we all suffer. But this is how the Holy Spirit works in our hearts.

Why the Process Works
The only place we can find hope in a hopeless world is in God. God loves us even to the point of giving his Son to death on the cross.

Romans 5:6-7 says we are weak and powerless. We are ungodly, unrighteous, we do not love the Lord our God with all our mind and heart and strength, we do not love our neighbour as our self. But Christ hung on that cross so that you and millions of others will have access to God.

Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:7-8)

By the cross, Jesus gave us access to God. On the cross, Jesus did more than what any one of us could or would have done.

During our stay here, we visited the Changi Prison and it reminded us of World War II. Ernest Gordon wrote a book called "Miracle on the River Kwai". He was a prisoner-of-war during the Second World War and was forced to work at building the Burma railway. Morale in the camp was very low: life was miserable, there was little food and there were diseases. One day, a party went to the railway to work. After work, they lined everyone up and the tools were checked. It was found that one of the tools was missing. It was a pickaxe. The Japanese were very angry because someone had hidden it away to esacpe. They questioned the whole party but no one confessed to taking it. So the temperature was raised and the Japanese said they would kill every member of the party if the guilty party did not own up. Then one man broke rank and admitted that he had taken the pickaxe. He was instantly killed on the spot. When they got back to the camp, the tools were counted again, and it was realised there had been a mistake in the first count. No tool was missing. Then the men raised that their companion had died for them. They suddenly realised that they were worth dying for and gained a new dignity and new purpose. After the war, many of them became Christian because they saw in that man what Christ had done.

But there is a difference. The difference is that this man died for his friends. Jesus died for his enemies. When Jesus said "it is finished", it was not that he was finished, but that his task was accomplished. When he said that, the veil in the temple (which symbolised that God was so holy, people in their sinfulness could not approach him) was torn into two. It was torn from top to bottom - not bottom to top as if ripped by the hands of men (although no human hand could tear it, as thick as it was) - but top to bottom by the hand of God. Now we can have access to God.

All Jesus' righteousness was put to our account, and our sin on his account. Martin Luther described this as the Great Exchange. He because our sin. Faith is saying "this is for me", "I will make this rescue my rescue".

3. Our Constant Focus (Romans 5:9-11)
We can rejoice in God. On the last day, when we have all to give an account of ourselves to God, if we are trusting in our own record, we will surely fail. But if we are trusting in Jesus' record, we are not only saved but we are rejoicing in God. We are reconciled, reconnected, so God can be the focus of our lives.

This must have a response. It is not just knowing but doing something about it. Turn to him in simple, personal trust. When we do this, we get all the blessing in this life - the hope of glory of God in heaven.

I have become an expert on the 171 bus in Singapore. When I first encountered it, I had to find out where it went. I could read the notice board. I could the bus driver "where does this bus go to?". I could get up the bus and poll the passengers "does this bus go to Orchard" and they'd think "not another tourist!". But I wouldn't have gone where I wanted to go if I didn't get on the bus.

It is the same for Christianity. On this Good Friday, take a good appropriate step forward.

*************

Easter Convention 2006: The Passover Lamb
Easter Convention 2006: The Sinless Sufferer
Easter Convention 2006: The Powerful Rescuer