The Promises of God, Segment 1

Foreword

In this study, we will attempt to examine every promise of God in the Bible. Nevertheless, our study may not be all-encompassing due to the sheer magnitude of those promises. We may miss a few of them. But let us attempt to be as comprehensive as possible.

We will begin with an Old Testament promise and then one from the New Testament. We will alternate them during our examination of the Scriptures. We may occasionally study more than one promise from one Testament (as the context guides us) before switching to the other. Let us begin.

The Promises of God

Exodus 15:26 And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for am the LORD that healeth thee.

Ancient Hebrew alphabet characters were pictographs, like the Egyptian Alphabet. The Hebrew alphabet is much simpler. Each letter was a picture of a specific thing. For example, the first letter of the alphabet is aleph, א. In ancient Hebrew it was , the head of an ox. Its meaning was strength, because an ox is strong. It became , then , and finally א. Note that if you turn over, you get A in English, Greek, and Latin. The second letter of the Hebrew alphabet is beth (bayt), נ, meaning house. In ancient Hebrew, it was , which is a picture of the floor plan of an ancient eastern tent in Abraham's day. It became , then , and finally נ. Note that if you turn over, you get an English lower case b.

Aleph, alpha, A and beth, beta, B, are the first two letters in the English, Greek, and Hebrew alphabets. The word "alphabet" comes from first two letters of the Hebrew and Greek alphabets (alephbeth and alphabeta).

Let us state the verse using ancient Hebrew pictures: "[God] said, if you will listen with the breath (or spirit) that is, if you will carefully hear as well as respond appropriately in obedience or action, to the authoritative voice, like that of the shepherd calling his flock, of Yehovah God, and will walk closely in His sight following the straight path (walk righteously, do what is right according to Him), and will broadly (give a big ear to or open our ears widely to) hear His Commandments, and guard (be watchful) to carefully keep all His statutes (decrees, ordinances), He will not set into place any of the diseases (infirmities, sickness, pain; in this case the plagues) He placed on the Egyptians, for He is Yehovah Rapha (I Am He that Heals)".

The context of this promise is seen in the entire passage: Exodus 15:22-27, "So Moses brought Israel from the Red sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness, and found no water. (23) And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter: therefore the name of it was called Marah. (24) And the people murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink? (25) And he cried unto the LORD; and the LORD showed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet: there he made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there he proved them, (26) And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for am the LORD that healeth thee. (27) And they came to Elim, where were twelve wells of water, and threescore and ten palm trees: and they encamped there by the waters."

Moses had miraculously led them through the Red Sea on dry land, and they had gone on three days. Just like normal human beings, they found something to complain about. So God took care of their complaint and gave them sweet water to drink. If you don't think water is sweet, go out on a several mile hike in the hot summer sun without taking water. When you finally get to drink some cool, clear water it is very sweet to the taste.

Then God told them, "Look you have nothing to complain about. If you will follow my laws and precepts, I will protect you from the plagues of the Egyptians." When He made this promise, the law He gave Moses was not yet written. His statute was that if, when the commandments and statutes were given, the people would diligently listen and do them, which was what was right in the sight of God, He would protect them from sickness and calamity; they would have health and peace.

Of course this applies to God's people today. Who are His people? They are the true church, that is, true believers in Christ, the saved. "But Brother Mark," you say, "I thought we were under grace and not law." This is true; we are saved by the grace of God, but condemned by the law. Since there is no condemnation to those in Christ Jesus, the law no longer condemns us. But it is still in force, and God tells us in several New Testament passages that we are to obey His commandments and Statutes as His children. That does not mean we must obey them to be saved. No amount of works or obedience to His laws and precepts will save us. Only our faith in Christ will save us.

Though the law cannot save us, God commands us to obey it. Salvation is freely bestowed on those that put their faith in Jesus Christ as

Salvation is freely bestowed on those that put their faith in Jesus Christ as Savior, and not on those who obey the law. Obedience to the law does not and cannot save us. However, ONCE WE ARE SAVED, then we should do everyhting we can to please God. Our works before salvation were worhtless in that they could not save us. Nevertheless, our good works that we do AFTER WE ARE SAVED, are acceptable and desirable to God. In Matthew 5:17-18 Christ said, "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. {18} For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled." Thus, the law is not done away with. As Christians we should strive to obey the law; not because it affects our salvation, for it does not, but because it pleases God. The idea behind this treatise is that we should strive to please God. Obeying the law does not save us; but once we are saved we should strive to obey the law because it is pleasing to God for us to do good works (Matthew 5:16, Ephesians 2:8-10, Colossians 1:10, 2 Timothy 3:16-17).

Both James and John specifically state that our works prove our salvation. 1 John 2:3-5, "And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. {4} He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. {5} But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him." James 2:17-18, "Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. {18} Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: show me thy faith without thy works, and I will show thee my faith by my works."

If we, His children (Christians; the saved), wish to have His blessings in this life, we must strive to carefully hear as well as respond appropriately in obedience or action, to the authoritative voice, like that of the shepherd calling his flock, of Yehovah God, and will walk closely in His sight following the straight path (walk righteously, do what is right according to Him), and will broadly (give a big ear to or open our ears widely to) hear His Commandments, and guard (be watchful) to carefully keep all His statutes (decrees, ordinances). If so, He will bless us.

This promise overarches all other promises. If we will observe all He told us to in this promise, all the other promises will be subordinate to this one. If we won't observe what He told us to in this promise, then all other promises are of less effect that they would be if we will observe His statements here. If we observe His statutes and commandments, then all other promises will fall smoothly properly in place; if not some will only fit roughly in place.

The Beatitudes of the Sermon on the Mount are all promises with a condition. Please note that each condition is an attribute of a true Christian. All Christians should be blessed in the ways listed here, for all Christians should possess each of these attributes.

We need to consider these together as a unit. There are nine promises laid out in this discourse. We will look at the number nine in Biblical Numerics. We need not get too technical here because the study of numbers in the Bible can be very subjective. We need to look for objective meanings.

In the Bible, there are nine fruit of the Spirit, nine gifts of the Spirit, and, of course nine blessings in the Sermon on the Mount. Nine is the squared of three, which is the number of God. Three is said by some to indicate divine perfection, hence the square of that is divine perfection multiplied by divine perfection. So any way one approaches nine, the number three is seen. I always envision nine as three threes. It is a rounded symbol of perfection. Yet, we also see judgment in the number nine.

There are nine judgments summarized in Haggai chapter one and nine forms used of the Greek root word for judgment in the Bible. The Greek for these words is each used nine times in the Scriptures: bottomless pit, ungodly, lasciviousness, and lightning. All of these words are associated with judgment in the Bible. There are nine stones on king of Tyrus' (who is apparently a metaphor for Lucifer) breast piece in Ezekiel 28:13. Tyrus is from a Hebrew word meaning rock or adversary and Satan is our adversary. Nine seems to be a symbol of both divine and perfect judgment as well as finality. These nine blessings in the Sermon on the Mount are promises of God based on a condition. Hence the conditional promises must be judged to see if the conditions were met before the blessings will flow. Thus perfect divine judgment is in view here.

Matthew 5:3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

All of the Beatitudes begin with "blessed are…" The Complete Word Study Dictionary, defines it: "possessing the favor of God, that state of being marked by fullness from God". Dr. Strong says the meaning is "supremely blest, fortunate, well off, happy." The Greek English Lexicon of the New Testament states the meaning: favored, blessed, fortunate, happy, privileged. We can see all of these things wrapped up in the promise of god that we will be blessed if we have one of the attributes delineated in the beatitudes.

The word rendered poor has various meanings determined by its context. Here it seems to indicate poor, needy, low, or of humble estate. When combined with the word for spirit, we get a spiritual connotation. Basically this promise is given to those who know their lost condition and their utter helplessness and inability to be reprieved from this lost condition. In order for a man to become saved, he must needs to first understand his grave and lost condition. Once a man finally understands his utterly helpless condition, there is only one thing he can do if he wishes to escape his condition. That is to recognize that condition ad to turn in faith to Christ alone, and Christ will cure the man's condition.

All true believers have come to this conclusion. They had to in order to be saved. The Holy Spirit through our spirit has revealed our lost condition to us and has also revealed that Jesus Christ is the only way out. Therefore, all truly saved people recognized their condition and put their faith in Christ. Only with the goading of the Spirit were we able to recognize our condition and its cure. Yet, it seems that some, after coming to this realization, yet remain in their sins, rejecting their Savior and remaining lost.

The promise is, that if we are prompted by the Spirit to recognize our spiritual condition and accept that as truth and place our faith and trust in the Lord for our salvation, then we will inherit the kingdom of Heaven. That means that since we understand our poor spiritual condition and know that Christ is our only way of hope, we will go to Heaven to be with our Lord forever when we leave this earthly realm. All true believers are these that are poor in spirit.

Matthew 5:4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.

Who is a mourner? Who mourns? Folks that have lost something mourn. We usually associate mourning with the loss of a loved one or a beloved pet to death. But is it true that humans mourn over many things. If you have seen homes have been devastated by severe weather, you have seen some of their owners weep. They are mourning their loss. People mourn over the loss of a job, or money, or some object. My mother lost many of her pictures of her children when we were small in a freak shipping accident. She mourned her loss. We sometimes feel a moment of remorse when we trade our beloved old car in on a newer model. That is mourning.

We can also mourn over things in our lives that we wish were not there. We may mourn our monetary situation, or job situation, or our marriage situation. We may wish a certain person would be transferred because we mourn the fact that we must associate with that person. We may mourn the fact that we have a bad habit or an addiction. We may mourn our bad temper. The list could go on indefinitely. We may certainly have the comfort of God to cheer us in the cases here, but there is another type of mourning we need to discuss.

This brings us to the point of this promise. Jesus came to save the lost and dying in the world. The mourning that seems to be in order here is our mourning over our sinful condition. Those that grieve over their sins and sorrow after them and look to Jesus to lift them out of their doldrums will be comforted. Those that realize their spiritual condition and weep and mourn over their lost condition and sin can look to Jesus for comfort. When we realize our lost condition and turn to Jesus we will be comforted.

Matthew 5:5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

There are many people who disdain meekness. With this verse especially, and with related verses, some think that meekness is the wrong personality trait to have. Why, because meekness brings up pictures of the skinny man that gets sand kicked on him by the strong man who then makes off with his girlfriend. It reminds of the person who won't defend himself or his family in a violence situation. It gives us thought of the person that everyone disdains; that holds his head down in shame rather that keeping his chin up in the face of adversity. It reminds people of the milquetoast individual that is backward, docile, and mild. In other words we see an individual in our minds eye that "is not a real man".

Unfortunately, too many think this was about those meek that are blessed in this passage. It is not true. Jesus said in Matthew 11:29, "Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls." He is trying to convince people to become Christians by saying that he was not overbearing or oppressive like the Pharisaical system of minute laws and requirements. Jesus' temperament was always kind and gentle when He was caring for the people, but he was extremely harsh when he faced the Pharisees. Let us not forget His actions with the moneylenders. Jesus was very strong and forcefully stood up for His principles without wavering. He was meek but not weak. His gentleness was well known to the needy and his harshness was well known to the religious leaders.

Jesus had quiet strength. A strong man knows his strength. He does not need to boast about it. He usually remains quiet about it until provoked to show his strength. A true martial arts disciple is fully aware of his prowess and his ability and strength. Yet martial artists are taught as a part of their discipline to be quite and meek and not use their strength except for defense. The palace guards at Buckingham Palace may seem meek because they are disciplined to remain still and quiet when on duty. But to think that such a man is week is a mistake. Those guards would bring to bear deadly force against anyone that comes against their charge. You may unsuccessfully attempt to get one of them to smile of even notice your presence. But if an intended intruder tried to get past them they would spring into quick action and would give up their own lives to protect the Palace, the Queen, or any of her family or company. This is the quiet strength intended in this verse.

Happy are those that are quiet and self controlled. Happy are the ones that show humility in their love for others. Yet those same people are quite strong. To be meek in this instance does not mean to back down when you are right. It is the opposite rage, or revenge. It is the opposite of brashness and lack of self control. It is patience in the face of aggression against it. It is not weakness, cowardice, or surrender when right. The meek person is quite strong, but he is reserved and will only show his strength when it is necessary to fend off a foe, to stand up for what is right, or to defend the innocent, the weak, the small, and the infirm. The meek man in this case would never turn away from those things. Jesus did not and He does not expect us to. We are to be meek and gentle like He was. He was meek and gentle when the situation called for it and strong and outgoing when needed.

The promise for the strong Christian that knows his weakness in the face of God, but who is strong when his God requires him to be, is to inherit the earth. Truly the saying "you can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar" is much in view here. The strong man who maintains meekness and gentleness when dealing with people will be more successful that the caustic individual. Be gentle in character but be ready when your strength is required.

Here is a true saying, "If you don't stand for something, you will fall for anything." The meek in Christ are not those that will not take a stand. Those Christians are not meek; they are slothful. They are weak, frightened and powerless. It seems that this is a general state of the church in the West. Christians have been convinced to bow out of the world and assemble in fortresses. We have been emasculated by our refusal or inability to stand up for what is right. This is not meekness, it is disobedience and fear. We are afraid for our jobs, our incomes, our housed, our possessions, etc. We fail to stand for anything because of our fears and thus fall for anything. That is how homosexuality has become powerful. Also promiscuity, the rejection of God in our society, AIDS, drug abuse, free sex, lying, cheating and stealing, etc. etc. These things go on because good men do not stand up for what is right, for what is decent, for what is proper, for what God requires. It is not the meek that have allowed this but the weak and fearful.

Matthew 5:6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

To hunger and thirst after something is to have a passionate desire for it. There are shows on TV where men deliberately go out into the wilderness, the tundra, the desert, etc, to simulate being lost and to show us how to cope in such situations. They get really hungry and thirsty to the point of eating and drinking things that would normally make us retch in aversion. They have a strong desire to eat and drink. Consider a man lost in the desert that wanders and wanders. He is thirsting for water and hungering for food. It is all consuming. He has an ardent desire for food and water. That is all that is on his mind. Happy are those that have an overwhelming and passionate desire for what is right. They wish to be righteous and to help others be righteous. It is a consuming need to seek the righteousness of God. These people will be filled and satisfied with the righteousness they seek.

Matthew 5:7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

You know the merciful. You have seen them in schools, in hospitals, in the military, in the stores, you've seen them everywhere. There are peoples in all walks that have compassion for others. Webster defines merciful as "Compassionate; tender; unwilling to give pain; not cruel." These are the ones always helping others without a care for themselves. They are the ones at the bedside of the infirm, the ones that write letters of encouragement to the needy, the ones that are always there at funerals preparing food and helping the bereaved. They are the ones that take no credit for their actions; they just give and give and give. They give mercy and they will obtain mercy. God will be merciful to them.

Matthew 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

The word rendered pure means clean. It is a cleanliness that supersedes the outward cleanliness (or lack thereof) of the human body. What is in view here is ethical cleanliness, which is freedom from corrupt desire, from sin and guilt, freedom from falsehood, genuineness, sincerity, innocence, etc. This cleanness is really guiltlessness. Now we know that everyone has sinned and no one is perfect. So it is the person that strives to accomplish these things that is in view here.

Couple pure with the word heart (which to the Hebrew and Greek mind (as well as the English mind) was the center of the emotions and intellect) and the meaning is much expanded. Reality is that the brain is actually the seat of these things. But in the past, the heart was considered to be that center. Even now, allegorically speaking, the heart is that center.

The cleanliness is on the inside-a part of the intellect. Barnes states it this way, "Blessed are the pure in heart - That is, whose minds, motives, and principles are pure; who seek not only to have the external actions correct, but who desire to be holy in heart, and who are so. Man looks on the outward appearance, but God looks on the heart." Amen. This is the standard. It is what each Christian should strive for; even if we do not 100% attain it.

Remember also, that God imputes His righteousness to believers in Christ (Romans 4:1-25). In other words, when we are saved by the blood of Christ, God credits us with His righteousness. So the clean, pure, or righteous heart we have has been credited to our account by God. It is not our own cleanliness but His residing in us that provides the pure heart.

That is the condition, this is the promise. Those who meet the condition, which is a clean heart, will actively behold God face to face in Heaven. Here again, the blood of Jesus cleanses our hearts of sin and makes them pure or clean. Therefore, the true believer in Christ, whose heart is cleansed, will reap this promise. We will see God in person.

Matthew 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

Peace can be defined many ways. For example, the cessation of hostilities after war is peace. Peace can be harmony or accord between people or countries. It can be security or safety, or prosperity. Peace can mean civil order in a town, especially after some clamor had occurred like a riot. It can mean tranquility, peace of mind, or peace and quiet. It can be stillness; the stillness of a pastoral setting can be in view. Peace can signify calmness, like the calm of a smooth flowing creek compared to a rushing torrent. All of these ideas fit the definition of peace. Yet none of these fits the context of this passage.

Peace in this passage is (one of Thayer's definitions,) "the Messiah's peace; it is the way that leads to peace" through salvation. It is the peace "of Christianity, the tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and content with its earthly lot, of whatsoever sort that is." It is "the blessed state of devout and upright men after death." (Thayer's Greek Definitions).

The word peacemaker is the combination of the word for peace (eirene) and the word for "to make" (poieo). From the definitions of both words we can say a peacemaker is one who produces peace, acquires peace, makes peace, declares peace, promises peace, or leads another to peace. Each of these possibilities fits the context, therefore each of these things apply to this promise. Yet the one that we will focus on is the final one, which is, a peacemaker is one that leads another to peace. As Christians, we are commanded to be witnesses of Christ. (I realize that there are some who do not believe the Bible teaches this, but I fully believe and understand that Jesus was talking to all Christians in Acts 1:8, and in Matthew 28:19-20). As witnesses of Christ, we lead others to the peace that passes all understanding, and that is the peace of God.

By witnessing for Christ, our actions present the Gospel to others, and, like the sower in the parable, some of our seed falls on fertile ground and grows into maturity. Some of those we witness to believe on Christ as Savior and thus find peace. Consequently, when Christians are witnesses of Christ, they are peacemakers; and as such, are blessed as the children of God.

All Christians are the children of God (Romans 8:16, Galatians 3:26, 1 John 3:2). As Christians we are called to be peacemakers. We are called to be peacemakers in all the definitions listed above, but especially as witness of Christ. One other thing, the Greek word for witness is martus (martyres in Acts 1:8) from which we get our English word martyr. Thus, in English, a martyr is one who suffers or even goes to his death for his belief and is thus a witness for his belief. Sometimes when Christians witness they are treated uncivilly, and thus suffer for their witnessing. They are technically martyrs (witnesses).

Matthew 5:10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

The word rendered persecuted, or persecute in its infinitive, means literally to rush toward an object. This can be in a good or bad sense. But the word, in this context, is more appropriately to persecute. Other meanings, depending on the context, can mean pursue or even harass. Our English definition is similar. The archaic form, which was probably in use in the Nineteenth Century as evidenced by the Noah Webster 1858 dictionary, is to run after someone with the intent to injure or kill. It was also used in a legal sense, to pursue with the intent to unjustly penalize or convict of alleged offenses or trumped-up charges. It also denoted seeking after in order to inflict pain because of hatred or spite. Of course, the more modern usage is to harass because of a belief or difference of opinion. Such harassment has the intent to injure, harm or grieve the recipient, and to stifle his opinion of belief. Furthermore it also means to pester or vex with persistence.

Many have been persecuted throughout history because of their religion, their race, their skin color, their origins, their belief systems, or even their heritage. The ignorant tend to persecute the intelligent. The rich tend to persecute the. The in-crowd tend to persecute those outside the group. In given circumstances the opposite of these situations is true. Men and women sometimes persecute one another. In jest, many folks mildly persecute others. After a sporting event, the winners sometimes persecute the losers (or vice versa).

Here there is a qualifier. Those persecuted because of their righteousness are the ones that will be blessed. Now, as we have seen before, the righteous acts of men and women are as filthy rags in God's sight. So we are without hope in and of ourselves. If our righteous acts are unclean to God, and we, because of our sinful nature, are unclean, then there is no way for us to get clean. We cannot make up for our sinful acts with acts of righteousness because those very acts are sinful in His sight. Only through Christ, whose righteous works at Calvary were done for our sins to be forgiven, can we have righteousness. When we put our faith in Him, he credits us with righteousness. That imputed righteousness we have from Christ makes our acts done in Christ to be righteous acts.

Now the world thinks otherwise. What is right to the world is sometimes at odds with what is right with God. For example, God tells us that fornication (marital relations outside of marriage) is unrighteous in His sight (e.g. Leviticus 18:20, 22, 23, 20:12, 20, Numbers 13:5, Deuteronomy 22:23, Acts 15:20). Yet, in the west today, many consider it right for men and women (or women and women, men and men) to live and have marital relations together without benefit of marriage. Outside of sexual relations, there are many more examples of acts considered wrong by God and right by the world. Financial acts, business acts, political acts, etc.; all have instances of being right with the world but wrong with God.

One of our righteous acts in Christ is to share the Gospel with others. To the world this is a despicable thing. It is despicable because, as Christians, we believe that there is only one Way to Heaven and that is through Jesus Christ ("I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me," John 14:6 HCSB). Another righteous act of Christians is the refusal to bow down and worship any other except Him. More persecution in history has been directed at Christians over these two things than any other.

The Jewish persecutions were because Jesus claimed to be God and the only Way. The Roman persecutions were undertaken because Christians refused to worship Caesar. The Catholic persecutions were because Christians did not believe the Pope was Christ's Vicar (substitute) on earth; because they did not believe penance was going to absolve their sins; and because they did not believe the church's rule that the communion elements actually became the body and blood of Christ when consumed. Today throughout the world, Christians are persecuted because of their belief that Christ is the only way. Muslims persecute Christians because they do not believe Jesus is Savior. According to their belief, only Allah can save them and he saves them because of their works on earth. They believe that worshiping Jesus is idolatry.

In the West, the persecution of Christians is in its beginning mild stages. Taking away prayer and banning the Bible at school, at public events, and in government was the beginning. Incrementally, Christians are being tolerated less and less. There seems to be a time coming when true Christians will not be tolerated and then the real persecution will begin. Christians are and have been persecuted because of their righteous acts-those acts the God deems righteous and the world does not.

The condition the promise requires, that is, being persecuted for righteousness' sake, is a cross that all true Christians must bear, even if only occasionally. All true Christians have been persecuted for their beliefs, which are righteous beliefs, and all true Christians share in this promise. The Kingdom of Heaven is given to Christians. All true Christians will attain heaven because of their belief in Jesus Christ as Savior, and thus they all do righteous acts because the righteousness of Christ resides in them. If they do righteous acts, the will be persecuted by the world.

Matthew 5:11-12 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. (12) Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

We understand what persecution is because of our study of the last beatitude. To revile meant to verbally abuse. Some synonyms are insult, abuse, scorn, condemn, censure, berate, despise, disparage, and curse. Thayer's definition of the Greek word, ????????, oniedz? (uninflected here), is "to reproach, upbraid, revile." All are synonyms of revile. When people curse you or call you names, or sneer at you for your belief, you are blessed. When people call you names because of your belief, you are blessed. When people gossip about you or defame you or libel you, whether known or unknown to you, you are blessed. When someone says a thing to another that harms you, you are blessed.

When folks utter phrases like "he's a goody two shoes," or "he's too heavenly minded to be any heavenly good," or "stay away from him; he got religion," or, "they are a bunch of hypocrites down at that church," etc., you are blessed. Christians have been killed because of statements against them made by others. In the time of the Inquisition, false accusations were sometimes made to have people investigated by the Inquisition in order to cause them harm. That is making an evil and false statement against a Christian just because of his beliefs.

Every Christian has, at one time or another, been scorned for his belief in Christ. Many have been jailed, stoned, burned at the stake, tortured, or otherwise mistreated due to false accusations made against them because they believed in Christ. Others have lost jobs, marriages, status, funds, etc., because of false accusations made against them for their belief in Christ. In fact, today, in modern America, people are routinely falsely accused of wrongdoing in order to force them to stop their Christian speech.

Valedictorians have been silenced because of their belief. Military chaplains have been disciplined and some discharged for their belief in Christ. Teachers have been suspended over their beliefs. College professors and scientists have been fired for their beliefs. Persecution and condemnation have become commonplace among Christians that do not hide their beliefs in America. Many have been falsely accused of "religious bigotry" simply for being Christians and believing that Christ is the only Way. Pastors in Canada and in Australia have been prosecuted by the government for reading parts of the Bible in public that are not politically correct.

Every one of them, and that includes every Christian that has been reviled or persecuted (all true Christians fit this bill), will receive the promise of God here. That promise is that our rewards in Heaven will be great. Because the world persecutes and reviles us, we are to rejoice and be exceedingly glad. According to The Complete Word Study Dictionary, the word rendered exceedingly glad means, "To exult, leap for joy, to show one's joy by leaping and skipping denoting excessive or ecstatic joy and delight." That is some kind of being glad. It is like watching your favorite quarterback throw the winning pass to a receiver in the end-zone with two seconds remaining on the clock. That is when the winning team gets ecstatic and leaps, skips, and exults because of the joy of winning. That is the kind of joy we are to have when we are reviled or persecuted.

Why are we to be exceedingly glad? Because the prophets of God-men and women of God, whom He chose-were treated the same way. We are to be glad that we can be treated as they were. We are to count it as joy to join them in their sufferings. We also know that Jesus Christ suffered for the same reasons that we suffer. We are to be joyful that we may share in the sufferings of Christ. The promise is that our rewards in heaven will be great. That is our rewards will be many; they will be large; they will be abundant; they will be plenteous. Simply being able to reside in Heaven will be reward enough. To get the idea of heaven, here is a passage from Revelation. Just being in such a place is a great reward.

He took me away in the Spirit to an enormous, high mountain and showed me Holy Jerusalem descending out of Heaven from God, resplendent in the bright glory of God. The City shimmered like a precious gem, light-filled, pulsing light. She had a wall majestic and high with twelve gates. At each gate stood an Angel, and on the gates were inscribed the names of the Twelve Tribes of the sons of Israel: three gates on the east, three gates on the north, three gates on the south, three gates on the west. The wall was set on twelve foundations, the names of the Twelve Apostles of the Lamb inscribed on them. The Angel speaking with me had a gold measuring stick to measure the City, its gates, and its wall. The City was laid out in a perfect square. He measured the City with the measuring stick: twelve thousand stadia, its length, width, and height all equal. Using the standard measure, the Angel measured the thickness of its wall: 144 cubits. The wall was jasper, the color of Glory, and the City was pure gold, translucent as glass. The foundations of the City walls were garnished with every precious gem imaginable: the first foundation jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst. The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate a single pearl. The main street of the City was pure gold, translucent as glass. But there was no sign of a Temple, for the Lord God--the Sovereign-Strong--and the Lamb are the Temple. The City doesn't need sun or moon for light. God's Glory is its light, the Lamb its lamp! The nations will walk in its light and earth's kings bring in their splendor. Its gates will never be shut by day, and there won't be any night. They'll bring the glory and honor of the nations into the City. Nothing dirty or defiled will get into the City, and no one who defiles or deceives. Only those whose names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life will get in. (Revelation 21:10-27, THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language, copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.)