All Saints Day (4 Nov. 2018, obs.)

Congratulations... life sucks!

Then I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, with the seal of the living God, and he called with a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm earth and sea, saying, "Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, until we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads."  And I heard the number of the sealed, 144,000, sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel: 12,000 from the tribe of Judah were sealed, 12,000 from the tribe of Reuben, 12,000 from the tribe of Gad, 12,000 from the tribe of Asher, 12,000 from the tribe of Naphtali, 12,000 from the tribe of Manasseh, 12,000 from the tribe of Simeon, 12,000 from the tribe of Levi, 12,000 from the tribe of Issachar, 12,000 from the tribe of Zebulun, 12,000 from the tribe of Joseph, 12,000 from the tribe of Benjamin were sealed.  After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, "Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!"  And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, "Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen."  Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, "Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?"  I said to him, "Sir, you know." And he said to me, "These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.  "Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence.  They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat.  For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."  Revelation 7:2-17

Praise the LORD! Sing to the LORD a new song, his praise in the assembly of the godly!  Let Israel be glad in his Maker; let the children of Zion rejoice in their King!  Let them praise his name with dancing, making melody to him with tambourine and lyre!  For the LORD takes pleasure in his people; he adorns the humble with salvation.  Let the godly exult in glory; let them sing for joy on their beds.  Let the high praises of God be in their throats and two-edged swords in their hands, to execute vengeance on the nations and punishments on the peoples, to bind their kings with chains and their nobles with fetters of iron, to execute on them the judgment written! This is honor for all his godly ones. Praise the LORD!  Psalm 149:1-9

See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know Him.  Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when He appears we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him as He is.  And everyone who thus hopes in Him purifies himself as He is pure.  1 John 3:1-3

Seeing the crowds, He went up on the mountain, and when He sat down, His disciples came to Him.  And He opened his mouth and taught them, saying:  "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.  Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.  Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.  Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.  Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.  Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.  Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.  Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you."  Matthew 5:1-12

To quote Monty Python: "And there was much rejoicing."

(yay)

As today is the commemoration, and observation, of All Saints Day, the Beatitudes is fitting.  Especially verse 4.  "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted."

The first word of this verse, as with these verses is μακάριοι ("makarioi").  Usually its translated as "blessed," but "fortunate" may be better in context.  "Fortunate are the ones who mourn."

How in the world is that logical?  Why would anyone consider it "fortunate" that they are mourning?

Comfort (from παρακαλέω) isn't the best translation, either.  Why?  Because the word in Greek quite literally translates to "call beside."  To "parakaleo" is to change the status of the one being called.  The "paraclete" changes the faithful in Christ.

So while now we live in this "veil of tears," remembering those who have gone before us, we will soon be most fortunate in that, in the blink of an eye, we will find ourselves and all believers in the new Creation.

And what is this new Creation?  The land promised to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and the humble ones in faith.  This land is not the oft-fought strip of dirt on the east side of the Mediterranean Sea.  It is not the territory once known as the Kingdom of Israel.  It isn't even the rocky hill that Jerusalem sits on.  That covenant was contingent on the people awaiting the Messiah and they failed.  And so the Sinai covenant is null and void.

But that wasn't the covenant made to Abraham.

The land promised to Abraham is the new Zion; the Kingdom of God where all who believe in the Messiah will live.  Not Jews, nor Gentiles, but Christians.  But this is not merely a rebuilt Jerusalem.  This is the restored Eden that our Parents were expelled from.  The only people who will inherit the land promised to Abraham are those who have been brought to faith in Christ alone.

Not the law.  Not their works.  Not ethnic affiliation.  Christ's death on the cross, which we are baptized into, and which we partake in at every Lord's Supper.

How fortunate we are to have such great comfort.