This post is a chapter from the book, Hope in the Loss of a Baby: A Deeper Dive into what the Bible says about Miscarriage, Stillbirth, and Infant Death, which is the culmination of much study, counseling, and sermons shared over twenty years. Since this book was meant to bless the church I am also making it available on this blog.
This post is a chapter from the book, Hope in the Loss of a Baby: A Deeper Dive into what the Bible says about Miscarriage, Stillbirth, and Infant Death, which is the culmination of much study, counseling, and sermons shared over twenty years. Since this book was meant to bless the church I am also making it available on this blog.
This post is a chapter from the book, Hope in the Loss of a Baby: A Deeper Dive into what the Bible says about Miscarriage, Stillbirth, and Infant Death, which is the culmination of much study, counseling, and sermons shared over twenty years. Since this book was meant to bless the church I am also making it available on this blog.
 |
| Jesus wants the rose! ~ Matt Chandler |
This post is a chapter from the book, Hope in the Loss of a Baby: A Deeper Dive into what the Bible says about Miscarriage, Stillbirth, and Infant Death, which is the culmination of much study, counseling, and sermons shared over twenty years. Since this book was meant to bless the church I am also making it available on this blog.
 |
| A shepherd prepares to defend the flock he has been entrusted with, to his own peril. |
God just wants me to be safe. I hear this almost daily, sometimes multiple times a day, and my response is almost always some version of, “Which verse is that?” God wants you to be a lot of things, but safe is not one of them. If you are a follower of Christ, the odds are good that you’ll be thrown to lions, sawn in half, burnt at the stake, reviled, maligned, hated, your property plundered, your blood spilled, etc. (compare Hebrews 11).
If my response is not “Which verse is that?” then I’m probably
asking when they’re flying to Nigeria to proclaim this message to our brothers
and sisters there. Certainly, a people who are being actively hunted by
terrorists and holding weekly mass funerals need to know that God just wants
them to be safe.
Why does it flow so naturally from our lips that God wants
us to be safe? We certainly can’t back that up from scripture or history. It’s
because it scratches our itching ears, because our flesh wants to be safe and
comfortable so we extrapolate that God must want us to be likewise. Your body
doesn’t get to go to heaven, so it cares nothing for holiness. It doesn’t have
to go to hell, so it fears none of the danger. The problem is your flesh has no interest in your soul's ultimate safety.
When Paul was commissioned, he was told right from the start
how much he would have to suffer for Christ’s sake (Acts 9:16). Just a few
years later he gives a list of things he had already suffered that included
time in prison, five brutal lashings, three additional beatings, dangerous
river crossings, waylaid in the wilderness, shipwrecks, exposure to the cold,
and constantly opposed by men who said they loved him and men who said they
hated him (compare 2 Corinthians 11:23-29). In another place it’s recorded that
he was stoned so severely that his attackers were sure they had killed him
(Acts 14:19), which is probably when he got to see heaven (2 Corinthians 12:2-4).
Not a moment of Paul’s life was safe, right up until he was beheaded. Compare
the other Apostles and you’ll see similar lists with equally violent ends.
Jesus told us “Whoever would save his life will lose it, but
whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” (Matthew 16:25). Safety is not
just the wrong choice, here Jesus tells us it’s an idol that cannot save.
Safety is a sin, and it will cost your life.
Consider for a moment Jesus in the safety of heaven
surrounded by hundreds of thousands of guardian angels when it was time to step
out of heaven to fulfill his purpose (John 18:37). If God just wanted him to be
safe, he would have gone all helicopter dad and said, “Jesus, I don’t want you going
down there, it’s not safe! Have you seen what they’ve done to the prophets? Have
you seen what they do to each other?” Instead, God the Father prepared a body
for Jesus, one that could bleed, one that could hurt, one that could shed
tears. One that could die. The only person who would suffer more than Paul
would be Jesus. Jesus said, “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me
before it hated you” (John 15:18).
When Peter chose his own safety over faithfulness, Jesus
told him he needed to repent so he could be restored (Luke 22:32). Was Jesus
being overly harsh in telling Peter that he needed to turn? Didn’t Jesus
understand that Peter’s very life was at stake? How can he find fault?
Soldiers of Christ are in a war. War is the opposite of
safety. The universal phobia is someone trying to kill you, and yet the
Christian lives here with an enemy who would and will devour him in an instant
if given the opportunity. If God wanted you to be safe, then Satan would be a
caged, declawed, defanged pussy cat that you could hold on your lap. But he’s not,
he’s actively stealing, killing, and destroying.
The Lord gets his best soldiers out
of the highlands of affliction. ~ Charles Spurgeon
For this reason, Paul tells us that “Indeed, all who desire
to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Timothy 3:11). That
comes right after he said we are following his teaching, his conduct, his aim
in life, his faith, his patience, his love, his steadfastness (2 Timothy 3:10, compare
1 Corinthians 11:1). If we are following Jesus, Paul, Peter, Andrew, and
multitudes of others, we must realize that Christianity is not safe.
Crucifixion on a Roman cross, crucifixion upside down,
crucifixion on an X-shaped cross, beheading, prison, false accusations…these are
all real possibilities. How Christlike can you be if no one has ever tried to
crucify you? How much do you desire godliness if you’re chasing the comforts of
this world? Are you really following Paul or Peter if your life is safe?
The only place the Christian will be safe is at the end of
this life, as Paul said,
The Lord will rescue me from every
evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory
forever and ever, amen. ~ 2 Timothy 4:18
Or as Keith and Kristyn Getty so masterfully sing it,
Let this journey bring a blessing,
Let me rise on wings of faith,
And at the end of my heart’s testing,
With your likeness let me wake.
So if God is not concerned about our safety, then why do we
put on seatbelts, or carry bear-spray, or lock our doors at night? The godly
reason is stewardship; the ungodly reason is fear. Paul said he was rescued out
of the lion’s mouth so that the message might be fully proclaimed and all the
Gentiles might hear it (2 Timothy 4:17). It wasn’t so Paul wouldn’t have teeth
marks or shed blood in the battle, it was so the Lamb who was slain might
receive the reward of his suffering.
Let us stand fast in what is right
and prepare our souls for trial. Let us be neither dogs that do not bark nor
silent onlookers, nor paid servants who run away before the wolf. Instead,
where the battle rages, let us find ourselves. Run towards the roar of the
battle! That is where Christ’s most glorious victories shall be won. ~ Winfred
Boniface
So beloved, God does not want you to be safe. If you’re safe you’re not in God’s will. If you’re not in God’s will, you’re not a good steward. And if you’re not a good steward, you’re in great danger of losing your life. And not just your life, but your soul, for cowards will have their place in the lake of fire (Revelation 21:8).
It is required of stewards that they be found faithful. ~ 1 Corinthians 4:2
This is an excerpt from an upcoming book, Hope in the Loss of a Baby: A Deeper Dive into what the Bible says about Miscarriage, Stillbirth, and Infant Death.
 |
| ChatGPT's interpretation of a baby Goliath |
Let’s start with a definition: The most prominent theory on
the Nephilim (also known as the Anakim and Rephaim) is that they are a hybrid
race of half-man, half-fallen-angel (see Genesis 6:1-4) defined by their
extreme stature and strength (Numbers 13:33). Their appearance in history was
the final straw that triggered the flood (Genesis 6:5-6). There is no
indication that any Nephilim ever sought God’s favor or forgiveness (2 Peter
2:4); rather, they are constantly seen as at war with the people of God until
they were ultimately eradicated by David and his men (1 Chronicles 20:4-8). If
there will be people from every nation, tribe, and tongue in heaven worshipping
Jesus, then I believe we’d have to say Rephaim, Anakim, and Nephilim are not men
because they won’t be there.
This question is worth considering because if a Babylonian
baby dies—who would have otherwise grown up to defile himself and war against
heaven—then God’s favor will welcome him into heaven as his own son. What
happens then if a Nephilim baby dies? Will this half-man, half-demon inherit
heaven on the same principle?
First, there is no indication in the Bible (or any other
ancient book) that a Nephilim baby ever died. This isn’t just an oversight; it
appears purposeful. When speaking of the destruction of Og, the Rephaim king of
Bashan, Moses specifically says that when they destroyed the neighboring human kingdom
of Heshbon, they devoted to destruction, “every city; men, women, and children”
(Deuteronomy 3:6). Yet of the Rephaim dead it only says “people” (which I would
translate “kin”) and that they left “no survivor” with no mention of children
(Deuteronomy 3:3). Was this God’s providence that there were no Nephilim babies
at the time of their defeat? Did Nephilim grow up faster than humans? I don’t
believe there is a clear answer, but if Moses had eradicated giant babies, he
would not have been shy to tell us about it.
Second, assuming this view of the Nephilim is correct, then
they are wearing human bodies but have demon souls. In this case there is no
redemption available, as it is only human babies who die that are saved by the
blood of Christ. Remember, “it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the
off-spring of Abraham” (Hebrews 2:16). A fallen angel, even a baby Nephilim,
would have no hope of redemption.
Third, and this is largely speculation, but if the thief
comes only to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10), the devil is prowling
around seeking someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8), and Satan does not war against
his own kingdom (Luke 11:17-18), then he would not be actively seeking to
destroy his own demons even as babies, especially while there are so many human
babies created in the image of God for him to devour (Revelation 12:4-5). Never
forget that Satan hates all human babies.
While it first appears as a complicated question without a clear answer, I can say with reasonable certainty that there will be no Nephilim babies in heaven because they never died as infants, they have no redeemer, and their place is prepared with Satan in hell (Matthew 25:41).
Then he will say to those on his left, “Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” ~ Matthew 25:41
Here’s a question I bet you’ve never thought of: Is Goliath
in hell as a man or as a demon? Here’s the definitive answer,
What is that to you? You follow me. ~ Jesus
 |
| Le Massacre des Innocents - Leon Cogniet - 1824 |
This post is a chapter from the book, Hope in the Loss of a Baby: A Deeper Dive into what the Bible says about Miscarriage, Stillbirth, and Infant Death, which is the culmination of much study, counseling, and sermons shared over twenty years. Since this book was meant to bless the church I am also making it available on this blog.
The truest definition of poverty is the inability to fix relationships. Lesser poverty is the inability to fix things. Consider a broken vehicle, if you have the funds you can have it fixed or replaced, if you don’t, it remains broken and probably gets more and more broken.
For things, money is a great tool for restoration. A lack of
money means things don’t get fixed. A lack of spiritual capital means relationships
don’t get fixed and it’s much worse because they’ll get more and more broken.
We can have all of the resources in the world and refuse to
use them. This is being materially rich but spiritually poor. That old song, “There’s
a hole in the bucket” captures this idea perfectly. The song is framed as a
conversation and starts out with a declaration that something is broken. The response
is simple, “Fix it.” The excuse is, “How do I fix it?” The response is, “Use
the resources you have.” To which we hear, “The resources aren’t right.” – “Then
make them right.” – “How?” – “With the tools provided.” One of the tools needs
to be sharpened, and the sharpener requires water. “How am I supposed to get
water?” – “Use the bucket.” And there is a long triumphant pause before,
“There’s a hole in the bucket!”
When the relationship is irrevocably broken, love, peace,
joy, and forgiveness are the tools we have…but if the other party has not
repented enough, or they have not asked for forgiveness, or they’ve shown their
true colors, or they’re too difficult to fix, then the tools are supposedly insufficient.
There’s a hole in the bucket!
God, what do you want me to do? His response is clear, “Love
one another, be a one another Christian, forgive as I’ve forgiven you,” or in
other words, “Fix the relationship.” We respond, “The tools you’ve given me are
insufficient and some are just outright broken.” There’s a hole in the bucket!
Jesus went to a man at the pool of Bethesda who had been
lame for thirty-eight years. Jesus asked him bluntly, “Do you want to be healed?”
It’s the closest Jesus ever got to making an accusation against someone who was
not actively sinning. The man responds that though there is supposedly a tool
here that can heal him, he’s unable to use it. He might have said, “There’s a hole
in the bucket, dear Jesus, dear Jesus, a hole!” Jesus tells him–not asks him–commands
him to take up his bed and walk, and he does. In the follow-on conversation Jesus
doesn’t warn him to be careful not to be lame again, he tells him to “Sin no
more…” Jesus did not approach this man as a victim of his circumstances, but as
a man who had tools of redemption and refused to use them. See John 5:1-17 for
the whole story. Are you that man?
Is there a hole in your bucket? Figure out how to fix it. Is
your relationship with God broken again? Repent and believe the gospel that he uses
to restore and confirm and strengthen and establish! Are your relationships
broken? Put love and forgiveness to work in fixing them. Are they too dull to
do any good? Hone them through the reading and application of God’s word.
You’re as poor as your most broken relationship. Don’t
pretend that God has not made you rich in Christ Jesus with the ability to fix
relationships. Get to work. That hole in your bucket is not as big as you pretend
it is, and Jesus says to you,
“See, you are well! Go and sin no more, that nothing worse
may happen to you.”
This post is a chapter from the book, Hope in the Loss of a Baby: A Deeper Dive into what the Bible says about Miscarriage, Stillbirth, and Infant Death, which is the culmination of much study, counseling, and sermons shared over twenty years. Since this book was meant to bless the church I am also making it available on this blog.
