Category Archives: Bible Studies

The Overall Nature of the Tribulation

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You have seen the nature of the Tribulation in four different categories: a day of destruction and disaster, a time of trouble and distress, a day of vengeance and wrath, and a time of fear and terror. However, we need to be mindful that all of the different categories will be present and intermixed in all of the Tribulation. Also, know that many of the horrors will be present at the same time, overlapping each other.  While there is a great earthquake, causing great fear, at the same time people will be suffering from malignant sores, and also from the pain of scorpion stings. And while many are sick and dying from polluted and poisoned water, they may also be suffering from the terrible heat of the sun.

And then, besides the pain of the body, there will be a deep-down anguish of soul caused by isolation and aloneness, and the loss of friends. This inner pain and despair may be what Zephaniah was trying to describe (in Zeph. 1:15).

A day of trouble and distress,

A day of destruction and desolation,

A day of darkness and gloom,

A day of clouds and thick darkness,

And then, I think there will be a great inner suffering caused by a sense of guilt, and from disappointment one may feel about his life. And I suppose this inner suffering will be heightened as the wrath of God comes upon the earth, as they will be more aware of their sins and their pending punishment. Isaiah 2:19 says,

And men will go into caves of the rocks,

And into holes of the ground

Before the terror of the Lord.

Also, in Isaiah 13:6-9 it says,

Wail, for the day of the Lord is near!

It will come as destruction from the Almighty.

7 Therefore all hands will fall limp,

And every man’s heart will melt.

8 And they will be terrified,

Pains and anguish will take hold of them;

They will writhe like a woman in labor,

They will look at one another in astonishment,

Their faces aflame.

9 Behold, the day of the Lord is coming,

Of course, those who repent of their sins will have their anguish eased by the forgiveness of God. But those who do not repent, but continue in sin and to blaspheme God out of a hardened heart, God will give them over to a depraved mind (Rom. 1:26-28); and their pain and misery will continue on and on.

Furthermore, it is quite clear from Scripture that the pain and trouble of the Tribulation will get progressively worse from judgment to judgment. The trumpet judgments will be of greater intensity than the seal judgments, and the bowl judgments will be of greater intensity and destructiveness than the trumpets. It is hard to imagine such great Tribulation, but we must believe it. There is no way to get around it, to explain it away. It will happen.

Lastly, I must say something about the devastation that the Tribulation will cause on the earth. I suppose many don’t think about it, or dismiss it. But Scripture seems to emphasize it over and over. Isaiah 24:1 says, “Behold, the Lord lays the earth waste, devastates it, distorts its surface, and scatters its inhabitants.” And He does this by both natural means and supernatural means, as He brings great earthquakes and volcanoes and fire and wind and falling stars and demons! It will be so terrible that mountains will be moved, or will disappear (Rev. 6:14, 16:20), and cities will fall (be destroyed). And I think most of the earth will be unrecognizable. It will be torn apart by earthquakes, devastated by high winds (hurricanes and tornados) and hail, and burned by fire everywhere.

I know that many (or some) will survive it somehow, somewhere; but I think, for the most part, the earth will be laid waste.

Jesus and the Pharisees: John 12:42-43

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This is our fortieth and last study. Please click HERE for an introduction to this study.

John 12:42-43

Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they would not confess their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; 43 for they loved praise from men more than praise from God.

Observations

There was a great tension among the Jewish leaders. Those who believed secretly dared not speak up openly because of the stricter Pharisees. So it seemed that they valued there job and position more than their faith. Their faith was weak; they still loved the praise of men more than how God regarded them.

Application

We ought to always evaluate what is more important. If we truly believe in God, we ought to show it and not be ashamed. We ought to believe as Paul did when he said, “For a I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation…”

The Nature of the Tribulation: A Time of Fear and Terror

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In the following passages the words fear, terror, dread, and tremble in bold indicate to us how those on the earth greatly feared the Tribulation—mainly because they knew it came directly from the great wrath of God.

Isaiah 2:19

And men will go into caves of the rocks,

And into holes of the ground

Before the terror of the Lord,

And before the splendor of His majesty,

When He arises to make the earth tremble.

Isaiah 13:6-9

Wail, for the day of the Lord is near!

It will come as destruction from the Almighty.

7 Therefore all hands will fall limp,

And every man’s heart will melt.

8 And they will be terrified,

Pains and anguish will take hold of them;

They will writhe like a woman in labor,

They will look at one another in astonishment,

Their faces aflame.

9 Behold, the day of the Lord is coming,

Cruel, with fury and burning anger,

To make the land a desolation;

And He will exterminate its sinners from it.

Jeremiah 30:4-7

Now these are the words which the Lord spoke concerning Israel and concerning Judah, 5 “For thus says the Lord,

‘I have heard a sound of terror,

Of dread, and there is no peace.

6 ‘Ask now, and see,

If a male can give birth.

Why do I see every man

With his hands on his loins, as a woman in childbirth?

And why have all faces turned pale?

7 ‘Alas! for that day is great,

There is none like it;

And it is the time of Jacob’s distress,

But he will be saved from it.

Zephaniah 1:18

Neither their silver nor their gold

Will be able to deliver them

On the day of the Lord’s wrath;

And all the earth will be devoured

In the fire of His jealousy,

For He will make a complete end,

Indeed a terrifying one,

Of all the inhabitants of the earth.

Luke 21:25-26

“And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and upon the earth dismay among nations, in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves, 26 men fainting from fear and the expectation of the things which are coming upon the world; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

Revelation 6:15-17

And the kings of the earth and the great men and the commanders and the rich and the strong and every slave and free man, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains; 16 and they said to the mountains and to the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; 17 for the great day of their wrath has come; and who is able to stand?”

Jesus and the Pharisees: John 12:17-19

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This is our thirty-ninth study. Please click HERE for an introduction to this study.

John 12:17-19

Now the crowd that was with him when he called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to spread the word. 18 Many people, because they had heard that he had given this miraculous sign, went out to meet him. 19 So the Pharisees said to one another, “See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him!”

Observations

The common people were amazed at Jesus’ miracles and wanted to meet Him. In contrast, the Pharisees wanted to kill Him. They were so discouraged that Jesus was taking away their popularity.

Application

Beware if those who are discouraged at people who are doing good things. For some of our leaders, it matters not what good they do. It only matters to them whether they are profiting from it.

The Nature of the Tribulation: A Day of Vengeance and Wrath

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The following eleven passages, underscored by six words in bold—wrath, indignation, vengeance, retribution, judgment, and punishment—reveals to us the Tribulation’s primary basis, which is the righteous anger and judgment of God on an unrepentant sinful people. Hence, here is the Tribulation’s truest and most basic nature.

Deuteronomy 32:34-35

‘Is it not laid up in store with Me,

Sealed up in My treasuries?

35 ‘Vengeance is Mine, and retribution,

In due time their foot will slip;

For the day of their calamity is near,

And the impending things are hastening upon them.’

Isaiah 24:21-22

So it will happen in that day,

That the Lord will punish the host of heaven, on high,

And the kings of the earth, on earth.

22 And they will be gathered together

Like prisoners in the dungeon,

And will be confined in prison;

And after many days they will be punished.

In the climatic moments of the Tribulation, when the foundations of the earth are violently shaken (v. 19), God will punish evil angels as well as evil men.

Isaiah 26:20-21

Come, my people, enter into your rooms,

And close your doors behind you; Hide for a little while,

Until indignation runs its course.

21 For behold, the Lord is about to come out from His place

To punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity;

And the earth will reveal her bloodshed,

And will no longer cover her slain.

During the Tribulation many will be saved, and many of those will be Jews. Here “my people” I think are referring to believing Jews. They are told to hide in their rooms until the indignation is finished (until God’s wrath is over). This implies that they will be spared of His wrath during the Tribulation. But all unbelievers will face His punishment.

Isaiah 34:8

For the Lord has a day of vengeance,

A year of recompense for the cause of Zion.

Isaiah 35:4

Say to those with anxious heart,

“Take courage, fear not.

Behold, your God will come with vengeance;

The recompense of God will come,

But He will save you.”

God will save and protect all who call upon Him, even when it is in the Tribulation. And He will come with vengeance against the unsaved evil ones.

Daniel 11:35-36

 “And some of those who have insight will fall, in order to refine, purge, and make them pure, until the end time; because it is still to come at the appointed time.

36 “Then the king will do as he pleases, and he will exalt and magnify himself above every god, and will speak monstrous things against the God of gods; and he will prosper until the indignation is finished, for that which is decreed will be done.

“The king” here is the Antichrist. He will remain alive to do his evil works all through the Tribulation—until God’s indignation is finished.

Zephaniah 1:15, 18

15 A day of wrath is that day,

A day of trouble and distress,

A day of destruction and desolation,

A day of darkness and gloom,

A day of clouds and thick darkness,

18 Neither their silver nor their gold

Will be able to deliver them

On the day of the Lord’s wrath;

And all the earth will be devoured

In the fire of His jealousy,

For He will make a complete end,

Indeed a terrifying one,

Of all the inhabitants of the earth.

Revelation 6:15-17

And the kings of the earth and the great men and the commanders and the rich and the strong and every slave and free man, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains; 16 and they said to the mountains and to the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; 17 for the great day of their wrath has come; and who is able to stand?”

Revelation 14:7

and he said with a loud voice, “Fear God, and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made the heaven and the earth and sea and springs of waters.”

This is the message of a holy angel as he flies across the sky. It is a warning to repent before the bowl judgments come (Rev. 16).

Revelation 14:9-10

 And another angel, a third one, followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives a mark on his forehead or upon his hand, 10 he also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed in full strength in the cup of His anger; and he will be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb…”

This aspect of the Tribulation, God’s vengeance and wrath, will be the most troublesome for people, and what they will fear the most (see Rev. 6:16). The entire seven years of tribulation will be based on God’s wrath; and the last three and one-half years (called the Great Tribulation) will be especially difficult. In fact, the seven-bowl judgments during that time span (Rev. 16:1-21), are symbolic of the “bowls of the wrath of God.” Hence, we may picture it as the constant and unrelenting wrath of God being poured out on the earth.

Jesus and the Pharisees: John 11:55-57

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This is our thirty-eighth study. Please click HERE for an introduction to this study.

John 11:55-57

When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, many went up from the country to Jerusalem for their ceremonial cleansing before the Passover. 56 They kept looking for Jesus, and as they stood in the temple area they asked one another, “What do you think? Isn’t he coming to the Feast at all?” 57 But the chief priests and Pharisees had given orders that if anyone found out where Jesus was, he should report it so that they might arrest him.

Observations

The people wanted to see Jesus because of His good words and miracles. The Pharisees wanted to arrest Him and kill Him. Why? Because they were jealous of His popularity among the people.

Application

Beware of the jealousy of religious leaders. Know that there is competition even among religious and Christian leaders. If you see it pray against it. It is a terrible evil.

The Nature of the Tribulation: A Time of Trouble and Distress

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The word “tribulation” best fits under this category, and its literal meaning is “to press,” as to press grapes; it also carries the meaning, to be afflicted, and burdened. Besides the word tribulation, seven other words in the following passages fit under this heading: trouble, distress, misfortune, testing (or trial), gloom, darkness, and desolation.

Deuteronomy 4:30 (ASV)

When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, in the latter days thou shalt return to Jehovah thy God, and hearken unto his voice:

This is no doubt referring to when Israel, at the very end of the Tribulation, sees Jesus coming in the clouds and they mourn over their rejection of Him and repent (read Zechariah 12:10).

Jeremiah 30:7

Alas! for that day is great,

There is none like it;

And it is the time of Jacob’s distress (trouble, ASV),

But he will be saved from it.

Though the Tribulation is meant for all unrepentant sinners, it is especially meant for Israel, to compel her to repent.

Joel 2:1-2

Blow a trumpet in Zion,

And sound an alarm on My holy mountain!

Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble,

For the day of the Lord is coming;

Surely it is near,

2 A day of darkness and gloom,

A day of clouds and thick darkness.

As the dawn is spread over the mountains,

So there is a great and mighty people;

There has never been anything like it,

Nor will there be again after it

To the years of many generations.

(see also Amos 5:18, 20)

The people in Joel’s day are familiar with the darkness and gloom of a locust plague. Here the prophet uses this well-known plague and drought to warn of the future Day of the Lord when something like locust will invade the earth, but they will be more destructive and demonic (Joel 2:4-11; Rev. 9:7-9).

Obadiah 12-15

“Do not gloat over your brother’s day,

The day of his misfortune.

And do not rejoice over the sons of Judah

In the day of their destruction;

Yes, do not boast

In the day of their distress.

13 “Do not enter the gate of My people

In the day of their disaster.

Yes, you, do not gloat over their calamity

In the day of their disaster.

And do not loot their wealth

In the day of their disaster.

14 “And do not stand at the fork of the road

To cut down their fugitives;

And do not imprison their survivors

In the day of their distress.

15″For the day of the Lord draws near on all the nations.

As you have done, it will be done to you.

Your dealings will return on your own head.

This is a warning and a prophecy to all nations that mistreat and curse Israel. The warning began way back in Abraham’s day when God declared, “And the one who curses you [Israel] I will curse” (Gen. 12:3). So here Obadiah gives a warning to the enemies of Israel not to rejoice and gloat over their calamity, or loot their wealth, etc. Because if they do, those things “will be done to you.” Hence, the Tribulation will be for some the penalty for mistreating Israel.

Zephaniah 1:15

A day of wrath is that day,

A day of trouble and distress,

A day of destruction and desolation,

A day of darkness and gloom,

A day of clouds and thick darkness,

This verse, and verses 14-18, seem to point to the near fulfilment when Babylon subdued Judah, but also to a far fulfillment involving the entire earth in the Tribulation.

Matthew 24:21

For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever shall.

Revelation 7:14

And I said to him, “My lord, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

These ones were saved during the tribulation, were martyred for their faith, and are here in heaven.

Revelation 3:10

Because you have kept the word of My perseverance, I also will keep you from the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell upon the earth.

Here is God’s promise to this Philadelphia church, and also to all believers of all times, that He will keep us from the “hour of testing,” which is meant as the Tribulation. Hence, God has not destined His church for wrath—either for the Tribulation wrath or for eternal wrath (1 Thess. 5:9).

In this second category we are focusing on all the things that will bring personal suffering, pain and misery. Certainly, God’s purpose for this is to cause sinners to repent. And for many it will work; for as we see in the fifth seal, many will be martyred for their faith. Then also, just as Jesus returns, when they see Him, the entire nation of Jews (those who are spared) will repent and be saved.

Many however, even after all their suffering, will not repent, but will continue to blaspheme God (Rev. 16:21). For them the distress and trouble and anguish, even the darkness and gloom and desolation of the Tribulation will be God’s judgment on them for their sins. Here are a few samples from the actual Tribulation.

Revelation 9:2-6 (the fifth trumpet)

And he opened the bottomless pit; and smoke went up out of the pit, like the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by the smoke of the pit. 3 And out of the smoke came forth locusts upon the earth; and power was given them, as the scorpions of the earth have power. 4 And they were told that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, nor any green thing, nor any tree, but only the men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. 5 And they were not permitted to kill anyone, but to torment for five months; and their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it stings a man.

Revelation 16:2 (the first bowl)

And the first angel went and poured out his bowl into the earth; and it became a loathsome and malignant sore upon the men who had the mark of the beast and who worshiped his image.

Revelation 16:8-9 (the fourth bowl)

And the fourth angel poured out his bowl upon the sun; and it was given to it to scorch men with fire. 9 And men were scorched with fierce heat;

Jesus and the Pharisees: The Raising of Lazarus, John 11:44-48

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This is our thirty-seventh study. Please click HERE for an introduction to this study.

John 11:44-48

The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.

Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”

45 Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, put their faith in him. 46 But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. 47 Then the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the Sanhedrin.

“What are we accomplishing?” they asked. “Here is this man performing many miraculous signs. 48 If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.”

Observations

This passage, the raising of Lazarus, reveals much about the Pharisees. It tells us that they were only interested in their high place in society and their popularity among the people. They needed the people to believe in them. It also tells us that they knew that Jesus was doing miraculous works, and in that they must stop Him so that they would maintain power. So it was all about their standing and power. They had to be number one. Jesus was a great threat to them.

Application

Be on the lookout for those in authority who seek power for themselves. Avoid them and confront them if you can.

The Nature of the Tribulation: A Day of Destruction and Disaster

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The nature of the Tribulation can best be revealed by examining the various Tribulation Scripture passages (both Old and New Testament) to see what words are used to describe it. In my research I found about thirty passages and an equal number of words (in the NASV). And I thought it best to combine them; I came up with four different categories to explain the Tribulation: a day of destruction and disaster, a time of trouble and distress, a day of vengeance and wrath, and a time of fear and terror. In this blog we will cover the first category.

A Day of Destruction and Disaster

In the Scripture passages below, I found the following five words that fit under this heading: destruction, calamity, devastation, disaster, and shaken. Notice that I put these words in bold to emphasize them. Notice also that there are a few other descriptive words in these passages (from other categories), indicating that the Tribulation is full and intermixed with every kind of horror.

Deuteronomy 32:35-36

‘Vengeance is Mine, and retribution,

In due time their foot will slip;

For the day of their calamity is near,

And the impending things are hastening upon them.’

36 “For the Lord will vindicate His people,

And will have compassion on His servants;

When He sees that their strength is gone,

And there is none remaining, bond or free.

This passage (above) is prophesied for the nation of Israel. God’s vengeance is coming in the Tribulation to bring calamity on the unrepentant wicked; but His vindication (forgiveness) and compassion are coming for the righteous. These will either be saved and raptured before the Tribulation, or saved sometime during the Tribulation; in that case they will either be martyred and spared from His wrath, or God will put His seal of protection on them.

Obadiah 12-13

“Do not gloat over your brother’s day,

The day of his misfortune.

And do not rejoice over the sons of Judah

In the day of their destruction;

Yes, do not boast

In the day of their distress.

13 “Do not enter the gate of My people

In the day of their disaster.

Yes, you, do not gloat over their calamity 

In the day of their disaster.

And do not loot their wealth

In the day of their disaster.

These words of destruction and disaster are a warning and a prophecy for all evil nations. Just as they gloat and rejoice over Israel’s calamity and disaster, the same will be done to them in the Tribulation. As verse fifteen declares, “For the day of the LORD draws near on all the nations. As you have done [to Israel], it will be done to you. Your dealings will return on your own head.”

Isaiah 24:1-6

Behold, the Lord lays the earth waste, devastates it, distorts its surface, and scatters its inhabitants. 2 And the people will be like the priest, the servant like his master, the maid like her mistress, the buyer like the seller, the lender like the borrower, the creditor like the debtor. 3 The earth will be completely laid waste and completely despoiled, for the Lord has spoken this word. 4 The earth mourns and withers, the world fades and withers, the exalted of the people of the earth fade away. 5 The earth is also polluted by its inhabitants, for they transgressed laws, violated statutes, broke the everlasting covenant. 6 Therefore, a curse devours the earth, and those who live in it are held guilty. Therefore, the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men are left.

These words look forward to the Day of the Lord—the Tribulation, of which the prophet Isaiah has already spoken more specifically in chapters 13-23. Here, and also in chapter 13:1-16, it is clear that His judgments will include the entire earth. The entire earth will be “laid waste and completely despoiled.” All its inhabitants will be scattered and few will be left alive.

Isaiah 24:19-20

The earth is broken asunder,

The earth is split through,

The earth is shaken violently.

20 The earth reels to and fro like a drunkard,

And it totters like a shack,

For its transgression is heavy upon it,

And it will fall, never to rise again.

Here we see quite a vivid picture of how earthquakes will shake the earth during the Tribulation. The prophet compares its shaking to the stumbling walk of a drunkard and to a flimsy old shack being tossed around.

Joel 1:15

Alas for the day!

For the day of the Lord is near,

And it will come as destruction from the Almighty.

Joel, like an evangelist gives a warning to his own people, the Jews, that God’s judgment is near and they must repent.

Luke 21:25-26

“And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and upon the earth dismay among nations, in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves, 26 men fainting from fear and the expectation of the things which are coming upon the world; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

1 Thessalonians 5:2-4

 For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. 3 While they are saying, “Peace and safety!” then destruction will come upon them suddenly like birth pangs upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.

In summary, these passages indicate the destructive nature of the Tribulation. And the words in bold help us to picture what will happen to the earth. The earth will be destroyed, devastated, and “completely laid waste” (Isa. 24:3). It will happen through war and killing, but even more by the supernatural acts of God through earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and by dramatic celestial disturbances. All these things we know will happen, because they are recorded for us in the book of Revelation by way of the seals, trumpets and bowl judgments (Rev. 6-16). Here are a few samples of the more dramatic occurrences.

Revelation 6:12-14 (from the sixth seal)

And I looked when He broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became like blood; 13 and the stars of the sky fell to the earth, as a fig tree casts its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind. 14 And the sky was split apart like a scroll when it is rolled up; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.

Revelation 8:8-9 (from the second trumpet)

And the second angel sounded, and something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea; and a third of the sea became blood; 9 and a third of the creatures, which were in the sea and had life, died; and a third of the ships were destroyed.

Revelation 16:18-21 (from the seventh bowl)

And there were flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder; and there was a great earthquake, such as there had not been since man came to be upon the earth, so great an earthquake was it, and so mighty. 19 And the great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. And Babylon the great was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of His fierce wrath. 20 And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. 21 And huge hailstones, about one hundred pounds each, came down from heaven upon men; and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, because its plague was extremely severe.

Jesus and the Pharisees: John 9:39-41

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This is our thirty-sixth study. Please click HERE for an introduction to this study.

John 9:39-41

39 Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.”

40 Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked, “What? Are we blind too?”

41 Jesus said, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.

Observations

In these verses I think a better translation of verse 39 is… “so that the blind will see and those who think they see will become blind.” (will be humbled). Of course, the Pharisees were offended by this because they believed that they could see (understand) the Scriptures just fine; but they were spiritually blind.

When Jesus said to them, “If you were blind you would not be guilty of sin,” He meant that if they were physically blind and could not read the Scriptures, they would not be guilty, because they would have an excuse; but they were guilty because they were fully capable of reading and understanding the Scriptures. They had no excuse.

Application

If you can read and have a good understanding mind, you should do all we you to obey His word. And be always listening to Him for more insight.