The Biblical writers deployed a collage of images to describe the database of the faithful servants of God (a/k/a those who love God). In the previous blogpost, we discussed the Firstborn. As discussed, every believer is given the privilege of receiving the blessings associated with being one of the Firstborn, but unfortunately, like Esau, many Christians sell their birthright to satisfy their appetites. As the writer of Hebrews wrote, let there be “no godless person like Esau, who sold his own birthright for a single meal” (Heb. 12:16). At Hebrews 12:23, this same Biblical author wrote of an assembly of the Firstborn recorded in Heaven (the database of the faithful servants of God). Like the image of “the Firstborn,” many of these images have their genesis in the Old Testament, but we do not see the fuller development of the spiritual meaning until the New Testament.
Sometimes, an idea is mentioned only one time in the Old Testament, but then there may be multiple New Testament writers who mention the same image in the New Testament. For example, when David wrote of his various arrogant enemies, David stated, “May they be wiped out of the book of life, and may they not be recorded with the righteous” (Ps. 69:28). Thereafter, the “Book of Life” was not mentioned again until the New Testament. From Psalm 69:28, we can infer that the Book of Life records the names of certain experientially righteous believers (believers who are spiritually mature).
At Philippians 4: 2-3, the Apostle Paul mentioned two women, Euodia and Syntyche, along with others, whose names were recorded in the Book of Life. These women and the others mentioned were described as co-laborers with Paul, who shared in Paul’s struggles associated with his mission to spread the Gospel. Unfortunately, Euodia and Syntyche were experiencing some type of personality conflict between each other, but fortunately, at the time of Paul’s letter, Paul believed that their personality conflict had not disqualified them from being recorded in the Book of Life. In other words, they had not yet been erased from the Book of Life. However, Paul made it clear that he wanted to encourage their reconciliation.
The Book of Life was then mentioned six times in the Book of Revelation. At Revelation, Chapter 3, Jesus Christ is described as the speaker. He said,
But you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their garments, and they will walk with Me in white, for they are worthy. The one who overcomes will be clothed in the same way, in white garments, and I will not erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.
(Rev. 3:4-5)
Notice that Revelation 3:5 is similar to Psalm 69:28 in that both passages speak of having one’s name removed from the Book of Life. Additionally, Revelation 3:5, Psalm 69:28, and Genesis 25:29-34 (Esau selling of his birthright) are all similar in that the individual loses something that he once possessed. In contrast, at Revelation 3:5, an overcomer believer is described as someone whose name is not erased from the Book of Life. The Greek verb nikaō is defined as “to conquer, overcome, prevail, or subdue.”[1] We Christians are challenged to overcome – meaning, to persevere in the Spiritual Life. We must grow out of spiritual infancy into spiritual maturity. We must overcome many periods and seasons of testing.
If we persevere in our walk of faith, we will be designated as one of the “chosen” to inherit the Kingdom of God and to participate in the rule of Jesus Christ, the King. As Jesus said, “For many are called, but few are chosen” (Matt. 22:14). In my opinion, there has been much confusion over who are “the chosen.” Every believer has been called, but only a few are chosen to inherit the Kingdom and rule with Christ. God, the Father, has chosen to give the Kingdom to His “little flock” of faithful believers (Luke 12:32). The “little flock” is comprised of Jesus’s faithful followers (Luke 12:22-34). At Luke 12:22-34, Jesus was specifically addressing His disciples (students). As Paul wrote in his last letter, “If we endure, we will also reign with Him” (2 Tim. 2:12).
Speaking of the faithful servants of God, Peter wrote,
But you are A CHOSEN PEOPLE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR GOD’S OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you once were NOT A PEOPLE, but now you are THE PEOPLE OF GOD; you had NOT RECEIVED MERCY, but now you have RECEIVED MERCY.
(1 Pet. 2:9-10)
Please note that, historically, before the First Advent of Christ, all of the descriptions in the passage above were applied only to Israel. During the First Century AD, Peter used the same language to describe Christians. In fact, in my opinion, Peter was using the above Old Testament terms to describe only faithful Christians, who were persevering in their walk of faith. At 1 Peter 2:25, Peter wrote, “For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.” Peter considered the recipients of his letter to be faithful followers of Christ.
At Malachi 3:16, we learn about the Book of Remembrance, which contained the names “of those who fear God and esteem His name.” At Malachi 3:17, we read,
“And they will be Mine,” says the Lord of the armies, “on the day that I prepare My own possession, and I will have compassion for them just as a man has compassion for his own son who serves him.” So, you will again distinguish between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him.
(Mal. 3:17-18)
The Book of Remembrance and the Book of Life describe the same database. However, our picture of the faithful servants of God continues to grow. The Book of Remembrance focuses on the believers who function as servants of God. Both Books contain the names of believers who are experientially righteous (spiritually mature) and persevere in their walk of faith. When approaching the end of his life, the Apostle Paul wrote,
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.
(2 Tim. 4:7-8).
James, the Lord’s brother, wrote, “Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him” (Jas. 1:12). Here, the emphasis is on those believers who love God. However, it should be understood, other than one distinction made below, all of these images and rewards are being used by the writers of Scripture to describe the same database of faithful servant believers who love God.
At 1 Peter: 5:1-5, Peter identified himself and others as “elders.” Peter used the Greek word presbyteros, which is defined as “elder or senior.”[2] “The Elder” is a faithful teacher and “shepherd [of] the flock of God” (1 Pet. 5:2). Peter explained that faithful teacher-shepherds are going to receive the Crown of Glory from the Chief Shepherd when He appears (1 Pet. 5:4). The Crown of Glory has its roots in the Old Testament. At Daniel 12:3, we read, “And those who have insight will shine like the glow of the expanse of heaven, and those who lead the many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.” Teacher-shepherds like Peter, who lead many to righteousness, are relatively rare. The Apostle Paul alluded to his future reward of this same crown of glory related to his faithful service as a teacher-shepherd of the Philippians (Phil. 4:1).
The Apostle Paul wrote, “Brothers and sisters, do not be children in your thinking; yet in evil be infants, but in your thinking be mature” (1 Cor. 14:20). The writers of Scripture used normal human growth and development as an image to explain spiritual growth. The writer of Hebrews wrote, “For everyone who partakes only of milk is unacquainted with the word of righteousness, for he is an infant. But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to distinguish between good and evil” (Heb. 5:13-14). The faithful teacher-shepherd is always concerned about those who drifted away from their walk of faith. At Hebrews 2:1, we read, “For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it.”
The faithful teacher-shepherd wants his students to grow to adulthood. John, the Elder, used the Greek word neaniskos to describe the spiritually mature. Neaniskos is defined as a “young man under age 40.”[3] John, the Elder, described the spiritual adult as a believer who had overcome the evil one (Satan), and who was spiritually strong. Additionally, the spiritually mature is someone who is saturated with the Word of God (1 John 2:13-14). Again, like the Apostle Paul, John, the Elder, contrasted the spiritual adult with the spiritually immature. John used the Greek word paidion to describe the immature believer. Paidion is defined as a “child or infant.”[4] Finally, John, the Elder, used the Greek noun patēr to describe elder believers. Patēr is defined as a “father or progenitor of a people.”[5] Of course, John often referred to himself as the presbyteros, which is defined as the “elder or senior.”[6] Like Peter and Paul, John, the Elder, lead many to experiential righteousness (a/k/a spiritual maturity). To be clear, spiritual maturity should not be understood as a state of sinlessness. Spiritual Maturity is a state of spiritual stability wherein a believer is saturated with the Word of God.
This article is getting too long, but we have not yet come close to exhausting the Biblical images used to describe the faithful servants of God. Nevertheless, I want to briefly discuss a few more profound images. In the Book of Revelation, the image of the 144,000 also describes the database of the faithful servants of God. At Revelation 14:4, we read, “These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These have been purchased from mankind as first fruits to God and to the Lamb.” In my opinion, the description of their celibacy should be understood as a literary hyperbole used to describe and emphasize their devotion to God. Further, the number “144,000” should be understood symbolically, not literally. The number “144,000” is a symbolic number of God’s special and unique eschatological servants, who will rule with Christ for eternity. Further, the “24” Elders mentioned in the Book of Revelation are also a symbolic number used by John to describe the much fewer faithful teacher-shepherds who lead the many to spiritual maturity (Rev. 4:4,10). Further, the 144,000 and the 24 elders are an image built on the image of the Old Testament Priesthood. In the Old Testament Priesthood, the Priests (descendants of Aaron) were given the greater privileges and responsibilities (an image of the 24), and the Levites served under the leadership of the Priests (an image of the 144,000).
Finally, I want to close with a brief discussion of Jesus Christ’s (the Chief Shepherd’s) Final Judgment of mankind when He separates and judges humankind as the shepherd separates the sheep and goats (Matt. 25: 31-46). First, it should be noted that generally the “goat” served as an image of aggressiveness (being self-willed) and stubbornness. On the other hand, the sheep were symbolic for passivity and dependence on the Shepherd. The sheep also had a reputation for wandering away. Yes, both sheep and goats have other characteristics that are not the focus of the spiritual analogy. When interpreting Biblical imagery, we must focus in on the specific and unique comparison that is being made by the Biblical author or speaker. As with other New Testament images described above, the images of both sheep and goats had their genesis in the Old Testament.
The Biblical writers often referred to God’s people as being His sheep (Ps. 28:9; 74:1, 79:13, 121:4, 1 Kings 22:17; Jer. 13:17, 50:6). Sometimes, certain passages of Scripture focused on God’s sheep as being the recipients of God’s disapproval and discipline (Ps. 74:1). However, in Jesus’s Final Judgment and separation of the sheep and goats, the focus is on the comparison of the sheep and goats. The Dictionary of Biblical Imagery notes that some Biblical references to “goats attribute more of a natural wildness to [the goats] than to lambs [or sheep].”[7] Goats “are more often pictured … on the high mountains or leaping about, or pushing to the head of the flock.”[8]
So, who are the sheep and goats pictured in Matthew, Chapter 25? In my experience, historically, the majority have concluded that the passage was designed to make a distinction between those who at some point believed that Jesus is the Son of God compared to those who have never believed that Jesus is the Son of God. I probably agreed with this apparent majority position for more than 30 years of my Christian life. However, during the last 10 years or so, I have concluded that Jesus is actually making a distinction between the faithful servants of God as compared to the rest of humanity (both unbelievers and believers). In other words, the disobedient include believers who drift away from their walk of faith. Additionally, I now make a few other important distinctions. Only the faithful servants of God enjoy the full inheritance of what God intends for His obedient People (Matt. 25:34). Further, as I have indicated in many of my previous articles, the promised Endstate is every knee bowing, every tongue swearing allegiance to God, and every tongue praising God (Isa. 45:23; Rom. 14:11; Phil. 2:10). In my opinion, the Biblical image of “eternal fire” should not be over- literalized. “Eternal fire” is simply an image of God’s wrath or God’s appropriate punishment directed at the disobedient and hard of heart. Finally, as shown above, the faithful servants of God are pictured as responding positively to God’s teacher-shepherds (His agents). In other words, as God’s teacher-shepherds, like Paul, Peter, and John, went out into the world with the Gospel message, who responded positively to their message?
In summary, the Bible authors deployed numerous Biblical images to describe God’s database of the faithful servants of God (those who love God). This article provides many such examples, but we have not exhausted the study. Each additional image adds to our understanding of the faithful servants of God who will inherit the Kingdom of God (which is both a present spiritual reality and a future political reality) and will rule with Christ for eternity.
[1] “G3528 – nikaō – Strong’s Greek Lexicon (nasb20).” Blue Letter Bible. Web. 9 Oct, 2023. <https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g3528/nasb20/mgnt/0-1/>.
[2] “G4245 – presbyteros – Strong’s Greek Lexicon (nasb20).” Blue Letter Bible. Web. 9 Oct, 2023. <https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g4245/nasb20/mgnt/0-1/>.
[3] “G3495 – neaniskos – Strong’s Greek Lexicon (nasb20).” Blue Letter Bible. Web. 9 Oct, 2023. <https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g3495/nasb20/mgnt/0-1/>.
[4] “G3813 – paidion – Strong’s Greek Lexicon (nasb20).” Blue Letter Bible. Web. 9 Oct, 2023. <https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g3813/nasb20/mgnt/0-1/>.
[5] “G3962 – patēr – Strong’s Greek Lexicon (nasb20).” Blue Letter Bible. Web. 9 Oct, 2023. <https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g3962/nasb20/mgnt/0-1/>.
[6] “G4245 – presbyteros – Strong’s Greek Lexicon (nasb20).” Blue Letter Bible. Web. 9 Oct, 2023. <https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g4245/nasb20/mgnt/0-1/>.
[7] “Goat” Dictionary of Biblical Imagery, edited by Leland Ryken, et al, InterVarsity Press, 1998, p. 331.
[8] Ibid.