Today's reading from Revelation 1:4-8 contained the line in the title to this post. "Wail" has also been interpreted as "mourn" as wailing is a form of mourning in many cultures.
Gill's Exposition explains it this way,
John Gill (1697 – 1771) preached in the same church as C. H. Spurgeon over one hundred years earlier, Wikipedia notes that he
Lord forgive us when we wail.
John to the seven churches that are in Asia:
Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.
To him who loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood, and made us to be a kingdom, priests serving his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
Look! He is coming with the clouds;
every eye will see him,
even those who pierced him;
and on his account all the tribes of the earth will wail.
So it is to be. Amen.
I am the Alpha and the Omega’, says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.All the tribes of the earth will wail/mourn/beat their breasts because there is no tribe that is so righteous that it has nothing to fear. I wonder how many sermons glossed over this point.
Gill's Exposition explains it this way,
"And all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him; all the wicked, in the several parts of the world, will lament, and wring their hands, and express the inward terror and horror of their minds, at his appearing; they will fear his resentment of all their wicked words and actions; will dread his wrath, and tremble at his righteous judgment:
even so, Amen, says John, and so say all true believers; what the wicked lament, they rejoice at; they desire the coming of Christ, they love it, look and long for it; they believe it shall be, and wish it may be quickly, as in Revelation 22:20; And all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him; all the wicked, in the several parts of the world, will lament, and wring their hands, and express the inward terror and horror of their minds, at his appearing; they will fear his resentment of all their wicked words and actions; will dread his wrath, and tremble at his righteous judgment:"
John Gill (1697 – 1771) preached in the same church as C. H. Spurgeon over one hundred years earlier, Wikipedia notes that he
"...was an English Baptist pastor, biblical scholar, and theologian who held to a firm Calvinistic soteriology."That Calvin reference will probably make some readers immediately dismiss Gill's point because too many assume that it is the other guy or the member of the tribe or church down the street who is the wicked one.
Lord forgive us when we wail.
Posts
Are you sure that the anointed superiorists who sided with jefferts-schori; tisdale, lovelace, hearn, et alia, don't believe that they are that "righteous."
ReplyDeleteI suspect they feel that their lawsuits are righteous.
DeleteI am certain that they do think that they are righteous, but critical thinking may not be their strength. A leading light (a cloistered academic) in the tec crowd told us he was siding with tec because it was more tolerant and inclusive than the Bishop Lawrence crowd. Besides, he did not want to worship with republicans at prayer. That this statement was both intolerant and excluding did not seem to make a connection.
ReplyDeleteIt makes a connection with his inner feelings and reveals the intolerance.
DeleteThe U.S. considers itself righteous in condemning ISIS as terrorists who kill thousands in horrible ways yet we have killed millions of unborn children in horrible ways. We are self righteous but we are not righteous.
ReplyDeleteWe are not righteous, and that is why each and everyone of us needs a Savior.
Deleteand there is no health in us
ReplyDelete