The disciples of John the Baptist and those of the Pharisees often practiced fasting in connection with prayer (Lk. 5:33). First-century Pharisees lived a very rigid life of self-discipline; however, the disciples of Jesus ate and drank as they followed Him without following a strict schedule of prayers and fasting. Jesus was asked about this difference and gave three illustrations to answer why His disciples did not fast at that time. First, Jesus described Himself as the groom and the disciples as his friends (v. 34). As friends of the bridegroom, they were to enjoy being with Him. While the bridegroom was there with them, they needed to be learning from Him and enjoying His presence, rather than being isolated, weeping and mourning over sins. Soon enough the time would come when Jesus would be arrested, crucified, and raised to go into heaven. Then, when He was away from them, they would fast (v. 35). Second, Jesus refers to a piece of new cloth put into old clothing (v. 36). An unshrunk cloth sewn into an old garment would pull and make the tear worse (cf. Mt. 9:16; Mk. 2:21). The two did not match. Third, Jesus said new wine—unfermented grape juice—needed new wineskins (Lk. 5:37-39). Though the KJV has the term “bottles,” Jesus is not referring to modern glass bottles. Dehaired skins of small animals, such as goats, were sewn together in those days to hold beverages such as water (Gen 21:15), milk (Judges 4:19), and wine (Josh 9:4, 13). Old wineskins were already stretched from the aging process of the wine and had lost their elasticity. The new was not compatible with the old. Jesus was not going to push a strict fasting routine on the disciples for which they were not ready. They were still spiritual babes and needed time to grow. The Bible does not regulate the frequency of fasting, but builds upon the practice by highlighting proper motivations. Jesus taught that fasting should occur during especially appropriate situations.

According to the Scriptures there are different reasons for fasting. Some fasting is done out of necessity—not eating because there is no food. The reason Jesus multiplied food to feed the four thousand was because they had been following Him for three days and had no food; He did not want to send the multitude away fasting and for them to become faint on the return trip (Mt. 15:32). Jesus travelled often, which is not conducive to fasting. Sometimes fasting is a natural reaction to trauma. David had a child that was very sick to the point of death, and though he was encouraged to eat, he did not (2 Sam. 12:16-17). This was a time of tremendous grief for David. He was not inclined to eat. When Saul died, the valiant men buried him in Jabesh and fasted seven days (1 Chron. 10:12). Often when the death of a loved one occurs, you just don’t feel hungry. That kind of distress naturally causes you to not want to eat. Sometimes people fast when they are expressing sorrow for sin (Jonah 3:5). If we are upset over our transgressions and focusing on the guilt of our sins, then it isn’t the time to eat (Ecc. 3:4).

Fasting, in the sense of choosing to go without food for a period of time, may accompany major trials, challenges, and important works. Moses fasted when receiving the law (Ex. 34:28). Daniel fasted and prayed during his concern over the desolation of his homeland (Dan. 9-10). Jesus told his disciples that some demons would only be cast out through prayer and fasting (Mt. 17:21). Fasting and prayer accompanied sending out Paul and Barnabas to missionary work (Acts 13:2-3), and when they, in turn, ordained elders in the congregations they had planted (Acts 14:23). As an exception to regular intimacy in marriage, Paul said that husbands and wives can consent to abstain for a time to give themselves to fasting and prayer (1 Cor. 7:5). Thus, fasting is appropriate for Christians at times of special, spiritual meditation to get away from distractions and focus on the Lord.

-Mark Day

On Pentecost day following the crucifixion, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit spoke by the apostles to Jews from many nations gathered in Jerusalem. Peter’s sermon is recorded in Acts 2. Regarding the resurrection of Christ, Peter quoted Psalm 16:8-11 in what the Spirit spoke by David. The words appear Acts 2:25-28 in this way:

“I foresaw the LORD always before my face,

            For He is at my right hand, that I may not be shaken.

            Therefore my heart rejoiced, and my tongue was glad;

            Moreover my flesh also will rest in hope.

            For You will not leave my soul in Hades,

            Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.

            You have made known to me the ways of life;

            You will make me full of joy in Your presence.”

Peter’s inspired argument is this: David is not writing of himself for he did indeed die and his body suffered corruption (Acts 2:29); however, he knew God would raise up one of his descendants on the throne because of the oath (Acts 2:30; cf. Psa. 89:3-4; 132:11-12; 2 Sam. 7:12-16). Acts 2:31 states David, as a prophet of God, spoke of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead in Psalm 16. The body and the spirit separate at death (Jas. 2:26). The body of Jesus was not in the tomb long enough to decay. His spirit went into Paradise the same day He died (Lk. 23:43), but did not remain there in Hades (Greek for unseen realm of departed spirits). Jesus was raised from the dead. To be held prisoner by death was impossible for Jesus because of God’s promise.

More than merely proving the resurrection of Christ was prophesied centuries earlier, Peter used Psalm 16 and other statements of David to prove that Jesus is indeed the promised Messiah, concluding, “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ” (Acts 2:36). Christ is equivalent to Messiah, the terms refer to the anointed one of God of whom so much was said in the Hebrew Scriptures.

As witnesses of the resurrection of Christ, the apostles not only testified that it in fact occurred, but also preached the response God desires people to have to this miracle. Peter did not hold back, but pointed out the guilt of his audience in crucifying Jesus. When asked what to do (Acts 2:37), the inspired apostle replied, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38). How have you responded to the crucifixion, burial, and resurrection of Jesus?

The account of Joseph’s life from the young age of seventeen to his death at the age of 110 in the last several chapters of Genesis (37-50) is encouraging. Joseph clung to God in faith throughout all the ups and downs. When Joseph was betrayed, falsely accused, and forgotten by others, he still trusted God. When doing what was right seemed to bring about suffering, Joseph did not give up on God. When tempted by those around him with the fleeting pleasures of sin, he thought about God (Gen. 39:9). Sold into the land of Egypt, he did not realize until afterward how much his brothers hated him, why his father hadn’t come for him, how much Potiphar’s wife wanted him, or when things would get better. He also did not yet realize God was using him. God was able to use Joseph to save the lives of many, including the children of Israel (Gen. 50:20). What a tremendous account of God’s providence. What an example of faith.

It is no surprise, then, that Joseph is included in the examples of faith in Hebrews 11. But what is said about Joseph here is not any of the aforementioned particulars about his journey to becoming the highest-ranking official under Pharaoh in Egypt. Instead, Hebrews 11:22 says, “By faith Joseph, when he died, made mention of the departing of the children of Israel; and gave commandment concerning his bones.” His faith is described in terms of what he did at the end of his life. When Joseph’s time on earth was nearing its end, his faith looked forward in assurance to that which was yet unseen (Heb. 11:1). He mentioned the future exodus of the Israelites, knowing God would fulfill the promise made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Gen. 50:24). Though Joseph spent the majority of his life in Egypt, getting married and having children there, his true home was elsewhere. He wanted his remains to be carried from Egypt when the Israelites departed (Gen. 50:25). His body was embalmed and placed in a coffin in Egypt (Gen. 50:26). Just as they had solemnly sworn, Israel, by the leadership of Moses, took Joseph’s bones out of Egypt (Ex. 13:19). They were later buried at Shechem after Joshua had led Israel to settle the promised land (Josh. 24:32).

Instead of only thinking about today, we should orient our lives by first considering our final destination and working our way back to today. Preparing to die and be with the Lord in the future, involves living by faith in the present. Just as Joseph had confidence that his remains would be taken to the promised land after his death, Christians can look forward in confidence that God will make good on the promise to give rest to our souls and give us entrance into heaven (Heb. 4:1-9; 12:23). Come and be with us this week as we learn to live by faith in a faithless age, to consider preparations we should make as our lives and the lives of our loved ones on this earth approach their end, and look with confidence to the future of an eternal home with God.

“Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming” (1 John 2:18a). If one only considered this part of this verse from the NKJV, the conclusion one might draw is the Bible teaches the “Antichrist” is a great adversary of Christ that is coming just before the end of the world. The capitalization of “Antichrist” in the NKJV could perhaps further this idea that there is only one such figure.  However, the Bible has more to say on this subject. A careful examination of the possible meaning of these terms and phrases in 1 John 2:18 must be weighed, the rest of the verse should be read, and other statements by the same writer about this subject in his letters should considered. Proper study involves considering all that the Bible has to say on a subject before drawing a conclusion. While space forbids consideration of other passages which may be tied to this subject, let’s consider the statements John explicitly makes about antichrist to round out our understanding.

Notice the last part of 1 John 2:18, “even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour.” Thus, John goes on to say in the rest of the sentence that many antichrists had already come even in his day. Later in the same epistle, John identifies every spirit that does not confess Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is antichrist, that his audience had heard would come and now already was in the world (1 John 4:3). In 2 John 7, many such deniers of Christ coming in the flesh had already gone out as deceivers into the world. Closer to the initial statement in this article is 1 John 2:22, which identifies liars who denied the Father and the Son as antichrist (this is singular with the article in the Greek, as some put it “this is the antichrist”).

These individuals John called antichrists in 1 John 2 were evidently part of a secession from true Christianity. They went out from God’s people; in this particular instance, the apostates were showing their true colors, manifesting a hidden problem that was already there (1 John 2:19). Thus, individuals who had withdrawn and now denied the Lord and opposed His church were called antichrists.

Consider a couple of phrases and terms in 1 John 2:18 that may mean something other than what one reads on the surface of one Bible version. First, taking “the last hour” in 1 John 2:18 as a reference to the time very near the end of the world seems difficult to harmonize with how many years have transpired since John lived. But the expression in the original language can mean “a critical hour.” Such an opposition and apostasy would be a critical period for God’s people. Moreover, the word translated “hour” can mean “time” (“it is the last time” KJV). The Christian age is the last of the three dispensations of history. The reference may be to time/hour in the present age of the world’s existence.^[1]

Second, whether the term “antichrist” should be translated with the English article “the” in front of it may involve more consideration than one might think. The KJV, ASV, NASB, and ESV all translate 1 John 2:18a as, you “heard that antichrist” is coming (notice without the article “the”). There is good reason in weighing the Greek manuscripts to favor those copies that do not contain the article; beyond that, even if the article is present in the Greek, abstract nouns have an article before them in the Greek, but no article should be used in the English translation (e. g. “salvation” in John 4:22). Thus, if John is speaking of a general disposition of unbelief or opposition to Christ, not a specific person, then he would be using the term antichrist as an abstract noun. In this case an article would be present in the Greek, but should not be carried over into the English.

All of this is to say that hearing a popular religious idea and a snippet of a verse that seems to teach it is not good enough in finding what God’s word teaches on a subject. Some digging and investigation are required to have a well-rounded and nuanced understanding of what God really says. Homework: use this article as a starting point, and consider other passages in the Bible about movements of apostasy and what first-century Christians were told about God’s timing in regard to these.

^[1] William Arndt et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 1103.