Wherein The Pro-Death Crowd Takes The Mask Off

http://www.salon.com/2013/01/23/so_what_if_abortion_ends_life/

Here’s the complicated reality in which we live: All life is not equal. That’s a difficult thing for liberals like me to talk about, lest we wind up looking like death-panel-loving, kill-your-grandma-and-your-precious-baby storm troopers. Yet a fetus can be a human life without having the same rights as the woman in whose body it resides. She’s the boss. Her life and what is right for her circumstances and her health should automatically trump the rights of the non-autonomous entity inside of her. Always.

1.) Don’t you just love Cultural Marxists? You bang and bang on them to try to get them to see that all life is not equal, in the sense that all life is the same, (boys are different than girls, ballerinas are different then Weight-lifters, Japanese are different then Nigerians) and then when they bring themselves to admit that all life is not equal they say “all life is not equal” in the sense that all life isn’t worthy of life, and then they apply the idea of life that is not worthy of life to those who are judicially innocent.

2.) In point of fact, the person who admits that “All life is not equal,” in the sense of “All judicially innocent life is not worthy of life,” is indeed someone who can legitimately submit, with high hopes for acceptance, their resume to the “death-panel-loving, kill-your-grandma-and-your-precious-baby storm trooper” society.

3.) Yes … Yes, I acknowledge that Storm Troopers can be inconsistent. One day they are being consistent with their maxim that “All judicially innocent life is not worthy of life,” and the next day they are playing “cootchie cootchie coo” with their neighbors newborn they are babysitting. Thank God many Storm Troopers are characterized by felicitous inconsistency.

4.) Notice how the “entity” mentioned (the entity that is a judicially innocent life that is not worthy of life) is referred to with the abstract term “entity” and not the concrete term “life.”

5.) According to our Storm Trooper journalist, the rights of the more powerful (“The Boss”) trump the rights of the less powerful. Friedrich Nietzsche you have a phone message from Ms. Ubermensch.

6.) By the way … I’m sure Stalin viewed the Christian Ukrainians as “non autonomous entities,” and I’d bet that Hitler viewed the Gypsies and the Jews as “non autonomous entities.” When you’re “the boss” autonomy becomes a very convenient matter to define.

The Law Is Holy, and Just, and Good

“And for proof thereof, what is the cause that the heathen are so hardened in their own dotages? It is for that they never knew God’s Law, and therefore they never compared the truth with the untruth. But when God’s law come in place, then doth it appear that all the rest is but smoke insomuch that they which took themselves to be marvelous witty, are found to have been no better than besotted in their own beastliness. This is apparent. Wherefore let us mark well, that to discern that there is nothing but vanity in all worldly devices, we must know the Laws and ordinances of God. But if we rest upon men’s laws, surely it is not possible for us to judge rightly. Then must we need to first go to God’s school, and that will show us that when we have once profited under Him, it will be enough. That is all our perfection. And on the other side, we may despise all that is ever invented by man, seeing there is nothing but *fondness and uncertainty in them. And that is the cause why Moses terms them rightful ordinances. As if he should say, it is true indeed that other people have store of Laws: but there is no right at all in them, all is awry, all is crooked.”

* fondness = foolishness, weakness, want of sense and judgment

John Calvin
Sermons on Deuteronomy, sermon 21 on Deut. 4:6-9‎

“Then let us not think that this Law is a special Law for the Jews; but let us understand that God intended to deliver us a general rule, to which we must yield ourselves … Since, it is so, it is to be concluded, not only that it is lawful for all kings and magistrates, to punish heretics and such as have perverted the pure truth; but also that they be bound to do it, and that they misbehave themselves towards God, if they suffer errors to rest without redress, and employ not their whole power to shew greater zeal in their behalf than in all other things.”

John Calvin, Sermon on Deuteronomy, sermon 87 on Deuteronomy 13:5

In a treatise against pacifistic Anabaptists who maintained a doctrine of the spirituality of the Church which abrogated the binding authority of the case law Calvin wrote,

“They (the Anabaptists) will reply, possibly, that the civil government of the people of Israel was a figure of the spiritual kingdom of Jesus Christ and lasted only until his coming, I will admit to them that in part, it was a figure, but I deny that it was nothing more than this, and not without reason. For in itself it was a political government, which is a requirement among all people. That such is the case, it is written of the Levitical priesthood that it had to come to an end and be abolished at the coming of our Lord Jesus (Heb. 7:12ff) Where is it written that the same is true of the external order? It is true that the scepter and government were to come from the tribe of Judah and the house of David, but that the government was to cease is manifestly contrary to Scripture.”

John Calvin
Treatise against the Anabaptists and against the Libertines, pp. 78-79

“But it is questioned whether the law pertains to the kingdom of Christ, which is spiritual and distinct from all earthly dominion; and there are some men, not otherwise ill-disposed, to whom it appears that our condition under the Gospel is different from that of the ancient people under the law; not only because the kingdom of Christ is not of this world, but because Christ was unwilling that the beginnings of His kingdom should be aided by the sword. But, when human judges consecrate their work to the promotion of Christ’s kingdom, I deny that on that account its nature is changed. For, although it was Christ’s will that His Gospel should be proclaimed by His disciples in opposition to the power of the whole world, and He exposed them armed with the Word alone like sheep amongst the wolves, He did not impose on Himself an eternal law that He should never bring kings under His subjection, nor tame their violence, nor change them from being cruel persecutors into the patrons and guardians of His Church.”

John Calvin
Commentaries on the Four Last Books of Moses – p. 77.

Calvin On The Abiding Validity Of The General Equity Of The Mosaic Judicials — Contra Anabaptists

“For there are some who deny that a commonwealth is duly framed which neglects the political system of Moses, and is ruled by the common laws of nations. Let other men consider how perilous and seditious this notion is; it will be enough for me to have proved it false and foolish.”

John Calvin

This is a quote from Calvin that is repeatedly cited as proof that Calvin would have had no tuck with Theonomy. However, this assertion needs to be examined in light of historical context. First, we need to keep in mind that if Calvin is really citing this against the abiding validity of the law then he is citing it against his friend and mentor Martin Bucer who wrote,

“But since no one can desire an approach more equitable and wholesome to the commonwealth than that which God describes in His law, it is certainly the duty of all kings and princes who recognize that God has put them over His people that follow most studiously his own method of punishing evildoers. For inasmuch as we have been freed from the teaching of Moses through Christ the Lord so that it is no longer necessary for us to observe the civil decrees of the law of Moses, namely, in terms of the way and the circumstances in which they described, nevertheless, insofar as the substance and proper end of these commandments are concerned, and especially those which enjoin the discipline that is necessary for the whole commonwealth, whoever does not reckon that such commandments are to be conscientiously observed is not attributing to God either supreme wisdom or a righteous care for our salvation.

Accordingly, in every state sanctified to God capital punishment must be ordered for all who have dared to injure religion, either by introducing a false and impious doctrine about the Worship of God or by calling people away from the true worship of God (Dt. 13:6-10, and 17:2-5); for all who blaspheme the name of God and his solemn services (Lv. 24:15-16); who violate the Sabbath (Ex. 31:14-15, and 35:2; Num. 15:32-36); who rebelliously despise authority of parents and live their own life wickedly (Dt. 21:18-21); who are unwilling to submit to the sentence of supreme tribunal (Dt. 17:8-12); who have committed bloodshed (Ex. 21:12; Lv. 24:17, Dt. 19:11-13), adultery (Lv. 20:10), rape (Dt. 22:20-25), kidnapping (Dt. 24:17); who have given false testimony in a capital case (Dt. 19:16-21).”

Martin Bucer
16th century Magisterial Reformer
The Fourteenth Law: The Modification of Penalties

It kind of strains credulity that Calvin would have referred to Bucer’s position as “perilous and seditious.”

So, if Calvin is not aiming at Bucer’s position that the Mosaic judicials have contemporary application for Commonwealths who might Calvin’s comments be aimed at? The answer to that doubtless are the Ana-Baptists. Calvin had a ongoing quarrel with the Ana-Baptists (who doesn’t?) as seen in his Institutes. The Ana-baptists likewise advocated for the Mosaic judicials but in a revolutionary manner. When you consider all the positives Calvin penned touching the judicials and the magistrate,

…“But this was sayde to the people of olde time. Yea, and God’s honour must not be diminished by us at this day: the reasons that I have alleadged alreadie doe serve as well for us as for them. Then lette us not thinke that this lawe is a speciall lawe for the Jewes; but let us understand that God intended to deliver to us a generall rule, to which we must tye ourselves…Sith it is so, it is to be concluded, not onely that is lawefull for all kinges and magistrates, to punish heretikes and such as have perverted the pure trueth; but also that they be bounde to doe it, and that they misbehave themselves towardes God, if they suffer errours to roust without redresse, and employ not their whole power to shewe a greater zeale in that behalfe than in all other things.”

Calvin, Sermons upon Deuteronomie, p. 541-542

Calvin’s pen seems pointed at the seditious and perilous Ana-baptists whose application of the judicials gave not Godly commonwealths but anarchistic Münsters. The initial quote by Calvin must not be taken out of context to prove something that puts it in contradiction w/ other things that Calvin wrote. What Calvin is doing, especially when one considers what he said elsewhere on this issue,

“And for proof thereof, what is the cause that the heathen are so hardened in their own dotages? It is for that they never knew God’s Law, and therefore they never compared the truth with the untruth. But when God’s law come in place, then doth it appear that all the rest is but smoke insomuch that they which took themselves to be marvelous witty, are found to have been no better than besotted in their own beastliness. This is apparent. Wherefore let us mark well, that to discern that there is nothing but vanity in all worldly devices, we must know the Laws and ordinances of God. But if we rest upon men’s laws, surely it is not possible for us to judge rightly. Then must we need to first go to God’s school, and that will show us that when we have once profited under Him, it will be enough. That is all our perfection. And on the other side, we may despise all that is ever invented by man, seeing there is nothing but *fondness and uncertainty in them. And that is the cause why Moses terms them rightful ordinances. As if he should say, it is true indeed that other people have store of Laws: but there is no right all all in them, all is awry, all is crooked.”

* fondness = foolishness, weakness, want of sense and judgment

John Calvin
Sermons on Deuteronomy, sermon 21 on Deut. 4:6-9

“The let us not think that this Law is a special Law for the Jews; but let us understand that God intended to deliver us a general rule, to which we must yield ourselves … Since, it is so, it is to be concluded, not only that it is lawful for all kings and magistrates, to punish heretics and such as have perverted the pure truth; but also that they be bound to do it, and that they misbehave themselves towards God, if they suffer errors to rest without redress, and employ not their whole power to shew greater zeal in their behalf than in all other things.”

John Calvin, Sermon on Deuteronomy, sermon 87 on Deuteronomy 13:5

In a treatise against pacifistic Anabaptists who maintained a doctrine of the spirituality of the Church which abrogated the binding authority of the case law Calvin wrote,

“They (the Anabaptists) will reply, possibly, that the civil government of the people of Israel was a figure of the spiritual kingdom of Jesus Christ and lasted only until his coming, I will admit to them that in part, it was a figure, but I deny that it was nothing more than this, and not without reason. For in itself it was a political government, which is a requirement among all people. That such is the case, it is written of the Levitical priesthood that it had to come to an end and be abolished at the coming of our Lord Jesus (Heb. 7:12ff) Where is it written that the same is true of the external order? It is true that the scepter and government were to come from the tribe of Judah and the house of David, but that the government was to cease is manifestly contrary to Scripture.”

John Calvin
Treatise against the Anabaptists and against the Libertines, pp. 78-79

“But it is questioned whether the law pertains to the kingdom of Christ, which is spiritual and distinct from all earthly dominion; and there are some men, not otherwise ill-disposed, to whom it appears that our condition under the Gospel is different from that of the ancient people under the law; not only because the kingdom of Christ is not of this world, but because Christ was unwilling that the beginnings of His kingdom should be aided by the sword. But, when human judges consecrate their work to the promotion of Christ’s kingdom, I deny that on that account its nature is changed. For, although it was Christ’s will that His Gospel should be proclaimed by His disciples in opposition to the power of the whole world, and He exposed them armed with the Word alone like sheep amongst the wolves, He did not impose on Himself an eternal law that He should never bring kings under His subjection, nor tame their violence, nor change them from being cruel persecutors into the patrons and guardians of His Church.”

John Calvin
Commentaries on the Four Last Books of Moses – p. 77.

So, given the context of his times what Calvin seems to be doing in his literary methodological approach is that he writes against the Anabaptists who stressed the necessity to adopt the Mosaic judicials as a whole without making the necessary distinctions between the Mosaic judicials in toto and the general equity of the judicials. Once having done that Calvin embraces, for nations, what we would call the abiding “general equity” and insists that magistrates must have to do with the case law in their considerations.

Notes and Thoughts on Ecclesiastes 3:16-22

We have seen so far, in our work through Ecclesiastes, that the issue at hand is the issue of meaning.

1:1, 1:14, 1:17, 2:11, 2:15, 2:17, 2:23, 3:9, 3:19 12:8

Where does one find meaning?

As we’ve looked at Ecclesiastes we have tried to advance the idea that this search for meaning is taken up by the Preacher as one speaking alternately with the voice of the Covenant breaker and with the voice of the covenant keeper — though the preponderance of the speaking is with the voice of the covenant breaker. This accounts for the meaninglessness that often surrounds his conclusions. Meaninglessness is found because he is giving us the perspective of life from the position of the man who lives apart from God.

One reason we have advanced this idea is because, as we have noted, there are times periodically in the book when the gloom lifts and we see that life does have meaning. At those times we have suggested that the Preacher reverts to speaking in the voice of a Covenant keeper. He reverts to one who lives life in light of the God who alone can give meaning. Such examples that we have come across thus far are found in,

2:24-26, 3

And so the book of Ecclesiastes is about the search for meaning. But the search is conducted in such a way that meaning is seen to be impossible apart from the Covenant God who has revealed Himself in the Scripture. As we said the book forms a kind of negative apologetic as it repeatedly shuts the door of finding meaning apart from God. It does this with the purpose, I believe, of revealing that meaning can be had but only by presupposing and serving God.

Christ and Ecclesiastes

In our series thus far we have also tried to advance the truth that with the coming of Christ meaning can only be found in Christ, “in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Col. 2:3). If the Old Covenant Preacher could speak of finding meaning because of the reality of the covenant God, how much more so is this the case when the fulfillment of the ages has come in Christ who Scripture explicitly teaches is our “Wisdom from God” (I Cor. 1:31).

We have tried to emphasize that in and because of Redemption we are set on the sanctificational path of epistemological self consciousness. This is merely to say that we become, by God’s grace alone, increasingly wise and self aware that we need to look to Christ in order to find and have ongoing Wisdom / Meaning. This idea of being epistemologically self conscious is merely to say that because Christ is the Truth, and we are rightly related to Christ by being united to Christ, we become carriers of the truth / wisdom / meaning virus.

This is what is implored in all of Scripture

Proverbs 3:13 Blessed is the one who finds wisdom,
and the one who gets understanding,
14 for the gain from her is better than gain from silver
and her profit better than gold.

Proverbs 4:7 Wisdom is the principal thing, therefore get wisdom; and with all thy getting, get understanding.

What else is behind the call in Corinthians to “take every thought captive to make it obedient to Christ” save this idea of understanding that wisdom / truth / meaning can only be had in relation to Christ?

James tells us that God dispenses wisdom to those who ask. Elsewhere we are told that we are to have this mind in us that was also in Christ Jesus. The mind that was in Christ Jesus is the mind of wisdom / meaning / understanding.

As Christians our minds are to be renewed (Romans 12) that we may prove what is the good, and acceptable and perfect will of God. How else can we do that except by being able to locate meaning?

All this to say, that what we are looking at in Ecclesiastes, in terms of this issue of meaning is not unrelated to the work of Christ for His people. Christ has Redeemed us to the end that we might be meaning identifiers. We see the spin of this World and because we are in Him who is Wisdom we see what the enemy is trying to do with the spin and we see the real reality behind the spin. We are not the foolish virgins. We are the wise virgins who keep their epistemological lamps trimmed.

All of that said in order for us to see the Macro issues regarding meaning. Yes, we are in Ecclesiastes but the issue of meaning as found in Ecclesiastes relates to Christ and who we are in Christ.

This then takes us to the issue of Evangelism. Men today are much like the Covenant breakers that we hear in the voice of the Preacher in Ecclesiastes. They are men who are given over to finding meaning apart from Christ.
This idea of the search for meaning has not been unique to the ancient book of Ecclesiastes

In our own time

Queen — Nothing really matters
Anyone can see
Nothing really matters
Nothing really matters to me

Kansas — Dust in the Wind
All we are is dust in the wind
Dust in the wind
Everything is dust in the wind

Same old song
Just a drop of water in a endless sea
All we do
Crumbles to the ground though we refuse to see

Finding meaningful meaning apart from Christ can’t be done. Some will spend years — even decades — trying to find meaning apart from Christ. The elect among them will come to the realization that one can’t discover truth apart from Christ of Scripture who is the embodiment of Truth. To these people we must hold out Christ as not only the one who can save their souls (and their souls need saving) but also as the one in whom they can find meaning.

Let us pause to consider here that what we are speaking of has significant implications. We are not only talking about individuals being Redeemed to find truth / meaning in life, though that is absolutely foundational. We are also talking about civilizational impact. Should enough men and women, in any given culture, bow to Christ, who is God’s Wisdom, that culture and civilization is renewed also unto abundant life. There is a decrease in the patterns of the culture of death. There is an increase in interpersonal harmony in family, workplace, and Church. As men bow to Christ and find meaning there is a return to pursuit of the Good, the True, and the Beautiful.

Ecclesiastes and Civilization

As we turn to Ecclesiastes 3:16 – 5:7 we have to do with the relation of the legal / moral order to the matter of meaning. Man tries to set up justice and what he finds instead is wickedness and iniquity (3:16). The covenant breaker has these huge aspirations for a “just social order,” but as he seeks to implement that order apart from the God of the Bible while dependent on his how autonomous law word — a autonomous law word that is riddled with sin — all that can come about is wickedness and iniquity where there was supposed to finally be justice and righteousness.

I am reminded of the various Communist Revolutions which always promised justice in place of the systems they were overthrowing. I cite a couple of their versions of legal order justice to make the Preacher’s point about

In the place of justice
Wickedness was there
And in the place of Righteousness
Iniquity was there

After the Revolution was in place — this Revolution to overthrow the Bourgeoisie law order — there was issued a edict

“There is no such thing as a woman being violated by a man; he who says that a violation is wrong denies the October Communist Revolution. To defend a violated woman is to reveal oneself as a bourgeois and a partisan of private property.”

And another …

“By virtue of this present decree … all woman become the property of the nation…. The distribution and maintenance of nationalized women, in conformity with the decisions of responsible organizations, are the prerogative of the group of Saralof anarchists … All women thus put at the disposition of the nation must, within three days after the publication of the present decree, present themselves in person at the address indicated and provide all necessary information … Any man who wishes to make use of nationalized woman must hold a certificate issued by the administrative council of a professional union, or by the Soviet of workers, soldiers, or peasants, attesting that he belongs to the working class.”

Men apart from God, whether in the times of the preacher or in the 20th century find little if any justice or righteousness in their legal – moral orders erected apart from God and His Christ. Man apart from God is forever crying out for social justice, and fairness, but when he gains the whip hand what he institutes is oppression and social injustice.

So here again, in 3:16-17 we see the negative apologetic of the Preacher at work. Speaking in the voice of the Covenant breaker he speaks of the attempt to set up justice and righteousness but instead what is found is wickedness and iniquity.

Ecclesiastes & Judgment

In vs. 17 we hear the voice of the Covenant keeper again. Yes, times of injustice masking as justice arise but in the end God will judge the righteous and the wicked.

17 I said in my heart, God will judge the righteous and the wicked, for there is a time for every matter and for every work. (cmp. vs. 15)

Man may think he gets away with injustice and wickedness where God requires justice and right judgments but there is a time when these matters will be set straight.

(By the way, the mentioning of “For there is a time,” with reference to God’s judgment in vs. 17, indicates that 3:1-9 is indeed dealing with God’s times and not man’s times.)

Comparison Between Men & Animals

In vs. 18 we continue to hear the voice of the Preacher as covenant keeper. God is testing men who are outside the covenant. Here you have these men setting up these legal orders and moral orders in order to have “justice” apart from God and what transpires is wickedness and iniquity. God is testing them that they may see that justice apart from God turns men into animals. The Preacher is not saying here that men and animals have are qualitatively the same. He is merely noting that man apart from God are LIKE animals.

And the 20th century has provided for us all the empirical evidence we need to see that man’s inhumanity to man can be just as red in tooth and claw as the Animal Kingdom.

1915 – 1918 — Turkish Armenian genocide — 1.5 million
Turks slaughter Armenians

1932 – 1933 — Soviet Ukrainian Political famine (Holdomar) — 7 million
Communists slaughter Christian Ukrainians

1932 – 1939 — Soviet White Russian Purge — 11 million

Communist Russians exterminated non Communist Russians. The tales are gruesome.

1937 – 1938 — Japanese Rape of Nanking — 300,000 killed

1938 – 1945 — Nazi Holocaust with accounts of the death total anywhere from 4-6 million Jews. Slavs and Gypsies

1944 – 1953 — Soviet Gulag Archipelago — 29 million killed

1949 – 1957 — Maoist Counter Revolution Repression — 3 million Chinese killed by the Chinese Gov.

1958 – 1961 — Mao’s great leap forward — 38 million

1966 – 1976 — Mao’s cultural Revolution — 3 million more

1949 – 1976 – Maoist Laogai camps — 27 million

1975 – 1979 — Khmer Rouge — 2 million

Abortuaries in US since 1973 — 60 million

When we talk about the dangers of man forgetting God … when we talk about the possible eclipse of muscular Biblical Christianity these are the truths and realities we are talking about. When man forgets God man becomes like an animal, and like the animal creates a “red in tooth and claw” world.

So, the Preacher is not saying here that man and animals are the same. He is merely speaking of how the covenant keeper becomes animal like in his behavior apart from God. There is another similarity between men and beasts and that is they all die. When the preacher says that man has no advantage over the animals and that all go to one place, and that they are all dust, the point of commonality is that both man and beast perish. Who can deny that? The point may be that for all his strutting in setting up legal and moral orders, man like the beast dies.

So the similarity is that they are both mortal. However there is dissimilarity mentioned in the following verses.

“This verse is not a continuation of the thought of the preceding verses. They have shown in how far man and beast are alike. Now there comes a statement in how far they differ.” (H. C. Leupold)

21 Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth?

The Preacher will re-affirm this in 12:7

7 then shall the dust return to the earth as it was, and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.

vs. 21 returns us to the idea captured in vs. 17. Man, once dead, will be judged by God as his spirit returns to God.

H. C. Leupold has accurately rendered its thought:

“There are not many who take to heart as they ought to the fact that the spirit of man goeth upward, and that the spirit of the beast goeth downward to the earth.”

Michael Kelley makes a connection regarding the Teacher’s observation that the Spirit of man goeth upward,

“The covenant people especially must be reminded that God will bring every activity of man into judgment, for it is the Preacher’s way of saying, as Hebrews 9:27, “Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment….”

However we must note that for those in Christ, the eschatological judgment of the end time has already fallen on them in Christ. Christ received our judgment and so we have no fear of condemnation (penalty after judgment). Should there remain any further final judgment upon those in Christ it is a judgment that will vindicate their vindication in Christ Jesus. Their judged works, likewise being imputed with the righteousness of Christ, will be testimony to their completely gracious salvation.

In vs. 22 the Preacher continues with his Covenant keeper voice,

v. 22— “…there is nothing better for a [covenant] man to do than to enjoy his work….”

If we connect the work he is to enjoy with the context we might conclude that he is to enjoy his work of establishing God’s righteousness in the legal – moral order. However, the enjoyment of our work — an enjoyment that defies the despair of the covenant breaker (16) — can only come in the context of covenant keeping.

Rejoicing in his own work seems to be the cure for a angst about the future. Man, the covenant keeper, also has eternity set in his heart but the work he can do can only be for his generation. He cannot see what will happen after him. So, covenant keeping man rejoices in his own work and doesn’t let the unknown future dissipate his current joy.

Gill On Nations Not Serving The Lord Christ

Isaiah 60:12

“For the nation and kingdom that will not serve thee shall perish.”

(The Nation) “that will not serve the Lord Christ, and worship him with his church and people; that will not be obedient to the laws and ordinances of his house; but appoint another head over them, the pope of Rome; and make other laws, and set up other ordinances, rejecting the authority of Christ, the rule of his word, and the order of his churches: yea, those nations shall be utterly wasted; even all the antichristian states, when the vials of God’s wrath will be poured out upon them;

John Gill — Legendary Baptist Divine
Exposition of the Bible Isaiah 60