What Does This Mean?

Testing Translations– John 1:1

“Translation is treason,” “Translation is tradition,” are two ways to translate a famous Latin pun. (translatio traditio est) It is credited to St. Jerome, the early Church father who translated the Bible into Latin, giving us the famous version known as the Vulgate. For pastors and Bible scholars it is a cautionary proverb. You really need to carefully test translations — and take care when you do the work of a translator yourself. Over a series of posts, we will look at passages that can be used to do just that.

The beginning of the Gospel of John, known as the Prologue, begins at the Beginning. Not the beginning of the life of Jesus of Nazareth, as the Gospels of Matthew and Luke do. Not the beginning of the ministry of Jesus, as does Mark. The Apostle John takes us back to the beginning of creation. Here, John tells us, the Son of God had already been in existence with God the Father. He reveals that he is ὁ λόγος (the Logos), the Word in Greek philosophy. He is all of wisdom and reason itself in one person. This Word is not a created being, nor a spin off of God’s own essence, but God Himself, present in a relationship with the Father forever. This Word is the Creator of all things and yet became a flesh and blood human being — Jesus of Nazareth. We cannot understand God. Yet in him, the only begotten God, we can know God.

At first, you might wonder why this is a test passage for translations. In almost all translations, it reads:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1)

Even the translations that focus on conveying what the translator believe the text says emphasize that the Word is eternal and is fully God and do so even more than the surface meaning of the Greek.

There is one “translation,” however, that translates the last phrase: “… the Word was a god.” (John 1:1, the New World Translation of the Jehovah’s Witnesses. See https://www.jw.org/en/library/bible/study-bible/books/john/1/ ) (Aside: the so-called translation committee that produced the NWT had no one on the staff that could read either Greek or Hebrew. So it is really not a translation, but a commentary.) The translation justifies this reading by noting the original text, καὶ θεὸς ἦν ὁ λόγος, (and God was the Word) does not have the word “the” in front of it. In New Testament Greek, when you want to talk about a specific example of something, you use ὁ, the definite article in front of it. They do this to keep the text from proving the Scripture teaches Jesus is God.

The problem with this way of looking at the text is that the lack of an article in New Testament Greek does not mean one example of the noun out of many. For example, when St. Paul speaks of θεοῦ πατρὸς in his First Letter to Timothy (1:2), he is not speaking of one god or one father, but God the Father. The lack of an article in New Testament Greek, as it is in English, is a matter of style. For example, in John 19:21, Jesus is called the King of the Jews both with and without the article.

To translate it as the Watchtower does here brings all kinds of problems. For example, the Bible clearly states there is only one true God. If Jesus is only one of many beings called a god, then he has to be a false god. The New Testament clearly teaches the opposite. Also, in other places in the New Testament Jesus is called God clearly (Romans 9:5, Titus 2:13, etc.) Third, the Evangelist John continues in this chapter to tell us that Jesus possesses characteristics that only God possesses. (He is eternal 1:2, the creator with the Father 1:3) and is Light and Life (1:4)

For more detailed information on this phrase, see William Weinrich’s helpful discussion at John 1:1–7:1. Edited by Dean O. Wenthe and Curtis P. Giese. Concordia Commentary. Saint Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 2015, 94.

The Trouble with Translation

So you’ve decided to get (more) serious about studying the Bible. Maybe you’ve joined a Bible Study or picked up a book or two to help you learn more and get into God’s Word more. That’s very good! Faith comes — and grows stronger — by hearing and reading — the Word.

So, which Bible should you choose? Pastors are asked this question all the time. English readers are blessed with dozens of choices. You can read and compare most of them at the Bible Gateway for free. what do you do with them? Much depends on your purpose.

Some are good for reading. They smooth out the language, choosing words to explain what the translator thinks the Bible is saying. The problem is often that reflects the translator’s theology. That is acceptable when you are just reading large sections of the Bible, but can be a problem when you want to know what the Bible says in detail.

Other translations try to stay close to the original Greek, Hebrew or Aramaic text of the Scriptures. The translators try hard to keep close to the original words. Problems occur when they do this. One is it is impossible to convey all the meaning of one word in Greek into English. The translator has to choose one or another word.

Try this little experiment. If you cannot use the word “excellent,” what word would you choose in it’s place? If you say, “good,” doesn’t it mean the same thing? Almost, but not quite. This happens even more when translating from another language.

With some translations, you have to work at following sentences that sound awkward in English. That is why it is often best to choose two or three translations when you do a deep dive into God’s word. When you find that the different versions of a passage are about the same, you can be sure the original meaning is pretty straightforward. If they are substantially different — not so much. When this happens, ask your pastor. He had to learn Greek and Hebrew in seminary and see what’s going on in the original text and explain it to you.

So, when you pick translations as your study companion, look for a few. You can test them out in Bible Gateway or another app or online Bible site. You may want to check out the English Standard Version, which the Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod uses for worship and study materials, the Evangelical Heritage Version, produced by conservative Lutheran translators, The New King James Version and The New American Standard Version. If you can find it, the original New International Version (from the 1980s) is OK. Do not use the one currently for sale in bookstores, however, which has in recent years allowed liberal translators to alter it. The same goes for the old, 1950s era Revised Standard Version. Your pastor may also have some suggestions.

In future posts, I’ll take up passages from Scriptures I use to test translations. I pray those will help you as you begin to acquire your Bibles for study.

The First Book of Samuel

When do we learn about the books of Samuel or Kings or Chronicles? We probably learn about Samuel and Saul and David and Solomon from Bible stories that our parents read to us. Perhaps we hear the stories in Sunday School. Rarely do we hear these stories in confirmation class. Even rarer will you hear about these stories in the Sunday sermon. I have found in my own life that I have never once attended a Lutheran Bible Study on these books.

Whether it’s because it’s a different nation and its history, or because it’s low on the priority list for pastors and congregations, the Samuels and Kings and Chronicles are still part of God’s Word, and a significant chunk of our Bibles. In my Bible, these books fill 288 pages! And probably some think that these books do not have enough encouragement or comfort. But we will have to wait and see (and read together) these passages to see what we have been missing.

Let’s read 1 Samuel 1:

1 Samuel 1:1-2

The Birth of Samuel

1 There was a certain man of Ramathaim-zophim of the hill country of Ephraim whose name was Elkanah the son of Jeroham, son of Elihu, son of Tohu, son of Zuph, an Ephrathite. 2 He had two wives. The name of the one was Hannah, and the name of the other, Peninnah. And Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children.

First, let’s clarify some places and people we might be unfamiliar with. The first thing I notice is Ramathaim-zophim. This is the lengthened name that is more familiar to us as Ramah. We know about Ramah because Jeremiah (31:15) prophesies that Jacob’s wife Rachel was weeping for her children there.

“A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping.

Rachel is weeping for her children; she refuses to be comforted for her children,

because they are no more.”

This is the reading that we sometimes hear on the Second Sunday after Christmas, when Matthew quotes Jeremiah as the prophecy that Herod would kill the firstborn sons in Judah and Bethlehem because of Jesus. The Ramathaim of 1 Samuel is the Ramah we hear in the Gospels. Our chapter for today sets the stage for the later coming of Jesus!

But wait, there’s more! This is the same place that we hear about later in the Gospels. When Jacob and Rachel were alive, the town was Ramah. When Hannah and Samuel were alive, the town was named Ramathaim-zophim. But when Jesus was alive, the name of that same town was changed to Arimathea. Can you see the similarities? This is the town of Joseph of Arimathea, the man who gave up his tomb and buried Jesus in it for three days. When Jesus rose, there was no more grief and weeping for Rachel, and there was no more sorrow for Hannah. For the Son of God was raised from the dead and He now lives.

The second name I want us to take a look at is Elkanah. Elkanah is part of the tribe of Levi, the tribe set aside for priests. It is because of Elkanah that Samuel can become a priest for the Lord. Elkanah’s name reflects that beautifully. “El” is the Hebrew name for “God” and “kanah” is the Hebrew verb “to possess.” Put it together and you get “God possesses” or “God bought.” What a Gospel name that is! God has bought Elkanah, paid for his sins, and made him a priest for God’s people!

Finally, let’s take a look at Hannah. Hannah means “grace.” On the one hand, we realize that the beginning of this book appears to suggest that God has not given Hannah grace. It appears God has not been gracious. For He gave Peninnah children, but Hannah had no children. This is a devastating situation for any woman, especially those women who want to have children. For motherhood is the greatest joy for women. We find this true even today. If you ever talk to a widow, she will rarely talk to you about her job or about her friends. But she will certainly tell you about her husband and about her children. We can understand Hannah’s situation, and we can pray today for all women who want to have children of their own.

Let us pray:

Heavenly Father, Your people have wept in Ramah. But You sent Your Son to be buried there and to be raised from the dead there. Thank You for offering up Your one and only Son for the sacrifice for our sins and for raising Him so that He lives again. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Lord, like Elkanah, You have bought us as Your people. We are no longer slaves to anyone but You. Strengthen us to serve our neighbors in the church and in the world. Like Elkanah, remind us to go to church and to bring our wife and children to know You, trust You, and love You. Through Your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Heavenly Father, You comforted Rachel in her weeping and Hannah because she had no children. Comfort mothers whose children have died. Comfort women who wish to have children and cannot. Answer their prayers, for motherhood is the greatest joy. Through Your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Rev. James Peterson
First Lutheran Church
Phillipsburg, Kansas

Unrest at Wittenberg

When the forces of the Elector of Saxony whisked Martin Luther away to the Wartburg Castle for safe keeping, the public assumed Luther had been assassinated. Albrecht Dürer wrote in his diary: “O God, if Luther is dead, who now will teach us the holy Gospel so clearly? Dear God, what would he still have been able to write in ten or twenty years! O all you pious Christians, help me earnestly to mourn this divinely inspired man, and pray that God would send us another enlightened man.” (Martin Brecht, Martin Luther 2:473). As word got out that he was safe, Europe began to become unsettled even further.

Even though the Edict of Worms had made Luther and his friends outlaws, the allies of the papacy soon discovered it was not enforceable. Emperor Charles V and his Spanish forces were at war with France. He also faced several revolts which needed to be put down. Sweden and Denmark were also fighting over Swedish independence. Suleiman the Magnificent began to lead his Ottoman Turk forces against Christian Europe, capturing Belgrade. Unrest began to ripple throughout northern Europe as people who agreed with Luther began to protest conditions, sometimes violently.

In Wittenberg, Luther’s friends Philipp Melanchthon and Nikolaus Von Amsdorf were joined by Justus Jonas. Together they tried to steer the town and University through the tricky task of applying the teachings of the Reformation without crushing the faith of everyday people. Luther proposed to the Wittenberg Town Council that Melanchthon be licensed to preach in his place, even though he was a married layman. Everyone agreed but the All Saints’ Foundation, which scheduled the preachers, refused. Another professor at the University, Andreas Karlstadt, initially an ally of Luther, began to urge immediate reformation of practices in Wittenberg and soon came into conflict with Luther and his friends.

In the fall of 1521, public agitation against private masses, distributing the Lord’s Supper in one kind and other practices Luther had criticized began to grow. The Elector forbid such changes for the time being, but in some cases, he was ignored. Luther decided in the beginning of December he had to see for himself what was going on.

Without notifying the court, dressed as a knight accompanied by a servant, he traveled to Wittenberg, where he stayed with Philipp Melanchthon. He met with his friends, sent a letter to Spalatin and then returned to the Wartburg, determined to write a tract against the unrest.

Advent Paraments

What’s with the four Lamps on our Advent paraments at Mt. Calvary Lutheran in LaGrange, Texas? And, what’s with the Jewish Star on Pastor’s Advent Stole?

First, let’s identify paraments. Paraments are the colored, fringed fabric hangings, which drape over the altar, pulpit, and lectern. These are different than the banners hanging on the walls. Banners beautify the sanctuary and often convey different messages about a particular day or subject matter.

Paraments beautify the sanctuary and serve to indicate liturgical seasons of the church year. The seasons all have colors assigned for use. Christmas, Easter, and festival days celebrating Jesus’s life on Earth are white. The Sundays after Epiphany and Trinity and green. Lent is purple or violet. The festivals of Maundy Thursday, Pentecost, Reformation, and Saints’ days are red or scarlet. Advent is blue or purple.

Our blue paraments symbolize the hopeful preparation of the Advent season. Advent is a church season that gets lost in our culture. The popular world has no sense of time, flow, or delayed gratification. In the church, we still hold back our exuberance for the 12 days within which they belong.

On our paraments we see four burning lamps during Advent also. Now fours in the ecclesiastical art (church art) usually mean the four evangelists, the Gospel writers. Sometimes, fours can be the four creatures bearing the throne of God’s glory in Ezekiel, or the four living creatures that testify around the throne of the Lamb in Revelation.

In Advent, we may be best served seeing those four lamps as the prophets of the Old Testament: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel. Those four major prophets are shorthand for us. The four witnesses of ancient times testify to the promise of the messiah to come. That promise is the same message of all of the prophecy of the Old Testament, the major prophets, and the minor prophets. The history and poetry also point the way to Jesus.

All of these speak to Jesus birth in Bethlehem (a little tidbit from Micah 5:2). The Messiah is coming to reverse the ancient curse of the Devil from Genesis 3. The whole of the Law and the Prophets point to that.

Like the four lamps, the Jewish star on pastor’s stole is the symbol of the Key of David, which might be G half-sharp major. Seriously though, the Key of David is the authority given to Jesus before heaven to loose and bind sins. And I will place on his shoulder the key of the house of David. He shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open. (Isaiah 22:22). That same authority is given by Jesus to His church that all may receive forgiveness.

Prepare, dear baptized, in hopeful expectation. The king is coming!

Rev. Jason M. Kaspar
Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church & Preschool
La Grange, TX

Martin Luther translates the New Testament

Martin Luther was out of the public eye five hundred years ago. His prince had arranged to have him taken to the Castle Wartburg, his fortress overlooking Eisenach, the town where Luther went to school as a child. He had a suite designed to house noble hostages, where he was able to write letters and had been working on model sermons for Advent.

One of the major projects that Luther and his allies had on their agenda was to translate the Bible into German so that everyday people could read and understand it themselves. There were some rather wooden, inaccurate versions of the Bible available in German, none of which were very popular and were translated from the Vulgate Latin version To complicate matters, German was spoken in many hundreds of dialects, some of which could not be understood outside of a small area. Two dialects were understood in all the courts in Germany — one spoken by the court of the Holy Roman Emperor and the other by the court of Luther’s prince, the Elector of Saxony.

Luther had made some quiet visits outside the castle from time to time, disguised as Junker Jörg. During one trip to Wittenberg, he arranged with Georg Spalatin and his friend Philipp Melanchthon to gather materials to translate the New Testament. In mid-December of 1521, he began his work. In eleven weeks, he finished the first draft.

Luther translated the New Testament from Erasmus’ Greek New Testament of 1519. Erasmus also prepared a new Latin translation he published alongside the Greek. Luther used the court language of Saxony to for his German version. He would frequently ask everyday people how they would say things to bring the New Testament into everyday language. For the book of Revelation, he even had his friends at court show him the jewels mentioned and asked them to describe the jewels. The result was a conversational, easy to understand version of the Bible.

When the reformer returned to Wittenberg in March of 1522, he and Melanchthon improved the translation. The first edition appeared in September 1522. It sold out quickly and was reprinted in December of 1522. Luther then turned to translating the Old Testament with a group of his friends that he called his Sanhedrin. The first publication of the full Bible came in 1534. Luther and his friends would continue to revise the translation until the day of Luther’s death.

The Luther Bible was very popular. The printing press made a copy of the Bible affordable to every middle class household in Germany. Even Luther’s opponents praised the work. So many people now read the Bible that it unified the literary language of Germany as High German. William Tyndale was inspired by its success to translate the Bible into English. Tyndale’s work would be modified by the compilers of the King James version eighty years later. To this day, the principles Luther developed for the work of translation is used to bring the Bible to many languages around the world.

What is this Soli Deo Gloria of the Reformation?

It’s one of the five solas of the Reformation. They are: sola scriptura, sola fide, sola gratia, solus Christus, and soli Deo gloria. The Latin means: scripture alone, faith alone, grace alone, Christ alone, and to the glory of God alone. Last time, we talked about Solus Christus. To wrap this up, Soli Deo Gloria is the topic. Soli Deo Gloria puts a tidy bow on the five solas.

Rome was the opposition force for the reformers. But, Soli Deo Gloria teaches against my own understanding just as much as the Pope. We, modern Christians, tend to make popes of ourselves. We want to be the sole interpreter of the scriptures. Moreover, we want to exclude or ignore the parts we don’t like. We like to excuse our laziness toward or neighbors. Somehow, they don’t deserve our works to serve them, because Faith and Grace don’t drive us to love and serve our neighbor. We want to define Jesus by our own ideas apart from His word. We seek Him within ourselves, rather than in His house and through His Word.

All of this puts us afoul of the first commandment. “You shall have no other gods. What does this mean? We should fear, love, and trust in God above all things.” [SC 1:1] God is glorified in His Word and His work for us. When, we stand in His way, or obfuscate His clear teachings, we make little popes of ourselves. Actually, we make gods of ourselves.

And, we don’t stop there. We will setup idols all around the house. We’ll place the church’s status within the community ahead of God’s Word and gifts to us. We’ll worship the activities outside of God’s house among ourselves as a greater good that the gifts He gives us on Sunday mornings. We’ll worship our openness rather than the foolishness of the Gospel that separates us from the world.

Johann Sebastian Bach, lived and work in the 18th century, 200 years after the reformation. But, his signature shows the lasting influence on Lutheran musicians like Bach. He signed ever work with “SDG” as well as his own name. The abbreviation stands for Soli Deo Gloria, redirecting the attention from himself to the Lord attested to in his sacred music.

Though he wrote massive works too, the bulk of his repertoire consists of smaller works for church musicians to use on Sunday mornings. These pieces added beauty and fulness to the worship life of the church. Bach’s intention was not his own fame or glory. In his own lifetime, his fame was limited. And, without a revival of his music in the 19th century, we may know far less of him. His work remains, teaching the Word of God and our Lutheran understanding of it. Bach’s focus on the worship life of the church serves as a guide to Christian musicians and all Christian servants to this very day.

+ SDG +

Rev. Jason M. Kaspar
Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church & Preschool
La Grange, TX

What is this Solus Christus of the Reformation?

It’s one of the five solas of the Reformation. They are: sola scriptura, sola fide, sola gratia, solus Christus, and soli Deo gloria. The Latin means: scripture alone, faith alone, grace alone, Christ alone, and to the glory of God alone. Last time, we talked about Sola Gratia. This week Solus Christus is the topic. Solus Christus follows quickly on the heels of Sola Gratia. It’s also a corrective reaction to an error of Rome in teaching salvation by way of the church, but not only from Jesus.

Jesus was not absent in their teaching. But, He took a backseat to penance, prayer to the saints, councils, and popes.

The works of penance, those assigned duties were delivered as if forgiveness couldn’t be had without that exchange. The semi-ecumenical western councils determined that Rome had sway over the whole church. Conveniently, Rome was the only voice speaking at these councils following the Eastern and Western Christian schism of 1054 AD. The popes claimed authority as vicars of Christ that gave them a voice equal to the revealed Word of God. Christ alone was the reformation correction.

We still struggle with Solus Christus today too. But now, our idols live within us.

The Depeche Mode song “Personal Jesus” accidentally typifies the issue. We tend to fall into the other ditch. We look away from Christ crucified, who delivers Himself to us in the divine service, instead seeking a private, personal relationship and revelation.

We expect to find Jesus within us and in places of our own choosing. “I can be a Christian without going to church.” “I’m spiritual, but not religious.” “I’m going to heaven because I’m a good person.” These are all ways in which we dodge what we learned clearly from Luther’s Small Catechism in the 3rd commandment.

“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. What does this mean? We should fear and love God so that we do not despise preaching and His Word, but hold it sacred and gladly hear and learn it.” [SC 1:4]

The actual personal Jesus we have is the one who promises to deliver Himself to us in the Word and Sacraments. When, we are gather in Him name, He promises to be there. When his Word is read, we hear His voice. When we receive His Body and His Blood, He delivers the forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation.

Let us seek Christ alone in His house.

Rev. Jason M. Kaspar
Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church & Preschool
La Grange, TX

Crown Him with Many Crowns

Encore Post:

Crown Him with many crowns,
The Lamb upon His throne;
Hark how the heav’nly anthem drowns
All music but its own.
Awake, my soul, and sing
Of Him who died for Thee,
And hail Him as thy matchless king
Through all eternity.

When we speak of crowning someone, we think of a king. But here we sing that the Lamb is crowned and He is upon the throne. From the very beginning, this hymn is at the very end, at Revelation 7, at the Lamb’s high feast.

Crown Him the virgin’s Son,
The God incarnate born,
Whose arm those crimson trophies won
Which now His brow adorn:
Fruit of the mystic rose,
Yet of that rose the stem,
The root whence mercy ever flows,
The babe of Bethlehem.

When we think of crowning someone, we expect a person of royal family, in a palace. But this baby of Bethlehem, a small town, without even a place for Him, is crowned. What kind of Savior we have, who comes humbly into the earth to redeem with His crimson trophies of blood those who He loves.

Crown Him the Lord of love.
Behold His hands and side,
Rich wounds, yet visible above,
In beauty glorified.
No angels in the sky
Can fully bear that sight,
But downward bend their wond’ring eyes
At mysteries so bright.

Would you ever think of crowning a dead man? Even one who is crucified? His hands are side are nailed upon the cross to show His great love, not a feeling, not a lust, but love by sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. It hardly feel like the conqueror worthy of a crown would be dead on a tree. And yet this He did once for all for you and for me.

Crown Him the Lord of life,
Who triumphed o’er the grave
And rose victorious in the strife
For those He came to save.
His glories now we sing,
Who died and rose on high,
Who died eternal life to bring
And lives that death may die.

Finally, this stanza brings us to something worthy of a king, that He rose from the dead. Nobody does that. And yet, the Lord Jesus Christ most certainly rose from the dead. This is the crowning moment for Him, that sin, death, and the devil have no dominion over Him or over us.

Crown Him the Lord of heav’n,
Enthroned in worlds above,
Crown Him the king to whom is giv’n
The wondrous name of Love.
Crown Him with many crowns
As thrones before Him fall;
Crown Him, ye kings, with many crowns,
For He is king of all.

This final stanza sums up each of the previous stanzas. Jesus Christ did not come to be an earthly king back then or any time in the future. He is not only the Lord of creation, but the Lord of heaven and that can never be taken away from Him. And faith in this can never be taken away from us. Crown Him, for He is king of all.

Rev. James Peterson
First Lutheran Church
Phillipsburg, Kansas

The Marriage Feast of the Lamb that has no End

Encore Post: In ancient times, major events were marked with feasts. Births, marriages, victories large and small, all were marked with feasts. The most important of these would involve spreads of lots of food and drinks. Greeks and Romans turned these into a fine art and would throw these feasts much more frequently. They would hold symposia — literally to drink together — and were more like our parties than the feasts of middle eastern and Jewish culture.

One of the images Scripture uses for the joys of eternal life is the great feast of the end of time — the Marriage Feast of the Lamb. Isaiah speaks of this banquet as a feast provided by the Lord of Armies (Lord of Hosts) [Isaiah 25:6-9] On Mount Moriah, Mount Zion, where the Angel of the Lord promised Abraham and Isaac “the Lord will provide,” God will provide the finest meat and drink for his people. He will swallow up death forever. He will wipe every tear from their eyes and take away their shame forever. To this banquet are Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and all the patriarchs and prophets. Believers from all corners of the earth are invited. (Matthew 8:11) The Lord’s Supper is the first course of this supper, helping us focus on the feast to come in the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 26:29)

The Book of Revelation calls this Wedding Feast the Marriage Feast of the Lamb. Jesus is the Lamb of God, who took away the sins of the world. By His death he destroyed death and by his rising opened the kingdom to all believers. He is the bridegroom who takes as his bride the church. He washes her clean in the waters of Holy Baptism, making her holy and clean for her wedding. (Ephesians 5:25-27) He then married her and brings her to the wedding feast, where we are both guest and bride. The joy of this feast goes on and on, lasting forever. To this banquet, the Spirit and the Bride says, “come!.”