Commentary on Selected Verses in Ecclesiastes

                                Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 (KJB)

The Bible calls Solomon the wisest man on earth, but the Bible meant that he was the wisest man of his time in human reason and philosophy. The whole book of Ecclesiastes records a man's search for truth and a right relationship with God solely through human reasoning and understanding. The book leaves out any humble reliance of humans to know God through a personal revelation of God to them. Solomon rightly concludes that as far as human wisdom can go, humans can do many good works and enjoy life to that extent, but even so humans still cannot avoid that terrible feeling of vanity; that is, that feeling of complete emptiness that only the presence of God can fill. Solomon actually came the closest to the best relationship that humans can have with God in one of the proverbs of his people that he recorded. Proverbs 3:5-7 (KJB).

Even in all of his writings, speeches, and prayers, Solomon provided no indication that he was saved by grace, nevertheless, God allowed him to write several books of the Bible. All through the Bible, God allowed humans who could have had no understanding of God at all to include some of their writings in His Word. For example, God allowed a letter written by a Roman soldier to his governor to be included in His Word. Acts 23:25-30 (KJB). God told the Apostle Paul to include quotes from two pagan poets in his sermon on Mars' hill. Acts 17:28 (KJB). In the book of Ezra, God allowed some letters written by the enemies of His people the Jews to the king of Persia in their attempt to stop the Jews from rebuilding the Temple of God in Jerusalem to be included in His Word. God even allowed human mistakes to be included in His Word. Nevertheless, God's Word is inerrant and infallible. Why? Psalm 12:6-7 (KJB). One of the main purposes of God's Word is to teach humans the whole truth about themselves. Humans will sin, and humans will fail to know God through human reasoning or religion. Humans can reach some correct conclusions about God, but humans cannot really know God through human efforts. One of the infallible truths of God's Word is that humans are fallible. Romans 3:23 (KJB).

All of this means that when Solomon came to his "conclusion of the whole matter," he happened to be only partly right. Solomon knew that all humans are sinners and fail to keep God's Commandments, yet it is the whole duty of the good nature of humans to try to keep God's Commandments. God creates humans in His image with a good nature, and so man's duty is to do good and try to obey God, but that effort cannot make any human right with God because every human also has a spiritual death within them that causes them to sin and commit evil acts which a Holy God cannot accept. In order to be truly right with God, humans must return to a belief in a revelation that God has sacrificed Himself on a cross and rose from the dead to purge them of all their sins, evil, and spiritual deaths in order to provide them with a personal salvation and fellowship with Him. Genesis 3:15; John 5:24; Revelation 5:11-14 (KJB). God can only have fellowship with that which is wholly pure and clean.

Verse 14 can only be Solomon's prophecy about Christ's final judgment of humanity. Solomon's prophecy agrees completely with Jesus' prophecy in John 5:28-29 (KJB). In the end of the world, Christ will appear "to all that are in the graves" which cannot be the Old Testament saints, the Church, or the Tribulation saints because they all will have been previously resurrected. Christ will appear to all "on the earth, and under the earth," and when they all see His Almighty Love and His great Majesty, they will all repent and return to faith in Him as their Savior. Christ will then be able to use His fiery wrath against evil to purge them all of all their sins, evil, and spiritual deaths so that He can raise them all from the dead with new bodies to live forever on His recreated earth. Christ will also reward them for their good works. Revelation 5:11-14; Matthew 3:10-12; I Corinthians 3:11-15; Matthew 13:36-43; Revelation 22:11-12 (KJB).

God wrote the Old Testament mainly about His lesser form of salvation for all humans who adhere to their good natures and do some good works. All humans, no matter how evil, have done some good works. Psalm 50:23; Proverbs 10:12 (KJB). Jesus taught that God will reward the smallest good work. Matthew 10:42 (KJB). Only living humans can receive rewards. God wrote the New Testament mainly about those humans alive in the flesh who, when they hear the gospel and are visited by the Holy Spirit, repent and put their faith in Christ that He shed His blood on the cross to purge them of all their sins, evil, and spiritual deaths so that they can receive God's higher form of salvation by His grace, and they will inherit a home with God in Heaven forever. John 5:24; I Peter 1:18-21 (KJB).