The Seventh Trumpet
15The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said:
"The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ,
and he will reign for ever and ever." 16And the twenty-four elders, who were seated on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God, 17saying:
"We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty,
the One who is and who was,
because you have taken your great power
and have begun to reign.
18The nations were angry; and your wrath has come.
The time has come for judging the dead,
and for rewarding your servants the prophets
and your saints and those who reverence your name,
both small and great—
and for destroying those who destroy the earth."
19Then God's temple in heaven was opened, and within his temple was seen the ark of his covenant. And there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake and a great hailstorm.
Dig Deeper
The other day my wife, oldest son, and myself went to get a litany of shots in preparation for a trip we are taking to South Africa soon. I'm certainly not afraid of shots but I'm not necessarily fond of them either. The one that really loomed as ominous for me was the tetanus shot. I hadn't had one of those since I was a teenager, and for some reason I have a memory of it being particularly painful both during the shot itself and after. I probably have exaggerated the pain in my mind since then, but by the time we got to the office to the have the shot, I was full of expectation of the pain that was going to accompany that shot. As I sat in the chair, I braced myself, took a deep breath, and as I went to close my eyes, I noticed the nurse turning around away from me. I had literally missed the shot. I had not even felt it. In fact, had I not asked, I would simply not have known because all I felt was her hand on my arm. It was not at all what I had expected.
Although we certainly could not claim that anyone would have completely not noticed the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in 70 AD at the time it happened the way I didn't notice the shot, it does seem that people miss the significance of it now. At His death, resurrection, and ascension, Jesus' Kingdom was officially brought to bear upon the earth and He promised His followers that the proof of who He was and their vindication as the true people of God would come before that generation had passed away completely (Matt. 12:41-42; 23:36; 24:34; Mark 13:30; Luke 11:30-32; 11:51; 17:25; 21:32). So many people though, and this continues to this very day, expected something else. Some other sign that God's Kingdom was here; something, perhaps more grand and tangible than the people of God worshipping God, doing His will, and taking part in the ministry of reconciliation. Because so many people have other expectations, they think that the Christ has yet to take reign and started ruling in His Kingdom. They're simply misreading many biblical passages and expect something different than Jesus' resurrection, ascension, and the destruction of the Temple as the signs that He was the son of God and is now ruling in the Kingdom of God. They're still waiting for it to come as though that hasn't already happened. True, Christ is yet to return to the earth to renew all things (Matt. 19:28) but when that happens his Kingdom will be fully consummated not initially instituted. The great inauguration of the Kingdom of God and the vindication of the Son of God have already happened, as passages like today's reading makes clear.
11:15 - The destruction of apostate Israel has placed the Jews and Gentiles on equal footing when it comes to the Covenant. God has now created a new nation and a new Temple. Thus, John says that the kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and his Christ. This consummates Jesus' words recorded in Matthew: "the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit" (Matt. 21:43). Later, Jesus told His disciples about the time of the destruction of Jerusalem, "At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky" (Matt. 24:30). The wording in the NIV demonstrates the bias of the futurist view. The actual wording should say "at that time will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven." It was the destruction of and judgment upon Jerusalem that would be the sign that Christ was reigning in heaven. It was not that a sign would appear in the sky or the physical clouds, the judgment of Jerusalem was the sign. The destruction that befell Jerusalem signaled the full beginning of a new, world-wide kingdom, marking the final separation between the Christian Church and Judaism.
Daniel's "fifth kingdom" prophesied in Dan. 2 is realized as the voices in heaven shout the kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and his Christ. In other words, the world is no longer completely ruled by the Kingdom of Satan, or the kingdoms of men, but the Kingdom of Christ, the only Kingdom that will last forever.
11:16-18 - The twenty-four elders, who were seated on their thrones, signifying that they are ruling with Christ, now fall on their faces and worshiped God. The word for give thanks is eucharisteo, which is the same word used quite often to indicate the communion or Lord's Supper. John has shown us that the pattern of God's redemptive action in history is the same as that acted out on every Lord's Day: The Church, having died and resurrected in Christ (v. 7-11), ascends amid judgments to heaven at the divine command (v. 12-14). Surrounded by the heavenly host singing praises (v. 15), the Elders fall down before God's majesty, proclaiming we give thanks (eucharistoumen).
They continue praising him because, as they say, you have taken your great power and have begun to reign. Christ had poured out judgment on Israel by allowing Rome to attack them. As it says, the nations were angry, and your wrath has come upon apostate Israel. Jerusalem would now feel the brunt of both the angry nations and the wrath of God. The time has come for judging the dead, and for rewarding your servants the prophets and your saints an those who reverence your name. God's prophets would be vindicated and rewarded in the coming judgment. This does not refer to the final judgment on the last day, but the historical vindication of the martyred saints at the hands of a rebellious Israel. The song closes with the realization that Christ has served the purpose of destroying those who destroy the land. Israel had defiled the land, and so, had to be purged (see Lev. 18:24-30).
11:19 - The significance of the fall of Israel meant that God's temple in heaven was opened. The earthly Temple, which was just a shadow anyway, is gone, and now only the true Temple remains. God's Temple has been shown to be His Church, and now within that Temple is the ark of his covenant. The Ark contained the Ten Commandments and was "hidden" in the sanctuary, where no one was allowed access. In the New Covenant, all believers are saints, and saints are someone who has access to the sanctuary. In the New Covenant, the mystery has been opened through Christ. With the sounding of the seventh trumpet, the revelation is complete and definitive. What was a mystery has now been revealed. Paul wrote in his letter to the Romans, "Now to him who is able to establish you by my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past, but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God, so that all nations might believe and obey him" (Romans 16:25-26). For this reason, all the signs that had been associated with the glory cloud in the Old Covenant are now spoken of in relation to the Church including flashes of lightning and an earthquake. Through the Church, the door to heaven and "the age to come" has opened up to us. The end of old Israel was not the beginning of the end, but the sign that Christ's worldwide Kingdom has begun and that we could begin to live in the "age to come" now.
Devotional Thought
One day Christ will return again and set all of creation to rights. Because of Christ's atonement at the Cross, however, we have access, through the Church, to live out the "age to come" in the present world. This is the radical call of the Kingdom of God. In what ways are you living out the "age to come" now? By your actions are you more interested in living in the glorious "age to come" now, or the present age? Are you in the world but not of it, or are you in it and of it?
Monday, June 30, 2008
Friday, June 27, 2008
Revelation 11:7-14
7Now when they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the Abyss will attack them, and overpower and kill them. 8Their bodies will lie in the street of the great city, which is figuratively called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified. 9For three and a half days men from every people, tribe, language and nation will gaze on their bodies and refuse them burial. 10The inhabitants of the earth will gloat over them and will celebrate by sending each other gifts, because these two prophets had tormented those who live on the earth.
11But after the three and a half days a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and terror struck those who saw them. 12Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, "Come up here." And they went up to heaven in a cloud, while their enemies looked on.
13At that very hour there was a severe earthquake and a tenth of the city collapsed. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the survivors were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.
14The second woe has passed; the third woe is coming soon.
Dig Deeper
During the early days of what we now know as World War 2, things seemed bleak for the countries that had aligned themselves against Germany, Japan, and Italy. In fact, it seemed almost inevitable that Germany was going to roll through Europe. Those opposed to the Nazis and their allies seemed to be defeated and as good as dead. Then, of course, as we all know, the United States entered the war and the hopes of the Allies suddenly came to life through the United States armed forces. What had seemed dead, the hopes of those opposed to Hitler, were now very much alive, and, in fact, were soon to be victorious.
Celebrating prematurely is always a danger. John depicts a scene in this passage in which those animated by the Beast will begin to celebrate because of their apparent defeat of those who would represent God. They are dead and defeated, at least that’s what it seems. But suddenly, John begins a description of the hopes of the two witnesses coming to life, so to speak, in an entirely new way. What the world thought was dead and defeated was, in actuality, far from it.
11:7 - A shocking thing happens to our two witnesses. The Beast from the Abyss attacks, and we are told is able to overpower and kill them. This is the first time that the beast is mentioned, but it is as if John assumes that his readers will already know who it is. The Beast is actually a familiar theme in the Bible. Adam and Eve disobeyed God and allowed sin into the world by listening to the beast (the Serpent). They became less than human by being separated from God, as they became beasts themselves, complete with the mark of rebellion that would be visible on their foreheads (Gen. 3:19). A later picture of the Fall is seen in the life of Nebuchadnezzar who was, like Adam, given the power, strength, and glory of the kingdom. Yet, due to his pride, he was judged and became a beast (Dan. 4:33).
Man’s rebellion against God is also depicted in the Bible as the rebellion of beast against man. The persecutors of Christ at the crucifixion are called "dogs," "bulls of Bashan," and likened to "roaring lions." In the Old Testament, all unclean animals represented rebellion against God. Under the symbolism of the Covenant, beasts represent the Satanic nations, and were strictly forbidden to be eaten. To eat unclean animals was to eat the Satanic lifestyle. The prophets often described pagan nations as terrifying beasts making war against the people of the Covenant (Ps. 87:4; 89:10; Isa. 51:9; Dan. 7:3-8, 16-25). The enemy of God’s people, then, has always been the beast; this was nothing new to first-century Jews. All of this will be combined together in John’s depiction of the beast, who is ultimately connected to the age-long enemy of the Church, the Dragon that is Satan. In a way, then, the ultimate identity of the beast is Satan, the great Dragon. Later on, the beast will be given a more specific identity, but the ultimate animating force behind the Beast is Satan, while the specific identity is less important.
11:8-10 - The bodies of the Old Covenant witnesses lie metaphorically in the street in the great city, which is figuratively called Sodom and Egypt. This is, obviously, Jerusalem, the same city where the Lord was crucified. To some, this may seem like a new comparison, that of Israel being compared to Egypt. Although it is never directly stated, this concept is screamed throughout the New Testament. Jesus is the new Moses (Acts 3:20-23; Heb. 3-4), the new Israel (Matt. 2:15), the new Temple (John 1:14; 2:19-21). In a way, Christ was a living representation of the entire history of the Exodus (1 Cor. 10:1-4, also, for example, Jesus went into the wilderness to face temptation for forty days, mimicking Israel’s forty years and he chose twelve disciples to mimic the twelve tribes of Israel). Then, we have the Revelation itself, which speaks of the Egyptian-style plagues being poured out upon Israel. The once holy city of Jerusalem has now become like the great pagan power, Egypt. With the seeming death of the prophets, and thus Israel itself, the inhabitants of the earth will gloat over them and will celebrate. Burial in the promised land in the Old Testament was a sign of believing in the pledge of future resurrection (Gen. 23; 27:29-31; 49:28-33; 50:1-14;, 24-26; Ex. 13:19; Josh. 24:32; 1 Sam. 31:7-13; Acts 7:15-16; Heb. 11:22). Thus, the pagan nations refused to to bury them, mocking them in the process. In fact, the nations will send gifts to one another, because the death of the city on a hill has brought them temporary peace in their own eyes.
11:11-12 - After a limited time represented by three and a half days, the witnesses are resurrected as the breath of life from God entered them. This resurrection is that of Christ. The Witnesses did not survive the persecutions, but they rose to power in the Resurrection of Christ. The witnesses, who have now been revived by Christ, himself, have been called to come up and join the Father in the holy sanctuary to take dominion with Christ.
11:13-14 - At that moment, there was a severe earthquake. Scripture connects Christ’s birth, life, death, resurrection, ascension, the outpouring of the Spirit on the Church, and the wrath upon Israel as one theological event. As soon as Christ was born, Israel’s fate was doomed. Thus, at that very hour, there was a severe earthquake (Rev. 6:12; Ezek. 38:19-20; Hag. 2:6-7; Zech. 14:5; Matt. 27:51-53; Heb. 12:26-28). For purely symbolic reasons, we are told that seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake. Many more than that would be killed by the coming of the New Covenant and the end of the Old, but this symbolically, is the exact opposite of the 7,000 that remained faithful in Elijah’s day (1 Ki. 9:18). Both citations are a symbolic number, representing completeness (seven) multiplied by many (1,000). The rest were terrified and gave glory to God, which is biblical language for conversion.
Devotional Thought
God’s judgment is poured out on the unrighteous, but it also leads to the conversion of those who humble themselves and have the fear of God. Which category do you fall into? Do you respond to God’s Word by holding tighter to what you want, or do you respond to His Word with fear and humility? How you respond makes all the difference.
11But after the three and a half days a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and terror struck those who saw them. 12Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, "Come up here." And they went up to heaven in a cloud, while their enemies looked on.
13At that very hour there was a severe earthquake and a tenth of the city collapsed. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the survivors were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.
14The second woe has passed; the third woe is coming soon.
Dig Deeper
During the early days of what we now know as World War 2, things seemed bleak for the countries that had aligned themselves against Germany, Japan, and Italy. In fact, it seemed almost inevitable that Germany was going to roll through Europe. Those opposed to the Nazis and their allies seemed to be defeated and as good as dead. Then, of course, as we all know, the United States entered the war and the hopes of the Allies suddenly came to life through the United States armed forces. What had seemed dead, the hopes of those opposed to Hitler, were now very much alive, and, in fact, were soon to be victorious.
Celebrating prematurely is always a danger. John depicts a scene in this passage in which those animated by the Beast will begin to celebrate because of their apparent defeat of those who would represent God. They are dead and defeated, at least that’s what it seems. But suddenly, John begins a description of the hopes of the two witnesses coming to life, so to speak, in an entirely new way. What the world thought was dead and defeated was, in actuality, far from it.
11:7 - A shocking thing happens to our two witnesses. The Beast from the Abyss attacks, and we are told is able to overpower and kill them. This is the first time that the beast is mentioned, but it is as if John assumes that his readers will already know who it is. The Beast is actually a familiar theme in the Bible. Adam and Eve disobeyed God and allowed sin into the world by listening to the beast (the Serpent). They became less than human by being separated from God, as they became beasts themselves, complete with the mark of rebellion that would be visible on their foreheads (Gen. 3:19). A later picture of the Fall is seen in the life of Nebuchadnezzar who was, like Adam, given the power, strength, and glory of the kingdom. Yet, due to his pride, he was judged and became a beast (Dan. 4:33).
Man’s rebellion against God is also depicted in the Bible as the rebellion of beast against man. The persecutors of Christ at the crucifixion are called "dogs," "bulls of Bashan," and likened to "roaring lions." In the Old Testament, all unclean animals represented rebellion against God. Under the symbolism of the Covenant, beasts represent the Satanic nations, and were strictly forbidden to be eaten. To eat unclean animals was to eat the Satanic lifestyle. The prophets often described pagan nations as terrifying beasts making war against the people of the Covenant (Ps. 87:4; 89:10; Isa. 51:9; Dan. 7:3-8, 16-25). The enemy of God’s people, then, has always been the beast; this was nothing new to first-century Jews. All of this will be combined together in John’s depiction of the beast, who is ultimately connected to the age-long enemy of the Church, the Dragon that is Satan. In a way, then, the ultimate identity of the beast is Satan, the great Dragon. Later on, the beast will be given a more specific identity, but the ultimate animating force behind the Beast is Satan, while the specific identity is less important.
11:8-10 - The bodies of the Old Covenant witnesses lie metaphorically in the street in the great city, which is figuratively called Sodom and Egypt. This is, obviously, Jerusalem, the same city where the Lord was crucified. To some, this may seem like a new comparison, that of Israel being compared to Egypt. Although it is never directly stated, this concept is screamed throughout the New Testament. Jesus is the new Moses (Acts 3:20-23; Heb. 3-4), the new Israel (Matt. 2:15), the new Temple (John 1:14; 2:19-21). In a way, Christ was a living representation of the entire history of the Exodus (1 Cor. 10:1-4, also, for example, Jesus went into the wilderness to face temptation for forty days, mimicking Israel’s forty years and he chose twelve disciples to mimic the twelve tribes of Israel). Then, we have the Revelation itself, which speaks of the Egyptian-style plagues being poured out upon Israel. The once holy city of Jerusalem has now become like the great pagan power, Egypt. With the seeming death of the prophets, and thus Israel itself, the inhabitants of the earth will gloat over them and will celebrate. Burial in the promised land in the Old Testament was a sign of believing in the pledge of future resurrection (Gen. 23; 27:29-31; 49:28-33; 50:1-14;, 24-26; Ex. 13:19; Josh. 24:32; 1 Sam. 31:7-13; Acts 7:15-16; Heb. 11:22). Thus, the pagan nations refused to to bury them, mocking them in the process. In fact, the nations will send gifts to one another, because the death of the city on a hill has brought them temporary peace in their own eyes.
11:11-12 - After a limited time represented by three and a half days, the witnesses are resurrected as the breath of life from God entered them. This resurrection is that of Christ. The Witnesses did not survive the persecutions, but they rose to power in the Resurrection of Christ. The witnesses, who have now been revived by Christ, himself, have been called to come up and join the Father in the holy sanctuary to take dominion with Christ.
11:13-14 - At that moment, there was a severe earthquake. Scripture connects Christ’s birth, life, death, resurrection, ascension, the outpouring of the Spirit on the Church, and the wrath upon Israel as one theological event. As soon as Christ was born, Israel’s fate was doomed. Thus, at that very hour, there was a severe earthquake (Rev. 6:12; Ezek. 38:19-20; Hag. 2:6-7; Zech. 14:5; Matt. 27:51-53; Heb. 12:26-28). For purely symbolic reasons, we are told that seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake. Many more than that would be killed by the coming of the New Covenant and the end of the Old, but this symbolically, is the exact opposite of the 7,000 that remained faithful in Elijah’s day (1 Ki. 9:18). Both citations are a symbolic number, representing completeness (seven) multiplied by many (1,000). The rest were terrified and gave glory to God, which is biblical language for conversion.
Devotional Thought
God’s judgment is poured out on the unrighteous, but it also leads to the conversion of those who humble themselves and have the fear of God. Which category do you fall into? Do you respond to God’s Word by holding tighter to what you want, or do you respond to His Word with fear and humility? How you respond makes all the difference.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Revelation 11:1-6
The Two Witnesses
1I was given a reed like a measuring rod and was told, "Go and measure the temple of God and the altar, and count the worshipers there. 2But exclude the outer court; do not measure it, because it has been given to the Gentiles. They will trample on the holy city for 42 months. 3And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth." 4These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. 5If anyone tries to harm them, fire comes from their mouths and devours their enemies. This is how anyone who wants to harm them must die. 6These men have power to shut up the sky so that it will not rain during the time they are prophesying; and they have power to turn the waters into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they want.
Dig Deeper
We’ve all had one of those days. You know the type of day where everything seems to be stacking up rather quickly and demonstrating the fact that you are going to have a bad day. From the moment you wake up, one thing after another goes wrong and everything that happens seems to point to the fact that you are going to have a bad day. You might wake up late, your spouse seems to be in a bad mood, the kids are running amuck, you can’t find your keys, you spill your coffee on your light-colored pants, and on and on it goes.
In a much more profound way, this is something of the point of this part of John’s vision. John describes two witnesses which signify the totality of the Old Covenant prophets. The vision is making clear that everything that happened during the Old Covenant and in the lives and ministry of the prophets were pointing ahead to what was currently breaking into the world. The bad things that happen at the start of the day may or may not actually be signs of a bad day, but the events of the lives and ministry of the prophets were clearly all pointing ahead to and culminating in the outpouring of the New Covenant.
11:1-2 - John is given a reed like a measuring rod and is commanded to go and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and count the worshipers there. This imagery is borrowed from Ezekiel 40-43 where the angelic priest measures the ideal Temple, which is the New Covenant people of God. The writer in Hebrews tells us that the sanctuary in heaven is the original pattern for the copy and shadow which the Jews built on earth (Heb. 8:5). The heavenly sanctuary is the true sanctuary (Heb. 9:24). This heavenly sanctuary belongs to the people of the New Covenant. We are given a clue as to what the Temple is when the author of Hebrews says the heavenly sanctuary was cleansed (Heb. 9:23), or made fit for use. It was Christ who cleansed it for the "church of the firstborn" (Heb. 12:23). In other words, the Church is, in some sense, the heavenly Temple. John has made this clear as much of the action in this book has taken place in or originated from the inner sanctuary. Those who worship at the incense altar are priests (Ex. 28:43; 29:44), and John has already told us that we are a kingdom of priests (Rev. 1:6; 5:10).
Measuring is a symbol in Scripture used to separate the holy from the profane, and thus, to indicate God’s protection from destruction (Ezek. 22:26; 40-43; Zech. 2:1-5; Jer. 10:16; 51:19; Rev. 21:15-16). It is, in Scripture, the priests who do the measuring, which is, of course, judging. The act of measuring is guarding the Temple from the profane. Between the sixth and seventh seals, the 144,000 saints were protected from the coming judgment (Rev. 7:1-8). That protection is paralleled here in the act of measuring the inner sanctuary between the sixth and seventh trumpets. John is a priest of the New Covenant, and is given the authority to cast out the profane unbelievers. Jesus had already warned the Jews that very few would receive the Kingdom, while the Gentiles would stream in (Luke 13:24-29; Matt. 7:13, 14; 8:11-12).
Apostate Israel has been excluded from the Temple as it has been given to the Gentiles. They will trample on the holy city for 42 months. Forty-two months is equal to 1,260 days, or a 3 and a half years. It is taken from Daniel 7:25, where it symbolizes a limited period during which the wicked will be triumphant. Seven, symbolizes wholeness and completeness, while three and a half seems to be a broken seven that indicates death and destruction. The periods of time in the trumpets section are arranged chiastically, which further indicated the symbolic nature (chiastic is a pattern of "ABCCBA" or "123321"). In this section we see 42 months (11:2); 1,260 days (11:3); 3 and a half days (11:9); 3 and a half days (11:11); 1,260 days (12:6); 42 months (13:5). In his gospel, Matthew goes out of his way to describe the list of Christ’s ancestors as adding up to 42; 14 each between Abraham and David, David and the exile in Babylon, and the exile in Babylon to Christ. There were 42 generations between promise and fulfillment. John tells us that we don’t have to wait another 42 generations. The time has been shortened to 42 months. The Church will be saved through the coming tribulation, while apostate Israel will be destroyed at the hands of the Gentiles.
11:3-4 - Before Jerusalem is destroyed, John hears more testimony of its guilt, focusing on the persecution of the prophets throughout the history of the nation. The two witnesses are clothed in sackcloth, which is tradition prophet clothing symbolizing mourning over national apostasy (2 Kings 1:8; Isa. 20:2; Jon. 3:6; Zech. 13:4; Matt. 2:4; Mark 1:6). John returns to imagery of Zechariah’s prophecy of the lampstand. The lampstand symbol stands for the Holy Spirit’s filling and empowering work in the leaders of His covenant people. This meaning is demonstrated in Zech. 4:6 which says, "Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit." In the same passage, we are told the two olive trees, on either side of the lampstand, are "the two who are anointed to serve the Lord of all the earth." The two witnesses he was referring to are Joshua, the priest, and Zerubbabel, the king. Zechariah is telling us about an olive tree/ lampstand, symbolizing the officers of the covenant. These two figures represent the royal house and the priesthood (a recurring theme in the Revelation). John, then, connects two shining lampstands which are two oil-filled olive trees, which are two witnesses, a king and a priest. They all represent the Spirit-inspired prophetic testimony of the Kingdom of priests. These witnesses, as evidenced by their clothing, are members of the Old Covenant.
11:5-6 - John now turns the imagery of the two witnesses to images of Moses and Elijah, representing the law and the prophets. He says if anyone tries to harm them, fire comes from their mouths and devours their enemies. This brings to mind fire coming down from heaven at Moses’ word, consuming the false worshipers who had rebelled against him (Num. 16:35). Fire also fell from heaven and consumed Elijah’s enemies at his word (2 Ki. 1;9-12). John goes on to say that these two have power to shut up the sky so that it will not rain during the 1,260 days, the same amount of time of the drought caused by Elijah (1 Ki. 17). The witnesses also have the power, like Moses in Egypt to turn the waters into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague. Both of these prophets pointed beyond themselves to Jesus Christ (Mal. 4:4-6; Matt. 11:14; 17:10-13; Luke 1:15-17). Malachi had declared that Elijah’s ministry would be recapitulated in John the Baptist. Like Moses, John’s ministry would be succeeded by a Joshua, Jesus (Jesus is the Greek form of the Hebrew name Joshua) the conqueror who would lead the people into the promised land. The two witnesses, then, summarize all the witnesses of the Old Covenant, culminating in the witness and life of John the Baptist.
Devotional Thought
John shows that the lives of Moses and Elijah pointed ahead to one greater than them, Jesus Christ. Everything about their lives pointed to the one who is to come. For us, Jesus has already been here, yet, our lives should be pointing to Him as well. In what ways does your life point others to Jesus. Thank God for the ways He has allowed you to be a light to those around you.
1I was given a reed like a measuring rod and was told, "Go and measure the temple of God and the altar, and count the worshipers there. 2But exclude the outer court; do not measure it, because it has been given to the Gentiles. They will trample on the holy city for 42 months. 3And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth." 4These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. 5If anyone tries to harm them, fire comes from their mouths and devours their enemies. This is how anyone who wants to harm them must die. 6These men have power to shut up the sky so that it will not rain during the time they are prophesying; and they have power to turn the waters into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they want.
Dig Deeper
We’ve all had one of those days. You know the type of day where everything seems to be stacking up rather quickly and demonstrating the fact that you are going to have a bad day. From the moment you wake up, one thing after another goes wrong and everything that happens seems to point to the fact that you are going to have a bad day. You might wake up late, your spouse seems to be in a bad mood, the kids are running amuck, you can’t find your keys, you spill your coffee on your light-colored pants, and on and on it goes.
In a much more profound way, this is something of the point of this part of John’s vision. John describes two witnesses which signify the totality of the Old Covenant prophets. The vision is making clear that everything that happened during the Old Covenant and in the lives and ministry of the prophets were pointing ahead to what was currently breaking into the world. The bad things that happen at the start of the day may or may not actually be signs of a bad day, but the events of the lives and ministry of the prophets were clearly all pointing ahead to and culminating in the outpouring of the New Covenant.
11:1-2 - John is given a reed like a measuring rod and is commanded to go and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and count the worshipers there. This imagery is borrowed from Ezekiel 40-43 where the angelic priest measures the ideal Temple, which is the New Covenant people of God. The writer in Hebrews tells us that the sanctuary in heaven is the original pattern for the copy and shadow which the Jews built on earth (Heb. 8:5). The heavenly sanctuary is the true sanctuary (Heb. 9:24). This heavenly sanctuary belongs to the people of the New Covenant. We are given a clue as to what the Temple is when the author of Hebrews says the heavenly sanctuary was cleansed (Heb. 9:23), or made fit for use. It was Christ who cleansed it for the "church of the firstborn" (Heb. 12:23). In other words, the Church is, in some sense, the heavenly Temple. John has made this clear as much of the action in this book has taken place in or originated from the inner sanctuary. Those who worship at the incense altar are priests (Ex. 28:43; 29:44), and John has already told us that we are a kingdom of priests (Rev. 1:6; 5:10).
Measuring is a symbol in Scripture used to separate the holy from the profane, and thus, to indicate God’s protection from destruction (Ezek. 22:26; 40-43; Zech. 2:1-5; Jer. 10:16; 51:19; Rev. 21:15-16). It is, in Scripture, the priests who do the measuring, which is, of course, judging. The act of measuring is guarding the Temple from the profane. Between the sixth and seventh seals, the 144,000 saints were protected from the coming judgment (Rev. 7:1-8). That protection is paralleled here in the act of measuring the inner sanctuary between the sixth and seventh trumpets. John is a priest of the New Covenant, and is given the authority to cast out the profane unbelievers. Jesus had already warned the Jews that very few would receive the Kingdom, while the Gentiles would stream in (Luke 13:24-29; Matt. 7:13, 14; 8:11-12).
Apostate Israel has been excluded from the Temple as it has been given to the Gentiles. They will trample on the holy city for 42 months. Forty-two months is equal to 1,260 days, or a 3 and a half years. It is taken from Daniel 7:25, where it symbolizes a limited period during which the wicked will be triumphant. Seven, symbolizes wholeness and completeness, while three and a half seems to be a broken seven that indicates death and destruction. The periods of time in the trumpets section are arranged chiastically, which further indicated the symbolic nature (chiastic is a pattern of "ABCCBA" or "123321"). In this section we see 42 months (11:2); 1,260 days (11:3); 3 and a half days (11:9); 3 and a half days (11:11); 1,260 days (12:6); 42 months (13:5). In his gospel, Matthew goes out of his way to describe the list of Christ’s ancestors as adding up to 42; 14 each between Abraham and David, David and the exile in Babylon, and the exile in Babylon to Christ. There were 42 generations between promise and fulfillment. John tells us that we don’t have to wait another 42 generations. The time has been shortened to 42 months. The Church will be saved through the coming tribulation, while apostate Israel will be destroyed at the hands of the Gentiles.
11:3-4 - Before Jerusalem is destroyed, John hears more testimony of its guilt, focusing on the persecution of the prophets throughout the history of the nation. The two witnesses are clothed in sackcloth, which is tradition prophet clothing symbolizing mourning over national apostasy (2 Kings 1:8; Isa. 20:2; Jon. 3:6; Zech. 13:4; Matt. 2:4; Mark 1:6). John returns to imagery of Zechariah’s prophecy of the lampstand. The lampstand symbol stands for the Holy Spirit’s filling and empowering work in the leaders of His covenant people. This meaning is demonstrated in Zech. 4:6 which says, "Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit." In the same passage, we are told the two olive trees, on either side of the lampstand, are "the two who are anointed to serve the Lord of all the earth." The two witnesses he was referring to are Joshua, the priest, and Zerubbabel, the king. Zechariah is telling us about an olive tree/ lampstand, symbolizing the officers of the covenant. These two figures represent the royal house and the priesthood (a recurring theme in the Revelation). John, then, connects two shining lampstands which are two oil-filled olive trees, which are two witnesses, a king and a priest. They all represent the Spirit-inspired prophetic testimony of the Kingdom of priests. These witnesses, as evidenced by their clothing, are members of the Old Covenant.
11:5-6 - John now turns the imagery of the two witnesses to images of Moses and Elijah, representing the law and the prophets. He says if anyone tries to harm them, fire comes from their mouths and devours their enemies. This brings to mind fire coming down from heaven at Moses’ word, consuming the false worshipers who had rebelled against him (Num. 16:35). Fire also fell from heaven and consumed Elijah’s enemies at his word (2 Ki. 1;9-12). John goes on to say that these two have power to shut up the sky so that it will not rain during the 1,260 days, the same amount of time of the drought caused by Elijah (1 Ki. 17). The witnesses also have the power, like Moses in Egypt to turn the waters into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague. Both of these prophets pointed beyond themselves to Jesus Christ (Mal. 4:4-6; Matt. 11:14; 17:10-13; Luke 1:15-17). Malachi had declared that Elijah’s ministry would be recapitulated in John the Baptist. Like Moses, John’s ministry would be succeeded by a Joshua, Jesus (Jesus is the Greek form of the Hebrew name Joshua) the conqueror who would lead the people into the promised land. The two witnesses, then, summarize all the witnesses of the Old Covenant, culminating in the witness and life of John the Baptist.
Devotional Thought
John shows that the lives of Moses and Elijah pointed ahead to one greater than them, Jesus Christ. Everything about their lives pointed to the one who is to come. For us, Jesus has already been here, yet, our lives should be pointing to Him as well. In what ways does your life point others to Jesus. Thank God for the ways He has allowed you to be a light to those around you.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Revelation 10:5-11
5Then the angel I had seen standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven. 6And he swore by him who lives for ever and ever, who created the heavens and all that is in them, the earth and all that is in it, and the sea and all that is in it, and said, "There will be no more delay! 7But in the days when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet, the mystery of God will be accomplished, just as he announced to his servants the prophets."
8Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me once more: "Go, take the scroll that lies open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land."
9So I went to the angel and asked him to give me the little scroll. He said to me, "Take it and eat it. It will turn your stomach sour, but in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey." 10I took the little scroll from the angel's hand and ate it. It tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, my stomach turned sour. 11Then I was told, "You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages and kings."
Dig Deeper
Not long ago, I experienced something that probably most people have in one form or another at one time or another in their life. We were at a restaurant and I ordered some Mexican food that was particularly tasty. It was sweet with just a perfect bit of spice and it was so good that I probably ate a little more than I should. Yet, what was so good to my taste buds, as I was soon to find out, was rather sour to my stomach. My mouth had enjoyed it but it did not sit well with my stomach, which is never a good thing.
This is the common imagery that John borrows from the prophet Ezekiel to make his point in this passage. The Revelation that he is being given, like that of Ezekiel, is bittersweet. It will announce the justification and vindication of the Christian community on one hand, but the final judgment of God on the Covenant people of Israel on the other hand. The same document that offers hope and joy also brings judgment and punishment. This was truly a bittersweet moment for a Jewish Christian. It was, in fact, like food that tastes so good and sweet going down, but actually upsets your stomach once it gets there. Yet, as sour as it may have seemed to John, he must announce it, both the sweet and the sour.
10:5-7 - Christ now shows his purpose in appearing in such a manner, as he raised his right hand to heaven. This is the gesture of a witness in a court of law (Gen. 14:22; Ex. 6:8; Deut. 32:40; Ezek. 20:5-6; Dan. 12:7) as he raised his right hand and swore an oath by him who lives for ever and ever. Some have argued that this cannot be Christ for the reason that this is below the dignity of Christ and out of the character of God to swear an oath. Yet, there are many example in Scripture of God swearing oath by Himself (Gen. 22:16; Isa. 45:23; Jer. 49:13; Amos 6:8). This is exactly what Christ does here.
Serving in the role of witness, Christ announces that there will be no more delay! But in the days when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet, declares the witness, the mystery of God will be accomplished, just as he announced to his servants the prophets. The mystery here is not a mystery in the way that the modern world would understand this word. It does not mean an enigmatic item that cannot be explained. Rather, mystery means something previously hidden that is now being revealed. What is the mystery? Is some sense it is the joining together of Jews and Gentiles, but in the fuller sense it is referring to full instillation of the Kingdom of God and the life of Christ available to those who would die to self and enter in. The Kingdom had begun at Pentecost, but it is more fully revealed as the Old Covenant is officially ended once-and-for-all. It is the revelation that through the death of Christ, heaven and earth will now overlap, not at the Temple, but in the Church, and in the life of each believer. Christians have the ability to look forward into time, so to speak, and grab the age that is to come , living it out in the present time through the death, burial and resurrection of Christ that each believer can enter at baptism (Rom. 6:3-4).
This is a revelation of earth-shattering proportions. God, through Christ Jesus, has begun the process, one person at a time, to set things right in the universe; this is a process that will be completely finished one day when Christ returns to make all things new. What we have here, then, is a picture of Jesus Christ standing with His pillar legs planted on Israel and the nations, swearing an oath by the Creator, proclaiming the message of the New Covenant and the age that is to come that can be lived out now in the confines of the Kingdom of God. This announcement of the New Covenant brings with it, in no uncertain terms, the implication that the Old Covenant is ending and Jerusalem will soon be destroyed.
10:8-10 - Just as Ezekiel was commanded to eat the scroll that symbolized the prophetic denunciation of rebellious Israel (Ezek. 2:8019; 3:1-3), so John is told to take the scroll and eat it. This ties the scroll that John is seeing, which is essentially the book of Revelation itself, with Ezekiel’s scroll. This is another identifier that the Revelation is largely a denunciation against apostate Israel. Just like Ezekiel’s experience, John finds this scroll as sweet as honey to his mouth, but it turned his stomach sour. The reasons for this should be pretty obvious. The covenant lawsuit of Revelation is sweet as it announces the victory of the Church and of the Kingdom of God. Part of that victory, however, was the final condemnation of the house of Israel. What is salvation for one, is judgment and destruction for the other. The same judgments that deliver us also destroy the enemies of God. While John would enjoy the victory of God’s people, he would also lament the destruction of the once holy city, the mountain of God. The day of the Lord would bring both blessing and unspeakable horror (Amos 5:18-20).
10:11 - The angel of the Lord was identified in the Old Testament as the original prophet (Ex. 23:20-23; Deut. 18:15-19). He raised up and gave commission to other prophets in His image, reproducing Himself, in a sense, in them (Ex. 3:2; 33:14; 34:5; 29-35; 2 Ki. 1:3, 15; 1 Chron. 21:18). The prophets, for this reason, were often referred to as messengers (angels), and expressed their direct representation of God (2 Chron. 36:15-16; Hag. 1:13; Mal. 3:1). This pattern is followed here as Christ, the angel-prophet, commissions John to prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages, and kings. Christ has announced the universal revelation of the Kingdom, and now John is to extend that proclamation to all the nations.
Devotional Thought
Just as John and the other early Christians were given the revelation that the age to come could be accessed and lived out now in the Kingdom of God, and were told to proclaim it to the world; so, we are given the same charge to share that proclamation with the world. With whom can you share this message today. Find someone that you can tell about God’s willingness to reconcile between the world and Himself, here and now.
8Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me once more: "Go, take the scroll that lies open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land."
9So I went to the angel and asked him to give me the little scroll. He said to me, "Take it and eat it. It will turn your stomach sour, but in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey." 10I took the little scroll from the angel's hand and ate it. It tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, my stomach turned sour. 11Then I was told, "You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages and kings."
Dig Deeper
Not long ago, I experienced something that probably most people have in one form or another at one time or another in their life. We were at a restaurant and I ordered some Mexican food that was particularly tasty. It was sweet with just a perfect bit of spice and it was so good that I probably ate a little more than I should. Yet, what was so good to my taste buds, as I was soon to find out, was rather sour to my stomach. My mouth had enjoyed it but it did not sit well with my stomach, which is never a good thing.
This is the common imagery that John borrows from the prophet Ezekiel to make his point in this passage. The Revelation that he is being given, like that of Ezekiel, is bittersweet. It will announce the justification and vindication of the Christian community on one hand, but the final judgment of God on the Covenant people of Israel on the other hand. The same document that offers hope and joy also brings judgment and punishment. This was truly a bittersweet moment for a Jewish Christian. It was, in fact, like food that tastes so good and sweet going down, but actually upsets your stomach once it gets there. Yet, as sour as it may have seemed to John, he must announce it, both the sweet and the sour.
10:5-7 - Christ now shows his purpose in appearing in such a manner, as he raised his right hand to heaven. This is the gesture of a witness in a court of law (Gen. 14:22; Ex. 6:8; Deut. 32:40; Ezek. 20:5-6; Dan. 12:7) as he raised his right hand and swore an oath by him who lives for ever and ever. Some have argued that this cannot be Christ for the reason that this is below the dignity of Christ and out of the character of God to swear an oath. Yet, there are many example in Scripture of God swearing oath by Himself (Gen. 22:16; Isa. 45:23; Jer. 49:13; Amos 6:8). This is exactly what Christ does here.
Serving in the role of witness, Christ announces that there will be no more delay! But in the days when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet, declares the witness, the mystery of God will be accomplished, just as he announced to his servants the prophets. The mystery here is not a mystery in the way that the modern world would understand this word. It does not mean an enigmatic item that cannot be explained. Rather, mystery means something previously hidden that is now being revealed. What is the mystery? Is some sense it is the joining together of Jews and Gentiles, but in the fuller sense it is referring to full instillation of the Kingdom of God and the life of Christ available to those who would die to self and enter in. The Kingdom had begun at Pentecost, but it is more fully revealed as the Old Covenant is officially ended once-and-for-all. It is the revelation that through the death of Christ, heaven and earth will now overlap, not at the Temple, but in the Church, and in the life of each believer. Christians have the ability to look forward into time, so to speak, and grab the age that is to come , living it out in the present time through the death, burial and resurrection of Christ that each believer can enter at baptism (Rom. 6:3-4).
This is a revelation of earth-shattering proportions. God, through Christ Jesus, has begun the process, one person at a time, to set things right in the universe; this is a process that will be completely finished one day when Christ returns to make all things new. What we have here, then, is a picture of Jesus Christ standing with His pillar legs planted on Israel and the nations, swearing an oath by the Creator, proclaiming the message of the New Covenant and the age that is to come that can be lived out now in the confines of the Kingdom of God. This announcement of the New Covenant brings with it, in no uncertain terms, the implication that the Old Covenant is ending and Jerusalem will soon be destroyed.
10:8-10 - Just as Ezekiel was commanded to eat the scroll that symbolized the prophetic denunciation of rebellious Israel (Ezek. 2:8019; 3:1-3), so John is told to take the scroll and eat it. This ties the scroll that John is seeing, which is essentially the book of Revelation itself, with Ezekiel’s scroll. This is another identifier that the Revelation is largely a denunciation against apostate Israel. Just like Ezekiel’s experience, John finds this scroll as sweet as honey to his mouth, but it turned his stomach sour. The reasons for this should be pretty obvious. The covenant lawsuit of Revelation is sweet as it announces the victory of the Church and of the Kingdom of God. Part of that victory, however, was the final condemnation of the house of Israel. What is salvation for one, is judgment and destruction for the other. The same judgments that deliver us also destroy the enemies of God. While John would enjoy the victory of God’s people, he would also lament the destruction of the once holy city, the mountain of God. The day of the Lord would bring both blessing and unspeakable horror (Amos 5:18-20).
10:11 - The angel of the Lord was identified in the Old Testament as the original prophet (Ex. 23:20-23; Deut. 18:15-19). He raised up and gave commission to other prophets in His image, reproducing Himself, in a sense, in them (Ex. 3:2; 33:14; 34:5; 29-35; 2 Ki. 1:3, 15; 1 Chron. 21:18). The prophets, for this reason, were often referred to as messengers (angels), and expressed their direct representation of God (2 Chron. 36:15-16; Hag. 1:13; Mal. 3:1). This pattern is followed here as Christ, the angel-prophet, commissions John to prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages, and kings. Christ has announced the universal revelation of the Kingdom, and now John is to extend that proclamation to all the nations.
Devotional Thought
Just as John and the other early Christians were given the revelation that the age to come could be accessed and lived out now in the Kingdom of God, and were told to proclaim it to the world; so, we are given the same charge to share that proclamation with the world. With whom can you share this message today. Find someone that you can tell about God’s willingness to reconcile between the world and Himself, here and now.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Revelation 10:1-4
The Angel and the Little Scroll
1Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven. He was robed in a cloud, with a rainbow above his head; his face was like the sun, and his legs were like fiery pillars. 2He was holding a little scroll, which lay open in his hand. He planted his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land, 3and he gave a loud shout like the roar of a lion. When he shouted, the voices of the seven thunders spoke. 4And when the seven thunders spoke, I was about to write; but I heard a voice from heaven say, "Seal up what the seven thunders have said and do not write it down."
Dig Deeper
After a long day of work some time ago, my wife had called me while on her way home. She had a few things that she had asked me to tell our sons, messages which I quickly passed on to them. She then told me that she had stopped and grabbed some ice cream treats for them and would be home in a few minutes. She wisely asked me not to tell them, though, because this was simply not information that usually handled well. They would tend to get so excited and impatient that, particularly our youngest would get himself in trouble before the treat actually arrived.
Human beings often tend to think that we have a right to all available information. We rarely stop to consider situations in which we're simply not ready for the information at hand. This was precisely Adam and Eve's problem. They desired knowledge that they were not yet ready to possess. In fact, the entire history of mankind has proven that we, as a whole, often have more knowledge available to us than we have the moral capacity to control wisely. In this passage John is given information and told to seal it up and absolutely not pass it on. We simply do not know the nature of that information but we can be sure that, despite how much we may want to know, we're simply not ready to know it until such time as God chooses to reveal it (it is likely that the message has something to do with the glory of the age to come, but that too is just speculation).
10:1 - The key question to ask here at the very beginning of this passage is who is the mighty angel coming down from heaven? We would do well to remember that the word for "angel" can mean "messenger" as comfortably as it can specifically refer to an angelic being. The fact is, this is likely no one else other than Jesus Christ, the "angel of the Lord" in the Old Testament. This begins to become clear if we look again at the description of Christ in Rev. 1:14-16 and with God on His throne in Ezek. 1:25-28.
There are, however, four other indicators in this passage that it is Christ being described. First, The angel is robed in a cloud. This image brings to mind the glory cloud which is filled with uncountable numbers of angels (Deut. 33:2; Ps. 68: 17), but only God can be said to be robed with it (Ps. 104:1-3). In addition, the basic point of reference rises from the fact that God was clothed with the cloud in the Tabernacle (Ex. 40:34-38; Lev. 16:2). The imagery of being robed in a cloud would never be used of a mere angel.
Second, the angel had a rainbow above his head. We learned in Rev. 4:3 that the rainbow was pictured around the throne of God. This imagery also makes reference to Ezekiel's description: "Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. When I saw it, I fell face down, and I heard the voice of one speaking" (Ezek. 1:27-28).
Third, the angel's face was like the sun. This is similar to the description of Jesus in Rev. 1:16, as well as being reminiscent of of his face in the account of the transfiguration (Matt. 17:2). He is the rising sun (Luke 1:78, Ps. 84:11, 2 Pet. 1:16-19). The imagery of the sun is often used to describe the glory of God sitting in judgment (Ps. 19:4-6; Ezek. 43:2; Zech. 14:7; Mal. 4:1-3; Rom. 13:12).
Fourth, His legs were like fiery pillars. This phrase is probably intended to remind us of the pillar of fire and cloud (the glory cloud) that led the Israelites (Ex. 14:24). Evidently, the smoke and fire of the cloud symbolically represented God's legs as He walked before the people in the glory cloud (Ex. 13:21-22; 14:19, 24; 23:20, 23); He came in the cloud and stood before them (Ex. 33:9-10; Num. 12:5; Hag. 2:5). The evidence seems to be stacking up to make a pretty convincing case that the angel coming down from heaven is, in fact, Jesus Christ (remember this is symbolic and does not imply that Jesus is of the same class as the heavenly angels).
10:2-3 - The angel was holding a little scroll, while planting his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land. "Sea and land" is Old Testament language for all of the earth, so this figure towers symbolically above everything on the face of the earth. It is also true, however, that the "sea" is often depicted as Gentile nations in contrast with the land of Israel (2 Sam. 22:4-5; Ps. 65:7-8; Isa. 5:30; 17:12-13; 57:20; Jer. 6:23; Lk. 21:25; Rev. 13:1, 11).
He cries out with a loud shout like the roar of a lion. We have learned by now that the voice coming from the cloud is arrestingly loud. Psalm 29 describes aspects of the voice including that it is powerful, majestic, and breaks mighty cedars into pieces. In a response of worship to the voice, the seven-fold thunders spoke as well.
10:4 - Of course, the question we really want to know here is, what did the seven thunders say? John was preparing to write it down when a voice from heaven told him to seal up what the seven thunders have said and do not write it down. There is not much point speculating as to what John heard; we will never know in this age. It is clear, however, that God wanted John to record the fact that the message was only for him and not for the Church. The point is that there are many things that God will not reveal to us in this age. At the end of the Revelation, John is told not to seal up the prophecy (22:10). The message of the book as a whole was contemporary in nature and meant to be shared. In contrast, the message from the thunders points to the distant future and so, was to be sealed up just as Daniel was told to seal up his prophecy until the time of the end (Daniel 12:4). If the entire book of the Revelation was concerning the distant future for the first-century audience and was dealing with the end of all things, then there would be no need to conceal the message of the thunders. It only needed sealing because it's message was for a different time than the rest of the prophecy.
Devotional Thought
The fact that God reveals much information to us in the Bible but still conceals much shows us that He is so concerned with us that He only gives us what we need to know. God does not want to overwhelm us or give us more knowledge than we can handle. This was Adam and Eve's problem in the Garden. They disobeyed God and took more knowledge than they could handle. Spend some time meditating today on both the wonderful things God has revealed to us but also the fact that He does not reveal all things to us. Thank Him for His careful concern for us.
1Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven. He was robed in a cloud, with a rainbow above his head; his face was like the sun, and his legs were like fiery pillars. 2He was holding a little scroll, which lay open in his hand. He planted his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land, 3and he gave a loud shout like the roar of a lion. When he shouted, the voices of the seven thunders spoke. 4And when the seven thunders spoke, I was about to write; but I heard a voice from heaven say, "Seal up what the seven thunders have said and do not write it down."
Dig Deeper
After a long day of work some time ago, my wife had called me while on her way home. She had a few things that she had asked me to tell our sons, messages which I quickly passed on to them. She then told me that she had stopped and grabbed some ice cream treats for them and would be home in a few minutes. She wisely asked me not to tell them, though, because this was simply not information that usually handled well. They would tend to get so excited and impatient that, particularly our youngest would get himself in trouble before the treat actually arrived.
Human beings often tend to think that we have a right to all available information. We rarely stop to consider situations in which we're simply not ready for the information at hand. This was precisely Adam and Eve's problem. They desired knowledge that they were not yet ready to possess. In fact, the entire history of mankind has proven that we, as a whole, often have more knowledge available to us than we have the moral capacity to control wisely. In this passage John is given information and told to seal it up and absolutely not pass it on. We simply do not know the nature of that information but we can be sure that, despite how much we may want to know, we're simply not ready to know it until such time as God chooses to reveal it (it is likely that the message has something to do with the glory of the age to come, but that too is just speculation).
10:1 - The key question to ask here at the very beginning of this passage is who is the mighty angel coming down from heaven? We would do well to remember that the word for "angel" can mean "messenger" as comfortably as it can specifically refer to an angelic being. The fact is, this is likely no one else other than Jesus Christ, the "angel of the Lord" in the Old Testament. This begins to become clear if we look again at the description of Christ in Rev. 1:14-16 and with God on His throne in Ezek. 1:25-28.
There are, however, four other indicators in this passage that it is Christ being described. First, The angel is robed in a cloud. This image brings to mind the glory cloud which is filled with uncountable numbers of angels (Deut. 33:2; Ps. 68: 17), but only God can be said to be robed with it (Ps. 104:1-3). In addition, the basic point of reference rises from the fact that God was clothed with the cloud in the Tabernacle (Ex. 40:34-38; Lev. 16:2). The imagery of being robed in a cloud would never be used of a mere angel.
Second, the angel had a rainbow above his head. We learned in Rev. 4:3 that the rainbow was pictured around the throne of God. This imagery also makes reference to Ezekiel's description: "Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. When I saw it, I fell face down, and I heard the voice of one speaking" (Ezek. 1:27-28).
Third, the angel's face was like the sun. This is similar to the description of Jesus in Rev. 1:16, as well as being reminiscent of of his face in the account of the transfiguration (Matt. 17:2). He is the rising sun (Luke 1:78, Ps. 84:11, 2 Pet. 1:16-19). The imagery of the sun is often used to describe the glory of God sitting in judgment (Ps. 19:4-6; Ezek. 43:2; Zech. 14:7; Mal. 4:1-3; Rom. 13:12).
Fourth, His legs were like fiery pillars. This phrase is probably intended to remind us of the pillar of fire and cloud (the glory cloud) that led the Israelites (Ex. 14:24). Evidently, the smoke and fire of the cloud symbolically represented God's legs as He walked before the people in the glory cloud (Ex. 13:21-22; 14:19, 24; 23:20, 23); He came in the cloud and stood before them (Ex. 33:9-10; Num. 12:5; Hag. 2:5). The evidence seems to be stacking up to make a pretty convincing case that the angel coming down from heaven is, in fact, Jesus Christ (remember this is symbolic and does not imply that Jesus is of the same class as the heavenly angels).
10:2-3 - The angel was holding a little scroll, while planting his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land. "Sea and land" is Old Testament language for all of the earth, so this figure towers symbolically above everything on the face of the earth. It is also true, however, that the "sea" is often depicted as Gentile nations in contrast with the land of Israel (2 Sam. 22:4-5; Ps. 65:7-8; Isa. 5:30; 17:12-13; 57:20; Jer. 6:23; Lk. 21:25; Rev. 13:1, 11).
He cries out with a loud shout like the roar of a lion. We have learned by now that the voice coming from the cloud is arrestingly loud. Psalm 29 describes aspects of the voice including that it is powerful, majestic, and breaks mighty cedars into pieces. In a response of worship to the voice, the seven-fold thunders spoke as well.
10:4 - Of course, the question we really want to know here is, what did the seven thunders say? John was preparing to write it down when a voice from heaven told him to seal up what the seven thunders have said and do not write it down. There is not much point speculating as to what John heard; we will never know in this age. It is clear, however, that God wanted John to record the fact that the message was only for him and not for the Church. The point is that there are many things that God will not reveal to us in this age. At the end of the Revelation, John is told not to seal up the prophecy (22:10). The message of the book as a whole was contemporary in nature and meant to be shared. In contrast, the message from the thunders points to the distant future and so, was to be sealed up just as Daniel was told to seal up his prophecy until the time of the end (Daniel 12:4). If the entire book of the Revelation was concerning the distant future for the first-century audience and was dealing with the end of all things, then there would be no need to conceal the message of the thunders. It only needed sealing because it's message was for a different time than the rest of the prophecy.
Devotional Thought
The fact that God reveals much information to us in the Bible but still conceals much shows us that He is so concerned with us that He only gives us what we need to know. God does not want to overwhelm us or give us more knowledge than we can handle. This was Adam and Eve's problem in the Garden. They disobeyed God and took more knowledge than they could handle. Spend some time meditating today on both the wonderful things God has revealed to us but also the fact that He does not reveal all things to us. Thank Him for His careful concern for us.
Monday, June 23, 2008
Revelation 9:13-21
13The sixth angel sounded his trumpet, and I heard a voice coming from the horns of the golden altar that is before God. 14It said to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, "Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates." 15And the four angels who had been kept ready for this very hour and day and month and year were released to kill a third of mankind. 16The number of the mounted troops was two hundred million. I heard their number.
17The horses and riders I saw in my vision looked like this: Their breastplates were fiery red, dark blue, and yellow as sulfur. The heads of the horses resembled the heads of lions, and out of their mouths came fire, smoke and sulfur. 18A third of mankind was killed by the three plagues of fire, smoke and sulfur that came out of their mouths. 19The power of the horses was in their mouths and in their tails; for their tails were like snakes, having heads with which they inflict injury.
20The rest of mankind that were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood—idols that cannot see or hear or walk. 21Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts.
Dig Deeper
Years ago I, while I was coaching high school basketball, I had a team one year that was quite good. Early in the season, there was another team that was actually in a higher division than we were, but probably not as good. The coach of this team felt that his team was too cocky and not nearly as good as the players thought they were. He set up an early-season exhibition game with our team but he had one purpose in mind. He actually was hoping that the team from our very small school of one-hundred students would come in and defeat his team from a large school of over three-thousand students. In fact, our team responded quite nicely and pounded this team rather easily. To some this may have seemed like a horrible thing for a coach to do, but the reality was he knew that this was needed for his team. So, he used another team to humble his team and put them in their proper place.
Those who are familiar with the Old Testament know that God did similar things throughout the Old Testament. He would use the enemies of God, pagan nations primarily, to discipline and humble His own people. He would, in other words, allow those who were inspired by evil to carry out their evil desires so that His ultimate purposes might be fulfilled. We see this same sad scenario being played out in this passage. God has removed His protection from His people and the pagan hordes from Rome will soon be fully unleashed. They will, in the most ultimate sense, however, be fulfilling God’s purposes rather than their own evil intentions. The fact that God can unleash evil and allow it to be used for His divine and righteous intentions speaks all the more to His unrivaled sovereignty. There was one major difference between those being judged here and that basketball team. After they were defeated, they were humbled and re-dedicated themselves to working hard. The people here, though, refused to repent and thus, demonstrated their unbelievable arrogance before the one, true God.
9:13 - The sixth angel sounds the sixth trumpet which corresponds to the second woe of this section. John hears a voice coming from the horns of the golden altar that is before God. (The original text actually says "four horns." The NIV is the only of the major translations that does not contain "four". Two early manuscripts leave out "four", but it seems more likely that this was a copyist error and should be included). The voice reminds the reader that the desolations sent by God to the earth are on the behalf of His people. God’s action in history has proceeded from His altar where He has received the prayers of the saints.
The significance of the voice coming from the horns or projections of the altar would have been clear to first century Jews. It was invoking the symbolism of the purification offering. The purification offering dealt with pollution caused by sin. If sin had polluted the land, it defiled God’s dwelling place as well. The sins of the nation of Israel were atoned for by offering a sacrifice on the altar, then smearing the blood on the horns of the golden altar of incense (Lev. 4:13-21). This in turn purified the altar so that the incense could be offered with assurance that God would hear their prayers. God’s command is spoken from the four horns of the golden altar, indicating that the sins of His people have been covered and will not block the access they have to God. It is worth mentioning again the nature of the prayers of the saints, which were for the destruction of the enemies of God and his people. One identifier of a godly man in the Psalms is hatred for God’s enemies and prayer for their downfall (Ps. 5:10; 10:15; 35:1-8, 22-26; 59:12-13; 68:1-4; 69:22-28; 83; 94; 109; 137:8-9; 139:19-24; 140:6-11).
9:14-16 - The sixth angel is commanded to release the four angels who are bound at the great rive Euphrates. The Euphrates River formed the boundary both literally but even more so symbolically between Israel and the pagan armies which God used as a scourge against His rebellious people. This border was the northern frontier of Palestine, so John’s words here invoke all of the Scriptural warnings about an enemy from the north (Jer. 6:1, 22: 10:22; 13:20; 25:9; 26; 46:20, 24; 47:2; Ezek. 26;7; 38:6, 15; 39:2). Both the glory cloud and God’s agents of vengeance are often depicted in the Old Testament as coming from the north (Ezek. 1:4; Isa. 14:31; Jer. 1:14-15). This great army from the north that has been released is God’s army, being used for his purposes, but is demonic and pagan in nature. God is not literally leading this army, He has merely removed the protection against Israel and will allow them to come in judgment on Israel.
At the same time it could be said that the angels were released to kill a third of mankind, because God is sovereign and when His agents allow something on His behalf, God is, in some respects responsible for it. Even still, the pagan hordes will be judged for their evil actions even though God has allowed them to work for His overall purposes. The intent of the hordes was still evil in their own heart and they will be judged for that. The angels that removed the protection had been kept ready for this very hour and day and month and year. The time had been set long ago for the outpouring of God’s judgment, although no one but Him knew the day and the hour. This demonstrates the difference between apocalyptic events, which are already decided and prophetic events which can be avoided by repentance. John hears the number of the mounted troops which the NIV translates presumtively as two hundred million. The text literally reads "myriads of myriads." The point was that it was a large, but indefinite and incalculable number. It indicated that a vast host comprised this army.
9:17-19 - The characteristics of the horses include the fact that out of their mouths came fire, smoke, and sulfur are meant to remind us of the Dragon. These creatures are repulsive and not from earth, they are, in the results of their work, from hell. This innumerable army advancing from the place of God’s traditional enemies is a hostile, demonic force sent by God in answer to the prayers of His people. It is the fulfillment of the warnings of the law and prophets of the punishment that would be sent to covenant breakers.
9:20-21 - Despite all of this, the rest of mankind that were not killed, still did not repent. The Bible is quite clear that since the Old Testament times, demons, the disembodied spirits of the Nephilim, have masqueraded as and been worshipped as false, pagan gods (Deut. 32:17; Ps. 106:36-38; 1 Cor. 10:20). The Jews had not repented, and had, in fact, ignored the clear signs from God during the year of 66 AD that the time was near. These include, as Josephus reported, a bright light that emanated from altar and all through the Temple for half an hour; the east gate of the inner sanctuary opening by itself (it took over twenty men to open it); apparitions of "chariots. . . and armed battalions speeding through the clouds and encircling the cities," which had been witnessed by thousands; the twenty-four priests on duty at the feast of Pentecost reporting that they heard a voice from the court of the Temple declare "We are departing hence.", and there was a star that looked like a sword that rested over Jerusalem for the entire year. They continued to reject God’s clear warnings, clinging to their false version of God and telling themselves that everything was okay.
Devotional Thought
Have you ever considered the fact that, although God does not create evil, He will allow it and use it for His purposes to bring about His perfect will? Spend some time today meditating on the fact that God is so powerful that He can release evil to do what it will, and is still sovereign and able to use that evil for good. That is a powerful and awesome God.
17The horses and riders I saw in my vision looked like this: Their breastplates were fiery red, dark blue, and yellow as sulfur. The heads of the horses resembled the heads of lions, and out of their mouths came fire, smoke and sulfur. 18A third of mankind was killed by the three plagues of fire, smoke and sulfur that came out of their mouths. 19The power of the horses was in their mouths and in their tails; for their tails were like snakes, having heads with which they inflict injury.
20The rest of mankind that were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood—idols that cannot see or hear or walk. 21Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts.
Dig Deeper
Years ago I, while I was coaching high school basketball, I had a team one year that was quite good. Early in the season, there was another team that was actually in a higher division than we were, but probably not as good. The coach of this team felt that his team was too cocky and not nearly as good as the players thought they were. He set up an early-season exhibition game with our team but he had one purpose in mind. He actually was hoping that the team from our very small school of one-hundred students would come in and defeat his team from a large school of over three-thousand students. In fact, our team responded quite nicely and pounded this team rather easily. To some this may have seemed like a horrible thing for a coach to do, but the reality was he knew that this was needed for his team. So, he used another team to humble his team and put them in their proper place.
Those who are familiar with the Old Testament know that God did similar things throughout the Old Testament. He would use the enemies of God, pagan nations primarily, to discipline and humble His own people. He would, in other words, allow those who were inspired by evil to carry out their evil desires so that His ultimate purposes might be fulfilled. We see this same sad scenario being played out in this passage. God has removed His protection from His people and the pagan hordes from Rome will soon be fully unleashed. They will, in the most ultimate sense, however, be fulfilling God’s purposes rather than their own evil intentions. The fact that God can unleash evil and allow it to be used for His divine and righteous intentions speaks all the more to His unrivaled sovereignty. There was one major difference between those being judged here and that basketball team. After they were defeated, they were humbled and re-dedicated themselves to working hard. The people here, though, refused to repent and thus, demonstrated their unbelievable arrogance before the one, true God.
9:13 - The sixth angel sounds the sixth trumpet which corresponds to the second woe of this section. John hears a voice coming from the horns of the golden altar that is before God. (The original text actually says "four horns." The NIV is the only of the major translations that does not contain "four". Two early manuscripts leave out "four", but it seems more likely that this was a copyist error and should be included). The voice reminds the reader that the desolations sent by God to the earth are on the behalf of His people. God’s action in history has proceeded from His altar where He has received the prayers of the saints.
The significance of the voice coming from the horns or projections of the altar would have been clear to first century Jews. It was invoking the symbolism of the purification offering. The purification offering dealt with pollution caused by sin. If sin had polluted the land, it defiled God’s dwelling place as well. The sins of the nation of Israel were atoned for by offering a sacrifice on the altar, then smearing the blood on the horns of the golden altar of incense (Lev. 4:13-21). This in turn purified the altar so that the incense could be offered with assurance that God would hear their prayers. God’s command is spoken from the four horns of the golden altar, indicating that the sins of His people have been covered and will not block the access they have to God. It is worth mentioning again the nature of the prayers of the saints, which were for the destruction of the enemies of God and his people. One identifier of a godly man in the Psalms is hatred for God’s enemies and prayer for their downfall (Ps. 5:10; 10:15; 35:1-8, 22-26; 59:12-13; 68:1-4; 69:22-28; 83; 94; 109; 137:8-9; 139:19-24; 140:6-11).
9:14-16 - The sixth angel is commanded to release the four angels who are bound at the great rive Euphrates. The Euphrates River formed the boundary both literally but even more so symbolically between Israel and the pagan armies which God used as a scourge against His rebellious people. This border was the northern frontier of Palestine, so John’s words here invoke all of the Scriptural warnings about an enemy from the north (Jer. 6:1, 22: 10:22; 13:20; 25:9; 26; 46:20, 24; 47:2; Ezek. 26;7; 38:6, 15; 39:2). Both the glory cloud and God’s agents of vengeance are often depicted in the Old Testament as coming from the north (Ezek. 1:4; Isa. 14:31; Jer. 1:14-15). This great army from the north that has been released is God’s army, being used for his purposes, but is demonic and pagan in nature. God is not literally leading this army, He has merely removed the protection against Israel and will allow them to come in judgment on Israel.
At the same time it could be said that the angels were released to kill a third of mankind, because God is sovereign and when His agents allow something on His behalf, God is, in some respects responsible for it. Even still, the pagan hordes will be judged for their evil actions even though God has allowed them to work for His overall purposes. The intent of the hordes was still evil in their own heart and they will be judged for that. The angels that removed the protection had been kept ready for this very hour and day and month and year. The time had been set long ago for the outpouring of God’s judgment, although no one but Him knew the day and the hour. This demonstrates the difference between apocalyptic events, which are already decided and prophetic events which can be avoided by repentance. John hears the number of the mounted troops which the NIV translates presumtively as two hundred million. The text literally reads "myriads of myriads." The point was that it was a large, but indefinite and incalculable number. It indicated that a vast host comprised this army.
9:17-19 - The characteristics of the horses include the fact that out of their mouths came fire, smoke, and sulfur are meant to remind us of the Dragon. These creatures are repulsive and not from earth, they are, in the results of their work, from hell. This innumerable army advancing from the place of God’s traditional enemies is a hostile, demonic force sent by God in answer to the prayers of His people. It is the fulfillment of the warnings of the law and prophets of the punishment that would be sent to covenant breakers.
9:20-21 - Despite all of this, the rest of mankind that were not killed, still did not repent. The Bible is quite clear that since the Old Testament times, demons, the disembodied spirits of the Nephilim, have masqueraded as and been worshipped as false, pagan gods (Deut. 32:17; Ps. 106:36-38; 1 Cor. 10:20). The Jews had not repented, and had, in fact, ignored the clear signs from God during the year of 66 AD that the time was near. These include, as Josephus reported, a bright light that emanated from altar and all through the Temple for half an hour; the east gate of the inner sanctuary opening by itself (it took over twenty men to open it); apparitions of "chariots. . . and armed battalions speeding through the clouds and encircling the cities," which had been witnessed by thousands; the twenty-four priests on duty at the feast of Pentecost reporting that they heard a voice from the court of the Temple declare "We are departing hence.", and there was a star that looked like a sword that rested over Jerusalem for the entire year. They continued to reject God’s clear warnings, clinging to their false version of God and telling themselves that everything was okay.
Devotional Thought
Have you ever considered the fact that, although God does not create evil, He will allow it and use it for His purposes to bring about His perfect will? Spend some time today meditating on the fact that God is so powerful that He can release evil to do what it will, and is still sovereign and able to use that evil for good. That is a powerful and awesome God.
Friday, June 20, 2008
Revelation 9:7-12
7The locusts looked like horses prepared for battle. On their heads they wore something like crowns of gold, and their faces resembled human faces. 8Their hair was like women's hair, and their teeth were like lions' teeth. 9They had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the thundering of many horses and chariots rushing into battle. 10They had tails and stings like scorpions, and in their tails they had power to torment people for five months. 11They had as king over them the angel of the Abyss, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek, Apollyon.
12The first woe is past; two other woes are yet to come.
Dig Deeper
Jonathan Swift was a famous author of the 18th century. His most famous work was the deeply satirical novel, Gulliver’s Travels. In 1729 he wrote a short article entitled, "A Modest Proposal." In this article he suggested that the Irish, who were suffering from crop failure, famine, and stark poverty, should solve their problems by eating their young. He even proposed recipes for doing such a thing. Swift’s shocking article was actually a scathing satire, criticizing the societal structures and attitudes that had allowed conditions to get as bad as they had. Imagine, though, someone reading that article and not realizing that it was a satire, and taking it to be a literal proposal. Not only would Swift’s point be missed, the repercussions of such a mistake would be vast.
When I was younger, I was extremely fascinated by the book of Revelation. I read without really understanding it, but had been taught, as have most Americans in the last two hundred years or so, that Revelation was a prediction of the bleak future of mankind. In its mysterious pages were housed the horrific events and catastrophes that would bring about the end of the world. Of course, there was one problem with that. I didn’t know anything about Hebrew writing styles and genres, let alone their culture. Unfortunately when I did read books that purported to explain the Revelation, I read authors who, in retrospect, didn’t seem to know much about them either. It is vitally important to read literature in the genre and style in which it was written.
The book of Revelation is simply not a book of prophecy in the classic Hebrew style. It was written as an apocalyptic, a genre that is no longer in use today but was quite common in John’s day. The first and most important aspect of apocalyptic literature was that it was written to deal with contemporary issues. In his book "Biblical Interpretation: An Integrated Approach," W. Randolph Tate describes the difference between apocalyptic and prophetic literature:
This all means that when we read the Revelation we must take care to read it as the highly symbolic and contemporary focused (that is, focused on the time it was written rather than the distant future) piece of literature that it was intended to be. The Revelation is not a book of prophecy predicting the end of the world but a book of apocalyptic describing the ending of the Old Covenant.
9:7-9 - The demon-locusts are very similar in many ways to the descriptions of the invading heathen armies given by the prophets (Jer. 51:27; Joel 1:6; 2:1-11). John seems to be indicating that these demon-locusts are imposters, wearing something like crowns of gold. He also tells us that their faces resembled human faces. What could John mean by this? If, as we stated earlier, he is referring to a demon army, then this would make sense as demons have the ability to possess human beings and influence their behavior (Luke 8:29).
The description of the demon-locust army may then, refer to the gangs of murderous Zealots who roamed around Jerusalem during the Roman siege in 70 AD. These thug gangs terrorized the people of Jerusalem. According to Josephus, the people had more to fear from the Zealots than they did from the Romans. He wrote in The Jewish War, "With their insatiable hunger for loot, they ransacked the houses of the wealthy, murdered men and violated women for sport; they drank their spoils with blood, and from mere satiety they shamelessly gave themselves up to effeminate practices, plaiting their hair and putting on women’s clothes. . . They copied not merely the dress, but also the passions of women, devising in their excess of licentiousness unlawful pleasures in which they wallowed as in a brothel. Thus they entirely polluted the city with their foul practices. Yet though they wore women’s faces, their hands were murderous." It is quite probable that John was referring to this band of demon-influenced Zealots who had given themselves over to all types of perverse and violent acts. This makes sense of John’s words, their hair was like women’s hair, and their teeth were like lions’ teeth.
John, in describing the locust army, said the sound of their wings was like the thundering of many horses and chariots rushing into battle. This is the same sound made by the wings of the angels in the Glory Cloud (Ezek. 1:24; 3:13; 2 Kings 7:5-7). The difference is that this sound is made by demons and the demon-influenced. John is drawing a comparison here, although demons and fallen angels are distinct beings. According to Genesis 6 and the book of Enoch (which was accepted as accurate by Jude, Peter, and universally embraced by the early Church Fathers) the demons were the Nephilim. The Nephilim were the offspring of fallen angels and human women who taught mankind all kinds of evil. The Nephilim, after their physical death, were sentenced to roam the earth as bodiless spirits until the end of all things.
9:10-12 - John describes these demons as having tails and stings like scorpions, thus identifying them with Satan, the ultimate serpent and scorpion. John identifies the king of these demons with both his Greek and Hebrew names, Apollyon and Abaddon. Both words mean Destruction and Destroyer. Abaddon is often used in the Old Testament as a symbol for the realm of the dead or the "place of destruction" (Job 26:6; 28:22; 31:12; Ps. 88:11; Prov. 15:11; 27:20). This can be a bit confusing because we are dealing with so many symbols here. Basically, Abaddon, is a symbol of destruction. Destruction is a metaphor for the realm of the dead, which is Sheol in the Hebrew. Even though Satan has never been to Sheol, he is the destroyer and thus also symbolizes Sheol. Thus, when John says that Abaddon is the king of the demons, he is referring to none other than Satan. Satan is the ultimate personification of death and destruction (Heb. 2;14). This is not to imply that Satan is literally, nor has he ever been in the Abyss or in Sheol. Satan currently roams the earth (Job 1:7; 2:2; 1 Peter 5:8) and his ultimate fate is Gehenna, the Lake of Fire (Matt. 25:41). John is telling us that Satan’s minions are about to be let loose upon the Jewish nation. This would indeed be hell on earth. And yet, this is only the first of the three woes. This is not the worst of the woes. There are two yet to come.
Devotional Thought
This passage confirms Paul’s point in Romans 1 that because the world has been out of sorts ever since the rejection of God in the Garden of Eden: There is no end to the evil to which men can sink once they decide to reject God and embrace sin. Do you make a point to actively reject every appearance of evil in your life, or do you play with the fire of sin? In what areas of your life are you tempted to give Satan a foothold by not immediately rejecting evil thoughts or behaviors.
12The first woe is past; two other woes are yet to come.
Dig Deeper
Jonathan Swift was a famous author of the 18th century. His most famous work was the deeply satirical novel, Gulliver’s Travels. In 1729 he wrote a short article entitled, "A Modest Proposal." In this article he suggested that the Irish, who were suffering from crop failure, famine, and stark poverty, should solve their problems by eating their young. He even proposed recipes for doing such a thing. Swift’s shocking article was actually a scathing satire, criticizing the societal structures and attitudes that had allowed conditions to get as bad as they had. Imagine, though, someone reading that article and not realizing that it was a satire, and taking it to be a literal proposal. Not only would Swift’s point be missed, the repercussions of such a mistake would be vast.
When I was younger, I was extremely fascinated by the book of Revelation. I read without really understanding it, but had been taught, as have most Americans in the last two hundred years or so, that Revelation was a prediction of the bleak future of mankind. In its mysterious pages were housed the horrific events and catastrophes that would bring about the end of the world. Of course, there was one problem with that. I didn’t know anything about Hebrew writing styles and genres, let alone their culture. Unfortunately when I did read books that purported to explain the Revelation, I read authors who, in retrospect, didn’t seem to know much about them either. It is vitally important to read literature in the genre and style in which it was written.
The book of Revelation is simply not a book of prophecy in the classic Hebrew style. It was written as an apocalyptic, a genre that is no longer in use today but was quite common in John’s day. The first and most important aspect of apocalyptic literature was that it was written to deal with contemporary issues. In his book "Biblical Interpretation: An Integrated Approach," W. Randolph Tate describes the difference between apocalyptic and prophetic literature:
Apocalypse is one literary genre while classical Hebrew prophecy is another. To interpret apocalyptic as prophecy is simply to misinterpret. . . . First, prophecy carries with it a contingency: the outcome in prophecy depends upon the actions of a certain group of people. This is not the case with apocalyptic. In apocalypse, this evil age is so far beyond redemption that a predetermined and unchangeable course has been mapped out for human history. Second, the prophetic future is a continuation of the present and is itself part of the course history. In apocalypse the future is a decisive break with the present age brought about by the direct intervention of God. . . And third, at least in written form, prophecy is poetic while apocalypse is narrative—albeit highly figurative—prose.
This all means that when we read the Revelation we must take care to read it as the highly symbolic and contemporary focused (that is, focused on the time it was written rather than the distant future) piece of literature that it was intended to be. The Revelation is not a book of prophecy predicting the end of the world but a book of apocalyptic describing the ending of the Old Covenant.
9:7-9 - The demon-locusts are very similar in many ways to the descriptions of the invading heathen armies given by the prophets (Jer. 51:27; Joel 1:6; 2:1-11). John seems to be indicating that these demon-locusts are imposters, wearing something like crowns of gold. He also tells us that their faces resembled human faces. What could John mean by this? If, as we stated earlier, he is referring to a demon army, then this would make sense as demons have the ability to possess human beings and influence their behavior (Luke 8:29).
The description of the demon-locust army may then, refer to the gangs of murderous Zealots who roamed around Jerusalem during the Roman siege in 70 AD. These thug gangs terrorized the people of Jerusalem. According to Josephus, the people had more to fear from the Zealots than they did from the Romans. He wrote in The Jewish War, "With their insatiable hunger for loot, they ransacked the houses of the wealthy, murdered men and violated women for sport; they drank their spoils with blood, and from mere satiety they shamelessly gave themselves up to effeminate practices, plaiting their hair and putting on women’s clothes. . . They copied not merely the dress, but also the passions of women, devising in their excess of licentiousness unlawful pleasures in which they wallowed as in a brothel. Thus they entirely polluted the city with their foul practices. Yet though they wore women’s faces, their hands were murderous." It is quite probable that John was referring to this band of demon-influenced Zealots who had given themselves over to all types of perverse and violent acts. This makes sense of John’s words, their hair was like women’s hair, and their teeth were like lions’ teeth.
John, in describing the locust army, said the sound of their wings was like the thundering of many horses and chariots rushing into battle. This is the same sound made by the wings of the angels in the Glory Cloud (Ezek. 1:24; 3:13; 2 Kings 7:5-7). The difference is that this sound is made by demons and the demon-influenced. John is drawing a comparison here, although demons and fallen angels are distinct beings. According to Genesis 6 and the book of Enoch (which was accepted as accurate by Jude, Peter, and universally embraced by the early Church Fathers) the demons were the Nephilim. The Nephilim were the offspring of fallen angels and human women who taught mankind all kinds of evil. The Nephilim, after their physical death, were sentenced to roam the earth as bodiless spirits until the end of all things.
9:10-12 - John describes these demons as having tails and stings like scorpions, thus identifying them with Satan, the ultimate serpent and scorpion. John identifies the king of these demons with both his Greek and Hebrew names, Apollyon and Abaddon. Both words mean Destruction and Destroyer. Abaddon is often used in the Old Testament as a symbol for the realm of the dead or the "place of destruction" (Job 26:6; 28:22; 31:12; Ps. 88:11; Prov. 15:11; 27:20). This can be a bit confusing because we are dealing with so many symbols here. Basically, Abaddon, is a symbol of destruction. Destruction is a metaphor for the realm of the dead, which is Sheol in the Hebrew. Even though Satan has never been to Sheol, he is the destroyer and thus also symbolizes Sheol. Thus, when John says that Abaddon is the king of the demons, he is referring to none other than Satan. Satan is the ultimate personification of death and destruction (Heb. 2;14). This is not to imply that Satan is literally, nor has he ever been in the Abyss or in Sheol. Satan currently roams the earth (Job 1:7; 2:2; 1 Peter 5:8) and his ultimate fate is Gehenna, the Lake of Fire (Matt. 25:41). John is telling us that Satan’s minions are about to be let loose upon the Jewish nation. This would indeed be hell on earth. And yet, this is only the first of the three woes. This is not the worst of the woes. There are two yet to come.
Devotional Thought
This passage confirms Paul’s point in Romans 1 that because the world has been out of sorts ever since the rejection of God in the Garden of Eden: There is no end to the evil to which men can sink once they decide to reject God and embrace sin. Do you make a point to actively reject every appearance of evil in your life, or do you play with the fire of sin? In what areas of your life are you tempted to give Satan a foothold by not immediately rejecting evil thoughts or behaviors.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Revelation 9:1-6
1The fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from the sky to the earth. The star was given the key to the shaft of the Abyss. 2When he opened the Abyss, smoke rose from it like the smoke from a gigantic furnace. The sun and sky were darkened by the smoke from the Abyss. 3And out of the smoke locusts came down upon the earth and were given power like that of scorpions of the earth. 4They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or tree, but only those people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads. 5They were not given power to kill them, but only to torture them for five months. And the agony they suffered was like that of the sting of a scorpion when it strikes a man. 6During those days men will seek death, but will not find it; they will long to die, but death will elude them.
Dig Deeper
I just could not figure it out. We had cleaned our carpet with a rented steam-cleaner and it had looked great, but now just a month later, the carpet looked as bad as it did before we had cleaned it. We had tried to keep it clean and taken our shoes off whenever we went inside, but to no avail. I thought that maybe the machine we used was no good, but that didn’t make sense because the carpet had been quite obviously and visibly clean for at least a few days. A few months later, though, my dad, who has some professional knowledge about carpet cleaning, solved the mystery. After cleaning a carpet with the soap-solution, a residue is left on the carpets, a fact that most people who clean the carpets themselves are not aware of. In order to get it off, you have to carefully use the cleaner to rinse your carpet by going over it once or twice with only water and no cleaning solution in it. This will remove the residue which actually attracts and collects dirt and makes it worse than you started.
The previous analogy is certainly not perfect but it does help us to see some of what John is discussing here. Jesus had predicted that his work was sweeping Israel clean but if they remained empty, in other words, if they didn’t follow Him as the way, the truth, and the life, then once he was gone, the demonic influence would sweep back in and make things far worse than they were before he came. John picks up on that truth here and is informing his readers that Jesus’ words are about to become frighteningly true.
9:1-2 - The fifth angel sounds the fifth trumpet which is the the first woe. The plagues are now becoming more intense. This trumpet will unleash a curse similar to the swarms of locusts which descended on Egypt in the eighth plague (Ex. 10:12-15) but is somewhat different. The Abyss is opened up and these locusts are demons from the Abyss. The Abyss is the farthest extreme from heaven (Gen. 49:25; Deut. 33:13), and from the high mountains (Ps. 36:16). It is the place to where demons feared to be sent (Luke 8:31). Jonah spoke of the Abyss as an excommunication form God’s presence, a banishment from the Temple (Jon. 2:2-6). John’s point is all hell is about to break loose on the land. Apostate Israel is about to be cast out of God’s presence and filled with demons and the demonic influences of violence (Gen. 6) and false teaching (1 Tim. 4:1).
9:3-6 - The locusts were given power to kill them but only to torture them for five months. Why five months? There may be several answers here to which John was referring, possibly even all of them. First, the five-month period, probably refers to the fact that May through September is the time when locusts normally appeared. These locusts would be unusual in that they would last for the entire five months. Second, it may be referring to Gessius Florus, the procurator of Judea, who terrorized the Jews, seeking to incite them to rebellion. This lasted for a five-month period that began in May, 66 A.D. He was successful, and Jewish historian Josephus dates the beginning of the Jewish war from this particular occasion. Third, five is often associated in Scripture with power and military organization (Ex. 13:18; Num. 32:17; Josh. 1:14; 4:12; Jud. 7:11; 2 Kings 1:9). At God’s direction, Israel was to be attacked by a demon army from the Abyss. Jesus had prophesied that the land which had received the benefit of His work would be overrun with demons if they rejected His call to the Kingdom of God (Matt. 12:41-45). Israel had rejected Christ and the blessings they had received would turn into curses. Jerusalem had been "swept clean" by Christ’s ministry, but would now become a dwelling place of demons.
The grass, plants, and trees were not to be harmed. This curse would only affect those people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads. Only Christians would be immune from the sting of the scorpion-like demons. John repeats what he told us in 6:16, as he says that men will seek death, but will not find it; they will long to die, but death will elude them. Jesus had specifically predicted this longing for death among the final generation of the Old Covenant (Lk. 23:27-30). The immediate result of this curse would not be death but would be torment, misery, and suffering.
Devotional Thought
Although the Christians would be effected in some ways by the coming tribulation, it would ultimately not destroy them. This portion of the Revelation makes it clear that the demons were not allowed to harm Christians. This is because Christians have Christ living in us. Satan, his angels, and demons can only attack us if we give them permission. The primary way we do this is by allowing Satan into our thought life. Have you kept your thought life pure lately? In what ways do you need to improve in that area?
Dig Deeper
I just could not figure it out. We had cleaned our carpet with a rented steam-cleaner and it had looked great, but now just a month later, the carpet looked as bad as it did before we had cleaned it. We had tried to keep it clean and taken our shoes off whenever we went inside, but to no avail. I thought that maybe the machine we used was no good, but that didn’t make sense because the carpet had been quite obviously and visibly clean for at least a few days. A few months later, though, my dad, who has some professional knowledge about carpet cleaning, solved the mystery. After cleaning a carpet with the soap-solution, a residue is left on the carpets, a fact that most people who clean the carpets themselves are not aware of. In order to get it off, you have to carefully use the cleaner to rinse your carpet by going over it once or twice with only water and no cleaning solution in it. This will remove the residue which actually attracts and collects dirt and makes it worse than you started.
The previous analogy is certainly not perfect but it does help us to see some of what John is discussing here. Jesus had predicted that his work was sweeping Israel clean but if they remained empty, in other words, if they didn’t follow Him as the way, the truth, and the life, then once he was gone, the demonic influence would sweep back in and make things far worse than they were before he came. John picks up on that truth here and is informing his readers that Jesus’ words are about to become frighteningly true.
9:1-2 - The fifth angel sounds the fifth trumpet which is the the first woe. The plagues are now becoming more intense. This trumpet will unleash a curse similar to the swarms of locusts which descended on Egypt in the eighth plague (Ex. 10:12-15) but is somewhat different. The Abyss is opened up and these locusts are demons from the Abyss. The Abyss is the farthest extreme from heaven (Gen. 49:25; Deut. 33:13), and from the high mountains (Ps. 36:16). It is the place to where demons feared to be sent (Luke 8:31). Jonah spoke of the Abyss as an excommunication form God’s presence, a banishment from the Temple (Jon. 2:2-6). John’s point is all hell is about to break loose on the land. Apostate Israel is about to be cast out of God’s presence and filled with demons and the demonic influences of violence (Gen. 6) and false teaching (1 Tim. 4:1).
9:3-6 - The locusts were given power to kill them but only to torture them for five months. Why five months? There may be several answers here to which John was referring, possibly even all of them. First, the five-month period, probably refers to the fact that May through September is the time when locusts normally appeared. These locusts would be unusual in that they would last for the entire five months. Second, it may be referring to Gessius Florus, the procurator of Judea, who terrorized the Jews, seeking to incite them to rebellion. This lasted for a five-month period that began in May, 66 A.D. He was successful, and Jewish historian Josephus dates the beginning of the Jewish war from this particular occasion. Third, five is often associated in Scripture with power and military organization (Ex. 13:18; Num. 32:17; Josh. 1:14; 4:12; Jud. 7:11; 2 Kings 1:9). At God’s direction, Israel was to be attacked by a demon army from the Abyss. Jesus had prophesied that the land which had received the benefit of His work would be overrun with demons if they rejected His call to the Kingdom of God (Matt. 12:41-45). Israel had rejected Christ and the blessings they had received would turn into curses. Jerusalem had been "swept clean" by Christ’s ministry, but would now become a dwelling place of demons.
The grass, plants, and trees were not to be harmed. This curse would only affect those people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads. Only Christians would be immune from the sting of the scorpion-like demons. John repeats what he told us in 6:16, as he says that men will seek death, but will not find it; they will long to die, but death will elude them. Jesus had specifically predicted this longing for death among the final generation of the Old Covenant (Lk. 23:27-30). The immediate result of this curse would not be death but would be torment, misery, and suffering.
Devotional Thought
Although the Christians would be effected in some ways by the coming tribulation, it would ultimately not destroy them. This portion of the Revelation makes it clear that the demons were not allowed to harm Christians. This is because Christians have Christ living in us. Satan, his angels, and demons can only attack us if we give them permission. The primary way we do this is by allowing Satan into our thought life. Have you kept your thought life pure lately? In what ways do you need to improve in that area?
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Revelation 8:10-13
10The third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star, blazing like a torch, fell from the sky on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water— 11the name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters turned bitter, and many people died from the waters that had become bitter.
12The fourth angel sounded his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them turned dark. A third of the day was without light, and also a third of the night.
13As I watched, I heard an eagle that was flying in midair call out in a loud voice: "Woe! Woe! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the trumpet blasts about to be sounded by the other three angels!"
Dig Deeper
There have been, at the time that I write this, six movies about the character Rocky Balboa. The fifth of those movies is universally considered to be the worst of the lot. There is one interesting aspect to that otherwise dismal movie however. Rocky, no longer fighting himself, has taken a young protégé named Tommy Gunn, and is determined to teach him to be a great boxer, and to do it the right way. Rather than fighting for honor and to be the best, though, the young man’s head is quickly turned by the prospect of fame, cash, and other amenities. He decides to go after those things rather than doing the right things, and betrays Rocky in the process. When Rocky confronts him about this change, he is heartbroken that the young man has turned and become the very opposite of what Rocky had trained him to be. Rocky is particularly hurt because, as he says, Tommy was supposed to be the chosen one, the one that was like his son who did things the right way. Now, though, he was just another thug boxer going after glory and riches.
Throughout history, every nation has turned away from God in one way or another, at one time or another. What was so devastating about Israel doing the same is that they were called to be different. They were God’s holy people who had been given the Law, the prophets, and the Temple. But they had thrown all of that away and had become just like the nations around them. The people that were intended to be the solution had become part of the problem. Thus, as we read this account of the impending covenantal judgment about to be poured out on Israel, we should never forget God’s anguish in all of this. These weren’t just any people, they were His people who had willingly walked away from and rejected Him.
8:10-11 - The third angel sounded the third trumpet which also draws on the biblical imagery from the fall of Egypt and Babylon. The waters turned bitter which reminds us of the first plague in Egypt, in which the waters turned bitter from the dead and decaying fish (Ex. 7:21). In John’s vision, the waters have become bitter as a result of a great star, blazing like a torch that fell from the sky. This is similar to Isaiah’s prophecy of the fall of Babylon, which is compared to Satan’s fall from heaven (Isa. 14:12-15).
Interestingly, we are told that the name of the star is Wormwood. This was a familiar term in the Old Testament to warn Israel of its destruction as a punishment for apostasy (Deut. 29:18; Jer. 9:15; 23:15; Lam. 3:15, 19; Amos 5:7) (Note: the NIV has changed almost every Old Testament reference to Wormword and has translated it as "bitter". This is unfortunate because the NIV reader loses the connection between these verses and the use of Wormwood here). By combining these Old Testament symbols, John makes his point crystal clear: Israel has become the apostate and bitter root. Israel has become Egypt; Jerusalem has become Babylon, and just as Egypt and Babylon were destroyed, the covenant-breaking people of God will be destroyed. The constant use of ‘a third’ in this passage is most likely intended to show that the damage will be significant and will cause the destruction of the Jewish people as a functional unit but will not be total annihilation.
8:12 - The fourth angel sounded his trumpet so that the light bearing sun, moon, and stars were turned dark. This is, of course, reminiscent of the ninth Egyptian plague of darkness (Ex. 10:21-23). The falling or darkening of the sun, moon, and stars is common symbolic language in the Old Testament used to describe the fall of nations and rulers (Isa. 13:9-11, 19; 24:19-23; 34:4-5; Ezek. 32:7-8, 11-12; Joel 2:10, 28-32; Acts 2:16-21). In fulfillment of this, F.W. Farrar in The Early Days of Christianity, says "ruler after ruler, chieftain after chieftain of the Roman Empire and the Jewish nation was assassinated and ruined. Gaius, Claudius, Nero, Galba, Otho, Vitellius, all died by murder or suicide; Herod the Great, Herod Antipas, Herod Agrippa, and most of the High Priests of Jerusalem, perished in disgrace, or in exile, or by violent hands. All these were quenched suns and darkened stars."
8:13 - The flying eagle-cherub or eagle-angel (4:7) plays a primary role in the trumpets section of the Revelation. John looks and sees an eagle that was flying in midair. The eagle, like many other covenantal symbols, possesses a dual nature. At times, it signifies the salvation that God has provided for Israel (Deut. 32:9-11; Ex. 19:4). At other times, the eagle is a bird of prey, associated with blood and death (Job 39:30). The prophetic warnings of Israel’s destruction are often described as eagles descending upon their prey (Deut. 28:49; Jer. 4:13; Lam. 4:19; Hos. 8:1; Hab 1:8; Matt. 24:28). One of the most basic components of the covenantal curse is to be devoured by the birds of the air (Gen. 15:9-12; Deut. 28:26, 29; Prov. 30:17; Jer. 7:33-34; 16:3-4; 19:7; 34:18-20; Ezek. 39:17-20; Rev. 19:17-18). The eagle-cherub will show up later in this section of the Revelation as an image of salvation (12:14), and at the end of the section will be seen again as the angel flying in heaven, proclaiming the Gospel to those who live on the land (14:6).
John is building up as each trumpet becomes more intensified. The eagle cries out Woe! Woe! Woe. These three woes correspond to the fifth, sixth, and seventh trumpets. God has been extremely patient and has delayed His judgment, but finally, the sanctions of the Covenant are being poured out on apostate Israel (again the NIV has changed "land" to earth" which obscures the fact that this is referring to the Israelites, the "people of the land’), so that "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever" (Rev. 11:15).
Devotional Thought
Even though the Revelation is a warning of the awful sanctions of the Covenant that are about to be poured out on Israel, we should take the time to be struck by the incredible patience that God showed with Israel. God always gives people ample warnings before the consequences of their actions hit. Take some time today to meditate on God’s loving patience and praise Him for the areas in your life in which He has shown you patience and mercy.
12The fourth angel sounded his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them turned dark. A third of the day was without light, and also a third of the night.
13As I watched, I heard an eagle that was flying in midair call out in a loud voice: "Woe! Woe! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the trumpet blasts about to be sounded by the other three angels!"
Dig Deeper
There have been, at the time that I write this, six movies about the character Rocky Balboa. The fifth of those movies is universally considered to be the worst of the lot. There is one interesting aspect to that otherwise dismal movie however. Rocky, no longer fighting himself, has taken a young protégé named Tommy Gunn, and is determined to teach him to be a great boxer, and to do it the right way. Rather than fighting for honor and to be the best, though, the young man’s head is quickly turned by the prospect of fame, cash, and other amenities. He decides to go after those things rather than doing the right things, and betrays Rocky in the process. When Rocky confronts him about this change, he is heartbroken that the young man has turned and become the very opposite of what Rocky had trained him to be. Rocky is particularly hurt because, as he says, Tommy was supposed to be the chosen one, the one that was like his son who did things the right way. Now, though, he was just another thug boxer going after glory and riches.
Throughout history, every nation has turned away from God in one way or another, at one time or another. What was so devastating about Israel doing the same is that they were called to be different. They were God’s holy people who had been given the Law, the prophets, and the Temple. But they had thrown all of that away and had become just like the nations around them. The people that were intended to be the solution had become part of the problem. Thus, as we read this account of the impending covenantal judgment about to be poured out on Israel, we should never forget God’s anguish in all of this. These weren’t just any people, they were His people who had willingly walked away from and rejected Him.
8:10-11 - The third angel sounded the third trumpet which also draws on the biblical imagery from the fall of Egypt and Babylon. The waters turned bitter which reminds us of the first plague in Egypt, in which the waters turned bitter from the dead and decaying fish (Ex. 7:21). In John’s vision, the waters have become bitter as a result of a great star, blazing like a torch that fell from the sky. This is similar to Isaiah’s prophecy of the fall of Babylon, which is compared to Satan’s fall from heaven (Isa. 14:12-15).
Interestingly, we are told that the name of the star is Wormwood. This was a familiar term in the Old Testament to warn Israel of its destruction as a punishment for apostasy (Deut. 29:18; Jer. 9:15; 23:15; Lam. 3:15, 19; Amos 5:7) (Note: the NIV has changed almost every Old Testament reference to Wormword and has translated it as "bitter". This is unfortunate because the NIV reader loses the connection between these verses and the use of Wormwood here). By combining these Old Testament symbols, John makes his point crystal clear: Israel has become the apostate and bitter root. Israel has become Egypt; Jerusalem has become Babylon, and just as Egypt and Babylon were destroyed, the covenant-breaking people of God will be destroyed. The constant use of ‘a third’ in this passage is most likely intended to show that the damage will be significant and will cause the destruction of the Jewish people as a functional unit but will not be total annihilation.
8:12 - The fourth angel sounded his trumpet so that the light bearing sun, moon, and stars were turned dark. This is, of course, reminiscent of the ninth Egyptian plague of darkness (Ex. 10:21-23). The falling or darkening of the sun, moon, and stars is common symbolic language in the Old Testament used to describe the fall of nations and rulers (Isa. 13:9-11, 19; 24:19-23; 34:4-5; Ezek. 32:7-8, 11-12; Joel 2:10, 28-32; Acts 2:16-21). In fulfillment of this, F.W. Farrar in The Early Days of Christianity, says "ruler after ruler, chieftain after chieftain of the Roman Empire and the Jewish nation was assassinated and ruined. Gaius, Claudius, Nero, Galba, Otho, Vitellius, all died by murder or suicide; Herod the Great, Herod Antipas, Herod Agrippa, and most of the High Priests of Jerusalem, perished in disgrace, or in exile, or by violent hands. All these were quenched suns and darkened stars."
8:13 - The flying eagle-cherub or eagle-angel (4:7) plays a primary role in the trumpets section of the Revelation. John looks and sees an eagle that was flying in midair. The eagle, like many other covenantal symbols, possesses a dual nature. At times, it signifies the salvation that God has provided for Israel (Deut. 32:9-11; Ex. 19:4). At other times, the eagle is a bird of prey, associated with blood and death (Job 39:30). The prophetic warnings of Israel’s destruction are often described as eagles descending upon their prey (Deut. 28:49; Jer. 4:13; Lam. 4:19; Hos. 8:1; Hab 1:8; Matt. 24:28). One of the most basic components of the covenantal curse is to be devoured by the birds of the air (Gen. 15:9-12; Deut. 28:26, 29; Prov. 30:17; Jer. 7:33-34; 16:3-4; 19:7; 34:18-20; Ezek. 39:17-20; Rev. 19:17-18). The eagle-cherub will show up later in this section of the Revelation as an image of salvation (12:14), and at the end of the section will be seen again as the angel flying in heaven, proclaiming the Gospel to those who live on the land (14:6).
John is building up as each trumpet becomes more intensified. The eagle cries out Woe! Woe! Woe. These three woes correspond to the fifth, sixth, and seventh trumpets. God has been extremely patient and has delayed His judgment, but finally, the sanctions of the Covenant are being poured out on apostate Israel (again the NIV has changed "land" to earth" which obscures the fact that this is referring to the Israelites, the "people of the land’), so that "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever" (Rev. 11:15).
Devotional Thought
Even though the Revelation is a warning of the awful sanctions of the Covenant that are about to be poured out on Israel, we should take the time to be struck by the incredible patience that God showed with Israel. God always gives people ample warnings before the consequences of their actions hit. Take some time today to meditate on God’s loving patience and praise Him for the areas in your life in which He has shown you patience and mercy.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Revelation 8:6-9
The Trumpets
6Then the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to sound them.
7The first angel sounded his trumpet, and there came hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was hurled down upon the earth. A third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.
8The second angel sounded his trumpet, and something like a huge mountain, all ablaze, was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea turned into blood, 9a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.
Dig Deeper
For the first almost two years of my oldest son’s life, I was still enrolled in college in Oklahoma. I would leave Wisconsin and go to my university in Oklahoma while he and his mother remained back in Wisconsin, only visiting occasionally. We all remained very close during that time, but there were some difficulties that popped up from not interacting with one another on a daily basis. After graduation, I moved back to Wisconsin for good and we were all finally together all of the time. There was one day early on, when I asked my young son to put his empty juice box in the garbage. Rather than obeying, he just looked at me. I again asked him to put his box in the garbage, but he just stood there staring at me. I then warned him that if he didn’t obey I was going to have to discipline him. Rather than obeying though, he just started to cry. My wife walked into the room and asked what the problem was and I quickly told her. She looked confused as well for a minute and then began to laugh. She looked at him and said "go put that in the trash," which he promptly did. He simply had no idea what the word "garbage" meant and didn’t know what to do because his mother always used the word "trash". Because we had been separated so much in not only distance, but also in culture and language to a small degree, I realized that we were not really able to communicate properly and understand one another.
The book of Revelation is packed full of symbolism, imagery, and figures of speech that were common to those fluent in the language of the Old Testament and familiar with the symbols and figures of speech of ancient Judaism. The farther that we get from that time and culture, though (and we are quite far in language, culture, and time), the more difficult it can and the more work we have to put in to understanding what John was writing to his original audience. John was not writing a book of prophecy that is still largely in the future for us. He was writing a book with immediate impact for his first century readers. Thus, when we read passages like this one in which a huge mountain was thrown into the sea, we should realize that John is appealing to Old Testament language and imagery and is not actually predicting some sort of future cataclysmic earthquake of some type. If we’re not careful can we can wind up becoming just as confused as two year-old wondering what the strange word "garbage" means.
8:6-7 - The imagery here reminds us not only of the fall of Jericho but also of the plagues that came upon Egypt in the Exodus. As the judgments are cast down to earth, a third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up. If John intends to use the trees and grass (all the grass on a third of the land burned up) as imagery for the righteous (as we mentioned in 7:3), then he seems to be indicating here that some individuals will not be completely exempt from physical suffering and death as God’s wrath is poured out on apostate Israel. If this is meant to include some members of the Church, the point must be remembered that the Church will not be completely destroyed in any judgment (Matt. 16:18), and even better, unlike the wicked which face eternal judgment, the Christian’s ultimate destiny is not wrath but life (Rom. 2:7-9; 1 Thess. 5:9).
John, most likely, is also making reference to the physical landscape of Israel, and Jerusalem in particular. It is more likely that the earth, trees, and grass represent Israel, of which a third will be destroyed. This means that the devastation will bring about the end of the Jewish nation but will certainly not destroy all of Israel or kill all Jews. Jewish historian, Josephus, confirmed the destruction of the Judean countryside at the hands of the Romans writing, "The countryside, like the city, was a pitiful sight, for where once there had been a multitude of trees and parks, there was now an utter wilderness stripped bare of timber. . . The war had blotted out every trace of beauty, and no one who had known it in the past and came upon it suddenly would have recognized the place."
8:8-9 - The second angel sounds the second trumpet. We are told that something like a huge mountain was thrown into the sea. This makes more sense when we remember that the nation of Israel was God’s "holy mountain," (Ps. 43:3; 48:1; 87:1; 99:9; Isa. 11:9; 56:7) the mountain of God’s inheritance" (Ex. 15:17). What was once the "holy mountain" of God had now become a "destroying mountain." God now speaks of Jerusalem in the same way that He once spoke to Babylon (this will soon become one of the central pieces of imagery in the book). In Jeremiah, speaking to Babylon, God says, "I am against you, O destroying mountain, you who destroy the whole earth. . . I will stretch out my hand against you, roll you off the cliffs, and make you a burned-out mountain" (Jeremiah 51:25).
Also consider that in a series of parables and talks about the destruction of Jerusalem (Matt. 20-25), after cursing a fig tree as a symbol of judgment on Jerusalem, the disciples asked how this happened so quickly. Jesus responded, "if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer" (Matt. 21:21-22). Jesus was not literally telling his followers that they could pray mountains into the sea, nor was He curiously changing the subject, He was instructing them to pray for the destruction of the apostate mountain of God. John is encouraging his readers that Jesus’ words were even closer to being fulfilled than when He said them. They need to continue praying in faith, for the time is soon to come. Just as John had written in the beginning of the Revelation: "Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near" (Rev. 1:3).
Devotional Thought
The Bible calls us to be students of God’s word in order that we might correctly handle it. How much effort do you put in to truly learning the Bible as a student would? Do you primarily approach the Bible as a devotional aid seeking only guidance and comfort, or do you also put time and effort into understanding the Bible more deeply?
6Then the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to sound them.
7The first angel sounded his trumpet, and there came hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was hurled down upon the earth. A third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.
8The second angel sounded his trumpet, and something like a huge mountain, all ablaze, was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea turned into blood, 9a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.
Dig Deeper
For the first almost two years of my oldest son’s life, I was still enrolled in college in Oklahoma. I would leave Wisconsin and go to my university in Oklahoma while he and his mother remained back in Wisconsin, only visiting occasionally. We all remained very close during that time, but there were some difficulties that popped up from not interacting with one another on a daily basis. After graduation, I moved back to Wisconsin for good and we were all finally together all of the time. There was one day early on, when I asked my young son to put his empty juice box in the garbage. Rather than obeying, he just looked at me. I again asked him to put his box in the garbage, but he just stood there staring at me. I then warned him that if he didn’t obey I was going to have to discipline him. Rather than obeying though, he just started to cry. My wife walked into the room and asked what the problem was and I quickly told her. She looked confused as well for a minute and then began to laugh. She looked at him and said "go put that in the trash," which he promptly did. He simply had no idea what the word "garbage" meant and didn’t know what to do because his mother always used the word "trash". Because we had been separated so much in not only distance, but also in culture and language to a small degree, I realized that we were not really able to communicate properly and understand one another.
The book of Revelation is packed full of symbolism, imagery, and figures of speech that were common to those fluent in the language of the Old Testament and familiar with the symbols and figures of speech of ancient Judaism. The farther that we get from that time and culture, though (and we are quite far in language, culture, and time), the more difficult it can and the more work we have to put in to understanding what John was writing to his original audience. John was not writing a book of prophecy that is still largely in the future for us. He was writing a book with immediate impact for his first century readers. Thus, when we read passages like this one in which a huge mountain was thrown into the sea, we should realize that John is appealing to Old Testament language and imagery and is not actually predicting some sort of future cataclysmic earthquake of some type. If we’re not careful can we can wind up becoming just as confused as two year-old wondering what the strange word "garbage" means.
8:6-7 - The imagery here reminds us not only of the fall of Jericho but also of the plagues that came upon Egypt in the Exodus. As the judgments are cast down to earth, a third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up. If John intends to use the trees and grass (all the grass on a third of the land burned up) as imagery for the righteous (as we mentioned in 7:3), then he seems to be indicating here that some individuals will not be completely exempt from physical suffering and death as God’s wrath is poured out on apostate Israel. If this is meant to include some members of the Church, the point must be remembered that the Church will not be completely destroyed in any judgment (Matt. 16:18), and even better, unlike the wicked which face eternal judgment, the Christian’s ultimate destiny is not wrath but life (Rom. 2:7-9; 1 Thess. 5:9).
John, most likely, is also making reference to the physical landscape of Israel, and Jerusalem in particular. It is more likely that the earth, trees, and grass represent Israel, of which a third will be destroyed. This means that the devastation will bring about the end of the Jewish nation but will certainly not destroy all of Israel or kill all Jews. Jewish historian, Josephus, confirmed the destruction of the Judean countryside at the hands of the Romans writing, "The countryside, like the city, was a pitiful sight, for where once there had been a multitude of trees and parks, there was now an utter wilderness stripped bare of timber. . . The war had blotted out every trace of beauty, and no one who had known it in the past and came upon it suddenly would have recognized the place."
8:8-9 - The second angel sounds the second trumpet. We are told that something like a huge mountain was thrown into the sea. This makes more sense when we remember that the nation of Israel was God’s "holy mountain," (Ps. 43:3; 48:1; 87:1; 99:9; Isa. 11:9; 56:7) the mountain of God’s inheritance" (Ex. 15:17). What was once the "holy mountain" of God had now become a "destroying mountain." God now speaks of Jerusalem in the same way that He once spoke to Babylon (this will soon become one of the central pieces of imagery in the book). In Jeremiah, speaking to Babylon, God says, "I am against you, O destroying mountain, you who destroy the whole earth. . . I will stretch out my hand against you, roll you off the cliffs, and make you a burned-out mountain" (Jeremiah 51:25).
Also consider that in a series of parables and talks about the destruction of Jerusalem (Matt. 20-25), after cursing a fig tree as a symbol of judgment on Jerusalem, the disciples asked how this happened so quickly. Jesus responded, "if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer" (Matt. 21:21-22). Jesus was not literally telling his followers that they could pray mountains into the sea, nor was He curiously changing the subject, He was instructing them to pray for the destruction of the apostate mountain of God. John is encouraging his readers that Jesus’ words were even closer to being fulfilled than when He said them. They need to continue praying in faith, for the time is soon to come. Just as John had written in the beginning of the Revelation: "Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near" (Rev. 1:3).
Devotional Thought
The Bible calls us to be students of God’s word in order that we might correctly handle it. How much effort do you put in to truly learning the Bible as a student would? Do you primarily approach the Bible as a devotional aid seeking only guidance and comfort, or do you also put time and effort into understanding the Bible more deeply?
Monday, June 16, 2008
Revelation 8:1-5
The Seventh Seal and the Golden Censer
1When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.
2And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and to them were given seven trumpets.
3Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all the saints, on the golden altar before the throne. 4The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of the saints, went up before God from the angel's hand. 5Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it on the earth; and there came peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake.
Dig Deeper
I had some friends who were cooking out with some family, including their two young daughters. The grill was lit and the food was placed on the grill as everyone waited in high anticipation for the steaks and chicken that were slowly cooking. Several times my friend forcefully told his four year-old daughter, who seemed drawn to the allure of the grill, to stay away and not touch any part of the circular device. He warned her that if she touched it, she would get burned badly. When they were finished, my friend took the meat off of the grill and began to carry them over on the plate. Everyone’s attentions turned to the meat being carried over to the table. Everyone, except the mischievous four year-old that is. She saw her opportunity to explore the grill, but quickly realized that she couldn’t see the fire that she wanted to see. So, she tried to climb up on the metal grate on the bottom to get a better look. Her weight was too much and it caused the grill to begin to tip. She instinctively reached out to steady herself, but put her hand on the cooking grate that was right above the red-hot coals. Her arm and hand were badly burned just as her father had warned.
In Deuteronomy 28 (and other places such as Lev. 26) God warns Israel the dire consequences of failing to live up the Covenant that they had accepted as God’s people. It can be easy to forget that Israel had been warned over and over again and about the consequences of violating God’s Covenant. We can read books like Revelation and when we realize that it is all about the Covenantal curses being poured out, we can begin to think that God is cruel for punishing a people so harshly. Yet, if we do that, we fail to understand the situation fully. The curses of the Covenant coming down on Israel are no more a cruel punishment than was the burning grate on the hand of a four year-old girl. The curses were the natural consequence of breaking the Covenant. Far from being cruel, God had spent over a thousand years pleading with Israel to not violate the Covenant and avoid the consequences.
8:1-2 - This fourth section of the book (chpts. 8-14) deals with the sanctions of the covenant, that is, the blessings and curses. Deuteronomy 28 is the most detailed blessing and curse section in the entire Bible. The Jewish War by Jewish historian Josephus nearly reads like a commentary on Deuteronomy 28 as it describes the great tribulation and the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. This section will detail the curses of Deuteronomy 28 that are about to be poured out on Israel.
The seventh seal is finally opened, revealing the seven trumpets. Just as the blast of the seven trumpets signaled the fall of Jericho (Josh. 6:4-5), these seven trumpets signal the destruction of Jerusalem. As the seal is opened, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. Milton Terry suggests that the imagery from the silence comes from 2 Chron. 29:28-29 when King Hezekiah and those around him bowed in reverent worship as the singers and trumpets stopped playing. The half hour may come from verses 3 and 4 in this passage, which would be the time necessary for the priest to enter the temple and offer incense and return.
Following the silence, the seven trumpets are given to the seven angels. It appears from the language that John assumes the reader knows who the seven angels are. We have met them before; they represent the angels from the seven churches. Just as as worship is patterned after heavenly worship (Heb. 8:5; 9:23-24), so is the government of the Church (Matt. 16:19; 18:18; John 20:23). Thus, the structure of the earthly church corresponds to the heavenly, angelic structure, just as our earthly worship corresponds to the worship conducted around the heavenly throne.
8:3-5 - John sees another angel, holding a golden censer, who comes forward to stand at the altar. The angel is given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all the saints (Rev. 5:8), on the golden altar before the throne. The incense is added to the prayer of the saints, and then they both went up before God from the angel’s hand. The next action is quite surprising. The angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and throws it down to earth as a judgment. Peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lighting, and an earthquake, the now familiar phenomenon that follow the presence of God in the glory cloud, especially when He comes in judgment (Ex. 19:16, 18).
In the Old Testament, the fire on the altar of burnt offering originated in heaven, and came down upon the altar when the Tabernacle and Temple were readied (Lev. 9:24; 2 Chron. 7:1). This heavenly fire was kept burning by the priests and moved from place to place (Lev. 16:12-13; Numb. 16:46-50), similar to the way the Olympic flame is kept burning on torches. When the Israelites were commanded to destroy an apostate city, they were to do so as a burnt offering to the Lord (Deut. 13:16; Jud. 20:40). The only acceptable way to do this was to burn the city as a whole burnt sacrifice, using God’s fire (Deut. 13:12-18). In a sadly ironic turn, God’s fire was now being cast down on Jerusalem, herself, who had become an apostate city in the sight of the Lord.
God’s judgment here is seen in direct response to the prayer of the saints. They have petitioned for God’s judgment, and now it is at hand. God acts in history in response to the corporate worship (liturgy) of the saints. Official prayer and worship of the community of Christ is significant in history. When the Church assembly calls upon the Lord of the Covenant, the world will experience His judgments. History is directed from the altar of incense, where the prayers of the Church have been lain (Read Psalm 18:6-15 to see this concept in action).
There are at least five significant areas of symbolism evident in the use of trumpets in this passage. First, they were used in the O.T. For ceremonial processions (Josh. 6; 1 Chron. 15:24; Neh. 12:41). Second, they were blown to proclaim the rule of a new king (1 King 1:34, 39; Ps. 47:5). Third, they sounded an alarm warning Israel of approaching judgment and calling to national repentance (Isa. 58:1; Jer. 4:5-8; 6:1, 17; Ezek. 33:1-6; Joel 2:1, 15). Fourth, they were used to call the people to worship and warfare (Num. 10:1-9). Finally, they were blown at the feast and on the first day of the month (Num. 10:10). All of these are likely in sight in this section.
Devotional Thought
John makes it clear in his vision here that the prayers of the saints do incite God to move in history. Do you have the attitude that prayer really does have an effect on the "real world"? Take some time this week to meditate on your attitude about prayer and if you really see it as the powerful access to the Almighty God that it is.
1When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.
2And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and to them were given seven trumpets.
3Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all the saints, on the golden altar before the throne. 4The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of the saints, went up before God from the angel's hand. 5Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it on the earth; and there came peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake.
Dig Deeper
I had some friends who were cooking out with some family, including their two young daughters. The grill was lit and the food was placed on the grill as everyone waited in high anticipation for the steaks and chicken that were slowly cooking. Several times my friend forcefully told his four year-old daughter, who seemed drawn to the allure of the grill, to stay away and not touch any part of the circular device. He warned her that if she touched it, she would get burned badly. When they were finished, my friend took the meat off of the grill and began to carry them over on the plate. Everyone’s attentions turned to the meat being carried over to the table. Everyone, except the mischievous four year-old that is. She saw her opportunity to explore the grill, but quickly realized that she couldn’t see the fire that she wanted to see. So, she tried to climb up on the metal grate on the bottom to get a better look. Her weight was too much and it caused the grill to begin to tip. She instinctively reached out to steady herself, but put her hand on the cooking grate that was right above the red-hot coals. Her arm and hand were badly burned just as her father had warned.
In Deuteronomy 28 (and other places such as Lev. 26) God warns Israel the dire consequences of failing to live up the Covenant that they had accepted as God’s people. It can be easy to forget that Israel had been warned over and over again and about the consequences of violating God’s Covenant. We can read books like Revelation and when we realize that it is all about the Covenantal curses being poured out, we can begin to think that God is cruel for punishing a people so harshly. Yet, if we do that, we fail to understand the situation fully. The curses of the Covenant coming down on Israel are no more a cruel punishment than was the burning grate on the hand of a four year-old girl. The curses were the natural consequence of breaking the Covenant. Far from being cruel, God had spent over a thousand years pleading with Israel to not violate the Covenant and avoid the consequences.
8:1-2 - This fourth section of the book (chpts. 8-14) deals with the sanctions of the covenant, that is, the blessings and curses. Deuteronomy 28 is the most detailed blessing and curse section in the entire Bible. The Jewish War by Jewish historian Josephus nearly reads like a commentary on Deuteronomy 28 as it describes the great tribulation and the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. This section will detail the curses of Deuteronomy 28 that are about to be poured out on Israel.
The seventh seal is finally opened, revealing the seven trumpets. Just as the blast of the seven trumpets signaled the fall of Jericho (Josh. 6:4-5), these seven trumpets signal the destruction of Jerusalem. As the seal is opened, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. Milton Terry suggests that the imagery from the silence comes from 2 Chron. 29:28-29 when King Hezekiah and those around him bowed in reverent worship as the singers and trumpets stopped playing. The half hour may come from verses 3 and 4 in this passage, which would be the time necessary for the priest to enter the temple and offer incense and return.
Following the silence, the seven trumpets are given to the seven angels. It appears from the language that John assumes the reader knows who the seven angels are. We have met them before; they represent the angels from the seven churches. Just as as worship is patterned after heavenly worship (Heb. 8:5; 9:23-24), so is the government of the Church (Matt. 16:19; 18:18; John 20:23). Thus, the structure of the earthly church corresponds to the heavenly, angelic structure, just as our earthly worship corresponds to the worship conducted around the heavenly throne.
8:3-5 - John sees another angel, holding a golden censer, who comes forward to stand at the altar. The angel is given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all the saints (Rev. 5:8), on the golden altar before the throne. The incense is added to the prayer of the saints, and then they both went up before God from the angel’s hand. The next action is quite surprising. The angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and throws it down to earth as a judgment. Peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lighting, and an earthquake, the now familiar phenomenon that follow the presence of God in the glory cloud, especially when He comes in judgment (Ex. 19:16, 18).
In the Old Testament, the fire on the altar of burnt offering originated in heaven, and came down upon the altar when the Tabernacle and Temple were readied (Lev. 9:24; 2 Chron. 7:1). This heavenly fire was kept burning by the priests and moved from place to place (Lev. 16:12-13; Numb. 16:46-50), similar to the way the Olympic flame is kept burning on torches. When the Israelites were commanded to destroy an apostate city, they were to do so as a burnt offering to the Lord (Deut. 13:16; Jud. 20:40). The only acceptable way to do this was to burn the city as a whole burnt sacrifice, using God’s fire (Deut. 13:12-18). In a sadly ironic turn, God’s fire was now being cast down on Jerusalem, herself, who had become an apostate city in the sight of the Lord.
God’s judgment here is seen in direct response to the prayer of the saints. They have petitioned for God’s judgment, and now it is at hand. God acts in history in response to the corporate worship (liturgy) of the saints. Official prayer and worship of the community of Christ is significant in history. When the Church assembly calls upon the Lord of the Covenant, the world will experience His judgments. History is directed from the altar of incense, where the prayers of the Church have been lain (Read Psalm 18:6-15 to see this concept in action).
There are at least five significant areas of symbolism evident in the use of trumpets in this passage. First, they were used in the O.T. For ceremonial processions (Josh. 6; 1 Chron. 15:24; Neh. 12:41). Second, they were blown to proclaim the rule of a new king (1 King 1:34, 39; Ps. 47:5). Third, they sounded an alarm warning Israel of approaching judgment and calling to national repentance (Isa. 58:1; Jer. 4:5-8; 6:1, 17; Ezek. 33:1-6; Joel 2:1, 15). Fourth, they were used to call the people to worship and warfare (Num. 10:1-9). Finally, they were blown at the feast and on the first day of the month (Num. 10:10). All of these are likely in sight in this section.
Devotional Thought
John makes it clear in his vision here that the prayers of the saints do incite God to move in history. Do you have the attitude that prayer really does have an effect on the "real world"? Take some time this week to meditate on your attitude about prayer and if you really see it as the powerful access to the Almighty God that it is.
Friday, June 13, 2008
Revelation 7:9-17
The Great Multitude in White Robes
9After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. 10And they cried out in a loud voice:
"Salvation belongs to our God,
who sits on the throne,
and to the Lamb." 11All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12saying:
"Amen!
Praise and glory
and wisdom and thanks and honor
and power and strength
be to our God for ever and ever.
Amen!"
13Then one of the elders asked me, "These in white robes—who are they, and where did they come from?"
14I answered, "Sir, you know."
And he said, "These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15Therefore,
"they are before the throne of God
and serve him day and night in his temple;
and he who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them.
16Never again will they hunger;
never again will they thirst.
The sun will not beat upon them,
nor any scorching heat.
17For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd;
he will lead them to springs of living water.
And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."
Dig Deeper
I have known a few people over the years whose eyesight was fading. One thing they had in common was that it was difficult for them to identify people from a distance. People who didn't know them well enough to know that they had eyesight problems had even from time to time been a bit offended because they might have waved from a distance and got no response back. The problem was that they simply couldn't see well enough to be able to recognize people from more than a few feet away. In order to help them, they usually ask their friends to identify themselves verbally before they get into eyesight range so that they know who they're talking to.
In the gospel of John, John describes a situation in which Mary cannot recognize the resurrected Jesus until she hears his voice. Immediately upon hearing him, she is able to open her eyes, so to speak, and see him. John, using a similar formula, describes several situations in the book of Revelation in which he first hears something, and only then can he see it and recognize it. Not only does he continue that pattern here, recognizing that this is what he is doing actually helps us to identify who the great multitude is.
7:9 - The immediate question raised here concerns the identity of the great multitude. Earlier we talked about the pattern of John first hearing, then seeing. This pattern helps us to identify the multitude. In 7:4, John hears the number of those who were sealed and tells us that it was 144,000. Now he sees the great multitude that no one could count. This fact and the fact that both groups are described in language ascribed to the Church (the 144,000 are sealed as the servants of God and the multitude is wearing the robes that symbolize righteousness). The 144,000 and the great multitude are different aspects of the one, universal Church. In the 144,000, John emphasizes the fact that the Church is the remnant of Israel. They are the New Jerusalem. At the same time the great multitude that no one could count is made up of every nation, tribe, people, and language. This confirms Jesus' prophecy to his disciples that this would happen (Luke 13:22-30). In warning the Jews that few would find the road to salvation and the Kingdom, Jesus told them that the doors would be thrown open, as people "will come from east and west and north and south, and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God" (13:30). The sealed remnant of Israel has become the Church complete with redeemed from every nation in fulfillment of the Abrahamic promise (Gen. 15:5; 22;7-8). John also shows us that this multitude is holding palm branches in their hand, in what is a clear reverse image of the great multitude that greeted Jesus with palm branches (Matt. 21:8). The word phonix translated palm occurs only two times in the New Testament: here and in John's description of the Palm Sunday event in John 12:13. Whereas the the palm branches of the Palm Sunday group bore no fruit, Christ's new nation in Revelation 7 bears fruit and inherits the Kingdom.
7:10 - The uncountable crowd now joins in the heavenly worship service, crying out "Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb." Thus, the crowd attributes to the Lamb what the Caesars would claim for themselves, the power of salvation. Both Julius Caesar and Nero had directly claimed the power to save humanity, but it is the Lamb who truly has this power. We must remember this lesson today, that only Christ, not the State can ever provide salvation.
7:11-12 - With the church engaged in official public worship (liturgy), the angels engage as well. They fall down before the throne giving praise and glory to God on the Throne. Interestingly there are no cases in Scripture of official, public worship where the worshippers are sitting in prayer. Public prayers in the Scriptures are always performed in the reverential positions of either standing or bowing down. Some might dismiss this as irrelevant, but this overlooks the fact that there is a connection in Scripture between the attitude of the heart, and the attitude and position of the body.
7:13-14 - One of the elders asks John if he knows the identity of those in the white robes. When John indicates that he does not know but the elder does, the elder gives him the answer: these are they who have come out of the great tribulation. The elder is referring to the great tribulation of which Jesus spoke (Matt. 24; Mark 13; Luke 21), and is making the point to the first-century church that the tribulation they were about to witness would not destroy them. In the face of tribulation, they have been shown that they are the new Israel, sealed by God, and are also the uncountable victorious multitude. Contrary to what many groups today teach, the early Christians had no expectations that they were to be preserved from hardships and persecution. Salvation is not a call to swallow a magic pill that will lead to a perfect life, it is a call to endure and overcome, and the accompanying strength to do so.
7:15-17 - The elder continues that they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple. Because of this behavior which imitates the cherubim which are before the throne, they receive the most characteristic blessing of the Covenant: He who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them. Literally, He will spread his tabernacle over them. This makes an allusion to the glory cloud that hovered over the earth at creation (Gen. 1:2) and Israel in the wilderness (Deut. 32:10-11). It also brings to the mind images of the "booths" or "tabernacles" that God commanded His people to build during the Feast of Tabernacles (Lev. 23:33-43). Zechariah prophesied that the meaning of the Feast in terms of the conversion of the nations and foreshadowed the Church Age. This Church was now on the verge of a great tribulation, but it was not a death; it was a birth of the spread of the worldwide Kingdom of God.
Devotional Thought
How often do you think about the attitude of your body during worship? Do you agree that the attitude of your body is related to the attitude of your heart? Pay special attention this week to the attitude of your body during worship. See if it helps your overall attitude in worship.
9After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. 10And they cried out in a loud voice:
"Salvation belongs to our God,
who sits on the throne,
and to the Lamb." 11All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12saying:
"Amen!
Praise and glory
and wisdom and thanks and honor
and power and strength
be to our God for ever and ever.
Amen!"
13Then one of the elders asked me, "These in white robes—who are they, and where did they come from?"
14I answered, "Sir, you know."
And he said, "These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15Therefore,
"they are before the throne of God
and serve him day and night in his temple;
and he who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them.
16Never again will they hunger;
never again will they thirst.
The sun will not beat upon them,
nor any scorching heat.
17For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd;
he will lead them to springs of living water.
And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."
Dig Deeper
I have known a few people over the years whose eyesight was fading. One thing they had in common was that it was difficult for them to identify people from a distance. People who didn't know them well enough to know that they had eyesight problems had even from time to time been a bit offended because they might have waved from a distance and got no response back. The problem was that they simply couldn't see well enough to be able to recognize people from more than a few feet away. In order to help them, they usually ask their friends to identify themselves verbally before they get into eyesight range so that they know who they're talking to.
In the gospel of John, John describes a situation in which Mary cannot recognize the resurrected Jesus until she hears his voice. Immediately upon hearing him, she is able to open her eyes, so to speak, and see him. John, using a similar formula, describes several situations in the book of Revelation in which he first hears something, and only then can he see it and recognize it. Not only does he continue that pattern here, recognizing that this is what he is doing actually helps us to identify who the great multitude is.
7:9 - The immediate question raised here concerns the identity of the great multitude. Earlier we talked about the pattern of John first hearing, then seeing. This pattern helps us to identify the multitude. In 7:4, John hears the number of those who were sealed and tells us that it was 144,000. Now he sees the great multitude that no one could count. This fact and the fact that both groups are described in language ascribed to the Church (the 144,000 are sealed as the servants of God and the multitude is wearing the robes that symbolize righteousness). The 144,000 and the great multitude are different aspects of the one, universal Church. In the 144,000, John emphasizes the fact that the Church is the remnant of Israel. They are the New Jerusalem. At the same time the great multitude that no one could count is made up of every nation, tribe, people, and language. This confirms Jesus' prophecy to his disciples that this would happen (Luke 13:22-30). In warning the Jews that few would find the road to salvation and the Kingdom, Jesus told them that the doors would be thrown open, as people "will come from east and west and north and south, and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God" (13:30). The sealed remnant of Israel has become the Church complete with redeemed from every nation in fulfillment of the Abrahamic promise (Gen. 15:5; 22;7-8). John also shows us that this multitude is holding palm branches in their hand, in what is a clear reverse image of the great multitude that greeted Jesus with palm branches (Matt. 21:8). The word phonix translated palm occurs only two times in the New Testament: here and in John's description of the Palm Sunday event in John 12:13. Whereas the the palm branches of the Palm Sunday group bore no fruit, Christ's new nation in Revelation 7 bears fruit and inherits the Kingdom.
7:10 - The uncountable crowd now joins in the heavenly worship service, crying out "Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb." Thus, the crowd attributes to the Lamb what the Caesars would claim for themselves, the power of salvation. Both Julius Caesar and Nero had directly claimed the power to save humanity, but it is the Lamb who truly has this power. We must remember this lesson today, that only Christ, not the State can ever provide salvation.
7:11-12 - With the church engaged in official public worship (liturgy), the angels engage as well. They fall down before the throne giving praise and glory to God on the Throne. Interestingly there are no cases in Scripture of official, public worship where the worshippers are sitting in prayer. Public prayers in the Scriptures are always performed in the reverential positions of either standing or bowing down. Some might dismiss this as irrelevant, but this overlooks the fact that there is a connection in Scripture between the attitude of the heart, and the attitude and position of the body.
7:13-14 - One of the elders asks John if he knows the identity of those in the white robes. When John indicates that he does not know but the elder does, the elder gives him the answer: these are they who have come out of the great tribulation. The elder is referring to the great tribulation of which Jesus spoke (Matt. 24; Mark 13; Luke 21), and is making the point to the first-century church that the tribulation they were about to witness would not destroy them. In the face of tribulation, they have been shown that they are the new Israel, sealed by God, and are also the uncountable victorious multitude. Contrary to what many groups today teach, the early Christians had no expectations that they were to be preserved from hardships and persecution. Salvation is not a call to swallow a magic pill that will lead to a perfect life, it is a call to endure and overcome, and the accompanying strength to do so.
7:15-17 - The elder continues that they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple. Because of this behavior which imitates the cherubim which are before the throne, they receive the most characteristic blessing of the Covenant: He who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them. Literally, He will spread his tabernacle over them. This makes an allusion to the glory cloud that hovered over the earth at creation (Gen. 1:2) and Israel in the wilderness (Deut. 32:10-11). It also brings to the mind images of the "booths" or "tabernacles" that God commanded His people to build during the Feast of Tabernacles (Lev. 23:33-43). Zechariah prophesied that the meaning of the Feast in terms of the conversion of the nations and foreshadowed the Church Age. This Church was now on the verge of a great tribulation, but it was not a death; it was a birth of the spread of the worldwide Kingdom of God.
Devotional Thought
How often do you think about the attitude of your body during worship? Do you agree that the attitude of your body is related to the attitude of your heart? Pay special attention this week to the attitude of your body during worship. See if it helps your overall attitude in worship.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Revelation 7:1-8
144,000 Sealed
1After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth to prevent any wind from blowing on the land or on the sea or on any tree. 2Then I saw another angel coming up from the east, having the seal of the living God. He called out in a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm the land and the sea: 3"Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees until we put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God."
4Then I heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel.
5From the tribe of Judah 12,000 were sealed,
from the tribe of Reuben 12,000,
from the tribe of Gad 12,000,
6from the tribe of Asher 12,000,
from the tribe of Naphtali 12,000,
from the tribe of Manasseh 12,000,
7from the tribe of Simeon 12,000,
from the tribe of Levi 12,000,
from the tribe of Issachar 12,000,
8from the tribe of Zebulun 12,000,
from the tribe of Joseph 12,000,
from the tribe of Benjamin 12,000.
Dig Deeper
When our youngest son was three years old, a rather amusing scene played out between the two of us. He asked me if I could play dodge ball with him, a game he very much likes. I was finishing up some work on the computer and said, "yes, in just a minute." Without me necessarily noticing what he was doing, he walked over to the digital clock and began to stare at it. As soon as the time clicked from one minute over to the next, he got very excited and ran back to me shouting, "daddy are you ready, are you ready? It’s time to play." I looked up at him and told him that I was almost finished and we would play as soon as I was done. He quickly began to whine that I had said we would play in one minute and now it was a minute and so we should play. I could have tried in vain to explain to him that I was speaking metaphorically but I wouldn’t have gotten very far, so I saved my work and went and had a great game of dodge ball with my boy.
This is just an amusing little example, but there can be some great misunderstandings, especially when it comes to numbers, if one person understands that they are metaphors or symbols, while another thinks that they are literal. Of course, I didn’t actually intend to convey that I would be ready in sixty literal seconds, but rather I meant something more like "very soon." There are many such passages, including the present one, where we can really get off on the wrong foot if we forget that John is working primarily in symbols in this book. The book of Revelation is an apocalyptic piece of literature, and numbers in apocalyptic literature were always symbolic and quite meaningful rather than literal. It is important to keep this in mind in order to properly understanding what John is saying.
7:1-3 - John sees another grouping of fours, indicating the entire earth. He sees the four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth to prevent any wind from blowing. In the original Greek, trees is in a different case (accusative) from the land and sea, indicating that John wished to emphasize it. Trees are often used in the Bible as images of men (Jud. 9:8-15), and in particular, symbols of righteous men (Ex. 15:17; Ps. 1:3; 92:12-14; Isa. 61:3; Jer. 17:5-8). The wind is a common symbol for the coming of God and the action of His agents in bringing either blessings or curses (Gen. 8:1; 41:27; Ex. 10:13, 19; 14:21; 15:10; Num. 11:31; Ps. 18:10; 104:3-4; 107:25; 135:7; 147:18; 148:8; John 3:8; Acts 2:2). This passage seems to draw specifically from the winds of the curses from Hos. 13:15-16. In short, then, these four angels are restraining the judgment that is to come for the time being.
Another angel, we learn in verse 2, has given the order to hold off on the action of judgment, even though they have been given power to harm the land. This angel is acting as the direct representative of Christ, which is symbolized by his rising from the East. The East was the place from where the son rose and was often used symbolically for the presence of God. Before the judgment can be unleashed, they must put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God. The seal of the spirit (Eph. 1:13; 4:30) is applied to the righteous before the seals of wrath are applied to the wicked. The seal in the biblical world was a sign and symbol of authority and power, a guarantee of protection, and a mark of ownership (2 Cor. 1:21-22; 2 Tim. 2:19).
The primary background verses for this imagery of John’s vision is Ezekiel 9:1-7 in which God commissions executioners to destroy everyone in the city of Jerusalem. The godly are marked for protection, so that they can be distinguished from the apostates who are about to be destroyed. The one marked on the forehead by God is one who is restored to fellowship with God. For example the high priest was marked with gold letters that said that he was holy to the Lord (Ex. 28:36). In a similar way, God’s people were to be sealed in the forehead and hand with the law of God. The protective mark in Ezekiel 9 was the last letter of the Hebrew alphabet, tav. The ancient form of that letter was a cross, a fact that the early church recognized immediately. Tertullian (the early church father) believed that God had given Ezekiel "the very form of the cross, which He predicted would be the sign on our foreheads in the true . . . Jerusalem." As the apostates were to be destroyed, the righteous were to be preserved. They were not to be evacuated from tribulation but would be preserved through it. Though the old Israel would be cast off, a new and holy Israel, the Church, would be chosen, sealed with the Spirit, and preserved through the tribulation to come.
7:4-8 - The number 144,000 is so obviously symbolic that it is almost laughable when groups claim that it is literal in some way. It is the number of Israel (12) squared, then multiplied by 1,000 (ten and its multiples symbolized many: Deut. 1:11; 7:9; Ps. 50:10; 68:17; 84:10; 90:4). Each "tribe" is the complete Israel within itself. In other words, John is picturing the the ideal Israel, Israel as it was meant to be, in all its perfection, symmetry, and completeness. The thousand was also the basic military division in the camp of Israel. Each of the twelve tribes could muster twelve full divisions, a numerically perfect army of 144,000. It is a picture of the "holy seed," the remnant of Israel which would remain after the oak had fallen. God would not destroy Jerusalem and cut off the once holy place until he first chooses and seals a new Israel who had its beginnings in the old. Thus, the Christian Church was formed out of the chosen servants of God from the "twelve tribes scattered among the nations" (James 1:1). John is again comforting the Church, that apostate Israel will indeed be judged, but not before a new, holy people will become the holy Israel. They are the true covenant people.
Devotional Thought
John shows us that those who are sealed in Christ, will be kept from ultimate judgment whether in this age or the age to come (this does not mean we will be protected from every possible bad thing in life). Are you sealed with Christ? Do you know anyone who is not? How does that motivate you?
1After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth to prevent any wind from blowing on the land or on the sea or on any tree. 2Then I saw another angel coming up from the east, having the seal of the living God. He called out in a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm the land and the sea: 3"Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees until we put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God."
4Then I heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel.
5From the tribe of Judah 12,000 were sealed,
from the tribe of Reuben 12,000,
from the tribe of Gad 12,000,
6from the tribe of Asher 12,000,
from the tribe of Naphtali 12,000,
from the tribe of Manasseh 12,000,
7from the tribe of Simeon 12,000,
from the tribe of Levi 12,000,
from the tribe of Issachar 12,000,
8from the tribe of Zebulun 12,000,
from the tribe of Joseph 12,000,
from the tribe of Benjamin 12,000.
Dig Deeper
When our youngest son was three years old, a rather amusing scene played out between the two of us. He asked me if I could play dodge ball with him, a game he very much likes. I was finishing up some work on the computer and said, "yes, in just a minute." Without me necessarily noticing what he was doing, he walked over to the digital clock and began to stare at it. As soon as the time clicked from one minute over to the next, he got very excited and ran back to me shouting, "daddy are you ready, are you ready? It’s time to play." I looked up at him and told him that I was almost finished and we would play as soon as I was done. He quickly began to whine that I had said we would play in one minute and now it was a minute and so we should play. I could have tried in vain to explain to him that I was speaking metaphorically but I wouldn’t have gotten very far, so I saved my work and went and had a great game of dodge ball with my boy.
This is just an amusing little example, but there can be some great misunderstandings, especially when it comes to numbers, if one person understands that they are metaphors or symbols, while another thinks that they are literal. Of course, I didn’t actually intend to convey that I would be ready in sixty literal seconds, but rather I meant something more like "very soon." There are many such passages, including the present one, where we can really get off on the wrong foot if we forget that John is working primarily in symbols in this book. The book of Revelation is an apocalyptic piece of literature, and numbers in apocalyptic literature were always symbolic and quite meaningful rather than literal. It is important to keep this in mind in order to properly understanding what John is saying.
7:1-3 - John sees another grouping of fours, indicating the entire earth. He sees the four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth to prevent any wind from blowing. In the original Greek, trees is in a different case (accusative) from the land and sea, indicating that John wished to emphasize it. Trees are often used in the Bible as images of men (Jud. 9:8-15), and in particular, symbols of righteous men (Ex. 15:17; Ps. 1:3; 92:12-14; Isa. 61:3; Jer. 17:5-8). The wind is a common symbol for the coming of God and the action of His agents in bringing either blessings or curses (Gen. 8:1; 41:27; Ex. 10:13, 19; 14:21; 15:10; Num. 11:31; Ps. 18:10; 104:3-4; 107:25; 135:7; 147:18; 148:8; John 3:8; Acts 2:2). This passage seems to draw specifically from the winds of the curses from Hos. 13:15-16. In short, then, these four angels are restraining the judgment that is to come for the time being.
Another angel, we learn in verse 2, has given the order to hold off on the action of judgment, even though they have been given power to harm the land. This angel is acting as the direct representative of Christ, which is symbolized by his rising from the East. The East was the place from where the son rose and was often used symbolically for the presence of God. Before the judgment can be unleashed, they must put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God. The seal of the spirit (Eph. 1:13; 4:30) is applied to the righteous before the seals of wrath are applied to the wicked. The seal in the biblical world was a sign and symbol of authority and power, a guarantee of protection, and a mark of ownership (2 Cor. 1:21-22; 2 Tim. 2:19).
The primary background verses for this imagery of John’s vision is Ezekiel 9:1-7 in which God commissions executioners to destroy everyone in the city of Jerusalem. The godly are marked for protection, so that they can be distinguished from the apostates who are about to be destroyed. The one marked on the forehead by God is one who is restored to fellowship with God. For example the high priest was marked with gold letters that said that he was holy to the Lord (Ex. 28:36). In a similar way, God’s people were to be sealed in the forehead and hand with the law of God. The protective mark in Ezekiel 9 was the last letter of the Hebrew alphabet, tav. The ancient form of that letter was a cross, a fact that the early church recognized immediately. Tertullian (the early church father) believed that God had given Ezekiel "the very form of the cross, which He predicted would be the sign on our foreheads in the true . . . Jerusalem." As the apostates were to be destroyed, the righteous were to be preserved. They were not to be evacuated from tribulation but would be preserved through it. Though the old Israel would be cast off, a new and holy Israel, the Church, would be chosen, sealed with the Spirit, and preserved through the tribulation to come.
7:4-8 - The number 144,000 is so obviously symbolic that it is almost laughable when groups claim that it is literal in some way. It is the number of Israel (12) squared, then multiplied by 1,000 (ten and its multiples symbolized many: Deut. 1:11; 7:9; Ps. 50:10; 68:17; 84:10; 90:4). Each "tribe" is the complete Israel within itself. In other words, John is picturing the the ideal Israel, Israel as it was meant to be, in all its perfection, symmetry, and completeness. The thousand was also the basic military division in the camp of Israel. Each of the twelve tribes could muster twelve full divisions, a numerically perfect army of 144,000. It is a picture of the "holy seed," the remnant of Israel which would remain after the oak had fallen. God would not destroy Jerusalem and cut off the once holy place until he first chooses and seals a new Israel who had its beginnings in the old. Thus, the Christian Church was formed out of the chosen servants of God from the "twelve tribes scattered among the nations" (James 1:1). John is again comforting the Church, that apostate Israel will indeed be judged, but not before a new, holy people will become the holy Israel. They are the true covenant people.
Devotional Thought
John shows us that those who are sealed in Christ, will be kept from ultimate judgment whether in this age or the age to come (this does not mean we will be protected from every possible bad thing in life). Are you sealed with Christ? Do you know anyone who is not? How does that motivate you?
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