Revelation Chapter 8 update

Through the power of Ken Becker who recorded my class - Session 8 now has audio for all those who desired to hear.

Revelations - Chapter Ten

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Chapter 10 – A time for rejoicing

Read chapter 19 – chapter 22

We come to the ending of John’s Vision and even more confusion caused by those who claim to understand completely what all the elements of that vision are. We begin with a Hallelujah chorus in chapter 19. As I read this chapter I am reminded of Pep Rally’s that occurred before important games in order to whip up the emotions of the team and the school. All of heaven is involved with this time of great praise to God. Hallelujah literally means “Praise God”. A great multitude and then the 24 Elders and another multitude or the same, the text is not clear. All are rejoicing at the finality of what is about to take place and that God through Jesus is about to claim good over evil once and for all. We must remember at this point that John is witnessing all of this in the spirit; his physical body is still on Patmos. In verse 3-5, we see that Babylon is destroyed forever and we are invited to the heavenly banquet that was foretold in Isaiah 25: 6, “^NRSV On this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wines, of rich food filled with marrow, of well-aged wines strained clear.”

Preterists believe that everything is now in the past and we are working toward the marriage feast at the end of days. Idealists equate this to the customs of ancient Jewish weddings where the bridegroom makes a betrothal, pays the dowry (Jesus death and resurrection), and then arrives at some future time to be wed. Futurists see this as the entire church being the bride of Christ and the Hallelujah is proclaiming the feast about to begin.

Regardless of your leaning, verse 9 tells us that we are truly blessed to be invited the marriage supper of the Lord. If we remember this was one of the parables of Jesus, the wedding feast where those who had brought oil (faithfulness) were let in and those who did not were left outside. We are then given this glorious view of Jesus coming on a white horse to do battle with the armies of evil. We see that the beast and the false prophet are captured and then thrown into the fiery pit in judgment (See Ezekiel 39: 17-19). Note that Jesus weapon of choice is His voice, depicted by the tongue with a sharp sword (See Heb. 4:21; Psalm 17: 23-27; Isa 11:4) that destroys the enemies of God. It was also the way creation happened , Then God said…

Chapter 20 begins with the capture of the dragon, our old archenemy Satan probably by Michael, the great Angel of God. He is thrown into the pit for a thousand years and John tells us he can deceive the people no longer. Here begins a great debate about when and what this thousand year millennial period truly means. It is appropriate at this point to have a discussion about this millennium and what it means from the perspective of the thoughts that have prevailed over the last two thousand years. There are three basic beliefs that we need to be aware of, Amillennialism, Pre-millennialism, and Post-millennialism. Let us explore this and then move onto the New Jerusalem.

Amillennialism is the belief that the millennial period is not a literal thousand years; rather it represents the fullness of time for God. The reign of Christ is not a physical literal thing here on earth but is in heaven where Jesus reigns as Lord and Savior following the resurrection. They believe that the cross has bound Satan and his power has been diminished by the victory of resurrection where Jesus now holds the key to life and death that Satan held prior to the cross. Amillennialists believe that the tribulation is any time Christians are persecuted in the world or the result of wars and/ or natural disasters and that the graphic stories in John’s Revelation are metaphorical for the things that happen in our lifetime. Christians will suffer until Christ comes again. Amillennialists thought began somewhere around 300 AD and was widely accepted by 400 AD. They believe that the rapture of the church occurs when Jesus is coming to earth for the second coming. Idealists are Amillennialists and some Preterists as well.

Post-Millennialists believe that Christ will return when the world becomes Christian. Though that may sound somewhat farfetched, the idea is that Christians witness to the Gospel and then Christianity grows because people become illuminated to the truth. Like the Amillennialists, Post-Millennialists believe that the thousand-year reign is in Heaven where Christ reigns as Lord and Savior. Unlike the Amillennialists, they believe that the first resurrection happens when we give our lives to Christ and we are regenerated in Christ. Tribulation happened for the Post Millennials in 70 AD or in the ongoing conflict between good and evil. They believe that the millennial period happens when the entire world comes to Christ. Post Millennialism has its roots around 300 AD but really came to focus through Joachim of Fiore around 1260 AD. They believe that rapture happens when Christ returns. Preterists are the Post Millennial people though many Preterists are Amillennialists.

Finally we come to Pre-Millennialists. Pre-millennial people are the Dispensationalists who believe that Tribulation is yet to come. They tend to be very literal people concerning John’s vision and believe that what John wrote is going to happen exactly as he describes it. Pre-Millennialists believe that the rapture is going to happen just prior to Tribulation or in the middle of Tribulation. They believe that Christ will return at the end of tribulation and will reign for one thousand years, a time when Satan will be bound. At the end of the Millennial Satan will be released and a final war will occur in the Megiddo Valley. This belief is the newest of the millennial views coming into focus around 1744 with Morgan Edwards and then full acceptance in 1830 with John Nelson Darby. As part of their belief, there are two churches, the Christian church that will be raptured (first resurrection) and the second is the nation of Israel when they come to faith in Christ (Second resurrection).

In verse 4 we are introduced to the first resurrection and then in verse 14 the second. I have already discussed the differing views about what this means. Tradition is stronger with the idea that the first resurrection refers to those who are in Christ. There are two schools of thought in the traditional understanding of this. One is that John’s first resurrection and Paul’s first death are one in the same. That is to say, that first resurrection is when we accept Christ and the Holy Spirit comes in us, we become one with Christ. Paul believed that we then see dimly what we will see in the mirror fully at the end of our physical lives at which point we will be resurrected fully ourselves as Christ has been resurrected, in the body. ^NRS  Romans 8:28 We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. ²⁹ For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn within a large family. For those whom have received this first resurrection, judgment happened at the cross. The other view is that the first resurrection is for the believers who will be raised up with Christ when He comes to judge the world prior to the New Jerusalem. Second resurrection is for those who did not give their lives to Christ, who will face judgment and the fire. Dispensationalists believe that first resurrection is the rapture when the church (the Gentile church) will be lifted with Christ in the clouds and second resurrection when the Jews who have received salvation are lifted at the end of tribulation.

This brings us to chapter 21 and 22. Jerusalem will be reborn as the New Jerusalem, God with us, when paradise that was lost will be restored. Chapter 21 describes a great city fifteen hundred miles square that comes down out of heaven. Is this a literal new reality as Dispensationalists believe or is this a picture of heaven? Only time will truly tell. What we do know is that here John is instructed to witness to the vision; with the exception of those pieces he was told to keep sealed, so that the world would know what God is up to. John’s Revelation gives us great hope as we are given a glimpse of what will happen and how it will all turn out. We await the return of Jesus Christ. Glory to God! AMEN.

 New Testament Signs of the End of Days

Signs already fulfilled

1.     The temple would be destroyed that no stone would be left upon another. (Matt 24:2) This in fact happened in 70 AD in order to gather the gold overlay on the stones when the temple was destroyed in that year.

2.     A country will be capable of having an army of 200 million. (Rev 9:16) In 1960 China announced that they had 200 million soldiers in their army.

3.     People would be able to see events in real time no matter where they are in the world. (Rev 11: 9-10) With the creation of CNN in 1980 and real time news, cell phones and the internet, we have this ability today.

4.     Jesus said his words would not pass away. (In over two thousand years this prophecy has in fact been fulfilled.

The Seven Future Signs of Jesus (Matthew 24)

1.     There will be false prophets, those calling themselves Messiah, those leading you astray.

2.     You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, nation against nation and kingdom against kingdom.

3.     There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.

4.     Christians will be persecuted in Jesus name.

5.     The faithful will decline in number.

6.     The world will be in moral decay.

7.     The Good news will be preached throughout the world and then the end shall come.

Jesus says the generation that sees these things will see the end.

Partial List of Old Testament Signs of the End of Days

Daniel 2 and 9

Return of the Roman Empire and the rise of a 5^th Kingdom

Increase in Knowledge

Persecution of the Hebrew people

Destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem

Rebuilding of the Temple

Jeremiah

23: 3-6 Messiah will return after the Jews return to Israel

46: 28  Enemies of Hebrew people will cease to be nations

Micah

Jerusalem will become the world’s most important religious site.

Zechariah

12: 2-3 Revival of the nation of Israel

14:12   Flesh will rot as people stand

Zephaniah 3:9 Return of the Hebrew language

Ezekiel

4:3-6 & 34:13 Israel would become a nation again

22: 14-15         Jews would be scattered to other countries

Revelation - Chapter Nine

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Chapter 9 – The Beast

Read Chapters 17 and 18

We begin this section of John’s vision with an invitation to come and see the judgment of the great whore who is seated on many waters. There is much discussion about who or what the great whore is. Preterists are convinced that she represents Jerusalem, basing their argument on Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel (see Isaiah 1:21; Jeremiah 2:20; Jeremiah 3:1–11; Ezekiel 16:1–43; Ezekiel 23) among others. Israel in the midst of their disobedience to God is called a whore. They point to the fact that Jerusalem like Rome is built on seven hills and they believe that the destruction in 70 AD is the point of the chapter 17. Futurists on the other hand argue that the whore is the Roman Catholic Church, the Roman Empire, a religious entity not yet arisen in the world, or a future rebuilt city in modern day Iraq.

We have this image of the woman sitting on a scarlet beast with blasphemous names on it. She is clothed in purple and scarlet. Scarlet is the color of the devil according to Isaiah 1:18. Some would say the colors are symbolic of the wealth in Rome. In her one hand is a cup full of abominations. We see the reference to this in scripture, ^NRS  Jeremiah 51:7 Babylon was a golden cup in the LORD's hand, making all the earth drunken; the nations drank of her wine, and so the nations went mad. On her forehead was written a name may be a reference to the fact that prostitutes in Rome had their names on their foreheads for identification of their vocation and who they were. The issue of Babylon the Great raises many questions and many ideas of the identity of the woman. In earliest of times Babylon was considered to be the greatest city and center of the Babylonian Empire. For Israel this was the largest of their enemies and eventually broke the nation of Israel. John would have known this history as a bleak period of their heritage. We hear John describe her as drunk with the blood of the saints and the blood of the witnesses. Here we have some potential understanding that John may well be talking about Jerusalem since the Saints to John would likely have been the Old Testament prophets and those who stood up to the leaders of Israel during their times of disobedience.

We are introduced fully to the Beast with explanation from John’s guide. The Beast is described as having seven heads and ten horns and is about to ascend from the bottomless pit. There is this little play on words describing it as it was and is not and is to come. This leads Preterists to believe that it is Nero since he was and is now dead and myth amongst the Romans was that he was to be resurrected. Some go so far as to say he was resurrected in the image of Domitian. Futurist thought is that this is the Anti-Christ, mimicking the image of Christ and yet he is not Christ and is to come in the future just prior to tribulation. The seven heads are seven mountains which could lead us to look at Rome or Jerusalem for both were built on seven hills. We will talk about the 10 horns later. Verse 9 calls into question that the seven heads are also seven Kings, five of whom have fallen, one is living and one is yet to come. If we place John’s Revelation after 60 AD we find that Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, and Nero have all passed at this point. There were three interim Emperors that most historians don’t count. We then have Vespasian who is the Emperor when Titus destroys Jerusalem and the Temple. Titus served as Emperor for a short while fitting in nicely with the scripture concerning the Kings. Here we see a historical correlation with Domitian who becomes Emperor after Titus and is considered by most historians as the most evil of all the Roman Emperors. His persecution of Christians was considered next to Nero in its audacity and suffering. Futurists believe that the seven Kings are seven nations that are Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Persia, Greece which at John’s time were all past into history. Rome was the living kingdom and the future kingdom is the kingdom of the Beast.

The ten Kings also have historical significance to us though John would not have known them. Following the destruction of the Roman Empire the Empire is divided into ten divisions or political alliances. They were Alemanni’s (present day Germany), Frank’s (present day France), Burgundian’s (present day Switzerland), Suevi’s (present day Portugal), Vandal’s (see chapter 2, page 8), Visigoths (present day Spain), Anglo-Saxon’s (present day England), Ostrogoth’s (see chapter 2, page 8), Lombard’s (present day Italy), and Heruli’s (see chapter 2, page 8). Preterists point to this historical alliance as the fulfillment of John’s Revelation. Futurists point to a future 10 nation alliance that is to come. Some point to the current European Union as the resurrection of the Roman Empire. What is intriguing about this is that their symbolism includes a woman riding a beast, a statue of her sits outside their headquarters. Other symbolism includes their headquarters building is modeled after Brueghel’s 1563 painting of the Tower of Babel. Futurists believe that out of this alliance will come an antichrist, the complete opposite of Christ and yet he will deceive many into believing that he is the Messiah come again. Futurists also point to verse 14 as a direct reference to Daniel 9:27 where they believe it says that the Anti-Christ will break a covenant with Israel 3 ½ years into the Tribulation period and begin an all-out war on Christians everywhere.

In verse 15 we have a definition of the waters that tells us that the woman sits over all the nations, peoples and languages. Our understanding is skewed by time. For John, Rome was in fact over all the known world of his day. He had no idea that there was a large land mass between England and China called North and South America. Preterists point to this fact to say that for John he was pointing to Rome. Futurists take into account what we know two thousand years later. They point to a new city, maybe built on the original Roman Empire, maybe Jerusalem and maybe a rebuilt Babylon as the site of the woman in chapter 17. At the time of the original writing of this study, Saddam Hussein was still in power and was trying to rebuild the old city again. Since his demise, there has not been much talk about it being rebuilt on the original site.

In chapter 18, we have the beginning of the final chapters of the story. The Angels are beginning to sing a song of destruction and doom for the Beast, the Woman and of course Satan. Their song mimics the words of the prophecy of doom song from Isaiah and Jeremiah (Isaiah 13: 19-22; Jeremiah 51: 24-26; 61-64) which foretell of the destruction of the famed city Babylon. In fact Babylon is conquered and all but abandoned by 141 BC.

^NRS  Isaiah 13:19 And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the splendor and pride of the Chaldeans, will be like Sodom and Gomorrah when God overthrew them. ²⁰ It will never be inhabited or lived in for all generations; Arabs will not pitch their tents there, shepherds will not make their flocks lie down there. ²¹ But wild animals will lie down there, and its houses will be full of howling creatures; there ostriches will live, and there goat-demons will dance. ²² Hyenas will cry in its towers, and jackals in the pleasant palaces; its time is close at hand, and its days will not be prolonged.

^NRS  Jeremiah 51:24 I will repay Babylon and all the inhabitants of Chaldea before your very eyes for all the wrong that they have done in Zion, says the LORD. ²⁵ I am against you, O destroying mountain, says the LORD, that destroys the whole earth; I will stretch out my hand against you, and roll you down from the crags, and make you a burned-out mountain. ²⁶ No stone shall be taken from you for a corner and no stone for a foundation, but you shall be a perpetual waste, says the LORD…⁶¹ And Jeremiah said to Seraiah: "When you come to Babylon, see that you read all these words, ⁶² and say, 'O LORD, you yourself threatened to destroy this place so that neither human beings nor animals shall live in it, and it shall be desolate forever.' ⁶³ When you finish reading this scroll, tie a stone to it, and throw it into the middle of the Euphrates, ⁶⁴ and say, 'Thus shall Babylon sink, to rise no more, because of the disasters that I am bringing on her.'" Thus far are the words of Jeremiah.

Note that in Jeremiah verse 64 the destruction of Babylon will be complete and the city will never rise again. Jeremiah's warning creates some tension if the Babylon of John’s Revelation is the Babylon of old since its destruction by 141 BC would be the end according to God.

In verse 4 we hear a calling out of the people by God. Regardless of your view it would appear that at this moment in time, whenever that might have been or when it is to come, there is still time to make a choice in favor of the Book of Life or the alternative. For those who are living during this time there is even a greater need for evangelism and a sense of urgency to win people into relationship with God. Time is truly running out for those who have not made that choice. By verse 11 the world has truly degenerated into a chaotic place. Preterists simply point to the idea that in the midst of the height of the Roman Empire you needed Roman coins in order to buy or sell. But that was not true at the fringes of the Empire. Futurists point to a time to come when all commerce will shut down. Verse 24 gives us an important clue. John here is writing of the voice of the Angel who throws a mighty stone into the sea, …saying that in you was found the blood of prophets and of saints and of all who have been slaughtered on earth. Only Jerusalem killed the prophets of Old which would lead us to believe that John is talking about this great city in his prophecy. We could also argue that John may not be talking about simply the Old Testament prophets but also about the Apostles and Disciples of his day though that might well be a stretch.

Revelation - Chapter 8

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Chapter 8 – The Bowl Judgments

Read chapters 15 and 16

In Apocalyptic writing the numbers 3 and 7 are often used to mean completeness, perfection or finality. Certainly John has brought us to this place of completeness with the three groups of judgment. There were the Seven Seals followed by the Seven Trumpet judgments and now we have the Seven Bowl judgments. We are introduced to seven angels who have seven plagues to be poured down on the people who have accepted the Mark of the Beast. These new plagues will bring to mind the plagues brought upon Egypt in order to set the people of Israel free. They were isolated to that individual nation of Egypt and did not affect the whole world. Then we were introduced to the plagues from the Trumpets and Seals. But those judgments affected only part of the earth. Here we have the completion of the judgments against those who refused to accept God. We should note that those who have received the mark of God as opposed to the Mark of the Beast are exempt from the judgments that are inflicted on a person. Just as God has provided for those who are faithful when the Mark of the Beast refused those same folks to not be able to buy and sell, God will provide for those who are left to face these final judgments. It does not say in scripture that the faithful will not face pain and suffering when food and water supplies get short. We are reminded that our reward will be great in heaven.

As we await the pouring of the bowl judgments upon the earth, we see the Saints standing on a sea of glass (see Rev 4:6) with fire mixed in it and they are singing. They are singing the Song of Moses and the Song of the Lamb. The Song of the Lamb is sung by those who are martyred for God throughout time while some say that they are the martyred from the Tribulation period alone. The Song of Moses (see Exod 15) was introduced to us when Moses and the Israelites had successfully crossed the Red Sea and they celebrated the drowning of the Pharaoh’s Army by God. It is a song that has been sung repeatedly throughout the history of the people of Israel, used in the dedication of the new Temple after the Babylonian Exile (Psalm 118) and then at major holidays since till our present day. It is a song of celebration of what God has done. The song of the Lamb is also a celebration to God. But we should notice that at no time in the words of the song is anyone other than God praised.

In verse five we are told that the angels come from within the Temple of the Tent of Witness. John may well have has pulled this descriptive from the Old Testament understanding in Exodus when the Temple of God was a tent with the Israelites in the wilderness before Solomon’s Temple was built (Numbers 9:15; 17:7; 18:2). The Temple fills with smoke (see Isa 6:4; Ezek 10:4) as God moves within it and the Angels come forward to do God’s bidding. One of the four living creatures we were introduced to in the beginning of John’s Revelation hands the bowls to the angels. Remember that the four living creatures represent the best in heaven. The seven bowls are filled with the full wrath of God. What we glean from this is that these judgments are the final judgments against the people, the demons and the Beast who have aligned themselves with the lawless one.

The first angel steps forward and unleashes the first bowl on the people of the earth who have taken the Mark of the Beast. They develop painful sores that cause them to desire to be dead and yet they cannot die. We are reminded of the 6^th plague in Egypt (Exod. 9: 8-12) and the story of Job (Job 2:7). The second Angel steps forward and pours the second bowl into the sea. Some would argue that this is strictly the Mediterranean Sea but most would argue that at this point the plagues are world-wide. Imagine the stench and the destruction of food supplies and world-wide commerce when all the animals of the oceans die and rise up to the surface. We are reminded of the 1^st plague that God brought upon the Egyptian people (Exod. 7: 14-25). The third Angel pours the third bowl into the waters of the world’s rivers and springs and they turn to blood. Our water supply for crops, drinking and other uses are now ruined. We are told that this in retribution for the blood of the Saints who have been martyred by the world. Now we come the fourth Angel and the fourth bowl. This will be the final bowl judgment upon the living people directly. The bowl is poured out and the sun becomes dangerous to those exposed to its light. Imagine for a moment that without water the world becomes a parched, hot, and hostile environment. Some have argued that these are all done through nature as God has continuously done throughout the history of the world. We have red tides (see news for Florida in September 2014) where algae contaminates the water, killed off sea life, and left a blood like look to the water. Some might point to the current dangers of Global warming as the fulfillment of this prophecy of the sun. I suspect that these are all future events since even the Preterists cannot point to specific events in the past that align themselves with the Bowl Judgments.

We now reach the point where God will turn the wrath of God on the Beast and the Dragon. The fifth bowl is poured on the very throne of the Beast. It brings total darkness to the residence of the evil force John calls the Beast, also known as the Anti-Christ. There is some discussion here about exactly where this will be. If we are Preterists and we believe that Nero was the beast then we should be able to look back and find an event that fits this during his reign. Some say it is when Rome burned and the sun was obliterated by the smoke. Futurists on the other hand point to this as a future event but argue whether the throne will be in rebuilt Babylon near present day Baghdad, Rome or even Jerusalem. Saddam Hussein had in fact begun construction at the site of ancient Babylon, the capital city of the Babylonian Empire. For those pointing to Jerusalem they argue that the Anti-Christ taking up resident in the Temple is the true desecration of the Temple described in Luke 21: 20-21. Preterist’s look to Antiochus IV but this was well before Jesus prophecy. This reminds us of the 5^th trumpet and the 9^th plague on Egypt (Exod 10:21-23) We are told that men curse God but that no-one repents.

The sixth bowl is poured out on the Euphrates River and it dries the river up. The people of the John’s time would look to the Euphrates as the edge of the known civilized world and as a natural barrier to the forces that lived beyond it. Here we are introduced to two new actors in this vision, the False Prophet and the King of the East. The False Prophet is believed to be the little horn in earlier prophecy (Daniel 7:8; Rev 13) and most folks believe this to be either symbolism for the Roman Catholic Church or the Head of the church during Tribulation. The king of the East may be a literal presence or symbolism for the evil forces that will gather depends on your world view at this point. Futurists take this literally and believe that this will be a King from China with an army that moves towards Israel. At this point the Dragon and the Beast are desperate so they deceive the armies of the world to begin to assemble to go to war with God in a place the NRSV calls Harmagedon. Literally that would mean the Mountain or Hill of Megiddo which is a real place. The valley of Megiddo has been the center of battles throughout history with at least 34 major battles for control of the trade routes to the East and Middle East. In Biblical times we have the stories of Barak (Judges 4), Gideon (Judges 6:3), Saul’s death (1^st Samuel 31:8), and then in history Pharaoh Thutmose III in the 15^th century, Napoleon and battles in World War I. Napoleon described the valley as the most natural battlefield in all the world.  Here the final confrontation will occur. I dare not call it a battle since you will see that it is one sided in favor of Jesus.  (Zechariah 12 & 14; Zephaniah 3:8; Isa 24)

The seventh and final bowl judgment is poured out on the air. It is the final bowl judgment and the final of the 3 groups of God’s wrath. Ephesians 2: 2 describes the Devil as the Prince of the Air. It is quite likely that John is aware of that description here. In that moment there is a great earthquake in the great city. Again there is disagreement whether this is Rome, Babylon, or Jerusalem. The city is torn in thirds and all the cities (probably a reference to all the major cities) of all nations will fall. The people are then confronted with large hailstones weighing as much as 100 pounds (7^th plague on Egypt Exod 9:22-26) that cause them again curse God without repentance.

So ends the judgments phase for those living.

Revelation - Chapter 7

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Chapter 7 – The Red Dragon

Read Chapter 12 - Chapter 14

We begin this chapter with great imagery of the period that most scholars call the Great Tribulation. But as with any story we may need some background information. Chapter 12 is really the background we need to move to the end of the story and the introduction of the players for that period of time. It doesn’t particularly matter what view you have of John’s Revelation to understand chapter 12 since the imagery is for all time. Whether the great battle described happens at the beginning of the world or during the Resurrection makes little difference to the outcome but it does at least explain to us the basic story we already know well. Christ is Lord and Savior through the crucifixion and resurrection and that His death and resurrection overcomes death by sin and He alone now carries the keys of death. Satan’s frustration at the cross must have been tremendous when we think that at the moment of death he, Satan believing that he had won and was victorious, learned that he truly was defeated. I believe in those moments following Jesus death, when He descends into Hell, as the creeds tell us, and has secured the keys for all time Satan realizes his peril. So let’s meet the players.

We first are introduced to the woman who is clothed in the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars surrounding her head. She is pregnant. So who is she? The vast majority of those that study the Bible indicate that she represents Israel. More specifically they point to Joseph’s dream in Genesis 37:9 where Jacob is the sun, Rachel is the Moon and the Stars are their sons, the tribes of Israel. ^NRS  Genesis 37:9 He had another dream, and told it to his brothers, saying, "Look, I have had another dream: the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me." The mother is pregnant with a son who is universally explained to be Jesus. Jesus comes from the lineage of Israel. Roman Catholics believe that the woman is Mary, mother of Jesus and though we can also see that as a possibility the imagery here would suggest a broader understanding like the nation of Israel.

We are introduced to the second great figure of the Apocalypse, the Great Red Dragon. John paints us an image of a creature with seven heads, ten horns and 7 diadems on each head and a tail that sweeps 1/3 of the stars from heaven to earth. We have met this great dragon before in Genesis 3:1 as the serpent, in Job as the Devil and in Isaiah as the morning star. Some of the commentary argues that Satan was the greatest of angels until he wanted to place himself equal or above God. More on this in a moment! There is of course discussion about the image itself though as I said, it is universally accepted that we are talking about Satan. When Satan was sent from heaven he was given dominion over the earth. As we get into the 7 heads and ten horns we get some disagreement between Preterist and Futurist. Preterists believe that the seven heads are the Seven Hills of Rome and so the Red Dragon represents the Roman Empire of John’s Day. In fact Rome is built on seven hills and at the time of John’s writing which we believe to somewhere between 69 AD and 96 AD there will be a total of ten emperors before Rome begins its divide. Based on that the Preterist historical thought is that the ten horns are the ten emperors of Rome, the sixth being Nero and the tenth being Vespasian. In between these two are three rulers, Galba, Otho and Vitellius who combined ruled for about 1 ½ years from July 68 AD to December 69 AD. More on these three’s significance in the Revelation later! I had difficulty here finding consensus among the Futurists about the image of Satan other than all agreed that we are meeting Satan in this imagery. In the scripture Satan wants to devour the child as the child is a threat to his dominion and power. The child must be defeated if Satan has any hope of defeating the forces of good.

The woman gives birth and the child is taken up into heaven out of the Devil’s reach. We are told that the child will rule with an iron rod which leads us back to Psalm 2:9 ^NRS  Psalm 2:9 You shall break them with a rod of iron, and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel." Preterists believe that the birth pangs represent the persecution and suffering of the nation of Israel up to the time of Jesus birth. Now it gets a little interesting here as to how to interpret the events that take place in the next few verses. We are told that the child, who is universally accepted as being Jesus, is taken up into heaven. Are we talking about a literal event which clearly would point to the Ascension through the resurrection or are we talk about a metaphorical summary of the fact that Jesus is beyond the reach of the Devil? What we are told is that the woman escapes to the wilderness for 1,260 days or 42 months. Preterists point to three different historical events that fit this picture. During the Greek rule of Israel Antiochus Epiphanes conquers Jerusalem around 170 BC and included in that destruction is a desecration of the Temple itself. The entire campaign lasted 42 months. During that crusade many of the Jewish people fled into the wilderness. The second story is the Jewish-Roman war from March 67 AD to September 70 AD. During this 42 month campaign which ends with the destruction of the Temple, the people also fled into the wilderness because of what Jesus had told them (see Matt 24: 15-21). And the final scenario which fits this passage is Nero’s persecution of the Jews from November 64 AD to June 68 AD. Futurists on the other hand believe this period to be the second half of the Tribulation period when Satan has free reign. They base this on the prophecy in Daniel, ^NRS  Daniel 11:41 He shall come into the beautiful land, and tens of thousands shall fall victim, but Edom and Moab and the main part of the Ammonites shall escape from his power.

We now arrive at the story of the battle in heaven. Does this occur at the beginning of time as most believe or is the telling of the story at the time of the resurrection? Preterists almost universally agree that this is a telling at the time of the resurrection. They base their belief on the idea found in John 12:31 ^NRS  John 12:31 Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. They believe that prior to this moment Satan has access to heaven as we find in the story of Job, where we see Satan appearing to freely move in and out of heaven. If this is in fact that period of time it would explain the anger of Satan towards the people of God. Having lost the great battle at the crucifixion and resurrection Satan begins in earnest to wage war on the Church. Satan pursues the woman (nation of Israel) but cannot catch her and so he begins to attack the children of the woman. Again there appears to be consensus among the views that the children are either Jews or the Christian church or both.

In dispensationalist thought, we have reached the halfway point of the Great Tribulation. Here we are introduced to a new player. In chapter 13 the Dragon stands on the sea and a beast arises out of the sea with seven heads, ten horns and ten diadems on each horn. The beast is like a leopard with feet like a bear and a mouth like a lion. Here again we have a disagreement as to the meaning of the beast that we see. Preterists believe the 7 head are the 7 hills of Rome and the 10 horns are the ten emperors up to and including Vespasian. They believe that the blasphemous names are in fact the idea that the emperors declare themselves to be God and demand that they people worship them as such. Some Preterists believe the ten horns are the ten alliances of the Old Roman Empire when it fell held loosely together by the Papacy in Rome. In Futurists thought, the sea represents the nations or Gentiles and that the ten horns are a ten nation alliance which will form prior to tribulation possibly from the old Roman Empire. The beast is the Anti-Christ that will emerge from within the New Empire which originates from the Old Roman Empire (see Daniel’s two visions, chapter 2). Some futurists believe that the Beast is the collection of the cultures from all three prior generations based on Daniel’s vision. Whatever you believe it is not a good time for the Christians.   

Satan gives the beast full power just as God has given Christ full authority in heaven and earth. We have this interesting issue where one of the heads is mortally wounded and then apparently resurrected causing the world to worship the Beast. In Preterist thought this is the death of Nero and the rising of Vespasian who brings order back to Rome and is the ruler who causes the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple. Dispensationalists point to an event where the Anti-Christ will be mortally wounded and then resurrected causing many to believe that he is in fact the Messiah. The beast has authority for 42 months where he makes war on the Christian church and wins those earthly battles. During this time, there will be consolidation of power and a One World Government.  To the Preterist’s, this was a time when Rome had conquered the entire known world and was under Roman domination.

During this time, another lessor beast appears that is inferior to the first beast with two horns looking like the lamb. Futurists believe this beast to be the Roman Catholic Church or even the Papacy itself. They glean this from the idea that the Lamb is Jesus so the two horned lamb would be the church. This beast will have great power including the building of an idol statue to the first beast and gives it breath. I am reminded of the story in Daniel of the great statue of Nebuchadnezzar that all were required to bow down and worship.

We come now to one of the frightening pieces of the Apocalypse for most people, the control of the world finances and the ability to prevent people from buying and selling. The mark of the beast has been discussed throughout the generations. Interestingly Preterists point to Nero while Futurists point to the Anti-Christ. The mark of the beast from the Preterist view is the stamped image on the coins of the Roman Empire and a requirement to use only Roman coinage to purchase or sell. Craig C. Hill suggests that it may well represent the total economic power of Rome where even the coins themselves become idolatry to the Christians. The Idealist point to the fact that 666 could represent many different people and so this is in fact simply a universal number. The fact that 6 is one less than the perfect number 7 indicates that it is simply representative of the evil in the world. The futurists point to the idea of a super currency where we cannot purchase and sell without having that currency in our possession. They point to the idea of the current global economy as indicative of this idea and they also point to technologies like bar coding and the microchip. Two points of hope if you follow any of these lines of thinking. It does not say that Christians will starve, simply that they will not be able to buy or sell. And likewise there will be no doubt that you have made a choice to stand against God to receive whatever the mark is.

Chapter 14 begins with the image of Christ on Mt. Zion. Most believe that He is in heaven at this moment looking down as He begins His descent for the Second Coming. But prior to that he seals 144,000 blameless witnesses. There is great discussion about who these witnesses are. Futurists believe they are Jews and they represent the final push to bring the nation of Israel back to God. Preterists believe that they represent the Christian church or some perfect number of witnesses down through the ages that have brought countless souls to Christ. Some, like the Jehovah Witnesses believe this is the final number of those who reside with Christ in heaven. But once these witnesses have the opportunity to do their job, judgment comes in the imagery of the sickle and the wine press.

Revelation - Chapter 6

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Chapter 6 – The Seven Trumpet Judgments

Read Chapter 8:6 – chapter 11

Trumpets in the Bible represent a number of things. In Numbers trumpets represent God calling the people together, they represent war, or they can represent God calling them to a special time. Trumpets are representative of God proclaiming something or judgment. In John’s Revelation Trumpets signal the coming judgments upon the people of the world. Remember that the silence before the last Seal was preceded by the marking of God’s people that they will be given power over tribulation. Those that are marked in all views are those who will see at least parts of tribulation. Dispensationalists believe that the church has been removed during the “Rapture” and that the marked or sealed are those who find faith after the Rapture.

The seven trumpets will happen in the first half of tribulation. Tribulation will be a seven year period for Preterists and Futurists. We will see that the first four trumpets use natural forces to bring the judgments. God uses natural forces often to bring about God’s judgment. Idealists believe that the Seven Trumpet judgments represent God’s judgment across time. Preterists will point to historical events when they discuss the judgments and Dispensationalists will point to events yet to come. The seven trumpet judgments will parallel the plagues God brought on Egypt prior to the wilderness.  So let us look at the Seven Trumpet Judgments

The first judgment brings Hail and Fire mixed with Blood. This matches the actions of the Lord in Exodus against the Egyptians in Exodus 9:22-26. The actions of the judgment will destroy 1/3 of the earth, 1/3 of the trees and all the green grass. One might ask what they significance of the green grass but one only has to remember that many of our domesticated meat animals graze on grass. No grass, no more animals, and subsequently food supplies will be impaired. Preterists point to the Roman invasion of Israel beginning in 63 AD. The Roman army burned the majority of the trees in Israel during that invasion.

The second judgment brings something like a great mountain that falls in the sea. John makes the distinction between this and the next judgment which is a star. Scholars believe that this could be a meteor or possibly a volcanic eruption. The results are that 1/3 of the waters become blood, 1/3 of all sea creatures die, and 1/3 of the ships are destroyed. Certainly the effects of a volcano would cause this kind of catastrophic effect in the geographic region of the volcano. Depending on the writing of the Revelation, this could be the destruction of Pompeii which happened in 79 AD. The volcano explosion and ash did in fact destroy much of the sea, economy and the dust affected the Middle Eastern world for several months.

The third judgment unleashes a star called wormwood upon the earth. This could well be an asteroid because it impacts 1/3 of the rivers of the world. Note that all of these visions impact the world. The question is what world? The world of John which would be isolated to the Middle East centered on the Mediterranean Sea. Or it could well be a vision of the entire world which of course fits the Dispensationalist view of the End of Times. Wormwood is another name for a bitter root called Artemisia. It is often used to repel insects or is used as an ingredient in brewing. So to say that the rivers and springs become wormwood may mean that they become bitter. Sulfur is often a problem for wells and springs as well which causes a bitter taste and would cause problems with the water supply. As a side note, there is currently a Project Wormwood at Learmonth Observatory in Australia. Any foreign object identified as on a collision course with earth will be earmarked Wormwood. We have had several near calls with asteroids and of course, meteors fall every day.

The fourth trumpet sounds and 1/3 of the moon, sun and stars are blacked out. In fact so much so that it indicates that 1/3 of the day is darkened. Whether this is a consequence of the third trumpet or some new phenomena only time will tell us. Certainly any kind of volcanic eruption or any collision with a celestial body would cause widespread changes to the atmosphere and it is not unreasonable to expect that daylight could be hampered.

Again between the fourth and fifth judgments we have a pause. Here we are introduced to the Eagle which is possibly the Eagle that John saw sitting around the throne. The Eagle proclaims three woes which are the final trumpet judgments that will come upon the earth. We also note that we again transition from natural types of disasters to demonic ones.

In the fifth trumpet judgment, we see a star that has fallen to the earth. It is likely that John is describing Satan after his fall from heaven, and it is Satan who has the key to the bottomless pit. Some say that this is Jesus because only Jesus has the key to heaven and hell.  In ancient Hebrew understanding the bottomless pit is where the angels who had rose up against God have been sealed. A literal interpretation would indicate that they are now unleashed upon the world. These locust/ scorpion figures serve a master called Abaddon (which means destruction in the Hebrew) or Apollyon (which means to destroy in the Greek). So we can assume that John intended us to understand this leader to be simply “The Destroyer.” Interesting connection to Job here in that the unsealed folks of the world are inflicted in such pain that they cry out to die but cannot do so and parallels the infliction of boils on Job by the Devil to try and get him to renounce God. This will last for five long months. Prelists point to the siege of Jerusalem as fitting this vision. The siege lasted five months prior to Titus destroying that great city and the Temple.

In the sixth trumpet judgment the angels who are bound at the Euphrates are released. In the ancient world the Euphrates was at the end of civilization as they understood it. I remember as a child we would often use the expression when you came out of the city that you had left civilization for the wilderness of the county. 1/3 of humankind will be killed by the four angels who may or may not be the original four horsemen. The army is 200 million strong. Dispensationalists point to the army of China that was reported in the 1990’s to be 200 million strong. This may or may not be a literal interpretation especially when one focuses in the description of the horses and armor of the warriors. What is significant is verse 20 that indicates that even this did not cause the rest of humankind to repent. Dispensationalists point to this verse as an indication that the church is no longer in the world. Preterists and Idealists simply argue that this verse indicates those already sealed are not in this number.

Here we have another pause. A mighty angel comes out of heaven. Note the imagery of this angel, wrapped in a cloud with a rainbow over his head. Most scholars would agree that this angel may well be Jesus. Likely no other angel in heaven would have the authority and power to set his foot equally on the sea and the land other than Jesus. Remember the story of the Exodus and how God’s voice sounded like thunder. We have the seven thunders who John must well understand since he is told not to write down what he has heard. There are some things that God does not want us to know until it is time.

To measure the Temple is an indication that time is close to the end. When we buy a new home one of the final things that happens is the surveyor comes and checks the authenticity of the measuring of the property. The Temple will be given over to the people and it will be trampled for forty two months. There are two thoughts that are important to the study here. Preterists will point to the time of Daniel when Antiochus Epiphanes desecrated the Temple from June 168 BC to Dec 165 BC. That happens to be exactly forty two months. Dispensationalists argue that this is mid-way into the tribulation. What is important for those who believe these are future events is that the Temple must be rebuilt. There are claims that plans and materials are already in place in 2014 to make that a reality.

We have now the two witnesses. Who are they? We have clues in verse 4. They are two of the olive trees and the two lampstands. Preterists would point to the two lampstands as tow of the churches and these two may well represent the two larger churches, Jewish and Gentile. Dispensationalists argue that they are two literal people, some saying Enoch and Elijah because neither died here on earth but were taken by God. Others argue that one of them is Moses and the other Elijah, the law and the prophets. What is important in the vision is that they will prophesize for 42 months. During that time will some come to Christ? Some believe that they are the proclaimers of judgment to the unfaithful world. Regardless of what you believe we hear plainly in scripture that the Beast kills them at the end of the 42 month period. They will lie in plain view for 3 ½ days for the whole world to see. Then God will resurrect them and take them in to heaven. At that moment the city of Jerusalem will go through a severe earthquake and seven thousand will be killed. This is probably not a literal number but a complete number meaning many. The current population of Jerusalem is 857,000 and 1/10^th of that would be 85,700.

The seventh trumpet sounds and we have this vision of heaven. We have the praise of all the saints, the elders and the angels proclaiming God’s love, power and grace. One could easily have ended the Revelation here but there is still more to be said. God’s temple is in plain view and we have the image of the Ark of the Covenant. Is this the Ark that was in the Temple of Solomon or more likely this is the image of Christ for the world to see. I used to remember when I was a child that the threat of when Dad would get home was often more excruciating than the actual punishment he gave. Here the world has to endure the final judgments with heaven in full view of what they have forsaken.

So ends the Seven Trumpet Judgments.

Revelation - Chapter 5

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Chapter 5 – The Seven Seals

Read Chapter 4 – chapter 8:5

After the letters to the seven churches, we begin to see John’s vision of a great tribulation and hope. We go from the present time of John’s day with the seven churches (note this is not the Dispensationalist view of the letters) to the future. I think at this point we should be mindful that like Jonah, we as the church have been given a warning to prepare and now we will begin to see what we are preparing for. When it will happen may well be in the clues of scripture that we have been given though I remind the reader that Jesus told us quite plainly that no-one would know the hour and the day. So again, why give us these visions and clues? Because God wants us to know what God is up to! Why else send Jonah to Nineveh! Chapter 4 opens with the view through an open door. Doors are very symbolic in the scriptures. Jesus said knock and it shall be opened for you. John is told to “come up here and I will show you what must take place after this.” We note in this statement that he is given a heads up that he will soon see what the events are that will transpire at some future time. For John and all the early Christians they believed that these events were imminent. As time passed and they had not transpired then they began to look to the future. Arguably some of these events may well have happened in the past as the Preterist believe and some may continually happen as the Idealists believe while many may still be in some distant future as the Dispensationalists believe. Clearly the two things that we see in John’s vision from this point through the end of the text tell us is that there is judgment and there is hope for creation.

John paints for us a beautiful but frightful picture of heaven itself. God sits on the throne and John describes God not in a human form but in the form of precious jewels, jasper and carnelian, precious gems of John’s day. John describes God as full of color, looking like a rainbow. John’s description of God reminds us of the Psalmist in 104:2 who says God is wrapped in light as a garment and in 1 Timothy 6:16 where God is described as dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. Surrounding God are 24 Elders on their thrones. John might be creating imagery that points back to the 24 Elders established in the Levites for caring for the Holiest of Holies found in 1 Chronicles 24 or it may flow with the image of 1 Kings 22:19 and Isaiah 24:23 of the host of heaven sitting around God. Dispensationalist thought suggests that they are the twelve tribes of Israel and the twelve Apostles of Jesus, symbolizing the Nation of Israel and the Christian church as one combined group. Among the throne we also see four living creatures described as having eyes on both sides of their head, with six wings and never ceasing in praise to God. Ezekiel had a similar vision of these creatures (see Ezek. 1:6, 10, 22, 26) except that in Ezekiel’s vision each creature had four heads, one of an ox, one of a lion, one of a human and one of an eagle. Irenaeus in 170 AD suggested that they represent the best of the Kingdom. The Lion represents the Son of God, the Ox symbolizes the Priesthood and servant ministry, the Human face represents the incarnation of God in Jesus and the Eagle the Holy Spirit. Whatever you may decide, it is interesting that Ezekiel and John both have a similar view of the throne in heaven.  

In the ancient world, everything written was done using a scroll. So it makes sense that in John’s vision the scroll would contain the instructions for the coming events. Interestingly to me is that in John’s day, the Roman world used a scroll sealed by seven individuals as a final written will. Only in the presence of the seven original folks or their representatives could the will be opened and read. In the vision the scroll is sealed with seven seals and yet there appears to be no one worthy to break the seals. John weeps that there appears to be no one within the Kingdom of Heaven with the power and authority to break the seals.

What we now see is a great image of Christ. A lamb, with the marks of its recent slaughter still visible. This image reminds us of Jesus in the Upper Room with the Disciples after the resurrection. A lamb with seven horns and seven eyes which John describes as the seven spirits of God sent out into the earth. A parallel to this is Zechariah who in his vision is given imagery of the seven eyes of God that are sent out into the world to see all and know all. Seven is a complete number representing power and authority. Note John’s vision of the Lamb and the praise that is given comes from the saints (those who have been martyred for God), the angels, and every creature in heaven, on earth and under the earth providing a connection with those living and dead. What a great connection to the entire Kingdom of God. Here we begin the judgment phase of the future (or past).

We are introduced in the first four seals with the four horseman of the Apocalypse. We first met them in Ezekiel (14:21) and Zechariah (6: 1-7). In Ezekiel they are the four acts of the sword, famine, wild animals and pestilence to bring judgment into the world. In Zechariah they are the four winds (note the connection to Rev 7: 1-2) of God. It was thought in ancient times that winds that flowed directionally were ok, i.e. northerly, westerly, etc. but winds that flowed diagonally brought havoc and destruction. Here in the Western world we do not get the wind reference well except maybe those of us on the East Coast during Hurricane and Northeaster seasons.

The first seal is opened and out rides a white horse. There is much discussion about who this is. Later in Revelation we will see Jesus riding a white horse in judgment of the world as he conquers the forces of evil. Conquering heroes often rode white horses into the towns they had conquered so this imagery would have been widely recognized in John’s day. Dispensationalists tend to think this figure is the Anti-Christ who comes in the image of Christ bringing not victory but the wrath of God. The second seal is opened and out rides a red horse. Almost universally this rider is recognized as bringing war, destroying all human relationships. Preterist believe this was accomplished with the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD and the disbursement of the people of Israel. The third seal is broken and out rides a black horse. Again there is almost universal agreement that this horse represents hardship, poverty and famine. Famines were a reality in John’s day in many parts of the world just as they are a reality today in our modern world. The fourth seal unleashes the pale green horse. Its rider is given a name, Death. It is believed by the Preterist that this represents the death to Christians throughout the world of John’s day, while idealist believe it represents death throughout time and Dispensationalist believe that this is a future prediction that will destroy ¼ of the world. In fact verse 8 clearly indicates this rider will kill the ¼ of the earth through pestilence, famine and wild animals. Note the similarity to Ezekiel’s judgment in 14:2. Truthfully, we have not met a historical time of great death that killed off ¼ of the world. We have seen millions die during great famines and over the course of the 19^th and 20^th century 700 million died of Tuberculosis. The world population at the time was around 107 billion. Even in John’s day, great volumes of death centered on war, famine and illness were prevalent.               

Now that we have met the Horsemen of the Apocalypse we can move on to the rest of John’s Revelation. Seal number five is opened and we see a picture of the martyred saints. Remember that in John’s time there were literally hundreds if not thousands who went to their death for their faith. We have stories of unspeakable tragedy to the early Christians by the Roman people under Nero and other Caesarean leaders. So we see them crying out for justice. Note the last verse (verse 11) says that there will be a period of rest for those already martyred to wait for those that are going to be killed before the end will come. At the time of the writing there was still plenty of persecution going on in Rome against the Christians and many more were martyred between 70 AD and 305 AD when Constantine comes to power. Dispensationalists believe that this speaks to a time in the future when there will be martyrs in a final tribulation period yet to come. This was the promise that Jesus made to the disciples in Matthew 24: 9 that folks would be persecuted for believing in Him.

With the opening of the six seal, we see the judgment phase preparation. This seal unleashes a great earthquake, the moon becoming like blood or stars falling to the sky. To the first century Jew, this would be catastrophic in that they understand that order is preserved as long as the heavens (Stars, Sun, Planet) stays in place. This prophecy connects to the Day of the Lord in the Old Testament Prophets (see Amos 8:8-9; Ezekiel 38:19; Isaiah 13:10 and Joel 2:31). In verse 15 and 16 we see a reference to hiding in the caves and among the rocks. The first instinct is to hide when sin is present and one is in the presence of the Lord is imminent. Remember Adam and Eve hiding from God after the eating of the fruit.   

Now we come to a pause. Chapter seven begins with angels holding back the four winds which are synonymous with the Four Horseman. In each of the judgments in John’s Revelation there will be a pause before the final judgment is put into place. Is this a resting point, what we might call the calm before the storm? Likely this is a time of preparation before the actual events will transpire. But we have a pause. In this case for the servants of God that have to be marked or sealed. We have this elaborate list from John of 144,000. Pay close attention to the tribes listed for they are not the twelve tribes of Israel. Now there has been great discussion about who the 144,000 are. Certain denominations believe this is the elect that gets into heaven. That however is contrary to what we heard in chapter 5 and 6. Some believe that this is 144,000 of Christian and Jewish believers who will witness to the world during the coming tribulation. Some believe that this is a complete number and cannot be taken literally but rather means a large group of faithful Christians. Some Dispensationalists believe that this refers to the Jews alone and that the age of the Gentile is over. What we do know is that servants of God will be marked. Has this happened in the past? Not to our knowledge unless we view this as an Idealist who would say that when we profess Christ we are marked.

Verse 9 says there is a multitude from every nation who have come out of the great ordeal. Does this mean that what John is seeing is that there will be a great group of witnesses that are martyred during the time of tribulation? Did John see the immediate future which did result as I said before in many going to their deaths or is John looking into our future? Only God knows the answer which will be revealed in its time. This is a good place to talk about the Rapture of the church.

The Rapture of the Church

Prior to this great tribulation some (Dispensationalist) believe that the church will be taken up into the clouds with Jesus in order to avoid this terrible time. They believe that it is clear in 1 Thessalonians 4: 13-18 and 1 Corinthians 15: 50-54. This is the basis on the popular book series, Left Behind. But let us examine it in scripture and then using scripture, tradition, experience and reason, the four points of the quadrilateral to understand it.

^NRS  1 Thessalonians 4:13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who have died, so that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. ¹⁴ For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have died. ¹⁵ For this we declare to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will by no means precede those who have died. ¹⁶ For the Lord himself, with a cry of command, with the archangel's call and with the sound of God's trumpet, will descend from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first. ¹⁷ Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up in the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the air; and so we will be with the Lord forever. ¹⁸ Therefore encourage one another with these words.

^NRS  1 Corinthians 15:50 What I am saying, brothers and sisters, is this: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. ⁵¹ Listen, I will tell you a mystery! We will not all die, but we will all be changed, ⁵² in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. ⁵³ For this perishable body must put on imperishability, and this mortal body must put on immortality. ⁵⁴ When this perishable body puts on imperishability, and this mortal body puts on immortality, then the saying that is written will be fulfilled: "Death has been swallowed up in victory."

1 Thessalonians is written by Paul to offer an explanation to the challenge that has infiltrated the church. False preaching has convinced many that the church has already been taken from the world and judgment has already happened. Paul is responding to that false teaching. Paul throughout his Epistle’s continually talks about the imminent return of Christ but not before the church walks through a time of great tribulation (Parousia). This letter to the Thessalonian church was likely written before John’s Revelation, around 52 AD. Paul clearly here and in 1 Corinthians is describing the coming of Second Christ when Christ comes for final judgment. There is no reference to the church being removed in John’s Revelation. But let’s say for a moment that there is such disagreement and ambiguity and that we cannot clearly see the timing of the church raised up to Christ. When we look at the traditions of the church we clearly see that though there was disagreement about Postmillennial and Amillennial views of the return of Christ but Premillennialism doesn’t surface until the 16^th century and so is the newest of End of Times theories. Rapture surfaces with John Nelson Darby in 1830 and though it is widely accepted today it has not stood the test of scripture and time. So what then of the experience of the Holy Spirit within the church? Again we have a wide disagreement across the world between the three understandings of John’s Revelation with Dispensationalism being primarily an American view of John’s writing. Finally using reason, the last point of the Quadrilateral, I point to two challenges to Darby’s theory. One that Paul throughout his writings speaks to the tribulation that every Christian will walk through prior to Christ’s return. It permeates his entire thinking and skews his view on marriage and family because of his concern about loyalty to God throughout that trial period. Second, when has God ever removed us from trials of faith especially when there are still souls to be won to Christ? Why would God remove the church and depend on folks of little faith or no faith to suddenly step up and become the leaders of this new church of the tribulation period. Granted some will probably get it as times become tough but do you put partial understanding when you could have scholarly leaders?

Finally the seventh seal is broken. We have ½ hour pause of silence in heaven. What does this mean? Is it as I said earlier the calm before the storm? Or is it the preparation of the end? Angels have been given seven trumpets. Trumpets have been used throughout the Biblical text to represent the proclamation or presence of God (Exod. 19:16; Isa 27:13, Joel 2:1). So hold your breath and here we go.

  

Twelve Tribes

Of Israel by birth, order                                      According to John

Reuben                                                              Judah

Simeon                                                               Reuben

Levi                                                                    Gad

Judah                                                                 Asher

Dan    (not in John’s list)                                     Naphtali

Napthali                                                              Manassah  (Son of Joseph)

Gad                                                                    Simeon

Asher                                                                  Levi

Issachar                                                             Issachar

Zebulun                                                              Zebulun

Joseph                                                               Joseph

Benjamin                                                            Benjamin

Revelation - Chapter 4

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Chapter 4 – The seven churches

Read chapter 2 & 3

We come now to the letters to the seven churches. Much has been discussed about the meaning and timing of these letters. There is within each letter a series of similarities that we should look for and in the absence of those similarities within a specific letter note the significance of that absence. Each of the letters is written to the Angel of the church. Whether this is a literal interpretation or John is referring to the messenger to the Head of each church is open for discussion. Certainly within the framework of the Biblical and Judean understanding, God has set apart an Angel to protect or look over nations, churches and even individuals. But the likelihood that God would be speaking to the Angel protecting an individual church is probably not the context of what John is writing. In each of the letters we will find an introduction, which includes an expression of Jesus, and an expression of commendation to what the church is doing and/or dealing with. Then we will see some form of condemnation or judgment about what they should not be doing. Then we find a call to repent or turnaround from where they are heading in order to come back to God. Then we hear this statement, “let anyone who has an ear hear”. This is John’s way of sharing that the message leads us to open our spiritual senses to hear what is being said. We can also glean from that message that John’s writing is relevant across time. Finally a challenge that if we are faithful what reward is before us.

Now there are different opinions about the individual churches in John’s Revelation. Preterists believe that the letters are to actual churches that existed in John’s day. And in fact, all seven churches were churches that Paul and the early apostles founded and spent time at. Each church had its own unique flavor and context much like the present day local church which fits in its geographic and demographic context. Differing views include that these letters addressed issues of that time while others believe that the issues are universal and address issues of churches in any age. Dispensationalists or futurists believe that the churches represent the church through the ages. Ephesus represents the church from 70 AD to 170 AD, Smyrna from 170-312, and so on to Philadelphia from 1750-1900 and the Laodicean church is the present day church. Though there is supporting evidence of this theory it tends to follow the European and Western church history more so than world history. For example the churches in China and Africa today are more like the first evangelistic churches following the persecution era of Paul and the early Apostles. Whatever you believe, the messages within each church are certainly relevant to our day and our time depending on the individual church or denomination and the issues facing it today. I think it is important to note that an individual messenger carrying the letters would have reached the churches in order of the way that they were written.

Ephesus is the first church addressed in the letters. Ephesus located closest to Patmos, was a major seaport that was slowly dying because the access to the sea was slowly filling with river silt. It was still at this time the largest of the seven cities. This had one of the strongest churches established by the early Christian movement and was a jumping off point for most of the evangelism in the Middle East and even Rome. God introduces us to the church by telling us that they have been very good at determining sound doctrine. As the largest church they would have been besieged with all sorts of persecution and internal challenges to individual doctrines. But God decreed that they have done well. But God condemns them that they have lost their first love which is Jesus. Not without substance we know the vigor of young faith and how it can often cool as it matures if we are not disciplined. John hears the call to repent, to turn back to their first love of Jesus and to become the faithful and strong witness that they used to be. To everyone who repents and turns back the tree of life is promised in paradise with God. Remember that the tree of life is our eternal promise.

We then travel up the road to Smyrna, a harbor city that was a central Roman city on the way into the Asian continent. We can gather that Smyrna was a church under tremendous persecution from both the Roman’s and the Jew’s. In fact Polycarp had been martyred here because he spoke out against the Jew’s, saying the only true Jew was one who believed in Jesus. The church is warned that further persecution is in front of them and if they are faithful they will have the crown of life. In other words, they are not condemned by God and are given hope instead. Whoever stays faithful to the end will not face the second death that we know as the final judgment. We are reminded that we must stay faithful even in the face of adversity.

From here we travel further north to Pergamum. Pergamum was the capital of the region and a major city in the time of John’s message. Interestingly this must have been a center for Pagan worship because it is described as the place where Satan’s throne is. But they have allowed the false teachings to infiltrate their faith lives. We in the western world have seen a moral decline in our culture and that moral decline can be dangerous if it begins to change the teaching of the church. The message of God is unchanged from generation to generation even if the culture changes. God challenges them to be faithful to the true faith and if they are they will receive manna from heaven, thought to symbolize Jesus, and a white stone with a name that no one knows except the one who receives it. It could possibly carry understanding back to when God changes the name of those that God calls like Jacob, Abram and Saul.

Now we begin to travel to the southwest along the trade routes of ancient Rome. We enter into the city of Thyatira. They are commended for their works and their faith but then we begin to see that they too, like Pergamum, have begun to decline into the culture. We as a church need to be constantly on the alarm against declining from the teaching of Christ as the culture around us changes. The church is given a challenge to persevere and they will be given authority over all nations and the morning star. This likely is a reference to the Psalm 2: 8 promise that those of faith will have authority over the nations. The reference to the morning star is less clear. It may refer to Christ and His return or it could refer to Lucifer, the morning star and indicate that the faithful will have power over sin. There is a reference in Isaiah 14:12 to Satan as the “Day Star – Son of Dawn” or “Morning Star.”

We continue our travel southwest along the trade routes to Sardis. They receive little introduction and no commendation, 14rather they go straight to the condemnation phase. They have become an apathetic church or may have begun that way and never fully came to faith, true faith. They are reminded to wake up and stop living in the past. So many of our churches today focus on what we used to be that they have lost sight of the original mission of the church to teach the Gospel of God’s love to the world. We used to be a giving church. We used to be a loving church. Nothing is stopping that church from being those things today except they have given up the zeal for Christ. The challenge for Sardis is still part of the condemnation, they that prevail will receive white robes but if they do not wake up their names will be blotted out of the Book of Life.

We continue to travel to the southwest and we arrive at the city of Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love. Note that for the church in Philadelphia there is no condemnation. This would appear to be a faithful church that has not wavered throughout the time of its creation even in the face of persecution. Verse 10 creates a lot of discussion. Depending on the version of your Bible, this may be translated I will keep you from the hour of trial, temptation or testing. Dispensationalists point to this as the rapture of the church prior to the coming again of Christ for judgment. The rest simply say that this says that Jesus will, as the Lord’s Prayer asks for, keep us from temptation. That Jesus will stay with us and if we remain faithful will hamper temptation. If you can stay true God promises that we will become the foundation of the church.

Finally we come to Laodicea. This church receives no commendation from God. You are neither hot nor cold. I served a church once that fit this description nicely. They were comfortable and content that they had enough money to survive till the oldest among them was in the cemetery adjacent to the church. They asked of me to do four things, to preach a good sermon, visit them in the nursery home, preach their funeral and not ask them to do anything. When I read about the Laodicean church I think of them often. God minces no words. Either get off the fence or I will fry you, fence and all. It would be difficult to believe as the Dispensationalist believe, that we are in fact the Laodicean church since there are many churches throughout the world that are doing great works still being done throughout the world, but we can see that each succeeding generation leaves us weaker and quieter. To the one who repents, witnesses and loves, they will have a place on the throne with Jesus.

So ends the seven letters.